Victory & Kindness

Life could not have been better for Eugene. He married his sweetheart in 1917 and they raised 2 children. you’ve probably never heard of him. He was a man who spent much of his life traveling, teaching, and leading others in music. He had a passion for singing, for harmony, for drawing people together through song. His days were full of energy, movement, and purpose.

As a publisher his hymn book was in demand, selling over 15,000 copies across the county. He felt his calling was to publish hymns and teach aspiring singers how to sight-read so he traveled the south, holding singing school and singing conventions. But in 1939 at age 53, his world changed drastically. Mr. Bartlett suffered a paralyzing stroke that left him unable to walk or even speak and for the most part, he was bedridden. Many felt the stroke ended his teaching ministry, yet It was during these dark days that Eugene would write his best-known hymn,

But then, in the middle of his life, everything changed. A sudden stroke left him partially paralyzed. The man who once stood before crowds, conducting and teaching, now found himself confined to a bed. He could not walk. He could not travel. His strength had left him, and many thought his influence was over.

Most people in his position would have surrendered to despair. But not him. In the quiet of his room, amid weakness and limitation, he reached for a pen and began to write. He didn’t write about his struggles. He didn’t write about his losses. He wrote about something greater — something that had carried him through life and that could carry anyone through even the darkest of times.

He wrote about victory… victory that overcomes even the toughest battles. He wrote about mercy… mercy that reaches the broken, the weak, and the undeserving. He wrote words that would lift hearts, inspire hope, and remind people that there is a power greater than any struggle, a love stronger than any defeat.

Years later, the piece he created from that sickbed would become one of the most beloved hymns in Christian worship. Congregations across the world would sing it, and every time they did, they declared the truth he had proclaimed from his room:

“Victory in Jesus, my Savior, forever!”

I’m sure that during his time of suffering there were days where he felt depressed, alone and sad, yet he still found the inspiration to declare, “I cried, Dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit and somehow Jesus came and brought to me the victory’’. It’s amazing to me, that in the midst of all that was wrong in his life he found the courage to proclaim Jesus and the Victory he had in knowing Jesus was the answer and source of his joy. So often when we are going through a dark time in life we get focused on the problem or our circumstances and lose sight of what really matters, we lose our hope and our joy. But in midst of Eugene’s troubles, he found he could say there is Victory in Jesus, as we all should do. 

HBI - Jesus is the victory that overcomes the world and he showed us mercy in our brokeness by calling us to Himself.

Chapter 8 - Victory in Jesus

There is one common theme running through the book of Samuel. That is that victory comes from God alone and this looks forward to Jesus who brought us ultimate victory. blessings have come in the form of David’s growing family and wealth, and the nation’s military, economic and religious strength

In the chapters we’ve studied already, we’ve watched as David has established the nation’s capital in Jerusalem 

He has moved into a place and fathered many sons and daughters  

He has brought the ark to Jerusalem, expanded the borders of the nation and defeated many of its enemies

The nation is growing in number, prospering in the land and establishing a peaceful existence in the land

And now in the final chapter in this section, we return to where we started: a review of David’s military success against Israel’s enemies

We start with the description of a series of conquests that David accomplished early in his reign as king

2 Samuel 8:1–4 CSB

1 After this, David defeated the Philistines, subdued them, and took Metheg-ammah from Philistine control. 2 He also defeated the Moabites, and after making them lie down on the ground, he measured them off with a cord. He measured every two cord lengths of those to be put to death and one full length of those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David’s subjects and brought tribute. 3 David also defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his control at the Euphrates River. 4 David captured seventeen hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers from him, and he hamstrung all the horses and kept a hundred chariots.

David was victorious over the enemies of the Lord. It is interesting I find about the measuring thing. David had mercy on them, even in defeating them in war. You may ask how David showed mercy in defeating them and killing half of them? Lets go back to 2 Sam 8:2

2 Samuel 8:2 CSB

2 He also defeated the Moabites, and after making them lie down on the ground, he measured them off with a cord. He measured every two cord lengths of those to be put to death and one full length of those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David’s subjects and brought tribute.

This was most definatley an unusual method in determining who would live and who would die. He had the men lay down and measured their height according to a rope. Those who measured taller where put to death and the short ones where allowed to live.

Why I mention this is seeing it in light of the usual methods of warfare at the time. Through this David would have likely allowed the young men to live, likely those that where under the age of adulthood. All those that where left alive instead of dieing for the evil they had done where given another chance as subjects of the Israelites.

Customarily the winning army would completley wipe out the losing army, In this David showed mercy allowing the young Moabites to live. We are going to delve into this mercy and how it is revealed fully in jesus in a bit.

It is verse 6 and verse 14 that we get one of the main themes today. And in the whole book of Samuel the main theme can be reflected in these two verses.

2 Samuel 8:6 CSB

6 Then he placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became David’s subjects and brought tribute. The Lord made David victorious wherever he went.

2 Samuel 8:14 CSB

14 He placed garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David. The Lord made David victorious wherever he went.

It is in the Lord that we are victorious. David realized that it was not himself or his own powers that made him victorious over all of His enemies but it was the Lord Jesus.

A King Who Wins Victory for His People

David defeats enemies Israel could not overcome on their own, David was

Victory Comes from the Lord

David’s success isn’t credited to military strength, but to God.The king won the victory for the people because the king was following the Lord for evetyhing and realized victory comes from the Lord God. Later on in the NT we read that God sent His son Jesus to also win a victory that we could not win on our own. We where lost in sin like the Israelites where lost in the consequences of their sin. Like they needed a king to win the battles for them we need a king to win the victory for us.

