1 Chronicles 19:1-19
Q.1. What prompted David to send messengers to the king of Ammon? How were his messengers treated? What was the aftermath? – (1 Chron.19:1-9)
Power often corrupts men. Here, as when Ammon threatened to gouge out the eyes of the Benjamites (1 Sam.11:1-3), Hanan, the new king, reacted aggressively towards David’s kind gesture. David had sent messengers to console him, when his father, King Nahash died. In return, King Hanan humiliated the men by shaving their hair and ripping their clothes from them. It was an act of war.
Q.2. What was the strength of General Joab? On whom did he rely? How was the battle resolved? – (1 Chron.19:10-19)
Joab faithfully served David, as general of his army, for many years. He was obviously a courageous warrior. Though he showed ruthlessness in eliminating any opponents, he also showed that he factored God into his battle plans. When a massive army was hired by the Ammonites, Joab put a wise strategy in place. What is more, he very much trusted God – Be strong, and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and may the Lord do what is good in His sight (1 Chron.19:13). Joab also tried valiantly to stop David from numbering the strength of his army when that was without God’s direction (1 Chron.21:1-3). Israel inflicted massive losses on the enemy. When other nations saw what had happened, they made peace with David, and served him.