Lives of Scripture

Ezer is named as the chief of eleven Gadite warriors who crossed over from Saul's territory to join David "in the stronghold in the wilderness" -- the period before David became king, when he was still a fugitive with no guaranteed future (1 Chronicles 12:8-9). Scripture describes these men in vivid military terms: "mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were as swift as gazelles on the mountains" (12:8). Ezer led the group, with ten other named men following in rank beneath him. Their loyalty came at real risk, since siding with David while Saul still held the throne meant defying the reigning king. The Chronicler notes that even "the least was equal to a hundred and the greatest to a thousand" (12:14) -- a mark of their formidable reputation. Their most memorable feat was crossing the Jordan River at flood stage, when its waters overran its banks, and routing all the people living in the valleys to the east and west (12:15). Ezer's brief appearance represents the wider pattern in 1 Chronicles 12 of warriors from every tribe streaming to David's side before his kingship was secure -- men whose willingness to commit to God's anointed but not-yet-crowned king, at personal risk, helped consolidate the unified monarchy that followed.