Protection - Friday 18 July 2008

David was thirty years old when he became king and he reigned forty years.  In Hebron he reigned over seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all and thirty-three years. 2 Samuel 5:4 NIV

David was very often in danger both physical and moral during his wilderness years but he enjoyed God’s protection.  At the end of our story we find him marching toward a last battle with his own people but intending to fight as a mercenary for the Philistine army.  David was loyal and responsible, the Philistine prince Achish had made sure he and his men were well looked after and David was going to do his duty.  But God made sure that he was not in that last battle.  The other generals would not trust him to stay loyal and sent him and his men home.  So David was not given the opportunity to kill or be killed by Saul or to face his friend Jonathan in battle.

And at last at the age of thirty David was king; it was a bitter-sweet victory involving the death of Jonathan and a rather messy mopping up of the rest of Saul’s rebellious family and followers.  Then he had to fight to gain control of the whole of seven years later.

Being a King was probably not nearly as glamorous as it seemed to the teenage David.  There must have been many times when he looked back to the learning experiences of those wilderness years.  During that time he learned to put his life in God’s hands and to trust Him.  He developed a special kind of close relationship with God. Those years were necessary in turning an inexperienced boy into a strong leader who trusted in God and commanded the loyalty of his people.

Lord, help us to see your protection in our lives and to understand that you have an important purpose for each of us to fulfil.  Let us see our life experiences both good and bad as a preparation for that purpose.  Amen.