1 Chronicles 22:1

1 Chronicles 22:1 says, Then David said, This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.  David declared the threshing floor that had been owned by a Jebusite as the place the temple would be built.  Matthew Henry says this was an presage to the gospel going into all the world and not just to the people of Israel.  This was also the spot that God had chosen, and if we are to build church buildings today, they must be built where God chooses for them to be built.  The temple was to be built to support the altar that was already there.  Israel had altars, places to sacrifice to and worship God, long before having a temple.  If we are building churches without God's guidance, then we are not going to be successful spiritually, no matter how large the church may grow.  Verse two adds, And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God.  David ordered the strangers in Israel to be gathered and set masons to hew the stones for the temple.  David had wanted to build God a house, but he had been told by God that he couldn't.  Instead of getting upset, he started gathering the things that would be needed to build the temple, because God had said that it would be built.  If God tells us we are not going to be allowed to do something that needs to be done for His kingdom and tells us that it is going to be done one day, we can never just quit working toward making things ready.  Matthew Henry said that David was old by this time and knew that his successor, who was Solomon, would be young when he started to rule and gathering things for the temple might not be his priority, so David was making things easier for him.  As we get older as followers of Christ, we don't need to just quit serving, but need to do everything we can to make the spreading of the gospel and the worship of God as easy as possible for the next generation, who may not have our wisdom to begin with.  Verse three continues, And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight;  David had gathered the stones and stone masons, and now he gathered other things necessary for building and making the temple ornate.  Verse four says, Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.  David also amassed the cedars from Lebanon that would be used in building the temple.  We may concentrate on making a beautiful house of worship, but if we are going to do so, we need all those things that may not be considered beautiful to support the building.  We may admire the facade, but we should also be thankful for all unseen things that hold the building together.  We cannot put all our resources into supporting the facade and ignore the foundation and supporting structure, and everything we do should be to glorify God and not just to show off our greatness as a congregation.  Verse five adds, And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.  As stated earlier, David knew that Solomon, his successor was young and might not be up to the task of gathering everything needed to build the temple, which David said must be exceedingly magnificent, so he prepared abundantly for building it before he died.  As Christians, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ is the foundation and will supply us with all we need to serve and glorify Him.  

1 Chronicles 21:18

1 Chronicles 21:18 says, Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.  The angel had Gad tell David what he needed to do, and the angel did not tell David directly.  This to me would indicate that David's relationship to God was still not fully restored.  As Christians, if we get too far outside of the will of God, we may no longer hear Him even if He speaks to us, but if we do get that far away, we need to hope that He will send someone to speak to us for Him.  David was to build an altar on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.  Verse nineteen adds, And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of the Lord.  David did what Gad had told him God had instructed him to do.  If we do get far out of God's will and He sends someone to speak to us we need to listen to them, but all they can tell us to do really is to repent and put our faith in following Jesus Christ once more, and then we will be restored.  There is nothing we can do to be restored to a right relationship to God except to return to Him in repentance by faith.  Verse twenty continues, And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.  While Ornan was threshing wheat, he saw the angel of the Lord and his four sons and he hid themselves from the angel, or I would say tried to at least.  If God sends a messenger to us today, whatever we are doing, we don't need to try and hide in fear but need to listen to God's messenger instead.  If we are followers of Christ, we should never try to hide from whatever He has to say to us.  Verse twenty-one states, And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.  Ornan then saw David and went out to meet him, bowing himself down with his face to the ground.  The people of Israel were never told by God to bow themselves before their kings that I know of, but they began to place the kings in a position of honor, even though they were just another of God's people doing what God had called them to do.  Verse twenty-two adds, Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the Lord: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.  David asked Ornan to sell him the threshing floor for full price.  At least he didn't just demand that Ornan give it to him, in which case Ornan would be paying the price for David's restoration, and by his restoration, the restoration of Israel.  We cannot ask others to pay the price for our restoration to God if we have strayed away.  Only through faith in Jesus and obedience to the Holy Spirit after we repent can we be restored if we have fallen into sin once more.  Verse twenty-three continues, And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all.  Ornan offered to give everything he had to David, and we might be willing to give everything we have to God to save someone else or even the nation, but it doesn't work that way.  We cannot pay the price for someone else's sins.  Most Christian parents would willingly give all they have for the salvation of their children, but we cannot buy salvation for them.  Verse twenty-four says, And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.  At least David recognized the fact that Ornan could not pay the price for David's sins.  David said he would not offer burnt offerings without it having cost him something.  We must all accept responsibility for our own sins, and we must also recognize that even though the gift of salvation is free to us, it cost Jesus Christ His death on the cross to make it possible.  If we are to be saved, we must give everything that we are and have to God to be used for His glory.  Verse twenty-five adds, So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.  David paid Ornan the fair price for his threshing floor.  Though David paid Ornan the fair price for his threshing floor, we cannot pay the fair price for salvation, which would be living a sin free life and dying for others.  Jesus Christ is the only One Who is able to do this.  Verse twenty-six continues, And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the Lord; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.  David then did what Gad had told him God said for him to do.  Once we become a follower of Christ, the Holy Spirit will direct us in all that we do, and we just need to be obedient to His guidance.  Verse twenty-seven states, And the Lord commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.  The angel had still been standing by with a drawn sword, but now after David was obedient to Him, God had the angel put the sword away.  I wonder if we as Christians are all that stand between a person and God's judgment at time.  Verse twenty-eight adds, At that time when David saw that the Lord had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.  When David saw that God had answered him, he offered a sacrifice to God on the threshing floor.  Once we are restored to a right relationship with God, we need to offer everything we have as a sacrifice to Him. Verse twenty-nine adds, For the tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering, were at that season in the high place at Gibeon.  God's tabernacle was at Gibeon at that time.  We are blessed that as Christians, that wherever we are we can come to God.  We don't have to go to a special place to find Him.  Verse thirty continues, But David could not go before it to enquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the Lord.  David could not go before the tabernacle to inquire of God, because he was afraid of the angel.  For that reason, David offered a sacrifice where he was.  We can only offer sacrifices to God where we are.  I will say again, we don't have to go to a particular place, like a church building for instance, to offer sacrifices to God, but wherever we are every day we need to offer the sacrifice of all that we are and all that we have to God.

