Harrowing
War is always a hideous sight. The episode that we consider this week makes difficult reading, as we see David and his armies engaging in victorious, gruesome campaigns against the Philistines and the Moabites and then executing two thirds of the latter with barbaric ‘killing measures’ and hamstringing their horses. Once again, we remind ourselves that Scripture is dangerous when it is not read in context. These were bloody days and the Moabites were responsible for the deaths of David’s family. Ironically, his decision to spare a third of the Moabite soldiers would have been seen as an act of great mercy in that era. But victory in one area can mean that we are weak in another. As David was engaged in this military campaign in the far northeast, the Edomites took advantage of his absence and invaded Palestine. News of the invasion reached David, who at once dispatched Joab and some of his forces to deal with the surprise invasion.
Sometimes we get attacked in areas of our life that we least expect. Even as we ride high in victory in one area, downfall awaits us elsewhere. Where do we think that we are so strong, that we would never fail?