In
the first round of the conflict with the Ammonites and the 33,000 Aramean
mercenaries, David’s men led by Joab came out victorious. Logically speaking, a
good strategy would be to pursue the enemy since they were already fleeing. But
Joab did not. Instead, he called off the fight and returned to Jerusalem with
his men. Though no reason was given for why they did not pursue to the very
end, we can venture a sanctified guess. Perhaps it was because he wanted his
already tired men to have a rest. We are also not told of any casualty from his
end but perhaps there were some who needed minor treatments. Well, these are
just sanctified conjectures.
Second
Samuel 10:15-19 tells us that the Arameans were not happy with their defeat. So
they sought to retaliate. From 2 Samuel 8:3, we know that the Arameans led by
Hadadezer, the son of Rehob the king of Zobah sought to recoup their loss. So
he mobilized his allies, and Arameans from his other cities and assembled a
strong force. They gathered at Helam, a
city near the northeast border of Israel. Sobach was the commander assigned to
take charge of this mission.
When
David heard of the renewed Aramean force that was stationed at Helam, he
garnered all Israel and they crossed the Jordan to confront them. David must
have taken the Arameans by surprise. The allied forces probably did not
think that David could mobilize his force at so short a time. This sudden
attack by David and his men was swift and thorough. The Arameans were routed
and fled before the army of David. Verse 18 said that David killed 700 charioteers
and 40,000 horsemen. Sobach, the commander of the Arameans, was also
killed. Hadadezer’s allies were all defeated, so they surrendered and made
peace with David to serve Israel. The chapter closed by saying that the
Arameans were fearful of helping the Ammonites anymore.
A certain amount of challenges and uncertainties even during peacetime is
needful. They will help us to stay alert in our walk with God. While victory in
life is always welcome, it may make us complacent. Most people tend to let
their guard down after a victorious experience. Because after a victory there
is the tendency to feel that one deserves a break and enjoy life for a while.
Often times that break becomes one day too long, and complacency and
carelessness begin to set in. Before long one would begin to cater to their
undesirable pandering. This will be the start of one’s downward spiral. God
allows us to experience peace, but we must never enjoy it without keeping God
in focus. To do so without considering God will cause us to risk pandering to
the undesirables of life. Perhaps, that’s the reason Proverbs 3:6 tells us to
acknowledge God in all our ways and He will make straight our path. Always
stay alert after we have experienced a
victory.
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