2 Samuel 5:18-20 - The Philistines arrived and spread out across
the valley of Rephaim. So David asked
the LORD, "Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them
over to me?"The LORD replied, "Yes, go ahead. I will certainly give
you the victory." So David went to
Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there. "The LORD has done
it!" David exclaimed. "He burst through my enemies like a raging
flood!" So David named that place Baal-perazim (which means "the Lord
who bursts through").
The leaders of Israel had come to acknowledge that God had
Chosen David as their leader… David made a contract with them to be their
shepherd and leader…and the anointing that Samuel had performed when David was a
young boy…was made real as they placed the crown on his head. David wasted no
time making Zion his home…clearing out the people who taunted him….renaming the
city after himself….and reinforcing the walls around it to make it more safe.
He had many choices of where to begin the great task of
clearing Canaan of pagans….but he seemed to always ask God what to do next.
Then he listened and obeyed Gods directives…and gave him praise for each
victory in battle. His great faith…mixed with just enough humbleness…proved to
be a great combination…for David grew stronger and stronger as he followed what
God wanted him to do.
How wonderful it must have felt to walk free …leaving the
memories of running and hiding in the past.
Oh how David must have thanked God for his new home…and the peace that
came with the fulfillment of the promise he had been given so long ago. The
waiting …the terror and confusion of being hated….the pangs of hunger as he
begged for food…it was all ended as he renamed Zion…The City of David...and
made it his home.
It is a reminder to me that I must continually strive to
find the right combination of faith…confidence and humbleness. I must know deep in my heart that God is
there waiting to help me…then ask him what to do. Then I must be ready to do what he says…and
trust that he will bless it and make me stronger for being obedient. Then I
must exclaim …like David my thanks for everything he has done. I must also put
the past in the past…exchanging the memories of the mistakes I made…and the suffering
God has allowed…to become a greater strength.
Father…I thank you this morning for this story that you have
used to remind me of my need to praise you.
I praise you for the many good blessings you have showered upon me…and I
praise you for the storms of life you have brought me through. Help me to always remember to ask you before
I act in the future….about all that I think about doing. Then give me your ears to hear the answer…plain
and clear…and the patience to wait when your timing does not match my earthly
timeline. Turn all my memories of the past into sweet reminders of how you have
guided me throughout my life…and then show me how to use the many lessons they
have taught me …so I can be your servant here on earth. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment