As David began to rule over all of Israel, the Lord blessed Him with prosperity. The children he has were one sign of this as were the good relations he enjoyed with Hiram. But his old enemies the Philistines saw him as a threat and they attacked. David did not react in the heat of the moment. He had learned that the first thing he had to do was consult the Lord and discern His will. He knew that if the Lord did not approve of his plans, any attack would fail. The battle is the Lord’s for it is His reputation which is at stake. His people have been hurt.
Now, in the world, the response one makes to an attack is usually a counterattack, often made immediately in the heat of the moment without thinking about consequences or even if one has the ability to achieve victory. In our city streets we often see gangs and drug dealers reacting in this way. They fail to realize that they have no right to take life or exact justice or that they will get caught. Even nations react in this way, though if they are wise, they will stop and count the costs and build up their resources so that the attack will have a greater chance of success.
It would be nice if we all reacted to attacks as David did. Let the Lord decide what we should do rather than act in the way the world thinks appropriate or to satisfy our flesh. Too often when we pray, we ask the Lord to bless the plans that we have already made, plans that are not His. This is disobedience for we are the Lord’s servants. Any attack on us is His fight, not ours. We need not seek revenge to punish the insult to our reputation. The Lord will take care of us.
Comments