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Day 338

Psalm 89:23a "I will beat down his foes before his face..."

Day 338 – Psalm 89

“I will beat down his foes before his face…” Psalm 89:23a

THE EARLIER YEARS

The earlier years when David became king were very challenging years. How thankful David must have been to know that God would be there to protect him.

“I will beat down his foes before his face,
And plague those who hate him.”
Psalm 89:23

1. Two rival kings

a) Ishbosheth was a son of the late king Saul who was made king (2 Samuel 2:8).
b) David was anointed king by the men of Judah (2 Samuel 2:4).
c) Internecine war is particularly painful.
i) Israel and Judah may fight each other as enemies on the battle field.
ii) But they were essentially “brothers”.
iii) Brothers had become foes!

2. “I will beat down his foes before his face”

a) Israel had a good general in Abner (2 Samuel 2:8).
b) Judah had an equally good general in Joab (2 Samuel 2:13).
c) There was a long war between the two houses (2 Samuel 3:1a).
d) Saul’s house grew weaker over time (2 Samuel 3:1b).

3. “And plague those who hate him”

a) This was a promise that God would be on David’s side.
b) He would deal firmly with those who opposed David as the king of Israel.

DIFFICULT TO ESTABLISH A KINGDOM

David knew that it would be difficult to establish the kingdom of Israel. But he had these wonderful promises of God to fall back on.

1. These promises would fortify his soul.

2. They would bring needed encouragement in tough times.