Second Samuel 10, we have David's very kind ambassage to the king of Ammon. The king of Ammon listening to an evil surmising and the crushing defeat that he, the king of Ammon, his nation, and his allies suffer at the hands of Joab and Abishai, as well as the Syrians a second time. Hear now the word of almighty God, inspired by his spirit, profitable for us, 2 Samuel 10, starting at verse one. And it came to pass after this that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. Then said David, I will show kindness unto Hanun, the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon. And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, thinkest thou that David doth honor thy father? that he hath sent comforters unto thee? Hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it? Wherefore, Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away. When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed, and the king said, tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return. And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, 20,000 foot men, and of King Maaka a thousand men, and of Ishtob 12,000 men. And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of the mighty men. And the children of Ammon came out and put the battle in array at the entering in of the gate. and the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob and Ishtob and Ma'akah were by themselves in the field. When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel and put them in array against the Syrians. and the rest of the people, he delivered into the hand of Abishai his brother, that he might put them in array against the children of Ammon. And he said, if the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me. But if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee. Be of good courage and let us play the man, the men for our people and for the cities of our God. And the Lord do that which seemeth him good. And Joab drew nigh and the people that were with him unto the battle against the Syrians and they fled before him. And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, then fled they also before Abishai and entered into the city. So Joab returned from the children of Ammon and came to Jerusalem. And when the Syrians saw that they were smitten before Israel, they gathered themselves together and had a razor sent and brought out the Syrians that were beyond the river. And they came to Helam. And Shobach, the captain of the host of Hadarizer, went before them. And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and passed over Jordan and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in array against David and fought with him. And the Syrians fled before Israel. And David slew the men of 700 chariots of the Syrians and 40,000 horsemen and smote Shobak, the captain of their host who died there. And when all the kings that were servants to Hadarizer saw that they were smitten before Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon anymore. Thus far, the reading of God's inspired, inerrant, and infallible word from 2 Samuel 10. May the Lord bless us in the reading and hearing of it, and now in consideration of his most sacred word. Verses one through five, we have David's friendly embassy sent to Hanun, the king of the Ammonites, Hanun's evil surmise and shameful treatment of David's ambassadors. Note here, verse one, the king of the children of Ammon died and Hanun, his son, reigned in his stead. This was a sad event and it moved and provoked in David compassion. Verse 2, David says, Now God's law requires us to show compassion to those who are suffering, but not in every instance. But especially if someone has done good to us, we are required to do good to them. We're even required to do good to our enemies, but especially to those who have done good to us and also of family friends. God requires this of his people. Now in the Bible, we do not know the specific action that Nahash had done for David. We know that he did some kind of goodness or compassion to him. We don't know what, but here David returns it, sending to comfort his son. Now notice here, verse three, David sends this embassy. They come and they speak in their ears to show mourning and compassion. And what do the servants of Hanan say? Thinkest thou that David doth honor thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? Do you really think that his intentions are good? Do you give David the benefit of the doubt? Because you know, this could be doubtful. Is it possible that these men have come to spy out the land? Well, yes, that is a possibility. Is it also possible that they've come with good intentions to mourn with them that mourn? Yes, that is possible. Giving the benefit of the doubt says, I will assume the best of this person's intentions rather than the worst. Hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee to search the city and to spy it out, to overthrow it? The Dutch annotations note that this Hebrew form strongly confirms what is questioned. So it's phrased as a question, but it's actually a confirmation of what's questioned. Hath not David? Yes, David has, in other words. David has sent his servants to search out the city, to spy it out and to overthrow it. David has malicious ends. He does not wish you well, only evil. David wishes to gather information and to destroy us. Now, let's think through the passage for a moment. Had they assumed the best about David's intentions, would they have been destroyed? No. Since they assumed the worst about David's intentions, were they destroyed? Yes. Kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy, as we say. I note this doctrine. The ninth commandment forbids us from misconstructing intentions, words, and actions. In fact, our divines wisely cite this very verse as a proof text for this assertion. God requires of us that we hear others, do you remember, with what we would like to be heard as? That we ought to do unto others as we would have done to us? That we ought