Quality Tested

The Bible records in 2 Samuel 23 the last words of David and in 2 Samuel 24 :1 we read "1 Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah." I was surprised that such a test be desired for David at such an old age. However, David went on with the census even though Joab his commander tried to talk David out of it."3 But Joab replied to the king, "May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?" . Well needless to say, that did not work and David went ahead with the census anyway. "10 David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing." Now comes the interesting part, God asks David a very unique question, I dont think I have come across such question posed to anyone else in the Bible so far. Gad the prophet came over to David and said "This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.' "
13 So Gad went to David and said to him, "Shall there come upon you three [b] years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me." and you know what David decided "14 David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men." David's answer is wonderful. More than that God asks David to perform a sacrifice and the plague in Israel is stopped.

Lessons

1. God tests His people for their faithfulness,no matter what their age. There is no time a believer can take a vacation from faith. Our faith is active and alive, working every single moment of our lives. Romans 1:17 says "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." Our very life depends on faith and thus it doesn't matter how old we get, as long as we live, we live by faith and God tested David to see whether his faith held ground even at that old age.
2. David's powerful understanding and relationship with God-I sometimes wonder if I were in David's place would I be able to make such a decision as David did. He could make a sure decision because he "knew" God, he could not vouch for people or for anything else but David could confidently vouch for God, he could vouch for God's mercies as he knew God's mercies are new every morning and His love endures forever.
3. Every failure David runs to God- One of the most important lessons David's life resounds is about God's forgiveness. David knew God's mercy more than anyone else I've met so far in my Bible lessons I guess. David didn't have such perfect life as one would expect from a man of God. He had some major downfalls, sins in his span of life. However the key that made David a "man after God's own heart" was his admittance that he keeps falling, he makes consistent effort to stay obedient to God in every step of his way. Every time he failed, he just ran to God and almost like threw himself at God's feet for God's mercy. He relentlessly surrendered to God at every situation of his life (be it success or a failure) and God always took him. You know, many times when we fall short (which we will because we're still in a flesh which tends to disobey God."Matthew 26:41"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." we learn from David , we MUST run TO GOD and not away.
4. Nothing cheap for God-Later on when God asked David to perform a sacrifice, David was at Araunah's place and Araunah offered all that he had to David to be able to sacrifice. However David replied "24 But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." These verses are used as wonderful testimony for David anywhere people talk about David. Surely David gave God the best, always. Even in his life, he offered what was costly to any human, his life.

Conclusion: We're coming to the end of the life of a man who has impacted lives of believers around the world. David has taught me that we have failures but that shouldn't discourage us from following our Living God, he knows we are flesh and we are weak more than anyone else. he doesn't expect us to be perfect, if God did where would we stand. David's life brings out a different kind of intense relationship man can have with God. A man after God's own heart. Even though he had many faults and shortcomings, he yet followed God whole heartedly, totally depending on God for whatever God's decision would be for his life. God always turned his life around no matter how bad he messed up. We have hope with our Living God. There is no refuge like our Living God, Who reaches out for His children to bring them out of darkness into light.

Keep up the Good Work!!

David's life now becomes interesting, on the one hand Ziba, Mephibosheth's (Jonathan's son) steward comes to bless David with food and supplies for his journey and on the other hand there is Shemei from Saul's clan come out to curse David. However David goes on with his journey and reaches his destination.

In the meanwhile, Absalom has gathered up his people at Jerusalem. Now a word about Ahithophel "23 Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel's advice."(2 Samuel 16:23) . Yet when God had decided to thwart Ahithophel's plan nothing in his status remained and Ahithophel's plan wasn't considered by Absalom. Later on we read Ahithophel committed suicide because no one honoured his plan. Then there was a battle between David's men and Absalom's followers and Absalom was struck down by David's men even when David had asked them not to kill him and David mourned.

When David returned to the City, all the people who had left him came to meet him, Shimei who had cursed David when he was fleeing, Mephibosheth who had hoped he would get the kingdom when David dies and the likes, David did not treat them as they deserved but forgave them and let them stay in the kingdom. Later on the people of Judah (who had given David refuge while he was fleeing) and the Israelites( who had been following Absalom when he was alive) had an argument and they split. People of Judah remained with David but the Israelites left him.

Lessons I learnt

1. It didn't matter to David who treated him how at his low times, he kept doing the right thing-If we read the account of David fleeing from his son Absalom for fear of being killed and the people who supported him and the people who didn't I find that David did not deal with the people in revenge or the way they treated him. He treated all of them with kindness, whether they deserved it or not."Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Our good deeds should not be dependent on how the other person behaves towards us, but on how our connection is with our Living Lord.
2. Forgiveness- Though we don't see David explicitly forgiving anyone who hurt him, we do see in his actions that his works showed that he had forgiven them and cared for them anyway."4Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c] And lead us not into temptation.[d]' " (Luke 11:4) Isn't this one of the main things our Lord Jesus taught us to pray?

Conclusion: Even David's life talks about things that our Lord Jesus wants us to learn, a message from New Testament. To love one another, to do good no matter what the weather condition at your surroundings. Dear God, help us to learn this lesson in our lives, to do good and forgive even as You did not deal with us the way we deserve, but died for us while we were yet sinners. How much more we need to learn from You Lord Jesus. Please teach us to become more and more like You. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.

Envisioning a Hopeful Future with Confidence!!!

David now headed for the worship ground, meets his friend Hushai there. Hushai like any good friend, is devastated at David's fate and all the trouble that David is going through."32 When David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite was there to meet him, his robe torn and dust on his head. "(2 Samuel 15:32) When Hushai wants to share in the grief, "David said to him, "If you go with me, you will be a burden to me. " and I went uh..what!!! how can someone who cares for you, who wants to cry with you, who wants to be with you in that terrible situation of yours be a burden!!! But thats what David says to Hushai!!!. Then David says "....return to the city and say to Absalom, 'I will be your servant, O king; I was your father's servant in the past, but now I will be your servant,' then you can help me by frustrating Ahithophel's advice. 35 Won't the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Tell them anything you hear in the king's palace. 36 Their two sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with anything you hear." (2 Samuel 15:34-36). I am amazed at this man David.
Just in the previous verse before he reaches the summit where people worship we see a heart broken downtrodden David, the Bible writes "30 But David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and he was barefoot. All the people with him covered their heads too and were weeping as they went up.(2 Samuel 15:30), when David comes to know of what was happening behind him in his kingdom (2Samuel 15:31) David turned to God and then on we dont see a crying David, we see an active David, a David who now has a plan, who now knows what he wants, how things would turn out for him, because he has prayed to the one he knows as the ever present and only help in times of trouble, and I feel as I read, he has some kind of a surety with which he sends his friend Hushai to return to the city to frustrate Ahithopel's plan. Now I dont see any clear instructions that David gives Hushai for doing so, he just sends him back to the city and asks him to keep him informed through the sons of a priest back there.

