1 Chronicles 19: True Victory in the Eyes of the Lord

Introduction

This message was given at the morning prayer service of Osaka Onnuri Church in Japan on October 6, 2026. The preacher continues the reading of 1 Chronicles 19, begun the day before, with verses 8 to 19.

Joab finds himself caught between two armies: the Syrians in front of him, the Ammonites behind him. His answer fits in one sentence, in verse 13: "May Yahweh do that which seems good to him." The preacher draws three lessons from it, and one question he asks each person: for you, what is victory?

Outline of the message

1. A war born of a misunderstanding

When Nahash, king of the Ammonites, dies, David sends messengers to his son Hanun to comfort him. The preacher insists: this is a kindness, the sincere expression of David's sorrow.
Yet the Ammonite leaders suspect David of sending spies to explore the land and prepare an attack. Hanun humiliates the messengers and sends them away, and then the Ammonites hire the Syrians.
A kind gesture, misunderstood, turns into a war. The preacher sees a pattern that repeats in the world, but also in our relationships: "That person surely hates me," "there is something behind those words." When we decide for others what is in their hearts, a small problem grows until it becomes a conflict.
It is in this situation, now grown serious, that the text shows how David and Joab face it.

2. Surrounded by the enemy, without being ruled by fear

The Ammonites line up at the entrance of the city, while the kings who came to help them stay in the open country. "Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind" (verse 10): enemies in front, enemies behind, and no easy way out.
Anyone would say to themselves: "Why did we end up here? All we can do is run, we cannot win." Joab, however, divides the army: he himself faces the Syrians with the best of Israel's men and entrusts the rest to his brother Abishai against the Ammonites.
He does not say: we will surely win. Nor does he say that, because God is with them, everything will go the way they want. He says: may Yahweh do that which seems good to him.
You too may feel besieged: at work, in your family, in your relationships, sometimes even in the church. One problem gets settled, another appears. But the preacher reminds us: "Having problems in front of you and behind you is never the same thing as God being absent."
The problem standing before you does not make God disappear. When you look with the eyes of faith, you begin to see the Lord, Immanuel, who is with us even while the problems are still there. Fear recedes and peace is given.
"What we must look at is not only the size of the enemy." The enemy remains visible, but behind him you see God, who wants to give the victory. "That is faith."

3. Seeking what pleases the Lord rather than victory

Verse 13 is the center of the passage. What Joab asks for is not the result that he and his men want: it is what God judges good, what is in line with his will.
We often pray: "Lord, do it the way I want." The preacher recalls the men's football final of the Asian Games, Korea against Japan, played the previous Saturday: he cheered with all his heart, he prayed, and Japan lost.
It is not forbidden to bring your desires to God. But as faith matures, prayer changes. It begins with "do it the way I want" and gradually becomes: "not as I want, but let your will be done."
We spontaneously think that victory means beating the other person or getting what we wanted. The Bible teaches something else. Even if the result is not the one we hoped for, to have walked faithfully with God, to have followed his will, to have loved the one we needed to love, forgiven the one we needed to forgive, chosen what is right and entrusted the whole outcome to God: "that is the true victory."
Today's title, "the victory that pleases the Lord," does not mean "winning in my own eyes," but having walked faithfully and followed God's will in his eyes.
You control neither the results, nor the hearts of others, nor their reactions, nor what tomorrow will bring. Only one thing is possible for you today: to choose what is good in the eyes of the Lord.
In practice, the question changes. No longer "is it in my interest to say this?" but "does this word please the Lord?" No longer "what do I gain from it?" but "is it good in the eyes of the Lord?" No longer "must I pay them back in kind?" but "how does the Lord want me to live?" It is by making these choices, one by one, that faith grows stronger and matures.

4. Doing your part and entrusting the outcome to the Lord

Joab does not say: God will take care of it, we have nothing to do. He goes into battle, devises a strategy, and organizes the army into two units. Everyone fulfills their task.
They do their best at what falls to them, then, in the end, they entrust the outcome entirely to God. "That was Joab's faith."
In verses 14 and 15, the Syrians flee before Joab, and the Ammonites, seeing them flee, flee before Abishai and go back into the city. Humanly speaking, Israel has won. But behind this victory there is God: he is the one who gave it.
The Syrians do not give up for all that. They bring in those from the other side of the river under the command of Shophach. David gathers all Israel, crosses the Jordan and defeats them. The servants of Hadarezer make peace with David, and the Syrians no longer want to help the Ammonites.
A victory does not excuse you from the next battle. It is the same in the life of faith: just because God helped you yesterday does not mean you can do nothing today. Having prayed yesterday does not excuse you from coming to pray this morning.
"Yesterday's grace does not make today's faith unnecessary." On the contrary, it is because you remember God's help yesterday that you can say to him today: I trust in you, help me make choices that match your will.

5. For you, what is victory?

In conclusion, the preacher asks the question God addresses to each person: is it that everything goes the way I want? Is it beating the other person? That the problems disappear? That my desires come true?
You are allowed to ask God for these things. But even more important is what is good in his eyes.
The sentence to keep for the day: "Victory is not things going the way I want. It is choosing what is good in the eyes of the Lord and entrusting the result to him."
If you feel surrounded by problems, not knowing where to look or what to do, remember Joab's words. Pray: Lord, may I not seek only what I want, but what is good in your eyes; make me faithful in what I must do, and help me to entrust the outcome entirely to you.

Key takeaways

Suspicion and misunderstanding can turn a kind gesture into a conflict: do not decide for others what is in their hearts.
Being surrounded by problems does not mean God is absent. With the eyes of faith, you see the Lord behind the enemy.
Joab does not demand victory at any cost: he lets Yahweh do that which seems good to him.
True victory is walking faithfully, loving, forgiving, choosing what is right and entrusting the outcome to God.
You control neither the results nor other people, but today you can choose what pleases the Lord.
Do your part with all your heart, then entrust the outcome to God. Yesterday's grace calls for today's faith.

Personal application

Is there a relationship in which you attribute intentions to the other person without knowing them? What would change if you gave them the benefit of the doubt?
What are the problems "in front of and behind" you right now? Take some time to name them before God, then to lift your eyes to him.
In your prayer, do you mainly ask for things to go the way you want, or also for God's will to be done?
Before a word or a decision today, ask yourself: is this good in the eyes of the Lord?
What is your part in the situation you are going through? Do it faithfully, and entrust the rest to God.

Verses cited

Frequently asked questions

What does "may Yahweh do that which seems good to him" mean in 1 Chronicles 19:13?

Joab does not promise his men that they will surely win, or that everything will go the way they want because God is with them. He commits himself to the battle and leaves it to the Lord to do what is good in his eyes. For the preacher, this is the heart of the text: seeking what pleases God rather than the result we wish for.

What is true victory according to this message?

Victory is not first of all that things turn out the way I want, that I beat the other person or that the problems disappear. Even if the result is not the one we hoped for, to have walked faithfully with God, loved, forgiven, chosen what is right and entrusted the outcome to the Lord, that is true victory.

Should we stop asking God for what we desire?

No. The preacher makes clear that it is allowed to bring your desires to God in prayer. But as faith matures, prayer changes: it moves from "do it the way I want" to "not as I want, but let your will be done."