The Subtle Attacks Of The Devil

This evening we pick up again our studies in Second Samuel.

And the studies so far, or the story so far of these events in the

lives of God's people tells us of their, not surprisingly, rejection

of God's ways.

And this was seen right at the very beginning of 1st Samuel because

they rejected God's prophet Samuel and they wanted a king.

And why did they want a king?

Because they wanted a king to be like the rest of the nations around

them.

So their eyes were kept low as they looked around them rather than

looking upward to the God who promised to be with them.

And so the historical book that concludes before First Samuel,

the Book of Judges, tells us of the state in which the people

were in.

And so Judges ends by telling us that everyone did what was right

in their own eyes.

In other words, they didn't look to the Lord, but they depended

on their own moral code for judgment of what was right and what

was wrong.

And of course you can guess, everyone set themselves as the limit

as to what was right and they would always be better than everyone

else.

And so the story of First Samuel is about the first kings of

Israel, that being King Saul and then King David.

But the significance is that Samuel was the leader of the community

of God, not self appointed, but appointed by God.

And it was the people who were rejecting Samuel, his appointment,

and ultimately what was God's way.

So God allowed them to have a king and they truly got the king

that they deserved.

Lots were cast and the lots fell on Saul from the tribe of Benjamin.

And initially it looked like Saul was everything the nation wanted.

He was tall, he was handsome, he was youthful.

Even after he was anointed, what did he do?

He went back to work at his father's field.

But power soon corrupted him and he became an unfit ruler for

the covenant people of God.

Rather than upholding the covenant, he abused it and fell far

short of what God's standard was.

And so halfway through the book of First Samuel, in chapter

16, the Lord directs Samuel to anoint a young shepherd boy from

Bethlehem as king.

Now it would be 15 years before he, he would take the throne.

And when he did, the royal line of Saul died with him.

And so as we now come into Second Samuel, the first nine chapters

have been about David establishing his kingdom.

He made sure that there was never a claim to the throne of Saul.

And in chapter nine we saw the kindness that he demonstrated to

Jonathan's son Mephibosheth, that is Saul's grandson David spurred

him because of that covenant friendship that he had with Jonathan.

But there's one key thing that the first part of Second Samuel told

us.

This is important to understand the significance of chapter

10.

In chapter 7, we were told in verses 1 and 2.

Now, when the king, I.e.

David, lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from

all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet,

see, now I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells

in a tent.

What we're told in this passage is that David had fought

his battles, he had defended the name of the Lord and his people,

and the land was at rest, everything was going well, and there

was no need to go out and fight because David had secured the

borders of the promised land.

That's why chapter 10 may and should surprise us, because once

again we see the horrors of battle and of war.

But this chapter has greater significance in the life of David

than we may first realize, because this chapter bridges the

scene of being at peace and rest in the land to the personal

sin that David commits with Bathsheba and is the catalyst for

the events that follow.

So everything that is in chapter 10, well, it is seen.

The outworking of it is seen in the following chapters.

Now, I think we all are aware of what a catalyst is.

In science, a catalyst is a reaction.

We might also think of a catalyst in terms of events.

And whether it be a reaction or an event, Well, a catalyst is

something that happens, that directly links to the next reaction

or event.

It is what causes what happens next, like a domino falling against

another domino.

And so you see them all falling down.

Now, this catalyst event was not the fault of David, but was the

work of the devil to lead God's anointed king into sin.

It is a chain reaction that puts in motion a time in David's

life that demonstrates how easily sin can take hold and make

shipwreck of faith.

Now, chapter 10 is not the sin.

The sin follows in chapter 11 and the consequences in chapter 12

of David and lust and falling into sin and falling into more sin

to cover his wrongs.

But it's right here that the devil uses an event so that David

will fall into sin.

So chapter 10 begins for us with the death of an ally of David's,

the king of the Ammonites, Nahash dies.

Now, Nahash was the long reigning Ammonite king who had so

viciously assaulted the Israelite town of Jabesh Gilead in

the early days of Saul's reign.

So it's hard to imagine David's entering into a covenant

with such a wicked People, pagan ruler.

But it's not hard to imagine that during David's years, those

10 years or so as a fugitive from Saul, some of which were spent

in the general region near Nahash's realm, Saul's Ammonite enemy

may have found it to their benefit to extend aid or supplies

to David, who was Saul's Israelite rival.

