Pray:
Compassionate God, You made me in Your image. Forgive me for the times I act as if I have forgotten this.
Read:
2 Samuel 22:31-51
Meditate
Consider: Before we come to the Lord in praise and thanksgiving, we need to look back in honesty and confess where we have failed to obey him.
Think Further:
David sings of victory, in a united nation, under one king, with all the surrounding nations defeated, Jerusalem resounding with praise. He is on top, standing on the heights, all enemies "pounded and trampled...like mud" (43), foreigners cowering before him. He has won the battles, he is secure on his throne, and all this is the Lord's doing. It is a triumphant moment. But if this song is indeed the king's joyous public praise of his God, who had delivered him from all his enemies and from Saul (1) early in his reign, then all the chapters we have been reading came after this. "As for God," he sings, "his way is perfect; the Lord's word is flawless" (31)--but David has not always listened and he has gone his own way.
After decades of peace and national well-being, he faced new battles, not with foreign foes, but with his son and a new rebel in Israel, Sheba. He also faced battles of a different kind--his need to discipline his sons and control his army generals. We have read of his failures, of his lack of good judgment and his poor relationships. We know of his series of calculated sins after he caught sight of Bathsheba and the way they haunted him. David knew he needed God's support when he went out to battle, but did he seek the Lord's strength for the everyday battles in his relationships with family members and in his exercise of authority?
The books of Samuel began with Hannah's song, in which she prophesied, "The Lord...will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed" (1 Sam. 2:1-10)--and he did. David could sing this song of praise, but he knew the pain of disobedience and the grace of God's forgiveness as well.
Apply:
Read Ephesians 6:10-18 and learn what it means to put on the whole armor of God.
Pray:
Gracious Lord, victory is mine only as I trust in You. I put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and in him I seek to stand firm for You.
