Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1896-07-30
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
International Lesson for August 0, 1896
David's Yictortes-2 samuel 10: $40.
ARRANGED from FeIouhetss Nof2S

L
and my salvation. whom shah I fear?-
Psa- I'll
THE SECTION includes the whole range
/ OF Davids wars. Sam. 5:1S-25s Chaps.
and 10; and l2:26-31; Chron.. Chaps. Is.
| 10 and 20. Psalms Is and 60 throw light on
| Dayid's experiences and motives all this
time. Compare also the spiritual conflicts
/ OF Romans z, the warfare and armor OF
| Ephesians 6:1O-1S; and the promi es TO those
/ who overcome in Revelations 2 and 8.
TIME.-The earlier years of the second
part of David's reign, B. c. I040-l0S5
LESSON NOTES
I. The Story of David's Victories
VS. s-David's army consisted of 600 Glib
borim or heroes led by a band of 30
promoted for special valor. all of whom
had been proved during David's exile,
and the general force, known as The
Host, consisting of 100000 men in -
! divisions of $4,000, who each served
ordinarily one month in the year, ex-
cept in time of war. Each corps was
divided Into regiments OF 1000 and
companie of 100, with their respective
officers. David's general in chief was
his. nephew. Joab, a sort of Hebrew
duke of Alva, skilled, brave, almost in
yincible, but willy, INSCRIPTIONS, and
SIlS4' 81 @sta - sss
! pavid's first act of war was Ills con-
fiict with Goliath in his youth, B. G.
1865. Later, B. c. 1865, David pursued
the Amelepites, who had raided Ziklag,
near Goth, and recovered the spoil.
| When David became king of Israel (B.C.
l04S) the Philistines made two des-
perate and vain efforts to put down his
growing power. David's next victory
was over Moab. These people by their
incursions and depredations seriously
impeded the prosperity of Israel, rem
dering life ard property insecure.
David was successful, and laid the
whole country under yearly tribute.
| The next campaign was against the
Ammonites, north of Moab and east of
the Jordan, and their allies, the Syrians,
on the north as far as Damascus, and
thence to the Euphrates. Hearing of
the death of the king of Ammon, David
sent a friendly embassy of coincidence
and sympathy with his son Hanun,
the new king. But he, conscious of
power and jealous of the growing king
dom of David, treated the ambassadors
as spies, and sent them away with half
their boards shaved off. Immediately
Hanun began to prepare for war He
came out from his capital into the
open country. He hired Syrian sol
diers. The scene of battle was the
city Of Medeba, in the mountains of
Moab, east of the northern end of the
Dead sea. The Ammonites placed
themselves at the entering in the gate
of the city, while their Assyrian allies
were in the plain, and the Israelites
were between them. Joab took of the
Drawer men, and faced the Syrians as
the more dangerous enemy. The rest
of the army he gave into charge of
Abishai, his brother. In case of need
each should help the other. The
brothers with their armies were thus
back to back. The battle against the
Assyrians was a victory, quickly fol-
lowed by the defeat of the Ammonites
l der Abishai.
This defeat was not final, but the
Syrians made one more effort to recover
from their losses. Hadarezer was king
of Zobah, northeast of Damascus and
south of Klamath between the Arontes
and the Euphrates. He came to Helam,
town west of the Euphrates. David
met him here and gained a great victory.
The vassals and tributaries of Hadarezer
transferred their allegiance to David
While David was thus employed in
the north, the Edomites, seeing the
south denuded of troops, invaded Judah.
Joab and Abishai were dispatched with
portion of the army. At the southern
extremity of the Dead sea, in the val
Iaxy ~,fC ,14 Al \ - 4 =
and in six months the Edomites in the
mountains and defiles of Idumea were re-
duced to submission and garrisons
placed in the conquered district.
Now for the first time was completely
fulfilled the promise made to Abraham
(Gen. 1919 that his seed should hold
the land from the river of Egypt to the
River Euphrates. The Israelites held
this land as long as they obeyed.
H. Moral Battles and Victories.-The
chief lesson to be learned from the
story of David's victories are those
which pertain to the warfare against
sin and evil. These enemies are wildly
pictured by ST. Paul in Ephesians GIL:
For we wrestle not against flesh and
blood, but against municipalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the dark
ness of the world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places"
First, there are outward, visible enc
mics which we must overcome-intem-
perance, oppression, straps for the
young" corruption in city and town
governments, misrule, all organized
evil, the whole heather world. This is
q glorious cause, to bring the whole
world into the kingdom of God Moth
ing nobler can inspire the human heart
or wake the enthusiasm of the soul. 1t
is better to help make the millennium
than to live in it; to win the victory than
to ride in the triumphal procession.
Second, the battles are on the bat
tlefield of the heart. "a These are