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Context No. 2038 of 4322 · 1 Chronicles

Context · Reflection

1 Chronicles 11:26-41: in context

26The mighty men of the armies also include Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 27Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, 28Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, 29Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, 31Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, 32Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite, 35Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, 36Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, 38Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, 39Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite (the armor bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah), 40Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai,

The Chronicler lists the valiant men of David's armies, the warriors who stood with him and were honored for their courage and service. It is a long roll of names, most of them unfamiliar to us, men who fought and served faithfully in David's cause. And at the end of the list, almost in passing, stands a name that carries a weight the others do not: Uriah the Hittite. Here he is honored among David's faithful warriors, the loyal soldier whom David would later betray.

To find Uriah the Hittite listed among the honored faithful gives this roll a sober poignancy. Uriah was one of David's valiant men, a loyal soldier who served the king faithfully, whose name is recorded here with honor among those who stood with David. And we know what David did to him: coveting his wife, David arranged Uriah's death, betraying the very loyalty that this list honors. The faithful servant, honored here, was wronged by the king he served. And the placement of his name among the honored warriors becomes a quiet reminder of how precious, and how easily wronged, the loyalty of the faithful is. There is a warning here about how we treat those who serve us faithfully. The people around us who are loyal, who serve faithfully, who stand with us, are like Uriah in the roll: their faithfulness is precious and deserves honor. And the temptation, especially when we have power over them, is to take that loyalty for granted, to exploit it, even to wrong it for our own ends, as David wronged Uriah. The faithful service of others is not to be taken for granted or taken advantage of, but honored and protected. Render to all what is due, Paul says, honor to whom honor is owed. Those who labor faithfully among us and for us are to be esteemed, valued, treated with the honor their faithfulness deserves, not exploited or wronged. This searches how we treat the loyal and faithful in our own lives, those who serve us, work for us, stand with us. Do we honor their faithfulness, valuing and protecting it? Or do we take it for granted, exploit it, even wrong it when it suits us, as David wronged the loyal Uriah? The name of Uriah among David's honored warriors is a quiet reminder that faithful loyalty is precious and easily wronged; and it calls us to honor, not exploit, the faithful service of those around us, treating their loyalty as the valuable thing it is.

How do I treat those who serve faithfully and stand loyally with me, especially where I have some power over them, and can the presence of Uriah the Hittite among David's honored warriors, the loyal soldier the king betrayed, remind me to honor rather than take for granted or exploit the faithful service of others, treating their loyalty as precious and not to be wronged?

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