Word of Encouragement (10/12/2023)

After this David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?" And the LORD said to him, "Go up." David said, "To which shall I go up?" And he said, "To Hebron." (2 Sam. 2:1)

This inquiry was made after David found out that Saul and Jonathan died in the battle, from which he was spared to fight against them alongside the Philistines. Going back to Judah might have been the most obvious thing to do. He deeply grieved the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. Even so, the one who had been trying to kill him was gone. Also, with Saul gone, Israel was without a king. And God had anointed him as Israel’s king to succeed Saul. Besides, Ziklag, where David and his men had been staying in Philistine, was destroyed by the Amalekites.

But David did not just pack up and go back because it was a reasonable thing to do. He took time to ask the LORD what his next move should be. Maybe he was not so naïve to think that all the tribes would welcome him and make him king right away. After all, he had the appearance of having defected to Philistia. What is more, he could not take it for granted that the house of Saul (and the tribe of Benjamin) would easily give up their claim to the throne of Israel. Jonathan’s loyalty to David was very likely an exception, not the norm, in his family. Even if that were not the case, we could not discount the influence of those, who wanted Israel’s kingship to remain in Saul’s family so they could retain their privileged status in the regime. And that was exactly what happened. Abner the command of Saul’s army made Ish-bosheth, one of Saul’s sons, king. A lot of times, a leader becomes corrupted by his subordinates, who use him to retain their own power instead of helping him lead well (not that Ish-bosheth had no ambition to be king in this case).

Sometimes we are in too much of a hurry to do what we want or what we think is right. Prov. 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” What wise counsel! If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that our understanding is so very limited. What seems to be a straight path to our eyes may be a long detour. Should we not acknowledge this reality about ourselves and pause long enough to seek His will and guidance?

Of course, God did not promise to answer our inquiry with an audible voice and give a clear yes-and-no answer. But how pleasing it must be to God that we trust and honor Him enough to seek His will before we carry out our plans! If we are not willing to let go of our plans and simply ask Him to bless our endeavors, we are asking Him to aid us in our idolatry. But if we are willing to scrap our plans because we prize His will above our own, we can have the clarity of vision necessary to make wise decisions. When we humble ourselves in that way and show a spirit of reliance upon Him, would He not guide us in our steps and lead us in His path? And would our steps not be surer if we proceed in a humble, prayerful spirit? May the Lord give us the wisdom to prayerfully and sincerely seek His will before we hastily jump into things!

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