The Lord Preserved David Whithersoever He Went
“Then David put garrisons in Syriadamascus; and the Syrians became David’s servants, and brought gifts. Thus the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.” —I Chronicles 18:6
David is one of the most significant Bible characters found in the Word of God, and he is one of my favorite persons to read about. In this particular chapter, we find King David bringing Israel into a place where there are no enemies around them. David, through the help of the Lord, had subdued every enemy that surrounded the nation of Israel. Every enemy that Saul could not conquer, David defeated. Even though this Old Testament story is about David, it also refers to the child of God, and how he should live his life. As every enemy was subdued by David, so it should be with the strongholds in our lives. We must experience triumph over our enemies and live in a state of complete victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil.
Subduing The Inward Foes In Our Lives
Before we get into how this story applies to our lives, I would like to deal with a critical point: conquering the inward foe. In the life of a believer, the case for so much failure is not defeating the inward enemy. Take Saul, for instance. The last picture we see of Saul—the people’s king—is a man lying on the battlefield, dead from a self-inflicted wound by his own sword. In other words, he committed suicide. The Philistines were known as “an inward foe,” meaning that they were an enemy inside the territory that God promised Abraham many years before. This enemy had to be defeated, but Saul failed. It’s a sad moment to see the king of Israel dead from a self-inflicted wound. Had he been obedient to the will of God, we would not have found Saul in this situation.
How many Christians, or how many young people, still have Philistines in their lives? How many young people, who love God with all of their hearts, live with inward enemies dominating their lives? The greatest enemies we face are not outward but inward. We may never look at it as such, but it’s true. Satan knows that if he can keep his strongholds within our lives, our walk with the Lord will be hindered. Each one of these inward foes must be defeated, no matter what they are, and without question. If they are not brought under subjection, we will continue to live a spiritual life of failure. Even though the foes of inward opposition are many, the answer for each one is the same—the cross.
There is only one way to have total victory in our lives: through faith in Christ and Him crucified. The enemies of our lives can be brought down and subdued by no other means. For the Christian to live victorious over enemies seeking to steal, kill, and destroy, there are no other avenues available. Only when our faith is placed in the cross of Christ can the Holy Spirit do a work within our lives that will bring about the victory we need.
The Only Solution
David’s first act as king was defeating the Jebusites (I Chron. 11:4). These people mocked David and informed him that even their weak and sick could easily do away with David and his army. However, it was the will of God for the Jebusites to be defeated, and David did just that. He first crushed this particular inward enemy of God, which would lead to the Philistines (I Chron. 14), another inward foe.
Once again, allow me to state that if we do not defeat the enemies within our lives, these strongholds of Satan will, without fail, ultimately overcome us. That is why we preach the cross as strong as we do, for the cross of Christ is the only way to have complete and total victory over these strongholds of the enemy. Paul writes, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (II Cor. 10:4). The strongholds that Satan has erected in the very center of our lives can be pulled down, but we cannot do it in and of ourselves.
The only way to experience the victory that we are discussing is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ! Without that, there is no victory. Man is burdened down with sin, and most Christians have strongholds of Satan in their lives with no victory in sight. The only solution to man’s sin problem is the cross of Christ! This goes for young and old alike—the same cross that saved the old is the same cross that redeems the young.
Will The Cross Work For Teenagers?
Simply put, yes! There is no separate way for young people from that which is given in the Bible. Jesus Christ did not present another way for the youth of Israel that was different for adults; it was all the same: “Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28-30). This yoke that Christ is speaking of is the cross. Once a believer places his faith in the cross of Christ—and the cross alone—the Holy Spirit is given the ability to work in his life and do for him what he could not do for himself. Yet, there is one word in this passage from Matthew that the modern church world needs to look at very carefully—the word all. This means that the cross of Christ is precisely what our young people need. I will never back up from saying this: the cross of Christ will work for our teenagers and young adults. The cross works for all ages.
The Lord Gave Victory To David
Now David turns to the outward antagonist, Hadarezer. Hadarezer was an external (outward) foe. He ruled from the capital of Zobah, north of Damascus. Through the Lord’s help, David was able to realize victory over the Syrian army and captured one thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. Even when the Syrians from Damascus came to the aid of Hadarezer, David defeated them by killing twenty-two thousand Damascus soldiers and placing a permanent presence in Damascus. Defeating enemies from within and without, David took the spoils viewed in power and glory of the enemy and utilized them in the temple. He displayed them as trophies of the power and goodness of God.
All enemies were defeated, and the ark of God was seated and enthroned in Israel’s very center. As a result, rest was experienced across the land. Once Christ is seated and enthroned in the very center of our lives, victory over all the enemies of our lives—inward and outward—will be the end result. It is not the will of God that we live in a defeated state with the powers of darkness reigning and ruling over us. Neither is it the will of God that we experience victory over a few of our enemies, but not all. Instead, it is the will of God that we have victory over every single one of our enemies. Just as David achieved victory over his enemies, we can, too. God has already provided us the victory over every stronghold that currently resides in our lives. We must appropriate it through faith in what Christ has accomplished for us as Calvary.
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