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Okay, you can turn in your Bibles 
to 2 Samuel chapter 8. 2 Samuel chapter 8, the last couple 
of weeks we've noticed chapter 7, the Davidic covenant, the 
first half, God promises David that God will build a house from 
David, not a house temporally or physical structure, but rather 
a dynasty that would ultimately lead to the coming of the Messiah, 
the Lord Jesus Christ. After the giving of the promise, 
then David responds in prayer and in worship and adoration. 
And here in 2 Samuel chapter 8, we have a record of David's 
military conquests, the advancement of the kingdom. Now, most likely, 
this is not strictly chronological. It's not the case that chapter 
7 comes, God gives him this promise, and then all of these battles 
take place in chapter 8, and then we move on to chapter 9. 
This probably is the entirety of David's reign over over the 
whole kingdom. Remember, he initially starts 
off as the king over Judah, and then he becomes king over Israel 
and Judah, and most likely these battles, these military conquests, 
took a series of years, but it does demonstrate to us some connection 
with chapter 7, and it also demonstrates the advancement of the kingdom. 
So I'll begin reading in 2 Samuel 8 at verse 1. After this, it 
came to pass that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them. 
And David took Methag-Emma from the hand of the Philistines. 
Then he defeated Moab. Forcing them down to the ground, 
he measured them off with a line. With two lines, he measured off 
those to be put to death, and with one full line, those to 
be kept alive. So the Moabites became David's 
servants and brought tribute. David also defeated Hadadazar, 
the son of Rahab, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his territory 
at the river Euphrates. David took from him 1,000 chariots, 
700 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. Also, David hamstrung 
all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them 
for 100 chariots. When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadazar, 
king of Zobah, David killed 22,000 of the Syrians. Then David put 
garrisons in Syria of Damascus, and the Syrians became David's 
servants and brought tribute. So the Lord preserved David wherever 
he went, and David took the shields of gold that had belonged to 
the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. Also 
from Betah and from Barothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David 
took a large amount of bronze. When Toy, king of Hamath, heard 
that David had defeated all the army of Hadadazer, then Toy sent 
Joram his son to King David to greet him and bless him, because 
he had fought against Hadadazer and defeated him, for Hadadazer 
had been at war with Toy. And Joram brought with him articles 
of silver, articles of gold, and articles of bronze. King 
David also dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver 
and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations which he 
had subdued, from Syria, from Moab, from the people of Ammon, 
from the Philistines, from Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer, 
the son of Rahab, king of Zobah. And David made himself a name 
when he returned from killing 18,000 Syrians in the Valley 
of Salt. He also put garrisons in Edom. Throughout all Edom he put garrisons, 
and all the Edomites became David's servants. And the Lord preserved 
David wherever he went. So David reigned over all Israel, 
and David administered judgment and justice to all his people. 
Joab, the son of Zariah, was over the army. Jehoshaphat, the 
son of Ahilad, was recorder. Zadok, the son of Ahitab, and 
Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, were the priests. Sariah was 
the scribe, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Carathites 
and the Pelathites, and David's sons were chief ministers. Amen. Well, there are some difficulties 
in this particular passage in terms of the text itself. If 
you have the New King James and you look at the margin, you'll 
see there's a lot of marginal readings. If you have a different 
translation than what I have tonight, there may be different 
readings along the way. So the text is a bit difficult 
in some places. There are some questions that 
the text presents to us that I just can't answer. I think 
that we ought to try and call out, however, some of the clear 
and obvious meaning or the clear and obvious teaching from this 
particular chapter. I think it is straightforward, 
and it is something that will hopefully be of an encouragement 
to us. And not only is there some textual 
difficulty, and not only are there some questions, for instance, 
David, subdues the Moabites. If you remember back in 1 Samuel, 
David took his parents to Moab. He brought them there for safekeeping. 
Why now is he subduing or conquering the Moabites? Good question. 
We don't know why. Some of the Jewish writers said 
that the Moabites killed his parents and therefore he had 
this vengeance to repay to them. There's no evidence or nothing 
about that in the rest of scripture. So we can only speculate. But one of the things as well 
is the way that David treats the Moabites, for instance, and 
then as well hamstringing these chariot horses. Some of these 
are those unsavory things that make not only pagans squeamish, 
but make the people of God a bit squeamish. But we need to understand 
that the Lord God had raised David up to be the king over 
his people. And it's not just by befriending 
persons that they come under the sway of the kingdom. It's 
also through judgment. It's also through, you know, 
what we read in Psalm 2, where the Messiah has a rod of iron 
and he dashes the nations as potter's vessels. So there is 
that element of justice and judgment that is executed in the advancement 
of God's holy kingdom. So let's look at three particulars 
in chapter 8. In the first place, the advancement 
of the kingdom in verses 1 to 12. Secondly, the stability of 
the kingdom in verses 11 to 18. And then thirdly, the power behind 
the kingdom. Why it is what it is. But note in the first place, 
the advancement of the kingdom. We need to remember the connection 
that we have with chapter 7. As I've already mentioned, it's 
not strictly chronological. We're not to suppose that after 
the giving of the promise in chapter 7, David prays and then 
David goes to battle over several years to subjugate and conquer 
his enemies. No, this probably records the 
history of David in the span of a few verses. As well, the 
connection is tight between 2 Samuel 7 and 2 Samuel 8 as we see in 
2 Samuel 7. Notice in verse 10. Before David can build a house 
for God, or before anyone will build a house for God in Israel, 
Israel must first occupy their land, they must be secure in 
their land, and they must be stable in their land. And so 
chapter 8 records how David does that. how David achieves that 
end, such that Solomon can then take up the task of being the 
temple builder. But notice in 7.10, Moreover, 
I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant 
them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move 
no more. Nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them any more 
as previously. So 2 Samuel 8 records how God 
does that. how God brings his people to 
a stable place in the land such that the sons of wickedness oppress 
them anymore as they did previously. David is the means in God's hand 
to bring conquest upon these enemies so that when David dies 
Solomon can occupy the throne and then Solomon as a true prince 
of peace and type of the Lord Jesus Christ will build the temple 
or the house for God. And as well, I think 2 Samuel 
8 helps us understand what we referred to previously. In 1 
Chronicles 22 and 28, we read that David was not going to build 
the house of God because he was a man of bloodshed. Now, we are 
not to consider that that means David was under judgment or that 
David was ceremonially or ritually unclean or impure. No, David 
was a man of bloodshed at the bidding of God. God raised David 
up so that David could deal with the enemies of Israel, the enemies 
of Yahweh himself, but David's task primarily was the shedding 
of enemy blood so that he could stabilize Israel and then Solomon 
comes to build the temple. One commentator, Vanoy, says, 
for this reason, specifically the stabilizing of Israel prior 
to the building of the temple, says, for this reason David devoted 
a significant part of his reign to the establishment of the peaceful 
conditions necessary for this endeavor. We see something of 
succession here. We see something of building 
for the next generation. David is told that he won't build 
the house of the temple of God, but David has a particular task 
in play and David is supposed to secure the kingdom such that 
Solomon is then able to. Whatever our calling is, or whatever 
small part we may be called to play in kingdom building, it 
is significant. David wouldn't build the actual 
structure, the actual temple, but David would set the context, 
at least physically, so that Solomon could then in turn build 
the temple. Van Hoy goes on to say, part 
of this process was the extension of Israel's political jurisdiction 
to the boundaries that had been promised to Abraham in Genesis 
15, and then confirmed to Moses and to Joshua, but not realized 
at the time of the conquest of Canaan. So Israel is given this 
mandate to dispossess the Canaanites from the land. We see that they 
were unable to do this even under the judges back in 2 Samuel 7 
11. Since the time that I commanded 
judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused you to rest from 
all your enemies. So you see, even though they 
had some temporary relief and respite during the time of the 
judges, they didn't have the sort of peace that David established 
in Israel at the time. If you look at a map in the back 
of your Bible, you probably have a map that indicates David's 
and Solomon's kingdom. You'll see what Saul had, David 
greatly increased, and then Solomon increased even more so. This 
is precisely God's plan at this time for the kingdom. It would 
advance through conquest and through the defeat of enemies, 
so that Israel would occupy the land, Israel would be secure 
and stable in the land, and that when David passed away, Solomon 
would rise up and would build the house for God. And as well, 
with reference to 2 Samuel chapter 8, it serves as a fitting capstone 
at this portion in 2 Samuel to highlight the positive aspects 
of David's reign. In fact, we could include 2 Samuel 
chapter 9 here. So when David assumes sort of 
authority over the entirety of Israel, both north and south, 
in chapter 5, from 5 to 9 we have this positive expression 
of David's kingdom. You all know what's going to 
happen once we get to chapter 11. Now chapter 10 is a bit of 
a transitional there, but when we get to 2 Samuel 11 and following, 
it's a negative assessment of David's kingdom. There's adultery, 
there's murder, there's problems in his house. And so what I think 
the author is highlighting here is that David's reign was imperfect 
to be sure. We'll see that in the latter 
part of the book. But though it was imperfect, 
it nevertheless was typical of the kingdom of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. And nevertheless, it did satisfy what God had for 
David at this particular time. He extended Israel's boundaries. 
He provided security and stability such that Solomon was able to 
build the temple once David died. Now notice the military conquests 
in this advancement of the kingdom in verses 1 to 10. And there 
are several here. Note first the subjugation of 
the Philistines in verse 1. After this it came to pass that 
David attacked the Philistines and subdued them. And David took 
Methag Emma from the hand of the Philistines. Now the Philistines 
had been a constant enemy of Israel. in the time of the judges. Remember, it was Samson that 
dealt with the Philistines, and Samson dealt quite a blow to 
the Philistines, but he was not able to subjugate them. They 
were not able to get them in a position where they broke the 
back of this enemy invader. And so we find that here with 
David. The parallel to this in 1 Chronicles 
18 indicates that most likely what David took was gath. Gath was the principal city of 
the Philistines, and by taking that principal city of Gath, 
he is able then to not necessarily conquer and occupy all of those 
Philistine cities, but to subjugate them in the sense that they are 
now paying tribute to David. You see that throughout. These 
enemy forces that David conquers, they come they become those who 
pay tribute to David. And what does David do with that 
loot? What does David do with that money? What does David do 
with the bronze and with the gold and with the silver? He 
gives it to the Lord God Most High. You see, David's ultimate 
goal here is the glory of Yahweh. And so David takes these spoils 
that he gathers in war, he takes the tribute that is paid, certainly 
to sustain Israel and all that to be sure, but he pours it into 
the house of the Lord Himself. And so David provides the context, 
and he's also socking away the dough, the gold, the silver, 
the bronze, all those items that will be absolutely requisite 
when Solomon comes to build the temple. Notice, secondly, he 
defeated Moab. Forcing them down to the ground, 
he measured them off with a line. With two lines he measured off 
those to be put to death, and with one full line those to be 
kept alive. So the Moabites became David's 
