24/08/2011 - The Lord preserved David

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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.

II Samuel 8:6

Chapter 8 of the second book of Samuel begins with the narrative of a string of battles that David was embroiled in. The impression was that the confrontation with the enemy would not cease because as soon as one battle was won another was waged. That man of God, however, did not let himself be carried away by threats and neither did he fall into the sin of complaining. Rather, he faced all of his opponents and triumphed over those who were hostile to him.

My brethren, if you have barely come out of a battle and yet you find yourself in another one, you must not moan or complain to the Lord; carry on firmly; go ahead and overcome all the obstacles. The Most High knows the reason why He allows so many ordeals to occur in your life. Rejoice, because the Word of God declares that he who is reviled and victimized by lies for the sake of Christ must rejoice and be exceedingly glad (Matthew 5:11-12).

Instead of getting desperate – which would be tantamount to saying that the Most High was not aware of his problem – David always looked at the face of God. Those who do the same are enlightened in such a way that they are not hit by any weapon formed against them by the enemy (Isaiah 54:17). Actually, if we examine that whole passage we will see that the psalmist made the right decision – and we must follow suit. To achieve this end, we must take possession of what we received from Him, this way we will be greatly blessed.

In verse 1 we see that David defeated the Philistines and subdued them – he put them under his authority. Likewise, you must not give in to temptations and fortresses. If you overcome them once and for all they will never disturb you again. As though it were not enough, the psalmist also won the fight against the Moabites and measured them off with a line. With two lines David measured off those to be put to death and with one full line those to be kept alive, who became servants and tribute payers to the king of Israel. That teaches us that there are people we must keep away from; yet, others need to be admonished by us and receive our forgiveness, this way they will always be of assistance to us.

From Hadadezer, – a son of Rehob, king of Zobah – who was full of himself, David took 1.600 horsemen and 20.000 foot soldiers. At that time, without today’s weaponry, it was almost impossible for someone to arrest so many people and keep them captive, but the king of Israel had the Almighty One by his side. Likewise, if we receive guidance from on High and if we put it into practice, we will certainly have the success we need.

Then the Syrians joined that war with the purpose of helping Hadadezer, but 22.000 of those men were also killed by David who, after having obtained such triumph, went off to Damascus where he put garrisons. Thanks to his faith David was preserved by the Lord everywhere.

Well, it is useless on the enemy’s part to insist on harming God’s people because the Lord is their strength. Therefore, if you take part in the Holy Nation – the chosen people – and if you are His private ownership, you must not be afraid of any evil onslaughts. Go ahead and conquer your place. Do the work He put under your responsibility and you will always win!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares