The Lord Preserves His King

Got your Bibles with you? Let's turn to 2 Samuel chapter 8. 2 Samuel chapter 8. We're going to continue our study in the book of Samuel in the life of David. Uh we're going to chop it up. We're going to read the first six verses. Some exciting stuff here. So, let's jump right on in. And after this, now remember this is that God had had a conversation with David that, "Hey, David, you don't need to build me a house. I'm good. I'm cool with living in a tabernacle." And after this came to pass, David smoked the Philistines and subdued them. And David took Methagma out of the hand of the Philistines. And he smoked Moab and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground, even with two lines measured he to put to death and with one full lung to keep alive. And so the Moabites became David's servant and bought gifts. Now, for those of y'all that might have difficulty with the King James, what David did was he took a length of rope and he measured out the Moabites in three units. and the first two he put to death. So he killed twothirds of the Moabites and and then he u he subdued the other third. So David Smote also had a Diesar, the son of Rahab, the king of Zoba, as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates. And David took from him a thousand chariots, 700 horsemen, 20,000 footmen. And David hawed all the chariot horses. That mean he hamstrung them. So they were hobbled. David hod all the chariot horses, but reserved for them for a 100 chariots. And when the Syrians of Damascus came to sucker Hades, the king of Zoba, David slew the Syrians, 22,000 men. Then David put the garrisons in Syria of Damascus. And the Syrians became servants to David and brought gifts. And the Lord, now I don't know if you highlight your B uh your Bible, but this is this is the highlight. And the Lord preserved David whethersoever he went. Now, if we're being honest, there are moments when you're reading the scriptures that your attention tends to tends to to dip a little bit when you're reading the book of Exodus and you're reading about the measurements or when they're repeated in the book of Deuteronomy and the lampstand shall be two cubits. Those are kind of details that well, at least in my ADHD brain, sometimes I zone a little bit out. And it seems like at first reading when we're going through 2 Samuel chapter 8, we've come to one of those chapters that we can kind of just zone a little bit. But I'm telling you, if you zone out in 2 Samuel, 2 Samuel chapter 8, you're going to miss some blessings because there's a lot of blessings in 2 Samuel chapter 8. I mean, when you're looking at it, to be fair, it's filled with unfamiliar places, military campaigns, conquered nations, tributes, garrisons, government officials. So, you might want to just kind of plow through it. But, but look, the Holy Spirit did not preserve this chapter merely to tell us where David fought. It is preserved to tell us how and why David prevailed. In fact, the writer repeats one statement twice. We just read it in verse six, and we're going to read it again in verse 14. And it says, "And the Lord preserved David whethersoever he went." So y'all know, boom, boom, boom. That is the heartbeat of this chapter. It's not David's military genius. It it's not Israel's superior army. It's not fortunate circumstances. The Lord gave David the victory. So the chapter is really answering one question. Every battle in this chapter answers the same question. What does God's faithfulness to us look like while he is fulfilling his promise? And that question is important because ultimately this chapter is pointing us to Jesus whose kingdom cannot be shaken. So let's start. This chapter begins with conflict. We just read it. David defeated the Philistines. Then he killed the Moabites and he went down and took out Hades. And then the Syrians came to help out Hades and they were defeated as well. So, at first when we're reading this, what it looks like is a series of disconnected victories, but but the geography is actually telling us another story because when you you trace it out on a map, this is what David's doing. He's going west, then he's going east, then he's going north, then eventually south. The enemies have surrounded Israel in every direction, and yet every enemy falls. So what the writer here is doing is he he's actually pointing out a beautiful picture because the Lord is establishing peace on every side. Years earlier, y'all remember this because because we've been together for a year now in this series. Years earlier, the Philistines had humiliated Saul. The Moabites were constantly opposed to God's people. The Syrians are reoccurring enemies of Israel's throughout their h throughout their history. So these battles, these are are no new battles. These are old enemies. And that is one of the beautiful pattern of scriptures, y'all. The enemies sometimes might change uniforms, but the battlefield really never changes. And the Lord never ever changes. So the same God who is delivering David from Goliath is the same God who is delivering him from these kingdoms that surround him. The size of the battle, the size of the battle has increased, but that hasn't deterred God at all because even though the size of the battle increases, the source of the victory never does. And this is for all the future leaders out there and the current leaders out there. Y'all know this growth does not prevent conflict. Not in your offices, not in your marriages, not in raising of children. Growth doesn't eliminate