servants and brought tribute." Again, I think that some of these 
passages cause certainly the pagans to rail at what we find 
in the Old Testament, and it oftentimes causes the people 
of God to go, you know, that's a bit embarrassing. We ought 
not to be embarrassed. Most likely what's in view is 
not Moabites in general, but Moabite soldiers. And yes, David 
killed them because it was battle, it was war, and that's how you 
fought war back then. Today we fight wars by going 
in and bombing selectively, and then giving them money for the 
rest of their lives, and financing everything that they'll ever 
do. That's not how they used to do it. They would go in, they 
would invade, they would conquer, they would take the loot, they 
would bring it back to themselves. The people that they left alive 
would pay tribute. They would have to conform to 
their way of life. That ought not to cause us to be squeamish 
or freak out or any such thing. But this is the way that wars 
were fought. The scripture tells us in Deuteronomy 
chapter 20, there were principles governing warfare. Deuteronomy 
17, principles governing the king when it comes to warfare. So God the Lord mandated that 
His old covenant people take possession of the land. And those 
people in the land weren't going to willingly concede. They weren't 
going to say, wow, you're Israelites and you serve Yahweh. Here's 
our land. Why don't you take it? No, they 
quite liked their land and they wanted to hold on to it, so for 
the Israelites to be able to take that land, they had to engage 
in battle, in warfare, and killing, and that is precisely what we 
find here. Gil says, with reference to the 
execution of these Moabites, this must be understood of the 
army of the Moabites that fell into his hands. And then he says, 
so Josephus, meaning Josephus says the same thing, who persisted 
and refused to submit not all of the inhabitants of the land, 
because those who remained obviously brought tribute to David. Now 
notice in verses 3 to 8 we have two cities in Syria. It used 
to be called Aramea, but now it's called Syria. And there 
were two cities in Syria that David conquers and subjugates. One in Zobah, and then those 
from Damascus. Notice in verses 3 and 4. David 
also defeated Hadadazer, the son of Rahab, king of Zobah, 
as he went to recover his territory at the river Euphrates. So you've 
got to understand on the map what David is doing. He's going 
north, and then later on in the chapter he goes south. And what 
it shows us is the advancement of the kingdom, the extension 
of Israel's borders, the fact that David is dealing with these 
foreigners, with these enemies of Israel that are on the border 
or that have been constant problems. David is expanding the territory 
of Israel. in this particular instance. 
So he defeats Hadadezer, the son of Rahab, king of Zobah, 
as he went to recover his territory at the river Euphrates. Now notice 
in verse 4, David took from him 1,000 chariots, 700 horsemen, 
and 20,000 foot soldiers. Also David hamstrung all the 
chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them for 100 
chariots. Now the whole idea of hamstringing 
is a pretty nasty process. That's cutting the tendon in 
the hamstrings so that the horse can't walk, gallop, run, or engage 
in battle. I mean, if you want to effectively 
decimate your enemy's ability, especially their calvary, you 
would do this. The same sorts of things can 
be done to human beings, to be sure, but David hamstrings the 
horses here. Now remember, this happened in 
Joshua chapter 11, at the command of God Most High. And probably 
back in Joshua chapter 11, God commands them to do this so that 
Israel will learn not to trust in horses, not to trust in chariots, 
but rather to trust in the name of God Most High. In fact, David 
writes a psalm to that effect, Psalm 20, verse 7. Some trust 
in chariots, some trust in horses, but we will trust in the name 
of our God. So David may have hamstrung these 
horses in the same sort of way, thinking the same sort of thing, 
that we're gonna imitate Joshua, Joshua chapter 11, and we're 
gonna deal with these horses so we can decimate their ability 
to fight warfare. But this could also be a negative 
as well, because you see David does spare a hundred horses and 
chariots. Now Saul had no horses and no 
chariots at all. David keeps a hundred horses 
and chariots. What happens with Solomon? Solomon 
has a great multitude of horses and chariots, and you might be 
looking at me and saying, well, what's the big deal with horses 
and chariots? I've already mentioned Deuteronomy 
17, those principles governing the king of Israel. He was not 
to multiply wealth, women, or horses. He was not to be like 
the kings around them. They were not to be like the 
heathen or the pagan kings in the nations around them. That 
doesn't mean you couldn't have some wealth. Obviously, a king 
is going to have wealth. You could have a wife, obviously, 
most certainly. You weren't supposed to multiply 
women. David did that. As well, you could have horses, 
but the idea was not to have this great army such that you 
don't trust Yahweh. And so this may be a hint that 
while as good as it is in chapter 8, it's never as good as it's 
going to get. It's ultimately David's son that's 
going to usher in the kingdom in perfection. It's David's son 
who reigns and rules in perfect judgment and justice. It's David's 
son who doesn't ever multiply women, wealth or horses. So, 
even in this positive assessment of David's kingdom and reign, 
there may be a suggestion here that nevertheless it wasn't as 
it's going to be under this one who's promised in 2 Samuel chapter 
7. Remember, the entirety of the 
Old Testament continually holds out to the people of God this 
promise of a champion. this promise of a Messiah, this 
promise of an Anointed One, this promise of One who will come 
to save His people from their sins and usher in the Kingdom 
of God in all of its beauty and all of its glory. And so the 
Old Testament, while it is filled with heroic men, nevertheless 
always shows us that those heroic men are not like the truly heroic 
man that's going to come, even Jesus Christ our Lord. So there 
may be a glimpse here that what David did was not altogether 
excellent. And when we get to Solomon, he 
did multiply horses in a way that was not right, bartering 
and trading and bringing them in. and engaged in merchandising 
and all that sort of thing. As well, Solomon multiplied wives. That was the downfall of Solomon. He did precisely what Deuteronomy 
17 specifies he wasn't supposed to do. So we see it a little 
bit with David, we see it even more with Solomon. By the time 
we get to that succession of Judaic kings, we see all manner 
of lawlessness and, you know, a few high points along the way. 
