In the previous chapter, as part of His covenant with David, God promised, “I will subdue all your enemies” (17:10). Now in these next three chapters, we will see the historical evidence that God not only fulfilled His Word to David, but would also give strength and victory to His Messiah, the Son of David. Comparing these chapters to the parallel account in 2 Samuel, we notice that the strife, immorality, and murder which marred David’s reign are all omitted. So what should we make of this? “A superficial judgment might be that the Chronicler is attempting to whitewash his character. This cannot, however, be his purpose, since his readers will know David’s faults as well as he does. But these personal matters are not his concern. Rather, he is deliberately portraying David the king, not David the man. It is the king’s reputation and influence which form the content of this section” (Michael Wilcock). The theme of these chapters is stated twice in 1 Chronicles 18: “And the LORD gave victory to David wherever he went” (v 6b, 13b). The growth of the nation Israel paralleled the growth of its king, who had been a lone shepherd boy, but was now prince over the LORD’s people, and indeed, a leader of nations (17:7). God was with David, delivering him from all his enemies and making his name great, “like the name of the great ones of the earth” (17:8). He acted quickly and decisively to rid his kingdom of the threat of foreign invasion. The present chapter reveals a systematic plan of battle, with David delivering the fatal blow to Israel’s greatest enemies: the Philistines (v 1), the Moabites (v 2), and the Arameans (v 3-11). By setting up garrisons in the states surrounding Israel (v 6, 13), David extended his rule far beyond his own territorial boundaries. “So David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and equity to all his people” (v 14). With David enthroned at the center of his kingdom, a well-organized nation enjoyed internal peace and stability. Most of the surrounding nations were opposed to his reign, but King Tou of Hamath was on excellent terms with David, sending his son with greetings and gifts (v 9-11). Also, the men who were overseen by Benaiah, who seem to actually have been David’s personal bodyguards, consisted of Cherethites and Pelethites (v 17). So in a generally antagonistic world, some nations were drawn to the side of God’s king. And even among enemy nations, some individuals came into the willing service of David. But all alike, friend or foe, were forced to acknowledge his fame and power, just as all people will one day bow before King Jesus. For further meditation: