A Loyal Leader

2 Samuel 8-9 and 1 Chronicles 18

David was an unselfish ruler. He gave God the plunder due Him for victory, and he gave Mephibosheth his family’s inheritance because of his love for Jonathan and took him in as a part of his family. God does the same thing for us, and like David, we owe Him everything.

David Expands Israel’s Territory - 2 Samuel 8:1-18 (1 Chronicles 18:1-17)

Early in the time of David’s reign, he began to taking control of all the land that Israel was promised through Abraham, in addition to some other surrounding areas. (Genesis 15:18).

In the west, he defeated the Philistines and took Gath and its villages, one of which was Metheg-ammah.

In the east, he defeated Moab, killing some and making the rest his servants, requiring they pay tribute to Israel. It is unclear how he chose which to kill and who to make a servant. The text says “he measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground. Two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared.” This may mean that he measured each person with a cord, then put to death the adults that were tall enough to require two cords and preserved those who only required one cord since they were too young to be held responsible for their sins. Or it could mean that he measured out three lines of people and killed two of them, while preserving the third. Because it says they were made to lay down, it makes sense that each man was measured individually for height. But by saying he spared one full line, we are given the impression that he spared an entire line of people. Regardless, we know that David killed some of the Moabites and made others his servants.

In the north, David defeated Hadadezer, the king of Zobah, near the Euphrates River. Upon defeat, David took 1,700 horsemen, 20,000 foot-soldiers, and 1,000 chariots from them. First Chronicles 18:4 says David took 7,000 horsemen which seems more accurate because it would give them 7 horsemen to pull each chariot. Sometimes there are recording errors with numbers because they can get difficult to read with time. But these differences do not change the understanding of this story or its purpose, so there is no reason to put too much focus on it. The point is that David defeated the king of Zobah and took many of his soldiers and chariots

He also hamstrung most of the chariot horses, leaving only enough for 100 chariots. This is probably because God had warned Israel’s kings about multiplying horses for themselves (Deuteronomy 17:14-17). God never wanted them to think they achieved victory on their own merit. It was not the size of the army, the skill of the soldiers, the efficiency of their weapons, or the equipment they acquired, that determined their success in battle. It was the power of God that brought them victory.

The authors of 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles also spelled many of the names and towns differently in their accountings. This may be because they were writing in different languages, they were known by different names to different people, or at the time of their writings they were called something different. Regardless, we know these are the same people and towns because they are parallel writings, and the names are closely associated.

When the Syrians, in the capital city of Damascus, heard what had happened in the northern part of their land, they went to help. But David struck down 22,000 Syrians, then put military outposts in Aram of Damascus. He took their golden shields and large amounts of bronze from Betah and Berothai (Tibhath and Cun), two cities located north of Damascus, in Lebanon. So, the people in the north also became David’s servants and paid tribute to Israel.

The authors of 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles 18 called these two towns by different names. But again, that doesn’t change that David took bronze from two Syrian towns, which was later used to build the bronze basin, the pillars, and vessels of bronze in the courtyard of the house that David’s son later builds for God.

When Toi (Tou), the king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated the people on his eastern border, he sent his son Joram (Hadoram) to bless Israel’s king. Toi (Tou) and Hadadezer had been fighting for years, so he was grateful to David for defeating his enemy. To show his appreciation, he sent silver, gold, and bronze by way of his son. Hamath was the only country listed here that made a treaty of peace and alliance with Israel.

In the south, Abishai, David’s nephew killed 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. David put military outposts in Edom and made them a vassal state. So, Hamath wanted to ally with Israel but because the Philistines, Amalek, Edom, Moab, Ammon, Syria, and Lebanon fought against Israel and lost, they became vassal states.

All the gold, silver, and bronze David acquired from these other nations was given to the Lord. God brought the victory, so He deserved the spoils. David was fighting a holy war for the Lord. Although God originally gave most of what is now Jordan to the descendants of Abraham’s grandson Esau and his nephew Lot, God allowed Israel to take control of Moab, Ammon, and Edom, but not to fully take possession of them.