Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. "Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?" he asked.
The Lord said, "Go up."
David asked, "Where shall I go?"
"To Hebron," the Lord answered.
So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.
2 Samuel 2:1-4a
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As we go through life, it seems we always face one question, “What should I do?”, and that question pops up in any number of situations or circumstances.
We encounter problems at work and wonder what we should do about them. We face economic issues and wonder what we should do to meet our obligations. We encounter challenges in any number of the relationships we have in life and wonder what we should do to resolve the challenges at hand. In fact, as we step back and assess life, it can be seen as an endless procession of events that continue to have us seeking what we should do while dealing with them.
OK…so what should we do? Most of the time, we do everything except what we should be doing.
I say this because we tend to do one of two things when problems arise in our lives…and neither of them provides the proper guidance that we’re looking for.
The first mistake we make is trying to deal with the problems ourselves. We think we can figure it out or work it out or find the way through by using our wisdom and intellect. And too often, we find that we fail miserably when we try to do things this way. I know I have. And when we can’t seem to work things out ourselves, we tend to turn toward another option which is mistake number two.
For after we can’t seem to get things straightened out, we turn to someone else to try and help us figure out what we should do. And there is no shortage of “experts” out there who are ready to give us their opinion or advice. In fact, it’s easy to tell someone else what to do when there’s nothing at stake for you in it. If you give them bad advice, then they suffer and the worst thing that happens to you is that they don’t ask your advice again. And that’s fine because there are plenty of other people who will ask. Meanwhile, the one who is trying to find their way through their problems often finds themselves mired deeper in those problems, feeling like they are at the end of what they can do…and they’re right. Sadly, it’s at this point, when a person seems to have exhausted every earthly asset available, that they end up turning to the One they should have turned to at the beginning…the One who would have instructed them properly and placed them on the road to resolution immediately while offering comfort and peace at the same time.
For God and God alone is our help in times of trouble and our trusting Counselor when we need guidance.
David knew this and demonstrated the right way to approach our need for direction in our scripture today. For we read that he was unsure about whether the time was right for him to leave the Philistine territory and his town of Ziklag to return to Israel and “one of the towns of Judah”. And so David, in need of knowing what to do, turned to the Lord and asked him if he should go to Judah and the Lord answered him and told him to go.
Well, Judah was a large territory and David wanted to make sure he went where the Lord wanted him to go. And so he followed up his first question with a second asking, “Where shall I go?” to which the Lord answered, “To Hebron." And so David knew exactly what he needed to do and where the Lord wanted him to go. And with this, he also knew the Lord approved of him doing it.
So David went to “Hebron and its towns” and settled in “with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel” as well as “the men who were with him, each with his family”. And once there, “the men of Judah came” and officially “anointed David king over the house of Judah”.
Through David’s actions we are given a three step formula toward dealing with our life circumstances so we can ensure that we are going the way God wants us to go and doing what He wants us to do.
First, we need to ask…and not ask just anyone. We need to ask the Lord…first. Not after we have thought about what we should do on our own. Not after we have asked someone else what we should do. No…God expects that we turn to Him and Him alone when we need guidance…to Him first. For He and He alone is the One who will always have us going the right way and doing the right thing…every time we ask.
Secondly, David shows us that we need to listen. When God told him what to do, David listened to Him…and we need to do the same. David didn’t challenge God’s answer saying, “Are you sure you want me to go to Judah Lord?” or “Wouldn’t another town be better than Hebron Lord?” No…David asked and then David listened to God’s reply before showing us the final important step. Because after David asked and listened, he did what God told him to do.
We have seen throughout Old Testament study from Genesis up to now, that God expects and blesses obedience more than almost anything else. And yet, over and over again, we have watched the people of Israel be anything but obedient…and we are still watching it happen today. In our scripture passage, we see that David was anything but disobedient. God told him to go to Judah and settle in Hebron…and David took his family as well as his men and their families and did as God ordered. And in return, we see where David is anointed king of Judah…and soon will become king over all Israel, just as God has said he would. God had a specific purpose for David being in Judah and Hebron…for he was to be the new king there. And we need to remember that God has a specific purpose for us in our lives as well…no matter where He leads us.
So in 4 verses from the second chapter of 2nd Samuel, we are given three simple steps…ask, listen and do…three steps modeled by David to show us how to make sure we are heading in the direction that God wants us to go in life.
Rest assured of this, God will always put us where He wants us and will reveal His purpose for us in whatever place He puts us.
For David, it was to go to Judah and settle in Hebron to become king.
What will it be for you and me? Well, all we need do is ask God, listen to Him and do what he tells us to do…and do it obediently. If we do, then and only then will we discover the glory of God’s plan for us in life.
Friends…what an assurance we have that God is ever standing by to answer us when we call and provide divine guidance. And with that, we need never wonder what He wants us to do, no matter what the circumstance. We only need to ask, listen and do. Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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