Verses 1-4, “After this it came to pass that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them. And David took Metheg Ammah from the hand of the Philistines. Then he defeated Moab. Forcing them down to the ground, he measured them off with a line. With two lines he measured off those to be put to death, and with one full line those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought tribute. David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his territory at the River Euphrates. David took from him one thousand chariots, seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. Also David hamstrung all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them for one hundred chariots.”
Metheg Ammah was also known as the city of Gath, the mother city of the Philistines. This was most likely their capital city, where the power of the Philistine territories was located. By David taking this strong city, he was now making offensive moves against the Philistines, rather than just defending Israel from their attacks. Then he took the city of Moab. But not all of the Philistines were killed. Enough were kept alive to become servants to Israel and pay tribute, submitting to Israel's power and authority. The plunder from Israel's enemies would now be used to increase their military strength, and secure their position of leadership among the nations. All of this according to God's will for His people.
Verses 5-12, “When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand of the Syrians. Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became David’s servants, and brought tribute. So the Lord preserved David wherever he went. And David took the shields of gold that had belonged to the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. Also from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a large amount of bronze. When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer, then Toi sent Joram his son to King David, to greet him and bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him (for Hadadezer had been at war with Toi); and Joram brought with him articles of silver, articles of gold, and articles of bronze. King David also dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations which he had subdued— from Syria, from Moab, from the people of Ammon, from the Philistines, from Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.”
Joram, the son of King Toi, brought articles of silver, gold, and bronze to David in recognition of his success with God's hand upon him. This shows us that not all unbelievers are against the work of the Lord. Sometimes, our enemies are not those outside the church, but actually those from within the church. They may be clever at disguising their attacks, but they work to undermine God's work nonetheless. Because they are an unexpected enemy, they can be even more treacherous. II Corinthians 11:13-15, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”
Verses 13-18, “And David made himself a name when he returned from killing eighteen thousand Syrians in the Valley of Salt. He also put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went. So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people. Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; Seraiah was the scribe; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief ministers.”
It was God who preserved David, allowing him to be exalted among Israel and the neighboring nations. He ruled over the people by administering judgement and justice to all his people. His obedience to God in ruling the kingdom, allowed the protection, blessing and prosperity of God. Consider what happens when leaders refuse to judge people for their wickedness. God will not bless this disobedience. Knowing that God can remove His mercy for disobedience, it is the most loving thing you can do to expose wickedness rather than overlooking it. Ephesians 5:8-11, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”
In this chapter, David fought many battles, and the Lord delivered all of David's enemies into his hand. The Philistines had always given Isreal trouble, and they took land that God promised to the Israelites. Under David's reign, he fought the Philistines, and subdued them. He also took Gath, which was a famous Philistine city. He also defeated the Moabites, and some stayed alive and became David's servants. Moab was where David's great grandmother Ruth was from, and David had also sent his parents there. Something may have happened to them there, which may be why David fought them. Lastly, there was Syria. David conquered all of Syria, even though the 2 kings came together to try and fight back. David then destroyed many horses and chariots, only keeping a small portion for himself.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, David did not win all of these battles because he was this great, awesome leader. He won because of the Lord. God gave him all these victories, and David never once took credit for himself. All the glory belonged to God. God merely used David to accomplish His will. David had humility, which is something many people lack today. Anything we get in life is something that the Lord provided for us, and we should be grateful to Him. The only thing we have earned is he'll and eternal condemnation, and we are incapable of earning anything else. We do not deserve God's grace, we don't deserve the gift of salvation, we don't deserve our jobs, our houses, or our possessions. Anything we have is a gift from the Lord, and He has allowed it to happen. Psalms 115:1- "Not unto us, O Lord , not unto us, But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth." Because David gave all the glory to God, He used him mightily, and every victory pointed to the Lord. We need to do the same in our own lives. We need to stop trying to take credit for things in our life, and give all the glory to God.
Second of all, David didn't trust in his own abilities or in man, or in anything on this earth, but rather the Lord. When he defeated the Syrians, he only kept a hundred chariots and horses, which was a small number, because he didn't trust in these things to protect him or save him.
Psalms 20:7- "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God." David trusted wholeheartedly in the Lord to deliver him and protect him.
Psalms 33:16-20- "No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waits for the Lord ; He is our help and our shield."
When we trust in God, we don't have worry and assess the situation beforehand. It doesn't matter how impossible a situation looks, God is in control, and we don't have to worry about it. If God takes care of every lily of the field and every sparrow, He will definitely take care of us. Matthew 6:25-27- “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? Now, the outcome may not be what our flesh wants, but that doesn't mean God isn't in control. We need to submit ourselves to HIS will. God's will is the best thing for us, even if the road is hard and filled with trials.