NOTES for Ch1 18:1-17

The chronicle tells us about the wars that David had to wage against neighboring states after becoming king. His victories are listed, and we understand their importance for the state: by defeating his enemies, David was able to protect his people from invasions by their neighbors. By now we are not surprised that David often wins; we have grown accustomed to seeing him as a brave warrior and a skillful commander whose success is aided by the Lord. And success accompanies David not only in war and in expanding the state's borders. Affairs in the kingdom seem to be going well, and earthly prosperity is growing...

Against this background, one small detail could have been lost, but it is not: the narrator considers it necessary to mention that David administered justice and righteousness for all his people. And this may be more important than all David's outward successes. Have there not been many great commanders and founders of mighty empires? Yet whatever they tried to build without truth and justice sooner or later fell apart—sometimes very quickly.