“When all Hadad‘ezer’s vassal kings saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Isra’el and became their subjects. So Aram was afraid to help the people of ‘Amon anymore.”-2 Samuel 10:19
Even though divided, Israel’s army, led by Joab, was HUGE.
As soon as the hired Syrian troops saw them, they panicked and tore off like there was no tomorrow.
When the Ammonite soldiers in Rabbah heard about it, they rushed inside the city walls like a bunch of petrified rats.
Why did they act like such cowards?
Well, here’s the ugly truth.
Ammon’s army and leaders never believed they could win.
That’s why, after Hanun insulted Israel’s messengers (basically a declaration of war), they scrambled to hire extra fighters.
But once they locked themselves inside their city, it was game over.
Joab didn’t even bother with a siege.
Instead, he returned to Jerusalem.
Why?
As we’ll see in the next chapter, it was late fall, which means it was cold and rainy.
In other words, it was the worst time possible for a siege.
Plus, the enemy retreating was proof enough that they were never a real threat to Israel anyway!
On the other hand, the Syrians (aka the Arameans) had way more pride than the Ammonites.
After losing, their king, Hadad-Ezer, wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet.
He called for backup from lands far beyond Syria.
I’m talking about territory that stretched way past Israel, across the Euphrates River.
These weren’t volunteers.
They were his vassals, meaning they had no choice but to send soldiers.
They gathered at a place called Heilam, east of the Jordan River, with a new leader in charge:
A man named Shovakh.
Now, for some reason, David decided to lead his army this time.
He marched to Heilam and crushed Hadad-Ezer’s big coalition of Aramean forces.
They wiped out a huge group of chariots and cavalry.
David’s victory was so overwhelming that Hadad-Ezer’s allies dropped their weapons, surrendered, and pledged loyalty to David on the spot!
The Arameans and Syrians, who were just in it for the money (paid by Hanun, King of Ammon), had no choice but to retreat.
They had to focus on defending themselves because other nations noticed they had just gotten their butts whipped and were ready to take advantage!
So, there are two key takeaways here.
First, sometimes, there’s no substitute for good old-fashioned military force.
I know pacifists prefer negotiation over fighting.
But as someone once said:
“If Gandhi had tried his non-violent tactics with Hitler, he would’ve been turned into a lampshade.”
Brutal?
Yes.
But sometimes, violence is the only option.
Case in point: When Hadad‘ezer’s vassal kings saw they were defeated, they immediately made peace with David and submitted to Israel.
The second takeaway?
It’s best explained with a story.
A bear was chasing a deer.
An onlooker said, “The deer will escape.”
Someone asked, “How do you know?”
The man replied…
“Because the deer is running for its life.
But the bear is only running for his lunch.”
See the difference?
The Arameans and Syrians were fighting for money.
Israel was fighting for its God-given inheritance.
That’s a whole different level of motivation.
And when you’re fighting for God’s kingdom?
You become almost unstoppable.
Ya feel me?
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“I can do all things through
Messiah who strengthens me.”
-Philippians 4:13
NEXT TIME WE BEGIN 2ND SAMUEL CHAPTER ELEVEN
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