There is victory only in the Lord Jesus and nothing else. We struggle with sin, we struggle with pain, we struggle through many things. We sometimes wonder if their even is victory over the temptations and sin that we face, but there is victory and that comes through Jesus alone. Nothing else will give us victory, nothing else will take away the pain. We have to learn to turn to Jesus in all things that we do, to turn to the word of God, to allow Jesus to permiate our heart and mind and then alone will we find victory.

Chapter 9 - David’s Kindnes

I agree with Chuck swindoll that the next chapter “Second Samuel 9 is perhaps the greatest illustration of grace in all the Old Testament.”

We can safely date the events of this chapter to very early in David’s reign, probably soon after consolidating his power After receiving the loyalty of all tribes, David asks if there is anyone left of the house of Saul to whom David can show kindness?

2 Samuel 9:1 CSB

1 David asked, “Is there anyone remaining from the family of Saul I can show kindness to for Jonathan’s sake?”

David is thinking back to the covenant he established with Jonathan before Jonathan died. David and Jonathan entered into a covenant back in the day when David was under attack from Jonathan’s father Saul. Jonathan was the heir to Saul’s throne, but rather than contend with David for the seat of power, Jonathan gave his support to David

1 Samuel 20:14–16 CSB

14 If I continue to live, show me kindness from the Lord, but if I die, 15 don’t ever withdraw your kindness from my household—not even when the Lord cuts off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.” 16 Then Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord hold David’s enemies accountable.”

What we see here is Kindness Based on Covenant, Not Merit.

David shows kindness for Jonathan’s sake, not Mephibosheth’s worth. He had made a covenant with His good friend Jonathan

2 Samuel 9:6–8 CSB

6 Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul came to David, fell facedown, and paid homage. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “I am your servant,” he replied. 7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “since I intend to show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all your grandfather Saul’s fields, and you will always eat meals at my table.” 8 Mephibosheth paid homage and said, “What is your servant that you take an interest in a dead dog like me?”

Kindness not based on Merit, but by a covenant made between one man and another. The lovingkindess shown between David and Jonathan. This is the same love that was shown to us, but on a much greater level. God’s grace and mercy towards us was not based on anything we have done, but because of His love for us and the promise he made to us so many years ago.

Jesus saves us for His name’s sake, by grace:

Not earned Not deserved Fully given

The king seeks the broken. i appreciattte what Meph says here, who Am I that you would take interest in a dead dog like me. Do you see a common theme here? One of the last of the family of Saul, and he was overlooked to take over as king, no one really wanted him because he was broken. He did not even see any value in himself it would appear.

Imagine what this young man thinks when he hears that his grandfather’s rival who replaced his uncle has called for him. We can safely assume that Mephibosheth assumes the worst, because naturally the new king always kills his rivals He goes to the palace fully expecting he is going to die for being a threat to DavidThe kings of the time from the pagan nations would likely have just wiped out the grandsom of the king that was their enemie. but like David showed mercy to the Moabites, he showed even more to the son of his good friend and brother.

2 Samuel 9:11–13 CSB

11 So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table just like one of the king’s sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. All those living in Ziba’s house were Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 However, Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king’s table. His feet had been injured.

Imagine that, The grandson of the enemy of the king gets to be accepted and eat at the kings table. but what does this all mean for us?

HBI - Jesus is the victory that overcomes the world and he showed us mercy in our brokeness by calling us to Himself.

We have victory only in Jesus

It all starts out with remembering that victory only comes from the Lord and no one or nothing else. David realized this and we read it a few times in chapter 8, all things that we learn come back to this idea that Victory is in the Lord our God alone. He is the one who fights our battles.

We fight many battles of our own, many of which deal with temptation and sin. Jesus is the king who fought the battle of sin and death for us and won. So we need to realize that victory comes only through seeking Him alone. we are reminded of this in 1 Cor 15:56-57

1 Corinthians 15:56–57 CSB

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

David’s success is not credited to Himself but to the Lord and that is what we learn as well. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory in Jesus. And we did not deserve it, we deserved death yet Jesus showed us mercy. Now it is up to us to live for Him as king of kings. this is where the seconf point comes in.

Jesus has given us mercy in our brokeness

we see the same idea echoed here again. Who am I that God would show kindness to a dead dog like me. Like Meph, we are broken and do not deserve the loving kindnes sof the Lord. But because of His promises and love we are invited to accept the mercy and grace of God.

we are like Mephibosheth, probably in more ways than we prefer. First, we are born an enemy of the king, because we are part of a family that wanted to take the throne from Jesus. The Bible says we are all descended from Adam, and as such we share in Adam’s nature at our birth. When Adam sinned, he rejected God’s word and God’s rule and instead was seeking to be like God, to rule himself.

That rebellion became part of Adam’s spiritual nature and he passed that nature on to all who descend from him, including you and me. In that sense, we’re like one of Saul’s relatives desiring to compete with David for the right to the throne. And if Jesus did what was easiest, He would just wipe out all His enemies, and Scripture says He has that right

Those who have repented of their sins and given their lives to the Lord become part of the covenant of God made with man and granted an inheritance and the right to be with the Lord and eat at His table.

Stop trying to earn a place at the table—you’ve been invited. We are invited to come to the Lord, to bring our brokeness to the king. Bring your brokenness to the King—He already knows Live like someone who belongs in the King’s house