1 Chronicles 14 Study Notes: David Defeats the Philistines
Hiram of Tyre sends builders for David’s palace, and David recognizes that God has made his kingdom secure for Israel’s good. Twice the Philistines raid, and each time David asks God first; he wins at Baal-perazim, burns their abandoned idols, wins again after a sign in the treetops, and grows famous among the nations.
General
When the Philistines made a raid in the Rephaim valley, what did David do before going up to fight them (1 Chronicles 14:8-10)?
Answer: He asked God whether to go up and whether God would give victory
The Philistines, a neighboring enemy people, learned of David’s anointing (being set apart with oil) as king over the whole nation, and they came searching for him, so David went out to meet them (14:8). When they made a raid in the valley, David did not rush into battle. He asked God whether he should go up against them and whether God would hand them over to him, and the LORD told him to go, promising victory (14:9-10). This stands in sharp contrast with Saul, who died partly because he failed to ask the LORD for guidance (10:13-14). Scripture calls God’s people to trust Him and acknowledge Him in all their ways rather than leaning on their own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).
- 1 Chronicles 14:8-10 (BSB)“When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they all went in search of him; but David learned of this and went out to face them. Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim. So David inquired of God, “Should I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” “Go,” replied the LORD, “for I will deliver them into your hand.””The Philistines come after David, and David inquires of God before going out against them.
- 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 (BSB)“So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, and he failed to inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.”Saul’s failure to inquire of the LORD is listed among the reasons for his death, in contrast with David here.
- Proverbs 3:5-6 (BSB)“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”Acknowledging God in every path, rather than leaning on one’s own understanding, is what David does by inquiring.
Theological
What did David do before marching out against the Philistine raiders in the valley (1 Chronicles 14:8-10)?
Answer: He asked God whether to go up and whether God would give victory
Hearing of David’s anointing over all Israel, the Philistines set out to hunt him down (14:8) and swept into the Rephaim valley. Before engaging them David asked God, asking both whether to go up and whether God would deliver the enemy into his hand; the LORD answered with a command and a promise (14:9-10). The contrast with Saul, whose death came because of his faithlessness and failure to seek guidance from the LORD (10:13-14), is unmistakable: the new king governs his actions by God’s word. Such dependence is the trust that acknowledges God in all one’s ways (Proverbs 3:5-6).
- 1 Chronicles 14:8-10 (BSB)“When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they all went in search of him; but David learned of this and went out to face them. Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim. So David inquired of God, “Should I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” “Go,” replied the LORD, “for I will deliver them into your hand.””The Philistines come after David, and David inquires of God before going out against them.
- 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 (BSB)“So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance, and he failed to inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.”Saul’s failure to inquire of the LORD is listed among the reasons for his death, in contrast with David here.
- Proverbs 3:5-6 (BSB)“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”Acknowledging God in every path, rather than leaning on one’s own understanding, is what David does by inquiring.
General
After defeating the Philistines at Baal-perazim, to whom did David give credit for the victory (1 Chronicles 14:11)?
Answer: To God, who broke through his enemies by David’s hand
David defeated the Philistines at Baal-perazim, and he said that God had broken out against his enemies through him, like a flood of water bursting through (14:11). The place was named for that event. David used his own hand in the fight, but he gave the victory to God. The language of God bursting out also appears in the ark story, where the LORD broke out in judgment on Uzzah (13:11); here His power breaks out against Israel’s enemies instead. Scripture teaches that Israel did not win by its own sword but by God’s right hand (Psalm 44:3), and that God’s people trust in His name rather than in chariots and horses (Psalm 20:7).
- 1 Chronicles 14:11 (BSB)“So David and his men went up to Baal-perazim, where he defeated the Philistines and said, “Like a bursting flood, God has burst out against my enemies by my hand.” So they called that place Baal-perazim.”David credits God with breaking out against the Philistines, and the place is named Baal-perazim.
- 1 Chronicles 13:11 (BSB)“Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah. So he named that place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day.”The LORD had earlier burst forth against Uzzah, the same kind of language David now uses of God’s action against his enemies.
- Psalm 44:3 (BSB)“For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.”Israel’s victories came by God’s right hand, not by their own sword, just as David confesses.
- Psalm 20:7 (BSB)“Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”God’s people trust in His name rather than in military power, which is the trust behind David’s words.
Theological
To whom does David give the credit for the victory at Baal-perazim in 1 Chronicles 14:11?