Lessons I learnt

1. Though distressed for a moment, David finds strength in prayer-David does not look doubtful for a moment about his prayer to God to thwart Ahithopel's counsel. He might not have had a clearly defined answer for his prayer, right now but he was confident God would surely do something for him. David says in one of his psalms " 14 But you, O God, do see trouble and grief; you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. " (Psalms 10:14). Isn't it beautiful to know, that God considers our trouble and grief as the victim of that commits himself to you.
2. Not looking to dwell in the sorrows of today but looking ahead to tomorrow-The above Psalm helps me see what David meant when he prayed, he meant to commit (surrender) himself to God, the only help he knew. He did not want a party of people who would continue crying for his situation but people who would act by faith. By faith that God would deliver David. He was looking ahead. He did not want to be stuck in thinking about his current situation and how sad and how devastating it was and he did not want to be reminded of it with tears of a well-meaning friend Hushai, hence he calls Hushai a burden if he stays with him. David was looking forward to his freedom, to his victory, to an answer of his prayers. There could be chance that Hushai would be killed, because he followed David and after all they were fleeing from Absalom and his conspirators in the first place. Why else would David have the courage to send back a good friend in the face of danger!!! Faith-thats what David found when he prayed.Looking at the day when God would deliver him.
3. Confidence in God always pays-You know what David was right in being confident that God would surely answer his prayer. In 2 Samuel 17:14 we read "14 Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel." For the LORD had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom. " Isn't that exactly what David had prayed!!! David did not shrink from what God had said would happen to him and heres what the Bible says " 35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. 38But my righteous one[f] will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."[g] 39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."(Hebrews 10:35-39). I dont know if David had confidence that his prayer is going to be answered, but he was certain that God would surely look at his situation and help him.

Conclusion: We cannot always explain all the situation we go through, surely for David this was a consequence as God had told him, but even then David knew, this was time to get more closer to God and not run away from Him. David showed confidence in God. Much of David's Psalms start off with a sad note, crying out to God, pleading for deliverance, struggling to stay right with God, but the most beautiful thing is the way he ends them, they all end with a hope of waiting on the Lord, waiting for His deliverance, waiting at God's feet even when situations don't look like they'll ever change. Thats how confident David is of His Saviour. How confident of my Lord, am I??

Headed for Worship

So David was running away from his son Absalom who was trying to kill him, however the good thing is David reached where he was headed. I was amazed to know the place where David was headed, when disaster struck him," 32 ..David arrived at the summit, where people used to worship God..."(2Samuel 15:32) David was headed towards a worship ground and made it there. Its difficult to be able to reach a place of worship when you're not in a mood to worship, nothing around you seems like you can worship about, but I guess this is the key point the whole Bible resounds. Worshipping God, when life's situations are pressing in on you is a powerful thing. No wonder there are so many examples in the Bible where when God's people were tested or were in trial, they headed for worship and the most amazing thing was, none of them returned a failure from that place of worship, all of God's people who entered into worship during their troubled times were victorious, they came out stronger than they had gone in, they came out maturer from the lessons they learnt in worshipping God during their troubled, they came out more blessed. You want to see!!!
Here they are

1. Strength for facing any situation in the worship place-When Abraham was supposed to take Isaac for sacrifice, here's what he said-Genesis 22:5He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."
2. Freedom from slavery of any kind is at the worship place-When the Israelites were in slavery and cried out to God, their first destination towards freedom was to go to the desert and worship God-"Exodus 3:12And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."
3. Getting blessed at the worship place-When Hannah wasnt having a baby, they were at a worship place when she asked God for Samuel-" Year after year this man(Elkanah) went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh....Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the LORD, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. " Then Hannah prayed and asked God in the house of worship.."In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD."(1 Samuel 1) and her prayer was answered and thats how we got a powerful man of God and prophet Samuel.
4. Seeking God in worship-The Ethiopian who wanted to know God had gone to a place of worship before God's person came to meet him on his way-"Acts 8:27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship"
5. Getting directions through worship-Jesus disciples got answer for further direction when they were in worship-Acts 13:2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

The Word of God is full of examples from lives of people who found strength, hope and power in worshipping God, when the situation didnt exhort them to worship. Worshipping God when everything is fine, is easy however the real power of worship can truly be experienced when situation doesn't look like you could worship. Thats when our soul finds total dependence on the Living God, knowing thay only He can fix everything. Remember when Paul and the rest were imprisoned for preaching and were in the jail, they started worshipping and singing and the doors of the jail broke off. Thats the power of worship, when we're tied up. Hebrews 1:6And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him." Isn't it our call to worship our Living God.Hebrews 12:28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,"
So let us worship...Philippians 4:6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Its not that these people were going through an easy time when they were headed for worship, but let our requests be made known to God,"WITH THANKSGIVING"
Let us head for worship and receive the power that God has kept for us.

God's mercies are new every morning & God's love endures forever & His Word is true

As I continue to read, how Absalom, plots against his own father, David, and plans to steal the kingdom from him. I am more and more impressed by the way David deals with the situation. At this time, he's running away from his son Absalom, who has built up a large number of followers and would kill him(David his own father), so he may become king!!! The Bible says "David continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went; his head was covered and he was barefoot" (2 Samuel 15:30). Moreover David's counselor was also with Absalom, David did what he knew best at this situation ; "David prayed, "O LORD, turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness." A cry of a desperate man. His trustworthy man Arkite came to support David during this trial and wanted to go with him, but David asked him to go back and watch the situation at his home, and so he did.As David travels further, Mephibosheth's (Jonathan's crippled son) person, Ziba waited with food and supplies for David and his people. David asked why Mephibosheth didnt come and he learns that Mephibosheth is waiting in Jerusalem hoping to get a part of the kingdom when Absalom takes it.Furthe now on his way to Bahurim, one of Saul's descendants meets David's convoy and he throws stones at them and curses David. The situation, as it is, being grim, being made unbearable by the words that this man was cursing David with.David does not retort in anger or defence, but does nothing, in fact he tells Abishai, who wanted to defend David; "David then said to Abishai and all his officials, "My son, who is of my own flesh, is trying to take my life. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the LORD has told him to. 12 It may be that the LORD will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today." (2 Samuel 16:11) David knew, there was no point in trying to defend himself from an outsider, when his own family member was seeking to kill him. They finally reached their destination all exhausted, however there David refreshed himself.

