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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Thursday, 20 November 2025:
1 Chronicles 27:1 — This is the number of the people of Israel, the heads of fathers’ houses, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and their officers who served the king in all matters concerning the divisions that came and went, month after month throughout the year, each division numbering 24,000….
Family has always been the building block of society, and the family (children raised by a faithful, God-fearing father and mother) has always been God’s intended to be the school house for character and leadership development. This is one reason why God doesn’t tolerate any threat to the sanctity of marriage (such as adultery, homosexuality, fornication, and divorce) —
– Hebrews 13:4 — Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
– Exodus 20:14 — You shall not commit adultery.
– Proverbs 6:32 — He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself.
– Malachi 2:13-16 — And this second thing you do. You cover the LORD’s altar with tears, with weeping and groaning because he no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. But you say, “Why does he not?” Because the LORD was witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been faithless, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. Did he not make them one, with a portion of the Spirit in their union? And what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and let none of you be faithless to the wife of your youth. “For the man who does not love his wife but divorces her, says the LORD, the God of Israel, covers his garment with violence, says the LORD of hosts. So guard yourselves in your spirit, and do not be faithless.”
– Luke 16:18 — Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
– Matthew 19:6 — So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.
– Leviticus 18:22 — You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
– Leviticus 20:13 — If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
– Jude 1:7 — Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
– 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 — Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
– Romans 1:26-27 — For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
– 1 Timothy 1:10 — The sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,
Again, in 1 Chronicles 27, we see that God’s people, the nation of Israel, were organized and led in every domestic area by “heads of fathers” houses. The military and militiamen were organized, trained, equipped, and supported by their respective family leaders, and agricultural, industrial, and financial organizations and institutions were led by family leaders too. Responsibility and accountability to the king on national affairs rested on the shoulder of fathers, and family reputation was tied directly to the nation’s success. For example, consider how the military was organized, with each tribe tasked with activating it’s 24,000 militiamen for one month each year — “Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first division in the first month; in his division were 24,000.” (1 Chronicles 27:2) Every month, national security depended on one family, and when their militiamen were formed and posted, every other family could see first-hand the product of that families parenting, which everyone depended on for safety and security. How many patriarchs could rally 24,000 family members for anything today? Something to think about.
1 Chronicles 27:2 — Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel was in charge of the first division in the first month; in his division were 24,000.
Jashobeam’s leadership reveals a principle repeated throughout Scripture: God often raises leaders from the unseen corners of faithfulness. Jashobeam isn’t a household name today, but in David’s era, he commanded tens of thousands. His placement reinforces Jesus’ teaching: “The greatest among you shall be your servant” (Matthew 23:11-12). David’s army wasn’t staffed by social climbers but by servants proven in obscurity.
1 Chronicles 27:3-4 — He was a descendant of Perez and was chief of all the commanders. He served for the first month. Dodai the Ahohite was in charge of the division of the second month; and Mikloth was the chief officer under him; in his division were 24,000.
Perez was the son of Judah and the ancestor of kings, including the Messiah. Yet even this royal lineage highlights God’s mercy: Perez was born from a dysfunctional union (Genesis 38). God redeems broken stories into royal purposes. David’s administration wasn’t built on perfect people; it was built on repentant people. God values faithfulness over pedigree.
1 Chronicles 27:5-6 — The third commander, for the third month, was Benaiah, son of Jehoiada the chief priest; in his division were 24,000. This is the Benaiah who was a mighty man of the Thirty and in command of the Thirty; and Ammizabad his son was in charge of his division.
Benaiah, a priest’s son, demonstrates the integration of spiritual leadership and national defense. Israel’s warriors were not secular mercenaries, they were worshipers. His legacy continued through his son Ammizabad, revealing another principle: generational leadership doesn’t happen by accident. Faith is inherited when fathers practice what they preach.
1 Chronicles 27:23-24 — David did not count those below twenty years of age, for the LORD had promised to make Israel as many as the stars of heaven. Joab the son of Zeruiah began to count, but did not finish. Yet wrath came upon Israel for this; and the number was not entered in the chronicles of King David.
David refrained from a full census not because numbers are evil but because pride is. Israel’s strength was God, not manpower. Yet Joab began counting anyway, revealing how easily leaders drift from faith toward metrics. Counting is good; trusting in counting is not. God’s wrath fell because Israel flirted with self-reliance. Faith requires metrics to serve mission, not define security.
1 Chronicles 27:32-34 — Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, being a man of understanding and a scribe. He and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni attended the king’s sons. Ahithophel was the king’s counselor, and Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend. Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar; Joab was commander of the king’s army.
These closing verses highlight David’s leadership ecosystem: counselors, teachers, scribes, protectors, friends, commanders. One man, no matter how anointed, cannot lead a nation alone. Even the best kings need godly advisors, loyal friends, and courageous commanders. Yet Ahithophel’s later betrayal (2 Samuel 15-17) stands as a warning: wisdom without loyalty becomes poison. David flourished not because he led alone but because he cultivated relationships anchored in truth.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 20 November 2025: Honor God by honoring the home. Lead where He has placed you, starting with your own household. Strengthen your spiritual “division” by being faithful in the unseen, diligent in small tasks, and committed to purity, covenant, and integrity. Build the kind of character that, if others depended on you for their security, they would find you trustworthy, steady, and God-fearing. Lead with humility, serve with excellence, and let Christ define your legacy.
Pray: “Father, strengthen my home and purify my heart. Shape my leadership from the inside out. Teach me to honor the covenant of marriage, to guard my household, and to cultivate faithfulness in the places no one sees. Make me dependable, steady, and obedient, ready to serve wherever You assign me. Build Your character in me so that my life strengthens others and brings glory to Your name. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 