Based on 1 Chronicles 12:23-40 (New King James Version)
“Now these were the numbers of the divisions that were equipped for war, and came to David at Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lord: of the sons of Judah bearing shield and spear, six thousand eight hundred armed for war; of the sons of Simeon, mighty men of valor fit for war, seven thousand one hundred; of the sons of Levi four thousand six hundred; Jehoiada, the leader of the Aaronites, and with him three thousand seven hundred; Zadok, a young man, a valiant warrior, and from his father’s house twenty-two captains; of the sons of Benjamin, relatives of Saul, three thousand (until then the greatest part of them had remained loyal to the house of Saul); of the sons of Ephraim twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous men throughout their father’s house; of the half-tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were designated by name to come and make David king; of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command; of Zebulun there were fifty thousand who went out to battle, expert in war with all weapons of war, stouthearted men who could keep ranks; of Naphtali one thousand captains, and with them thirty-seven thousand with shield and spear; of the Danites who could keep battle formation, twenty-eight thousand six hundred; of Asher, those who could go out to war, able to keep battle formation, forty thousand; of the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, from the other side of the Jordan, one hundred and twenty thousand armed for battle with every kind of weapon of war. All these men of war, who could keep ranks, came to Hebron with a loyal heart, to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel were of one mind to make David king. And they were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them. Moreover those who were near to them, from as far away as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, were bringing food on donkeys and camels, on mules and oxen—provisions of flour and cakes of figs and cakes of raisins, wine and oil and oxen and sheep abundantly, for there was joy in Israel.”
Did all this that was formed to support David happen because God alone wanted to do it, or because there were people who were willing to take part? Was David himself who he was because only God wanted him to be, or because he decided to be so? In the same way, is man what he is because God wanted him that way or because he decides to be the way he is? Is everything that happens the will of God or the culminating product of the will of a group of people? These are possibly the biggest dilemmas that exist within Christian teaching, the issue of whether we are only part of a great design that is only realized over time or whether man really has free will. There are many, for example, who more secularly see predestination as believing that there is such a thing as destiny, and there is not much difference between the two. You can say that they are practically the same. But what is the reality or the truth?
In order to seek the answer, it is necessary to turn to the Word of God, in Its fullness, because just clinging to certain verses here and there is not a good idea because that is where many errors and distortions begin. Is there such a thing as predestination? The Bible gives a possibility to this thought, but in very select places, and even in those places, one must be very careful with the interpretation based on the context, because it does not mean what many think, on which they base such a doctrine. We could use repetition as a guide. In other words, if something is mentioned many times more than anything else in the Word, it means that it is a point that God wants to drive deeply. When God mentions and gives examples of the same thing time after time, and in such a way that even the Lord himself emphasizes it, it is because we must take note. For example, the word or name “Lord” appears in the Bible 7,830 times. And the word or name “Savior” appears in the Bible 37 times. So, what can be deduced very easily? That it is overwhelmingly more important to God that we recognize and treat Him as Lord than as Savior. And to make it even clearer, a person only attains salvation by literally recognizing Jesus as Lord, as it is written: “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9. If a person does not recognize and treat the Lord as such, there is simply no salvation. That is why this matter of faith goes far beyond recognizing or believing in a generic god or even saying that there is belief in Christ.
Now, the point is that God is Sovereign, and His will shall be done, no matter what happens, whatever we do, and everything is subject to Him. God established the progress of things and even the passage of time for the entire universe through the creation. And God put things or beings superior to us humans to make happen everything that happens in the grand scheme. We read this in the Word: “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Colossians 1:16-17. But within all that, there is room for free will for man. And how can we understand this? Easy, because the Word speaks of a great judgment where we will all give an account, even those of us who have decided to follow the Lord. The day will come when every human being will give an account for their deeds. This is what the Word says even when speaking about us believers: “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men…” 2 Corinthians 5:9-11a. So, if there is judgment it is because there is responsibility for our actions, and the only ones who will be justified on that great day are those who use God's salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ to do His will, as it is also written: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” Matthew 7:21. So, it is not only what we believe that matters, but even more so, what we do based on what we have decided to believe.
So, what can we get out of all this? That God is going to do what He wants, that everything He says is going to be fulfilled sooner or later, but each person is free to get involved in the things of God or not. The only thing that should matter to us personally is whether we want to be part of what God is doing or not, and always with the thought that we will be judged one day depending on how we decide to respond to God with our actions. David wanted to follow and love the Lord. Those who joined David also decided they wanted to be a part of what God was doing. Now, the question you should ask yourself, for your own good is (because the Lord has nothing to lose), “do I use my free will, especially the new freedom I have in Christ, to seek to do the will of God?” Lord bless! John. God bless Israel!