Movie Montage

January 14th, 2025

Movie Montage

2 Samuel 8

1 After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.

2 And he defeated Moab and he measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground. Two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.

3 David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates. 4 And David took from him 1,700 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. And David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough for 100 chariots. 5 And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down 22,000 men of the Syrians. 6 Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. 7 And David took the shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 And from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took very much bronze.

9 When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, 10 Toi sent his son Joram to King David, to ask about his health and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi. And Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze. 11 These also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the nations he subdued, 12 from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

13 And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 14 Then he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became David's servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

15 So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people. 16 Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder, 17 and Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and Seraiah was secretary, 18 and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and David's sons were priests.

Scenes of a Righteous Kingdom

Movie directors often use a technique called a “montage” to condense a long period of their story into a couple of minutes. The movie Rocky, for example, features a famous montage of the boxer training for his big fight. As the dramatic theme song plays, we see short clips of Rocky rising early, drinking raw eggs, sparring, running up those steps. Second Samuel 8 is a movie montage in David’s story: in a series of powerful clips, the author shows us how God raised David up to be Israel’s greatest king.

The music begins, and we see David fighting—in a forest, in a desert, in the Valley of Salt. We see a map of Israel, with its borders expanding. Now we see a long wagon-train of loot winding up to Jerusalem—the kingdom is prospering! We see foreign kings bowing before David and bringing him gifts. We see David’s fame increasing, as magazines feature his face on the cover, and newspaper headlines trumpet his victories. We see David in private prayer, and leading Israel in worship: this is a godly king! We see scenes of a righteous kingdom: happy families, full churches, and all the vulnerable cared for. As the music fades, we are amazed by David’s rise to greatness.

He Honors God with His Warfare (1–6)

David is not randomly “invading” nations to expand his personal empire. He is claiming land God promised to Abram in Genesis 15, clearing out the brutal enemies with whom his forefathers had compromised. He systematically subdues the Promised Land in every direction: to the North (Zobah), South (Edom), East (Moab), and West (Philistines). He does not rest until every every acre of Canaan is claimed for the Lord. Jesus has a claim on your entire life. What areas does he still need to conquer? What idols do you need to war against today?

He Honors God with His Wealth (7–12)

David honored God when he had no place to lay his head. But what about when his victories bring load after load of silver, gold, and bronze into Jerusalem? “These also king David dedicated to Yahweh, together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the nations (11).” We often stumble in abundance, but not David: Yahweh gave the victory, so he gets the spoil. These riches will later finance Solomon’s Temple. Do you remember the Lord in your prosperity?

He Honors God with His Work (15)

“So David reigned over all Israel (15).” David took a long road to get to that verse! Now that he is in power, what does he do? “And David administered justice and equity to all his people.” High, low, rich, poor—David shows righteousness without partiality, just like the Lord. When David goes to work, he knows he’s representing God: “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We should also learn to ask, what would it look like if God did my job today? How would he treat people? What are his priorities? How can I show him to the world?

For Israel, David’s reign is their Camelot, the golden age they tell stories and write songs about. As we will see, this will not even last for the rest of David’s life. But this brief Camelot era is vital to the Bible’s big story. It is God’s preview of where he is taking history, an eternal Camelot, ruled by King Jesus. The best day in David’s Kingdom is just a shadow of his perfect reign, when all the earth is a “new Jerusalem.” Until then, we live and labor as his ambassadors, witnessing to this Kingdom to come. We can start today by honoring God with our warfare, our wealth, and our work.

FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT, SEE:

The Dead Dog's Gospel