The Muster Roll of the King: Text: 1 Chronicles 11:26-47
Introduction: More Than Just a List
It is a common temptation, when we are reading through the Scriptures, to treat certain passages like the fine print in a contract. We know it's there, we assume it's important for some technical reason, but our eyes glaze over and we quickly scan down to the more exciting parts, the narrative bits with dialogue and action. The genealogies and long lists of names, like the one before us today, often fall into this category. We see a cascade of unfamiliar names, and our twenty-first-century minds, trained on fast-paced media, are tempted to check out.
But we must resist this temptation with all our might. To do so is to treat the Word of God like a buffet, picking and choosing what we find palatable. The Holy Spirit inspired these lists for a reason. Every name here was a real man, with a real story, who bled real blood for his king. These are not filler. This is not biblical packing material. This is the honor roll of the kingdom. This is the muster roll of the King. And in it, we find profound theological truths about loyalty, courage, the nature of God's kingdom, and the King who is to come, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Chronicler is writing to the generation that has returned from exile. They are a remnant, discouraged and small, trying to rebuild the ruins. They look around and see a fraction of the glory that Solomon once commanded. And so the Chronicler holds up this mirror to them, showing them their history, reminding them of who they are. He is reminding them that the kingdom of God is built by the loyal service of many named individuals. It is not an abstract concept; it is a fellowship of faithful men. He is showing them the kind of men who rallied to David, God's anointed, when he was just a fugitive in a cave. And by this, he is calling them to the same kind of rugged, loyal, and courageous faith in their day.
And so for us, this list is not just about David's kingdom; it is a picture, a type, of the kingdom of the Son of David. We are called to this same kind of loyalty to our King, Jesus. Our names may not be recorded in a chapter of Chronicles, but if we are in Christ, they are written in a far more important book: the Lamb's Book of Life. This passage, then, is a call to examine our own loyalty and to take our place in the ranks of the faithful.
The Text
Now the mighty men of the military forces were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armor bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a chief of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, Hanan the son of Maacah and Joshaphat the Mithnite, Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, Jediael the son of Shimri and Joha his brother, the Tizite, Eliel the Mahavite and Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite, Eliel and Obed and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.
(1 Chronicles 11:26-47 LSB)
The Corporate Nature of Faithfulness (vv. 26-40)
The list begins and rolls on, name after name. We are not given the grand exploits of these men, as we were for the first three. This is "The Thirty," a band of elite warriors. Some names are familiar, others are obscure. But their inclusion here teaches us something vital.
"Now the mighty men of the military forces were Asahel the brother of Joab... Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite..." (1 Chronicles 11:26, 40)
God's work is not accomplished by a few superstars while everyone else watches from the stands. It is accomplished by a great company of the faithful. Some, like the first three mighty men, will have spectacular, lion-killing testimonies. Others, like the men in this list, are honored simply for being there, for being loyal, for being part of the company. Their great deed was their unwavering allegiance to David, God's anointed.
Notice the specificity. "Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem." "Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite." God is not interested in vague generalities. He knows His people by name. He knows where they are from. He knows their father's name. In a world that seeks to erase individuality into a faceless collective, the Bible insists on the importance of the individual. Each man here mattered to David, and each one mattered to God. And so it is in the church. Your name is known to the King. Your service, however unseen by the world, is recorded in heaven. The world may build monuments to its celebrities, but God honors the quiet faithfulness of His saints.
This is a picture of true masculinity. These were hard men, warriors. They were not the soft, effeminate men that our culture produces and then despises. They were men of valor, defined by loyalty, courage, and a willingness to fight for their king. This is the kind of strength the church needs today. Men who are loyal to King Jesus, who will stand their ground, who will defend the faith, and who will not flinch in the face of the enemy. God does not call us to be passive observers; He calls us to be good soldiers.
We also see here the principle of delegated authority. Naharai the Berothite is honored as "the armor bearer of Joab." His service was to his commander, Joab, who in turn served the king, David. This is how God's kingdom operates. We are to be faithful in the station where God has placed us, serving those He has placed over us, all for the glory of the ultimate King. Faithfulness in the small things, like bearing armor, is what qualifies a man for a place on God's honor roll.
