2 Samuel 8

The Reign of the Lord’s Anointed

Intro

There are two responses to Jesus: love and hate. Either you go to war against Him, or you come, bow the knee, and submit to His kingship. As the narrator of Samuel brings this section of the story to a close, a section we may call the rise of David, he shows us that God has already begun to fulfill His covenant promises. Both those He had made previously in 7:9-11, but also those He made long ago to Abraham, when he promised him this land as his inheritance. To unpack this summary, I am going to use Psalm 2 as a grid, laying it over the top and showing that it exemplifies David's reign as the Lord's anointed even as it points forward to the reign of Christ. Matthew Henry remarked, "All David’s victories were typical of the success of the gospel against the kingdom of Satan, in which the Son of David rode forth, conquering and to conquer, and he shall reign till he has brought down all opposing rule, principality, and power" (Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 450).

The psalmist says,

“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, “You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers 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, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” (Ps 2).

So as we look at Chapter 8 I want you to consider the two responses to the reign of Lord's anointed, and the kingdom ideal he sets as a pattern.

2 Samuel 8

Broken and Dashed Kings

We have already recounted David's recovery of Israel land that lay under foreign control. But in this summary account, David takes the fight to them, winning territory to the north, south, east, and west. Just as God had promised to Abraham in Genesis 15:8. The Philistines (1) are to the west, and south. Moab (2) is to the east. With Zobah and Aram (3-6) are in the north, and Edom (13-14) in east and south. David's expands the borders of Israel as the Lord had said, "ask of me, and I will make the nations tour heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession." So David spreads to the four corners of the compass.

In the first we are not told the situations behind these advances, whether as most suspect they were defensive wars, rather than conquest. Metheg-ammah is difficult to translate, but it is probably not a place name. It simply means binding the mother (city). Chronicles interprets this as controlling Gath, the chief, or mother-city of Philistia. Here we see displayed what Jesus taught in Luke 11:22 that in order to plunder the strongman's house, you must first bind him. Conflict precedes conquest, so it is in the kingdom of God.

Some may bristle at David's treatment of the Moabites, considering that he was descended from them through his great-grandmother Ruth. But actually he extends mercy to some, sparing a third, while he executes the rest. While the other kings/doms situation is not elaborated, Hadadezer is said to have come down from the north to restore his power. David soundly beats him, and destroys his army, keeping only enough horses to supply a light cavalry, perhaps to keep from breaking God's law that kings not multiply horses (Deut. 17:6). When the Syrians came to help, Hadadezer David defeated them too. Rounding out David's conquest is the account of His defeat of Edom (13-14) making them his servants with garrisons throughout their land.

Here we see typified the response of those who wish to rebel against the king. They mock and deride, shaking their fist at the rightful king, but the Lord laughs at them and will hold them in derision. Such is the natural response of many to the Lord Jesus, and His rightful reign. Some of you were rebels until he subdued you and brought you under His rule, stationing garrisons in your midst to keep you in check. As much as our narcissistic tendency is to always read ourselves as the hero of every story, in God's story, you were not David or Israel, but rebel enemies like Moab. Only when defeated by His grace did you bow the knee and come to offer tribute.

We must never forget that no rebel will ever get away with their refusal to accept the reign of Christ. For every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. We must not allow romanticized views of Christ and His kingdom to color our understanding of how it is established. Jesus said, "the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force" (Lk. 11:12). When Christ comes again, it will not be as a cute little baby, but as a conquering king. With a sword coming out of His mouth to devour the wicked.

Wise Kings Who Kiss the Son

But there were others that were drawn to Christ and, in the process, were changed. Which is what we see in the response of Toi. If you compared this account with that in Chronicles, you would see that the name of Toi's son is different, suggesting a change of heart. In Chronicles, he is named Hadoram, whereas in our text, he is called Joram. The former means "Hadad is exalted," while the latter, a good Israelite name, means "Yahweh is exalted." (which Hadad was a common name for the god Baal). Toi hears of David's exploits, and especially the relief of his close enemy Hadadezer, and comes to bring him tribute. The change of name of his son may signal a change of heart, as a pagan king comes to kiss the Son, he wisely adopts David's God as Lord.

Here we have the example of a wise king who came and kissed the Son. He brought gifts to David of silver, gold, and bronze, which David dedicates to the Lord. Since it was the Lord who "gave victory to David wherever he went" (14). These gifts become the supplies for David's son Solomon for building the temple. Often, one must fight and gain ground and resources so another can build.

Here we see typified those who, by faith, come and give themselves to Christ. They see His thrilling victory over sin and death and recognize in Him the claim to be the rightful ruler, and so come and bow the knee willingly. Even this is a grace. God must open the eyes of the blind to see the salvation of Christ for what it is. Only then will they come willingly, since to them Christ has become an aroma of life.

The catechism teaches us that "Christ executes the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling, and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies." (WSC, #26). Christ defeats the powers of evil, and plunders the nations, but he also accepts the gifts we bring him. As Psalm 2 enjoins: “Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” (Ps 2:11).

As David serves a type of Christ, he also models for us an ideal Israelite, setting a godly example of how to live. Wherever David went, the LORD gave him victory, which the narrator mentions twice (6, 14) which David rightly acknowledged by dedicating the plunder to the Lord. As Paul chided the Corinthians: what do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? (1 Cor 4:7) Time and again other kings proved no match to the blessing of prosperity, including David's predecessor, Saul. Who succumbed to the temptation when he kept spoil, which should have been devoted to the Lord. David honors the Lord by dedicating these things to God, showing that he understands his victory was dependent on the Lord. As a type of Christ, David receives tribute from other kings, and as a model for you to emulate, David gives tribute to God.

If you, like Toi, have seen the blessing of king Jesus, whose death defeated the powers of evil, and whose life was paid as a ransom to free you from sin, then you to must come and dedicate yourself and all that you have in service to your king.

Blessed Ideal of Kingdom Life

Our text concludes by setting forth the blessed ideal of kingdom life, proving the end of psalm 2: blessed are all who take refuge in him. For what can be more blessed than to have a king who orders life in his kingdom with justice and equity. The following list of David's men, those he installs to assist him to administer justice, showcase both his character, but also the future administration of the kingdom.

Despots don't have people assist them to administer the kingdom, often because they show little concern over justice and equity. But David has trusted men over the army, the church, and all the affairs of state. These will provide checks and balances so that David's successes don't go to his head, or at least they should. Some prove all too ready to look the other way when David sins (Joab, with the murder of Uriah). Still, Saul faltered not only in his own character, but by not electing governors to help him administer justice and equity.

So we see that Christ has furnished His church with officers, men called and ordained to govern and serve His people. These men serve Christ and are tasked with administering justice and equity. They are a part of those ascension gifts Christ gives to His church “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” (Eph 4:12–13).

What a blessing it would have been to find refuge in the kingdom of God when David was king. Not only does he beat back the forces of evil, but he creates a place of rest at home. A place marked by righteousness and peace. So to do we find life in the kingdom of Christ, however imperfect the reality may be this is the ideal. A kingdom marked by a king who administers justice and equity. In Christ, we have found both.

As Isaiah foretold:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.” (Is 9:6–7).

Did you catch that? Jesus will administer justice and righteousness, just as his father David had done before him. Only he will do so perfectly and forever. For of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end. Hallelujah! What a blessing it is to find refuge in the kingdom of Christ.

David's reign as the Lord's anointed foreshadows for us life in the kingdom of God. He shows us a king who will rule over the nations, who defeats the powers of evil, and administers justice and equity for the people of God. David shows us Jesus, and stirs are longing for the kingdom of Christ and his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen. Let's pray.