GOD
PRESERVES
1 Chronicles 18:6,
So the Lord preserved
David wherever he went.
1 Chronicles 18:13
And the Lord preserved
David wherever he went.
Chronicles
18
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20chron%2018&version=NKJV
Throughout
the bible, God’s people had been constantly threatened and under attack by the
surrounding countries.
This whole
chapter mentioned how King David attacked his enemies, subdued them, and dealt
with them accordingly:
1) Philistine and its city,
Gath
2) Moab – became
servants and paid tribute (taxes)
3) Hadadezer (king of Zobah) as far as Hamath - took from him 1,000 chariots, 7,000
horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers, hamstrung
all the chariot horses except 100 horses were untouched. Hamstrung means to do
something to prevent easy movement. He confiscated a large amount of loot: gold
and bronze, and brought them back to Jerusalem
4) Syrians (who came to support Hadadezer) –
killed 22,000 Syrian soldiers, made to pay tributes.
Countries
that were at peace with Jerusalem celebrated David's victories:
Tou,
King of Hamath, who had made war before
with Hadadezer, also offered articles of gold, silver, and bronze to King David
to celebrate his victories.
Other
nations such as Edom, Moab,
Ammon, the Philistines, and Amalek also brought gifts of silver and gold
to celebrate King David’s success in the battles.
For all the gifts David had received, he
dedicated them to the Lord. God preserves
David.
********
HORSES
HAMSTRUNG
David
hamstrung the horses for military purposes and did not mean to mistreat the animals.
Throughout all his battles, he relied completely on the Lord for success and
consulted God. He could have kept all the horses in perfect conditions and used
them in the battles. However, he wisely left 100 horses untouched. This may be
why one of David’s psalms teaches of trusting God and calling on the name of
God more than chariots.
Psalm 20:7
Some trust in
chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of
the Lord our God.
MOAB – DAVID’S GRANDMOTHER’S HOMELAND
Ruth, a Moabitess, was David’s grandmother. Her homeland, Moab, had been attacked by his grandson. We wonder how Ruth would
respond (if still alive then), learned that Moab had been subdued and made to pay
tribute (taxes)?
Without
a magnanimous heart, Ruth would not have been chosen
to be an ancestor (grandmother) of King David. Through her obedience, came the birth
of our Lord Jesus Christ into the family’s genealogy (family
line), a lineage (seed) of David.
Romans 1:3
concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord,
who was born of the seed (descendant, line) of David according to the
flesh
God is someone we can trust in His Word. HE honours all HIS words and promises spoken in eon (long, aged)
time. No matter how long, God never forgets.
God
also remembers and marks our prayers and words professed to HIM, which have
bearing on our future.
God’s promises
to Abraham (ancestor of David) – those who oppressed or cursed God’s people
will be dealt with. These words were spoken to Abraham 2,000 years before King David’s
reign.
Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of
the earth shall be blessed.
All the families
*Include David
and his descendants
*Include all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and are grafted in as Abraham’s descendants.
God
honours Ruth’s Words
Ruth,
a Moabite woman,
followed her mother-in-law (a Jew) to live in Jerusalem, a foreign land to her.
She forsook her country, people, and her family’s pagan (other gods) worship.
She chose to become God’s people.
Ruth
1:16
Entreat me
not to leave you (Naomi), or to turn back from following after you; For
wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your
people shall be my people, and your God, my God.
Her words resolutely declare that GOD has become her God, abandoning
Moab’s worship. She also stood for God’s people when she said, “Your people
shall be my people”.
Ruth’s assurance, her words, and declarations to Naomi (mother-in-law) affected her future fate and life, altering the history of mankind with the promised Messiah's birth into the family line, a Savior to redeem the world of all sins.
DAVID’S
HEART TO GOD, GOD’S PRESERVATION
From
his success in subduing his enemies, David offered all the loot to the Lord for building God’s temple. Refer to:
V8
David brought a large amount
of bronze, with which Solomon made the bronze Sea, the
pillars, and the articles of bronze.
V11
King David also dedicated these to
the Lord, along with the silver and gold…
*Because of what David did, the Lord blessed and preserved him throughout his life.
V13
...and the Lord preserved David wherever he went.
Does God need the gold and silver from
David?
God sees David’s heart and reverence for
Him as more valuable than silver or gold. In fact, God does not need anything from us because HE owns everything.
When David decided to build God a physical house, God told David that HE never once asked to be worshipped in a temple.
1 Chronicles 17:6
Wherever I have moved about with all Israel, have I ever spoken a word (question) to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, 'Why have you not built ME a house of cedar...
But because of David’s heart and love for God, God consented and sent Nathan (a prophet) to speak to him to go ahead.
1 Chornicles 17:2
Then Nathan said to David, "Do all that is in your heart, for GOD is with you."
Compare the physical temple with spiritual temple when the Scripture says our body is God's temple and dwelling place.
1 Corinthians 3:16
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
What can be more important than being
preserved, especially during a crisis?
Preserve means uphold, keep, save,
protect, sustain, safeguard, defend.
DAVID’S
OFFICE
V14 –
17 tells us David reigned
over all Israel, and administered judgment and justice to all his people. He appointed
the right people to serve in his office: someone to head and take charge of the
army, a recorder, priests, a scribe, and his sons as chief ministers.
David assumed the responsibilities of a
king with a cabinet of appointees to administer judgment and justice for
his people.
This tells us God is involved in the
selection of government because they are people who will administer judgment
and justice to the nations.
Romans 13:1
….the authorities that exist are appointed by God.
Those
who resist the authorities will bring judgment on themselves.
Romans
13:2
and those who resist
will bring judgment on
themselves
Unlike King David, who relies on God,
they (an authority) may not be of the same faith (same belief). However, they are still called
God’s ministers.
Romans 13:4
For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid;
for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger
to execute wrath
on him who practices evil.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, help us to have the heart of David for You, to love and reverence You in all things big and small. Preserve us in all our ways and establish all YOUR words and our prayers for now and even when we are no longer here one day. In Jesus' mighty name we pray, amen!
N/B
This is my weekly devotion. Do share any
insights, if any, for mutual edification.
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