2 Samuel 8:16-18 Order and Organization

 ”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.“

‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭8‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Joab…Jehoshaphat…Zadok…Ahimelech…Seraiah…Benaiah: No great ruler succeeds by himself. Only the smallest organizations are governed well without a gifted and committed team. Part of David’s success as a ruler was found in his ability to assemble, train, empower, and maintain such a team.

i. We never find such a list regarding the organization of King Saul’s government. This is because David’s government had much more form and structure than Saul’s.

ii. There is a limit to what we can be and what we can do for the LORD without order and organization. It isn’t that order and organization are requirements for progress in the Christian life; they are progress in the Christian life, helping us become more like the LORD.

iii. Nothing is accomplished in God’s kingdom without working through order and organization. While it may seem so, it is only an illusion. Behind the scenes, God is moving with utmost order and organization, though sometimes we cannot see it.

b. The Cherethites and Pelethites: These were hired soldiers from Crete. “By employing foreign guards to ensure the safety of the king David would minimize the possibility of becoming the victim of inter-tribal rivalries; these men from Crete could give whole-hearted allegiance to him.” (Baldwin)

(Guzik)

Order and Organization 

My wife and I lead a twelve program called the Life Recovery Bible Group. She does the lesson and I use a program provided by our church and load three worship songs, the step video and a slide with the readings for the Bible study. Without order and organization we wouldn’t be able to lead the group. We are just finishing up the fourth semester and are looking at doing a fifth semester through the summer.

When you allow the Holy Spirit to lead, the Lord gives you the spiritual gifts to fulfill His purpose.

What are your spiritual gifts and are you using them for the Lord?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 8:15 Submit To Government

 ”So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people.” II Samuel‬ ‭8‬:‭15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. So David reigned: This chapter of victory, blessing, and prosperity describes the national life of Israel during the reign of David. This is one reason why he is generally regarded as the greatest king or ruler Israel ever had.

i. This is how God wanted to reign in the life of Saul, but Saul resisted the LORD and rejected His Spirit. Because David allowed God to subdue him, the nations were subdued before David.

b. David administered judgment and justice to all his people: This shows that David was a great king to his own people, not only against neighboring nations. He fulfilled what is the fundamental duty of government – to administer judgment and justice (Romans 13:1-7). (Guzik)

Submit To Government 

Jesus lived and taught us by example and in Romans 13:1-7 we learn that all authority comes from God, for it is written:

”Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.“

‭‭Romans‬ ‭13‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

How can we represent Jesus today in our sphere of influence?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 8:9-14 Victory!

 ”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. 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.“ II Samuel‬ ‭8‬:‭9‬-‭14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Toi sent Joram his son to King David, to greet him and bless him: Neighboring nations saw the hand of God on David and brought him honor and gifts. They knew that a strong, godly leader of Israel was good for the whole community of nations, not just good for Israel itself.

i. Not every pagan nation surrounding Israel was hostile to Israel or their God, and David did not treat them as if they were hostile. We make a mistake if we treat every unbeliever as an openly hostile enemy of the LORD.

b. King David also dedicated these to the LORD: When David received this acclaim from the nations he dedicated it all to the LORD. He knew that the praise and glory belonged to God, not himself. David could handle success as well as apparent failure.

c. From Syria, from Moab, from the people of Ammon, from the Philistines, from Amalek: By citing these subdued nations we learn that David’s victories were complete. God used David to lead Israel to victory over enemies in every direction.

i. Israel possessed more of the land God promised to Abraham (Genesis 15:18-21) under David’s reign than at any other time.

ii. David was able to accomplish so much against God’s enemies because he, unlike Saul, was not consumed with fighting against the people of God.

d. The LORD preserved David wherever he went: This is the summary of this whole chapter. Every victory and every enemy subdued was a testimony to the LORD’s preserving power in the life and reign of David. (Guzik)

Victory!

Jesus is our victor!

”So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.“ ‭‭John‬ ‭19‬:‭30‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

”But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”“ ‭‭Mark‬ ‭16‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Victory over death! 

Have you accepted the Lords preserving power in your life?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 8:3-8 Trophies!

 ”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. 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.“ ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭8‬:‭3‬-‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. As he went to recover his territory at the River Euphrates: The king of Zobah (a Syrian kingdom) ran into David on his way to capture territory near the Euphrates. David’s dominance extended all the way to the Euphrates River.

i. “The border of Israel was carried to the line of the Euphrates, so that promise made by God to Abraham was fulfilled: ‘Unto thy seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates.’” (Meyer)

ii. “Then there was Syria, the great heathen nation to the north, divided into two groups with capitals at Zobah and Damascus. They united together for protection but found themselves helpless against the might of David.” (Redpath)

b. David hamstrung all the chariot horses: This was military necessity instead of mere animal cruelty. David could not care for so many horses while on a military campaign and he could not give them back to the enemy.

c. He spared enough of them for one hundred chariots: That David kept such a small number shows remarkable self-control and trust in God. David obeyed the principle of Deuteronomy 17:15-16 and absolutely refused to trust in horses as military weapons. His trust was in God instead (Psalm 20:7 and 33:16-17).

d. David took the shields of gold that had belonged to the servants of Hadadezer: David took what was the glory of the enemy and transformed them into trophies of the power and goodness of God. Those shields of gold were set in the temple and testified to God’s work in and through David.

i. God loves to take people and things that are “trophies” for the devil and make them trophies to His power and grace. (Guzik)

Trophies!

