March 16 - II Samuel 5-8
This morning I tried to post my notes, but the laptop I was using while I was in Charlotte would not publish it correctly. Maybe God was trying to tell me something, so I am trying to start over fresh this evening.
After all of the trouble David had in coming to the throne, now he is made king over all of the tribes of Israel. The interesting thing is that the people came to realize this themselves, so David did not have to try to assume power after the death of Saul's son. The people installed him as king on their own. They could see the calling of God on his life, and they could see that he was gifted by God for that position. That is how it should be with us today. We should not seek the ministry we want, but the one to which God has called us and equipped us. When that is the case others will verify that we should be in that position, because they see the direction and power of God in our lives.
David began his reign over Israel with great military victories. He took the city of Jerusalem and made it his royal city. Later, it would become the place of God's temple. Then, he defeated the Philistines in two different battles. The important thing to remember is that God gave him a different strategy for each battle. We must not assume that because something works one time that God will want us to repeat it over and over again. We must call on Him for His direction each time.
David made a major error when he attempted to move the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem the first time. When Uzzah touched the Ark, he died. This would not have happened if they had been carrying it by the poles as God commanded them. For some reason David was more focused on the music than on the correct way to carry the holy Ark of God. We are tempted to put too much emphasis on the kinds of music we use to worship God and under emphasize the doctrine many times, too.
Finally, when they brought the Ark into Jerusalem the right way, David was worshiping God in a very uninhibited way. When Michal saw him, she was ashamed of his display of worship. David told her that he would worship God in an even more uninhibited way, if he needed to do so, because he was not worried about what people thought, but about what God thought. That is how we should worship, too.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 9-12.
After all of the trouble David had in coming to the throne, now he is made king over all of the tribes of Israel. The interesting thing is that the people came to realize this themselves, so David did not have to try to assume power after the death of Saul's son. The people installed him as king on their own. They could see the calling of God on his life, and they could see that he was gifted by God for that position. That is how it should be with us today. We should not seek the ministry we want, but the one to which God has called us and equipped us. When that is the case others will verify that we should be in that position, because they see the direction and power of God in our lives.
David began his reign over Israel with great military victories. He took the city of Jerusalem and made it his royal city. Later, it would become the place of God's temple. Then, he defeated the Philistines in two different battles. The important thing to remember is that God gave him a different strategy for each battle. We must not assume that because something works one time that God will want us to repeat it over and over again. We must call on Him for His direction each time.
David made a major error when he attempted to move the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem the first time. When Uzzah touched the Ark, he died. This would not have happened if they had been carrying it by the poles as God commanded them. For some reason David was more focused on the music than on the correct way to carry the holy Ark of God. We are tempted to put too much emphasis on the kinds of music we use to worship God and under emphasize the doctrine many times, too.
Finally, when they brought the Ark into Jerusalem the right way, David was worshiping God in a very uninhibited way. When Michal saw him, she was ashamed of his display of worship. David told her that he would worship God in an even more uninhibited way, if he needed to do so, because he was not worried about what people thought, but about what God thought. That is how we should worship, too.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 9-12.