1 Chronicles 21:9

1 Chronicles 21:9 says, And the Lord spake unto Gad, David's seer, saying,  Gad was referred to as David's seer, and God spoke to him.  Gad was not said to have gotten a vision by his own psychic abilities, but was said in the next verse to have gotten a message from God.  God did at times allow certain people in the Old Testament to see into the future, but today we are only given signs of the coming of the return of Jesus Christ, and I don't believe we are given any new revelations about God.  Verse ten adds, Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.  Gad was told to go tell David that He was giving him three choices as punishment for his arrogance in numbering the people for his own glory.  We only have one choice.  We can either accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord or reject Him and go away into everlasting punishment.  Verse eleven continues, So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Choose thee  Gad delivered God's message to David, and we can only deliver the gospel to people today, and there is no other choice for redemption from sin.  Verse twelve states, Either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the Lord, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.  None of the choices were good, and all involved the whole nation, which may not seem fair, and they would last for different periods of time depending on their severity.  Again, we only have the one choice, and it lasts forever whichever one we make.  Verse thirteen adds. And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the Lord; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.  David asked he fall into the hand of God and not into the hand of man, because God was merciful, but men aren't always.  That eliminated the choice of three years of famine or three months while David's enemies destroyed him.  David chose to leave it in God's hands, maybe hoping He would just forgive him and not really punish him.  Still, sin can never be overlooked by God, and a penalty must be paid, but as followers of Jesus Christ, He paid that penalty for us, and He is the only One Who can pay it.  Verse fourteen continues, So the Lord sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.  David had been proudly numbering the people of Israel, and because of his prideful action, there were now seventy-thousand fewer people to be numbered.  We might say that these seventy thousand men did nothing to deserve death, and that might be true, but we are talking about physical and not spiritual death.  Those who had put their faith in God simply went on to their heavenly reward sooner, and those who didn't had made their choice to not do so.  Verse fifteen says, And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the Lord beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.  God then sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem.  He didn't send a legion of angels, but an angel.  As the angel was doing so, God decided that the people had been punished enough and stopped the angel from any further destruction.  Still, the angel stood by the threshing floor.  Matthew Henry says that when David repented of his sin that God repented of His punishment, but to repent implies that someone has done something wrong, and God certainly hadn't.  I believe that He simply decided that he would show mercy to Jerusalem, even if the people might have deserved punishment.  We all deserve punishment for our sins, and it is only by God's mercy that we escape it.  Verse sixteen adds,  And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.  David saw the angel with sword drawn standing between heaven and earth over Jerusalem.  That must have been quite a terrifying sight, but it pales in comparison to what hell will be like.  David and the elders fell on their faces before God, even though we are not told that the elders saw the angel.  Whether we ever see an angel about to destroy the world around us or not, if we are guilty of sin, we need to fall on our faces before God and ask for forgiveness.  Just because we are forever forgiven by putting our faith in Jesus Christ, we are not free to sin with no remorse nor repentance.  Verse seventeen continues, And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O Lord my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.  David then asked that since he was the one who had sinned by numbering the people of Israel that God punish his family and him and not the rest of the people.  One thing we can be sure of is that each individual will be punished only for their own sins, and the only way to avoid that punishment is by accepting Jesus Christ as oor personal Savior and Lord.

