20250101

do your best

Happy New Year, everyone!

1 Chronicles 18:1-20:8

1 Chronicles 18:1 After this, David defeated the Philistines, subdued them, and took Gath and its surrounding villages from Philistine control.
1 Chronicles 18:2 He also defeated the Moabites, and they became David’s subjects and brought tribute.
1 Chronicles 18:3 David also defeated King Hadadezer of Zobah at Hamath when he went to establish his control at the Euphrates River.
1 Chronicles 18:4 David captured one thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers from him, hamstrung all the horses, and kept a hundred chariots.
1 Chronicles 18:5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to assist King Hadadezer of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand Aramean men.
1 Chronicles 18:6 Then he placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became David’s subjects and brought tribute. Yahveh made David victorious wherever he went.
1 Chronicles 18:7 David took the gold shields carried by Hadadezer’s officers and brought them to Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 18:8 From Tibhath and Cun, Hadadezer’s cities, David also took huge quantities of bronze, from which Solomon made the bronze basin, the pillars, and the bronze articles.
1 Chronicles 18:9 When King Tou of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of King Hadadezer of Zobah,
1 Chronicles 18:10 he sent his son Hadoram to King David to greet him and to congratulate him because David had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Tou and Hadadezer had fought many wars. Hadoram brought all kinds of gold, silver, and bronze items.
1 Chronicles 18:11 King David also dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had carried off from all the nations– from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and the Amalekites.
1 Chronicles 18:12 Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Salt Valley.
1 Chronicles 18:13 He put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David. Yahveh made David victorious wherever he went.
1 Chronicles 18:14 So David reigned over all Israel, administering justice and righteousness for all his people.
1 Chronicles 18:15 Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was court historian;
1 Chronicles 18:16 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Shavsha was court secretary;
1 Chronicles 18:17 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were the chief officials at the king’s side.
1 Chronicles 19:1 Some time later, King Nahash of the Ammonites died, and his son became king in his place.
1 Chronicles 19:2 Then David said, “I’ll show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So, David sent messengers to console him concerning his father. However, when David’s emissaries arrived in the land of the Ammonites to console him,
1 Chronicles 19:3 the Ammonite leaders said to Hanun, “Just because David has sent men with condolences for you, do you really believe he’s showing respect for your father? Instead, haven’t his emissaries come to scout out, overthrow, and spy on the land?”
1 Chronicles 19:4 So Hanun took David’s emissaries, shaved them, cut their clothes in half at the hips, and sent them away.
1 Chronicles 19:5 It was reported to David about his men, so he sent messengers to meet them since the men were deeply humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow back; then return.”
1 Chronicles 19:6 When the Ammonites realized they had made themselves repulsive to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent thirty-eight tons of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Aram-naharaim, Aram-maacah, and Zobah.
1 Chronicles 19:7 They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and the king of Maacah with his army, who came and camped near Medeba. The Ammonites also came together from their cities for the battle.
1 Chronicles 19:8 David heard about this and sent Joab and all the elite troops.
1 Chronicles 19:9 The Ammonites marched out and lined up in battle formation at the entrance of the city while the kings who had come were in the field by themselves.
1 Chronicles 19:10 When Joab saw that there was a battle line in front of him and another behind him, he chose some of Israel’s finest young men and lined up in formation to engage the Arameans.
1 Chronicles 19:11 He placed the rest of the forces under the command of his brother Abishai. They lined up in formation to engage the Ammonites.
1 Chronicles 19:12 “If the Arameans are too strong for me,” Joab said, “then you’ll be my help. However, if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I’ll help you.
1 Chronicles 19:13 Be strong! Let’s prove ourselves strong for our people and for the cities of our God. May Yahveh’s will be done.”
1 Chronicles 19:14 Joab and the people with him approached the Arameans for battle, and they fled before him.
1 Chronicles 19:15 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they likewise fled before Joab’s brother Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab went to Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 19:16 When the Arameans realized that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers to summon the Arameans who were beyond the Euphrates River. They were led by Shophach, the commander of Hadadezer’s army.
1 Chronicles 19:17 When this was reported to David, he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan. He came up to the Arameans and lined up against them. When David lined up to engage them, they fought against him.
1 Chronicles 19:18 But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers. He also killed Shophach, commander of the army.
1 Chronicles 19:19 When Hadadezer’s subjects saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became his subjects. After this, the Arameans were never willing to help the Ammonites again.
1 Chronicles 20:1 In the spring when kings march out to war, Joab led the army and destroyed the Ammonites’ land. He came to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and demolished it.
1 Chronicles 20:2 Then David took the crown from the head of their king, and it was placed on David’s head. He found that the crown weighed seventy-five pounds of gold, and there was a precious stone in it. In addition, David took away a large quantity of plunder from the city.
1 Chronicles 20:3 He brought out the people who were in it and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes. David did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then he and all his troops returned to Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 20:4 After this, a war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, a descendant of the Rephaim, and the Philistines were subdued.
1 Chronicles 20:5 Once again there was a battle with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath of Gath. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam.
1 Chronicles 20:6 There was still another battle at Gath where there was a man of extraordinary stature with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot– twenty-four in all. He, too, was descended from the giant.
1 Chronicles 20:7 When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of David’s brother Shimei killed him.
1 Chronicles 20:8 These were the descendants of the giant in Gath killed by David and his soldiers.

do your best

These chapters record David’s battles with and victories over the Syrians, Ammonites and Philistines during his reign as king of Israel. Times were not easy for the Israelites, but they did rise to the challenge. Joab’s instructions to his troops still stands as wisdom for us as we face the challenges of this time: do your best, and trust the LORD to do what he wills.

LORD, give us the courage to do our best, and trust you for the outcome.