It's even easier to imagine a desperate David accepting such help

from this Ammonite king.

And so now, years later, David is determined to honor Nahash's kindness

and reach out in good faith to his heir.

Because verse two tells us what David desires to do.

And David said, I will deal loyally with Nahun, the son of Nahash,

as his father dealt loyally with me.

So here we know that there is a connection.

And although it's not explicit in Scripture, we believe that it

extends from that period when David sought refuge in the wilderness.

And the Ammonite king Nahash was the one who gave him that.

So what does David Do?

Verse 2 continues.

So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father,

and David's servants came into the land of the Ammonites.

Now, this is a friendly action, similar to a nation's sending

representatives to a head of state's funeral as we would know

it today.

By the way, did you notice that at the funeral of King Harold,

the protocol is that the British crown never goes in person?

And so that's why Prince William, the Prince of Wales, represented

the king, because the king does not attend funerals of that

nature.

And so it seems similar from the time of David.

He doesn't go directly, but he sends his men.

But the men are not received as would have been hoped.

Instead of being welcomed as mourners and loyal to the royal family,

those advising the new king of the Ammonites start to believe that

this is a Trojan horse with David's men coming in to spy, to

suss them out, so, so that David can come and attack.

And their main point is they believe that with Nahash out of the

way, David will try to take over their lands.

Nahum listens to these foolish advisors and he rejects David's emissaries.

And he goes further than rejecting them.

He insults them and he embarrasses them.

And in doing so, as emissaries of the king, he embarrasses and insults

David.

Listen to verse four.

So Hanun took David's servants and shaved off half the beard of

each and cut off their garments in the middle at their hips

and sent them away.

Now we may have A wry smile on our faces at the thought of these

men with only half a beard.

And let me tell you, it wasn't half bottom up, it was half sideways

along.

And this was a huge insult to them.

It was great offense towards David and to the children of Israel.

Not only did they look ridiculous, but they wouldn't be

able to attend services of worship because they were ritually

unclean.

But not only were they made to look ridiculous by cutting their

garments at the hip, that was to reveal their undergarments, causing

greater shame and embarrassment.

So what was supposed to be a solemn representation to a grieving

king and a grieving nation ended up as a threat of war.

And that is how David sees it.

But David doesn't react.

David doesn't have a knee jerk reaction to rally the troops and

send them out to avenge.

Rather, David's first concern is for his men.

This is why he is truly a covenant king.

And this is what he does in verse five.

Because when it was told David, he sent to meet them, for

the men were greatly ashamed.

And the king said, remain at Jericho until your beards have grown

and then return.

David's kindness to the men is seen in his career.

He sends them to Jericho to recover and allow their beards to

grow out again so that they can return to normal court life.

But David doesn't simply end the situation there.

He takes action to defend his men, his nation and to defend the

Lord God.

And this is immediately seen by the Ammonites.

Verse 6 tells us of their response that when the Ammonites

saw that they had become a stench to David, so somehow it is

told to them that David is furious.

And the Ammonites sent and hired the Syrians up Beth Rehob and

the syrians of Zoba, 20,000 foot soldiers and the king of Maacah

with a thousand men, and the men of Tob, 12,000 men.

Now they had a moment to really do something good here, but

they don't.

And rather than seeking forgiveness and trying to defuse

the situation, they upped the ante.

They gird themselves for battle.

The advice to the Ammonite king is to build an army to defend

themselves against David.

And so moving people of this number doesn't go unnoticed.

And David finds out about it.

And that lasting peace that was in the land that rest that they

have known is gone as the nation is flung into conflict again.

So David sends out his commander, the chief of his army,

Joab, and the armies of Israel.

But things don't go in favor for the children of Israel.

Verse 8 tells us that the Ammonites and their allies position

themselves so that the battle will have to be fought on two fronts

by the Israelites.

The Ammonites came out of Rabbah and drew up battle lines at

the entrance of the gate to defend their capital.

And here's an idea of where all of this plays out, because you

have Jerusalem right there in the middle of the map.

Over to the right you have where the Ammonites are, but then

you have up north, that plain where the Syrians are, because the

Syrian troops unexpectedly take up position before medeba, which

is 20 miles from the Ammonite capital.

And so this is why verse 8 tells us that they were by themselves

in the open country, that is in territory where chariots can be

more effectively deployed.