In the midst of such an emotional and physical unrest in his life, I learnt some lessons on how David tackles the situation

• Distressed, but not letting go of faith- David knows he has to go through this test in life, remember the time when God told him , after his sin with Bathsheba that David would have unrest in his family. Yet he also shows that his only hope is the Lord and he prays. Just because there are effects that remain from sin, until the time we're put back on track, we should not and must not, let go of our hope in the Lord. Apart from our Lord there is no hope. Would there be any other way out? No, sometimes the only way out is to lay down complete trust on our Saviour. Do you know why we need to "lay down" our trust upon the Lord, because lying down is resting, because when lying down, your entire body is supported by the floor or the bed on which you lie down on. In the physical sense,it demonstrates complete trust on the bed, that it will support, thats what we need to do when situations seem overwhelming, lay our hope upon our Living God
• Frank about his feeling-Its not an easy thing David is going through, its not hidden, its so overwhelming David cries and walks barefoot. Sometimes people say, we should not cry about the situation, but I think, its human to feel sad, to be disheartened when faced with situations like David did. If we dont feel any emotions then what would we be? If we're not at the end of our strength how will we see God's power, how will we experience God's greatness and God's love and strength which is so freely given to them who believe. In spite of the condition they are in, though they are weak, then they are strong in the strength of the Lord.David could have easily enforced his security, people were willing to give up their lives for him, he could have acted as a king and got Absalom killed, probably in the way he did Urriah, but he preferred to remain weak and see God take him out of this situation. He might have wanted to see God working in his life.
• Surprising Favour returned- David had helped, Mephibosheth, Jonathan's crippled son, after Jonathan died, in return he receives a favour from Mephibosheth's son, who comes to give David and his men, food and water supplies for their journey. Its amazing, that at one time the guy who called himself a dead dog, when David asked him to dine with him (Mephibosheth) has now turned greedy for a part of the kingdom David had to leave from, because of his son Absalom, but his son has remembered David's favour towards his father Mephibosheth and returns it. Well, I'd say its better to never hope any favour from someone you have granted favour to. In other words, don't give favour with a hope of return favour, it might never be returned. However be hopeful, that God has seen your heart when you reached out to someone in need, God will make sure, thats returned from somewhere. Sow a seed of blessing in someone desperate's life, the fruit of it might come from anywhere, even though the person whom you blessed turns away from you. God is your rewarder.
• Dealing with "Big Mouths"-In the midst of trouble, sometimes you would find people who love to find out more about the situation or ready to judge you for the misfortune that has come upon you. People who are ready to further your emotional pain with harsh words, they think they are the ones sent to "deal" with you. This man from Gera who came out to curse David saying ""Get out, get out, you man of blood, you scoundrel! 8 The LORD has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The LORD has handed the kingdom over to your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a man of blood!"(2 Samuel 16:8). Sounds apt doesn't it. Sounds like David should have received all this punishment. But remember what God told David when he had sinned "13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die." God had forgiven David. No matter what the Big Mouths say, when we asked God for forgiveness, God has taken away our sin. Why carry a burden which Jesus has already taken away, when you asked Jesus our Lord to wash you with His precious blood, which he shed for your and my sins" There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Yes we might have gone off track for a while, but when the prodigal son returns, the Father accepts him with open arms and much rejoicing. If our Father in heaven has accepted us, what does anything else anyone say matter. Our connection should be directly with our Lord Jesus, not because of what someone else says about our situations.
• Steadfastly trusting God's amazing mercy, they are new every morning-When this Shemei was cursing David and throwing stones at him, David had his heart steadfastly trusting in God's mercy. He would rather trust in God's mercy, rather than the condemnation of another man."11 David then said to Abishai and all his officials, "My son, who is of my own flesh, is trying to take my life. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the LORD has told him to. 12 It may be that the LORD will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today." Isn't that beautiful, no matter how condemned people might think we could be because of whatever has happened in our past, we can trust in God's mercy.Lamentations 3:22-24 says "22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." If you are distressed and the people around you are like Shemei, trust in the Lord's mercy, they are new every morning. Wake up get up, look up and see, they are new every morning, GOD"S MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY MORNING. Oh the Psalms are full of songs of God's love and enduring mercies. Can you imagine, what weight that testimony in Psalms has, coming from a man like David, who went through it all and wrote them.
  
  Conclusion: I can't imagine any of our situations being as terrible as it has been for David until this time, well there is more to come, yet the one thing that remains common between all the situations, is David's steadfast trust in God and God's power always standing strong on a man after God's own heart, David, even when David did good, even when David sinned, even when David killed Urriah ruthlessly, even when David asked for forgiveness, even when David faced severe family issues, in that his own son trying to kill him.
  I hope this post brings hope to the ones who have been through rough times, faced unrest in the family, have suffered the emotional stress of cursing from others who dont have a clue about your life. Finally it is God's Word that stands and matters, if you really want a change in your life.
  

Relentless Surrender

David's sin of 'stealing' Bathsheba and killing her husband Uriah, brought him consequences, just as God had said. In 2 Samuel 12:11 we read "11 "This is what the LORD says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.' " " Now thats a pretty strong statement from God regarding, and now we even see some of the consequences. The events that take place in David's life from this point(when he sinned) on are events that bring him disgrace, dishonour and shame. Firstly his firstborn through Bathsheba dies then , Amnon (David's son) misbehaves with his sister (Tamar) (though they may not be from the same mother, atleast they were brothers and sisters from the same father), due to this incident a number of killings take place(Absalom (Tamar's brother kills Amnon),and Absalom flees. David longs for his son Absalom. Well in a course of time, Absalom does return to David, only to start plotting to take the kingdom away from him, even though David welcomes him home with a kiss and love. How much more can David take, I wonder. For once his life was going well as a king, yet now he has serious family problems, and David flees from Absalom "14 Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, "Come! We must flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom. We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin upon us and put the city to the sword." (2 Samuel 15:14). Even at this point, David does not fight his situation, he tells the priest Zadok "25 Then the king said to Zadok, "Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the LORD's eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. 26 But if he says, 'I am not pleased with you,' then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him." (2 Samuel 15:25)

