Reflections on 2 Samuel 8:2
God promised Abraham that from his descendants there would come one who would bless all nations. In order to guarantee that promise, he resolved to bless those who blessed Abraham's descendants and curse those who cursed his descendants. Egypt enslaved Abraham's descendants, the Israelites, and so experienced God's curse. When Israel approached the Promised Land to enter it, the Moabites refused to give them bread or even water, and hired the prophet Balaam to curse Israel (Numbers 22:1 ff.). In so doing, they brought God's curse on themselves.
REFUGE ABANDONED. When David was running from Saul, he had taken his parents to Moab, the homeland of his great-grandmother Ruth, for safety (1 Samuel 22:3). His parents stayed with the king of Moab "all the time that David was in the stronghold." However, Moses had forbidden making any peace agreement with Moab (Deuteronomy 23:3-6), so the prophet Gad advised David to return to Judah, and David left his stronghold in Moab immediately. David's parents apparently left Moab safely at the same time even though an old Jewish tradition says that the king of Moab murdered them (Kirkpatrick in Youngblood, 1992, p. 903).
VICTORY FORESEEN. The text gives no clue about the immediate cause of David's war against Moab. Perhaps the king of Moab had been offended when David had neither left his parents in Moab nor made a peace agreement with him. He may have found that sufficient reason to attack David when he became king. Whatever the cause of the conflict, the war was fought and Moab was crushed by a king from Judah just as God had foretold through Balaam, the prophet Moab had hired to curse Israel (Numbers 24:17).
SOLDIERS SPARED. When David fought the Amalekites, he left none alive in accordance with God's command regarding the Amalekites (Deuteronomy 25:19), but when he defeated the Moabites, he spared one third of the soldiers because God had forbidden the Israelites to occupy Moab (Deuteronomy 2:9). Killing two thirds of the soldiers probably guaranteed that Moab would not raise a formidable force against Israel in the near future, but it did not exterminate the people. Thereafter, the Moabites became subject to David and paid tribute to Israel.
Showing posts with label Blessing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blessing. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Obedience and Blessing
Reflections on 2 Sam. 5:6-10 [1 Chron. 11:4-9]
David desired in his heart to fulfill God’s purposes as stated by Moses. Even while in Ziklag to avoid Saul, David was destroying the Amalekites in accordance to God’s command (Deut. 25:17-19), and God blessed David. When David became king of all Israel, David continued to pursue the will of God, and God continued to bless him.
MOVING THE CAPITAL. David needed a capital that was more centrally located, not associated with Judah alone, and more defensible than Hebron. Jerusalem was an ideal site. It lay between the two most powerful tribes of Ephraim to the north and Judah to the south. Although it was in territory assigned to Benjamin (Josh. 18:16; 18:28), it bordered Judah (Josh. 15:8), which was the base of David’s power. Furthermore, Jerusalem was quite defensible because on three sides it could be approached only by ascending a steep hill. The major obstacle to making it his capital was that it was still in the hands of the Jebusites.
UNFULFILLED MANDATE. The Jebusites were “inhabitants of the land,” a phrase that often described the people, including the Jebusites, whom the Israelites were to drive out (Ex. 23:31; Num. 33:52; and Deut. 7:1). Although Jerusalem belonged to Benjamin, the Benjamites had never driven them out (Judges 1:21). Consequently, David was not merely achieving a personal ambition when he conquered Jerusalem, but he was fulfilling God’s mandate to possess the land promised to Abraham’s descendants.
CONQUERING JERUSALEM. Conquering Jerusalem was no easy task. The Jebusites were so confident of their defenses that they tried to insult David by boasting that even the blind and the lame could defend the city against David. David resolved to defeat the insolent “blind and lame” inhabitants. He scouted the city’s defenses and discovered that the city obtained its water from a source outside the city walls through a narrow shaft in the rock upon which the city was built (2 Sam. 5:8). Having discovered the passageway, he called for a volunteer to enter the city through the water shaft and promised the command of the army to the man who first entered the city. Joab accepted the challenge and enabled David’s army to capture the city (1 Chron. 11:6).
BLESSED OF GOD. After David conquered the city, he lived in the fortress (stronghold) and built up its supporting terraces (Millo) and city walls while Joab took charge of rebuilding the rest of the city (1 Chron. 11:8). David did not conquer and beautify the city by his own ingenuity and strength. Rather, he did so because “the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him” (2 Sam. 5:10).
David desired in his heart to fulfill God’s purposes as stated by Moses. Even while in Ziklag to avoid Saul, David was destroying the Amalekites in accordance to God’s command (Deut. 25:17-19), and God blessed David. When David became king of all Israel, David continued to pursue the will of God, and God continued to bless him.
MOVING THE CAPITAL. David needed a capital that was more centrally located, not associated with Judah alone, and more defensible than Hebron. Jerusalem was an ideal site. It lay between the two most powerful tribes of Ephraim to the north and Judah to the south. Although it was in territory assigned to Benjamin (Josh. 18:16; 18:28), it bordered Judah (Josh. 15:8), which was the base of David’s power. Furthermore, Jerusalem was quite defensible because on three sides it could be approached only by ascending a steep hill. The major obstacle to making it his capital was that it was still in the hands of the Jebusites.
UNFULFILLED MANDATE. The Jebusites were “inhabitants of the land,” a phrase that often described the people, including the Jebusites, whom the Israelites were to drive out (Ex. 23:31; Num. 33:52; and Deut. 7:1). Although Jerusalem belonged to Benjamin, the Benjamites had never driven them out (Judges 1:21). Consequently, David was not merely achieving a personal ambition when he conquered Jerusalem, but he was fulfilling God’s mandate to possess the land promised to Abraham’s descendants.
CONQUERING JERUSALEM. Conquering Jerusalem was no easy task. The Jebusites were so confident of their defenses that they tried to insult David by boasting that even the blind and the lame could defend the city against David. David resolved to defeat the insolent “blind and lame” inhabitants. He scouted the city’s defenses and discovered that the city obtained its water from a source outside the city walls through a narrow shaft in the rock upon which the city was built (2 Sam. 5:8). Having discovered the passageway, he called for a volunteer to enter the city through the water shaft and promised the command of the army to the man who first entered the city. Joab accepted the challenge and enabled David’s army to capture the city (1 Chron. 11:6).
BLESSED OF GOD. After David conquered the city, he lived in the fortress (stronghold) and built up its supporting terraces (Millo) and city walls while Joab took charge of rebuilding the rest of the city (1 Chron. 11:8). David did not conquer and beautify the city by his own ingenuity and strength. Rather, he did so because “the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him” (2 Sam. 5:10).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)