Defeating Enemies, Exercising Justice

2 Samuel 8:1-18
    1 After this it came to pass that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them. And David took Metheg Ammah from the hand of the Philistines. 2 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.
    3 David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his territory at the River Euphrates. 4 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.
    5 When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand of the Syrians. 6 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. 7 And David took the shields of gold that had belonged to the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 Also from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a large amount of bronze.
    9 When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer, 10 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. 11 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— 12 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.
    13 And David made himself a name when he returned from killing eighteen thousand Syrians in the Valley of Salt. 14 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.
    15 So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people. 16 Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; 17 Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; Seraiah was the scribe; 18 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief ministers.

King David defeated the enemies of God’s people to include the Philistines, Moab, Syria, and other rulers around them.  He was used by God to continue the work of ridding the promised land of the idolatrous inhabitants which opposed the LORD and His people as they were commanded to do after entering in to the country He prepared for them.  They were to do their part of obedience by clearing the land where they would live and nowhere else, but failed to do so.  The constant battles allowed wandering Israel to be given into submission to the these ungodly nations until the judges tried somewhat to rid the land of them; now the chosen and anointed ruler was doing this.  He was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14, Acts 13:22-23) and the channel of redemption for all His children by faith as promised to Abraham (Galatians 3:7-9).  David reigned over all God’s people as Christ Jesus reigns over all these and others whom He calls in his seed (Romans 4:16-18, Acts 2:39).  He also provided justice and judgment, just as Christ rules over all in judgment (John 5:22) and justice (Romans 3:20, 24) now and forever.  We have a heavenly country and King over all, and He gives us victory over the ungodly (1 Corinthians 15:57) in Himself as our champion and Sovereign.  The life of David and his deeds for God’s people foreshadowed the true rule and redemptive freedom of his Seed from the original promise of Genesis 3:15 to the lineage of David in 2 Samuel 7:12 and Matthew 1:1, to the cross outside the city of David and of God for our justification and deliverance from our state of sin as enemies of God’s wrath.  Amen.