But as we said last time with reference to the Davidic covenant, 
if it was not for the grace of God, the kings of Judah would 
have given the kingdom away over and over and over and over again. Had it not been for promise, 
had it not been for covenant, had it not been for the faithfulness 
of God, there would have never been a tribe of Judah from whence 
the Lord Jesus would be able to come. They would have sacrificed 
that again, and again, and again. So we see this battle with Hadadezer, 
the son of Rahab, the king of Zobah. Now when the Syrians of 
Damascus got wind of this, they come to help Hadadezer. So what 
does David and his men do? They slay them. They kill them 
in battle as well. Notice in verse 5. When the Syrians 
of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, king of Zobah, David killed 22,000 
of the Syrians. Then David put garrisons in Syria 
of Damascus and the Syrians became David's servants and brought 
tribute. You see, he is a good military 
commander. He is a good leader. He has savvy. He has ability. But notice the 
end of verse six, and we'll tease this out in more detail later. 
So the Lord preserved David wherever he went. Don't forget this. David 
may be good on the battlefield, David may have some strategy, 
David may have the ability to command, you know, a multitude 
of troops, but it's God who gives him the victory. It's the Lord 
who preserves David. That's what the author conspicuously 
sets before us. That's our third point tonight. 
The power behind the kingdom is verse 6 and verse 14b. It is Yahweh who preserves, it 
is Yahweh who gives victory, it is Yahweh who advances the 
kingdom through the human instrumentality of David and the soldiers in 
Israel. Notice in verse 7. David took 
the shields of gold that had belonged to the servants of Hadadezer 
and brought them to Jerusalem. Also from Betah and from Berothai, 
cities of Hadadezer, King David took a large amount of bronze. 
And we'll find out what he does with that in just a moment. But now notice in this next city, 
Hamath, this is further north of Zobah. And Toi, Davis says, 
we don't want to toy around with Toy. Toy heard what was going 
on, and Toy had had problems with Hadadezar himself. That's 
what the text tells us, very specifically in verse 10. Toy had his own issues with Hadadezar, 
so when he hears that David is cleaning house on Hadadezar, 
Toy probably reckons You know, the enemy of my, what? Enemy 
is my friend? I think that's the adage. The 
enemy of my enemy is my friend. Yeah, he would have thought that. 
And perhaps Toy would have thought, maybe David won't stop. I certainly 
don't want David problems in my kingdom of Hamath. So Toy 
does what any good king in that time would do. He sends his son 
as the prince. This is significant. This isn't 
chump change. He sends the prince. When he 
had heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer, notice 
in verse 10, then Toi sent Joram, his son, to King David. There's 
a difference in the namage in 1 Chronicles 18. Again, sometimes 
they're variant readings. The difference between a D and 
an R, for instance, in Hebrew is just this little tiny tick 
at the top of the letter. So the text is solid, it's secure, 
it's the word of God. There are, however, some of these 
variant readings that do arise in the copying of manuscripts 
throughout the history of transmission. But notice, then, Toy sent Joram 
his son to King David to greet him and bless him. Now, the blessing 
here probably means to bring stuff to him, to gift him, to 
reward him, to say, good job, David, you took care of Hadadezer, 
and certainly you taking care of Hadadezer benefits me. And 
this is my attempt to start an alliance with you. So to greet 
him and bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer 
and defeated him. And then notice, and Joram brought 
with him articles of silver, articles of gold, and articles 
of bronze. So this was a very savvy move 
on the part of Toy. Toy sees what David does to other 
countries or other nations, and Toy says, Joram, head over to 
David, bring him lots of stuff, bless him, greet him, tell him 
we are very thankful, and let's start an alliance. This is good 
movement on Toy's behalf. Now, a few things we ought to 
look at in terms of a summary up to this point. In the first 
place, the king of Israel conquered enemies from the far north, verses 
3 and 4, to the deep south. That's verses 13 to 14. We'll 
see that in just a moment. But this is very key, very much 
something that we appreciate in light of 2 Samuel 7, 10. God 
wanted David to secure the land, to stabilize it such that Solomon 
could then build a house for the Lord. As well, the king of 
Israel did so through military strategy. Again, we'll look at 
the power behind the kingdom in a few moments, but simply 
the bare reading of the text, apart from verse six, David employed 
military strategy. Now, here's what Davis says concerning 
this. He says, David's kingdom is not 
a perfect, but a preliminary and principal form of Christ's 
kingdom. The kingdom pattern, however, 
is the same. Conflict precedes conquest. We'd all have to agree with that, 
even in the New Covenant. The Lord Jesus is building His 
church. But it doesn't just drop down 
out of heaven in perfection, does it? There is conflict before 
there is conquest. We are told, all those who desire 
to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. There's 
trial, there's tribulation, there's difficulty. Now certainly we're 
not out battling Zobaites, we're not out battling Damascus Syrians, 
we're not out battling or entering into sort of political alliances 
with Toy from Hamath. We are fighting though against 
principalities and powers, against unseen spiritual forces. Our 
weapons are not carnal, but they are mighty for the pulling down 
of strongholds. We war with, you know, the weapons of prayer 
and preaching and those sorts of things. Again, we must qualify. 