Lessons I learnt

1. Sin brings death, but God has taken that away, the after effects still remain- Now what does that mean? Didn't Jesus die for our sins and take it away, so I may not have any problems, you may ask. Yes thats true, but thats not a guarantee for us to sin more. Its like, you want to get some place and got into the wrong train, and you've gone a whole way in the opposite direction than, to where you were supposed to go. No money, no time, no one to help, no place to stay...because your place of stay was booked at your original destination. Thats when Jesus can help you out to get onto 'the' way and get you back onto the right path to get you to your original destination. Well it might take a while for you to get back but then, you will surely get back if you follow His directions. In the process, the amount of distance you travel to get back on track as the consequences you might face due to the wrong path taken earlier. Thats what happened with David (2 Samuel 12:13) "13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, [a] the son born to you will die." When we ask for forgiveness, our sins are definitely taken away, we're free from it, yet if we've done something that will drastically, change our present and our future, it may take a while before we get everything back in order. (For eg killing for money,taking drugs..etc which have long lasting effects..unlike telling lies, or badmouthing a person). However God's grace and mercy is with us, to help us overcome the after effects of sin.
2. Relentless surrender-thats how David made it through all that trouble- David's response teach me that, he knew that the only way out for him through all the trouble that had come upon him due to his sin, was through his only Saviour, Lord God Almighty and so he was open to whatever God would decide for him. "25 Then the king said to Zadok, "Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the LORD's eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. 26 But if he says, 'I am not pleased with you,' then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him." He had learnt over time, no man could help, he knew his position as a child of God, hence he could take a stand like this one. If there was anyone who could help David, David knew that it was God Himself.
3. Confidence in God's decisionthrough remembering God's goodness-David's surrender of self, could not have come out of nowhere. When he was young, he spent lots of time shepherding the sheep and making melody to the Lord, he had developed his relationship with the Lord and He was confident that God would be the ONLY one in favour of him. God would be the only one to rescue him. Not only this, but also that He remembers what God had done for him in the past. Remember the psalm he wrote "1BLESS (AFFECTIONATELY, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name!
   2Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits-- 3Who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, Who heals [each one of] all your diseases," (Psalms 103:1-3)

Conclusion: For us who have slipped in life, David's life demonstrates hope and strength in our Living God. We may not be able to go back into the past and change the wrong decisions we might have made, but we sure can stay connected to our Living and Loving Heavenly Father in the present to avoid making mistakes in the future and therefore like David, become the kind of people God planned for us to be. The key, as seen from David's life is, not to dwell in sin, but to get up, seek forgiveness and let God help us out of it. The lesson is to build the confidence in God's plan, like David had, so God may bring out the best in us. That confidence which comes through a continual connection with the Almighty.This confidence will take us through. Therefore let us hold fast to the confession of our faith, for He who called us is Faithful.

Could I be this Yielded to God's Will?

I as a believer have always wanted to be a woman after God's own heart and David has given me some valuable lessons from his life, this far. After his sin, David asked for forgiveness, was willing to take the punishment for the sin but did not want to part from God. In this episode, as David has to go through the trial of seeing his young child die, he demonstrates an awesome response to what he goes through. He cries and prays hard for his son to live, yet his prayers were not answered, his son dies. Instead of turning bitter, David accepted the verdict and moved on, in fact he went and worshipped God. (2 Samuel 12)

There are 3 things I noticed from David's life at this point

1. Prayed hard-It was the right thing to do. What else could David do, except to pray for his dying child and he did, with his whole heart, yet leaving the results to God."16 David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground. 17 The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them. " There will be situations in life, when we don't know what the outcome might be, well there are times when we DO KNOW what will happen, because God would show that to us by faith and through His Word, yet sometimes, there are those times when you just don't know and the only thing left to do is lean on Him through prayer..thats what David went through and he didn't just casually or matter of factly do it, he was serious about his petition to the Lord.
2. Prayer not answered-In spite of the diligence he prayed with, his son died. Sometimes, no matter how sincerely we tried or prayed, or tried in our own strength to please God, we may not see the result we want, and that is important. Of course God is good, God knows what is best for us....in all this He is good. Don't give up hope, God knows what is best, He can see the end from the beginning. He planned out our lives even before we started living it and He comes with us to live it out with us, so He knows what He's doing. Can we trust God even if our prayers are not answered??
3. Not desperate but worshipful-After his prayer went unanswered, David responds with hope and not despair "22 He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.' 23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." He immediately stopped crying and got up washed his face and you know what he did "After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate. " If we think, in the way that pleases us, we'd think, what was left to worship God for? After all, God did not answer his prayer, God did not listen to his prayer!!! Yet he went and worshipped God. How many of us would have turned away from God, at this junction, wouldnt we??? But for David, his relationship with God was too important and he would not let go, no matter what happened in his life.

Conclusion:All these points, to me, are out loud proclaiming one thing, David was definitely a man after God's heart, because He let God BE God in his life. He did not try to interfere in what God had planned for his life. Yes he prayed hard, but not twisting God's arm and asking God to fulfil his wishes, but yielding to God's decision. He accepted God's decision humbly and did not fight it, in this he found blessings. You know what, later on when David and Bathsheba had another son, they named him Solomon, but the Bible records "The LORD loved him; 25 and because the LORD loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah. ". Wow, isn't that beautiful, God personally sending word to give Solomon the name. Remember, when we want to keep our children's name, we consult with all our loved ones and choose the best. Here, Almighty God Himself, connects with David's family and personally gives the name Jedidiah to Solomon, Jedidiah meaning "beloved of the Lord". Now would we be willing, or ready, if we had to go through all this to really become man/woman after God's own heart. I am not sure if I am this yielded to my Saviour, but sure this episode from David's life has challenged me to trust God WHOLLY with my life. No matter what. Shouldn't we?

If we don't who will...fight the spiritual battle

2 Samuel 10:12 "12 Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The LORD will do what is good in his sight."
This is what David said, when confronted by the Ammonites for battle. The Ammonites had demeaned David's men when they had gone to Nahum, their king, to mourn the death of his father. Nahum's counsellors told him, that David has sent men to spy the land and hence dishonoured David's men.
Its amazing to be able to say, let God do what pleases Him.
I learned a few lessons from this chapter(2 Samuel 10) from the Bible

1. Total trust in the Lord-David leaned wholly on the Lord, no matter what the outcome was going to be. Can we trust God so completely, without a shadow of a doubt, when the outcome can go either ways, for you or against you, when no one else is there to guide you, when the answer is not in sight.
2. Relationship with God is good and strong-David's statement, teaches me that David has a constant relationship with God, which actually has emboldened him so much, that he knows that when God does something that He thinks is good, it WILL be good for him. Do we have that kind of relationship with God, that no matter what hits, we'll know it in our heart that our God will never leave us nor forsake us. Also that God has plans to prosper us and not to harm us.
3. A right attitude to fight-David had the right attitude, he wasn't fighting because he was angry with that king, but because now they have come to attack the Israelites and he wanted to protect the people, God has given him to be king of. He wanted to fight in order to defend God's people.God has given us people to be around too, maybe our family members, our neighbours, our colleagues, our friends who don't know the Lord, because our enemy and God's enemy has blinded their eyes, that they cannot see the salvation and wonderful gift that Jesus has to offer them. Do we have that attitude to face any situation, to defend God's people. All the people on the earth are God's people, did you know? Psalm 24:1 says " 1 The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it" We fight not for ourselves, or our own benefit, but for the people of God, on behalf of God, but our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities in heavenly places, which are trying to rise up against our Living Lord Jesus.

