When your epitaph is written how do you want people to remember you? I love how David is described in 2 Samuel 23:1, “David the son of Jesse, declares, the man who was raised on high declares, the anointed of the God of Jacob declares, and the sweet psalmist of Israel.” After your life is spent will you live with regret over the life that you lived? I want to be remembered as David was for his relationship with God because nothing else that can be said would mean anything apart from my faith in God. When the end of life comes your strength and physical prowess will mean absolutely nothing. All the knowledge you have accumulated throughout your life will be foolishness when it cannot bring you help. In the end when life meets death the only factor that will bring hope and assurance will be your faith and foundation in Jesus Christ and His death on the cross.
Through the rest of 2 Samuel 23:8-39 the mighty men of David are listed along with some of their accomplishments. There are two men who in particular who stand out in the lest of the mens accomplishments. Benaiah the son of Jehoiada stands out for his actions. He kills the two sons of Ariel of Moab, a lion in pit on a snowy day, and an Egyptian warrior. What motivated Benaiah to accomplish there amazing feats? Was David’s leadership and dependance upon God part of the reason that these men were so mighty? What kind of power is present in us once we have placed out faith and hope in Jesus Christ? Do we live in that power today? The second man who stood out to me from the list of mighty men was Joab. He doesn’t appear in the list of the thirty mighty men of David. The two brothers of Joab, Abishai and Asahel, appear in the list of mighty men of David but he is not listed among them. What differentiated one man from another with respect to the mighty men of David? Was it only based on skill and strength or was the man’s relationship with God more important? Throughout the story woven throughout the old testament the strength that a person has was of little importance compared to the strength and power that God choose to display through them. I desire that my true strength is consistently rooted in who God is and never in who I am.
In 2 Samuel 24 David is incited by God’s anger to take a census of all the people in Israel. Why was David incited by the anger of the Lord? What was God angry about? The thought that God’s anger was unfair toward the people of Israel may seem unfair but the truth that God is sovereign should be enough of an answer for you. Can you fully trust that God is sovereign? If you are not at a point where you trust that all God does if for good no matter how it may be perceived through human eyes you cannot fully appreciate how love is expressed through trials that we go through. I believe that whatever happens in the lives of men is for the ultimate good and glory of God. In moments when it seems that life is full of trials and tribulation it will only be when the veil of sin’s curse is lifted that we can see the beautiful orchestration in God’s ultimate plan and how He is using us.
I am amazed at the message that God gives David through the prophet Gad, “Thus the Lord says, ‘I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you,’ So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee for three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider and see what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.” 2 Samuel 24:12,13 Can you image the terror of knowing that you have the choice of three punishments from God. How do you make a choice about a type of curse that will happen for you. It is easy to choose a flavor of ice cream or color of a new shirt but to have a choice about a punishment sounds very difficult. David chooses to have the pestilence come upon Israel for three days. Seventy thousand people perish in three days during the plague of pestilence.
How did David feel seeing this pain inflicted upon the people of Israel? Was there anything that David could do to help the people? What did David see when he say the angel of the Lord at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite? Was it terrifying to see the angel of the Lord inflicting the destruction upon the people around you. David stands out again when he confronts the angel and takes responsibility for the sin and seeks to take the burden off of the people. He then proceeds to offer God a sacrifice at the threshing floor where he prays to God. It says in 2 Samuel 24:25 that the Lord was moved by the prayer for the land andGod relents and He holds back the plague from the people of Israel. How does prayer effect our lives and the lives of the people around us? When trouble swirls all around you will you have the confidence to make a stand? Will you stand in the gap and pray for those around you? Will you plead before God asking for deliverance? Lord grant me a heart like David’s where I will seek out the best for others around me and grant me that faith to follow after you.
