There are these moments in the book of 1 Chronicles where we are given a flurry of names or a number of consecutive short narrative accounts. It is easy to read 1 Chronicles 18-20 as a bunch of short stories without meaning to just keep moving on. But there is a reason for the Chronicler to tell us about David’s wartime activities. So we need to consider why the Chronicler wants us to know this information. What is he teaching this rescued remnant who are back on the land, looking to seek the Lord? What were the people to see in David and see in themselves as these accounts are retold? We must also consider what the messianic foreshadowing is as these events point to the coming of the greater King.
The Lord Gives The Victory (1 Chronicles 18)
David’s activities begin with the defeat of the Philistines. Under Saul’s reign, we read about the Philistines growing in strength and taking Israel’s cities (see 1 Samuel 4). Now David subdues the Philistines, even taking Gath which is the town where Goliath was from. David subdues the Philistines and the Moabites who had fought against Israel. Now David is settling the kingdom to the boundaries that God has promised to Abraham. Chapter 18 is recording victory after victory against the nations that had fought and oppressed the people of Israel. Further, you are reading about kings and nations paying tribute to King David. David takes these offerings and dedicates them to the Lord (18:11). The key to this section is stated twice. In verse 6 we read, “And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.” Then we read in verse 13, “And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.” The chapter ends with an ideal picture of David’s reign in the kingdom. He reigned over all of Israel, administering justice and equity for all his people.
The Kind Rule of the King (1 Chronicles 19)
Chapter 19 wants to demonstrate the nature of David’s rule. The king of the Ammonites dies and his son reigns in his place. So David wants to show kindness to the new king, Hanun (19:2). So David sends his messengers to console the king during the loss of his father. But Hanun’s officials tell him that David is being deceptive, sending these messengers to spy out the land to overthrow it. So the king takes the messengers that were sent as an act of kindness and absolutely shames them. They just absolutely humiliate these servants of David, shaving their beards and cutting their clothing so that their rear ends were exposed. David hears what has happened to his messengers. There are two things that David does. First, I want you to see the care David has for his humiliated servants. David sends messengers to his humiliated men and tells them to stay in Jericho until your beard are grown back. David cares for his mistreated messengers.
This is a key truth that God wants us to love and appreciate in him. Our God cares for us. In 1 Peter 5:7 we are told to cast our anxieties on the Lord because he cares for us. It is important for us to know that God cares for us and cares about us. Listen to how Jesus explains his care for us in contrast to others.
He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. (John 10:12-13 ESV)
Why does the hired hand run away when the sheep are in trouble? He runs because he cares nothing for the sheep. He does not own the sheep. He cares for himself first. So he leaves the sheep and runs away. Now listen to the contrast.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:11 ESV)
The reason Jesus is a good shepherd is because he lays down his life for the sheep. This shows that he cares for his sheep. He cares for his people. We have a song in which each verse asks a question, “Does Jesus care when” and then some situation is described. The chorus then breaks out with, “Oh, yes, he cares. I know he cares. His heart is touched with my grief.” This is what Jesus is saying about himself. This is what David is showing. David cared about the humiliation of his people who were serving him.
Second, David is ready to defend his people and his kingdom. The Ammonites prepare to go fight with David after they did this to David’s messengers. Now it does not look good for David and his army. The Ammonites hire the Syrians to join them in battle against David. In verse 10 we read that Joab sees that the battle was in front of them and behind them. This is not what you want in battle. You do not want to be surrounded. You do not want to have to fight on two fronts, pinched in from both sides. The situation looks hopeless. But Joab sets the battle plan and notice what he says in verse 13.
“Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The LORD will do what is good in his sight.” (1 Chronicles 19:13 NIV)
The people have faith in God. We will be strong, knowing that God will carry out his will. He will do what is right. Friends, when we are surrounded by the sorrows and pains of life, do we acknowledge that the Lord will do what is good to him? Do we believe that God will accomplish his plans and purposes? When life is not going according to our plans, this is all the more when we need to lean into our God and trust him all the more. Notice what happens in verse 14. Joab and his people get ready for the battle, but the Syrians simply run away. Then, when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians ran away, the Ammonites ran away also. It is amazing to watch how God gives the victories, many times in the way that we would never imagine. So David vindicates his humiliated men and is given the victory over these nations that try to fight against him.