Answer: To God, who broke through his enemies by David’s hand
At Baal-perazim David attributes the rout of the Philistines to God, who broke through his enemies by David’s hand like rushing floodwaters, and the place receives its name from that confession (14:11). Human agency is real, but the victory is God’s. The same language of the LORD bursting out was used of His judgment on Uzzah (13:11); here His power breaks out on behalf of His anointed king. Israel’s victories were never by their own arm but by God’s right hand (Psalm 44:3), and God’s people rely on the LORD’s name rather than on military strength (Psalm 20:7).
- 1 Chronicles 14:11 (BSB)“So David and his men went up to Baal-perazim, where he defeated the Philistines and said, “Like a bursting flood, God has burst out against my enemies by my hand.” So they called that place Baal-perazim.”David credits God with breaking out against the Philistines, and the place is named Baal-perazim.
- 1 Chronicles 13:11 (BSB)“Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah. So he named that place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day.”The LORD had earlier burst forth against Uzzah, the same kind of language David now uses of God’s action against his enemies.
- Psalm 44:3 (BSB)“For it was not by their sword that they took the land; their arm did not bring them victory. It was by Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, because You favored them.”Israel’s victories came by God’s right hand, not by their own sword, just as David confesses.
- Psalm 20:7 (BSB)“Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”God’s people trust in His name rather than in military power, which is the trust behind David’s words.
General
True or False: When the Philistines came into the valley a second time, David attacked the same way as before without asking God again.
Answer: False
This is false. When the Philistines came back into the valley, David once more inquired of God (14:13-14). He did not assume that the earlier answer settled the new situation, and it was well that he asked, because this time God gave a different plan. David’s habit of seeking the LORD again and again reflects the call to seek God’s face continually (Psalm 105:4) and to acknowledge Him in all our ways (Proverbs 3:6).
- 1 Chronicles 14:13-14 (BSB)“Once again the Philistines raided the valley. So David again inquired of God, who answered him, “Do not march up after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.”When the Philistines raid again, David again inquires of God and receives new instructions.
- Psalm 105:4 (BSB)“Seek out the LORD and His strength; seek His face always.”God’s people are to seek His face always, as David does by asking again.
- Proverbs 3:6 (BSB)“in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”Acknowledging God in all one’s ways is the pattern of David’s repeated inquiry.
Theological
True or False: At the second Philistine raid, David assumed the earlier answer still applied and attacked without inquiring of God again.
Answer: False
This is false. Faced with a second raid, David asked God once more (14:13-14) rather than presuming on the previous answer, and God gave a different strategy. Dependence on God is not a single act but a continuing habit of seeking His face always (Psalm 105:4), acknowledging Him in every path (Proverbs 3:6).
- 1 Chronicles 14:13-14 (BSB)“Once again the Philistines raided the valley. So David again inquired of God, who answered him, “Do not march up after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.”When the Philistines raid again, David again inquires of God and receives new instructions.
- Psalm 105:4 (BSB)“Seek out the LORD and His strength; seek His face always.”God’s people are to seek His face always, as David does by asking again.
- Proverbs 3:6 (BSB)“in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”Acknowledging God in all one’s ways is the pattern of David’s repeated inquiry.
General
When Hiram of Tyre sent builders and cedar for David’s palace, David realized the LORD had made him king and raised his kingdom high. For whose sake, according to 14:2, had the LORD done this?
Answer: For the good of Israel, the people who belonged to God
Hiram, ruler of Tyre, sent messengers along with cedar timber and skilled workers to build David a palace (14:1). Through this, David came to understand that it was the LORD who had set him firmly on the throne of Israel, and that God had lifted his kingdom high for the good of Israel, God’s own people (14:2). The kingdom was not mainly about David’s own glory. God had taken David from caring for sheep to be a shepherd over His people (Psalm 78:70-72), and Scripture teaches that it is God, not human effort, who raises one person up and brings another down (Psalm 75:6-7).
- 1 Chronicles 14:1-2 (BSB)“Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons, and carpenters, to build a palace for him. And David realized that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had highly exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.”Hiram sends builders and cedar for a palace, and David recognizes that the LORD has established and exalted his kingdom for Israel’s sake.
- Psalm 78:70-72 (BSB)“He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds; from tending the ewes He brought him to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance. So David shepherded them with integrity of heart and guided them with skillful hands.”God chose David to shepherd His people, the purpose for which his kingdom was raised up.