Conclusion: David won the battle. Yeah, and not by a small margin too. The enemies stood to fight, "18 But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. [b] He also struck down Shobach the commander of their army, and he died there" I cannot imagine that much damage in a battle where no bombs and nuclear weapons are involved.God's people are very precious to Him, thats why God sent His One and Only Son Lord Jesus to die on the cross, and not just anybody He could have picked. God's people are too important to Him, thats why He longs to meet them, longs to commune with them. God's people are very special to Him, thats why He says 'You are mine". How can we being God's children, walk away from our other brothers and sisters who have been blinded and dont know our Heavenly Father's love. Lets be strong and fight bravely for our people...and God will do what He knows best.

Defective Life....Blessed

David was man, who loved to help people. He loved to do right works, and made sure, his life was connected to God. He did everything with God's approval, and so he prospered because the Lord Almighty was always with him
In 2 Samuel 9 we see how David sought for, anyone left from Jonathan's house, to show them kindness.Mephibosheth was found, and David took such good care of him, that he established that, Mephibosheth should dine at the king's place, forever."7 "Don't be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table." "

Lessons I learnt

1. We did not choose God, God chose us to be His children, the choice we have is whether we accept God as a choice too-Mephibosheth did not choose David to help him out, but David sought for Mephibosheth and blessed him similarly, we had no idea to choose God, without knowing him, yet God knows us and saves us from our terrible and dipressing situations.
2. Our current circumstances should not matter our relationship with God-No matter what type of person you are, or what shape your life is in, God knows our situations, he knows we've been left to fend for oursleves,by our own choice. And he wants to help, the choice we have, is to either receive God's guidance and help for our situation or work without Him in our lives. For with God all things are possible. God does not make guess work about our livesHe has it all well planned, and a believer clearly knows where his help comes from, what his or her God would do for him. God doesn't help us because we're in trouble, but because He loves us and wants to bless us.
3. God doesn't just have an idea or a good thought of saving and keeping us in Him, but God longs to try to meet with us to fulfil those plans- "3 The king asked, "Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?" Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet." 4 "Where is he?" the king asked. Ziba answered, "He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar."For David, helping Jonathan's descendents was not a great thought, but he sincerely did want to help him. God doesn't have a good plan for us, but He seeks to intercept our lives and wants us to live out His perfect and pleasing plan for our lives."Isaiah 30:18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!"
4. Accepting God's will without a doubt-If Mephibosheth, would have doubted, whether David really meant to help him, he would have never entered the king's palace. Or if Mephibosheth would have thought, who am I to deserve the king's attention, he would not have gone ahead with David's request. Surely we are nothing, no bodies to deserve such wonderful saving grace from God, yet God chose us to show His kindness, because He loves us. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;"(Psalm 103:9-11). When we accept God's kindness towards us, we accept God's love.
5. Accepting God's plan for our lives, is a key to success and a good life- Soon after Mephibosheth accepted David's plan to keep him at his palace, "And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king's table, and he was crippled in both feet." Now thats a wonderful life, that Mephibosheth received from David. He wouldn't have to worry about food, clothing or shelter any more. The king was taking care of it all. Once we've accepted God's plan in our lives, all the rest gets taken care of. Matthew 6:33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Now I think, seeking God's kingdom, also means that we want God to be our King, and for God to be our King, we should be willing to be His subjects and the rest of the things will be added to us. Its not about making other people somehow get into the kingdom, but living the kingdom-like life so that others may see and want what the kingdom of God has. I think that would make evangelisation so easy. We've just got to live in obedience to our King Lord Jesus and everything will be added to us.

Conclusion:There were shortcomings in Mephibosheth, yet David did not consider those as a hindrance to show his kindness. Mephibosheth was lame and might have been misreable for not being able to move around freely, but David's love and concern for him, changed Mephibosheth's life forever. So also, God Himself, has been trying to look out for any who are righteous, who are willing to follow God's will, who are willing to be people of His kingdom. People who are willing to abide by the rules of God's Kingdom and thereby, be blessed, not only for themselves but also for their entire generations to come.

Do Good

Everything that I have read about David, in the Bible, somehow makes me wonder if that man knew the New Testament. He chose to do good no matter what other people did to him. Followed God whole heartedly, no matter what happened. He didn't care when his wife despised him when she saw him dance before God. Now in 2 Samuel 9 David seeks Jonathan's family so that he could show kindness to them. Mephibosheth is found, a lame man, he thinks he's a dead dog when compared to David's kindness and generosity. However David showed kindness to Jonathan and did not hold Saul's unkindness in his heart. Also when I see Jonathan's life, he was investing good works himself.

Lessons:

• We're urged to do good- "16And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. "(Hebrews 13:16). Our good works don't go unnoticed.44But I tell you: Love your enemies[a] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? (Matthew 5:44-47)
• How can anything good come from us??-Yes, we might think so like Paul"Romans 7:18 "I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out."..David did too.."Psalm 16:2 "I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." The only good that can come out of our lives is through our God."Philippians 2:13 "for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose"

Conclusion-God doesn't leave us at the demand of doing good works, but He says He will equip us to do good.2 Corinthians 9:8 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work" We are left without excuse for not doing good, if we had all the equipment to do good and we did not. David was now king, he had the power to do good or to do evil. Oh he could have thought, yeah, now I have power..I must kill all my enemies first as long as I have this power. But he thought of doing good. God enabled him to think good, because he was constantly depending on God's words and statues and precepts and teachings. He wanted to know ALL that God could help him know to be closely connected to God. The longest psalm written, talks of longings to stay so connected to the Word of God that no one can uproot him.