It is not our task as the church to take up the sword, the physical 
sword, the gun, whatever, to advance the kingdom. This is 
a different setting in terms of its covenantal context. The 
old covenant is not the new covenant in that regard. But the principles 
are the same. Conflict before conquest. There's always battles to be 
fought as the people of God. Whether it's our personal sin, 
whether it's church issues or struggles or trials, whether 
it's with the pagans or the heathen world around us, we must be the 
church militant. The Puritans made that distinction 
between the church militant and the church triumphant. The church 
triumphant is what we'll have in heaven. The church on earth 
is the church militant. We must be about fighting. We must be about what Paul says, 
I have fought the good fight. What Paul admonishes Timothy, 
to wage the good warfare. What Paul tells Timothy later, 
to fight the good fight. Brethren, the Christian life 
ought not simply be peace and comfort and ease. The Christian 
life is one of conflict. It is one of trial. It is one 
of difficulty. When we survey this particular 
section, what is David not doing when he's out fighting against 
these Syrians? He's not at home with his children. 
He's not playing ball in the backyard of the palace. He is 
not sitting down to find meals with his wives. David is out 
getting bloody. David is out getting sore. David 
is out risking his neck with his men to subdue enemies, to 
bring forth conquest, to advance the kingdom. We ought to at least 
glean from this in the New Covenant setting. Though we're not physically 
bloodying our hands, there ought to be a sense where we are fighting 
the good fight. We are not giving up. We're not 
just laying around. We're not just being passive. 
We're not being milquetoast. But we're being warriors for 
the Lord Jesus Christ. Isn't that the imagery that Paul 
uses in Ephesians chapter 6? We are to put on what? our lounge 
shoes and our slippers and our robes so we can chill out. No, 
we're to put on the whole armor of God everywhere. The New Testament 
uses the same sort of imagery. Again, we're not to go by 38s 
and 9 mils and shotguns and advance the kingdom that way. but through 
prayer and preaching and fasting and using the means that God's 
ordained and being faithful in our places of work and family 
and society, shining His lights in a crooked and perverse generation. 
Anymore, brethren, just shining His lights in a crooked and perverse 
generation. will bring down persecution upon 
your head. I mean, it's such anymore that 
to do the bare minimum as a Christian is going to bring down the wrath 
of the federal government, the wrath of the secularists in our 
age. So we ought to glean from this 
that when we read, say, a subheading in the margin, David's further 
conquest, we ought not to think that life in the New Covenant 
means no battles, no trials, no difficulties, no hardships. 
Now we know our King is the Lord Jesus Christ, our King is enthroned 
at the right hand of God Most High, but our King bids us fight 
in this lower world. And the church today needs to 
be the church militant. We need to get beyond this mindset 
that I can't be bothered with that sort of thing. No, you must 
take up the whole armor of God. You must take seriously the responsibility 
to fight. Anyways, back to Davis. However, 
The kingdom pattern is the same. Conflict precedes conquest. He says both Old and New Testaments 
testify that on the whole, men and nations do not long to receive, 
but live to resist Christ's reign. Right? Nations and men, on the 
whole, do not long to receive, but live to resist the reign 
of Jesus Christ. I mean, if you doubt that, go 
downtown and try to witness to somebody. Hey, you want to believe 
on the Lord Jesus Christ? You want a kingdom that's eternal, 
that's blessed and holy and wonderful? Oh yeah, yeah, that's what I... 
No, they hate it. They resist it. He goes on to 
say, they resist Christ's reign, but that He will establish His 
rule at the last, not by popular demand, but by armed might. You know, we can't dismiss that 
concept in the New Covenant. When Jesus comes, He will come 
to bless His children. He will come to receive His children 
to Himself. He will come to bring us into 
that eternal rest But he also comes to take vengeance upon 
those who know not God and on those who do not obey the gospel. That is 2 Thessalonians 1. That's 
not David marauding through these ancient tribes and killing, you 
know, hapless souls. That's the teaching of Paul in 
the context of Paul saying it's right for our Lord to repay with 
tribulation those who have troubled you. You see, the church militant 
has forgotten the fourfold hallelujah in Revelation 19. When God's 
enemies are destroyed, you know what heaven does? They don't 
try to explain it away. They don't get embarrassed by 
it. They don't say, well, those are the unsavory parts of the 
Old Testament. There's a fourfold hallelujah 
in heaven when the enemies of God Most High meet their demise. This is the pattern that we ought 
to appreciate. Again, do not leave here saying, 
Butler said to go to dart and tackle and buy the biggest shotgun 
I can and advance the king. No, I'm not saying that, but 
I am suggesting that at some point, brethren, either through 
conversion or through destruction, persons will submit to the Lord 
Christ. Does Philippians 2 not teach 
us that? that every knee shall bow and 
every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory 
of God the Father." It says every knee and every tongue. Not every 
knee and every tongue are going to be believers. Every knee and 
every tongue that happen to be believers will confess that He 
is Lord and will have great joy and delight in their hearts. 
