2 Samuel 10:11–12: “Then he said, ‘If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the LORD do what is good in His sight.’”

June 19th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

When the king of the Ammonites died, King David sent some of his servants to comfort and show kindness to the king’s son, Hanun. But the princes of Ammon were skeptical of David’s intentions and convinced Hanun to abuse David’s servants. Then, because they were afraid David would retaliate, they enlisted the Syrians to join them in an attack on Jerusalem. Joab, David’s general, saw that the Ammonites and Syrians had surrounded them, and sent his brother to lead the people against the Ammonites, while he led another group against the Syrians.

They seemed caught between a rock and a hard place. But because every battle in life—physical, mental, or spiritual—ultimately depends on God, Joab wisely said, “may the Lord do what seems good to Him.” Joab understood that Israel was not facing this conflict because of any fault on their part, but rather the Ammonites and the Syrians were forcing it on them. And because they were not at fault, they could expect God’s blessing in the battle. The Ammonites also lived in a specific area that had already been promised to them as Abraham’s descendants. So Joab knew that God was on their side. He knew that if they did the possible (their best), then God would do the impossible (defeat two armies). To the best of his ability, Joab prepared for the battle and worked hard for the victory, all the while understanding that the outcome was ultimately up to God.

We need to do the possible and commit the rest to the Lord for His final ruling. We can think of lots and lots of possible things we could do for God; but as believers, we must be careful to place all our plans before the Lord for His ruling. We also need to remember that whatever kind of battle we are facing, God is in control. Pastor Bruce Larson, in Wind & Fire: Living Out the Book of Acts wrote:

A few years ago I almost drowned in a storm at sea in the Gulf of Mexico when I found myself swimming far from shore, having tried to reach my drifting boat. I got into that predicament through my own stupidity, something not unusual at all. I can remember saying, “Well, this is it.” The waves were 7 or 8 feet high, and the sky was dark with gale force winds and lightning. I was drifting out to sea when the Word of the Lord came to me and saved my life. What I thought He said was, “I’m here, Larson, and you’re not coming home as soon as you think. Can you tread water?” Somehow that had never occurred to me. Had I continued my frantic effort to swim back to shore, I would have exhausted my strength and gone down.

It is easy to make our lives more complicated with frantic efforts to save ourselves when God is saying, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

“LORD, help us to remain quiet before You as we walk with you today.”

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2 Samuel 10 KJV

¹ And it came to pass after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. ²Then said David, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon. ³ And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?  ⁴ Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. ⁵When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed: and the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return. ⁶ And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and of king Maacah a thousand men, and of Ish-tob twelve thousand men.  ⁷ And when David heard of it , he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men. ⁸ And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entering in of the gate: and the Syrians of Zoba, and of Rehob, and Ish-tob, and Maacah, were by themselves in the field. ⁹ When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians: ¹⁰ And the rest of the people he delivered into the hand of Abishai his brother, that he might put them in array against the children of Ammon. ¹¹ And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee. ¹² Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth him good. ¹³ And Joab drew nigh, and the people that were with him, unto the battle against the Syrians: and they fled before him. ¹⁴ And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, then fled they also before Abishai, and entered into the city. So Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem. ¹⁵ And when the Syrians saw that they were smitten before Israel, they gathered themselves together. ¹⁶ And Hadarezer sent, and brought out the Syrians that werebeyond the river: and they came to Helam; and Shobach the captain of the host of Hadarezer went before them.   ¹⁷And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together, and passed over Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in array against David, and fought with him. ¹⁸ And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there.  ¹⁹ And when all the kings that wereservants to Hadarezer saw that they were smitten before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them. So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more.