The more I read about David, the more impressed I am with him as a man after God’s own heart. After David hears of Saul’s death and mourns for him and Jonathan, he does the following:
“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.” (2 Sam. 1-4)
Does anything impress you about David when you read that account? What impresses me is that he did not assume he was now king and should be crowned as such. He inquired of the Lord! He even asked, “where should I go?”
If I were David, I would have put the cart before the horse again and assume that I was supposed to be king because Saul is finally out of the way. It would have been easy to go directly to Gibeah, where Saul’s palace was and begin making plans for my right to rule!
Instead, David seeks the Lord, his will, and his direction. How many times have I assumed what God wanted for me because the circumstances were right and then acted without his counsel? David again models humility, a yielded life and a heart for God and his purposes.
Father, David is a man that lived a very impressive life in submission to your leadership. There were so many opportunities for him to force his will and timing in becoming king rather than waiting for you to work out the details when you thought it best! Help me to live a yielded life to your leadership and not live with my own agenda but seek yours for my life.
Following Jesus with you,