Rest...After the Battles
Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around... – 2 Samuel 7:1
God gave David the gift of peace and rest, but only after the battles had been fought. David (with God’s help) had to defeat the Philistines, enemies of Israel, before that peace could be established. If you’ve served in the military, this verse may really hit home, but it has meaning for the rest of us as well. God promises gifts such as peace, but sometimes battles have to be waged before we can reach that point of peace. Perhaps something needs to be resolved first, perhaps you need to learn something about yourself first, or perhaps the reason is a mystery. We may not always understand why, but God does, and we must trust Him, especially during those difficult times.
Placing God First
...that the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains." - 2 Samuel 7:2
King David dwelt in a fine house, but this verse gives us just one of many examples of how David put God above himself. He wasn’t self-centered, even with all the power that had been given to him. Instead of gloating about his own house, he was concerned about God’s house. He knew God deserved better than to simply dwell behind some curtains in a tent. Do you have that same level of reverence and respect for God? Do you put God’s plans for you above your own desires, or do your desires come first? Think about God before you even start to think about yourself, just like David did here. Then God will truly be first in your life.
God’s House
But it happened that night that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, "Go and tell My servant David, Thus says the Lord: 'Would you build a house for Me to dwell in?'" – 2 Samuel 7:4-5
God still dwells among us--now in the form of the Holy Spirit. Be careful to never forget that. Something else we shouldn’t forget is that the church is God’s house. So many un-Christian things take place within many of our churches nowadays that we can hardly blame a non-Christian for not wanting to come in! It must break God’s heart to see some of the things we do to one another in church. We are all God’s children, and our primary goal should be to win more souls for Christ. Different people will have different ideas on how to do that, and we won’t always agree on everything. (Wouldn’t it be a boring world if we did?) But we have got to start getting along with one another inside our churches, and our churches need to work together better as well! Only then can we start to make a big impact in the lost souls of this world which are all around us.
God’s Selflessness
But it happened that night that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, "Go and tell My servant David, Thus says the Lord: "Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, Why have you not built Me a house of cedar? – 2 Samuel 7:4-7
To me, these verses give us a beautiful picture of the character of our God. He is truly a gentle, loving God. Yes, He can become jealous and angry, but only in a righteous manner! Think about what is taking place in these verses. God led His chosen people (who complained all the way) to the Promised Land, and only after they had been there for quite some time did He ask for a house for Himself. Our God is so incredibly selfless, always working to take care of His people without thinking about Himself.
A Prophecy of Jesus
"When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever." – 2 Samuel 7:12-16
As is the case with many Biblical prophecies, this one had a short-term fulfillment with David’s son Solomon (who was God’s figurative son and who built the temple in God’s name) as well as a long-term fulfillment with God’s only begotten Son, Jesus. Still, this is one of the earliest passages in the Bible that alludes to the fact that God’s Son will come from the lineage of David and will establish His kingdom, and Jesus was born about 930 years after this passage was written.
David’s Prayer of Thanksgiving
Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: "Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord God; and You have also spoken of Your servant's house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord God? Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord God, know Your servant. For Your word's sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. Therefore You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears." – 2 Samuel 7:18-22
I’m not going to add any thoughts today; I just want to ask you to take a few moments to ponder David’s prayer and his love and devotion toward the Lord that is so evident through it.
God’s Chosen People
"For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, Lord, have become their God." – 2 Samuel 7:24
It would be a grave mistake for us as a nation to forget that the people of Israel are God’s chosen people--not only in the past, but in the present and future as well. We need to be very careful to elect leaders who respect the nation of Israel. God is not going to look very kindly upon any nation who stands against His chosen people. Many people in our modern world may not think it’s a very big deal, but I feel certain that it is a big deal to God--after all, these are the people He chose, out of everyone on earth, to belong to Himself. Going against Israel is just like going against God, and no one can prevail against our Almighty God! Let us elect leaders who will use wisdom when dealing with situations in the Middle East, and let us pray for the leaders we already have, that they will show respect toward both Israel and God in the decisions that they make.