The Scandal of an Inclusive Kingdom (vv. 41-47)
As the list continues, we come across some names that ought to jolt us. They reveal that David's kingdom, from its earliest days, was a foreshadowing of the gospel's glorious reach.
"Uriah the Hittite... Zelek the Ammonite... Ithmah the Moabite..." (1 Chronicles 11:41, 39, 46)
Stop and consider this. A Hittite. An Ammonite. A Moabite. These are not Israelites. According to the law in Deuteronomy, an Ammonite or a Moabite was not even to enter the assembly of the Lord, down to the tenth generation (Deut. 23:3). The Hittites were one of the Canaanite nations that Israel was commanded to drive out. And yet, here they are, not just present in Israel, but counted among the king's most elite, most trusted, most honored warriors. What is going on here?
This is the gospel in seed form. This is a picture of the grace that breaks down dividing walls of hostility. The kingdom of God's anointed is not based on ethnicity or bloodline. It is based on loyalty to the king. These men, by faith and allegiance, were grafted into the covenant people. Uriah the Hittite is a name that should sting our consciences. He was a man of such profound integrity and loyalty to David that his character stands in stark contrast to David's treachery against him. Uriah, the Gentile, was more faithful to the covenant than the king himself in that dark affair. He was a true Israelite in his heart.
This is a direct refutation of any theology that would build a wall between Israel and the Church, or that would base salvation on racial identity. From the beginning, God's plan was to create a people for Himself from every tribe, tongue, and nation. The qualification for being one of David's mighty men was not your blood, but your faith. Your allegiance. Your willingness to say, "This is my king."
The Apostle Paul would later explain this mystery in full. "For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility" (Ephesians 2:14). The true Israel of God has always been composed of those who have faith in God's anointed one. These Gentiles, these mighty men, were looking forward to the one whom David represented. They pledged their lives to the son of Jesse, and in so doing, they were bound up in the covenant that would find its ultimate fulfillment in the Son of David, Jesus Christ.
The King We Serve
This list is glorious, but it is a list of men who served a flawed, human king. David was a great king, a man after God's own heart, but he was also an adulterer and a murderer. The loyalty of these men, particularly Uriah, was greater than the king sometimes deserved. And this points us to the greater reality.
We serve a greater David. We serve King Jesus, who is perfect in all His ways. He is the King who did not stay back in Jerusalem while His men went to war. He is the King who went to the front lines for us. He is the King who, instead of sacrificing His most loyal soldier, sacrificed Himself for His rebellious subjects. He is the King who is utterly and completely worthy of all our loyalty, all our devotion, and all our lives.
The men on this list were mighty, but they all died. Asahel was killed in battle. Uriah was murdered by his own king's command. But our King has conquered death. He has risen from the grave, and He now calls men and women from every nation to rally to His banner. He is gathering His own mighty warriors.
Conclusion: Your Place in the Ranks
So what does this ancient list of names have to do with us? Everything. It asks us a fundamental question: Is your name on the roll?
You get your name on the muster roll of King Jesus not by being mighty in your own strength, but by confessing your weakness and pledging your allegiance to Him. You join His ranks by faith. You trust that He died for your sins and was raised for your justification. You bow the knee and confess that He is Lord.
And once your name is on the roll, you are called to live like it. You are called to be a mighty man or woman of valor for the kingdom. This doesn't mean you have to go kill a literal lion in a pit on a snowy day. It means you are to be loyal. It means you fight sin in your own heart. It means you stand for the truth when the world is peddling lies. It means you faithfully serve in your family, your church, and your community. It means you recognize that you belong to the King, and you live every moment for His honor.
God still knows His people by name. He is still recording the faithful service of His saints. Let us, therefore, be encouraged by this great cloud of witnesses. Let us take our place in the ranks alongside Asahel, and Elhanan, and even Uriah the Hittite. Let us pledge our swords, our hearts, and our lives to the true and better King, the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that our service for Him is never in vain.