- Psalm 75:6-7 (BSB)“For exaltation comes neither from east nor west, nor out of the desert, but it is God who judges; He brings down one and exalts another.”Exaltation comes from God, which is what David came to recognize about his own throne.
Theological
According to 1 Chronicles 14:2, what purpose stood behind the LORD’s exaltation of David’s kingdom?
Answer: For the good of Israel, the people who belonged to God
Hiram’s gift of envoys, cedar, and craftsmen for a palace (14:1) becomes the occasion of David’s recognition that the LORD had made his kingship secure and raised his rule high on behalf of Israel, the people God owned (14:2). David’s throne exists in service of God’s covenant people, not for its own sake. The LORD chose David from the sheepfolds to shepherd Israel, His inheritance (Psalm 78:70-72), and exaltation comes from God alone, who humbles one and lifts up another (Psalm 75:6-7).
- 1 Chronicles 14:1-2 (BSB)“Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons, and carpenters, to build a palace for him. And David realized that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had highly exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.”Hiram sends builders and cedar for a palace, and David recognizes that the LORD has established and exalted his kingdom for Israel’s sake.
- Psalm 78:70-72 (BSB)“He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds; from tending the ewes He brought him to be shepherd of His people Jacob, of Israel His inheritance. So David shepherded them with integrity of heart and guided them with skillful hands.”God chose David to shepherd His people, the purpose for which his kingdom was raised up.
- Psalm 75:6-7 (BSB)“For exaltation comes neither from east nor west, nor out of the desert, but it is God who judges; He brings down one and exalts another.”Exaltation comes from God, which is what David came to recognize about his own throne.
General
How does 1 Chronicles 14 end, after the victories over the Philistines (14:17)?
Answer: David’s fame spread and the LORD made every nation fear him
The chapter closes by saying that David’s renown spread to every country, and that it was the LORD who put the fear of David on all the nations (14:17). David’s reputation was God’s doing, not just the result of his own success. God had once promised to put the fear of Israel on the nations (Deuteronomy 2:25), and He had exalted Joshua in the same way, so that his fame spread through the land because the LORD stood by him (Joshua 6:27).
- 1 Chronicles 14:17 (BSB)“And David’s fame went out into every land, and the LORD caused all nations to fear him.”David’s fame spreads, and the LORD causes all nations to fear him.
- Deuteronomy 2:25 (BSB)“This very day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon all the nations under heaven. They will hear the reports of you and tremble in anguish because of you.””God promised to put the fear of His people on the nations, as He does here for David.
- Joshua 6:27 (BSB)“So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.”The LORD’s presence with Joshua made his fame spread, a parallel to God’s exaltation of David.
Theological
What does the closing verse of 1 Chronicles 14 report about David’s standing among the nations?
Answer: David’s fame spread and the LORD made every nation fear him
The chapter concludes that David’s renown reached every country and that the LORD placed the fear of him upon all nations (14:17). The text attributes David’s standing to God’s action, echoing the LORD’s promise to make the nations dread Israel (Deuteronomy 2:25) and His exaltation of Joshua, whose fame spread because the LORD stood with him (Joshua 6:27).
- 1 Chronicles 14:17 (BSB)“And David’s fame went out into every land, and the LORD caused all nations to fear him.”David’s fame spreads, and the LORD causes all nations to fear him.
- Deuteronomy 2:25 (BSB)“This very day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon all the nations under heaven. They will hear the reports of you and tremble in anguish because of you.””God promised to put the fear of His people on the nations, as He does here for David.
- Joshua 6:27 (BSB)“So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.”The LORD’s presence with Joshua made his fame spread, a parallel to God’s exaltation of David.
General
The Philistines left their gods behind at Baal-perazim. What did David do with them (1 Chronicles 14:12)?
Answer: He gave orders for them to be destroyed by fire
When the Philistines fled, they left their gods (their idols) behind on the battlefield, and David gave orders to burn them (14:12). This was what God’s law required. Moses had told Israel to burn the idols of the nations in the land (Deuteronomy 7:5) and not to keep the precious metal on them, since idols are hateful to the LORD (Deuteronomy 7:25). The Philistines’ gods could not even protect themselves, and David treated them as the worthless objects they were.
