Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
CONTEXT
Saul is dead. David is God’s anointed heir to the throne of Israel. Time for the coronation, right?
Bible Reading
After this David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the LORD said to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.” So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. And David brought up his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron. And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.
When they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul,” David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, “May you be blessed by the LORD, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him. Now may the LORD show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing. Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”
But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim, and he made him king over Gilead and the Ashurites and Jezreel and Ephraim and Benjamin and all Israel. Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
– 1 Samuel 2:1-11
Devotion
The day of David’s big promotion had arrived. How did he handle it? Instead of rushing right out into the streets and proclaiming himself king, David continued his pattern of asking God for direction. He didn’t assume he knew the next steps. He didn’t think, “I’ve got this!” What a great example for us to follow.
It’s easy to “take charge” when we “know” what’s happening. Abner thought he knew what was happening. He took charge and made Saul’s son, Ish-bosheth, king over Israel. Abner’s motives aren’t made clear in the text. He certainly knew that David had been anointed king. Maybe he was afraid for his own life. Whatever the case, the contrast between David and Abner is very clear. David trusted that God was in charge and knew best while Abner acted on his own. This led to a divided nation and a civil war.
The Big Question
What is your next big decision in life? Have you asked God about it? Are you trying to make things happen on your own? Ultimately, we only reach satisfaction when we surrender our desires to God. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Conclude in prayer and silence reflecting on what you’ve learned.