THE LORD ESTABLISHES

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons and carpenters to build a palace for him. And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.

In Jerusalem David took more wives and became the father of more sons and daughters. These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Beeliada and Eliphelet.

1 Chronicles 14:1-7

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

Do you see the Lord as your Master, the One who you are completely subservient to and dependent on?

If not, I ask you a simple question: How did you get here? How did you gain the life that you live?

Now the biological, scientific response would get into the matter of fertilization and conception and gestation and finally birth but do you really think that the Lord has no hand in this process starting in the first place?

Go to the Bible and you can see numerous incidents of women who were kept from having children until the Lord deemed it was time. Sarah was one. Hannah, Rachel, and Elizabeth were others. It wasn’t that they weren’t trying or that they weren’t physiologically able to conceive. No, it was because the Lord had not established the birth to happen. When He did, then the women became pregnant and were blessed with children.

This is just one example but the key point here is that the Lord established matters and sets events in motion. He is in control.

Going to our scripture, we find David being recognized by foreign leaders as the authority in Israel. Hiram, king of Tyre, sent David materials and laborers to help build a palace for him in Jerusalem. David felt esteemed and exalted on his throne, not so much because of the accolades and gifts from those outside of Israel but rather because the Lord had been in the workings of him gaining kingship. And because of what the Lord had done, Israel and David were highly exalted, not because of their actions but because the Lord was with them.

Indeed, the Lord had established David, selecting him from amongst his brothers and anointing him as Israel’s future leader while Saul was still king. It was the Lord who implanted David into Saul’s court and raised him into respect and honor among the Israelites through his many victories in battle. When Saul died, it was easy for David to assume leadership as the Lord had been developing matters for that time. Everything was perfectly choreographed and executed in His perfect timing.

As we finish reading the passage, we see where the Lord established David as a father as well, blessing him with many sons and daughters. Earlier in 1 Chronicles, we counted 19 children born to David and this didn’t count the kids born to his concubines. He was certainly blessed with a huge family!

Yes, the Lord had established David in many ways but then again He is in the establishing business if you really think about it. Indeed, He has established things since the dawn of creation.

For it was God who made the heavens and the earth, establishing a place for man to live before He created man himself. You only need to go as far as Genesis, Chapter 1, to be reminded that He established creation and all living things within it. And from that point on, He has directed matters from above.

Friends, we need to keep in mind that we serve a Master and He is the Lord Almighty. We are to be fully submissive to us, enslaved to Him and His will and way. The Lord bought us at a very high price, the very cost of His Son Jesus Christ who God gave up freely so to ensure that we might live, not just in the here and now but forever.

And since the Lord has established us and is our Master, we are accountable to Him. We shouldn’t be setting our plans but rather turning to Him and inquiring what His plans are for us. We are to allow Him to fully dictate our actions and seek and do His bidding.

When we do this, when we, like David, fully acknowledge that the Lord has established us and rely on Him fully, then we will find ourselves respected and exalted by those we deal with, not because of anything we have done but only because of everything the Lord has done in our lives.

Are you allowing Him to establish everything in your life?

Know and trust that he will one way or another because that’s what He has done since the beginning, it’s what He’s doing this very moment, and it’s what he will do now and forever more.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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