We all have trophies in our lives but the question arises, are “trophies” for the devil or are they trophies to His power and grace? 

Yesterday during our weekly bible study instead of doing a study everyone discussed what they went through during the record ice storm to survive and what we did to help others in need.

You could say we used our trophies to His power and grace.

”If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.“ ‭‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Does our faith have works?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 8:2 Two Or One Full Line?

 ”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.“ ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭8‬:‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

”He defeated Moab, and measured them with a length of rope, making them lie down on the ground; he measured two lengths to [choose those to] put to death, and one full length to [choose those to] be kept alive. And the [surviving] Moabites became servants to David, bringing tribute.“ ‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭8‬:‭2‬ ‭AMP‬

a. He defeated Moab: David’s war against Moab and his harsh treatment of their army seemed out of place considering that David’s great-grandmother was a Moabite (Ruth) and that he entrusted his mother and father into the care of the Moabites (1 Samuel 22:3-4). It may be that the Moabites killed or mistreated David’s parents.

b. Brought tribute: God did not want Israel to destroy every neighbor nation. Generally, God wanted Israel to be so blessed and strong that other nations were “taxed” by Israel, thus recognizing their strength and dominance. (Guzik)

Two or One Full Line?

We don’t know why David did this as the Bible doesn’t mention it. 

I had read four different translations trying to understand the meaning of the two or one line length and it appears if they were small and possibly young David spared their lives?

The book of Ruth (David’s great grandmother) is a short, good book of God’s love and how He works in all circumstances for those who love him.

Do you love God?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 7:25-29 Appropriate His Promise!

 ”“Now, O Lord God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said. So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. For You, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You. “And now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”“ II Samuel‬ ‭7‬:‭25‬-‭29‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Establish it forever and do as You have said: David’s prayer boldly asked God to do what He promised. This wasn’t a passive prayer that said, “Well God, do whatever You want to do – I don’t really care one way or another.” This wasn’t an arrogant prayer that said, “God, let me tell You what to do.” This was a bold prayer that said, “God, here is Your promise – now I trust You to fulfill it grandly and to be faithful to Your word.”

i. The phrase “therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You” emphasizes this. David said, “I’m only praying because You promised. You told me that this is what You want to do.”

ii. “God sent the promise on purpose to be used. If I see a Bank of England note, it is a promise for a certain amount of money, and I take it and use it. But oh I my friend, do try and use God’s promises; nothing pleases God better than to see his promises put in circulation; he loves to see his children bring them up to him, and say, ‘Lord, do as thou hast said.’ And let me tell you that it glorifies God to use his promises.” (Spurgeon)

iii. This kind of prayer appropriates God’s promise. Just because God promised doesn’t mean that we possess. Through believing prayer like this, God promises, and we appropriate. If we don’t appropriate in faith, God’s promise is left unclaimed.

· We may appropriate His promise for forgiveness: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

· We may appropriate His promise for peace: Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

· We may appropriate His promise for guidance: I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. (Psalm 32:8)

· We may appropriate His promise for growth: He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

· We may appropriate His promise for help: Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

b. Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You: Notice that David prayed from the heart. Some people pray from a book, others pray from their heads. The right place to pray from is the heart.

i. It also says that David came before God to pray this prayer. Some prayers are not prayed. They are said or read or thought, but not prayed. “Not to say this prayer, but to pray this prayer. There is great force in the expression. Some prayers are never prayed, but are like arrows which are never shot from the bow. Scarcely may I call them prayers, for they are such as to form, and matter, and verbiage, but they are said, not prayed. The praying of prayer is the main matter.” (Spurgeon)

c. You are God, and Your words are true: This was David’s foundation of faith. He knew that God was God and that every word of His was true. He knew that God can be trusted.

(Guzik)

i. “The great sin of not believing in the Lord Jesus Christ is often spoken of very lightly and in a very trifling spirit, as though it were scarcely any sin at all; yet, according to my text, and, indeed, according to the whole tenor of the Scriptures, unbelief is the giving of God the lie, and what can be worse?” (Spurgeon)

Appropriate His Promise!

The Bible is full of promises and Jesus was the Maker of them! 

Let us follow David’s example and appropriate His promises of forgiveness, faith, peace, guidance, growth and help!

In my golden years, I appropriate the promise that the earth is not my home! I hold fast to it and look forward to sitting down at the Lords table of great feast and seeing my brothers and sisters in Christ!

I look forward to the room that Jesus prepared for me in His Father’s mansion!

I appropriate the promise of no more tears, or sorrow, or pain and suffering!

Like David I say and believe, You are God, and Your words are true!

Is there a particular promise that you appropriate and hold fast to?

Blessings