"And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel, and passed over Jordan, and came upon them, and set [the battle] in array against them. So when David had put the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him. But the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians seven thousand [men which fought in] chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host.” (1Ch 19:17-18 AV)
The Ammonites hired the Syrians and others to come against Israel. Hannun, the king of the Ammonites insulted David and thought that David would invade as a result. He took preemptive action to go against Israel before David had a chance to respond. They surrounded Jerusalem. David sent Joab and his brother to deal with it. Joab split his forces in two. One to go against the Syrians. The other against the Ammonites. As the battle ensued, the Syrians believe themselves to be winning. The plan was for the stronger side to assist the weaker side, depending on the progression of the battle. Yet, we see David come against the Syrians to assist Joab. The enemy may think they are winning, but when the king shows up, the war is over! David arrives and makes quick work of defeating his foes. It isn’t even close. David is a picture of the second coming of Christ. The enemies of God may think they are winning, but our King will show and it will be all over but the digging of a mass grave!
Those who hate God are under the illusion that God can be defeated. They think they can defeat God be martyring all His children, destroying all His institutions, writing all His laws out of existence, and sinking human culture into the deepest depravity possible. As churches close and fewer people profess faith in Christ, they believe the battle is turning in their favor. When the laws of the world change to honor a depraved value system, they think God has been successfully kicked out of His creation. They erroneously assume that liberty to be wicked means permanent victory over their Creator. Celebration over the freedom to kill the innocent, mutilate the weak, and inclusion of all evil is seen as the preeminence of mankind and the fall of an omnipotent Creator. What foolishness. As the ranks of Satan’s forces manipulate mankind to destroy itself and the people of God in the process, one unavoidable fact remains. God has not yet had the last word. The King has not yet arrived.
What is really encouraging is to note the success that David had, which Joab could not match. Joab was losing the battle. His brother could not help because he, too, was overwhelmed. When David shows up, it appears as though his presence immediately and swiftly changed the course of the battle. It does not seem as though David struggled at all. He arrived, and the battle was won. What a picture of the second coming of Christ. His victory will be immediate and swift. Within a mere matter of moments, the enemies of God will be conquered and dispensed with. It will be so swift and decisive that it will be like pressing a button of flipping a switch. One moment the entire world we gather and rise against Jesus. The next moment, they won’t exist. It will be that quick. Like the calming of the seas wherein Christ spoke and immediately the sea was calm, the same will be true at His coming. I cannot wait!
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