2 Samuel 10:13-14 God Was With Them!

 ”So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. When the people of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fleeing, they also fled before Abishai, and entered the city. So Joab returned from the people of Ammon and went to Jerusalem.“

‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. They fled before him: It doesn’t even say that Joab engaged the Syrians in battle. This mercenary army fled before the army of the mighty men because God was with them. God promised this kind of blessing upon an obedient Israel (Deuteronomy 28:7).

b. They also fled before Abishai, and entered the city: When the Ammonites saw the Syrians retreating, they also retreated. They could no more stand before the army of the mighty men than the Syrians could. (Guzik)

God Was With Them!

I am reminded of a verse:

”Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”“ Deuteronomy‬ ‭31‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

And another!

”So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”“ Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

If you are a born again follower of Jesus you can say your fire 🔥 insurance is up to date! You are marked as His and man can’t touch your soul!

Is the Lord your helper?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 10:8-12 Ultimately in Gods Hands!

 ”Then the people of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array at the entrance of the gate. And the Syrians of Zoba, Beth Rehob, Ish-Tob, and Maacah were by themselves in the field. When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel’s best and put them in battle array against the Syrians. And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his brother, that he might set them in battle array against the people of Ammon. Then he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is good in His sight.”“ II Samuel‬ ‭10‬:‭8‬-‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind: As the army of the mighty men approached the Ammonite city, they found themselves surrounded. In front of them were the Ammonites in battle array at the entrance of the gate. Behind them were the Syrians in the field. It looked bad for the army of Israel.

b. If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me: Joab had only one strategy in battle – attack. Many generals would consider surrender when surrounded on both sides by the enemy, but not Joab. He called the army to courage and faith and told them to press on.

i. “It is interesting to observe that in his arrangements he made no allowance for the possibility of ultimate defeat in his conflict with Ammon…. It does not seem to have occurred to him that the combination might have been too much for both of them.” (Morgan)

c. Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the LORD do what is good in His sight: This was a great speech by Joab before the battle. He made at least three powerful points.

i. Be of good courage, and let us be strong: Courage and strength are not matters of feeling and circumstance. They are matters of choice, especially when God makes His strength available to us. We can be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10).

ii. Let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God: Joab called them to remember all they had to lose. If they lost this battle they would lose both their people and their cities. This was a battle bigger than themselves, and the army of the mighty men had to remember that.

iii. And may the LORD do what is good in His sight: Joab wisely prepared for the battle to the best of his ability and worked hard for the victory. At the same time, he knew that the outcome was ultimately in God’s hands. (Guzik)

Ultimately in God’s hands!

This world may be fallen because of sin but we need to remember everything is ultimately in God’s hands! 

Isaiah 41:10 ESV

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 49:16 ESV

Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.

Ecclesiastes 9:1 ESV

My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand spread out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand forth together.

1 Peter 5:6 ESV

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

1 Peter 3:22 ESV

Who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Psalm 110:1 ESV

A Psalm of David. The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Romans 8:34 ESV

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Ezekiel 1:3 ESV

The word of the Lord came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the Chebar canal, and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.

Jesus said:

John 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 

That’s a promise!

I’m holding on to that promise, are you?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 10:6-8 Mighty Men!

 ”When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, the people of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand foot soldiers; and from the king of Maacah one thousand men, and from Ish-Tob twelve thousand men. Now when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men.“ ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭10‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive: They knew that they had done this. David didn’t reject the Ammonites; they made themselves repulsive to Israel.

b. The people of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians: This was a common practice in the ancient world. 1 Chronicles 19:6 says that the Ammonites paid 1,000 talents to the Syrians.

c. When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men: This is the first mention of David’s mighty men, calling them the army of the mighty men. They formed a glorious fighting force, this army of the mighty men.

i. It’s important to understand that David was nothing without his mighty men, and they were nothing without him. He was their leader, but a leader is nothing without followers – and David had an army of the mighty men to follow him. These men didn’t necessarily start as mighty men; many were the distressed, indebted, and discontented people who followed David at Adullam Cave (1 Samuel 22:1-2).

ii. One of these mighty men was Adino the Eznite – famous for killing 800 men at one time (2 Samuel 23:8). Another was Jashobeam who killed 300 men at one time (1 Chronicles 11:11). Another was Benaiah who killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day and killed a huge Egyptian warrior with his own spear (1 Chronicles 11:22-23). (Guzik)

Mighty Men!

I can’t help thinking of the contrast between men of ancient times and today. 

Or my fourth great grandfather who fought in the American Revolutionary War. 

Or another relative that killed a black bear with a knife. 

I don’t believe I would have survived in ancient times! 

Or even my grandfather, you could say he was one tough hillbilly! He told me when he was in the sixth grade a classmate pulled a knife on him on the playground. He told the classmate to put it away or he would stick it where the sun didn’t shine. That classmate didn’t sit down for a while and they were both suspended for three days!

