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Thursday, June 28, 2018

David Defeats The Ammonites








1 Chronicles 19:1-19 NIV









David Defeats the Ammonites







1In the course of time, Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son succeeded him as king. 2David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.


When David’s envoys came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to express sympathy to him, 3the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Haven’t his envoys come to you only to explore and spy out the country and overthrow it?” 


4So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved them, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away.









5When someone came and told David about the men, he sent messengers to meet them, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back.”


6When the Ammonites realized that they had become obnoxious to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talentsa of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram Naharaim,b Aram Maakah and Zobah. 


7They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and charioteers, as well as the king of Maakah with his troops, who came and camped near Medeba, while the Ammonites were mustered from their towns and moved out for battle.








8On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men. 9The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city, while the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.







10Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. 11He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother, and they were deployed against the Ammonites. 12Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to rescue me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will rescue you.13Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our GOD. The LORD Will Do What Is Good in His Sight.”


14Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him. 


15When the Ammonites realized that the Arameans were fleeing, they too fled before his brother Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.



16After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they sent messengers and had Arameans brought from beyond the Euphrates River, with Shophak the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.


17When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan; he advanced against them and formed his battle lines opposite them. David formed his lines to meet the Arameans in battle, and they fought against him. 18But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also killed Shophak the commander of their army.


19When the vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him.


So the Arameans were not willing to help the Ammonites anymore.








David’s Victories







1 Chronicles 18:1-17 NIV








1In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its surrounding villages from the control of the Philistines.


2David also defeated the Moabites, and they became subject to him and brought him tribute.


3Moreover, David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah, in the vicinity of Hamath, when he went to set up his monument ata the Euphrates River. 4David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses.


5When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them. 6He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought him tribute. 



The LORD Gave David victory wherever he went.



7David took the gold shields carried by the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8From Tebahb and Kun, towns that belonged to Hadadezer, David took a great quantity of bronze, which Solomon used to make the bronze Sea, the pillars and various bronze articles.


9When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, 10he sent his son Hadoram to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Hadoram brought all kinds of articles of gold, of silver and of bronze.


11King David dedicated these articles to The LORD, as he had done with the silver and gold he had taken from all these nations: Edom and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek.


12Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 13He put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. 



The LORD Gave David victory wherever he went.








David’s Officials







14David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people. 15Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; 16Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelekc son of Abiathar were priests; Shavsha was secretary; 17Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief officials at the king’s side.








CHRIST'S Throne Shall Be Established FOREVER








1 Chronicles 17:1-27 NIV








GOD’S Promise to David








1After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the Ark of the Covenant of The LORD is under a tent.”



2Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind, do it, for GOD Is With you.”


3But that night 


The WORD of GOD Came to Nathan, saying:


4“Go and tell MY servant David, ‘This Is What The LORD Says: You are not the one to build ME A House To Dwell In. 


5I Have Not Dwelt in A House from the day I Brought Israel Up out of Egypt to this day. I Have Moved from one tent site to another, from one Dwelling Place to another. 


6Wherever I Have Moved With all the Israelites, Did I Ever Say to any of their leaders whom I Commanded to shepherd MY people,


“Why have you not built ME A House of cedar?” ’


7“Now then, tell my servant David, 


‘This Is What The LORD ALMIGHTY Says:




I Took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and Appointed you ruler over MY people Israel. 8I Have Been With you wherever you have gone, and I Have Cut Off all your enemies from before you. Now I Will Make your name like the names of the greatest men on earth. 9And I Will Provide a place for MY people Israel and Will Plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 10and have done ever since the time I Appointed leaders over MY people Israel. I Will Also Subdue all your enemies.


“ ‘I Declare to you that The LORD Will Build a house for you: 11When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors,


I Will Raise Up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I Will Establish his kingdom. 12He is the one who will build A House For ME, and I Will Establish his throne forever.


13I Will Be HIS FATHER, and HE Will Be MY SON.


I Will Never Take MY Love away from HIM, as I Took it Away from your predecessor. 

14I Will Set HIM over MY House and MY Kingdom Forever; HIS THRONE Will Be Established Forever.’ ”



15Nathan reported to David all the WORDS of this entire revelation.







David’s Prayer







16Then King David went in and sat Before The LORD, and he said:


“Who am I, LORD GOD, and what is my family, that YOU Have Brought me this far? 17And as if this were not enough in YOUR Sight, my GOD, YOU Have Spoken about the future of the house of YOUR servant. YOU, LORD GOD, Have Looked On me as though I were the most exalted of men.