Dear Father in heaven, I see and understand, now that David's whole life is in front of me as an example, how important Your Words are for my life. There is nothing good in me that I can do, the only good thing I have is You and only You can help me share Your goodness to the ones around. Give me the courage to do good, not only to those who are good to me, but also to those who are not. Thereby learning the kind of sacrifice that pleases You, even my life. Amen

God's Will and God's Word

Sometimes we're so quick in trying to grab the Promises in the Word of God, without actually checking our lives and seeing if we're even fit for it. The Promises in the Word of God are for us, but that doesn't mean, we twist God's arm and say "God You promised in the Word, so You'll have to do it" But we should remember who God is Ecclesiastes 5:2 "Be not rash with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few." God is not at our beck and call, oh yes He does answer our prayers and our call, when we pray according to His Word and His Will.
In 2 Samuel 7 we read of some awesome promises God gave to David, a set of promises, anyone one of us might want to "covet". However I wanted to know one thing, David had not asked God to make him king, neither to give him a palace, neither to give him faithful servants. Atleast I did not come across any verse so far, that David prayed hard,pleaded even, to gain the kingdom. The words from David's prayer, after he heard of God's Promises to him, that caught my attention were "21 For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant. "

1. David was conformed to God's Will for his life-Romans 12:2"Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]. " This verse, as I read it, does not say conform God to our will, but as we have to be conformed to God's will.
2. David honoured God's Word-22For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.(2 Samuel 22:22) David was keeping God's will, not the other way round!!!
3. God's will through God's Word for us, is a proof of God's love for us-It is to prove to us, not to God, that God is faithful. What were we thinking? 1 John 2:29 "If you know (perceive and are sure) that He [Christ] is [absolutely] righteous [conforming to the Father's will in purpose, thought, and action], you may also know (be sure) that everyone who does righteously [and is therefore in like manner conformed to the divine will] is born (begotten) of Him [ God]. David proved it to himself and for us, that God's Word is to be trusted and God's will is perfect. "31As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried. He is a Shield to all those who trust and take refuge in Him."
4. David's secret to his victorious life-Psalm 119:11 "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." The Bible says, "The LORD gave David victory wherever he went."(2 Samuel 8:6, 2 Samuel 8:14, 1 Chronicles 18:6, 1 Chronicles 18:13). You might come into God's kingdom as a loser, but you never remain a loser. When David started his journey, post his anointing as king, he didn't have much, he was running away from a king trying to kill him, staying in caves, even acted like a mad man for fear of being captured, though he started of with all that...today we know him as king. Moreover, God has promised to establish his kingdom forever.

Conclusion:Let's go back to the way God intended His Kingdom to be in the first place. Jesus taught us to pray "Our Father in heaven hallowed by Your Name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven...." We've got to get back to God's Will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven. Thats what David recognised and followed. God's will, and the blessings just came chasing him and ran him over. Isn't that the kind of life all believers in the Living God should be living. We shouldn't be chasing the blessings, we should be making room for God's Will and God's Word to be done in our lives and on this earth, like David did, and the rest will all fall in place. The Word of God says "Romans 12:2 "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.". David tried and saw that God's Will definitely is good, pleasing and perfect. Now you try it!!!

Our Privilege of The Presence of God

2 Samuel 6
David now being king in the City of David, wanted to bring the ark of God to the city, so that the ark of God would remain there. In the process of bringing the ark, Uzzah touched the ark and died on the spot. David was initially angry at what had happened, but soon he was afraid of how such a powerful and holy God could be brought (so tp speak) and kept in the City of David. Hence David asked people to keep the Ark of God in the house of Obed Edom. As the ark of God was kept in Obed Edom's house, their house was blessed and his entire household. David now felt ok about taking the Ark of God into the City of David, and so he did, with great fanfare, joy, dancing and singing...to the point that his wife Michal saw him and despised him for disgracing himself like this before the servant girls and "21 David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."

Lessons I learnt

1. How can one stand in the Presence of such a Holy God?-Our God is a very Holy God and He had commanded in Exodus 30:29"You shall sanctify (separate) them, that they may be most holy; whoever and whatever touches them must be holy (set apart to God). " Not, just any body could go and say "Hi" to God in those times, there was no one automatically pure to go into God's presence...they had to and had to be prepared in an elaborate manner to be able to enter God's Presence, probably with days and days of preparation, that too only the chosen high priest from the tribe could enter..not everyone. This gives me all the more reason to honour and appreciate the importance and impact of my Lord Jesus' sacrifice on the cross."15For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.
   16Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]."Hebrews 4:15-17 . Thats what Jesus our High Priest had opened up for us. David himself, was afraid to take the ark of God into the city of David..but its not so for us. What a privilege we have in Jesus our Lord!!!
2. Where the Presence of the Lord is, there is blessing-2 Samuel 6:11 "And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household." It must have been such a great blessing for Obed-edom to have the ark of God in their house isn't it. Yet for us its even better, Jesus says "Matthew 18:20"For wherever two or three are gathered (drawn together as My followers) in (into) My name, there I AM in the midst of them." and we know from reading in David's life that the Presence of God brought blessings ..not only upon Obed-edom, but on his entire household (meaning-A domestic unit consisting of the members of a family who live together along with nonrelatives such as servants.)The entire group of people under that house were blessed. How much more our houses and churches should be blessed when even 2/3 gather in Jesus name. If not, then we better check our motives for gathering...is it for the great musicians?, or our wonderful pastors? or just for fellowship? or for the food and family fun time? or is it really and truly ONLY about Jesus..to worship and adore Him. I think most of us gather together for different motives, hence we don't see God's presence very often when we're gathered together. Our Lord Jesus has made spiritual life so simple for us, yet if we're not able to make use of it, then something is definitely wrong.
3. So who's ashamed of celebrating in God's Presence-I can see David wasn't...oh he knew who had made him king, he knew where he had come from, how his journey had been. How, every time when he had surrendered his problem to God, God had brought him victoriously through them all. Oh he even dared to say "Hey Michal, your dad did not make me king, neither did any of the people around me..God Himself made me king and I will dance before God...even more than what you have seen, if this is what you think is undignified, I will become even more undignified than this". Yet we would be so shy to sing about God, to dance before our Lord with joy. Isn't danceing a reciprocation of joy? We dance when we go for a party don't we, happy to get nice good, happy to probably meet the people who're hosting...then why are we not joyful before our God?

Conclusion:What I read today, from David's life, has shown me how great is my God, how awesome is His power and His Presence, in transforming lives. David says "11 You have made [c] known to me the path of life;you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." (Psalm 16:11). There is joy in God's Presence, there is power in God's Presence to change and transform lives and alter situations. I don't know what kind of situaiton Obed-edom was in when the ark of God was brought into his house, but the result of the ark of God being in his house is recorded and that it was a blessing, not only to him but to his entire household. Our Lord Jesus Presence is not only for our individual lives, but also for the blessing of the lives within our households, people connected to us in any manner. Isn't that amazing!!! I pray that God would urge our hearts today to make use of the benefits that Jesus made for us, by His sacrifice on the cross. That we may be blessed in our Lord's Presence and propagate that blessings into the lives of ALL OUR HOUSEHOLD.

