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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for collecting daily manna), make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Thursday, May 24, 2018
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Subjecta:David’s Military Victories Bible Verse:2 Samuel 8:1-8 (NLT) "After this, David defeated and subdued the Philistines by conquering Gath, their largest town. David also conquered the land of Moab. He made the people lie down on the ground in a row, and he measured them off in groups with a length of rope. He measured off two groups to be executed for every one group to be spared. The Moabites who were spared became David’s subjects and paid him tribute money. David also destroyed the forces of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when Hadadezer marched out to strengthen his control along the Euphrates River. David captured 1,000 chariots, 7,000 charioteers, and 20,000 foot soldiers. He crippled all the chariot horses except enough for 100 chariots. When Arameans from Damascus arrived to help King Hadadezer, David killed 22,000 of them. Then he placed several army garrisons in Damascus, the Aramean capital, and the Arameans became David’s subjects and paid him tribute money. So the Lord made David victorious wherever he went. David brought the gold shields of Hadadezer’s officers to Jerusalem, along with a large amount of bronze from Hadadezer’s towns of Tebah and Berothai." Message:
Having consolidated his authority as king of the entire 12 tribes of Israel, David begins to expand the borders of his kingdom. At the top of his list, naturally, are the pesky Philistines to the west of Israel [see map], with whom the southern tribes had chronic warfare.
Once the Philistines are subdued, David crosses the Jordan into Syria and defeats two large ancient kingdoms with odd names: Moab and Zobah. These were fairly large countries for Israel to attack, especially since Zobah called upon an alliance with an Aramean kingdom in Damascus, which sent tens of thousands of soldiers. David (and his general Joab) must have been superb warriors, and they had the blessing of the Lord with them; this is a remarkable feat of conquest, especially considering that the Hebrews did not use chariots, the high-tech weapon of the day. (Notice that, instead of absorbing the chariots, David hamstrings the horses, rendering the chariots useless.)
The Arameans of Damascus also pay the price; David occupies the city and demands tribute. David’s kingdom now extends from Gaza to the Euphrates River; it would, in fact, be more accurate to say “David's empire.” Although not in the same league as the Assyrians or Egyptians, he has both expanded the borders of Israel itself and gained significant vassals.
Here we see the fulfillment of the Lord’s commandment many centuries earlier, to the Hebrews under Moses. David, in essence, finishes the job that Joshua and many others had started but abandoned. And he is as bloody-minded as the judges, killing two-thirds of the Moabites he captured.
Meditation : Prayer : The blessing of the Lord rest and remain upon all his people, in every land, of every tongue; the Lord meet in mercy all that seek him; the Lord comfort all who suffer and mourn; the Lord hasten his coming, and give us, his people, the blessing of peace.....Amen |
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