So right in the middle come the Israelites, and what are they

going to do?

They can't fight on two fronts.

Joab is concerned.

He knows that the battle is against them, but he still fights.

And as we will see, the fight is for the honor of the Lord God.

He organizes his men by splitting them up to meet the challenge.

So he considers the Syrian mercenaries to pose the greater danger

and chooses some verse nine tells us there the best men of Israel

to deal with them, keeping this contingent under his own control,

while the remainder of the troops are deployed under Abishai,

his brother, to counter the Ammonites defending their city, their

capital, Rabbah.

So Joab also arranges for each Israelite contingent to be kept informed

of the other situation so that they can assist each other if needed.

And this is a very wise and tactful move on his part.

And so to motivate his men, Joab gives them a rallying call so

that they will take their stand against the Enem.

And in verse 12 he says to them, be of good courage and let

us be courageous for our people and for the cities of our

God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.

Now, this is the first time we're seeing a different side to

the ruthless and hard bitten Joab.

It is only in his rallying call to the troops that there is

any mention of God in the whole chapter.

And, but also from Joab himself, who we've always seen as

more of a military man rather than a religious man.

And he speaks as one who recognizes the Lord's providential

ordering of events.

And so he encourages his troops to be courageous, literally

meaning to stand strong for our people, for the nation as a whole,

and particularly for the cities of God, probably those Israelite

cities on the east bank of the Jordan that would be in the line

of fire from the Ammonites and, and their mercenary armies.

And as the battle begins, we read in verse 13, so Joab and the

people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians

and they fled before him.

Now this should be a surprise for us because in our minds we should

expect a battle to rage on.

The Israelites are outnumbered.

There are Syrian mercenaries employed to fight for the Ammonites.

And so maybe we were expecting a great battle to ensue.

But on this occasion God is pleased to grant Joab and his army

success against the Syrians.

And as hired troops, they value their personal safety and they

soon flee from the encounter.

No casualties are stated here in the text.

No decisive battle has been won.

But these mercenaries are out of the picture and this is communicated

to the other flank.

And the same thing happens on the other front.

Verse 14 tells us that the Ammonites aren't so tough without

their mercenaries, and they too flee and go into their city.

And the text simply tells us that Joab comes home victorious and

the conflict is averted for now.

But the Syrians who fled now gather themselves and realize the

shame that is on them for running away.

They regroup after their defeat and add to their numbers with

reinforcements from the Syrians who who were beyond the Euphrates.

So they bring more people from further away in.

So now we're heading to northwest Mesopotamia, which had

been incorporated into Hadezaar's mini empire.

And so what he does is he amasses his forces at Helam with

Shobach as their commander.

And so now once again, David is drawn into battle and they go

to war against Israel.

And David does come out with certainty to fight them.

And they're defeated with David, we're told, killing thousands

of Syrian soldiers and killed Shobach, their commander.

And verse 19 concludes, concludes this chapter by telling

us, and when all the kings who were servants of Hadezer saw that

they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel

and became subject to them.

So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore after

needless conflict, because of the conspiracy theories of the Ammonite

advisors, thousands were killed and a campaign of war was

reignited.

So why is this key to understanding what comes next?

Well, this is key because war continues, leading to David's armies

to go out and fight, leaving David in Jerusalem.

And that's where he sees Bathsheba, and that's where he commits

his adultery.

The sin is not in the battle against the Ammonites, which David

did not seek.

But the Devil knew David's heart.

And so, months before anything ever happened, the Devil used this

battle to ignite further conflicts so that David would be

at home with no one around him and the sin would be able to go into

his life.

That's for next week.

Although it's important to keep in mind, because the events

of this conflict were truly seeded by Satan, the vacuum of truth

within the Ammonite court led to their conspiracies.

Do you see how Satan works?

Do you see how he plays out even in the world today, where there

is a rejection of truth, where there is an ignoring of truth, where

there is blatant disregard for truth?

In that vacuum, the Devil will seed thoughts that still today we

will declare as the book of Judges finishes.

Everyone does what is right in their own eyes.

You see, Satan is still as active today.

But the conflicts that we have around us are on a spiritual scale.

Because according to the New Testament, the great battles that

Christians fight today take place mainly in the form of spiritual

warfare.

That's why Paul writes in Ephesians chapter 6 and verse 12.

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the

rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers

over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil

in the heavenly places.

