Today's treasure: 2 Samuel 8:15
Read 2 Samuel 8:1-18
David spared one third of the Moabite army and left 100 of the Zobahite chariot horses mobile. Why do you think he left any alive?
What did David do with all the gold and silver he had acquired from the nations he had subdued?
We've seen virtues of David presented as subtle themes in God's shadow. Now God directly pinpointed some of David's virtues, allowing him to take a momentary spotlight. The psalms constantly testify of David's ambitious desire in battle to bring glory to God.
Though our hearts may not be drawn to 2 Samuel 8, this chapter represents the zenith of David's career. God had given him success. For just a while, David handles the unabashed blessings of God with brilliant integrity. We take the following virtues from reading today:
A spirit of cooperation. In 2 Samuel 7:10-11 God promised David He would give the nation of Israel rest from her enemies. David did not sit on the throne and wait for God to fulfill His promise. He obeyed God's beckoning to the battlefield to participate in the victory.
When God assures of a promise, He desires we respond by assuming a posture of cooperation in the fulfillment of that promise. Other times God directs us to sit still and wait. Wisdom involves learning the difference. Each name listed in the "Hall of Faith" in Hebrews 11 represents a spirit of cooperation.
Have you exhibited a spirit of cooperation with God recently?
A ray of hope. David did not annihilate his enemy and simply leave the nations destroyed. God didn't tell him to do so. Maybe the God given motive was to bring the other nations to a place of subservience rather than a place of nonexistence.
How did the Moabites and Arameans respond similarly to defeat? 2 Sam 8: 2,6
What was David's intentions in these Scriptures he wrote?
Psalm 9:11
Psalm 9:20
Psalm 22:27-28
King David lived in a harsh and cruel time. That he would measure people with a line a kill two thirds of them naturally offends our modern sensibilities. Those killed were Moabite soldiers or that the reprisal was because the Moabites slaughtered David's family entrusted to their care.
We must remember David lived before the time of Christ. He did not have the advantage of completed revelation. We cannot judge this. What we do see is that David had a concern for the spiritual welfare of the nations. David exhibited hope for the nations to bend their knees to the King of all kings.
A literal dedication to God. At this point David had never confused the source of his strength. He gave praise to God. When he returned with gold, silver and bronze, he dedicated them immediately to the Lord. The Hebrew word for dedicate is qadhash, meaning to 'hallow, dedicate, consecrate to God, declare as holy, treat as holy, purify..'
Centuries later, Christ also dedicated the treasure He had received to God.
Read John 17:9-11
What did Christ do with the treasure His Father had given Him?
Justice and righteousness. Consider the two virtues of justice and righteousness together because God often treated them as a pair. According to 2 Samuel 8:15, David did was fair and what was right. Jeremiah 22:3 describes several specific examples of justice and righteousness.
2 Samuel 8:15 describes the moment David most clearly and completely fulfilled his calling. The kingdom of David reflected the kingdom of the supreme King of all kings. These were the glory days of David's kingdom.
The wisdom for administration. The wise king knew that growth meant a greater need for administration. As the eighth chapter concludes, we see one of the first orders of business; the delegation of authority and responsibility. He had learned an important lesson in his initial leadership of the distressed, indebted and discontented. (1 Samuel 22:2)
Moses did not learn easily. Thankfully, he had a wise father in law who offered him some advice when he saw people gathered around him from morning until night. Exodus 18:17
Even if we can't see how we are hurting ourselves by taking on excess responsibilities, we need to seriously consider the harm we may be doing to those around us. Jethro said that Moses' unwillingness to let others take some of the responsibility was not hurting him, but also hurting others.
Administration was another of David's royal virtues that directly reflects the coming of King of kings. Christ will delegate many responsibilities of the kingdom to those who reign with Him. (Rev. 5:10; 20:6)
We've seen Christ's own heart illustrated over and over. No one was more humble. In all ways David provides a picture of Jesus. Christ dedicated His every treasure to God. The characteristics God saw and loved so much in David are those most like His Son. To be more like Christ is to be a man or woman after God's own heart..
Keep staying dedicated to God's Word and stay richly blessed!
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