1 Chronicles 12:23-40: a reflection

23These are the numbers of the heads of those who were armed for war, who came to David to Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the LORD’s word. 24The children of Judah who bore shield and spear were six thousand eight hundred, armed for war. 25Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valor for the war: seven thousand one hundred. 26Of the children of Levi: four thousand six hundred. 27Jehoiada was the leader of the household of Aaron; and with him were three thousand seven hundred, 28and Zadok, a young man mighty of valor, and of his father’s house twenty-two captains. 29Of the children of Benjamin, Saul’s relatives: three thousand, for until then, the greatest part of them had kept their allegiance to Saul’s house. 30Of the children of Ephraim: twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous men in their fathers’ houses. 31Of the half-tribe of Manasseh: eighteen thousand, who were mentioned by name, to come and make David king. 32Of the children of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their heads were two hundred; and all their brothers were at their command. 33Of Zebulun, such as were able to go out in the army, who could set the battle in array with all kinds of instruments of war: fifty thousand who could command and were not of double heart. 34Of Naphtali: one thousand captains, and with them with shield and spear thirty-seven thousand. 35Of the Danites who could set the battle in array: twenty-eight thousand six hundred. 36Of Asher, such as were able to go out in the army, who could set the battle in array: forty thousand. 37On the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and of the half-tribe of Manasseh, with all kinds of instruments of war for the battle: one hundred twenty thousand. 38All these were men of war who could order the battle array, and came with a perfect heart to Hebron to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king. 39They were there with David three days, eating and drinking; for their brothers had supplied provisions for them. 40Moreover those who were near to them, as far as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, brought bread on donkeys, on camels, on mules, and on oxen: supplies of flour, cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, wine, oil, cattle, and sheep in abundance; for there was joy in Israel.

As the tribes gather to make David king, one group is singled out for a particular gift: the men of Issachar, who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do. Amid the warriors and their numbers, these men are noted not for their strength or arms, but for their discernment: they understood the times, and knew the right thing to do in them. Their gift was to read their times rightly, and to know how Israel should respond.

Notice the gift of the men of Issachar: understanding the times, and knowing what to do. They were not noted for their numbers or their arms, but for their discernment. They understood the times they lived in, read them rightly, and knew the wise course of action in them. This is a real and valuable gift: not merely to know facts or to be strong, but to understand one's times, and to discern the right thing to do in them. Such discernment guided Israel in a crucial moment.

That gift, of understanding the times and knowing what to do, is one worth desiring and cultivating. It is not enough to have knowledge or strength; we need discernment, to understand the times we live in, to read them rightly, and to know the wise course of action in them. We can misread our times, or fail to discern the right response, for lack of such understanding. Ask God for the discernment the men of Issachar had: to understand your times, to read them rightly, and to know what you ought to do in them. Do not merely accumulate knowledge or rely on strength; seek the discernment to understand your times and to know the wise course in them. Such understanding is a valuable gift, guiding us to act wisely in the times we are given, as the men of Issachar's discernment guided Israel. Cultivate the understanding of your times, and the wisdom to know what you ought to do, that you may respond rightly to the times God has placed you in.

Lord, as the tribes gathered to make David king, the men of Issachar were singled out for a particular gift: understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do. Amid the warriors, these men were noted not for their strength or arms, but for their discernment: they understood the times, and knew the right thing to do in them. Show me their gift: understanding the times, and knowing what to do. This is a real and valuable gift: not merely to know facts or to be strong, but to understand one's times, and to discern the right thing to do in them. Help me desire and cultivate that gift. It is not enough to have knowledge or strength; I need discernment, to understand the times I live in, to read them rightly, and to know the wise course in them. I can misread my times, or fail to discern the right response, for lack of such understanding. Give me the discernment the men of Issachar had: to understand my times, to read them rightly, and to know what I ought to do in them. Keep me from merely accumulating knowledge or relying on strength; help me seek the discernment to understand my times and to know the wise course. Cultivate in me the understanding of my times, and the wisdom to know what I ought to do, Lord, that I may respond rightly to the times you have placed me in.