1 Chronicles 21:1

1 Chronicles 21:1 says, And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.  Satan himself is said to have stood up against Israel and caused David to number the people of Israel, but this time not by God's command to do so.  If we begin to take pride in the number of people who attend our local church and count the number of member so we can brag about how large we are, then this is an abuse of numbering the people I believe. This was wrong because it was motivated by Satan and not by God and not just because the people were being counted.  Even a man after God's own heart could be tempted by Satan, but it took a willingness on David's part to act on that temptation for it to become a sin.  We will never be above temptation in this lifetime, and at times the temptation may even sound like a good thing, but we must always rely on the leadership of the Holy Spirit to guide us in anything we do, and Satan can never make us do anything.   Verse two adds, And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.  David instructed Joab and the other rulers of Israel to count the people so he could know the number.  He was involving others in his prideful action, and sometimes we may be guilty of the same thing.  As followers of Christ, we need to first make sure that He is the One Who is directing our actions and that we are not doing things out of a sense of self-pride, and we should never involve others in what we are doing if it isn't being done under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse three continues, And Joab answered, The Lord make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?  Joab questioned why David wanted to do this, since no matter how many there were of them, they were all his people.  Since God was the One Who had given David the kingdom and promised to multiply it, Joab said that David had no need to know how many people God had brought into the kingdom.  We don't need to know everything God is doing in the world today, nor even the results of everything we do for Him.  All we need to do is be obedient to Him and give Him the glory for all that He does through us.  Verse four states, Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.  Since Joab could not convince David that what he was doing was wrong, he left to do as David had instructed.  Joab may have thought that since David ordered him to do this over his objections that he had no choice but to do it, but he did have a choice.  I don't believe that we should ever do anything that we believe to be wrong in the eyes of God, no matter how powerful the person instructing us to do so may be.  Verse five adds, And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.  Joab counted the people, and there was a total of over a million and a half men who could draw a sword, which meant the total was even greater.  Still, this would indicate that David was putting his faith in the number of men he had and his own abilities and not in God.  We as Christians should never put our faith in anything other than God.  Verse six continues, But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king's word was abominable to Joab.  Joab had not counted the tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe, nor the tribe of Benjamin who were noted for their military abilities, because Joab had viewed the whole act of counting Israel an abomination.  We cannot go partially against what God tells us to do or not do and then stop and expect to be blameless.  Verse seven declares, And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.  God was displeased with Israel, even though they were doing what David their king had ordered to be done.  We cannot excuse our actions even if people in power, within the church or within the secular government order us to do something that goes against God's word.  Verse eight adds, And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.  David then acknowledged that he had sinned greatly and acted foolishly and asked God's forgiveness.  Once we realize that we have sinned, in which case we will have always acted foolishly, we can only acknowledge our sin and ask God's forgiveness and move ahead in faith and obedience to Him.  We also need to realize that Satan is always going to tempt us, but he can never cause us to sin.

