2 Samuel 8:1-18


It is a wonderful thing to be under the blessing hand of God.  David had spent many years of his life running away from Saul and living in exile in the land of the Philistines.  I am sure that there were many times during that period of time that David wondered if God had forgotten all of the promises He had made to him.  However, in God’s timing and in a wonderful way God delivered David, established him has king and blessed him in ways that David never dreamed could have been possible.  It is important for us to remember that this is the God that we serve.  He delights in blessing His children and doing the impossible or unexpected.  It is also important for us to remember that David passed through some dark days and high waters in order to get to this place.  We should not be discouraged by difficulties; rather, we should trust the Lord and wait on Him to show Himself strong in our lives according to His will.

DAVID WAS UNDEFEATED IN BATTLE: David was lead by God into battle and defeated enemy after enemy in the strength of the Lord.  Many nations that had not been driven out of the Promised Land before David’s time were finally defeated and the land was controlled by Israel.  There may have been larger armies than the one David lead, but none could stand before him because God was on David’s side and fought for him in battle.  David’s trust in the Lord was strong and there was no enemy too strong or too large that would cause David to doubt the strength of the Lord and His ability to deliver from any enemy.  God wants us to trust Him in that way.  We can be courageous as we serve the Lord knowing that He is able to bless in ways that far exceed our imagination.

DAVID WAS UNEQUALED IN WEALTH: The wealth of the nation of Israel was great, not only from the spoils of war; but also due to the nations that would pay tribute to Israel in order to avoid going to war.  David was able to accumulate great deposits of gold, silver and bronze from the nations he defeated and the nations that surrendered to him.  I am sure that when David was taking care of his father’s sheep he never would have dreamed it possible that he would have so much wealth and power at his disposal.  God never runs out of resources and is able to bless in ways that we may not be able to even dream about.  It is also important to realize that our greatest treasure in the Lord Himself.  God does not choose to give extreme amounts of wealth to all of His children.  However, God is always faithful to supply all that we need in order to accomplish the tasks He entrusts to our care.

DAVID WAS UNRIVALED IN LEADERSHIP: Like every great leader, David was surrounded by a dedicated and competent staff.  These were not perfect men as we saw in the case of Joab killing Abner.  They were, however, loyal men who were dedicated to serving under David’s leadership.  A leader is only as strong as the people who are following him and serving with him.  David was the clear and unquestioned leader of these men, yet he delegated great responsibilities to them and trusted them to get the job done.  One key to successful leadership is to be surrounded by loyal and dedicated people that are free to serve at the best of their ability.  David was not threatened by these men as Saul had been with him.  Instead David fearlessly led them into victory after victory with each person performing his task at a very high level.  The greatest blessings from God are not material; but are the people with whom the Lord surrounds us so we can successfully serve together.

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