Daily Devotional for Friday, December 22

David the Soldier

“And he took their king’s crown from off his head, the weight whereof was a talent of gold with the precious stones: and it was set on David’s head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance,” 2 Samuel 12:30.

Originally, David wanted only to send his condolences to the people of Ammon with the death of their king. After Hanun disrespected and humiliated David’s messengers, he knew that David would retaliate, so Hanun enlisted the help of the Syrians to fight against Israel. David had made no threat against the Ammonites, yet Hanun knew what was coming. David’s military reputation went all the way back to slaying Goliath. It was no secret that the giant-slayer was skilled in the art of war. Word probably also got around about the bride price David paid to wed Saul’s daughter (1 Samuel 18:25-27). Needless to say, the Ammonites needed help if they were going to fight against David’s army.

This military conquest was slightly different. Of course, Scriptures do not tell us everything about David’s day-to-day life, but we do see that during this entire conquest, David was dealing with his own homemade drama. Instead of going into battle himself, he sent his men and stayed behind. This led to the sin-spiral of adultery, intrigue and death. For a while, God had given David peace from all his enemies. It seems as though David straying from God resulted in the rise of this military conflict. This unplanned fight against the Ammonites also seemed to last longer while David was dealing with his sin. As with any sin, God wants us to repent, so once David was repentant and turned back to the Lord, He gave the Ammonites into the hand of David. Israel took the city of Rabbah and set the crown of the king on his own head creating a powerful picture of conquest.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY: What reputation do you have among people? How do people prepare themselves to interact with you? Are you living a John 13:34, 35 life?

Ashley Ridings