2 Samuel 4:7b–11 (ESV) —
7b …. They took his head and went by the way of the Arabah all night, 8 and brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron. And they said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life. The Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring.” 9 But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, 10 when one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. 11 How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?”
NOTE: This is not the first time that people wanted to move God's will along by human effort. This is at least the fourth if not fifth time it has happened to David. There are usually two issues that occur. One, the person helping God's will along is usually doing it for personal benefit. Second, the person helping God's will along has to commit a crime or sin in the process. And now, two sets of people, Joab/Abishai and Rechab/Baanah, have actually hindered the process. They have relied on violence and actually have made it more difficult for David to unite Israel. David does prudent and righteous actions, and then he waits upon God. He does not get ahead of God, and he does not commit sins to move things along. Wait, that is the key. Be prudent, but wait.
PONDER:
- Do I wait for God or do I try to speed things along?
PRAYER: Father, this week I stepped back from something that seemed too big to consider. I did not have peace. It clearly was not something I was trying to do, but was it something you were doing? I will wait. If it is from you, I will trust you to bring it back.
No comments:
Post a Comment