conflict. Sometimes sometimes growth actually enlarges the conflict. I had my battles I I had a lot of battles as an assistant DA. Then I got promoted as chief assistant. My battles were different and far larger. And then I was actually running as the interim DA an entire office and the battles were different. Then I got second in the state for the GBI and the battles were bigger. Growth didn't eliminate the conflict. Sometimes it enlarges the conflict. And this is what's going on with David. David is now king over United Nation. His responsibilities have increased. His influence has increased. His opposition has increased. But so has the visible demonstration of God's faithfulness. So scripture is clear here. The emphasis is never in this chapter as we read it. It is never on David's cleverness. The emphasis is always on God's faithfulness. That's why we highlighted in the Lord preserved David whethersoever he went. That is that's why scripture calls on us to remember so many times as scripture to to Israel remember the Red Sea how I did the impossible. Remember Jericho how the walls collapsed with nothing more than a trumpet and some clay pots breaking. Remember the wilderness. But for today, for us,

remember the cross. Because God doesn't tell his children to remember because he forgets. He tells us to remember because because we do in our daily struggles and our daily battles. There is another detail that we read here in verse four. And it says, "And David took from him a a thousand chariots, 700 horsemen, 20,000 footmen. And then David David hamstrung all of the the horses. And I'm sitting there reading this and I'm like, "What? Why are you hamstringing the horses?" I mean, back then the calvary was like the F16 of the battlefield. They swoop in, they do their damage, they run away. To have a good functional calvary was very important. It's is one of the most important things that could happen on the battlefield at this time. So, so why did they destroy the most valuable military equipment that they conquered and the reason it's kind of interesting because centuries before God had this commandment is found over in Deuteronomy chapter 17. Deuteronomy chapter 17, God's going through the second repetition of the law and he adds this one. He says, "Thou shalt in any wise set him a king over thee whom the Lord chooses." So, hey, y'all put up the king that I choose. And this is where it is. Verse 16. This king that I choose that y'all set up. Here's what I'm saying. Verse 16. But he shall not multiply horses to himself. [laughter] Get it right. So, in the ancient world, what horses represented? It represented military security. And all these pagan nations that Israel was smashing into, they trusted that. They trusted their calvary. But see, Israel, Israel was to be different. Christians, Christians are to be different. And so where Israel, and I say that because hey, Israel, don't don't trust the horses, trust me. So what David did was he used the tools that God had placed in his hands but without ever confusing them for the source of his strength. And this principle is never outdated because y'all every generation has its own horses. Now, it might not be the four-legged creature that we're thinking about like Secretariat or Man of War, but our horses are wealth. Some of us trust in our finances. Some of us trust in our education. [laughter] Over the past two election cycles, it is a fact that a large number of well-meaning Christians trust in political power. Oh my. Um, some people trust influence. They're willing to compromise themselves to gain influence. Some people trust their own self-disipline. Oh, I don't drink. I don't dance. I don't smoke. I don't eat. You know, you blah blah blah. And it's never been about your wealth, your education, your political power, your influence, or your self-discipline. And let me just say something, those things are fine. And sometimes those things are good. It's good to have money because then you're able to bless other people, but they become dangerous when they quietly replace dependence on God. And I want to tell you that whatever we stand in awe of ah you know the lifestyles of the rich families ah I got political power because I'm elected. Whatever we stand in awe of this is what David knew. David knew that victory was never found in possessing more horses was actually found in following the Lord who owned the battlefield. That's why years later in Psalm 20, this is what David writes. Some trust in chariots, some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. So, and then almost unexpectedly as we're going through all these things, he's hamstringing horses and he's destroying the Moabites. It says, "And the Lord preserved David whethersoever he went." It's almost It's almost as if we're reading the battle report. We're reading the Battle Report long enough that we have to stop and make sure that we understand the theology behind the history so that before we ever admire David's victories, we are reminded who gave them. The Lord did. And that single sentence changes the way that we read the entire chapter because up until this point as we're reading it, it's really a biography about David, but now it is a testimony. So the biography changes to a testimony. Let's keep on going. Verses 7-2. And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hedazar and brought them to Jerusalem and from Ba to Barthi. the cities of Hadesar. King David took exceeding much brass. And then Toy King Hoth heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadesar. So