VICTORIOUS GOD

Remember, God promised in the last chapter that He would keep Israel safe from their enemies. Since David learned that his son would be building the temple of the Lord, he did everything he could to assist in assuring that it would be a time of peace, so his son could commit all of his attention to such an important project rather than have to concern himself with the threat of any kind of unrest in the land.

So God helped David defeat these cities that were enemies of Israel. In Genesis 15:18, God made a promise to Abraham that Israel would be given the land from the river of Egypt all the way to the great Euphrates River, and as always, we see God stand by His promises. Israel would have enjoyed every bit of this land without all the war they endured, had they only driven out ALL of the enemies from the start, as God commanded, but remember, because they didn't, God told them that they would forever be as a thorn in the side (pain in the neck).

Another thing to always keep in mind, in our own lives, is that a promise is a promise, and God has made promises to us, but those promises can be rendered void if we make choices (this is known as free will) that oppose God.

It's a lot easier to understand the fairness of this when you're the promise maker rather than the promise receiver. Ponder on that sometimes, especially when you face a time in your life that requires a virtuous decision. Ok then, back to the story.