A Kingdom of Strength and Mercy

2 Samuel 8-10

            If we placed David’s conquests on a map, we would find out that he extended the borders of Israel beyond anything anyone had imagined. Aram is modern day Syria, and Moab and Ammon are modern day Jordan. Just glancing at a modern map suggests David extended Israel’s reach by about 600%!

            Reading other historical sources helps explain how this is possible. Roughly in David’s lifetime both Egypt and the Hittites (modern day Turkey) had fallen on to hard times. And Babylon wasn’t a great power then, either. North, south, and east, there was a power vacuum, and David stepped into this vacuum, taking advantage of the relative weakness of his neighbors.

            In terms of power and influence, the combined reigns of David and Solomon were a golden age for Israel. And, yes, that show of power included a great deal of brutality, too.

            Yet, David is also a man of mercy. He had promised Jonathan that he would take care of the latter’s family, and in chapter 9, he does. Understand that in most of human history, one would have gotten rid of a former king’s family altogether through execution or exile, otherwise they would have been a constant threat around which the opposition might coalesce. (Earlier this year, I read a history of the Byzantine Empire, and the number of times a former ruler came back to cause problems was mind-boggling!) But David takes that risk and welcomes Mephibosheth to his table and, in effect, to his household.

            It’s a bit of a whiplash effect: David is brutal towards some enemies, but towards another he is gracious as the Lord Himself. I think if we’re looking for an example for our lives, we want to head for the latter reaction. After all, that’s what Jesus did, praying for those who crucified Him, and it’s what Jesus commanded (Matthew 5:44). In Christ, even those whom we might regard as enemies are forgiven by His blood and we do well to see them as the objects of God’s mercy.