November 7 | 2 Samuel 5:1-5

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DAILY READING

2 Samuel 5:1-5

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REFLECTION

David Has God's Approval

by Judy Webb

We humans are a fickle lot. One day we pledge our allegiance to the God of our forefathers, and the next we are caught up in idol worship. If you have been reading along with us these past few months, you recognize the behavior and perhaps even identify with it. Human emotions bounce all over the place and often are out of control.

Today, we are studying from 2 Samuel 5:1-5. If you remember, not that long ago the people were demanding a king to lead them. As God told Samuel, “But when they said, ‘Give us a king to lead us…it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king.’” (1 Samuel 8:6-7) Their first king, Saul, lived up to the picture Samuel painted to the people for what to expect from a worldly king. God led them from love. But Saul, not so much. Now, Saul is dead and David is in line to take on the job of King of Israel.

In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, “You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their leader.” (2 Samuel 5:2)

The time is right, all conditions seem perfect. Even the people of that unpredictable Israelite nation, with their often-faltering faith, agreed. They recognized David as a true Israelite, and they knew he had God’s approval. They celebrated how David fought for them. They pledged to follow him as he led them for the next 40 years. We'll have to read further to determine if in fact they did continue to follow him.

Now, back to us and our erratic ways. When things go as planned, we see God as our loving Father. But when we enter a season of difficulties and strife, our faith can take a beating. We may forget how faith and our character flourishes during our trials. We want smooth sailing and calm seas. But no one learns how to navigate troubled waters this way. It is when we find ourselves at the end of our rope that we turn to God and hang on for dear life, until it all becomes clear and we have God's approval, too.  

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father,

Open our eyes to your goodness and love. Give us a spiritual vision that sees you as our one and only answer to questions of life. Teach us to seek out your word every day and then listen for your wisdom to fill us. Come Holy Spirit. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JUDY WEBB

I have been a member of UALC for 26 years and have been writing devotions for this site for about 17 of them. Writing is my passion. As retired staff I still love everything about UALC and its members including my small group.

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November 6 | 2 Samuel 1:17-27; 2:5-7

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DAILY READING

2 Samuel 1:17-27; 2 Samuel 2:5-7

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REFLECTION

The One True King

By Katie Borden

“How the mighty have fallen!”

Do you hear the sadness in David’s lament? Can you feel the sorrow?

How complicated it must have been to grieve the loss of Saul, the man who first favored David and then wanted to kill him. How difficult it must have been to grieve Saul, the man who threatened his life–who was also the father of David’s dearest friend Jonathan, whom he also lost. How complicated that David’s own journey to the throne included this devastation.

It almost feels as though David’s lament was saying, “I wish that it did not have to be this way!”

And I feel that to the core of my bones.

I wish that Saul’s life did not have to end the way that it did.

I wish that David had not had to lose his friend.

I wish that Saul had not felt so threatened by David and caused such harm to so many people because of his jealousy.

I wish that Saul had been a better king.

I wish that David had been a better king.

I wish that leaders of all kinds were better leaders.

And I lament that, because we are still in this broken world, we still have faulty leaders who err and sin. These kinds of heart-wrenching, complicated situations still happen all the time among leaders. There is almost no one who will rule or lead rightly.

Except that there is One.

Saul and David (and Solomon and Jeroboam and Hezekiah and all the other leaders ever) were unable to perfectly lead in wisdom, love and power free from corruption or sin. Jesus was able to accomplish all of this. He still does. Jesus is, always has been, and always will be–the true King and Lord.

Our nation voted to elect our next leader yesterday. As I write, I don’t know what the outcome of this election will be. I do not know if we woke up today knowing who our next president is, or if we are still living in a state of uncertainty.

What I do know is that our next presidential leader will certainly disappoint us at some point. They will err. They will sin. 

And of course they will. No earthly leader can ever exercise authority and power in the perfect way God intended. No earthly leader is our savior.

But Jesus–the sinless, perfect one–will not disappoint us. He will lead and guide us in love and faithfulness, now and forever. He is our one true King.

Amid all of the uncertainty, and amid all of the complication in a world where all is not yet as it should be, we can put our hope in the One who will rule and reign over creation, restored and redeemed.

PRAYER

God, I thank you that your rule and reign is coming. Help me to fix my eyes on Jesus, my true King and Lord.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KATIE BORDEN

I’m a lifelong member of UALC and have had the privilege of serving our community in both volunteer and staff roles over the years. I love learning, OSU football, good conversations, chocolate croissants, laughter, and sharing about the good news of Jesus in whatever capacity I can.

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November 5 | Psalms 54

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DAILY READING

Psalms 54

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REFLECTION

Lament to the Lover of Your Soul

By Pam Mann

David and his mighty men were already on the run. And now, because the folks in Ziph have ratted David out to King Saul, the heat’s turned up a notch. David finds himself between a rock and a hard place. What to do?

Fortunately, David already has in place a lifetime habit for such tight spots. He sings a lament. He honestly presents to God his complaints and accompanying fears. Then, he confesses to God who it is that David knows God to be. Stated clearly in verse 4, David sings: “Surely God is my help! The Lord is the one who sustains me!”

How precious to our heavenly Father are such words of dependence! Can you imagine how the Lord rejoices to hear His dear children acknowledge our utter dependence on His mercy?

Then, in his next breath, David calls for the annihilation of his enemies! This is an attitude that Jesus turns on its head, calling us to bless our enemies and not to curse them. But we can certainly relate to David’s outrage against godless forces opposing God’s people.

To close the psalm, David looks forward to a better day when he will be thanking God for his intervention and for his deliverance from these present troubles.

Imagine David taking lyre in hand and walking away from his grumbling lieutenants as they fume about the Ziphites. David is no less angry nor less unsettled by this latest downturn of events than these guys. Yet David knows how to lament like a man after God’s own heart.

1)    David frankly voices to the Lord his problem and his honest feelings about it.

2)    David affirms his trust in God as the Lord and Deliverer of his life.

3)    David confesses what he wishes would happen, even if it’s ugly.

4)    David finally envisions a grace-soaked future when, through God’s deliverance, this present strife will be past.

We each have our own experiences with “Ziphite” forces complicating our lives. Consider how transformed our lives might be if we, like David, learned to lament about these Ziphites to the Lord.

1) Declare your complaint to God. If you can’t sing and play the lyre, you can speak, write, doodle, or paint your lament. Or share with another believer.

2) Next, affirm who God is as He is at work in your life. The challenge here is to give as much airtime to affirming who God is in your life as Savior and Sustainer as you give to voicing your complaint.

3) Then comes the clincher. Envision God’s deliverance when all individuals concerned in the strife will be in awe of our God at work.

PRAYER

Come, Holy Spirit. Move our hearts and perspectives as well as in the minds and lives of those who are the Ziphites in our lives. You alone are Lord. You alone see all things clearly. Give us the wisdom to trust in your timing, the humility to acknowledge our own wrongdoing, and the grace to love our enemies as peers in need of your forgiveness. Amen. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PAM MANN

I first joined UALC when my husband (then my fiancé) and I were college students involved in youth ministry. God has used UALC to nurture our family’s faith, even in our years outside the U.S. I’ve participated in UALC ministries with kids, art, prayer, exercise, ESL, and Bible teaching. I do all the fun church things.

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