Too many wives?

From I Chronicles 12 - 14:

1. It is amazing that even among those who were from the same tribe as Saul defected to David and even became some of his most staunch supporters, becoming listed among the thirty (thirty of his most valiant men). It shows that David was more honorable than Saul, as even people from Saul's own tribe would "betray" him.

2. The way that David began to bring the ark to Jerusalem is depicted as being near the start of his reign. When Uzzah was killed by God for touching the ark, I bet it made David very concerned. God made David look bad in front of everyone. However, God is not concerned with a man's image - rather, he is concerned with his own holiness. God had commanded that the ark be carried by the Levites, not pulled on a cart drawn by oxen. Since His will was not followed, it is no surprise that bad things happened. Fortunately, after this incident blew over, David came to his senses and went ahead and brought the ark into Jerusalem.

3. It is neat to see that God blesses those who respect Him and serve Him. We see that while the ark was with Obed-Edom the Gittite, God blessed his house. This is in direct contrast to the Philistines, who served other gods and yet had the ark with them. Though they were both from other nations - if I am not mistaken, Gittites were not Israelites - God only blesses those who worship and honor Him.

4. Too many wives? - It could be argued that David did something improper in I Chronicles 14:3 when it talks about him taking more wives. The Lord had commanded the Israelites not to take many wives - specifically the kings - see Deuteronomy 17:16-17. Although David's wives did not lead him to serve other gods, his son Solomon emulated him and ended up taking many wives. In the end, Solomon's wives led him astray.

5. Fear is a powerful weapon. The bible tells us in the end of I Chronicles 14 that the Lord made all the nations fear David. Fear will cause people to do things that are not always rational.