2 Samuel 8:1
Verse 1 In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the control of the Philistines.
Time is passing without a day by day journal of the life of David but we get a glimpse of his days by seeing the battles he is fighting. We know these battles would have lasted more than one day and so the battles we are covering today likely happened over months if not years.
The Philistines had been a thorn in the side of Israel since before their journey into the Promised Land. When Moses sent the spies into the land to see what they were being given from the Lord, ten of the twelve spies said the Israelites couldn’t go up against the people who inhabited the land because they were too big and powerful looking. They weren’t even willing to try, willing instead to live out their lives in the wilderness. God gave them their wish with the exception of Joshua and Caleb. The other 10 scouts died with their entire generation meaning the entire nation had to wander aimlessly until they all died.
Once in the Promised Land the nation of Israel had been going up against these large people frequently. By the time David was a young man the two nations seemed to be arch rivals. It wasn’t just about the land, it was about power. Israel was promised the land but they had struggled to see the benefit of using God’s power to defeat the enemy who worshipped false gods making the Philistines an enemy of the Lord God.
When David defeated Goliath using God’s power, there seemed to be a shift in which nation was dominating. Unfortunately King Saul had not continued fighting in God’s power and his hate of David made the young shepherd the arch enemy and the Philistines were less of a concern for Saul and because of that David made temporary alliances with them even being willing to fight against Israel with the Philistines. This city mentioned is likely another name for Gath, which was the Philistines largest city and the home of Goliath and was where David had joined the other nation.
David was once again in close relationship with God and fighting in God’s power. Since David’s special time of prayer with the Lord, he was seeing the danger of allowing the nations of false god’s to continue. If David wanted to keep his nation in God’s favor, they had to remove the evil people around them.
Making It Personal
How intentional are you about surrounding yourself with those who are close to God? Are your closest friends living to please God? Why is it important to surround yourself with Christians?
Making It Personal Kids
Is it important to you to have friends who also love Jesus? Why is it important to have good Christian friends? Are you a good Christian friend?
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for the reminder to be intentional about who we allow to be close to us. Don’t let us be relaxed in our relationship with You so we can be the kind of people who are good influences for those around us. In Jesus’ name, amen.