to measure out to others with the yardstick we'd like them to apply to us? Do you think the servants of Hanan would like people to always assume the worst about their intentions? And yet, what do they do to David? Let us learn to be charitable with our ears, how we hear. Let us learn to construct our neighbor's intentions, words, and actions with the presumption of innocence that we ourselves would like. Rather than as Hanun's princes did, assuming evil. Now, if you assume the best about people's intentions, will people not take advantage of you at times? Yes, they will. If you assume the worst about people's intentions, will you sin against them? Oh, most definitely you will. Now, here is a distinction for you. There is no sin in being wronged. There is only sin in doing wrong. Let me repeat that. There is no sin in being wronged. There is only sin in doing wrong. And if you presume others to be innocent and virtuous in their conduct and their speech, doesn't mean you close your eyes to the evils they do. But when it's doubtful, when it could be either way, when you could assume the best or assume the worst, and you choose to assume the worst, you are doing evil. If you assume the best and they burn you, you will be wrong, but you will do no evil. You see, there is no sin in being wronged only in doing wrong. Look what they do. Verse four, with their evil surmising, misconstructing intentions, words, and actions, they took David's servants, shaved off the one half of their beards and cut off their garments in the middle, even to the buttocks. This shameful evil motive within caused them to shamefully mistreat his servants. Now it doesn't tell us did they shave this way or did they shave that way, we don't know. They took off half their beards, they disrobed them, exposed them to public shame, that's what we do know. Now this was not wise on their part. It was very foolish and it brought upon them the very evil that they had surmised about David. Well, well, you're going to get destroyed by David. You're going to get spanked by David because you assumed the worst. David tells the men to tarry at Jericho until their beards be grown. A covering for their shame, in other words. Now Jericho, if you recall, is a city not inhabited at this time. It was not a place for civilization. No city existed. Jericho was destroyed. And do you remember what Joshua said? Cursed is the man that builds Jericho. He shall found it with his firstborn son. And this happened in the days of Ahab, first king 1634. So this is an uninhabited place. Go off where nobody is, reduce your shame and then come back. Verses six through 14, we have David's war against Ammon and the Syrian allies defeated by Joab and Abishai. Verse six, when the children of Ammon saw that they stank before David, Have you ever smelled a dead body of an animal? That's what this word means. When someone stinks the same way that your nose smells the rotting corpse and says, oh, that's disgusting, I hate that. That's how David's soul was toward the Ammonites. They saw that he abhorred them as if they were a loathsome corpse. The children of Ammon, when they saw this, sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba, 20,000 footmen, and of King Maakah, 1,000 men, and of Ishtob, 12,000 men, 33,000 foot soldiers in total to no purpose, to no end. From their own vanity to their own destruction, 33,000 men hired. Perhaps these men of Syria who had been put under tribute by David thought that somehow they'd lose his authority over them. Now, in 1 Chronicles 19, verses six and seven, we find that in addition to 33,000 foot soldiers, they also hired 32,000 cavalry, men on horses. And they paid a very handsome sum, 1,000 talents of silver. That is approximately 1.8 million ounces of silver Now, one ounce is worth about $30 right now of our worthless United States currency. That makes $52.5 million just to hire the cavalry. Quite an expensive sort of evil surmising, wasn't it? And did it do them any good? No. David sends Joab and the greatest ones of his military for this wrong in verse seven. Verse eight, the children of Ammon came out and put the battle in array at the entering in of the gate. And the Syrians were by themselves in the field. Can you notice the hint of irony in God's economy here? Where are the Ammonites who are supposed to be fighting with David? Well, they're right there by the door in case things go bad, and then what are they gonna do? Out. We're going back into our city. We're not gonna stay out here in the field. Who's out in the field? The mercenaries are. The men they hired to fight. You go fight our battles for you. Here's 52 million bucks. Stay out there in the field. We'll stay here in case things go bad, and we'll just go back in our city. Like cowards, in other words. They are caught off guard. They expect the Syrians to stand their ground, but do they? No. He chose all the choice men of Israel. and put them in array against the Syrians. Apparently, Joab considered the Syrians the greater threat. Oh, you're there by the door of your city. You're not too much of a threat. You over here, you hired mercenaries with all your chariots and infantry. You are a threat. So he chooses the choice men. It's a doubling for effect. They're the choice men. They're the best of the best. I'll choose them, and they will be here to fight the most dangerous adversaries. Joab is a skillful general. He puts the cream of the crop against the Syrians who are more likely to fight the hardest, whereas the Ammonites, having a way of escape, are not likely to stand their ground. And if the Syrians are defeated, so Joab thinks, what will the Ammonites do? Turn tail and run into their city. Very wise policy. The rest of the people he delivered into the hand of Abishai, his brother. But the lesser force against the lesser threat, and the greater force against the greater threat, and further, the policy of Joab, extremely wise. Verse 11, if the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me. But