David Captures Rabbah

I Chronicles 20:1–8
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It states that all of this happened in the spring when the harvest was ended and the armies could live off the land.  The kings waited until the weather was good and then their armies went off to war.  However, it says that David stayed home in Jerusalem. As we learn from 2 Samuel 11:12 this was a big mistake because it was during this time of inactivity that he sinned with Bathsheba.

In 1^st Chronicles, the record of Israel’s conquests begins and ends with references to wars against the Philistines. Israel had no more persistent foe than the Philistines. 2^nd Samuel also recounts the series of Philistine wars but treats them with more detail. Rabbah (v. l) was the capital of the Ammorites and is the site of modern Amman in Jordan.

This chapter includes three instances that parallel 2 Samuel 18-22. The first was the battle of Gezer which took place about 20 miles northwest of Jerusalem. It was here that Sibbecai slew Sippai, a Philistine giant. The second was when Elhanan, son of Jair, slew Lahmi, who was Goliath’s brother. The third was when a Philistine giant met death at the hands of David’s nephew Jonathan (2 Samuel 2l:20-2l). It seems that these giants were descendants of Rapha who was the father of a race of giants known as Rephaites. These giants coexisted with the early Philistines and perhaps even intermarried with them.

Application

Look for the spring times in your life when the doors of opportunity open. At these times God wants you to respond, take the initiative and move into action according to His will.  If you don’t move into action at these times, you will be prone to give in to temptation just as David did.