Lessons From David 3

By Tosin Lawal

Devotional Reading: In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked. The Lord said, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go?” “To Hebron,” the Lord answered. 2 Samuel 2:1

The best thing that can ever happen to a man on earth is to have the true revelation of God and walk in the reality of the same. The truth remains that God is committed to all men on earth. However, one’s revelation of God will influence the level to which one will enjoy God’s commitment to him. One beautiful thing to learn from the life of David is that he had a revelational knowledge that there is direction and leading in God and that God is willing to give anyone that asks him. He had this revelational knowledge about God; he also walked in it, thus saving him from many troubles.

In our text, 2 Samuel 2:1-2, we saw how David inquired of the Lord as to whether he should go down to one of the towns of Judah to which God permitted him to go. David didn’t stop there; he wanted more specificity and asked which of the towns he should go into. God told him to go to Hebron. According to history, while he was at Hebron, the kingmakers officially came to make him a king.

In 2 Samuel 5:17-25, when the Philistine army attempted to wage war against Israel, David, who had once defeated Goliath the giant, a onetime Philistine army head, did not presume that he would automatically overcome the Philistine army. He instead inquired of the Lord as to whether he should go to war against the Philistines. He wanted to know whether God would hand over the Philistine army to him if he engaged them in battle. The Lord replied that he should engage them so that he (God) would certainly hand them over to him. David eventually won. Later, the Philistine army came up again to engage Israel in a battle. David also inquired of the Lord, but God told him not to make a frontal assault this time around. God gave David a strategy to follow to defeat the Philistine army. God’s word says in verse 25 of that 2Samuel 5:17-25 that David did exactly as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines.

Dearly beloved, by the spirit of the Lord, a person can always have precise direction from God, as in the case of David concerning any and every aspect of one’s life. A man who will dare to ask God for accurate directions will never be denied one.

David knew there is safety in listening to God’s counsel and opinion. While God will never force his counsel on anyone, there is safety in seeking, listening, and following after God’s counsel in every matter, including the ones that seem as though God has left us to freely choose without any displeasure from his side of our choice. God knows all things. He knows the future more than we see the past. He knows where there is safety and where there is danger.

You can enjoy his direction regarding the choice of marital partner, business decisions, course to study, battles to fight and not to fight, where to settle down in life, ministry, finance, and any other thing you can think of. Instead of making decisions all from your known facts and figures, why not involve God and seek his counsel. You will be smart by following God’s counsel. He will never deny you if you dare to seek his face. He will guide and lead you into making the right choices.

Prayer and Confession
I know there is direction and precision in you, father. There is safety in listening to your counsel. Lead and guide me in always making the right choices.

Further readings: 2 Samuel 5:19-25, John 8:47

Reading Job: Job 6-10