Practically speaking, our rights have been trampled on. That’s why we fight. On the other hand, God’s justice requires that He oppose wrong of every sort because He is holy. That’s why He fights. And, when Israel entered the land of Canaan, the war was a war against wickedness. Notice verse four again.
And there’s just one more aspect of God’s attitude towards war that applies here and that is this. God is not whimsical. He is not arbitrary or capricious. He acts out of truth and right and with absolutely pure motives. And He will never go to war without good cause nor send His people into war without good cause. So, as a basis for what we will read in II Samuel chapter eight, we have a clear teaching in the Bible regarding the origin of war in the heart of man and we have a God Who is good and right and just in every single thing He does. Now look with me at King David, the man of war; II Samuel chapter eight. II Samuel 8:1 “And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them: and David took Methegammah [one of the Philistine capitals] out of the hand of the Philistines. (2) And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites became David's servants, and brought gifts. (3) David smote also Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah [region in southern Syria], as he [Hadadezer] went to recover his border at the river Euphrates.” The record of Israel’s military accomplishments is what we find in this eighth chapter of II Samuel. Actually six nations are referred to here as those conquered by King David and his armies. They are the Philistines, the Moabites, the Syrians, the Ammonites, the Amalekites, and the Edomites. All of these nations were defeated by Israel during the time that David was king. |
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