18“What more can David say to YOU for honoring YOUR servant? For YOU Know YOUR servant, 19LORD. For the sake of YOUR servant and according to YOUR Will, YOU Have Done this great thing and Made Known all these great promises.


20“There is no one like YOU, LORD, and there is no GOD but YOU, as we have heard with our own ears.21And who is like YOUR people Israel—the one nation on earth whose GOD Went Out to Redeem a people For HIMSELF, and to make a Name For YOURSELF, and to Perform Great and Awesome Wonders by Driving Out nations from Before YOUR people, whom YOU Redeemed from Egypt? 22YOU Made YOUR people Israel YOUR Very OWN forever, and YOU, LORD, have become their GOD.


23“And now, LORD, let the promise YOU Have Made concerning YOUR servant and his house be established forever. Do As YOU Promised, 24so that it will be established and that YOUR Name Will Be Great Forever. Then people will say, ‘The LORD ALMIGHTY, The GOD over Israel, is Israel’s GOD!’ And the house of YOUR servant David will be established Before YOU.


25“YOU, my GOD, Have Revealed to YOUR servant that YOU Will Build a house for him. So YOUR servant has found courage to pray To YOU. 26YOU, LORD, Are GOD! YOU Have Promised these good things to YOUR servant. 27Now YOU Have Been Pleased To Bless the house of YOUR servant, that it may continue forever In YOUR Sight; For YOU, LORD, Have Blessed it, and it will be blessed forever.”










HIS Throne Shall Be Established Forever





This excellent chapter is the same with 2 Samuel 7. It will be worthwhile to look back upon what was there said upon it. 


Two things in general we have in it:


I. GOD’S Gracious Acceptance of David’s purpose to build HIM a House, and the Promise HE Made thereupon (v. 1–15).


II. David’s gracious acceptance of GOD’S Good Promise to build him a house, and the prayer he made thereupon (v. 16–27). 


GOD Promised David that the reign of his dynasty will last forever.


Each of these great promises was partially fulfilled in Solomon, David’s son and successor to his throne.


·       Solomon ruled on David’s throne.

·       GOD’S Mercies never Departed from Solomon, though he sinned.

·       Solomon built GOD a Magnificent House.


Yet GOD’S Promise to David was all the more important because of when the Chronicler wrote about it – after the exile, when there was no independent kingdom of Israel and the throne of David seemed vacant.


The Chronicler had the faith to see that this promise was not broken even when it plainly seemed to be. 

He knew that MESSIAH Would indeed Come from the seemingly dead line of David and Reign Forever. 



He had faith in what the prophets foretold as a greater fulfillment of these promises:



·      Behold, the days are coming, 


Says The LORD, 



that I Will Raise to David a Branch of Righteousness; a King Shall Reign and Prosper, and Execute righteousness in the earth. . . . Now This Is HIS Name by which HE Will BCalledTHE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS (Jeremiah 23:5-6)


·       For unto us a Child Is Born, unto us a Son Is Given; and the government will be upon HIS shoulder. . . Upon the throne of David and over HIS kingdom, to order it and establish it . . . from that time forward, even forever. (Isaiah 9:6-7)


·       And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a SON, and Shall Call HIS Name JESUS. HE Will Be Great, and Will Be Called The SON of The Highest; and The LORD GOD Will Give HIM the throne of HIS father David. And HE Will Reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of HIS Kingdom there will be no end. (Luke 1:31-33)



GOD Did Not Want the earthly house built until the spiritual house was promised and established. The more important house had to be in place first, and that house was the dynasty that would result in the Throne of GOD’S MESSIAH.


As for David, GOD’S Blessing Was Upon him in a unique way. The New Testament identifies JESUS with David more than with any other human ancestor.


·       Hosanna to the Son of David! (Matthew 21:9)

·       The LORD GOD Will Give Him the throne of His father David. (Luke 1:32)

·       I am the Root and Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star. (Revelation 22:16)


It also seems that David will be GOD’S chosen prince over a restored Israel in the millennial earth.



Hosea 3:5 says, 


Afterward, the children of Israel shall return, seek The LORD their GOD and David their KIND, and fear The LORD and HIS Goodness in the latter days.”



Other passages which set forth this idea are Ezekiel 37:24-25, Ezekiel 34:23-24, and Jeremiah 30:9.