The Outcome of Constant Connection

Sometimes, when we think its all ok, thats when things start curling up again. David is now crowned king over Israel, has made the City of David after he took back Jerusalem from the Jebusites. Just when everything looked good, the Philistines, who had once given David refuge/some land in Ziklag, now came to fight David, when they knew that he had become king of Israel."17When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they all went up to find [him], but [he] heard of it and went down to the stronghold. 18The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the Valley of Rephaim." (2 Samuel 5: 17-18) . In response to this "19David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand? And the Lord said to David, Go up, for I will surely deliver [them] into your hand. 20And David came to Baal-perazim, and he smote them there, and said, The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like the bursting out of great waters. So he called the name of that place Baal-perazim [Lord of breaking through]."(2 Samuel 5:19-20) So you think it got over here do you...well not so... Soon after this battle we see "22The Philistines came up again and spread themselves out in the Valley of Rephaim. 23When David inquired of the Lord, He said, You shall not go up, but go around behind them and come upon them over opposite the mulberry (or balsam) trees. 24And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then bestir yourselves, for then has the Lord gone out before you to smite the army of the Philistines.25And David did as the Lord had commanded him, and smote the Philistines from Geba to Gezer."(2 Samuel 5:22:25).

Here's some lessons I learnt from this experience David had

1. No two situations in our life are exactly the same, so we need constant direction from our Lord- Though David was fighting against the Philistines, twice, in the same valley of Rephaim, in the same manner. The Philistines coming and spreading themselves out in the valley and the likes. David did not forget to inquire of the Lord both times.Many times in life, we think, oh we've done this before, I know the strategies, I've fought the same battle before and I will win, but here David shows us something different. Though both situations, seem exactly the same, but when David inquires of the Lord, he finds that the way he has to fight the 2nd one is different from the 1st one. David did not take the situations in his life casually, he wanted God to be involved. Just because we won a spiritual battle by a certain direction from God earlier in our life, doesn't mean we'll win another one, by using that as a formula or a model. I have been through this in my life, when I thought, hey I've done this before and I prayed for the situation the same way I did for the previous one and guess what it didn't work. But then when I asked God to show me an answer for this one, I found the answer to be totally different, even though the end result of both situations were the same.We need to inquire of God, regarding every, I mean EVERY situation of our life.
2. Yesterday's strength will not win today's battle-Here's something wonderful I get to stress on again. Now just because David had inquired of the Lord for the 1st battle and God had given him the strength to win that one, that did not confirm David's victory over the 2nd one. Every day is new and different, even though sometimes we do the same work on most of the days. Just because I had food yesterday, doesn't mean that I don't need food for today. Today's strength to work comes from today's food, not because I ate yesterday. So also, our fellowship with God, strengthens us to face any situation in our life. Now thats a daily spiritual food requirement. Remember in the desert, the Israelites collected Manna every day for each day in the morning. So also, we must inquire of our Lord, every morning, for the directions to win our battles we face on this day.
3. We're never alone in our struggles/battles in life- Most of the time , when we read an account of battle in the OT, we might think David fought and won the battles. However in this episode, I find again, (another account was from Joshua's life) that the angel of the Lord fights against the enemies and the Israelite army just follows.In verse 25 of 2 Samuel 5 we read "24 As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army." .". So who do you think did the fighting. I remember reading this passage earlier when I was in college, and boy did it stir up my excitement about God. God told David to wait behind the Philistines, then they would hear the marching over the balsam trees. Now if David is waiting behind there somewhere, then who's sound of marching is it, on the balsam trees? It is our Lord God. I would like you to imagine, David and his army swinging the sword in every direction as they fight and the Lord striking the enemies on behalf of their swinging sword. It tickles me to think, that even when David might have missed hitting someone, that person would be dead, because its the Lord who was striking the army.In our lives too, when we're going through some trouble some pain, or battling a disease, or a fight for a soul of some loved one, God has given us directions, that He has gone out ahead of us and is fighting for us. We've got to swing our sword anyhow, we've got to do or part anyhow. That's faith, that God is doing what He promised. God would mold the person's heart, God would start healing that disease, God would make all finances become whole..and so on. If we ever thought, God has left us alone to fight the battles, I'd say, considering what happened here with David's life....THINK AGAIN.
   
   Conclusion: God honoured David amongst all the people of Israel, because David acknowledged God in EVERY step of his life. So far, whatever David has undertaken, he has not missed inquiring of the Lord. Even though the situations seemed the same, the fight seemed the same...David did not forget to inquire of the Lord. David had a steadfast relationship with God, and God did some pretty amazing things in David's life. David's life episode teaches us the importance of having a continuous dependence on God, because God knows even before we ask. He knows the end from the beginning.
   Isaiah 46:10 (Whole Chapter) I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come." Wouldn't we want God to steer our lives, to be blessed and to be a blessing?

A life that can bless other lives

David had in his heart to show kindness to Saul's family, because he was anointed, but then there were the Zeruiah's sons, Joab and the rest, who were bent on killing them all. It was for the 'good cause' so to speak, because it would make David king. But this is not what David had in mind. After the death of Saul's important man, Abner, "38King David said to his servants, Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? 39And I am this day weak, though anointed [but not crowned] king; these sons of Zeruiah are too hard for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness!"(2 Samuel 3:38-39) .David kept his conscience clear before God, no matter what people might have thought.
Now, after David is crowned king, at the age of 30 yrs, he goes for the first battle against the Jebusites. The Jebusites had been living in Jerusalem. When David went there to take it back, the Jebusites "...said to David, You shall not enter here, for the blind and the lame will prevent you; they thought, David cannot come in here. 7Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the City of David."(2 Samuel 5:6-7). Those people discouraged him, nevertheless, David took that city.
As we read on, we see the Bible records " 10David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of hosts was with him."( 2 Samuel 5:10). Not only does the Bible record, how David's life was turning out to be after all that running for life was coming to an end, it also records, David's relationship or spiritual growth in the Lord "12And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel and that He had exalted his kingdom for His people Israel's sake."( 2 Samuel 5:12) . In spite of all the fame David was receiving, his foundation was firmly established in God. He knew where he had come from and how God had led him thus far.

