Morning Light – June 22nd, 2015: What to Do When Victory Comes

Morning Light – June 22nd, 2015
Today: [2 Samuel Chapter Eight]: What to Do when Victory Comes. In this chapter David takes the victories that God has given him and moves forward in the promises of Abraham. His enemies have ceased to war with him but he does not rest or accept compromise. There will be times that the enemy will cease pursuing you and the temptation is to “leave well enough alone”. This was not David’s choice. He boldly rises up and moves forward to take the full inheritance that God gave to the people through His promises to Abraham in Genesis 15.
[2Sa 8:1-18 KJV] 1 And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them: and David took Methegammah out of the hand of the Philistines. 2 And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And [so] the Moabites became David’s servants, [and] brought gifts. 3 David smote also Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates. 4 And David took from him a thousand [chariots], and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David houghed all the chariot [horses], but reserved of them [for] an hundred chariots. 5 And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succour Hadadezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men. 6 Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus: and the Syrians became servants to David, [and] brought gifts. And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.
In the previous chapter the Lord gave David rest from all his enemies. If that is the case then why is this chapter filled with war? Just because the Lord gives you rest from your enemies doesn’t mean you give your enemies rest. God is not interested in a truce with the devil. God’s idea of peace has nothing to do with compromise. In Isa. 11:1-3 we find a list of the seven spirits of God. The very first one is the Spirit of the Lord. God’s basic nature is one of lordship. His basic nature is to subdue and to rule. He put you in your life like He put Adam in the garden, to tend, keep and subdue. We make a mistake when we try to maintain a strained peace with those who are walking in enmity with God. We don’t bring up the things of God in their presence, we don’t pray where they can hear us. We walk on eggshells lest they rise up and contend with us or lose their temper. No that is not the nature of God. The nature of God is to expect His enemies to be made His footstool and not His border. Thus we see that while David’s enemies stopped attacking him – he did not stop attacking his enemies.
The first assault was against the Philistines. The Philistines had harassed and molested the Israelites for many years therefore David rose up against them and subdued them. Notice that it is not recorded that David inquired of the Lord about these campaigns. There are times in your life when God will prosper everything you put your hand to just like he didn’t allow Samuel’s words to fall to the ground. David is walking in his full anointing as king. His anointing was released to him by Samuel. Samuel walked in a level of the prophetic that whatever came out of his mouth came to pass. This is what that anointing looked like upon a prophet – but now it is passed upon a king. David is not a man of words but actions and just as Samuel’s words always came to pass even so now in like anointing all of David’s actions prosper in his behalf. This is a level of walking with God that most people have no conception of but it is available and if you walk with God, love his word and obey the prophets you will come into this experience at different times and seasons of your life.
This is the purpose of this chapter to teach you how to conduct yourself when everything you do prospers. So much of Christian teaching is about how to live in failure, defeat with unanswered prayer and unchecked oppression of the enemy. Here we see the example in David of maintaining humility and obedience while realizing that God has given you a blank check endorsement in life to fulfill His will. Just as the anointing on Samuel came to David even so the anointing on David was that which is intended ultimately to be upon Jesus and be imparted to us. This is what the “sure mercies of David” look like. Bear in mind that this anointing first came to Saul but did not prosper him as it did David – because Saul was self willed and disobedient. When this anointing in the process of time came upon Jesus through the encounter with John the Baptist he went about doing good and performing miracles completely unchecked by the enemy. Always remember that Rom. 1:3 says that Jesus was “declared” to be the son of God by the Holy Spirit which ultimately Jesus gave to us – not by any secret access to power He had through His sinless nature. He simply took the anointing passed to Him from His bloodline and obeyed God with it. You and I have received that same anointing and can see similar results if we will walk in humility and obedience.
7 And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 And from Betah, and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, king David took exceeding much brass. 9 When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer, 10 Then Toi sent Joram his son unto king David, to salute him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer, and smitten him: for Hadadezer had wars with Toi. And [Joram] brought with him vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass: 11 Which also king David did dedicate unto the LORD, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated of all nations which he subdued; 12 Of Syria, and of Moab, and of the children of Ammon, and of the Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
Why was David pushing back his borders with such ferocity? Because in Gen. 15:18 God gave Abraham all the lands from the Nile up to the river Euphrates. David knew by the word of God what his borders were and he was taking God at his word. We likewise can look into the word of God and see what our borders and boundaries are. David could have settled for peace in the borders he inherited from Saul but he did not. God is not just about entering into a spiritual maintenance mode and waiting for the rapture. The promises of God are the lay lines of your spiritual and natural borders. We do not accept the boundaries that man, or circumstance or the devil himself set for us. God will be with us in the boundaries of His promise. As in Joshua’s day there may be giants in the land but God will not fail to honor His word. David knew what the promise to Abraham was. He expected within those boundaries that every victory would be won and that was in fact the outcome. God doesn’t expect us to sit back in timidity and fear – cowering until the end of life. Always remember that the word of God is “well DONE good and faithful servant…” Walking with God is more than words and beliefs. We must DO something. If we take God at His word and move forward in life expecting His promise to come to pass you will not be disappointed.
13 And David gat [him] a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt, [being] eighteen thousand [men]. 14 And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all they of Edom became David’s servants. And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went. 15 And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed judgment and justice unto all his people. 16 And Joab the son of Zeruiah [was] over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud [was] recorder; 17 And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, [were] the priests; and Seraiah [was] the scribe; 18 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada [was over] both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief rulers.
David mighty have been a man of war toward his enemies but he was a king of justice and prudence where his people were concerned. He didn’t neglect what was taking place in his own borders among the people. He set up leaders and we see in the last part of this chapter the form and organization of his government. There is no description of this from Saul’s reign because Saul did not organize or put in order his kingdom in behalf of the people. Everything we know of Saul’s administration was set in order to protect him from the people because he didn’t trust them. David put his kingdom together to protect and bless the people. David knew he couldn’t do these things alone. He had a general to manage the army. He had a historian to maintain a record of things that were done and to keep other important records. He wanted his rule to be with consistency – he didn’t want to contradict himself so Ahilud recorded all that took place so this wouldn’t happen. Zadok was the priest and he was particularly loyal to David. From his line the Sadducees eventually emerged. Benaiah was one of David’s original mighty men and he had oversight of David’s personal guard and David’s sons were chief administrators as well in David’s kingdom.
This was the golden age of David’s rule. In time to come David will err and difficult times will come but this is a time of glory and blessing that we must not overlook because there will be times in your life that you will experience this blessing as well.