David’s Victories

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

2 Samuel 8:1-14
1 After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.

As soon as David reunited the kingdom, the Philistines gathered together for a visit.

2 Samuel 5:17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold.

The most troublesome people group of the region were not going to let David get away with uniting the people of God, and becoming more of a threat to their dominance. This could not be, so they gathered their forces and marched to Israel, just like every other time in the past.

At that time, David sought the Lord for guidance, and soundly defeated the enemy.

Our passage this morning is short but indicates a turning of the tide for the nation of Israel. No longer was Israel the Philistines water boy, existing in the area under threat of another attack.

Yes David has shown defensive moves that effectively gave notice to the Philistines in chapter 5. Since then, he has taken Jerusalem as his city, and received the promise of his Son ruling forever, his family becoming a dynasty under God.

It is time to give notice that the kingdom of Israel is about to explode in the region, and the first (of many) recorded victories were against the Philistines.

There is a subtle but important item to notice in this verse that shows a mindset change in the Israelite army, and their commander.

David did not simply defend, he aggressively took a Philistine city.

David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines

Methag-ammah. I had never heard of this location during my readings, and assumed it was a small hamlet on the edge of the Philistine territory. A good first step in David’s dominance over Israel’s enemies.

But alas, I was wrong again. Methag-ammah, meaning “the chief city” was no small victory for David. As a matter of fact, according to a parallel passage in 1 Chronicles, the city was also known as Gath. A principle, arguably the most important city of the Philistines.

1 Chronicles 18:1 After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its villages out of the hand of the Philistines.

This was no small victory. In one campaign against the Philistines, the Israelites dominated the entire people group of the Philistines, turning the tables and becoming the nation tribute would flow to. Influence, authority and respect had landed in the nation.

Israel was on the march.

For us today, this small verse has a challenge for us. Are we in a defensive position regarding some sinful attitude, or weakness in our Christian life?

David, knowing the promise of God, took the offensive stance toward his enemies. He overcame the resistance that had plagued the Israelites since they entered the land. David did not let the past dictate the future.

How about us? Are we excusing something in our life because that is how we have always done it? It is just the way it is?

I have been in a defensive mode with a certain behavior, and with David’s example and the help of David’s Greater Son, I want to turn the tides.

May we all find a habit or attitude we can consecrate to the Lord, commit to attacking the problem instead on simply asking forgiveness, and move on to more victories.

David did.

Remember, as believers, we only have one offensive weapon. To find the victory in any battle, we need a passage, portion or verse that will be the weapon to use against any sin.

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