he sent Jorham his son to salute him to bless him because he had fought against Hadesar and had smitten him. Thank you, King David. You killed Hadazar because apparently Toya and Hadesar had an issue with each other. So this is what it said. And Jorham brought with him vessels of silver, vessels of gold, vessels of brass, and then here we go, verse 11. Which also King David did dedicate unto the Lord with the silver and the gold that he had dedicated of all the nations which he had subdued. Assyria, Moab, the children of Amnan, and of the Philistines, and Amalecch, and of the spoil ahead of Aar. Y'all see what just happened here? Because one of the surprising features of this chapter is what David does with everything that he acquires because he got gold shields, he got silver, he got bronze, he got the spoils of war, he got the the tributes of conquered nations. And verse 11 tells us something really extraordinary which also King David did dedicate unto the Lord God. So he didn't merely create wealth, he consecrated it. He recognized that what came into his hands ultimately belonged to God. And this, y'all listen to me. This is a principle in the Bible that we learn time and time again. It is the principle of the great reversal. What do I mean by that? What I mean by that is the nations had gathered these treasures for their own glory, but our Lord redirected it towards his worship because this gold, this silver, and this brass would one day be used by Solomon to construct the temple for God. Y'all get that right? The Lord is sovereign. God doesn't waste anything. And I want you to see how he used this to serve a larger purpose. This great reversal theme echoes throughout scripture. Joseph's slavery preserved a nation. The exile of Israel for 40 years in the desert purified a nation. The cross, the darkest act in human history, became the instrument through which Jesus accomplished redemption. The enemy had intended death, but God brought life. Satan had intended shame, but brought God brought glory. Hell celebrated on Friday, but then Sunday came and heaven rejoiced. And that is often how our Lord works. He doesn't simply overcome evil. He overrules it. And what others intended for destruction, he weaves into the accomplishment for his perfect purposes. I want to say this. Hear me. Evil is real and the consequences are painful and awful. But if you don't hear anything else from this sermon, hear this.

Evil never has the final word because we serve a sovereign God. And nowhere is this more clearly displayed than at the cross. In verse 11 reveals something just as remarkable as David's victory. After the battles won, after the treasurer was gathered, it said, "David dedicated him unto our Lord." Because David understood that the victories were never truly his to claim. The gold, the silver, the spo of war, none of them should have been monuments to his greatness. They were reminders of God's faithfulness. So instead of accumulating themselves, David laid them out before God. And I I I reemphasize that because the accumulation of things is our natural instinct. Some of y'all are hoarders. Got a little bit of it in the Melvin household. Um, and you know, the thing is is is when life falls apart, we're kind of quick to seek God, when the the cancer diagnosis comes, oh Lord, you know, uh when the children go astray, we fall on our knees to pray. But but when life goes well, we're actually tempted to to congratulate ourselves. I I tell young attorneys that I mentor, I learn more in the trials that I lose, and there haven't been that many, but um no, seriously, not many at all, but I'm pretty good. [laughter] Um that sounded so arrogant. I'm so sorry. Okay. So, I learn more in the the trials that I lose than in the ones I than in the trials that I win. Because in the trials that I win, it's because I'm brilliant, right? So, I don't go to the jury to say, "Hey, what was the pivotal?" Because I I have this sneaking fear in the back that if I ever go to a jury and go, "What was the critical piece of evidence?" Never, never, never would they say, "Well, it was you." [laughter] What? Yeah. Same thing in life, though. You know, success has a way of convincing us that we deserve the credit for our blessings because we worked harder, because we worked longer, because we went to the better school. Has that way of of just telling us that that we did it. We get the credit for the blessings. But honestly, we never could have secured them without the blessings of God. And David, by dedicating his wealth to the Lord, refused to fall in that trap. Every victory pointed beyond David to the God who had given it. Every blessing became another reason to worship rather than to boast. And here's the thing about what David was doing. Because what David was doing was expressing gratitude. And this is a very Christian thing to do. Gratitude. Whether it's as simple as saying, "Hey, thanks for loading the dishwasher." Or even the monthly contributions that you give to your church or to St. Jude's Hospital, whatever. or even to the employees that you manage and saying, "Hey, I just I just really want to say thank you because gratitude. Hey man, I got this gold. I got the silver. I got this grass. I'm going to brass. I'm going to I'm going to I'm going to give it back to you." Gratitude has a way of protecting them. Gratitude reminds us that everything we possess first passed through his hands. And what he entrusted to us is is never really ours by right. It's it's ours by stewardship. And we