But those unbelievers who have rejected and resisted Him and 
have been destroyed by Him, they still will confess Him as Lord, 
but to their shame and to their own perdition. Davis goes on 
to say, the church tends to mute this virile biblical note and 
thereby emasculates the doctrine of the kingdom. But surely the 
cross has taught us that no one defeats the dominion of darkness 
in a bloodless coup. Nor will history simply ooze 
into the kingdom of God. That kingdom will come at the 
last because Christ, David's seed, imposes it over all objection 
and opposition and conquers all his and our enemies. Psalm 2 
teaches us this very clearly. Psalm 2 is a psalm concerning 
David's son that will exercise universal sway. Notice in Psalm 
2.7, 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. You shall break them with a rod of iron. You 
shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel." You know 
what image is used when we get to Revelation 19 and we see the 
rider on the white horse? He's got this rod of iron and 
he's breaking the nations like a potter's vessels. That Davidic 
king that's promised in 2 Samuel 7, confirmed to us in Psalm 2, 
who comes to us according to Luke 1 and Acts 2, is the king 
that will ride through history on that white horse. The sword 
that proceeds from his mouth will save some, but it will be 
the means of destruction to others. You cannot build the kingdom 
without the destruction of the kingdom's enemies. That is simply 
not possible. What's one of the beautiful things 
in a continual refrain when we get to Revelation 21 and 22? 
But outside! Right? Describes the beauty of 
the New Jerusalem and then tells us what's outside. Well, that 
does a couple things. It encourages the people of God. 
Isn't it an encouragement to know that when you're in the 
New Jerusalem there won't be methamphetamine? When you're 
in the New Jerusalem, there won't be pedophilia. When you're in 
the New Jerusalem, there won't be political leaders who lie 
like it's their job. In the New Jerusalem, that's 
all outside. As well, that serves as a warning 
for persons to take heed. There is an outside, and you 
need to be in Christ to be in the New Jerusalem. So we need 
to understand that the kingdom comes through God's salvation 
or through God's judgment. And then as well, if you keep 
your finger there in Psalm 2, if you notice verse 10, David 
says to the kings around Israel, Now therefore be wise, O kings, 
be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with 
fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the son lest he be angry 
and you perish in the way. When his wrath is kindled but 
a little, blessed are all those who put their trust in him." 
Now, Toy sort of falls into that, doesn't he? I'm not saying Toy 
is a believer like we are and he can sing Trinity Hymnal songs 
with us and all that sort of thing, but Toy sees what's going 
on in Israel and Toy submits himself to Israel's king. Right? So Toy hears of David and Toy 
says, Joram, take things over there and bless him and greet 
him and tell him we want to pay tribute to him. He submits to 
David. Davis says, Toy exemplifies another 
pattern in the Bible's kingdom doctrine. If there are rulers 
and nations that war against Yahweh's kingdom, there are also 
some who lay down their arms and seek peace under his kingdom. 
Some nations must be subdued, others submit. Some remain rebellious, 
others are repentant. Some must be crushed, others 
are contrite. Apparently, some leaders of the 
nations will heed the counsel of Psalm 2, 10 to 12. So that 
is the advancement of the kingdom. Notice secondly, the stability 
of the kingdom in verses 11 to 18. The dedication of riches, 
verses 11 and 12. This shows stability. When God's 
people take the spoils of war and dedicate it to Yahweh Himself 
in preparation for the coming house of the Lord or the temple 
of the Lord, this indicates that they're in a position that is 
no longer transient in nature, but they have been stabilized 
in the land and are making preparations for the temple. Notice in verse 
11, King David also dedicated these to the Lord, talking about 
the riches and the spoils, excuse me, along with the silver and 
gold that he had dedicated from all the nations which he had 
subdued. This is good, David doesn't multiply wealth. David 
has a few horses, to be sure. He has more wives than he's supposed 
to, but David isn't multiplying wealth for himself. David is 
content with the palace that Hiram built for him, and he is 
dwelling happily. All the spoils that he's receiving 
now, he dedicates to the house of the Lord. There's a promise 
of temple building in 7.13. This is the preparation for temple 
building in verse 11. And then notice, speak specifically, 
or there's a summary of his reign given to us in verses 12 to 15. 
The nations that he destroyed, verse 12, from Syria, from Moab, 
from the people of Ammon, from the Philistines, from Amalek, 
from the spoil of Hadadezer, the son of Rahab, king of Zobah. I mean, this is where he got 
these spoils. This is where he got the gold 
and the bronze and the silver and all this stuff. It's from 
the nations that he conquered and subjugated. And it gives 
us a pretty long list, as I said, from north to south. Now, when 
we get to verse 13, look at the text. And David made himself 
a name when he returned from killing 18,000 Syrians in the 
valley of Saul. That should probably read Edomites. It's got Edomites in the margin. 
It's got Edomites in 1 Chronicles. Edom is close to the valley of 
Saul in the southern portion of the land. It is the Edomites. And interestingly enough, the 
Moab-Edom prophecy, the destruction of Moab and Edom, given via Balaam 
in Numbers 24, is here fulfilled, because David has destroyed both 
Moab and the Edomites. So this is a fulfillment of the 
Balaam prophecy, the fourth oracle in Numbers 24. But notice, David 
made himself a name when he returned from killing 18,000 Edomites 
in the Valley of Salt. Wasn't this promised in the Davidic 
Covenant? Go back to 2 Samuel 7. Verse 
9, And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off 
all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great 
name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. So 
again, the chronology isn't there in terms of the strictness between 
7 and 8, but there is a thematic unity between 7 and 8. 7 is the 
foundation for 8. Without 7 and the promises of 
God, there'd be no military expansion. There'd be no conquest, there'd 
be no subjugation, there would be no preparation for temple 
building. It is because of God's promise 
that David is victorious against all of these particular nations. As well, the subscription to 
Psalm 60 jives with what we find here in 2 Samuel 8 and verse 
13. And then notice, he employs the 
same strategy in verse 14. He puts garrisons in Edom. Throughout 
all Edom, he puts garrisons, and all the Edomites became David's 
servants. And we have that statement, and 
the Lord preserved David wherever he went. We'll look at that in 
just a moment. And then note, with reference to the rainy exercise, 
verse 15, summarizes the summary. So David reigned over all Israel, 
and David administered judgment and justice to all his people. 
