“And he put garrisons in Edom; and all the Edomites became David’s servants. Thus the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went.” — 1 Chronicles 18:13
It is wonderful to know that God is with us. In this focus verse, the word preserved implies being safe, and can also mean getting the victory. The phrase “the Lord preserved David” could be translated that the Lord “gave victory to David.” What a blessing!
Antonio Castilho from Angola has also experienced the power of God to keep him safe from harm and give him spiritual victories. Brother Antonio felt the call of God when he was in elementary school, and he responded. From then on, his life was different from his peers because God had made a change in him. As the years passed, the Lord helped him to learn how to live a Christian life, and in time, he became a church leader in another religious organization.
When Brother Antonio was thirty years old, he found a tract from the Apostolic Faith Church and began to study the Bible doctrines. He was hungry for more of God, and in 1991, he visited our church in Lagos, Nigeria. There he received sanctification and the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Those experiences greatly helped Brother Antonio when he returned home with a purpose to establish a church in Angola under the auspices of the Apostolic Faith organization.
The country of Angola experienced a civil war from 1975 until 2002, and the years from 1992 to 1994 were an especially dangerous period. Once, Brother Antonio was in front of the church building when two bombs dropped on the property, damaging one of the buildings, but God helped him escape safely. On two occasions, enemies planted landmines at his entrance gate, but again, he was not harmed.
The church people saw and experienced great suffering during that period. “We saw people dying of hunger and many other terrible things, but God sustained us. Those who came out alive know that it was only due to the grace of God and His divine protection,” Brother Antonio recounted. The church had a baptismal tank in the altar area, and people took refuge there when they needed a place to hide. When some had to flee the city, they stored their belongings in the tank until they could return.
For a while, there was a refugee camp on the church grounds. More than five thousand internally displaced people were accommodated there, which gave the church workers an opportunity to share the Gospel with them.
Brother Antonio testified that the Lord “preserved” him—gave spiritual victory and kept him safe. Most of us can look back on a point where God intervened for us as well. There is great benefit in doing our best to be obedient and live in God’s will so that we can lean on Him even when circumstances around us are not favorable.
Chapters 18-20 summarize the military victories of David and his armies as God helped them conquer Israel’s enemies. Consequently, David’s reputation was enhanced throughout many nations as well as among the Israelites themselves.
The Philistines lived to Israel’s west; they had been Israel’s primary opponent for over fifty years. Gath was the capital, so when David took it along with the nearby towns, Philistia no longer had any strength.
The Moabites were to the east, and more details of this victory are given in 2 Samuel 8. The Moabites who survived this conquest became servants, and the phrase “brought gifts” means they paid tribute, or a type of tax.
The writer of Chronicles gave more details regarding the victory over Syria and its neighbors than he had provided regarding the previous nations (verses 3-11). Syria was to Israel’s north, and control of this area increased the size of Israel. Zobah was an independent kingdom at the time, and was north of both Israel and Syria. Zobah and Syria allied against Israel but were defeated. Hamath was a small kingdom nearby that was an enemy of Zobah and Syria. Hamath’s king, Tou (or Toi in 2 Samuel 8:9), gave gifts to David and congratulated him.
Israel’s military conquests, which brought spoil and tribute from conquered nations, resulted in wealth for the nation. Verses 8 and 11 state that David dedicated this wealth to the Lord. The brass was used later when Solomon constructed the Temple.
Edom was to the south of Israel. In verse 12 the credit for this victory is given to Abishai, while 2 Samuel 8:13 says it was David. As king, David no doubt commissioned Abishai to lead in this battle, and thus the victory is attributed to both.
Verse 14 points out that David “executed judgment and justice among all his people.” He was fair and honored God, and God “preserved him” (verses 6 and 13).
The closing verses of this chapter note some of David’s leaders. Scholars state that the name Abimelech in verse 16 is spelled Ahimelech in 2 Samuel 8:17 and 1 Chronicles 24:3.
The Cherethites and Pelethites are thought to be foreigners, perhaps Philistines, who had joined with David when he was escaping from Saul. When David became king, these men were among his bodyguards.
II. The reign of David
B. The establishment of his kingdom
2. The prosperity of David’s reign
c. The wars of David
(1) The military conquests of David (18:1-17)
(a) The defeat of the Philistines (18:1)
(b) The defeat of the Moabites (18:2-4)
(c) The defeat of the Syrians (18:5-8)
(d) The gifts from Tou of Hamath (18:9-11)
(e) The defeat of the Edomites (18:12-13)
(f) The administration of David (18:14-17)
God has promised to never leave or forsake His people, so He can be trusted to take us through whatever we face.
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