Mighty man I am not! Do you know any mighty men?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 10:3-5 Beards

 ”And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun their Lord, “Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Has David not rather sent his servants to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?” Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away. When they told David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”“ II Samuel‬ ‭10‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? It’s hard to explain why these advisers to Hanun said this to the king of Ammon. It’s possible that they genuinely suspected David, or they perhaps used this as a way to appear wise and cunning to King Hanun. It is common for liars to suspect others of lying.

b. Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle…and sent them away: This was a disgraceful insult to these ambassadors from Israel. In that culture, many men would rather die than have their beards shaved off. This was because a clean-shaven face was the mark of a slave and free men wore beards.

i. “With the value universally set upon the beard by the Hebrews and other Oriental nations, as being man’s greatest ornament, the cutting off of one-half of it was the greatest insult that could have been offered to the ambassadors, and through them to David their king.” (Keil and Delitzsch)

ii. “The beard is held in high respect in the East: the possessor considers it his greatest ornament; often swears by it; and, in matters of great importance, pledges it. Nothing can be more secure than a pledge of this kind; its owner will redeem it at the hazard of his life.” (Clarke)

iii. To cut off their garments in the middle was also an obvious insult and humiliation. “That the shame of their nakedness might appear, and especially that of their circumcision, so derided by the heathen.” (Trapp)

iv. To insult the ambassador is to insult the king. It was just as if they had done this to David himself. The same principle is true with King Jesus and His ambassadors. Jesus reminded His disciples: If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. (John 15:18)

c. Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return: David didn’t use these men as political tools to whip up anger against the Ammonites. He cared more for their own dignity and honor and allowed them to wait before returning to Jerusalem. (Guzik)

Beards

It’s interesting how different cultures view beards differently. 

I recall on several different occasions, one when I was a young man, a grocery store owner’s wife said I had a beautiful beard (as being man’s greatest ornament.”) They were of Lebanese heritage. 

And when I was older a cousin’s wife said, “what’s that growing on your face mister?” She was of Finnish heritage.

One person viewed my beard as an ornament “held in high respect” and another saw it as disrespectful because I wasn’t clean shaven. 

What will king David do in response to this insult to his ambassadors?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 10:1-2 Kindness and Comfort

 ”It happened after this that the king of the people of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. Then David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the people of Ammon.“ ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. I will show kindness: David’s kindness to Mephibosheth in the previous chapter didn’t end his kind works. Here he showed kindness towards a pagan king because he sympathized with the loss of his father.

b. So David sent by the hand of his servants to comfort him: David wasn’t content to feelkindness towards Hanun. He did something to bring the grieving man comfort. (Guzik)

Kindness and Comfort 

We have had several neighbors loose their spouses recently and mailed them sympathy cards with notes of kindness, comfort and prayers. 

”Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.“ ‭‭II Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

But what if it’s a neighbor who you didn’t get along with or vice versa? If they accept it you made a friend and if they don’t it’s on them and that’s between them and God.

Remember, Jesus loves them too and there’s nothing wrong with showing kindness and comfort. 

Do you know anyone that is in need of a little kindness and comfort?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 9:13 Gods Grace To Us!

 ”So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet.“ ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭9‬:‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: No longer hiding in fear of the king, this descendant of Saul now lived openly among the people of God.

b. He ate continually at the king’s table: No longer in poverty and separated from the king, now he had great privileges before the king.

c. He was lame in both his feet: Mephibosheth’s weakness did not vanish. His life was far better, but he was still lame.

i. David’s grace to Mephibosheth is a wonderful picture of God’s grace to us. We are Mephibosheth.

· We are hiding, poor, weak, lame, and fearful before our King comes to us.

· We are separated from our King because of our wicked ancestors.

· We are separated from our King because of our deliberate actions.

· We separated ourselves from the King because we didn’t know Him or His love for us.

· Our King sought us out before we sought Him.

· The King’s kindness is extended to us for the sake of another.

· The King’s kindness is based on covenant.

· We must receive the King’s kindness in humility.

· The King returns to us what we lost in hiding from Him.

· The King returns to us more than what we lost in hiding from Him.

· We have the privilege of provision at the King’s table.

· We are received as sons at the King’s table, with access to the King and fellowship with Him.

· We receive servants from the King.

· The King’s honor does not immediately take away all our weakness and lameness, but it gives us a favor and standing that overcomes its sting and changes the way we think about ourselves.

ii. David’s grace to Mephibosheth is also a pattern for us in serving and ministering to others. We are David.

· We should seek out our enemies and seek to bless them.

· We should look for the poor, weak, lame, and hidden to bless them.

· We should bless others when they don’t deserve it, and bless them more than they deserve.

· We should bless others for the sake of someone else.

· We must show the kindness of God to others. (Guzik)

Gods Grace To Us!

Don’t miss this! 

“David’s grace to Mephibosheth is a wonderful picture of God’s grace to us. We are Mephibosheth.” (Guzik)

AND

“David’s grace to Mephibosheth is also a pattern for us in serving and ministering to others. We are David.” (Guzik)

Are you still hiding from the King or are you serving and ministering to others?

Blessings