Lesson 36

In Due Time

Main Idea:In due time, God will reward those who have faithfully trusted and followed him.

Text: 2 Samuel 5

Introduction:

There are times in a Christian’s journey when he or she may wonder if living for the Lord is really paying off. Perhaps they look around them and see others prospering who care nothing for God. Maybe they have been treated unfairly and are wondering if justice will ever be served. Maybe they have taken a leap of faith for the Lord and have not really seen him bless them for it yet. On the other hand, maybe there are problems at home even though they have been coming to church every service and even reading the Bible every day. There are numerous examples we could look at that can all bring us to the same question, “Is there REALLY a reward for doing what God wants me to do?”

Second Samuel 5 answers that question for us. In a casual reading of the chapter, all we may notice is that things are going well for David. Every time he turns around, something good is happening to him. However, knowing what we know about the life of David, this coronation chapter takes on a completely new meaning. His fortune has been completely reversed, which means that things must have been bad for them to be turning around. This chapter is a mountain peak in David’s life. It shows us that finally, in due time, God rewarded David.

  1. In chapter 5, David is becoming great by the hand of God.
  2. He is crowned king of the entire nation.
  3. They remember that he is one of them.
  4. They remember his faithful and effective leadership while working in Saul’s army. (He led the people into battle and brought them back home.)
  5. He is 30 years old when he assumes the throne. How long has it been since he was anointed by Samuel? Hard to say, but he was a “youth” then as well as when he fought Goliath. He could very easily have been in his teens and/or early twenties when Saul started chasing him. The trial did not end until he was 30.
  1. He takes over Jerusalem, prime real estate for a king.
  2. Jerusalemwas not always in the Jews possession.
  3. The Jebusites occupy it for now.
  4. When David comes to Jerusalem, the Jebusites ridicule and insult him by saying that, he could not even defeat the lame and the blind, let alone enter their walled city. (End of verse 6 says, they did not think he would be able to get into the city.)
  5. David proves them wrong by both defeating the lame and the blind as well as conquering their impenetrable city.
  6. NOTICE VERSE 10… “And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.”
  7. The main idea here is that GOD IS MAKING DAVID GREAT!!
  1. An outsider builds David a great house.
  2. A complete foreigner, Hiram king of Tyre, sends David supplies and laborers to build David a house. (This was no doubt quite a palace.)
  3. This causes DAVID to realize that God has not only established him as THE king, but that God was exalting the kingdom itself for Israel’s sake.
  4. Did David deserve this house? Did he do anything to get it? No. This is simply the blessing of God on his life. Others would look at David and call this “good luck.” We know that it is no coincidence. God is at work for David!
  1. He has 11 more sons, a sign of blessing in that day.
  2. Not much to expound on here other than that this is continuing along with the same theme of GOD’S BLESSING ON DAVID or GOD MAKING DAVID GREAT.
  3. Sons were a sign of blessing from God, particularly for a king.
  1. He claims two decisive victories over the Philistines under God’s command.
  2. The Philistines try to start a fight with David twice.
  3. The first time, David prays and asks if he should go fight them. God tells him to go and therefore blesses him with a great victory. “Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand.”
  4. The second battle, David prays and asks again if he should fight them. God says,“Yes, but sneak around behind them and wait until you hear a ‘going in the tops of the mulberry trees’.”
  5. Why did this help them win? I do not know. Why did marching around Jericho help Joshua win?
  6. It was probably just God testing to see if David would be obedient to his word. When David passed the test, victory is granted.
  7. In both battles, after seeking and following the commands of God, He gives David the victory.

So what do all these events have in common? Things are going REALLY WELL for David and all at the good hand of God. A key verse is vs. 10, “And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.” What more could a guy ask for? He is not JUST being made great. He has the LORD God of hosts with him, making the greatness happen.

  1. This greatness came AFTER a long and difficult wait.
  2. We need to understand that David’s greatness was not just luck or some random blessing of God.
  3. Rather, God blessed David AFTER David had long waited and trusted God to do so.
  4. Look at 2 Samuel 22:20-28. Do you remember what chapter 22 is? This song of David, along with Hannah’s at the beginning of 1 Samuel are the bookends of these books. They wrap up the very essence of what God wants us to learn from these stories.
  5. Verses 20-28 deal with why God made David great. Most of the other verses deal with how God protected David and defended him from his enemies. These however talk about why 2 Samuel 5 happens.
  6. V 21 says that God rewarded David for his righteousness andrecompensed him for the cleanness of his hands. How had David been righteous and clean?
  7. He had NEVER been disloyal or unfaithful to Saul, though he had every reason to and plenty of chances to. He even mourned and honored him at his death.
  8. He had been merciful to Nabal when mercy was not what Nabal deserved.
  9. He did not pitch a fit or complain when Ish-bosheth was made king instead of him.
  10. He forgave Abner and mourned HIS death, though Abner had caused David plenty of trouble and heartache.
  11. He mourned Ish-bosheth death and punished his murderers, though he had gladly taken David’s rightful position from him.

Repeatedly, David was treated unfairly. Yet time and again, David patiently took it. Why? He trusted that God would eventually reward righteousness and that he would eventually punish wickedness. He KNEW that in due time, doing right was going to pay off. Even though for the longest time it appeared that it would not, he kept doing right. If he lived today, he would keep reading his Bible, praying, going to church three times a week, honoring his authorities, loving his wife, submitting to his husband (if he were a woman…I know, just go with it), tithing, and everything else that goes along with the Christian life. Even when it seems like none of these things are making life any easier, KEEP DOING IT!!! IN DUE TIME, CHRIST WILL REWARD THOSE WHO FAITHFULLY TRUST HIM AND OBEY!!!

Conclusion:

Hebrews 11:6 teaches us that God is a “rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” The key words for us to look at in lieu of our lesson today are ‘reward’ and ‘diligent.’ Diligence means that we have to do right persistently. We cannot expect our life to turn around by making right choices for one day. We must continue to be diligent in our pursuit of righteousness. Only those who are diligentwill God reward. Those who are diligent will most certainly be rewarded. Hang in there. Keep doing what God wants you to do. In due time, you will be rewarded. When God rewards, as with David, it’s great.