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The Lord Gave David Victory

2 Samuel 8:1-18

The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.

--2 Samuel 8:6, 14

Today's passage tells us about the victories the Lord gave David wherever he went.

The word victory is the characteristic of David's kingdom. The victories in the passage show how the kingdom was established, expanded, and provided for the people. Here's a map showing how his kingdom expanded according to the victories in this passage.

Victory isn't just about winning, but it's specifically defeating an enemy or opponent in battle.

David defeated the enemies of the people. He made life secure and peaceful for them. There were no enemies to oppress them and to harm them.

Can you imagine such a secure life for the Israelites? To that time in their history, they never experienced such security and victory.

2 Samuel 7:10-11 say,

[10] And 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 [11] and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.

God knew that his people were oppressed by enemies. He promised to provide a secure place for his people through David and his kingdom.

Security is a big issue. Some have bars on their windows. Some avoid certain neighborhoods. We have insecurity issues. But God is more keenly aware of the issue of security for his people. He wants to give them a secure place.

In 2 Samuel 7:16 God promised David,

"Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.”

He made a promise to David to address this very need. And he gave a glimpse of the victory to come.

Here in this passage we see what David’s kingdom is like, this kingdom that would be established forever. It is characterized by victory over all enemies for the sake of the people. No one to harm or oppress them.

This is great news for us. We heard through the message that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promise to David about a son and a kingdom that will be established and endure “forever." In this way, what we learn of David’s kingdom tells us of Jesus’ kingdom.

It is such good news because it tells of the victory God has secured for us in Jesus Christ over all his and our enemies. God has given everyone in Jesus great victories to claim.

This is why the New Testament begins with the important words that Jesus is the Son of David.

Matthew 1:1 says,

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham.

But Jesus was victorious over his enemies. Let's look at David's victories to understand Jesus'.

First, we see David "defeating and subduing his enemies."

Look at verses 1-6.

[1] In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the control of the Philistines.

[2] David also defeated the Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.

[3] Moreover, David defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his monument at the Euphrates River. [4] David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses.

[5] When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them. [6] He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought tribute. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.

Here we see the enemies he defeated. He defeated and subjected them under his rule. We find that these enemies were from the surrounding nations that had been troubling God's people throughout their history.

The first on the list are the Philistines.

Look again at verse 1.

[1] In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the control of the Philistines.

The Philistines were located on the west coast, and were one of the most bothersome enemies. They never left the Israelites alone. They kept oppressing them and harming them ever since they entered the land when they came out of Egypt. When they lost, they just regrouped and went back out against the Israelites.

King Saul had been in bitter war with them all his days. He couldn't defeat or subdue them. In fact, he died in a battle against the Philistines.

Remember Goliath? He was a Philistine. They had been a giant enemy that oppressed them and harassed them for a very long time, from the time of the judges. But now they were defeated and subdued.

Can you imagine the relief and freedom they experienced when David had defeated and subdued them?

This is important for us because Jesus came to defeat and subdue enemies for the sake of God's people.

Let's look at 1 John 3:8-9.

[8] The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. [9] No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.

Jesus appeared to destroy the devil's work. The devil's work is sin. In these verses we see sin the real enemies: the devil and sin. Sin oppresses and leads to death and not belonging to God, but to the devil. But Jesus appeared to destroy the devil’s work.

The result of this victory is that God's people can live and the power and freedom to live as God’s children, doing what is right.

John was writing about this because he wanted them to love each other as God commands. Because of their sin, those in the church didn't love each other, but loved themselves. They fought and competed with each other and formed cliques. They were sinning.

Jesus destroyed the devil's work so that we can live as children of God and love each other just as he commanded, just as he loved us. It means not that we demand others love us, but that we love them in humility and service and patience, just as Jesus loves us.

We know how bad it is to live under the oppression of sin, especially not loving people and hating people. It is especially burdensome to fight with others and not be at peace. It is miserable. How can we break out of this? By the help of Jesus because he came to destroy the work of the devil.

Many times we ask what Jesus can do for us now. We ask for this and that. But now we can think about what he has already done for us and the life he enables for us. Maybe what we are looking for has already been supplied.

Look at verses 3-4 again.

David disarmed them. He took away chariots, which were the toughest weapons of choice at the time. They were like the modern tanks of the day. David didn’t have any chariots. The Law of Moses forbade the king to have chariots so that they would not rely on their own power, but on God’s power. Somehow he stopped chariots, seven thousand of them. He did it with God’s help.

The Bible talks about Jesus who disarmed the armies as well. Colossians 2:13-15 say,

[13] When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, [14] having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. [15] And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

It says that Jesus disarmed them. They cannot harm his people anymore, especially by condemnation because of sin. It is impossible because Jesus canceled the charge. It says that he forgave us "all" our sins, not just some, but all of them. Now, the enemy has nothing to stand on and bring charges or condemnation to Jesus' people.

David’s victory came at the cost of blood. It was the same for Jesus. Jesus' way of triumphing was but by the cross. He shed his own blood to secure the victory for his people. They who crucified Jesus thought they were making a spectacle of Jesus, but he was making a spectacle of them.

The cross then is the key for us, to secure Jesus' victory. It calls us to remain in him, in his word and his love. It calls us to be humble as Jesus was, to trust in him. It is not by shedding others’ blood, because Jesus already shed his blood. We don’t need to fight or retaliate or kill others. Jesus died for us and through his death we have victory. He triumphed by the cross.

The devil and sin only have power over us when we give them power because Jesus disarmed them. We shouldn't arm them again or listen to them. You would surely not put a gun back into the hand of your enemy after it was taken away.

Look at verses 5-6.

David was unstoppable because the Lord gave him victory wherever he went. Can you imagine twenty-two thousand coming as back up against his army? But David struck them down and subjected them to his rule. Rather than fighting against David, they began to bring tribute to him.

His people were rescued from all their enemies. The Bible says that when God's people are rescued from their enemies, they are free to serve him. Serving God is one of the benefit's of the victory Jesus won for us.

One person told me that it would be difficult to serve this message because there are no conflicts or troubles to overcome. David is too victorious and just defeats everyone seemingly so easily. But we can see that that is the point. The victory of his kingdom is highlighted so well so that we would be greatly encouraged. Because when enemies are all defeated we can live as servants of God.

John the Baptist was born six months before Jesus. John's father prophesied about Jesus.

Luke 1:67-75 say,

[67] His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: [68] “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. [69] He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David [70] (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), [71] salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us--- [72] to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant, [73] the oath he swore to our father Abraham: [74] to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear [75] in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

Righteousness and holiness all our days. In serving God, Jesus enables us and equips us for this great task. Rather than being burdened by sin, he gives righteousness and holiness "all our days."

Serving God without fear is enabled by Jesus who rescued us and defeated our enemies, enemies of righteousness and holiness. Without being rescued from sin, we have a lot to fear before God.

David’s victory mean his people could live. Jesus’ victory also means life for his people. Specifically, the bible talks about the resurrection and the resurrection body.

Paul wrote about this truth in 1 Corinthians 15:24-27,

[24] Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. [25] For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. [26] The last enemy to be destroyed is death. [27] For he “has put everything under his feet.”

Jesus is a king who is reigning and defeating all the enemies. He doesn’t stop until all his enemies are under his feet. So there is even a mention of a “last” enemy. Jesus defeats all, even to the very last enemy—here we learn that this last enemy is death.

Since the last enemy is defeated, then there are no more enemies to bother you. Wow!

Paul continued, in 1 Corinthians 15:54-58,

[54] When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” [55] “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” [56] The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. [57] But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. [58] Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

The result of death being defeated as that we are free to serve the Lord fully because we have eternal life. Therefore, our service is not in vain. It is because we live as people who already have the resurrected life of Jesus living in us. Already, a believer has died with Christ and has been raised with Christ (Colossians 2:20, 3:1).

Therefore, we don't live for sinful and worldly things anymore, like our pride. Jesus defeated the enemy and set us free to serve God and to love one another. We also are not bound to man made rules. If we do, then we belong to the world, and not to Christ. He set us free.

Second, David dedicated the plunder to the Lord.

We can see this especially in verses 11-12.

[11] King David dedicated these articles to the Lord, as he had done with the silver and gold from all the nations he had subdued: [12] Edom and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek. He also dedicated the plunder taken from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

David acknowledged that the victory came from the Lord. He dedicated these articles to him.

Jesus also dedicated plunder for the Lord's purpose.

Look at Ephesians 4:7-13,

[7] But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. [8] This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” [9] (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? [10] He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) [11] So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, [12] to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up [13] until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Jesus equips his people for service. He does it for the sake of building up the church which is body.

It is his grace to each of us that we can serve him in the way that he has equipped us. It is his gift to us. What you can do in the ministry for the Lord is his gift to you, not just for you, but for the sake of building up his body. The grace you are given is not just for people on the campus, for example, but for those of us here too.

We also can dedicate the gifts we received from Jesus' victory to the Lord. If he has given some grace to you, dedicate it to the Lord! He has equipped you for great service. Thankfully, he gives his grace to each believer because each person is part of his body.

Look at verse 15.

David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people.

He did what was just and right "for all his people." It was for "his" people. He served them as his own. He was not serving himself.

Jesus won a great victory, not for himself, but for his people.

Jesus overcame and was victorious for our sake. In him there is victory:

over the devil and sin

over death

over worldly living and human regulations.

Jesus' victory sets us free so that we can:

Serve God and have eternal life.

He equips us fully for service to God and for eternal life.

The victorious life is from God through Jesus.

Because we have this victory in Jesus we ought therefore to live as servants of God and to love each other.

1 Peter 2:16-17 say,

[16] Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. [17] Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

Hopefully, we won't have an emperor here anytime soon. But if we do, honor him.

We praise and thank God for the victory in Jesus Christ so that we can live for him.