1 Chronicles 20:1

1 Chronicles 20:1 says, 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.  When Israel next went to war with the Ammonites, David remained in Jerusalem.  Though it isn't mentioned here, this was the time that David fell into temptation that led to his having Uriah killed.  Matthew Henry says it wasn't mentioned here because even if we know of the sins of a person, we shouldn't continually bring them up and delight in them if they have been forgiven.  If we are idle when we should be doing what God has called us to do, we may find ourselves falling into temptation. He wasn't really acting like a leader but more like a ruler who had other people fight his battles.  We as followers of Christ should never remain in safety as others engage int the war with God's enemies, especially if we are supposed to be a leader.  Joab led them to victory. Verse two adds, And David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set upon David's head: and he brought also exceeding much spoil out of the city.  David took the crown that had been taken from the king of the Ammonites and put it on his own head, though he hadn't been involved in the taking of the crown.  We too often want to take the crown from Jesus and put it on our own head, even though we have nothing to do with our salvation other than accepting Him by faith.  He also took a lot of spoils out of the city.  Verse three continues, And he brought out the people that were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. Even so dealt David with all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem. David then had all the people of Ammon killed brutally.  We should never seek to destroy our enemies, especially not with brutality, but should reach out to them with the love of God by sharing the gospel with them.  Verse four states, And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, that was of the children of the giant: and they were subdued.  There was once again a war with the Philistines, and once again there were giants in the Philistine army, but once again they were defeated.  Matthew Henry points out that we never read of giants of the Israelites, but only of their enemies.  We don't need to be giants in physical size as long as we are giants in our faith to God.  It is His power that brings us victory and not our own strength.  Verse five adds, And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver's beam.  The Israelites continued in battle and more giants were killed.  We will always be at war with the world as Christians, and we will sometimes face what seem to be giant enemies, but we always need to remember that they are small when compared to God.  Verse six continues, And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot and he also was the son of the giant.  One of the giants of Gath had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot.  I don't know if this gave him any advantage in battle, but it did make him different.  We may face many different enemies today, but even if they are being successful, if we face them by the power of God, they will be defeated.  Verse seven says, But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother slew him.  This giant defied Israel, but he was slain by a Jonathan who is said to have been David's nephew.  As long as we remain faithful to God, we are already victorious, no matter what happens in this lifetime.  Verse eight adds, These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.  David and his servants killed all the giants of Gath through the power of God.  We can defeat all the giants we face in life by following the leadership of the Holy Spirit and acing under His authority and power.

1 Chronicles 19:8

1 Chronicles 19:8 says, And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men.  When David heard that the people of Ammon were coming to fight a war with Israel, in spite of his being sympathetic to them at the loss of their king, he didn't run and hide.  He sent Joab and a host of mighty to meet them. We are in a battle against Satan and his forces of evil today as Christians, and we don't need to run away and hide.  We need to be mighty men and women of God and face them head-on.  Verse nine adds, And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array before the gate of the city: and the kings that were come were by themselves in the field.  The people of Ammon started the war with their kings present in the field.  The forces of evil today, along with those who are the main leaders, will always be ready to engage us as followers of Christ in battle.  We are not called on to start the war, but we are called on to be prepared for it.  Verse ten continues, Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose out of all the choice of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians.  When Joab saw how the war was going to be waged against him, by being attacked front and rear, he chose the best men of Israel and went against the Syrians.  We may be attacked from every side spiritual, but we should never run away in fear, but stand firm in our battle against evil.  Verse eleven states, And the rest of the people he delivered unto the hand of Abishai his brother, and they set themselves in array against the children of Ammon.  Joab didn't try to fight all the enemy by himself but divided his forces. putting some under the leadership of his brother, Abishai, who faced the forces of Ammon.  We should never think that we are the only one capable of leading God's people in battle but must willing share the responsibility with others.  Verse twelve adds, And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will help thee.  Joab told Abishai that if the Syrians proved to be too strong for him to defeat, that Abisahi was to come help him, and if the Ammonites proved to be too strong for Abishai to defeat that he would come to aid him.  We need to be ready to help other Christians who might be in danger of being overcome by the forces of evil.  If we see this happening, we need to come to their aid and visa-versa.  Verse thirteen continues, Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God: and let the Lord do that which is good in his sight.  Joab called on Abishai and all the troops to be of good cheer and act valiantly for their people and their God and to do what was right in His sight.  This is all we can ever do, even if we are defeated in battle in this world.  Verse fourteen adds, So Joab and the people that were with him drew nigh before the Syrians unto the battle; and they fled before him.  When Joab and his forces went against the Syrians, they fled.  They were just hired soldiers and may have thought it really wasn't worth the fight, but for whatever reason, they didn't want to fight against Joab and his forces, so they fled.  Sometimes, just standing for God will be enough to cause some of our enemies to flee, because they aren't totally invested in the fight to start with.  Verse fifteen says, And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother, and entered into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.  When the Ammonites saw the Syrians fleeing, they fled also.  They were looking for strength in numbers, but they suddenly didn't have the numbers on their side, so they gave up the fight.  We will likely never have the numbers on our side as Christians, but if we are acting under the leadership and power of the Holy Spirit, sometimes those who oppose God are going to give up without a fight.  Verse sixteen adds, And when the Syrians saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they sent messengers, and drew forth the Syrians that were beyond the river: and Shophach the captain of the host of Hadarezer went before them.  When the Syrians saw that they were losing, they sent for reinforcements.  They were not going to totally give up without a fight, because it would have made them look bad to the rest of those around them.  We should never expect our enemies to just give up completely until the return of Jesus Christ in victory.  Verse seventeen continues, And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel, and passed over Jordan, and came upon them, and set the battle in array against them. So when David had put the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him.  When David heard about this, he led all his army to fight them.  As Christians, we need to all be engaged in the battle against evil today, no matter how powerful the forces of evil might be.  Verse eighteen states, But the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians seven thousand men which fought in chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host.  In the battle, the Syrians once more fled, and seven thousand of them who fought in chariots were killed, along with forty-thousand-foot soldiers.  All our enemies are already spiritually defeated, no matter how many of them there may be, so we just have to stand firm in our faith when we face them.  Verse nineteen adds, And when the servants of Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with David, and became his servants: neither would the Syrians help the children of Ammon any more.  When the king of Syria saw that his army was losing, he made peace with David and became his servant and never again helped the Ammonites.  Those who do not believe in God will likely never become His servants, but at times they are willing to live more at peace with Christians.  

