When you hear ...

When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up in search of David; but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the valley of Rephaim. David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?"

The Lord said to David, "Go up; for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand."

So David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. He said, "The Lord has burst forth against my enemies before me, like a bursting flood." Therefore that place is called Baal-perazim. The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.

Once again the Philistines came up, and were spread out in the valley of Rephaim. When David inquired of the Lord, he said, "You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come upon them opposite the balsam trees. When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then be on the alert; for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines."

David did just as the Lord had commanded him; and he struck down the Philistines from Geba all the way to Gezer.
2 Samuel 5:17-25 – NRSV

When good things come into our lives, there are some things that we should expect. The first expectation is that we will be tempted to believe that the blessings we received were only for our benefit. This is the temptation that David resisted successfully after being anointed by the Israelites (see yesterday’s devotional).

If we resist being our own worst enemies, then we can count on resistance from outsiders. For David, success attracts enemies. Surprise, surprise, here come the Philistines. Remember the kings whom David treated like his friends just a little while back? Now they’ve figured out that David took them for a bunch of fools. They are not happy about this. Now the Philistines believe that whatever they did to Saul, they can do to David. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t ask God whether they could or couldn't. They can’t.

David, on the other hand, is successful and yet still in conversation with God. David doesn’t just pray in emergencies; he maintains an ongoing dialogue with God, especially about matters of leadership. David doesn’t make a decision on his own authority; he gathers a community of informed judgment that includes God, and then acts on the word of God. God brings the first victory, and David glorifies him for it.

Defeated once, the Philistines return to repeat their assault on David. Again, David resists the impulse to make assumptions based on past decisions, or to operate on his own authority. He consults God, who gives him advice which he would not have anticipated on his own. Attack from the rear? Who would have guessed? As David follows God's instructions, God is already moving out in front, dealing with the enemies of the Israelites before God’s people are in the position to strike a single blow. David’s army cleans up the remnant of the enemy as they catch up with the Philistines.

Like David, we need to be in constant conversation with God. If we glorify God for our successes, then we avoid so many pitfalls. If we keep talking with God even when the blessings are there, they will seem to keep on coming to us again and again. If we listen to God as much as we talk to God, then we have the opportunity to behave wisely and lead wisely.

May God help us to keep our conversation with him constant and transparent.

Blessings,

Ron

Change the subject ...

Hear the word of God:

Please, sir," the woman said, "give me this water! Then I'll never be thirsty again, and I won't have to come here to get water."

"Go and get your husband," Jesus told her.

"I don't have a husband," the woman replied.

Jesus said, "You're right! You don't have a husband— for you have had five husbands, and you aren't even married to the man you're living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!"

"Sir," the woman said, "you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?"

Jesus replied, "Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it's here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth."

The woman said, "I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

Then Jesus told her, "I AM the Messiah!"
John 4:15-26

Jesus knew the woman at the well before she even showed up. He knew the type of life she had been living. When she asked for the living water so she would never thirst again, he brought up a sore topic. He brought up the fact that she had been living in sin for a while. The woman told the truth, but she was convicted. She changed the subject quickly onto worship. She knew this man had to be someone special, but she didn't want to talk about her personal life anymore. Where are we supposed to worship? Jesus told her that true worshipers worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The woman stated that she knew the Messiah was coming, then Jesus said those resounding words. I AM the Messiah! What would you have done in her shoes, or sandals?

In looking through this passage and trying to put our lives into it, I am challenged because I believe that we go through conversations like this one every day. People come and talk to us or a conversation just happens and when we challenge them with the right thing to do, the subject is changed. They don't want to always admit their wrongs, or talk about what they have been through. Shouldn't we understand this. We have been there too. I would guess that there are some of us who would change the subject ourselves. Jesus had to help her look past where she had been and showed her that he was who she had been longing for in her heart for so long.

The boys we minister to, and the people we work with everyday are watching us and they can see if we are reflecting the love of Jesus. They can see if we are pointing them in the direction of the Son, or if we seem to be as lost as they do. Spend some time in a peaceful setting today and let God show you where you have been and if there are things you need to deal with, then lay them at the feet of Jesus. Spend some time preparing your heart, so you are able to point others to the Messiah!

Jason