I knew that David was a warrior, but the brutality toward the Moabites is hard to explain. Clearly the Lord must have been in it, and this is God’s hand directed against the Moabites…most likely for worshipping false gods. So, it’s not David doing what he wants, it’s David doing God’s will.
That being the case, I remind myself not to slip into behaviors that anger the Lord. Human life is precious to God, but not more precious than His holiness. If our lives contradict, or oppose the holiness of God, then we are in mortal (and eternal) danger.
I see three things happening in this reading. First, David is establishing himself as a regional power. I recall reading some time ago that some historians were skeptical about the existence of a king in Israel named David. That’s because there was no mention of him in any record, and no monuments, carvings or drawings about his victorious campaigns. They have since found some inscriptions that validate the fact that David was who the Bible purports him to be. As I read about all of the kingdoms David conquered and the tens of thousands of warriors that he killed, it seems hard to believe that most of his reign is lost to history. That is, until I considered that David was not bragging about himself. All of the bronze collected later went to create the bronze sea in front of Solomon’s temple. It would still be there at the time of Herod. Jesus would have been able to place his hands on it, as He went into the temple to teach. The gold and silver and other precious metals and jewels were distributed to the next generation for the building of the temple. David didn’t create monuments to himself, he built for God’s glory. And what David collected and Solomon built, although largely torn down and reassembled as different buildings, still remains on the temple mount today. It wouldn’t surprise me if someday the Jews use those same materials to rebuild the temple. No wonder history can’t find David…David was about revealing God. I hope that history doesn’t remember me either, but rather only what God has accomplished in and through me. I am content to be used of God and then forgotten by history, because history is unimportant. Nothing done for the Lord will be forgotten by Him, that’s what’s important. We will read later about Nehemiah who often said “remember all that I have done Lord”. That’s my prayer.
Actually, that’s the first and second things. David is establishing himself as a regional power, and he is providing resources for God’s temple.
The third thing sort of ties into the second, and into the story of Mephibosheth. (not a name I would pick for my kids, but…whatever).
David’s generosity is so evident here. He gives freely, could I say sacrificially? of his treasures, and then he looks for someone he can bless because of his deep love for Jonathan. David owed Mephibosheth nothing, in fact his existence could be interpreted as a threat to the crown. But instead of counting him an enemy, David exalts him as a friend. I think there may be a parallel in this to the way that Jesus accepts us to eat at his table, and calls us “friends”, even though we once belonged to the opposition, and are even now crippled in both legs. We deserve nothing from the Lord, but we find mercy, grace and unlimited generosity and kindness. What a Savior! For that reason alone we could praise Him from now until eternity!
By the way, don’t get too attached to Ziba, Mephibosheth’s servant. Although he has been taking care of M. he turns out to be a sneaky backstabbing weasel. We’ll see that later. Sometimes you put your trust in people who aren’t worthy of it. I think that’s what happened to M.
in this case.
There is a slight difference in the readings about who killed the 18,000 men in the Valley of Salt. Chronicles gives the credit to Abishai, and 2 Samuel says David did it. Both are right, Abishai was probably the commander on the ground, and David receives credit for being the conquering king. Speaking of people unworthy…. Abishai is Joab’s brother, Joab is the commander of the Army. These two are a real force to be reckoned with. Abishai wasn’t one of the “top three”, but he commanded “the thirty”, who must have been like Seal Team 6 on steroids. Together, there wasn’t much they couldn’t do…and they were beloved and very famous for their exploits. Much of the “heavy lifting” in battle was done by these two men, and a select few others. They moved David from tribal leader to superpower. Having said that, they didn’t have the same character as David. Abishai seems a bit of a hot head…and as we read further we will see both of them fall from grace.
That’s a rather sad thought, considering all that they have done. But it isn’t really about what you accomplish, is it? It’s about what sort of person you ARE.
Faithfully,
PR