FAITHFUL ALLIANCE

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.

So the king set out, with all the people following him, and they halted at a place some distance away. All his men marched past him, along with all the Kerethites and Pelethites; and all the six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath marched before the king.

The king said to Ittai the Gittite, "Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner, an exile from your homeland. You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your countrymen. May kindness and faithfulness be with you."

But Ittai replied to the king, "As surely as the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be."

David said to Ittai, "Go ahead, march on." So Ittai the Gittite marched on with all his men and the families that were with him.

2 Samuel 15:17-22

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As Chapter 15 of 2nd Samuel opens, we see David’s son, Absalom, turn on his father, conspiring to draw Israel’s favor from him in order to defeat him and take his place on the throne. Absalom’s rise to power in Hebron resulted in David sensing the impending danger for him and his people in Jerusalem and so he quickly fled the city “with all the people following him” and after traveling awhile, they “halted at a place some distance away”.

As they stood pat, we read where all of David’s men “marched past him, along with all the Kerethites, …Pelethites and…six hundred Gittites who had accompanied him from Gath”. These forces “marched before the king”.

Now note the number of Gittites that composed David’s group. What made them unique is that they were not Israelites but rather Philistine men who were in exile from their homeland and had just joined David the day prior.

Given this, David spoke with their leader, Ittai, asking him, "Why should you come along with us? Go back and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner, an exile from your homeland. You came only yesterday. And today shall I make you wander about with us, when I do not know where I am going? Go back, and take your countrymen. May kindness and faithfulness be with you."

David, if thinking selfishly for his own regard, would have just kept quiet. After all, he would need all he could have if attacked by Absalom. But David wasn’t like that. We get a sense that he genuinely cared for the Gittites and felt it was a lot to ask of them to journey along when David had no idea about where they were heading and what might happen along the way. And so, David, proposes that Ittai and his men depart and go back to their homeland where they would be comfortable, safe and among familiar peoples…and he did it not with resent but rather with blessing, wishing kindness and faithfulness on Ittai and his six hundred men.

Now, Ittai could have accepted this offer and left at this point and there would have been no questions asked. David, the king, had granted him permission to take his men and go.

But we read that this is far from what happened. For the very kindness and faithfulness that David had wished for the Gittites ended up being shown to him as Ittai replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be." And with this vow from Ittai, David tells him to, “Go ahead, march on." And that’s exactly what he did…marching forward with “all his men and the families that were with him”.

What we see in Ittai is a remarkable display of loyalty, support and fellowship…a faithful alliance with a man David who he had just encountered a day prior. And through his actions, we all get a glimpse of the relationship that the Lord expects us to have with one another as well.

Ittai knew that staying by David would not lead to easy times. There was a lot of uncertainty ahead. But he would not turn from him and allow him to go forward without him…and he vowed to do so “as surely as the Lord lives”.

This was a critical part of Ittai’s statement and promise. For as he invoked the name of the Lord, we sense he understood loyalty and the importance of standing by someone in need because he understood that this is exactly what the Lord does for us…every second of every minute of every hour of every day.

The Lord is not willing to abandon us when times get tough. No…it is during these times that He draws ever closer to us. And we are to do the same with each other.

Why?

In the end, it’s a matter of love.

Paul had this to say about faithful alliances between people when he wrote:

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:10

God’s word expects us to stand by one another out of a sense of brotherly (and sisterly) love for one another…a love that leads us to devotion and a sense of caring that is selfless…because true devoted love results in us honoring another person or persons above ourselves.

It was this very sense of devoted love and selflessness that led our Savior to allow Himself to be crucified on the cross and pay the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. And He expects us, as Christians, to live likewise. Consider these words:

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another… 1 John 1:7a

True fellowship can only be born from the Savior living and abiding in our hearts, minds and souls. For when He is, then we are walking in the light…and not just any light…but His light…the light of the One who is The Way and The Truth and The Life. (John 14:6)

When we do this, and only when we do this, will we have proper fellowship with one another…a fellowship akin to the fellowship that Christ expects and commands us to have.

So what are we waiting for? Why aren’t we staying faithful and loyal to others as Christ expects and commands?

Maybe because we have yet to die to self and allow Christ to fully take over our lives. For if we did this, we would follow His commands and guidance from the Holy Spirit, leading us to the place where loving faithful alliance with one another is as natural for us as breathing.

For Jesus clearly told us all:

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35

“Love one another as I have loved you”. Jesus said it. We need to do it to everyone in every place. Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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