David’s Consolidates His Kingdom

II Samuel 8:1–18
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Part of God’s covenant with David included the promise that the enemies of Israel would be defeated and would no longer oppress them (I Sam. 7:10-11). God fulfilled this promise by helping David defeat the opposing nations. The peoples and places discussed in this chapter are those that surround the nation of Israel. These are the people that occupied the land given to Israel (Gen. 12:1-18) and (Ex. 23:31).  They are not international super-powers but small kingdoms.

1. The first to be defeated was the Philistines (v. 1), who are located to Israel’s west and were perhaps Israel’s most troublesome neighbor. Once David had become king, the Philistines thought it best to attack quickly in an attempt to nullify the threat he would bring. They failed and now David brings their tyranny to an end.
2. The next to be defeated are the Moabites (v. 2), descendants of Lot who lives east of the Dead Sea. They had posed a constant military and religious threat to Israel. At one time David seemed to have a good relationship with the Moabites. David’s lineage included Ruth, who was a Moabites. When it appeared that Saul would hurt David’s family, they fled to be with the Moabites and sought protection. Now David defeats them.
3. Then David turns to conquer Zobah (vv. 3-8), which is within 25 miles or so of Damascus, directly to the north. When the Syrians of Damascus see that David is a threat to their “national security,” they come to the aid of Zorah and the Syrians are defeated. Toi, king of Hamath, was grateful to David for defeating Hadadezer. He expressed his appreciation by dispatching his son with valuable gifts of gold, silver and bronze (vv. 9-12).
4. Another victory is over the Edomites (vv. 13-14), who become servants of David. They were to the south, which means that David defeated his enemies on every side. Saul’s simple court had now evolved into a complex royal bureaucracy (vv. 15-18).

Application

David took care of his physical enemies who were on every side with the Lord’s help. I need to be concerned about my spiritual enemies and claim God’s promises that He will help me defeat them.