The Bible Recap - Day 129 (2 Samuel 8-9, 1 Chronicles 18) - Year 5

Episode Date: May 9, 2023

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Hey Bible readers, I'm Tara Lee Cobble, and I'm your host for the Bible recap. Today we recounted a lot of David's military victories, and it's worth noting that all of these battles aren't necessarily happening back to back. They're just grouped together here instead of spread out chronologically. But this extensive list shows us how God was working to fulfill his covenant with David. As I've mentioned before, and as I'm sure you've noticed, some of the details are repeated in both Chronicles and in Second Samuel. So if you're comparing things, you'll probably notice that Chronicles leaves out some of

the more personal stories about David. The primary function of Chronicle seems to be to show the trajectory of the covenant fulfillment more than David's personal growth and failure. But Second Samuel gives us more of an insider's view into his life. If it helps, you can imagine Chronicles as a news story and Second Samuel as a docu-series.

And if you forget which is which, just remember that the names of the books should hint toward which one is more personal. David is a winning king for sure, but one thing Scripture drives home repeatedly is that his victories are granted by God. Three times in our reading today, we saw that the Lord gave victory. Victory is God's to give.

David wins because of God's plan and favor, not because of David's strength or ability. God is the hero of the story. Given David's circumstances, it would be easy to forget where the praise belongs. After all, he rose to power as the war hero, the guy who defeated the Philistines with one sling of a stone. But scripture continues to remind us

to give glory to God, not David, and David gives glory to God too. For instance, when other kings give him expensive gifts made of gold and silver and bronze, he dedicates those gifts to the Lord. Not only that, but in 1 Chronicles 18, 7 to 8, we see that when David comes back with spoils of war, he dedicates them to the Lord too. Instead of David building up his personal office with a bunch of war, he dedicates them to the Lord too. Instead of David building up his personal office with a bunch of signs of his victories, he offers those things up for the good of all the people. That's the kind of humility and generosity that makes for a great king. And then guess what happens to those things years later. When David sends Solomon eventually

gets around the building the temple for God. Solomon appoints those things to be made into holy vessels for use in the temple. Does this remind you of anything? This felt like a bit of a flashback to when the Israelites fled Egypt and took the Egyptians' jewelry and clothes with them, then used those things to build the tabernacle. God continues to bless his people with things

they can use for his glory and for the benefit of all those around them. There's one other interesting note from David's battles that I want to mention. Did you notice that he hamstrung some horses he captured in battle? Sometimes this is done so that the enemy can't use their horses anymore. But in this instance, it might be because David is being careful to keep God's command from Deuteronomy 17, which says he shouldn't acquire many horses. Scripture never tells us his motive,

but those are two possibilities. And just to add more uncertainty, one of the commentaries I read said that this Hebrew word is better translated as castrated than hamstrung, which would mean David just turned all those war horses into gildings instead. Who knows?

What we do know is that David reigns with justice and equity, and he appoints a team of reputable leaders to run things for him, which shows his wisdom in delegation. He also displays a lot of integrity. For example, he remembers and keeps his promise to Jonathan from back in 1st Samuel 20. To keep your promise to a dead man, really reveals your character because the person isn't there to get angry if you break the promise. But David's not just honoring Jonathan here. He's honoring God by keeping his word.

In an effort to keep that promise, David seeks out someone from Jonathan's family to show kindness to them. He actively pursues the opportunity to bless others. When David finds out there's someone left alive in Jonathan's line, he responds immediately. Jonathan's son, Mithibishev, had been made lame because of a terrible accident when he was only five years old. So David has him brought to his home to live in his kingdom. He restores land to him and invites

him to eat at his table for the rest of his life. All the work is done for Mephibbasheth. It's just handed to him. And this is where I saw my God shot today. The way David treats Mephibbasheth because of Jonathan is the way the Father treats us because of the Son. We are invited to live in his kingdom and eat at his table forever, and we could never get there on our own. We're too crippled and lame, so he carries us.

And all the work is done for us, because we can't do that either. It is finished. I'm so glad I get to live in his kingdom and eat at his table forever, because he's where the joy is. If you've ever left a Bible study frustrated because it lacked accountability, structure, or transparency, then D-group is for you.

D-group has been described as the cross-fit of Bible studies for a reason. There's structure, there's accountability, but anyone can do it, and you will strengthen your relationship with God as a result. Check out the show notes to watch a short promo video, or you can find or start a D-group near you by visiting mydgroup.org forward slash map.