Victory

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

VICTORY

2 Sam 10:15-19

15 After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they regrouped. 16 Hadadezer had Arameans brought from beyond the River; they went to Helam, with Shobach the commander of Hadadezer's army leading them. 17 When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan and went to Helam. The Arameans formed their battle lines to meet David and fought against him. 18 But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also struck down Shobach the commander of their army, and he died there. 19 When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with the Israelites and became subject to them. So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.

NIV

David made sure the Arameans would never want to come to the aid of the Ammonites again, because he so defeated them, killing so many, that what army they had wasn’t enough to fight anyone, and they were filled with fear of David and the Israelites. Sometimes we wonder why God included all these wars with all the killing of the enemies of Israel. Yet, they were his chosen people, and any nation that came against them, the LORD did what was right in his sight. Because we know that God does not show favoritism, we wonder why Israel was considered His chosen people, for that would seem to indicate that He favored them. However, we believe He chose Israel to reveal Himself to the world, showing His mighty power and sovereignty. We also know from what God inspired Paul to write that Israel, or his chosen people, is not Israel because of physical circumcision, but true Israel is the people whom God has circumcised their hearts. Therefore, there is no army or followers of the evil one who can stand against the power of God or the hand of God upon us. In fact, they already know he is defeated, and they are afraid to come to his aid in trying to draw up battle lines against us. The Lord will always do what is right in his sight, which includes destroying any forces of evil that attempt to fight against us. In fact, the Lord has dressed us, or given us his armor, and we must put it on, so that we can take our stand against all the forces of evil both in the world and in the heavenly or spiritual realms. In fact, the vassals of Satan have become subject to us, as they were to the disciples when they were able to drive out demons because Jesus gave them the authority. We have that authority through Jesus and his armor to stand our ground, to not be defeated, but to defeat evil, so that it will be afraid to fight us. The problem is that we forget we have God’s armor, and we allow the forces is evil to take its stand against us, and force its way into our lives, pushing us around, causing havoc and chaos in our lives, and then we become afraid, living defeated lives, without the available power of God. Will our bodies cause us some pain on occasion? Sure, we still live within a perishable form, and age will wear on it, but that does not mean our spirits will perish; but can stand strong, as we live with courageous endurance till we finish the race. When we stand with God, he stands with us, and no enemy can prevail against us, for we already have the victory.