LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?
THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
1. God initiates, we respond (2 Samuel 4-5 and 1 Chronicles 11, 12, 14).
One of the basic truths of our relationship with God is that God goes first. We see this in the passages for today in the ESV chronological plan. When the united tribes came to David to name him king, they referenced the promise that was first made to David through the prophet Samuel (1 Chronicles 11:3), where he had been told "You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be ruler over Israel" (2 Samuel 5:2). However this promise came to be known amongst the people in general, they definitely responded to it. This was why so many people had come out to David and joined with him during his time of exile. This was also why Jonathan, the son of Saul, recognized David and not himself as the next king of Israel. God initiated this chain of events by choosing David from among the people to be his chosen king through whom he would bring his Promised Deliverer, and David in turn responded to "the Lord... who has redeemed my life out of every adversity" (2 Samuel 4:9). The people recognized that God had made a choice, initiated, and made his move in their midst. Then, once they recognized that, they decided to respond to God by uniting with David as their king. We can also respond to God as well: If he has given you an awareness of your need for him, then you can enter into (further?) relationship with him. If he gives you godly desires, then you can live your life outwards out of those new desires. If he has given you talents, you can use them for his glory. As we respond, God may then initiate in other ways. As God initiates, we are enabled to respond, almost like two peddles on a bike being pressed down in turn in order to sustain forward movement.
2. God commands, we obey (2 Samuel 4-5 and 1 Chronicles 11, 12, 14).
As followers of God, we do not simply do whatever we think is right in a given situation (in fact, the book of Judges can almost be seen as a sort of horror story about what happens when people who have no direction are always trying to do their best). Instead we first try to understand what God commands, and then we obey him. This is what David did in 2 Samuel 5, when he asked the Lord "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?" (2 Samuel 5:19). He did this a few times in this chapter, and always responded obediently to what God commanded him in response. The result was that God was able to bring blessing into his life. As God commands, we can obey him and walk with trust that God knows more than we do, and that he loves us, and that therefore what he says is in our best interest.
3. God creates opportunities, we take action (2 Samuel 4-5 and 1 Chronicles 11, 12, 14).
Another way that God goes first is by opening up opportunities. He often does this in his own timing: for example, although he told David early on that David would be king of Israel, he did not actually create the opportunity for that to happen for many years. David could have tried to make it happen on his own, but that would have resulted in failure and started his rulership off on a shaky path. Instead, God allowed in his own timing for Ish-bosheth to be slain, for his killers to run to David so that David could demonstrate his righteousness by executing them, for the people to come as a united group to crown David king, for Hiram king of Tyre to seek an alliance with him, for Jerusalem to be taken as the new capitol city of Israel, and for the Philistines to be defeated before him. In each of these cases, David responded to God's provision of opportunities. We see this very clearly in the final battle with the Philistines in today's reading: God told David not to go up against the Philistines, but to go around and wait by the balsam trees, and then to only go up for battle after he heard "the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees" (1 Chronicles 14:15)--a signal that the angelic army of God had gone out before him, assuring him that there would be victory.
4. God saves, and we trust Him (2 Samuel 4-5 and 1 Chronicles 11, 12, 14).
Ultimately we see how God initiates, commands, and creates opportunities--and in turn we respond, obey, and take action. Again, it's like a bike: God presses the pedal down on one side of our lives, and that enables us to press the pedal down on the other side, and on and on. But this goes deeper than just the choices that we make in a given situation. This pattern of God initiating goes right to the very bedrock of our relationship with him. Though we were stuck in our brokenness and sin and shame, God saved us. Though we were incapable of paying the debt for what we owe because of our own actions, God took our debt on himself. Though we were not searching for God, God sought us out and made us aware of our need for him. God went first. God loved first. Jesus, God in human flesh, came down and died a shameful and painful death on the cross, and then defeated death through the resurrection, in our place. He did this because we couldn't. And now, because he has done this, we can respond to him by placing our trust in who he is and what he has done. God saves, so that we can respond in trust, and together those things enable us to go forward in relationship with him.
DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?
How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR WORSHIP we can take a moment to marvel at how God is so good, gracious, and merciful, that he would initiate and seek us out when we were too stubborn to come to him. IN OUR ATTITUDE I think that this would create in us an attitude of responsiveness, humility, gratefulness, and trust. And IN OUR ACTIONS I think that this would look like choosing to respond to God, to look for where he is opening up opportunities for us to move forward in ways that line up with his word, and to spend time in Scripture so that we can respond to what he has said to us there.
Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.
-Sean
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