All too often we're used to thinking of physical conflict, physical

fighting.

But the battle rages on 247 as the devil tries to pull God's people

away from the love of their have for their Savior and a phrase

that has been mentioned so often to make shipwreck of their

faith.

I wonder, do you really know this?

I wonder, do you realize that there is a spiritual battle being

fought around you and that the evil one wants you to fall into sin?

Do you realize that this is not just some life where some days

are good and some days are bad, and it's only in the bad days

that we can point Satan as being the one at fault.

I wonder, do you realize each and every moment of every day he

is trying to pull you away?

Who would have thought the mighty King David would fall into

such sin as we will discover the man who is after God's own heart,

and yet he does.

But even though we may not know the full force of Satan that

is still telling us one truth, that the Lord is still preserving

his people and keeping them from a thousand assaults of the evil

one.

You see, Satan lays his traps carefully and the consequences can

reach much further than we can ever imagine.

And so the conflict is Real.

And the conflict is personal.

Satan wants to corrupt you so that you will in turn corrupt others

through your anger, your bitterness, your spite, your lies,

or your compromise.

This is how he works.

And the seed for David's downfall into sin is sown here in

chapter 10.

There was peace and no need for war.

Yet the devil brought about war so that the armies of Israel

would continue to fight, leaving David to fall into sin.

But I want you to notice what David and what Joab both did.

When the name of God and the welfare of God's people were threatened,

they did not retreat.

Both David and Joab took their stand.

And that is the challenge for us tonight.

Because the question is, where are you standing?

Are you standing firmly for Christ, or are you giving the enemy

ground in your life?

Are you resisting sin, or are you making excuses for it?

Are you prepared to stand for the truth of God even when it costs

you?

Are you simply rolling over and just entering into it?

These are questions that we all must answer and all must face.

Because the only way to know that we can stand firm when Satan

tries to attack us is to do what David and Joab did was to lift

higher the name of God and to defend his name.

That's why Paul writes in Ephesians 6:13.

Ephesians 6:13

Therefore, take up the whole armor of God that you may be able

to withstand in the evil day.

And having done all, to stand firm.

So how will you stand firm?

How will you stand against the wave of attacks that the devil will

bring?

Well, first of all, you believe and trust that the Lord is

saving you from a thousand others, because Satan is at it all

the time.

And we are saved from so much that we do not realize because of

our utter dependence on God.

But to take that stand in that day means we must know God's word

so that, as Jesus taught us, we can rely on tort Satan with scripture,

that we will know the truths of who God is to us and that he will

keep us if we trust in Him.

And this is the sad story of the children of Israel.

They rejected God.

They rejected his ways.

They wanted a king like all the other nations, and they got exactly

what they deserved.

And they continue to reject God long after King David.

The kingdom divides in two.

They fight and they fight and they fight, never honoring God.

And so we stand by honoring him and presenting him before the

Satan so that we will know who our confidence is in.

You see, the battle is real.

The enemy is real.

But the truth that we must know this night is that Christ is

greater.

So take your Stand.

Stand firm in Christ.

Stand firm against sin.

Stand firm for the truth.

And having done all, stand.

This sin weighs us down.

That's what sin does.

But we have one who is greater.

And we have one who has gone to the cross so that we can reject

sin and trust only in Him.

That's what it means to stand.

So will you accept Jesus?

Will you trust in Jesus?

And when you know that the Satan is attacking you, will you

stand firm?

Don't give in, don't make excuse for the sin, but stand firm,

trusting in Jesus that He is the only way, the only truth, the

only life.

For he is the true King of God's people to whom we look and

to the One who will keep us as we stand for Him.

So stand firm for Christ and know the defeat of Satan now and

fully in eternity.

Let's pray.

Our Father God, we thank youk for this Old Testament passage that

at times we can read and is simply a story, but yet we see how

the devil is at work and how this one event will be the domino

effect, the catalyst that will move David into sin.

And so we pray that we will be on our guard, that we will stand

firm.

We will know who our enemy is.

And Father, we will be true to who you are to us.

Save us from sinning.

We pray.

Thank you that you keep us from a thousand sins.

But Lord, we pray that we will stand against the fiery darts of

the evil one.

Having done all to stand.

Lord, may Christ be more to us this night as we look ever to him

and live in his truth.

And it's in Jesus name we pray.

Amen.