Although you do not know everything, sometimes you must
allow your own judgement to guide you, because the wrong advice could lead you
into the wrong side of a war. This was
the fate of Hanun, new king of Ammon.
His late father, whom he succeeded to the throne, and king David were
civil. In a clear bid to maintain good
relations David sent a delegation to convey his condolences. But following the advice of the princes of
the people Hanun had David’s servants humiliated. Realizing what they had done, and suddenly
realizing they were no match for the Israelites, the Ammonites hired the
Syrians and prepared for war. The rest
is history (as recorded in 2 Samuel 10).
One clear lesson from this experience is: be careful about
the advice you take. "Beloved, believe
not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because many
false prophets are gone out into the world." 1 John 4:1
Another thought that came to me as I read the chapter is the
reminder that God is truly with His people, especially as we do battle with the
devil.
"Woe unto the inhabitants of the earth." The battle lines are drawn, and Satan is out
to do us in. But the word is that we
should, "Be sober, be vigilant; resist the devil and he will flee from
you." Victory is assured, as we've
seen it happen in this chapter.
As I read the account of the first attempted battle, whereas
the Israelites approached the Syrians they fled from before them, I thought of
the ratio of good angels to evil angels - 2:1.
God can always swell an army - as Elisha's servant discovered (2 Kings
6: 17). This also reminds me of a late
brother-in-law who was a police officer, who was asked by a criminal element,
"If you're such a 'clean' policeman how can you afford to have soldiers
guarding your house?" When Jesus
says, "and lo, I will be with you always," He means it.
Lord, thank you this morning that we're not facing the enemy
alone, but You are with us all the way.
May we always behave with that understanding, so we would never drive
Your presence away with our sinful indulgences, or embarrass You by being
fearful. Indeed, it is a mighty God that
we serve, and with you we need no one else.
Thank you for being our personal God; our Father, in Jesus' name, amen.
To read the Bible passage and other blogs visit http://revivedbyhisword.org/en/bible/2sa/10/.
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