In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the control of the Philistines.

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 him tribute.

Moreover, David defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his monument at the Euphrates River. 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.

When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them. 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.

David took the gold shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. From Tebah and Berothai, towns that belonged to Hadadezer, King David took a great quantity of bronze.

When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, 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, of gold and of bronze.

King David dedicated these articles to the Lord, as he had done with the silver and gold from all the nations he had subdued:Edom and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek. He also dedicated the plunder taken from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

And David became famous after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

He put garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.

David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people. Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelek son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was secretary; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests.(New International Version)

“God’s sovereignty does not negate our responsibility; it empowers us to live out God’s purposes.”

D. A. Carson

In every biblical story, the real hero is God. That’s because, in each scriptural narrative, God’s sovereignty, power, and authority works on behalf of the people. The secondary characters – if they are good people – take up their mantle of responsibility by working for the people in fulfillment of God’s good promises to them.

Divine sovereignty and human responsibility work together. When that happens, it doesn’t matter what the odds of a situation are, because God’s people will emerge as recipients of God’s gracious promises.

It’s good to always keep in mind that God is working – albeit, mostly behind the scenes where we never see it – and that therefore we must remember to be ourselves continually responsible for acting consistent with God’s revealed will to us.

Up to this point in today’s story, the Ark of the Covenant has been brought to the new national capitol of Jerusalem. The Ark signifies the presence of God, and it’s central placement in the life of the Jewish nation, signifies King David’s desire to be responsible in working on God’s behalf.

So, this is why we have a litany of David’s successes, in order to show us the connection between God’s presence and the national advancement of Israel’s people in the region. King David was able to defeat Jewish enemies in all the geographic places around Israel and Judah.

All of the areas mentioned in today’s text fit the boundary promises given to the original Jewish ancestor Abraham, centuries earlier. (Genesis 15:18-21)

David defeated Judah’s main enemy in the West, the Philistines, by capturing their main city, and thus, controlling their entire territory. Philistia had been the major thorn in Judah’s side for a very long time. After David’s victory over them, the Philistines never regained their power again.

David defeated Israel and Judah’s enemies in the East. The Moabites were ancient foes, having tried to put a curse on Israel so that they could enter the Promised Land (Numbers 24:17). But the curse backfired. King David was perhaps merciful to them by not wiping out Moab altogether, but only humbling them with limited violence.

David defeated Israel’s enemies in the North by achieving an overwhelming decisive victory against the Arameans and the city of Damascus, despite insurmountable odds. Yahweh, Israel’s God, clearly outdid Aram’s storm god Hadad – proving to the people once and for all that the Lord is not limited to the geography of Israel.

David defeated Judah’s enemies in the South. The Edomites were always looking to take advantage of their brother Jews, constantly playing out the ancient rivalry between Esau and Jacob. Overcoming the nation of Edom, along with the other surrounding nations, allowed David’s kingdom to more than double in size.

The hallmark description of any good and godly leader is that they do what is right and just for all the people – which is precisely what King David sought to do, and did. And he didn’t do it alone, but had a solid group of good and godly people helping him in his royal administration.

King David acted according to his understanding of God’s will for the Jewish nation, which meant decisively handling the ancient enemies which previous leaders either could not or would not take on. David moved with confidence, believing that God was with him in all his endeavors, based upon divine promises from God’s covenant with Israel.

The God of David is still watching over the nations, and still yet remains sovereign. People are still responsible to act according to their understanding of God’s will – not confusing that responsibility with Israel’s, but knowing what their place is in the kingdom of God with King Jesus as the ultimate Sovereign.

Today, I believe that two significant problems plague us: 1) A lack of knowing God and God’s will for us; and 2) An unwillingness to act confidently in faith and take a risk based on a solid understanding of God. The result of these two problems is pervasive spiritual immaturity and mediocrity.

We have a lot of work to do. And it’s high time we roll up our sleeves and deal with the primary problems in front of us – not with military weapons and shedding blood – but by the means of knowledgeable prayer and loving actions.

May it be so, to the glory of God and for the blessing of the nations. Amen.