- 1 Chronicles 14:12 (BSB)“There the Philistines abandoned their gods, and David ordered that they be burned in the fire.”The Philistines abandon their gods, and David orders them burned.
- Deuteronomy 7:5 (BSB)“Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire.”The law commanded Israel to burn the idols of the nations, which David does here.
- Deuteronomy 7:25 (BSB)“You must burn up the images of their gods; do not covet the silver and gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it; for it is detestable to the LORD your God.”Israel was to burn the images of the nations’ gods and not keep their silver and gold, because they are detestable to the LORD.
Theological
What did David do with the gods the Philistines abandoned at Baal-perazim (1 Chronicles 14:12)?
Answer: He gave orders for them to be destroyed by fire
The fleeing Philistines left their gods behind, and David ordered them burned (14:12), acting in line with the Mosaic command to burn the idols of the nations (Deuteronomy 7:5) and not to covet their precious metal, because such images are an abomination to the LORD (Deuteronomy 7:25). The helplessness of the idols on the battlefield displays the emptiness of the gods of the nations, a theme the song of thanksgiving in 16:26 will sound again.
- 1 Chronicles 14:12 (BSB)“There the Philistines abandoned their gods, and David ordered that they be burned in the fire.”The Philistines abandon their gods, and David orders them burned.
- Deuteronomy 7:5 (BSB)“Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire.”The law commanded Israel to burn the idols of the nations, which David does here.
- Deuteronomy 7:25 (BSB)“You must burn up the images of their gods; do not covet the silver and gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it; for it is detestable to the LORD your God.”Israel was to burn the images of the nations’ gods and not keep their silver and gold, because they are detestable to the LORD.
General
In the second battle, God told David to circle around the Philistines and wait for a sound like troops on the move in the balsam treetops. What would that sound mean (1 Chronicles 14:14-16)?
Answer: That God had gone ahead of David to strike the enemy camp
This time God told David not to march straight up after the Philistines but to circle around and attack them near the balsam trees. When David heard what sounded like troops on the move up in the trees, he was to go into battle at once, because it would mean that God had gone out ahead of him to strike the Philistine army (14:14-15). David did exactly as God commanded, and Israel struck down the Philistines from Gibeon to Gezer (14:16). The battle belonged to the LORD. Moses had promised that the LORD goes with His people to fight for them (Deuteronomy 20:4), and Deborah told Barak that the LORD had gone before him (Judges 4:14).
- 1 Chronicles 14:14-16 (BSB)“So David again inquired of God, who answered him, “Do not march up after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because this will mean that God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” So David did as God had commanded him, and they struck down the army of the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.”God gives David a new plan, the sound in the treetops signals that God has gone out first, and David obeys.
- Deuteronomy 20:4 (BSB)“For the LORD your God goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.””The LORD goes with His people to fight their enemies, as He does here by going out before David.
- Judges 4:14 (BSB)“Then Deborah said to Barak, “Arise, for this is the day that the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the LORD gone before you?” So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.”Deborah tells Barak that the LORD has gone before him, the same reality signaled by the sound in the trees.
Theological
What did the sound of an army moving in the balsam treetops signify, according to God’s instructions in 1 Chronicles 14:14-16?
Answer: That God had gone ahead of David to strike the enemy camp
God’s second answer prescribed a different approach: circle around the Philistines, attack facing the balsam trees, and move when he heard troops seeming to march overhead, the sign that God Himself had gone out before David to strike the Philistine camp (14:14-15). David obeyed exactly, and the rout stretched from Gibeon to Gezer (14:16). The LORD is the true warrior who goes ahead of His people and fights for them (Deuteronomy 20:4), as when He went before Barak (Judges 4:14); David’s part was to obey the word and follow.
- 1 Chronicles 14:14-16 (BSB)“So David again inquired of God, who answered him, “Do not march up after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because this will mean that God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” So David did as God had commanded him, and they struck down the army of the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.”God gives David a new plan, the sound in the treetops signals that God has gone out first, and David obeys.
- Deuteronomy 20:4 (BSB)“For the LORD your God goes with you to fight for you against your enemies, to give you the victory.””The LORD goes with His people to fight their enemies, as He does here by going out before David.
- Judges 4:14 (BSB)“Then Deborah said to Barak, “Arise, for this is the day that the LORD has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the LORD gone before you?” So Barak came down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him.”Deborah tells Barak that the LORD has gone before him, the same reality signaled by the sound in the trees.