Now it’s official. For seven years, David has been leading from Hebron as God instructed, but now he’ll be moving to Jerusalem where he’ll reign over the south (Judah) and the north (Israel). “So there at Hebron, King David made a covenant before the Lord with all the elders of Israel. And they anointed him king of Israel.” It must have seemed a bit surreal. The moment was finally fulfilled.
If you’ve ever encountered a probationary period, you know how it feels to finally be given the reins to lead or finally do your job. I wonder if David felt a bit like this. What would be his first act? He and his troops sought to capture Jerusalem! The Jebusites inhabiting that area certainly felt confident in their own safety. They underestimated the LORD.
“And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies was with him.” That’s what tends to happen when God is with us. We become more powerful. If we are acting in accordance with God’s will, the Holy Spirit ignites in us, and we can become unstoppable. The image of Heaven’s Armies is also quite reassuring.
When we can imagine being surrounded by God’s protection, we start to feel a bit bolder. The assurance we feel may be hard to describe, but it’s certainly a comfort to know God is with us. Being that David was always looking for God’s leadership in his life, he must have been thrilled when he “realized that the Lord had confirmed him as king over Israel and had blessed his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.”
Is there something that you have been waiting for in your life? Maybe not as significant as being king over the whole land, but something important to YOUR life. I can think of several things that are brewing for us. It’s hard to be patient when you feel so close to reaching that goal or accomplishing that feat. How are you doing in staying patient? Do you feel like God may be taking his time in helping you reach that goal?
When we look at what David did as he waited for this moment, we recall he sought God. He did what he could to do the right thing, be a good and fair leader for the people he was in charge of, and to always be waiting on God. He knew the time would come. He didn’t himself do anything to speed it along. He had help from others (see last reading) to get his foes out of the way, but David didn’t rush God.
We can have the same faith because God is faithful. Psalm 119:90 says, “Your faithfulness extends to every generation, as enduring as the earth you created.” God is faithful, but he knows we will stumble. Romans 3:23-24 tells us, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.” We have been rescued, hallelujah!
Take some time today to process in your mind that the creator of the universe, the God who made David victorious, loved you so much that he sent his son, Jesus, to set us free. Hang on to that hope as you wait for “your” calling to be fulfilled.
Let’s pray …
Lord, I am feeling so grateful for your faithfulness and love for me. Just as David patiently waited to become the king you called him to be, let me be patient in my waiting. I long to walk in your ways and delight in each opportunity to shine my light for you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
