I Chronicles 20:1 And it came to pass, that after the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle, Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon…
The Battle is Within
I Chronicles is a glimpse into King David, a great leader, a great commander, and a brave man. It is also a glimpse at the worst defeat that David ever faced.
I Chronicles 20:1 says that David wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and he besieged Rabbah. Verse 2 says that he took the crown and brought much spoil. Verses 3-4 say that the enemy was subdued. Verses 5-7 talk about a giant who defied Israel and was slain. Verse 8 says that the enemies fell by the hand of David. Why would I say that this chapter, full of victory after victory, is the tale of David’s greatest defeat?
Listen to verse 1. “And it came to pass, that after the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle, Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah, and destroyed it.” Those words are almost exactly the same as II Samuel 11 where David stayed behind, sinned with Bathsheba, and ruined his family.
It’s interesting to note that the contemporaries of David knew nothing of David’s defeat, his sin with Bathsheba. Yet, thousands of years later, we recall little of these victories over Ammon and Rabbah. Why is that? It is because sometimes life’s greatest battles are fought within, and life’s greatest victories or defeats are recognized only with the passage of time.
Sometimes we become so absorbed by obvious enemies and immediate worries that we’re surprised by our own sinful inclinations. Externally, David was a conqueror, but inside he was the conquered. Sometimes our greatest defeats are an inside job.
Today, be aware that sometimes the things about which we worry the most are the things that with the passage of time will mean the least. And sometimes those little moments of temptation, lack of discipline, doing or not doing what we should, or trusting or not trusting God are the moments that turn out to be the greatest defeats or greatest victories of our lives.