KING DAVID'S MILITARY VICTORIES

(Message by Tanny Keng)

1. King David's Fighting and Military Career

a) David's first battle listed in the Bible occurs when he is but a youth. He slays Goliath the Philistine Giant with nothing more than a slingshot, a few stones, and a simple but profound faith in God.

i) (David asks a few men who are in Israel's army) 'who is this heathen Philistine to defy the army of the living God?' (1 Samuel 17:26)

b) After David becomes a little older he conducts a campaign against the Philistines and defeats them.
8. And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines, and killed them with a great slaughter. And they fled from him. (1Samuel 19:8)
c) Another battle involving David occurs when he invades the land populated by the Geshurites, Gezrites, and the Amalekites. This area lies south of the city of Ziklag. David's attack is successful although the battle itself is quite brutal and bloody (1Samuel 27:8 - 9).

d) One day David hears that the city of Ziklag was attacked by the Amalekites. He also finds out they burned the city to the ground and took all the women of Ziklag as prisoners. Among the female captives are two of his wives, Ahinoam and Abigail. David asks God, through the High Priest's ephod, if he would be victorious against those who raided the city. After receiving an affirmative answer, he collects 600 men and goes after the Amalekites. With the help of a young Egyptian slave, he finds out where those who attacked Ziklag are locating. David attacks the Amalekites and is victorious. He is able to rescue all the people who were taken as prisoners (1Samuel 30).

e) David rallies all Israel to attack the city of Jebus. He takes the city, renames it Jerusalem, and makes it his capital.

i) David captured their fortress of Zion, and it became known as 'David's City.' (or more commonly the 'city of David') (1 Chronicles 11:5)

f) The Philistines, upon finding out that David was made King, attack Israel. The Lord, however, was behind David and gave him a decisive victory over his enemies (2 Samuel 5:17 - 21).

g) David fights the Philistines yet again, along with the Moabites, Zobah, Syria and Edom. He conquers all those who fought against him and makes some of them his servants (2Samuel 8:2, 6, 14).

h) One of David's battles is the result of a foreign King totally misunderstanding one of his actions and causing a war that did not need to happen. It all started when Ammonite King Nahash died. David, who was friends with the King, sends messengers to Ammon to convey his condolences. King Nahash's son Hanun, who now is king, receives the messengers. Ammonite leaders, however, convince the king that David's messengers are really SPIES sent to explore the area so that it can be conquered. Hanun mistreats David's emissaries and send them back. Soon afterwards the Ammonites realize the mistake they made and that they have unnecessarily made themselves enemies of David. They hire 20,000 extra soldiers to help protect themselves against David. This, however, is to no avail as Israel attacks the Ammonite capital and is victorious against both the Ammonites and their Syrian allies (2Samuel 10)

i) David battles and defeats the Philistines four more times (2Samuel 21:15, 18, 19, 20).


The End ...

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