March 19 - II Samuel 17-20
Through all of David's troubles God was with him, and God still wanted him to be the king. God was blessing him, and David was trying to do God's will. I do not want anyone to think that God had left him or anything like that. David's life was more complicated because of his sins, but God was willing to help him work through those consequences, if David would let Him. David was trying to let God work, but he was still feeling the effects of his depression, too.
God protected David by overthrowing the excellent advice of Ahithophel right after David and his people had left Jerusalem. If Hushai had not been planted there, and if Absolom had not listened to him, David would have had to face a grave threat in a very vulnerable time. The Bible says that God did not want this to happen, so He led Absolom to listen to Hushai. Then, God gave David the presence of mind to assemble his men for battle in a wise way, so that they could defeat Absolom. His plan worked, and David's forces prevailed. He was restored as king.
In all of this rebellion against him David was thinking about Absolom. He told the army not to kill him, but Joab went ahead and killed him anyway. He grieved for Absolom more than he praised his army for saving him. Joab had to force him to go out to the people after the battle, which was probably a result of his grief and the depression. I believe that David felt that if he had acted more wisely with Absolom all of this would not have happened, so that made his depression worse. It is normal to second guess yourself and to have other questions as you work through the grief process. God does not take that away from the believer, but He does walk through it with us.
Then, David has other trials to face simply because he is the king. He replaced Joab as general, but Joab kills his competition, again. He forgave Shimei for cursing him and Mephibosheth for deserting him. He honored those who supported him in his time of need. The people returned him to the throne, but Judah was hesitant, and then the ten tribes of Israel felt jealous of Judah, so there was rebellion led by Sheba. All of these things are normal for kings to have to deal with all the time. It is a big responsibility that involves working with all kinds of people. It takes more grace from God to be king than most jobs, but if you are called to that job, God will give you the grace as you follow Him. David dealt well with these situations and restored his government.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 21-24.
God protected David by overthrowing the excellent advice of Ahithophel right after David and his people had left Jerusalem. If Hushai had not been planted there, and if Absolom had not listened to him, David would have had to face a grave threat in a very vulnerable time. The Bible says that God did not want this to happen, so He led Absolom to listen to Hushai. Then, God gave David the presence of mind to assemble his men for battle in a wise way, so that they could defeat Absolom. His plan worked, and David's forces prevailed. He was restored as king.
In all of this rebellion against him David was thinking about Absolom. He told the army not to kill him, but Joab went ahead and killed him anyway. He grieved for Absolom more than he praised his army for saving him. Joab had to force him to go out to the people after the battle, which was probably a result of his grief and the depression. I believe that David felt that if he had acted more wisely with Absolom all of this would not have happened, so that made his depression worse. It is normal to second guess yourself and to have other questions as you work through the grief process. God does not take that away from the believer, but He does walk through it with us.
Then, David has other trials to face simply because he is the king. He replaced Joab as general, but Joab kills his competition, again. He forgave Shimei for cursing him and Mephibosheth for deserting him. He honored those who supported him in his time of need. The people returned him to the throne, but Judah was hesitant, and then the ten tribes of Israel felt jealous of Judah, so there was rebellion led by Sheba. All of these things are normal for kings to have to deal with all the time. It is a big responsibility that involves working with all kinds of people. It takes more grace from God to be king than most jobs, but if you are called to that job, God will give you the grace as you follow Him. David dealt well with these situations and restored his government.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 21-24.