THE NEIGHBORING KINGS GATHER TOGETHER AGAINST DAVID David with his big heart, wanted to show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to him; But the counselors of Hanun misinterpreted David’s intentions, and stirred up their master’s rage against him, claiming that David sent his servants, not to comfort him, but to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it. Thus Hanun joined forces with the surrounding kings to fight against David, who defeated them. Those wars, and others like them, were chances for David, to utter some of his psalms (Psalms 2; 20; 21; 60; 110), that prophesied the rebellion of nations, and the gathering of the princes against the Lord Christ, to crucify Him. The wicked keep on joining forces against His Church, for the Lord Christ to be glorified in His persecuted Church. 1- Hanun disgraces David’s messengers 1-5 2- victory over the Ammonites and the kings of Aram 6-14 3- triumph over Hadadezer 15-19 1- Hanun disgraces David’s messengers: Hanun’s counselors misinterpreted David’s intentions, and saw his messengers as spies on the city; and through their wicked counsel they started a war that led to the perdition of many. Misinterpretation can have drastic effect on our life. David’s messengers came to the city of ‘Rabbah’ or ‘Rabbah of Ammon.’ The word ‘Rabbah’’ means (great) or (capital)1. This is not ‘Rabbah,’ that is on the mountains of Judah (Joshua 15: 6), close to Jerusalem; But it is ‘Rabbah of Ammon’ located at the source of the River Jabok, 23 miles east of the Jordan. Ptolemy Philadelphus (285-246 BC) beautified it , and it was named ‘Philadelphia’ after him. Nowadays it is ‘Amman, the capital of the country of Jordan, through which the trade route between Damascus and the Arabian Peninsula crosses. Hanun listened to the counsel of his servants, took David’s servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away. This action was considered by the Hebrew then, to be a great insult. When David was told, he went to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed, and told them to wait at Jericho, before returning to Jerusalem, until their beards had grown, to spare them further disgrace. How considerate David was! caring for the feelings of every one. 2- victory over the Ammonites, and the kings of Aram: The people of Ammon realized that disgracing David’s messengers, was something directed against the whole nation of Israel-king and people; and expecting a reaction from David, they hired the Syrians of the kingdoms of Aram; joined forces with those of Beth Rehob, of Zobah, of Maachah, and Ich-Tob to fight against David. Thus the misinterpretation and bad counsel, led to a fierce war between many nations and kingdoms. 1 The Westminster Dict. of the Bible, p. 788. 64 ‘Beth Rehob’: is a Hebrew name, meaning (a spacious or open plaza)1; a city in the north of Palestine, in the upper Valley of the Jordan (Numbers 13: 2); inhabited by the people of Aram (the Syrians); located close to ‘Dan’ or ‘Tel-El-Kadi’; where ‘Banias’ is now located. Zobah: (Please refer to the interpretation of the eighth chapter). Maachah: One of the kingdoms of Aram; called ‘Aram Maachah’ or ‘Syrian Maachah’ (1 Chronicles 19: 6-7), on the border of north eastern Palestine, between ‘Argob’ on the west and the wilderness on the east; was inhabited by the descendants of ‘Nahor’ (Genesis 22: 24). [The name ‘Maachah’ means (idiot) 2]. Tob: means (good)3, a region located east of the Jordan; to which ‘Jephthah’ fled, when his brothers deprived him of inheritance (Judges 11: 3-5). It is probably the land of ‘Tepias’ (1 Mc. 5: 13; 2 Mc. 12: 7); or ‘El-Teba,’ 10 miles south of ‘Gadara’ (Nowadays ‘Um-Keis’ or ‘Machis’). Hearing of the gathering of those kings, David did not fear, but held fast to God’s promises to him; So he prepared for war, leaning upon the power of God Himself; saying in his psalm: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together; against the Lord and against His Anointed ... He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision... I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to me: ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten you. Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance; and the ends of the earth for Your possession ... Now therefore, be wise, O kings ...’ “ (Psalm 2). It was not possible for David, with his foot soldiers, to oppose those nations, that gathered to fight against him: the Ammonites, and the Aramites, with their chariots and horses ... But he leaned on the might of God; saying: “The king shall have joy in your strength, O Lord; And in your salvation, how greatly shall he rejoice! (Psalm 21: 1). “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God” (Psalm 20: 7). Through that battle, the two parties of which were: God Himself, and the hosts of the darkness-namely, the devil-David saw the battle of the cross, when the hosts of darkness gathered together against the Only begotten Son; so he said: “The Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool”(Psalm 110: 1). The men of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array before the gate of the city; most probably ‘Rabbah’; while the men of Aram (the Syrians) came and encamped in the valley before ‘Medeba’; to make it easier for their chariots to maneuver. If Joab had gathered all his men to fight against the men of Ammon, going toward the south, the far stronger men of Aram could have struck him from the back in the north. But prudently, Joab divided his army into two divisions: set under his command, some of the chosen men of Israel, in battle array against the Syrians; and the rest of the people he set under the command of Abishai his brother, in battle array against the people of 1 Ibid p. 111. 2 Ibid p. 574. 3 Ibid p. 954. 65 Ammon. They agreed that if one division was weakened, the other would come to help. When the hired men of Aram could not stand against Joab and his mighty men, men of Ammon, in their turn, were overcome by fear, and fled before Abishai, and entered the city of ‘Rabbah,’ even before Abishai started to confront them. They were not pursued by Abishai nor Joab, who preferred to postpone the war for a full year (2 Samuel 11: 1). The accord between Joab and Abishai to be prepared to help one another in the time of need, reveals one of the aspects of living spiritual strife; namely, members should so support one another. That is why the Lord Christ commended his disciple Peter, saying: “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have turned back, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22: 32).. If God is the secret of our victory and our strength, we, in turn, should support the weak. The apostle Paul says: “Uphold the weak” (Thessalonians 5: 14). 3- Triumph over Hadadezer: The men of Aram, trying to mend their reputation and regain their self respect, gathered again to fight against David; And ‘Hadadezer,’ the king of Aram sent them ‘Shobach’ the commander of his army (2 Samuel 10: 16); But David conquered them, and ‘Shobach’ was killed in war. The kings who were submitted to ‘Hadadezer’ got terrified, made peace with and served David; and helped the people of Ammon no more.
Welcome