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Speaker 1: I'm John Stanghy, and today we're in First Chronicles, chapter nineteen,
Speaker 1: and we'll be reading from the contemporary English version. Sometime later,
Speaker 1: King Nahsh of Ammon died and his son Henan became King.
Speaker 1: David said, nay Hash was kind to me, so I
Speaker 1: will be kind to his son. He sent some officials
Speaker 1: to Ammon to tell Hanan how sorry he was that
Speaker 1: his father had died. But when David's officials arrived at Ammon,
Speaker 1: the Ammonite leaders said to Hanan, do you really believe
Speaker 1: King David is honoring your father by sending these men
Speaker 1: to comfort you. He probably sent them to spy on
Speaker 1: our country so he can come and destroy. Hanin arrested
Speaker 1: David's officials and had their beard shaved off and their
Speaker 1: robes cut off just below the waist, and then he
Speaker 1: sent them away. They were terribly ashamed. When David found
Speaker 1: out what had happened to his officials, he sent a
Speaker 1: message that told them stay in Jericho until your beards
Speaker 1: grow back. Then you can come home. The Ammonites realized
Speaker 1: they had made David furious, so they paid over thirty
Speaker 1: tons of silver to hire chariot troops from Mesopotamia and
Speaker 1: from the Syrian kingdoms of Macah and Zoba. Thirty two
Speaker 1: thousand troops, as well as the king of Macan his
Speaker 1: army came and camped near Medeba. The Ammonite troops also
Speaker 1: left their towns and came to prepare for battle. David
Speaker 1: heard what was happening, and he sent out Joab with
Speaker 1: his army. The Ammonite troops marched to the entrance of
Speaker 1: the city and prepared for battle while the Syrian troops
Speaker 1: took their position in the open fields. Joab saw that
Speaker 1: the enemy troops were lined up on both sides of him,
Speaker 1: so he picked some of the best Israelite soldiers to
Speaker 1: fight the Syrians. Then he put his brother Abishai in
Speaker 1: command of the rest of the army and told them
Speaker 1: to fight against the Ammonites. Joab told his brother, if
Speaker 1: the Syrians are too much for me to handle, come
Speaker 1: and help me, and if the Ammonites are too strong
Speaker 1: for you, I'll come and help you. Be brave and
Speaker 1: fight hard to protect our people and the towns of
Speaker 1: our Lord God. I pray he will do whatever pleases him.
Speaker 1: Joeab and his soldiers attacked the Syrians, and the Syrians
Speaker 1: ran from them. When the Ammonite troops saw that the
Speaker 1: Syrians had run away, they ran from Abishai's soldiers and
Speaker 1: went back into their own city. Joab then returned to Jerusalem.
Speaker 1: As soon as the Syrians realized they had been defeated,
Speaker 1: they sent for their troops that were stationed on the
Speaker 1: other side of the Euphrates River. Shofak, the commander of
Speaker 1: had Atesar's army, led these troops to Ammon. David found
Speaker 1: out what the Syrians were doing, and he brought Israel's
Speaker 1: entire army together. They crossed the Jordan River, and he
Speaker 1: commanded them to take their positions facing the Syrian troops.
Speaker 1: Soon after the fighting began, the Syrians ran from Israel.
Speaker 1: David killed seven thousand Chariot troops and forty thousand regular soldiers.
Speaker 1: He also killed Shofak, their commander. When the kings who
Speaker 1: had been under had at Aesar's rules saw that Israel
Speaker 1: had defeated them, they made peace with David and accepted
Speaker 1: him as their new ruler the Syrians never helped the Ammonites. Again,
Speaker 1: let's pray, Lord, we thank you for your word, and
Speaker 1: we thank you for the privilege of being able to
Speaker 1: look at this passage of scripture today and we could
Speaker 1: see that you were protecting and defending David and the
Speaker 1: people of Israel, and even the nations that were rising
Speaker 1: up against them were shown a display of your power
Speaker 1: at work in the leadership and in the military of
Speaker 1: the nation you had chosen. Lord, We're grateful that you
Speaker 1: look at unworthy people and you choose them to become
Speaker 1: part of your family and to give you glory. And Lord,
Speaker 1: we know that that's exactly what you've done for us.
Speaker 1: In Christ Jesus, you chose us to be your children,
Speaker 1: to be men and women who know you through faith
Speaker 1: in your son, You've given us new life. You protect
Speaker 1: us from those that would come against us. You tell
Speaker 1: us in your word that there are spiritual forces that
Speaker 1: line up against the people of God, but that your
Speaker 1: strength is sufficient in the midst of our human weakness.
Speaker 1: So we're grateful, Lord for the battles that you fight
Speaker 1: on our behalf. Were grateful for your presence with us.
Speaker 1: We're grateful for the strength that you give to us.
Speaker 1: We pray that our faith in your son, Jesus Christ
Speaker 1: would be strong each and every day in the midst
Speaker 1: of whatever context we find ourselves in. We love you, Lord,
Speaker 1: and we thank you that you loved us first, and
Speaker 1: you show us that day by day in so many ways.
Speaker 1: And we pray this all in Jesus' name. Amen.