Lessons I learnt:

1. There are no short cuts in God's plan.David could have easily killed all the people coming in between him and his becoming a king, and he would become a king, after all he was anointed. But then for David, God's statutes were of more value. It was critical for him to obey God's Word, in the time when Saul was in his hands-one blow away from death, at the time when Saul and his sons died on the same day-when it could have been a day of joy for him David mourned for them, at the time when Saul's important man was killed by Zeruiah's sons-the main guy behind the plot of making Saul's sons king was gone-David cried and grieved at how wrong but powerful Zeruiah's sons were. If David would have taken these short cuts, they wouldn't have been a 'genuine' victory, because God never asked David to kill Saul or his sons to become king.Moreover David knew God's commands too well.Psalm 119:11 (Whole Chapter) "Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You. ". David was not fulfilling a 'given outcome' by becoming king, he was living a life with God.
2. When God is with you, it will be evident in your life-Its true that David was running once upon a time for fear of being killed by Saul. He could trust no one.He was hiding in caves, eating whatever he could find. Now thats not a lavish lifestyle of a king. He eventually had to live in enemy territory for a year, before he actually returned to his own country.However at the end of it all, we see the Word of God says "10David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of hosts was with him." (2 Samuel 5:10). Just because, David was staying in a cave to hide from Saul, we can't settle that, thats what God wanted from him. God hadn't finished with David yet. Thats just a temporary situation. How can a nomad, become greater and greater and a king staying in a palace become weaker and weaker!!! The essence of David's greatness was in the fact that "The Lord of hosts was with him". The Word of God says "Matthew 1:23 (Whole Chapter) Behold, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel--which, when translated, means, God with us. [Isa 7:14 ] " Also Jesus said "John 15:5 (Whole Chapter) I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing." David knew that apart from God he could do nothing.He knew how important it was for him to stay connected to God and it showed through his life, in spite of all the trials, in spite of all the chase, David became greater and greater.
3. David perceived -12And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel and that He had exalted his kingdom for His people Israel's sake."(2 Samuel 5:12)
   It is one thing of God being in our lives, but it is another thing to be aware that a Living God is working in our life. David acknowledged and was able to see how God was working. David knew he wasn't becoming a king on his own strength, he wasn't owning a city by himself, he could see God's hand working in his life. Many times when we have believed God and God does something for us, we start thinking oh thats because 'I' worked hard, 'I ' prayed hard, 'I' did it.....but here David knew/perceived (became aware of, achieve the understanding) that God had done this. This is an awesome knowledge that any believer can have, to know, to be assured that God has established. Its knowing that A Living God is guiding you, it strengthens your faith, and you would know how beautiful, and fearful the knowledge is that God chose your and my life to be an example to the masses.It is a knowledge of humble devotion and honour to God for doing so, with a life, that would have just gone by, if lived at their own desires.

Conclusion:In our life too, we will get many short cuts that would lead us to probably where you 'think' God would like you to be, but when our desire is to find out what God would have us do with our life, and then see how God orchestrates everything to fall in line with His pleasant and perfect will for our lives, our lives can become lives of impact, lives that would not only be a blessing to us, but also to his people. Thats what happened to David, God made him king, for what? For His people's sake, he was to be the king who would be remembered for years and years to come, beyond the time that David would himself be alive. More than that, the Messiah Himself, our Lord Jesus, would be from his lineage. Isn't that an awesome blessing. Thats what happens to lives totally devoted to living according to God'w Word and His plan. No one can thwart God's plan for our lives, lives yielded to bring glory to our Living God.

Life's not easy...but there's a reason to that

In the battle between Philistines and Israelites, from 1 Samuel 30, the Israelites were utterly defeated. Saul and his sons were killed. Lots of Israelites were killed in that battle. David was in Ziklag, on account that the Philistine king did not want him to come with them to battle the Israelites.(Remember, David was now staying in a Philistine territory to avoid Saul chasing him). When news of Saul and his sons' death reached David, he was grieved.

We might think, ok now that Saul is dead, life for David should become better. No more being chased, no more temporary homes, no more hiding. Well definitely no more of that is there for David, but then now Saul's house is at war against David's house. While David is anointed king over Hebron in Judah,IshBosheth son of Saul was made king over Mahanaim by one of Saul's followers, Abner.Along with this there was a battle at Gibeon between the 2 houses and "17 The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David's men. " (2 Samuel 2:17)

"1 The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker. " (2 Samuel 3:1)

In all the accounts I read of the fights between David's and Saul's house, I found that David did not take revenge. Someone else always went and killed somebody from Saul's house and David would punish them.For e.g in Saul's case "14 David asked him(the Amalekite guy who killed Saul), "Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?" 15 Then David called one of his men and said, "Go, strike him down!" So he struck him down, and he died. 16 For David had said to him, "Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, 'I killed the LORD's anointed.' " Later on we'll see that when Joab murders Saul's man Abner, David was grieved over that too.(2 Samuel 3) and also over IshBosheth another son of Saul who was killed by the people whom he had hired to be leader of his raiding bands.(2 Samuel 4)
The outcome of David's good dealing of the Saul's family, in spite of what they had done to him was that " 36 All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them."( 2 Samuel 3:36) Finally at the age of 30yrs, David is crowned king of Israel(2 Samuel 5:4). Now thats about 10-15 years of running around, hiding in caves, acting like a mad man, having no food, no proper place to stay.

Lessons I learnt

Did David really have to face so many trials?-Well , yes, I think it was a training ground for him to be humble. It was the period of his life, where he had no one else to support him except God. He had no one else to trust in, except God. He had a group of people who were debtors, broke, distressed, depressed, so surely they couldn't guide him into strength or victory, they themselves needed help. David went through situations in his life, where his existence solely depended on God's directions and how well he obeyed God.If life had been easy for him, he wouldn't have had to consult God for his moves, he was a good warrior and could have done well, but he had to learn to completely depend on God, because he was being made ready to lead God's nation, towards God.He went through all that so that, the testing of his faith developed perseverance. Perseverance finish its work so that he may be mature and complete, not lacking anything, when he becomes king.(James 1:2-4) God never wants his leaders, his representatives to be slack in their behaviour, in their character, in their life, so God would mould them in a manner, that they lack nothing and are WHOLLY ready for His work.Even during our times we see, the people of God who have really steered society towards God were people from humble beginnings.
How does our trials help?- We see that David's character has been well moulded to reflect a godly man. In all the actions he did the people in his kingdom were pleased. Now thats whats a real blessing. God did not want a king who would be super and suppressing His people. In God's kingdom there is joy, there is peace, there is righteousness. So also with us, we can know godly leaders even in our times."Proverbs 29:2 (Whole Chapter) When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan". Our trials are to mold us into people who can impact and steer whole societies into reconciliation with God.

I've always noticed that the people in the army of no matter what country they're from, are the best looking people, most healthy people, most strong people, most disciplined people I've ever met. Even their children are so.They're not all that because of expensive exercise equipments, lavish food or anything or by sitting at home and enjoying, they're the people who've done the most gruesome of tasks, have lived through bare minimums, have slept the least, have run the most, have carried the most loads, have gone without food or sleep for days sometimes. Thats who we want our countries to be in the hands of. Wouldn't we? So also does God want His Kingdom to be in the hands of those who have been through tough times and become tougher through it all. With solid foundations firmly built on the Living God, that nothing, NO THING can shake them off of God's Word and God's plan.