Gospel Reflections #1042: God who fights for us.

2 Samuel 5:17 ‘When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they all came up to attack him, seeking to take his life. When David heard this, he went down to the stronghold.’

This scripture marks a historic turning point: the moment David became the unified king of all Israel, his arch-enemies, the Philistines, felt threatened and launched an all-out war against him.

During the time David was fleeing from Saul, the Philistines were friendly towards him, and even when David became King of Judah, they sought to maintain friendly relations with him in order to oppose the House of Saul.

The Philistines were confident that they could maintain their dominance over the divided people of Israel.

However, when David became king over all Israel, conquered the Jebusites, and furthermore formed an alliance with Hiram of Tyre, the Philistines feared the growth of David’s power and waged war against Israel in an attempt to curb the new king’s strength.

The term ‘strongholds’ here is thought to refer to mountain strongholds such as the ‘Caves of Adullam’, where David had once hidden whilst fleeing from King Saul.

Rather than confronting the enemy at the royal palace, David withdrew to familiar defensive strongholds where he knew the terrain well and could easily wage guerrilla warfare.

This passage in Chapter 5, verse 17 is often interpreted in relation to the ‘walk of the believer’ as follows:

① This greatest crisis came immediately after David had finally received the promised honour (blessing) of being King over all Israel.

It teaches us the reality that in our own lives, when we make a commitment to faith, take a new step forward, or when things begin to go well, opposing forces and difficulties (spiritual warfare) may arise to hinder us.

② The Philistines, fearing David’s growing power, launched a war against him.

Problems, temptations and difficulties attack before we are fully prepared.

It is important to recognise that trials come unexpectedly and swiftly, just as the Philistines sprang into action the moment they heard of David’s accession.

③ Rather than launching a reckless charge driven by his pride as king, David first went down to the ‘stronghold’.

This demonstrates an attitude of objectively assessing his position and placing himself within God’s protection.

It shows the importance of humbling ourselves before God and finding refuge in prayer before attempting to fight with our own strength when faced with difficulties.

Our battle is not against what is seen, but against spiritual forces. And it is not we who fight, but our God who fights for us.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.