2 Samuel 8:1-18 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 8:1-18. As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first. See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
2 Samuel 8:1-18 (NIV)
1 In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the control of the Philistines.
2 David also defeated the Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought tribute.
3 Moreover, David fought Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his control along the Euphrates River.
4 David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses.
5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them.
6 He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought tribute. The LORD gave David victory wherever he went.
7 David took the gold shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.
8 From Tebah and Berothai, towns that belonged to Hadadezer, King David took a great quantity of bronze.
9 When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer,
10 he sent his son Joram to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Joram brought with him articles of silver and gold and bronze.
11 King David dedicated these articles to the LORD, as he had done with the silver and gold from all the nations he had subdued:
12 Edom and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek. He also dedicated the plunder taken from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
13 And David became famous after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
14 He put garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The LORD gave David victory wherever he went.
15 David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people.
16 Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;
17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was secretary;
18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were royal advisers.
On verses 1-14: In the previous chapter (2 Samuel 7), God gives David some powerful promises regarding his future — that God would raise up a descendant of David to succeed David as king, that God would establish this descendant’s kingdom for all time and that through this descendant, David’s house, kingdom and throne would reign forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16). Now in these verses (v1-14), David, as king of Israel, scores victory after victory over a long list of Israel’s opponents: the Philistines (v1), the Moabites (v2), Hadadezer (v3-4, 7-8), the Arameans of Damascus (v5-6), the Edomites (v12), the Ammonites (v12), and the Amalekites (v12). Twice in this passage we read that it was the Lord who gave David victory wherever he went (v6, 14).
What can we learn from this? Here’s the most important lesson I believe the Holy Spirit taught me through these verses: Have the mindset of one who will rule with Christ forever. The reason I believe David was so successful and victorious in chapter 8 is because he internalized the promises God spoke to him in chapter 7. David now knows that no matter what happens he will reign with God in the end. So armed with God’s promises in chapter 7, David goes into every challenge in chapter 8 with the mindset of a king who will reign forever. Whether he’s fighting the Philistines, or the Moabites, or Hadadezer, he’s thinking to himself, “God has promised that I will reign with Him forever, and I will. So nothing can stop me today. With my God I can advance against this troop, and with my God I can scale this wall.” (see Psalm 18 as an example of David’s mindset.)
Compare David’s kingly mindset in 2 Samuel 7-8 to years before when David was still running from Saul. Back then, David did not have the mindset of one who rules, but the mindset of one who runs away in fear. Fearing for his life, David would run to the Philistines (1 Samuel 27) and to the Moabites (1 Samuel 22:3), hoping he could hide among them. Back then, David did not have the mindset of a king, but the mindset of a fugitive, “a dead dog”, “a flea” (1 Samuel 24:14). As a result, David’s life back then was filled with compromise, regret and defeat.
What can we learn from all this? If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you are not only a child of God; like David, you are also a co-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17) and you are made to reign with God forever! And when you have the mindset of one who will rule with Christ forever, like David in chapter 8 you can live with courage, faith and humble confidence. You can walk into any challenge and know that God is with you and will give you everything you need. Knowing that you will reign with Christ in the end will strengthen you to face any challenge. So face today with the mindset that you are a co-heir with Christ and that you will reign with God forever.
Here’s another lesson I learned from verse 2b:
2 Samuel 8:2 (NIV)
2 David also defeated the Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought tribute.
On verse 2b: David made the Moabite soldiers lie down and used a cord to determine who would be executed and who would be spared: every two lengths of men would die and the third length was allowed to live. Having been defeated and captured by David, all of these Moabites could have died, but David decides to spare a third of them. The reason why David spared certain Moabites were spared while others were put to death had nothing to do with how good or bad these Moabites were. It had everything to do with grace (undeserved kindness).
Likewise, the reason any of us are spared from the wrath of God has nothing to do with how good we are, and everything to do with God’s grace, His undeserved kindness. But there’s also a difference between what David did to the Moabites and what God did with all of us: whereas David made grace available only to 1/3 of the Moabites he captured, God has made His grace available to 100% of us. The question is whether we will take him up on His offer of grace or reject it.
2 Samuel 8:15-18 (NIV)
15 David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people.
16 Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;
17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was secretary;
18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were royal advisers.
On verses 15-18: David reigned over Israel and did what was just and right for all the people (v15) with the help of a select team (v16-18). These verses remind me that, like Joab, Zadok and Benaiah, we are all co-workers with Christ, working with Him to establish His kingdom. Like members of His royal council, we all have different roles to play, but it’s all for the same purpose: to see His kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Father, thank You that I am co-heir with Christ, a member of Your royal family, and I will reign with You forever one day. Therefore I will face today with joy and not sorrow, hope and not hopelessness, confidence and not trepidation, faith and not fear, and expecting great things instead of expecting nothing. Thank You that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
Copyright © 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
