Today's Reading: 2 Samuel 5

 

Do as the Lord Commands

Second Samuel 5 describes David’s rise to power as the new king of Israel. Verse 10 says, “David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.” And verse 25 tells us why David was so successful: “David did as the Lord commanded him.”

Remember Saul, Israel’s first king? He began his reign by being humble and obedient to the Lord also. And the Lord promoted him and gave him success. But then he began to drift away. He became proud and self-centered and stopped obeying the commands of the Lord. As a result, his kingdom began to whither and his victories turned into failures. Eventually, Saul’s kingdom was taken from him and given to David, the shepherd from Bethlehem.

David watched all of this take place. He watched as Saul became a strong ruler and began defeating Israel’s enemies. He watched as Saul’s kingdom expanded and his majesty increased. But he also watched as Saul began to decline. He knew first hand how Saul became irrational and agitated and how he disobeyed the commands of the Lord on several occasions. Having closely observed Saul’s demise, David learned some powerful lessons for his own life and kingdom.

We can learn a lot by watching others. We can learn from their successes – and we can also learn from their mistakes. We can become more victorious in our lives by watching the lives of happy and influential people around us and following their example. We can also protect ourselves from failure by watching what happened to others who have fallen and avoiding their mistakes.

David learned a lot from observing Saul’s life. And the biggest life lesson he learned was this: do as the Lord commands. Don’t take shortcuts. Don’t think you know better or have a genius strategy. Simply listen to the Lord and obey His commands for your life. If He says, “go out and confront the Phillistines,” then go out (V19). But if He says, “go around to the rear,” then follow His command (V23).

The only way to ensure success in your Christian life is to “trust and obey.” Seek the Lord. Inquire of the Lord. Listen to the Lord. Then do as the Lord commands. You have the power of the Holy Spirit within you to make your obedience a reality. He will give you great success in your spiritual journey if you do.