David Expands and Establishes His Kingdom

INTRO

In 1 Chronicles 18, David conquered the Philistines and took control of Gath. He conquered the Moabites and established his kingdom in Moab. Then he went down the Euphrates River where he conquered other nations to establish his kingdom across the land. In Genesis, God promised Abraham that his descendants would possess the land; now we see David taking possession of the land. David reigned over all Israel, administering justice to all his people (1 Chronicles 18:14).

TEACHING

1 Chronicles 19:1: Nahash, king of the Ammonites, died, and his son became king over Ammon. In 1 Samuel 11:1-6, Nahash had attacked Israel at Jabesh-gilead until they asked to make a treaty with Nahash. Nashash placed one condition on the treaty—that he would gouge out everyone’s right eye just to humiliate Israel. Not only did Nahash want to conquer Israel, but he also wanted to make a mockery of them. The elders of Jabesh asked for seven days to send messengers throughout Israel. When Saul heard about the threat, the Spirit of God came upon him and he became furious with Nahash. Why was Saul so angry about the threat to Jabesh-gilead? The answer may be found in Judges 21 when Israel attacked the city of Jabesh-gilead and killed all the inhabitants, except the four hundred virgins who were given as wives to men from the tribe of Benjamin. Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin, so he got fired up when Nahash threatened the town. Saul raised up an army and attacked the Ammonites, leaving very few survivors.

1 Chronicles 19:2: David decided to show kindness to Hanun, Nahash’s son, because Nahash had shown kindness to David. Acts 13:21 says Saul was king for 40 years but reading the account of his reign leaves some scholars to suggest his actual reign was anywhere from 12-20 years. The conflict between Saul and Nahash happened at the beginning of his reign. When David came on the scene, he lived in exile because Saul hunted David and tried to kill him. During the time when David was running from Saul, Nahash probably showed kindness to David. Although the Ammonites were enemies of Israel, David’s heart was the heart of a peacemaker. So, when Nahash died, David sent comforters to mourn his death.

1 Chronicles 19:3–5: David’s act of kindness was rejected, and Hanun ordered the messengers’ beards shaved off and their clothing cut off at the hips. In ancient times, the beard was a symbol of masculinity and an important aspect of an Israelite’s culture and religion. So even though David showed kindness, Hanun responded with evil. Hanun’s actions started a war that cost many men their lives. When David heard what had been done to his men, he encouraged them to remain in Jericho until their beards grew back.

1 Chronicles 19:6-7: The Ammonites knew the consequences of this action, so they used their silver to hire the Arameans, with their chariots and horses, to help them battle Israel. The Ammonites and Arameans gathered for battle in the valley of Medeba.

1 Chronicles 19:8-13: David sent Joab and the entire army to meet the Ammonite army. When Joab saw the army arrayed against him, he knew he was outnumbered. Joab divided his forces between himself and his brother Abishai. Joab’s forces battled the Arameans while Abishai’s forces battled the Ammonites, with each helping the other when necessary to win the battle. Joab urged the army to “Be strong!” His words echoed Moses’s words to Joshua. He encouraged his troops to trust God and what He had said. Though Joab divided his army to fight their enemies (divide and conquer), they were also instructed to provide support to each other when one group was struggling.

The body of Christ is on the same team. We’re each fighting our own battles, but we need to be willing to support those who are starting to lose the battle. We need to pour into others when they need us and to allow others to pour into us when we need help.

1 Chronicles 19:14-16: The Arameans fled from Joab, and the Ammonites fled from Abishai. Joab and Abishai entered the city of Jerusalem. The Arameans, seeing their defeat, sent messengers across the Euphrates to call for reinforcements.

1 Chronicles 19:17–19: When David saw what they were doing, he gathered Israel and crossed the Jordan River. With the entire army of Israel lined up against them, the Arameans fled from Israel. David killed 7,000 charioteers, 40,000 soldiers, and the commander of their army. Soundly defeated, the Arameans made peace with Israel and became David’s subjects. They never helped the Ammonites again.

David had taken the enemy’s land, the enemy always retaliated and tried to take it back. We saw this in the Ammonites, Nahash’s son, and the Arameans. Israel today is still in chaos because people are constantly trying to retake what God said is Israel’s. The enemies are still fighting, but Israel and Jerusalem are still there.

1 Chronicles 20:1-3: Although the Arameans had given up, the Ammonites had not. In the spring, Joab led the army of Israel against Ammon at Rabbah and demolished it. But David stayed in Jerusalem. Remember what happened when David stayed in Jerusalem? This was the time when David sinned with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11) and he called Uriah off the battlefield. Joab was fighting against Rabbah and captured its water supply (2 Samuel 12:26). Historically, in this age, capturing a city’s water supply meant certain defeat; they could not survive without water. Joab sent a message to David, “It’s time for you to show up and capture the city.” Joab was calling David to take up his rightful place in the battle instead of remaining back in the city of Jerusalem. When David came to the battlefield, Israel conquered Ammon. Even in the process of David’s sin with Bathsheba and Uriah, God restored David and his authority.

Sometimes we read over these stories without processing everything. In Revive School, we’re trying to bring Scripture together and see how it all fits in the bigger picture.

1 Chronicles 20:4-8: As this chapter concludes, David leads Israel to kill the remaining Philistine giants. We see God’s sovereign plan, no matter what the enemy did. Even though David and his mighty men didn’t do everything right, David’s heart was to serve God. God showed up and delivered. Their enemies fled before them, and they continued to conquer the land and occupy it.

CLOSING

No matter what is going on in your life today, you can continue to trust the Lord. No matter who your enemies are or what you’re up against today, like David, you can trust that God will be faithful to His promises.