The United States spent about $800 billion on national defense in 2022, which amounted to 12% of federal spending and constituted nearly 40% of total military spending worldwide. No doubt about it, armies are expensive. The military budget of ancient Israel may have looked different than ours, but those who serve their country always need room and board, along with weapons and uniforms. Furthermore, a competitive army at the time of David required horses and chariots, which also meant stables and sheds. As 1 Chronicles 27 begins, we learn that David had about 288,000 troops at his disposal, with 24,000 men serving in 12 divisions, one for each month of the year (v 1). It would have been a huge burden to care for all of these men simultaneously, but a rotating deployment allowed everyone to maintain their work at home, without constant dependence on government support. In this way, the kingdom was not left unprotected. When a military presence was needed, it would not require days or weeks to mobilize. And if the whole army was actually needed for combat, everyone would then be called up. Generals of the twelve divisions are listed (v 2-15), and some of the names may look familiar. Jashobeam (v 2) was the leader of David’s “mighty three,” who killed 300 at one time with his sword (11:11). Benaiah (27:5) once killed a lion in a snow-filled pit, along with an oversized Egyptian (11:22-24). Since Benaiah headed up David’s bodyguard (11:25), it was his son Ammizabad who actually commanded his division (27:6). And of course, at the very end of the chapter we are reminded that Joab served as David’s chief of staff (v 34). An orderly society requires orderly government, and David’s staff included representative tribal leaders (v 16-24), personal property managers (v 25-31), and an inner circle of personal advisers (v 32-34). Though these details of Israel’s civil administration may seem irrelevant to our church life today, original post-exilic readers might have also wondered how they should relate to all this information, living hundreds of years after the events recorded. But just as the genealogies of the first nine chapters gave special attention to the tribes of Judah and Levi as the royal and priestly tribes, these closing chapters of the book are returning to the same emphasis: the worship of Yahweh, and His reign on earth through an earthly, Davidic king. From the Garden of Eden to the New Jerusalem, God’s people need to be assured that His kingdom is forever, His character is unchanging, and His ways are trustworthy. He will never fail to satisfy those who seek Him. For further meditation: