Faith in Truth or Circumstances and the Action that Follows
[1] Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. [2] In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the LORD said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’” [3] So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel. [4] David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 2 Samuel 5:1–4 ESV Read More
Look at how that finally played out. All kinds of contenders for the throne have been wiped out, and now there is a clear path for David to become King of Israel. David mourned the deaths of all of his rivals and condemned their murders. We don’t get a hint of where his heart was on that; was he playing the politics or sincere? We don’t know.
What we do know is that now the whole nation has come to him and made a few statements.
You are our flesh and bones (you are family)
You led Israel even when Saul was the king
We all know that the Lord anointed you to be king and shepherd-leader of Israel
All of these things have been true since about 20 chapters and 20 years ago! Why are they admitting it and acting on it now? If they would have accepted these truths 20 years ago, how great would Israel’s kingdom be already and how many more Israelites would still be alive?
The fact is, they, like us, rely on the circumstances and the situation at hand for truth instead of relying on the truth. Instead of making a kid a king, which would be very difficult and not so honorable, they stuck with their crazy wimp-king. Instead of holding Saul accountable for chasing David around the wildness while the Philistines oppressed them, they complied and cheered over the stories they heard of David and his band of ragamuffins.
When they ask David to finally become king, I like the way it comes to about.
David made a covenant with them before the Lord.
It doesn’t say they made a covenant with him, or they negotiated and bribed him to rule. He made a commitment to be their king. This order shows up all throughout the scriptures. The more powerful, the one with the upper hand, when fully led by the Lord, submits to a covenant of care for the weaker, lesser party. This compassion and mercy on behalf of the powerful one is honored and reflected throughout the scriptures because it’s ultimately a picture of what God does.
David is not a perfect picture of God. When he does things that are godly, it’s a great picture. The wisdom, the compassion, the power under control are all great things to help us see and appreciate God’s character. When he does things by his own flesh, like taking a zillion concubines and wives, for instance, it turns out really bad. As we read all of that, take it to humble ourselves and realize that God can do mighty things with all kinds of messed up people. Jesus is the only man in the Bible that isn’t a complicated mess!
As we watch David on the rollercoaster of righteousness over the next month, watch his heart when he’s reminded of the Lord. Let’s remind each other daily of the Lord’s care for us as we struggle on that same rollercoaster. The Lord is our strength and our song, He has become our salvation.
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