remember that success no longer feeds our pride. It it really success if anything it it ought to deepen our worship. And so that theme just echoes through scripture. Even in 1 Samuel here chapter 8, we see a pattern beginning to emerge. The treasures taken from Israel enemies were were not kept and hoarded as trophies of war. They're dedicated. They become part of the temple that God would be worshiped in. In other words, what once served a pagan kingdom is now reclaimed for the glory of God. That that's God's way. Evil never has the final word. Neither does idolatry or pride or rebellion for your sin. God is able and reclaims what sin has corrupted. He can make it serve his own purpose. And only God can write a story like that. He takes what was once used for rebellion and and transforms it into something that magnifies his glory. Let's let's go to verses 13- 18. And and David got him a name where he returned from smiting the Syrians. In other words, everybody's hearing about David now. In the valley of Saul being 18,000 men and he put garrisons in Edom. Throughout all Edom, he put garrisons. So he's building forts. And all they of Edom became David's servants. And the the Lord preserved David wheresoever he went. And David reigned over all Israel. And David executed judgment and justice unto all people. Underline that. And Joab the son of Zerua was over the host. And Jehoshaphat the son of Ahel was a recorder. And Zadok the son of Aub and Aim himc. And the son of Abathar were priests. and Zari was the scribe and Biah the son of Jodiah was over both the Cherodas and the Pearles and David's sons were the chief rulers and we we come to the end of the chapter and we're reading those last few verses and we might want to just kind of blow through it but but really there's a lot there because this chapter concludes a whole lot differently than it began because instead of the battles What we find at the end is administration. We find officials, we find priests, we find scribes, military commanders, we find government. And then there's verse 15 that summarizes everything. And David reigned over all Israel. And David executed judgment and justice and all people. That sentence tells us something very important. Y'all hear me? Victory was never God's final goal. Justice was. Military success existed in order to establish a righteous rule. And the purpose of conquering the enemies was so that God's people could flourish under a faithful leadership. And what that does is that points us directly to Jesus because David's kingdom still had limitations. Because his reign would eventually end. His descendants would eventually fail. His country would eventually fracture and his monarchy would eventually collapse. And so what the Old Testament does is it leaves us as God's people longing for a better day and for another king. One that would reign forever. One whose justice would never fail. One whose throne would never be vacated. And that king is Jesus. Because he defeated the greatest enemies. Not merely the Philistines and the Moabites, but he defeated sin, death, hell, and the grave. And he established a kingdom that the Bible says endures forever. And his reign is not marked by military force, but by his finished work. And unlike David, Jesus never had to win the same battle twice. Because when he declared it is finished, the decisive victory was accomplished forever. And it's tempting to to read this chapter sometime and think, hey, man, what what battles am I facing right now? And there's certainly encouragement for every child of God who walks through this conflict right there. But the primary emphasis of this chapter is on the greater king that's going to be to come. Because the repeated refrain, listen to me, the repeated refrain in this chapter is not that David is unstoppable. It's that the Lord preserved David wherever he went. And that's exactly why this chapter points us to Christ. Every enemy that stood against him was overcome. Sin could not condemn him. Death could not hold him. The grave could not silence him. Every promise concerning the Messiah reached its fulfillment. And because of that finished work, what the gospel does is doesn't invite born again children of God to wonder whether Christ has won. It announces that he has. And the call is not to create victory, but to live in light of the victory that Christ has already secured for us. So every generation, we've got multitudes here right now. They face the same temptation. We are inclined to measure our security by what we can count, what we can build, what we can control. But the greatest needs of God's children has never been to be greater resources. The greatest needs of God's children is the increasing awareness of the resource of the king who reigns over every resource. the increasing awareness of the king who reigns reigns over every resource. So I want you to notice where the chapter ends. The kingdom is at peace. Justice is established. The nation is ordered under a righteous king. And it's more than a history. It's a preview of a coming day for all of us when all of our enemies will be subdued. Every wrong will be rendered right. And Jesus will no longer be just an idea, but it'll be real to us and righteousness. But until that day, 2 Samuel 8 calls us as God's children that the Lord is faithful to establish his king and he's done so in Christ. If you'd like to follow him as we do here at Camp Creek Church, we'll give you that chance as we stand to sing hymn number

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