1 Chronicles 19:1

1 Chronicles 19:1 says, Now it came to pass after this, that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his stead.  As they always will, one king died as was replaced, this time Nahash the king of Ammon, who was replaced by his son.  Those who are leaders in God's kingdom will one day die and be replaced, not by their sons necessarily, but by the person God calls.  Verse two adds. And David said, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father shewed kindness to me. And David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. So the servants of David came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him.  When David heard of the death of Nahash, he decided to whew kindness to his son, Hanun, because Nahash had shown kindness to him.  We should show kindness to those who are bereaved by the loss of a parent or loved one today, even if they haven't shown kindness to us.  We as Christians represent God by our actions, and He showed kindness, or mercy, to us even when we didn't deserve it.  Verse three continues, But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? are not his servants come unto thee for to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land?  The other princes around Hanun asked him if he really thought that David was showing him kindness in honor of his father.  They said he was likely sending them to spy on him instead.  People will often question the motives of Christians if we are kind to them and claim we are somehow trying to use or control them.  This doesn't mean that we shouldn't be kind and help others though.  David had not done this because it benefitted him in any way, but out of compassion for Hanun.  We should never show compassion for others and help them out of an attitude of wanting to profit from it somehow.  Verse four concludes, Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the midst hard by their buttocks, and sent them away.  Hunan listened to his advisors or friends instead of believing that David was simply trying to bring him comfort, and he abused the servants that David had sent by shaving them and cutting their clothes away to expose their buttocks and sent them away.  He humiliated them in other words.  People did a whole lot more to God's Son, Jesus Christ, when he came to bring salvation to them out of the mercy of God, not only trying to humiliate Him but also crucifying Him on a cruel cross.  Verse five states, Then there went certain, and told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them: for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.  David received word of what had happened, and he sent word to Jerico where the men were to comfort them, telling them to remain there until their beards had grown out again.  God is going to meet us where we are today, and He will bring us comfort when we need it if we are followers of Christ, or to offer us the comfort of salvation if we aren't.  Verse six adds, And when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire them chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of Syriamaachah, and out of Zobah.  When Hanun and the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves enemies of David, they attempted to buy protection for themselves.  We need to realize that if we are enemies of God that we will never be able to buy anything that will protect us from His coming judgment, no matter how powerful we may become in the world.  Verse seven continues, So they hired thirty and two thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people; who came and pitched before Medeba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to battle.  They not only hired chariots, but they hired the people of Maachah to fight with them.  The lost people of the world often unite in their fight against God, but no matter how many there may be, they will never overpower God.  This all started because Hanun rejected David's act of compassion, and if we are at war with God, it will be because we have rejected His act of mercy when He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place.