To the Victors go the Spoils
[6] Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute. And the LORD gave victory to David wherever he went. [7] And David took the shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. [8] And from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took very much bronze.
[9] When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, [10] Toi sent his son Joram to King David, to ask about his health and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi. And Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze. [11] These also King David dedicated to the LORD, together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the nations he subdued, (ESV)
2 Samuel 8:6–11 ESV Read More
Hi, I’m David; I’ve come to be crowned king and wipe out all of Israel’s enemies, and I’ve already been crowned king.
This chapter is best read as a synopsis rather than a chronology because it’s quite the blood bath. If a country didn’t come and pay King David tribute before he came to them, they would be wiped out and their riches taken back to Jerusalem. Moabites, Philistines, Ammonites, Syrians and more all fell before David and his army. It kind of makes you wonder what kind of king Saul would have been if he hadn’t wasted so much time chasing David!
As the Lord gives David one victory after another, God also gives David riches beyond counting. All of the gold comes back, though, and is dedicated to the Lord. The riches that were dedicated to the Lord were stored up for a whole generation, and then Solomon used all of that to build the temple.
David recounts throughout the psalms that it is God that is giving him these victories. He knows the source of his help when he needs a rescue or a victory. That’s how David could so easily return and store up these victories in the storehouse of God.
When we have victories, it’s super easy to move on and not take a minute to think it over. That’s just one reason why God instituted a Sabbath rest. At some point, you would have to stop the rat race and reflect on the things you’ve accomplished this week. Upon reflection, God gives you a chance to give the glory of that success back to Him!
I know a guy that learned how to play the guitar with the promise and offering to God that he’d never play in front of people. He would just learn to play guitar so he could worship the Lord. He got pretty good, and he’s had plenty of chances to play it in front of people, but nobody knows he’s a guitar player.
I know another person that wanted to make a large donation to a charity and went through two proxies to avoid the attention. Two proxies mean he had a trusted friend that made arrangements with a second person to give the money to the charity. It went from the giver, to the trusted friend, to the next person, to the charity. He did that to be discreet about his gift. He had victories, and he credited those victories to God. He didn’t want any of that glory for himself.
Every one of us will have a victory today. If it’s thankfulness for waking up, it’s a victory over despair. If it’s generosity towards a stranger, it’s victory over greed and fear. Jesus has given us victory over all of our worst enemies, and now all good things are the spoils of that victory. Let us offer to Him the spoils of praise as we bring in the loot (love, joy, peace, patience, etc.) of our victories!
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