Finding Favor With God
David found himself in a very serious situation when Absolam, one of his sons, stole the hearts of the people and had himself proclaimed the king of Israel. Absolam did all of this because he was upset with his father, because of the way he had ignored him after Absolam had his half-brother, Amnon, killed for raping his sister, Tamar.(Don't ever tell me the Bible doesn't deal with all kinds of issues honestly.)
So, what could David do? He could fight his son for the crown, or he could leave town without a fight. David chose to leave, because of his love for his son. As his group was leaving the city, Zadok came with some Levites bearing the ark of God. They intended to go with the king. However, David sent the ark back to the tabernacle where it belonged. He told Zadok that if he found favor in the eyes of God, he would be back to see the ark and the tabernacle again.(II Samuel 15:25) Here we see David's faith in God to do the right thing, and his belief that if his life pleased God, he would receive the blessings of God. He did not have to engineer those things so much as he had to make sure he was right with the Lord. Then, he would find favor with God.
The same is true for all believers today. We can work, and we should work for the Lord in various ways. However, it is not our works that merit God's blessings. God looks at the heart. If he sees a clean heart that is serving Him out of love, then He will grace us with His favor. Then, we will experience great things that we could never work for or deserve. David was counting on God's favor, and so should we.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 16-18.
So, what could David do? He could fight his son for the crown, or he could leave town without a fight. David chose to leave, because of his love for his son. As his group was leaving the city, Zadok came with some Levites bearing the ark of God. They intended to go with the king. However, David sent the ark back to the tabernacle where it belonged. He told Zadok that if he found favor in the eyes of God, he would be back to see the ark and the tabernacle again.(II Samuel 15:25) Here we see David's faith in God to do the right thing, and his belief that if his life pleased God, he would receive the blessings of God. He did not have to engineer those things so much as he had to make sure he was right with the Lord. Then, he would find favor with God.
The same is true for all believers today. We can work, and we should work for the Lord in various ways. However, it is not our works that merit God's blessings. God looks at the heart. If he sees a clean heart that is serving Him out of love, then He will grace us with His favor. Then, we will experience great things that we could never work for or deserve. David was counting on God's favor, and so should we.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 16-18.