Submitted by Jan on Tue, 30/06/2015 – 20:12
Year B (2014-2015)
Bible Book: 2 Samuel
Chapter: 5
Verse: 1 – 10
Looking analytically at our focus passage, we would like to highlight two aspects:
David’s social mobility. In this text David is being anointed as King of the entire Israel, over which he ruled for 33 years, after ruling for 7 years and half in Judah. If we retrace David’s life journey, we’ll see that he was a simple shepherd who used to take care of his father’s sheep. He was also the last of his parents’ children. When Prophet Samuel was commanded by God to go and anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the King to take Saul over, the prophet didn’t expect that it would be the ‘youngster’, David (I Samuel 16:5-13). So, in this text we are seeing a man who, due to God’s promotion, made a life-long journey from the bottom to the top of the social hierarchy of his country.
I believe that, Sovereign as God is, He still applies this principle on many occasions; God can promote someone who we think unlikely, whether due to his/her humble origin, or to his/her HIV+ status, academic background, economic power, etc.
David’s patience. David waited for 15 years after being anointed by the prophet Samuel before he got to sit on the royal throne. This period also includes his most difficult time, when he had to run away from King Saul, who relentlessly sought all ways to kill the young David. Surprisingly on two occasions Saul fell into David’s hands, but he spared Saul’s life (I Samuel 24:9-20; 26:1-25). David did not want to force the circumstances to ensure that his anointment as king could translate into practice as soon as possible. He also showed his patience by waiting for 7 and a half years until he was acknowledged as the King of the entire Israel.
If David wasn’t patient, he could probably have claimed that he has already been anointed King to replace Saul and demand loyalty from Saul to him. He could repeat this demand before Saul and the people of the entire Israel. But instead of doing this, David waited patiently until the right time came.
Our passage reflects exactly the time David was anointed King of the entire Israel under all leaders’ initiative, without them knowing that they were just confirming what God had already done some years back.
Sometimes in our daily lives we act differently from David: If we are sick (whatever disease we may have), we want an immediate cure; if we are looking for a job, we lose patience if we don’t find it soon, if we are pursuing an important goal in our life and don’t achieve it in the time defined, we simply lose patience and give up.
David is teaching us a different lesson that we should all learn.
Question: How patiently do we act in our lives when we are facing hard situations?
Written by: Rev. Eduardo Vundo Sassa, a Pastor of Evangelical Church of Angola, a trained CoH Facilitator and Angolan CABSA Representative.
Author: Sassa EV (Ps)
Language: English