JEHOVAH'S Love Endures Forever!




1 Chronicles 16:1-43 NIV








Ministering Before the Ark








1They brought the Ark of GOD and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings Before GOD. 






2After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the Name of The LORD. 3Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each Israelite man and woman.


4He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the Ark of The LORD, to extol,a thank, and praise The LORD, The GOD of Israel: 5Asaph was the chief, and next to him in rank were Zechariah, then Jaaziel,bShemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, 6and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the Ark of the Covenant of GOD.






7That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to The Lord in this manner:


8Give praise to The LORD, proclaim HIS Name;
make known among the nations What HE Has Done.

9Sing to HIM, sing praise to HIM;
tell of all HIS Wonderful Acts.

10Glory in HIS Holy Name;
11Look to The LORD and HIS Strength;
seek HIS Face always.

12Remember the Wonders HE Has Done,
HIS Miracles, and the Judgments HE Pronounced,

13you HIS servants, the descendants of Israel,
HIS chosen ones, the children of Jacob.

14HE Is The LORD our GOD;
HIS Judgments are in all the earth.

15HE Remembersc HIS Covenant forever,
the Promise HE Made, for a thousand generations,

16the Covenant HE Made with Abraham,
the Oath HE Swore to Isaac.

17HE Confirmed it to Jacob as a Decree,
to Israel as an Everlasting Covenant:

18“To you I Will Give the land of Canaan
as the portion you will inherit.”

19When they were but few in number,
few indeed, and strangers in it,

20theyd wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.

21HE Allowed no one to oppress them;
for their sake HE Rebuked kings:

22“Do not touch MY anointed ones;
do MY prophets no harm.”

23Sing to The LORD, all the earth;
proclaim HIS Salvation day after day.

24Declare HIS Glory among the nations,
HIS Marvelous Deeds among all peoples.

25For Great Is The LORD and Most Worthy of Praise;
HE Is To Be Feared above all gods.

26For all the gods of the nations are idols,

27Splendor and Majesty are Before Him;
Strength and Joy are in His Dwelling Place.

28Ascribe to The LORD, all you families of nations,

29Ascribe to The LORD the Glory due HIS Name;
bring an offering and come Before HIM.
Worship The LORD in the splendor of HISe Holiness.

30Tremble Before HIM, all the earth!
The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

31Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;

32Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!

33Let the trees of the forest sing,
for HE Comes To Judge the earth.

34Give thanks to The LORD, for HE Is Good;
HIS Love Endures forever.

35Cry out, “Save us, GOD our SAVIOR;
Gather us and Deliver us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to Your Holy Name,
and Glory in YOUR Praise.”

36Praise Be To The LORD, The GOD of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.



Then all the people said “Amen” and “Praise The LORD.”


37David left Asaph and his associates before the Ark of the Covenant of The LORD to minister there regularly, according to each day’s requirements. 38He also left Obed-Edom and his sixty-eight associates to minister with them. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah, were gatekeepers.


39David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the Tabernacle of The LORD at the high place in Gibeon 40to present burnt offerings to The Lord on the altar of burnt offering regularly, morning and evening, in accordance with everything written in the Law of The LORD, which he had given Israel. 41With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to The LORD



“For HIS Love Endures Forever. 



42Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals and for the playing of the other instruments for sacred song. The sons of Jeduthun were stationed at the gate.


43Then all the people left, each for their own home, and David returned home to bless his family.








David’s Psalm of Thanksgiving








Among the other preparations for this solemn inauguration, David had composed a special hymn for the occasion.



Doubtless it had been previously in the hands of Asaph and his assistants, but it was now publicly committed to them as they entered for the first time on the performance of their sacred duties. It occupies the greater part of this chapter (1 Chronicles 16:8-36), and seems to have been compiled from other psalms of David, previously known to the Israelites, as the whole of it will be found, with very slight variations, in Psalm 96:1-13; 105:1-15; 106:47, 48.


In the form, however, in which it is given by the sacred historian, it seems to have been the first Psalm given for use in the tabernacle service. Abounding, as it does, with the liveliest ascriptions of praise To GOD for the revelation of HIS Glorious Character and the display of HIS Marvelous Works and containing, as it does, so many pointed allusions to the origin, privileges, and peculiar destiny of the chosen people, it was admirably calculated to animate the devotions and call forth the gratitude of the assembled multitude in JEHOVAH’S Worship.