if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee. Let's minimize damage, let's maximize force available and at our disposal, and we will use it wisely. We'll allocate it properly. This is wisdom on Joab's side. Now notice verse 12. He says to the men, be of good courage and let us play the men. Joab appeals not merely to wise military policy, but to the manly duty of hardening yourself. That's what being of good courage means. It means to exercise yourself so that you're aching in your muscles, to harden yourself off against dangers or fears. Let us play the men, he says. Be ready to our duty. Be strong and lethal for a good purpose. And here's the purpose. For our people and for the cities of our God. Here is the goal of Christian manhood. Here is the goal of Christian patriotism. Be strong for the good of the people God has put you among. For the inheritance God has granted to you. Love God, love your people, love your land. Now contrast that with the Ammonites. What are they doing? Well, let's hire, we're rich, let's hire some mercenaries. They can go fight our battles for us and we got an escape route in case things go bad here. Does that sound very manly? Does that sound very courageous? Does it sound like they're ready to defend? Well, they don't have a good cause anyways, do they? What's the whole point of this war? You started by violating the ninth commandment, assuming the worst about David, and then that's not enough for you. You shamefully mistreat an act of kindness by another nation. You are asking for trouble. Men, God calls us to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. He tells us to be ready to do our duty, to follow the good example of Joab. Should we be wise and use good policy? Of course, but also let us appeal to heaven, appeal to our natural manhood, use wisdom and lawful policy. Yes, but notice the end of verse 12, and the Lord do that which seemeth him good. Man proposes. The horse is prepared against the day of battle, but how do you win? Safety is of the Lord, Proverbs 21, 31. Man proposes, God disposes. Duty is ours, results are God's. Do we control the results? Do we produce the outcome? That's what Joab is saying. It is the Lord. Let him do what seemeth him good. We've done everything within our power. I've put the strongest force against the most lethal threat, the lesser force against the less lethal. We have a plan in case it goes one way or the other, but God, do as it seems good unto you. Now notice, They fled before him. Now these, in verse 13, the Syrians, these are the first ever mentioned in the Bible of mercenary military force. This is the first time. People hired from foreign nations to fight in a war. This is the first time we ever see this. And it did not end well. Contrast that with Joab. We are men. We have a land. We have a people. We have cities. We have a God. So we're ready to fight. Contrast that. Let's shell out some cash. You fight our battles for us. Did not end well. The Syrians had no skin in the game. Why should they stick around? They got their $52.5 million worth of silver. We're out of here. Forget you. They fled. I note that God's providence often judges poetically. Have you ever heard of poetic justice? That's where in God's providence, the judgment a man receives fits his crime so well, it's like somebody wrote a poem. You remember what they said? These men, they don't intend you well. They don't mean good to you. They mean to spy out the land so they can do what? Destroy us. Well, what happened? They got destroyed, didn't they? Exactly as they falsely accused David, so it was done unto them. Proverbs 26, 27. Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein. And he that rolleth a stone, it will return upon him. You mean evil against others? God might bring that same evil down upon your head. Let us be careful then what we think, how we judge, what measure we measure out to others as it will be measured unto us again, our Lord said. Verse 14, when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, then fled they also before Abishai and entered into the city. themselves humiliated. Their talents upon talents of silver down the drain. Lives lost, themselves humiliated. The Syrian forces rally again and are defeated a second time, verses 15 through 19. They gathered themselves together. Why? Why are they doing this? Didn't Joab return to Jerusalem? Isn't the fight over? Why must you fight again? Pride goeth before a fall. As we say, you should let sleeping dogs lie. You wake them up, they might bite you. Just let them be. David's a sleeping dog. He's not gonna fight you, but they come to fight. And so they will be punished. They brought out the Syrians beyond the river. digging deeper into their military force, trying to seek vengeance against David's dominion. And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together, not merely his principal fighting force under Joab and Abishai, not just the mighty men of David. Now the whole body of the army comes forth. And notice David slew the men of 700 chariots of the Syrians and 40,000 horsemen. This is a massive overthrow, a humiliating loss for the Syrians as well as it had been for the Ammonites. And they made peace, we're told in verse 19, with Israel and served them. So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon anymore. Here, David's dominion is growing, his kingdom becoming more powerful, his enemies becoming fewer. And what do we learn from this? we are to pray thy kingdom come, that the kingdom of Jesus Christ may advance, that the enemies of the kingdom of Christ may be put to tribute, so to speak, to become subjects to the king of kings, that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ would have success in the expansion of his kingdom, that all of his enemies may flee before him, that the nations of the earth may serve him, and that ourselves and others may be brought into his kingdom and kept in it." And thus far the exposition of 2 Samuel chapter 10. Let us join together.