Second Samuel 8:1

The Bible says in Second Samuel 8:1-6, “And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them: and David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.[2] And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites became David's servants, and brought gifts.[3] David smote also Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates.[4] And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for an hundred chariots.[5] And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succour Hadadezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men.[6] Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus: and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought gifts. And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.” The purpose of these verses is to start showing us all the victories that David had over his enemies and to show us what God can do when God decides to give someone victory. It does not matter how many enemies you have: what matters is if God decides to give you the victory or not. Notice the last part of verse six that says, “the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.” Christians are given the same promise. The Lord Jesus will be with you and take care of you as long as He has use for you, and then when He is done with you on earth, He will take you to heaven.

The Bible says in Second Samuel 8:7-12, “And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.[8] And from Betah, and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, king David took exceeding much brass.[9] When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer,[10] Then Toi sent Joram his son unto king David, to salute him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer, and smitten him: for Hadadezer had wars with Toi. And Joram brought with him vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass:[11] Which also king David did dedicate unto the LORD, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated of all nations which he subdued;[12] Of Syria, and of Moab, and of the children of Ammon, and of the Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.” The Lord also gave David great riches. Gold and silver and brass in great quantities came into David’s possession. Passages like this show us that it is no sin to be rich. There are believers in the Bible who were very rich like King David. The question is this: what do you do with your riches and what do you do with your prosperity? It says in verse eleven that, “Which also king David did dedicate unto the LORD, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated of all nations which he subdued.” If you want to serve God like king David did, make sure that you also dedicate all that you have to the Lord and to His glory. If you do that, He will show you what to do with your prosperity, and God will use you.

The Bible says in Second Samuel 8:13-18, “And David gat him a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt, being eighteen thousand men.[14] And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all they of Edom became David's servants. And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.[15] And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed judgment and justice unto all his people.[16] And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;[17] And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; and Seraiah was the scribe;[18] And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief rulers.” These verses show that David was also given wisdom to organize his kingdom very well. He had the right people in the right place. Whom you hire is very important. Many ministries are greatly diminished because they put the wrong people in certain positions. Never hire someone because of whom they are related to. Titus chapter one gives the requirements for pastors. What kind of a person they are, must be determined before looking at their teaching abilities. Why did David put garrisons throughout all Edom? He understood that the world is a dangerous place, and a nation needs to have borders. Be on your guard. Be ready to defend yourself. The Christian life is a spiritual battle. Make sure you are not fighting against people, and make sure that you have your armor on.

The Bible says in Second Samuel 9:1, “And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan's sake?” Why did David make such a statement? For one thing Jonathan was the best friend that David ever had, and he wanted to honor the memory of his friend. For another thing, David made a promise to Jonathan, and David was a man who kept his word.

The Bible says in Second Samuel 9:2-8, “And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.[3] And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.[4] And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.[5] Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar.[6] Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant![7] And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.[8] And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?” This entire incident is a beautiful picture of what salvation is like. David sent for Mephibosheth to come to him because David wanted to help him, and be kind to him, and take care of him. The Lord Jesus calls us because Jesus wants to help us, to be kind to us, and to take care of us. Jesus wants to save our souls. David said to Mephibosheth in verse seven, “And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake...” God says the same thing to us. God wants to show us kindness for Jesus’ sake. At the end of verse seven David said, “thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.” Jesus wants to take care of us “continually” also. He wants to give us eternal life. Believe in Him, and He will. Admit your sins and ask for forgiveness. He always forgives. Humble yourself at the feet of Jesus, and He will save your soul. Mephibosheth was certainly humble. He said to David in verse eight, “And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?” We are sinners. If we really believe that, it will be shown by how humble we truly are.

The Bible says in Second Samuel 9:9-13, “Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master's son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.[10] Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master's son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master's son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.[11] Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king's sons.[12] And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth.[13] So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet.” In verse nine David said, “I have given unto thy master's son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.” Jesus has also given to us a great standing before God. We will not just go to heaven: we will inherit heaven. We are the sons of God. We will inherit the earth. Notice verse thirteen. It says about Mephibosheth, “he did eat continually at the king's table; and was lame on both his feet.” The fact that he was lame symbolizes our own weaknesses and inabilities. Without Christ we can do nothing. But in spite of our inabilities, Jesus takes such good care of each one of us “continually at the king's table.” Jesus is our King.

The Bible says in Second Samuel 10:1-5, “And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead.[2] Then said David, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.[3] And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?[4] Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.[5] When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed: and the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.” One of the lessons to learn from this passage is that you can be too suspicious of others. There are still some people who tell the truth. Believe what people say whenever you can. Have a positive and non-condemning attitude to others. Because the king of Ammon did not believe the messengers, it led to war and they lost the war. It says in Titus 1:15, “Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.”

The fighting and its results are described in the following verses. This shows once again that the Lord continued to bless and to help David. The Bible says in Second Samuel 10:6-19, “And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and of king Maacah a thousand men, and of Ish-tob twelve thousand men.[7] And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men.[8] And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entering in of the gate: and the Syrians of Zoba, and of Rehob, and Ish-tob, and Maacah, were by themselves in the field.[9] When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians:[10] And the rest of the people he delivered into the hand of Abishai his brother, that he might put them in array against the children of Ammon.[11] And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee.[12] Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth him good.[13] And Joab drew nigh, and the people that were with him, unto the battle against the Syrians: and they fled before him.[14] And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, then fled they also before Abishai, and entered into the city. So Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.[15] And when the Syrians saw that they were smitten before Israel, they gathered themselves together.[16] And Hadarezer sent, and brought out the Syrians that were beyond the river: and they came to Helam; and Shobach the captain of the host of Hadarezer went before them.[17] And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together, and passed over Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in array against David, and fought with him.[18] And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there.[19] And when all the kings that were servants to Hadarezer saw that they were smitten before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them. So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more.”

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