It's a very positive statement. And in Kings, we see a lot of 
positive assessment about David. We're going to get into some 
difficult Davidic waters in a few weeks. When we start seeing David 
committing adultery and killing or murdering Uriah the Hittite, 
it's sad, brethren. There's no other way to come 
out of 2 Samuel 11 and 12, but heavy hearted that our hero David 
did what he did. But the overall assessment concerning 
David in the Bible is very positive. And this is a blessed reality. David reigned over all Israel, 
and David administered judgment and justice to all his people. 
And then he appointed his cabinet. Joab, as we know, is the military 
commander. The son of Zariah was over the 
army. Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilot, was recorder. Zadok, 
the son of Ahitab and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, were the 
priests. Sariah was the scribe. Benaiah, 
the son of Jehoiada, Benaiah is a powerful figure in scripture, 
just as he's well known to some. He was from Kabzeel and was the 
son of Jehoiada, who was a priest, who not only commanded the king's 
bodyguard, that's probably the reference to the Karathites and 
the Pelathites. There's a lot concerning that. 
They were foreigners. They served as David's bodyguard. 
Others said they weren't foreigners. It's just beyond my capability. Most likely, it's a bodyguard, 
a personal bodyguard for David, and Benaiah commands them, he 
is over them. At any rate, Benaiah not only 
commanded the king's bodyguard, but was also considered the most 
outstanding of David's 30 mightiest warriors in 2320-23. Benaiah 
also served as the commander of one of the divisions of the 
army that were activated on a monthly basis. and he later replaced 
Joab whom he killed at Solomon's command as the commander-in-chief 
of Israel's army." So remember Solomon said, I want you to dispose 
of Joab and Benaiah took that to heart. So we see this We see 
the advancement, we see the stability. Note the power. The statements 
in verses 6 and 14, so the Lord preserved David wherever he went. 
The ESV renders it, and the Lord gave victory to David wherever 
he went. I think the end game is the same. 
He preserved him wherever he went, or he gave him victory 
wherever he went. I quite like the idea of he gave 
him victory wherever he went. This ought to confirm to us the 
present faithfulness of God. I don't mean for us, we have 
lots of confirmation, but present in terms of David's reality as 
he operates over Israel at that particular time. The Lord God 
had been faithful to him, 1 Samuel 16 all the way to 2 Samuel 7. We get to chapter 8 and we have 
the record of God's dealings with David in his life. Faithfulness 
has been the constant refrain that Yahweh has been to His servant 
David. As well, when God displays this 
to David, it confirms and affirms that the promise of the future 
is secure. Look back in 2 Samuel 7. Verse 
19, and yet this was a small thing in your sight. David rehearsing 
the fact that the Lord God had brought him to that point. O 
Lord God, and you have also spoken of your servant's house for a 
great while to come. That's the end of the Davidic 
covenant in verses 13 to 16. There will be a king that sits 
on the throne and his kingdom will be forever. So every battle, 
every conquest, every piece of tribute that is paid to David 
is a token of the faithfulness of God. Every victory he secures 
from north to south, every enemy he subjugates, every people group 
that are no longer a threat, scream that God is faithful to 
David. It truly is a blessed reality, 
and we ought to appreciate that. David is a good military leader, 
but it's because of God. Vannoy says David's conquests 
are not in the first instance to be viewed as demonstrations 
of his skill, although he was clearly a capable military leader, 
but rather as evidence of God's faithfulness to his promises. 
And this is where it gets tangible and practical for us as well. 
If God is faithful to David in this setting, in this situation, 
if God is there with David in all of the victories that he 
secures, will not God be present with his church today? Why is 
it the case that we are so fearful and oftentimes just so weak and 
so limp-wristed when it comes to the battles that we're called 
to fight? We serve the same God that David served, and just as 
God led David into battle and brought victory to David, that 
same God is going to bring victory to the new covenant church. Again, 
I'm not speaking of triumphalism. There's always going to be conflict 
before conquest. There's going to be a mingling 
of both until that final day when Jesus returns in power and 
glory to subjugate every enemy. But up until that point, brethren, 
we walk by faith. We run. We fight. We keep. We 
do the things that we do, trusting the same God that David served, 
that is made evident and manifests time and time again. I mean, 
I imagine people would read through chapter 8, and just gloss verses 
6 and 14. Wow, David, what a great guy. 
Man, David, you've got a busy life. That's tough. You go from 
north to south. Do you understand the power behind the kingdom? 
It's not David. And David is God's means. David is God's instrument. David is God's tool. But God 
is the reason for the advancement of the kingdom. This ought to 
encourage us when we get to that son of David who promises to 
build a house for God. In Matthew 16, you are the Christ, 
the son of the living God. Jesus pronounces blessing upon 
Simon Bar-Jonah, calls him a rock, and then says upon this rock, 
I will build my church. Second Samuel 7, a son of God 
would build a house for God. Matthew 16, the Son of God promises 
to build a house for God. And shall we doubt it? If we 
doubt it, let's go back to these military battles and see the 
power of God bringing victory to David and Israel and trust 
that He's going to do the same thing under His, or through His 
Messiah King that sits enthroned at His right hand. Well, brethren, 
in sum or in conclusion, just a couple of thoughts real quick. 
