CIX - II Samuel Chapter 8 - David the Great and Victorious King

Chapter 8 - This chapter is actually a review of events leading to David's reign as a successful king.  These reviews are helpful, as we sometimes get caught up in details and lose sight of what should be a panoramic view of one's life.  Bear in mind that these flashbacks shows the growth of not only David as king, but the solidification of Israel's twelve tribes into a powerful nation, which I believe is what God intended.  Bear in mind also that this "united" Israel which included Judah would not last long.}  These 18 verses are a wide-ranging summary of the building of an empire by conquest and control, by the subjection of enemies and the enforcement of tribute and taxes; by soundly structured and wisely administered national government.

Verse 1 of course mentions the dreaded Philistines.  They were and continue to be Israel's most bitter enemy.  They were a prosperous and warring people, located along the eastern coast of the Mediteranean Sea.  After David's last encounter with them, they ceased being a threat to Israel until recent decades. 

Verse 2 required some research, and I'll share with you my findings:  David went after the Moabites with aggressive resolve.  The Moabites were descendants of Maob, the son of Abraham's nephew Lot (Remember him?  When Abraham and Lot grew so prosperous to the point that their family, livestock, and crops were too massive for one territory to hold, they separated and Lot went  southeast, beyond the Dead Sea and bordered the Arabian desert.}  The last record the Scripture provides us of David's dealing with the Moabites is in I Samuel 22:3-4 when David asked the king of Moab to give his parents protection when David was a fugitive from Saul.  This would lead one to believe that David would have had a soft place in his heart for the Moabites.  However, further research tells us that there is a traditional belief among the Hebrew Historians that the king of Moab killed David's parents.  This king may or may not have been the successor to the Moab king with whom David entrusted his parents' safety.  At any rate, David dealt with these Moabites harshly.  He lined them all up and executed all that were beyond a certain height.  He allowed the shorter ones to live.  {I guess this was an attempt to keep them small and less powerful.}  It ended up that two out of every three Moabites were executed. {I told you I would not hide anything in this study.  I am always reminded of God's commission to Joshua after the death of Moses.}   These remaining Moabites were bound to tribute to David and Israel, serving and paying taxes for generations to come.

Moving on, vss 3-->, David then moved northward, conquering kingdoms including Syria and its hub Damascus.  Taking many prisoners and what appears to be a fantastic collection of vessels and utensils made of gold and other precious metals.  The Scripture makes a point to state that David dedicated all precious metals to God.  This passage also recounts the massive armies that David defeated, marking David's building of his kingdom a bloody one, nonetheless necessary in those times, dealing with such savage Canaanites.  Note verse 6b:  The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.  Before ending this study of his conquests, it is noteworthy that David marched southward and conquered the Edomites.  The Edomites were descendents of the rugged warrior Esau.  When David had defeated the Edomites and subjectedt them to tribute, David became famous throughout the civilized world as a might warrior.  This solidified his standing in all directions and compelled kingdoms to lay down their arms when they felt threatened by him.

In the final verses of chapter 8 it gives an abbreviated account of David's ruling council.  This reading of the NIV caught my attention when it said that David made his sons priests in Israel.  This might confuse a first-time reader because God was very clear when He said that only Levites could be priests.  David and his sons were not Levites.  They were descendents of Judah, not Levi.  The King James states "and David's sons were chief rulers".  Also, I Chron. 18:17 and the Septuagint and other Historic texts states "officials".  This chapter also mentions more than once about David placing military garrisons in all of the territories he conquered, thus securing Israel against future uprisings.  {This is the first recorded placement of lagging military personnel to maintain peace in a conquered territory.  The Romans would later make a science of this, as a precurser to colonization.  So David could be considered the author of colonization.  This was an amazingly intellegent man.}  But what is most impressive is verse 15:  "David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people."

{In conclusion, chapter 8 gives such a clear picture of how David came to be such a powerful and successful king.  I've often made statements lauding Soloman's kingdom of Israel as being the most successful kingdom in the History of civiliazation.  I still believe that.  However, I give pause when I look at what David gave Soloman to start with:  A perfect system of government; happy and loyal subjects; military might; tribute being paid from foreign territories; a reputation of fear and respect from all surrounding nations; unmeasurable wealth built from war spoils; an example of how to rule; and most importantly an example of keeping God central.  I would never want to diminish what Soloman accomplished, but I want to give proper credit to the hard work and the successes that made it all possible.  We'll get in to the study of Soloman very soon.  He was a tremendous leader also.} 

Next post:  Jonathan's Crippled Son, Mephibosheth