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In Christ, Mark

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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 our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we go through life, it seems we always seem to face the following question over and over as we deal with a multitude of life circumstances:

“What should I do?”

We encounter problems at work and wonder what how we should handle them.

We face economic challenges and wonder how we’re going to acquire or manage money to solve them.

We encounter difficulties in any number of the relationships we have in life and wonder what we need to do to resolve things.

Overall, as we step back and look at our lives, I think we can see where it’s an endless procession of different situations that involve us having to make choices in regard to dealing with them.

OK…so what should we do?

Unfortunately, we do everything except what we should be doing most of the time.

I say this because we tend to respond to our problems in one of two ways when they arise in our lives…neither of which provide the proper guidance we need.

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.

Think about it for a moment for isn’t it easy to tell someone else what they should do when there’s nothing at stake in it for you?

If you give them bad advice, then they suffer from it 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 you. 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, at least from a worldly perspective.

And so when someone gets to this point, when a person seems to have exhausted every earthly asset available, it’s only then that they end up turning to the One…the Lord…that they should have turned to at the very start…the One who would have provided them with perfectly reliable direction to handle the matter at hand, all while offering strength, comfort, peace, and love at the same time.

Indeed, God and God alone is our very present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1) and our trusting Counselor when we need guidance (Psalm 32:8).

Turning to our scripture passage from the opening verses of 2 Samuel, chapter 2, we see where David fully embraced those truths and demonstrated the right way to approach seeking guidance in times of need.

To set the scene, we know that David, his men, and their families were living in Philistine territory after King Achish gave them the town of Ziklag. Unsure about when he and the others should depart Philistia and head back to Judah now that Saul was dead, we see David turning to the Lord and asking:

"Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?"

The scriptures tell us that the Lord told David to do so but keep in mind that Judah was a large territory and David wanted to make sure he went exactly where the Lord wanted him to go. And so he followed up his first question with a second:

“Where shall I go?”

To which God replied:

“To Hebron."

With this, we can see where David knew exactly what he needed to do and where the Lord wanted him to go because he asked Him directly and this carried with it an added benefit. For by responding to God’s guidance in obedience, David would know that the Lord’s approval would be on his actions.

And so David went to “Hebron and its towns”, settling there “with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel” along with “the men who were with him, each with his family”. It was there that “the men of Judah came” and officially “anointed David king over the house of Judah”.

My friends, through David’s actions we’re given a three step formula toward dealing with our life circumstances so to ensure that we’ll always be making decisions and behaving in ways that the Lord desires.

First, we need to ask…not any human being but God …and do it 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…the Lord expects that we turn to Him and Him alone when we need guidance before anyone or anything else…and since we’re in this advanced technological age, that includes AI. For He and He alone provides the perfect advisement we need to make sure we are heading in the right direction to accomplish what He wants…and He does this every time we seek Him.

Secondly, David shows us that we need to listen.

When God told him what to do, David heard 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 obediently did what God told him to do.

Now, we have seen throughout our 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 compliant…and unfortunately, we still see it happening 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. In return, we see where the Lord blessed him, anointing him as king of Judah…and soon his leadership would expand over all Israel, just as God had promised and purposed. Given this, we need to remember that He has a specific purpose for us in our lives as well…no matter where He leads us.

So there you have it. In just four verses from the second chapter of 2nd Samuel, God gives us three simple steps to make sure we always know what to do, no matter our circumstances…three steps modeled by David.

First, ask the Lord first regarding your situation and how to proceed.

Second, listen patiently for His direction.

And finally, respond to His direction with absolute obedience, doing exactly as He commands.

Rest assured of this, God will always put us where He wants us to be when we seek Him and while we’re there, He will always reveal His purpose for us in that place.

For David, his family, and his men and their families, it was to go to Judah and settle in Hebron where David would officially become Judah’s new king.

What will it be for you and me?

Well, all we need do is ask God, listen to Him, and do just what he tells us to do for it’s only then that we can discover and experience the glory of God’s plan for our lives.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.