The first place, the administration of kingdom affairs. I would imagine 
we're a bit more comfortable with the appointment of cabinet 
members than we are of hamstrung horses and executions of Moabites 
and the subjugation of foreign armies. But as I've tried to 
bring out, the kingdom is not built without the destruction 
of God's enemies. This is a theme that is throughout 
Scripture, and for whatever reason, the church today, as I've already 
mentioned, has lost something of that church militant attitude. Yes, we preach the love of God. 
Yes, we preach the atoning work of Christ. Yes, we preach the 
glory of the gospel. and we offer it freely to all 
creatures. We tell every man, every woman, 
every boy, every girl, without exception, that if you, by God's 
grace, believe the gospel of Jesus Christ, you will be saved. But we must also warn them, and 
we must also tell them, if you resist, if you reject, if you 
refuse, there is a day coming when He will subjugate His enemies. He will crush His enemies. He 
will cast them away. I just read recently Joel Osteen 
said something to the effect that, oh no, I just, you know, 
I don't want to tell anybody about hell. Then why would he 
be called a Christian preacher? Part of the task is to warn people 
of the wrath to come. What does Paul say? Knowing the 
terror of the Lord. We beseech men, we persuade men. That is a missing element today. 
The wrath, the fury, the judgment, the power of God displayed. in 
the exclusion of persons who resist and who reject His Son. 
We need to remember that the King of Kings and the Lord of 
Lords subjugates His enemies in a myriad of ways, and one 
of them is dashing them down like a potter's vessels. The 
reality is, if we understand this, if we believe this, hopefully 
our preaching will be more gospel-oriented, more full of Christ, more calling 
sinners to believe and repent and be saved. As well, we ought 
to appreciate in this passage, though not perfectly, there is 
typical significance of the Lord Christ's reign. We see the subjugation 
of his enemies. Isn't that what David does in 
2 Samuel 8? Isn't that what Jesus does in 
the New Covenant? Every time he saves a sinner, 
every time he casts one off, the Lord Jesus Christ subjugates 
his enemies. We pay him tribute, don't we? 
I hope we do. I hope we come and bring our 
offerings of praise and adoration and thanksgiving. It's the same 
sort of thing. These persons that David conquered, 
they brought tribute to the King of Israel. We have been conquered. We are to bring tribute to the 
King of Israel. As well, notice that David brings 
the wealth of the nations to Israel's God. This is a foretaste 
of what will come in later redemption. or the history of redemption. 
Isaiah 60 speaks of a time when the wealth of the nations will 
come to Israel's king. We see it with the Magi in Luke's 
gospel and Matthew's gospel. What do they do? They're bringing 
the wealth of the nations to Israel's king. And we see this 
in Revelation 21, the wealth of the nations is presented to 
Israel's king. This is seen right here in verse 
11 and 12. It is typical of what's going 
to happen with reference to the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Davis 
says, whether from Hamath or elsewhere, David consecrated 
it to Yahweh. The wealth of the nations belonged 
to its rightful owner. David surely set it apart for 
the house his successor would build for God. David's kingdom 
is a forecast of the kingdom at the last. All the wealth of 
the nations will come to Yahweh. And then finally, we see with 
reference to the typical significance of David's reign, the administration 
of judgment and justice. That's what verse 15 tells us. 
So David reigned over all Israel, and David administered judgment 
and justice to all his people. Look at the prophet Isaiah that 
speaks concerning David's son, speaks concerning the Messiah 
promised in 2 Samuel 7. We know the text in Isaiah 9.6, 
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the 
government will be upon his shoulder. His name will be called Wonderful, 
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Now 
note, of the increase of his government and peace, there will 
be no end. Upon the throne of David and 
over his kingdom to order it and establish it with judgment 
and justice from that time forward, even forever, the zeal of the 
Lord of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 11, verse 1, there shall 
come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse and a branch shall grow 
out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall 
rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the 
Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of 
the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of 
the Lord, and he shall not judge by the sight of his eyes." Some 
rabbis taught that Messiah would be blind based on this particular 
text. Well, when it comes to justice 
and judgment, he is blind. He is no respecter of persons. He doesn't say, oh, I have a 
particular... No, justice and judgment come 
indiscriminately, nor decide by the hearing of his ears. Notice 
in verse four, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor and decide 
with equity for the meek of the earth. He shall strike the earth 
with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips, 
he shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt 
of his loins, and faithfulness the belt of his waist." I mean, 
we could multiply passages, passage after passage, to indicate that 
this would mark or be the hallmark of Messiah's reign in the kingdom 
of God. Judgment and justice, and we 
find it here, at least typically with David, in Israel in this 
context. And the final lesson we ought 
to appreciate is God's faithfulness. If you ever doubt God's faithfulness, 
just pick up 1 and 2 Samuel and read about David. You cannot 
escape the reality that God is faithful when you study the life 
of David, King of Israel. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for the Word of God. We thank you for what it 
testifies to us concerning Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and how 
we thank you for this promise in 2 Samuel 7. We thank you for 
the fact that Jesus is reigning at the right hand of God Most 
High, sitting on David's throne. And we look forward to that day 
when He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. 
And knowing that this judgment is coming, God, help us to persuade 
men, women, boys and girls, help us to beseech sinners to be reconciled 
to You through Christ the Lord. We ask that you would go with 
us now and watch over us. We thank you for your faithfulness 
to us, and we pray that you would keep us and preserve us and bring 
us together on the Lord's day, that we may worship you in spirit 
and truth. And we pray these things through 
Christ our Lord. Amen.