The Lord was with David
And the Lord preserved David wherever he went. – 2 Samuel 8:14b
The Lord was with David because David had a heart that longed to remain in God’s will. Do you? Do you truly have a desire to remain in God’s will and do what He wants you to do, or do you like to make your own choices and remain in control of your life? God can’t fully use you unless you fully give yourself over to Him and His will, and you’re also much more likely to make mistakes when you try to do things your own way. Just like the Israelites, we are a stubborn people and we like to make our own decisions so we feel like we’re in control. But make no mistake about it: Things always turn out better when we do things God’s way. Always, with no exception. Try to follow God’s will in every aspect of your life--your job, your marriage or dating relationship, your interactions with friends, and even your church life. Make sure you’re doing what God wants you to be doing, nothing more or nothing less, and only then will you be able to accomplish everything God desires for you.
Brotherly Love
Now David said, "Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" He said, "At your service!" Then the king said, "Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in his feet." – 2 Samuel 9:1-3
David loved Jonathan like a brother, and when Jonathan was killed by the Philistines (see 1 Samuel 31), David was devastated. He very much wanted to repay the kindness Jonathan had shown him if he could find another member of Jonathan’s family who had not been killed. He found another son of Jonathan’s, named Mephibosheth, and promised that he could eat at David’s table from that point on (verse 10). To me, this is an outstanding example of wonderful brotherly love!
Question to Ponder: Can you do something extra-special for a friend who has suffered a great loss like Mephibosheth?
Conspiracy Theories
It happened after this that the king of the people of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. Then David said, "I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me." So David sent by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David's servants came into the land of the people of Ammon. And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, "Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Has David not rather sent his servants to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?" – 2 Samuel 10:1-3
Just like he did with Jonathan’s son in the previous chapter, David once again tries to show lovingkindness to this king’s son and all the people of this land. However, the result this time was quite different. Instead of simply accepting the kindness, the people grew suspicious and thought David was trying to spy on their city. While it’s good to not be overly naïve, it also isn’t good to mistrust others so readily. Sometimes, there is no conspiracy theory, and people are just showing genuine kindness.
Question to Ponder: Do you tend to see too many conspiracies? If so, how can you try to view things differently?
Vanity
Therefore Hanun took David's servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away. When they told David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, "Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return." – 2 Samuel 10:4-5
Although it’s not the main point of this story, this short passage caught my attention. Why were these men so ashamed? I’m sure they got new clothes, so it was because their beards were partially shaved off. Granted, a man’s beard in this culture was much more significant than it is in ours today, but still, it is merely an aspect of physical appearance. We only need to look back at 1 Samuel 16:7 to see how the Lord views such things. We’re the only ones who see the outer appearance; He just looks at the heart. I know these men had to be embarrassed and ashamed, but it seems to me that the better place for them during this time would have been back home with their families. Physical appearance truly is meaningless, and a major decision should never be based on looks.
Question to Ponder: How much effort do you put into your physical appearance? How important is that to God?
Jumping to Conclusions
When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, the people of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand foot soldiers; and from the king of Maacah one thousand men, and from Ish-Tob twelve thousand men. Now when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men. Then the people of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array at the entrance of the gate. And the Syrians of Zoba, Beth Rehob, Ish-Tob, and Maacah were by themselves in the field. – 2 Samuel 10:6-8
Aside from all the unusual and hard-to-pronounce names, the main idea of this passage is the battle that is about to take place--a completely unnecessary battle. If you recall the devotional from two weeks ago, David tried to show kindness to the people of Ammon, but they became suspicious instead and this battle was the ultimate result. The lesson for us? Don’t jump to conclusions about someone’s motives or intentions. If you’re wrong, the consequences could be disastrous.
Question to Ponder: If you ever jump to the wrong conclusion with disastrous results, how can you react differently?
Unwavering Faith
When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel's best and put them in battle array against the Syrians. And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his brother, that he might set them in battle array against the people of Ammon. Then he said, "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is good in His sight." – 2 Samuel 10:9-12
Since this battle only took place because the people of Ammon were suspicious of David’s kindness, David had every reason to be angry. After all, he was only trying to make peace with his neighbors! But as we can see here, his trust in God never wavered. He knew the Lord would look after him and his people and do “what is good in His sight” and David’s faith never seemed to waver. God always cares for His people. Is your faith this strong when facing a battle in your own life?