Victory For Kingdom Citizens (1 Chronicles 20)
In chapter 20 the picture of victory continues. Joab is continuing his victories in the name of the king against the Ammonite enemies. The crowns of other kings are now being placed on David’s head as he continues to be victorious. I want us to focus on how these victorious accounts end in 1 Chronicles 20. In verse 4 we see that war broke out with the Philistines again. In each instance, the Philistines are defeated because God is with his king and his people.
In verse 5 we have another Goliath type battle with the Philistines. This time it is the brother of Goliath, Lahmi. He has a spear whose shaft is like a weaver’s beam, just like Goliath. But it is not David who wins this battle but a man named Elhanan. In verse 6 we see another war in Gath where we read about another Goliath-like person. He is a great man of stature who had 12 fingers and 12 toes and also descended from the giants. He taunted Israel like Goliath did (20:7). But David’s nephew, Jonathan, struck him down. In fact, you will notice in verse 8 that all the giants of Gath fell by the hand of David and by the hands of David’s servants.
You might remember that when Goliath first came to taunt Israel, all of the Israelites were afraid of him and no one would go fight against him (cf. 1 Samuel 17:11, 24). Not even Saul would go out and fight against Goliath. But now that David is the king, what a difference we read about his servants. Rather than being afraid, they are ready for the fight. They are going out in the name of the Lord and the Lord is giving them victory after victory.
Participating In The Victory
This is what I want us to be amazed at as we look at the whole of these passages. The emphasis was not so much on David, but on the people who belong to David. The people who belong to David are supported and cared by him. The people who belong to David are empowered to defeat the greatest enemies. This is an important truth we need to know and appreciate as we belong in Christ’s kingdom. To say this another way, the New Testament teaches us that we are victorious because Jesus has achieved the victory. Notice how Paul makes this point in 1 Corinthians 15.
When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:54-58 ESV)
Notice that in describing Jesus’ victory over death through his resurrection, we are described as participating in this. In verse 57 the apostle Paul says that God gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. This victory over sin and death is why we are to be steadfast, immovable, and and always abounding in the work of the Lord. The apostle Paul proclaims that this is a key basis for our encouragement.
The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; (2 Timothy 2:11-12 ESV)
Notice the picture of victory we have if we will endure. If we will die with him, we will live with him. If we endure, then we will reign with him. In fact, you might remember that Jesus repeatedly says to the various Christians in the seven churches of Asia, “To the one who overcomes/conquers” in Revelation 2-3. Don’t miss this image when reading Ephesians 2.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4-7 ESV)
Notice that God made us alive with Christ, raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. It is amazing that this does not say that we are seated beneath Jesus. Rather, we are seated with him. We are victorious with Christ. The apostle John explains this further in his letter.
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:4-5 ESV)
If we have been born of God, we have overcome the world. How do we have this victory? John says that it is through our faith. We have a song that reminds us of this point. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. Did we hear what we just said when we sung that song? We have been made conquerors. We have overcome the world so that it does not matter what happens to us in this life. We can say the words that Joab said in 1 Chronicles 19:13. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. (Romans 8:35-37 ESV)
Whatever happens in life, we are conquerors. We have been made to overcome the world because Jesus has overcome the world. We cannot lose when we are with Christ and belong to his kingdom. So be strong and courageous because God is giving you victory in this life through Christ.
Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls. (Hebrews 10:35-39 ESV)
We will endure when we see the victory that we have. We will put on the armor of God so that we are ready to stand in this spiritual fight. Jesus has overcome Satan, sin, and death. Now you also have overcome these things if you will hold on to your faith in Christ and not throw away your confidence. Trust that God is with you and will care for you. You can overcome the world by the power that is in Christ Jesus for your life. Jesus is greater than every enemy and he showed it while on the earth. Jesus is greater than disease, illness, storms, food, uncleanness, sin, and death. Trust him to do what is good and this will be your victory for life.