David wasn’t selfish in gathering wealth; as we should, he “dedicated these to the Lord” (2 Sam 8:11).
During the reign of Saul, the surrounding nations incessantly harassed the Israelites. It’s true, David often intervened to drive back enemy incursions, but these armies lived to fight again. Now that David had ascended the throne over all the tribes, it was time to extend the borders, soundly defeat these foes, build alliances, accumulate funds for the progress of the kingdom, and establish a governing body for its administration. This is described in some detail in 2 Samuel 8. Ironically, David’s success on the battlefield was the very thing that disqualified him from building the Lord’s house. He would later say, “God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood’” (1 Chron 28:3). The Lord would use both David and Solomon as prototypes of His Greater Son: David, like the One who “must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet” (1 Cor 15:25); Solomon (from shalom, “peace”), like the One of whom it is written, “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end” (Isa 9:7). And lest we grow squeamish in reading of David’s battles, notice the following: 1. The two expressions of divine support for David. “The Lord preserved David wherever he went” (2 Sam 8:6, 14). 2. The massive plan, discussed in chapter 7, to rescue humanity through the Messiah who would come through David’s line. The arch-fiend has made it his objective to use hostile Gentile forces to neutralize this plan. 3. The epic physical battles the Lord Jesus Himself will yet face before the Long War is finally won (see Ezek 39; Jer 25; 2 Thess 1:8; Rev 16, 19). At present, thank God, our battle is spiritual, and we are seeking to win His enemies over to His side!