“The army of ‘Amon came out and went into battle formation at the entrance to the city gate; the men of Aram from Tzovah and Rechov and the men of Tov and Ma‘akhah were by themselves in the open countryside.”-2 Samuel 10:8
After Hanun’s humiliation of David’s diplomats…
Any goodwill on David’s part went right out the proverbial window.
David wasn’t about to sit around on his butt and wait to get assaulted.
He knew the enemy was gearing up, so he took action.
He sent his top general, Yo’av, with Israel’s full army to face them head-on.
Here’s how the battle played out:
Ammon’s army stayed close to their capital city, Rabbah, guarding the king’s palace.
Meanwhile, the hired Syrian troops spread out in the open plains of Medeba, about four miles away.
This forced Israel to split its army and fight on two fronts.
Yo’av picked his best, most battle-ready soldiers and led them himself against the Syrians near Medeba.
Yo’av’s brother, Avishai, took charge of the rest of Israel’s army and went up against Hanun’s troops near the walls of Rabbah.
The plan was simple:
Yo’av would fight the hired Syrians while Avishai took on the Ammonites.
If one side started losing, the other would rush in to help.
They were fighting on two fronts at the same time, aiming to win both battles.
But if that didn’t work, they’d ditch one fight and team up again to hit harder together.
So there’s an important thing to observe about David’s behavior here, and I hope you catch it.
This was the first time David stayed comfortably back home while he sent his army off to battle.
Instead of leading them into the fight like he had always done…
He sent them out while he kicked back in his palace.
David was acting like your average sedentary monarch so typical of the times.
But that’s not how God’s leaders are supposed to act.
A true king in God’s Kingdom doesn’t just send others to fight or wait to be served.
He leads.
He serves.
The Lord demonstrated this by traveling with Israel’s army via the Ark of the Covenant…
Not because God’s spiritual presence was physically contained inside the golden box…
But as an encouraging reminder, He was with His people.
Israel’s kings were supposed to follow that example.
A younger David did.
But not this time.
And that’s your takeaway for today.
A true Godly leader is to serve and not be served.
He is to lead and not just send.
Ya feel me?
See ya all next time.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“For even the Son of Man
did not come to be served,
but to serve, and give his
life as a ransom for many.”
-Mark 10:45
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