I Chronicles 19:1-9--The Ammonites Disgrace David's Men

1 Chronicles 19:1-9
English Standard Version

The Ammonites Disgrace David's Men
19 Now after this Nahash the king of the Ammonites died, and his son reigned in his place. 2 And David said, “I will deal kindly with Hanun the son of Nahash, for his father dealt kindly with me.” So David sent messengers to console him concerning his father. And David's servants came to the land of the Ammonites to Hanun to console him. 3 But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Have not his servants come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?” 4 So Hanun took David's servants and shaved them and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away; 5 and they departed. When David was told concerning the men, he sent messengers to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.”

​6 When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent 1,000 talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, from Aram-maacah, and from Zobah. 7 They hired 32,000 chariots and the king of Maacah with his army, who came and encamped before Medeba. And the Ammonites were mustered from their cities and came to battle. 8 When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men. 9 And the Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the city, and the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.

---

David has been given victory on every side and it is clear to everyone in Israel and all the surrounding nations that the LORD is with him.  Many of the nations preferred to pay tribute to David (and later Solomon) than to go to war with Israel, but we're going to read today of a foolish son who tore up the peace treaty that his father had made with Israel and disgraced the ambassadors that Israel sent to them by cutting off their tunics so that their nakedness was exposed and by shaving half of their beard off.  The ambassadors were accused of being spies sent there to report back on the military strength and fortifications of their recent ally, but the king is sure they are there because they want war and to conquer his land for themselves.  This was the LORD's doing so that the Ammonites would make war with Israel and would be defeated along with their Syrian allies (we'll see that in tomorrow's passage).