The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 2 Samuel 17:21-22,
"After they had gone, the two climbed out of the well and went to inform King David. They said to him, 'Set out and cross the river at once; Ahithophel has advised such and such against you.' So David and all the people with him set out and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, no one was left who had not crossed the Jordan."
Here are a couple of verses that speak to the intrigue, the activity, the tactics employed by David, his spies, his men, as they maneuvered in their efforts to evade Absalom and eventually defeat him to return to Jerusalem. The throne was David's but his son, Absalom had taken Jerusalem, causing David and his men to flee.
The Lord was not absent in all of this activity. In verse 14 we read, "For the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom."
If the Lord had determined to take out Absalom, why didn't he simply smite him dead? Why all the activity? Why all the drama? Why the need for all the intrigue and maneuvering by David and his men?
As we read the Scriptures it is very apparent that our Creator God has absolute control over his creation and all that takes place within it. He is supremely transcendent in his sovereignty over mankind. He could have done all kinds of things to accomplish the return of David to his throne and yet, he chose to make it happen by the unfolding of what David and his men did in response to Absalom and his men. If you were caught up in the action of the day, you might not even recognize how the Lord was involved behind the scenes.
We are told in Romans 15:4, "everything that was written in the past was written to teach us..." When we pray today for the Lord's involvement, it appears to me that if we learn how the Lord has done things in the past, as examples, we may be better equipped to confront our challenges today as we approach the Lord and ask for his help. He just may be doing things we are not seeing if we have not learned how he operates. We learn how he does things today as we read what he has done in the past so that we might be informed, equipped and encouraged. This is a big reason why we have the Scriptures available to us today.
"After they had gone, the two climbed out of the well and went to inform King David. They said to him, 'Set out and cross the river at once; Ahithophel has advised such and such against you.' So David and all the people with him set out and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, no one was left who had not crossed the Jordan."
Here are a couple of verses that speak to the intrigue, the activity, the tactics employed by David, his spies, his men, as they maneuvered in their efforts to evade Absalom and eventually defeat him to return to Jerusalem. The throne was David's but his son, Absalom had taken Jerusalem, causing David and his men to flee.
The Lord was not absent in all of this activity. In verse 14 we read, "For the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom."
If the Lord had determined to take out Absalom, why didn't he simply smite him dead? Why all the activity? Why all the drama? Why the need for all the intrigue and maneuvering by David and his men?
As we read the Scriptures it is very apparent that our Creator God has absolute control over his creation and all that takes place within it. He is supremely transcendent in his sovereignty over mankind. He could have done all kinds of things to accomplish the return of David to his throne and yet, he chose to make it happen by the unfolding of what David and his men did in response to Absalom and his men. If you were caught up in the action of the day, you might not even recognize how the Lord was involved behind the scenes.
We are told in Romans 15:4, "everything that was written in the past was written to teach us..." When we pray today for the Lord's involvement, it appears to me that if we learn how the Lord has done things in the past, as examples, we may be better equipped to confront our challenges today as we approach the Lord and ask for his help. He just may be doing things we are not seeing if we have not learned how he operates. We learn how he does things today as we read what he has done in the past so that we might be informed, equipped and encouraged. This is a big reason why we have the Scriptures available to us today.
May all of us have a tremendous appreciation for the treasure-storehouse of wisdom and insight that books like 1 and 2 Samuel provide us!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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