2 Samuel 5
If you remember back to 1 Samuel 16, David was anointed by Samuel to be king of Israel as a young boy. Saul proved to be the wrong fit, and the Lord rejected him as king. But David, the humble shepherd-musician, was chosen by God through Samuel to take the role of king.
Yet immediately after he is anointed as king, David does not receive a crown or a palace or any more power. He actually starts by serving Saul. The text says this in 1 Samuel 16:
19…“Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” 20 So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul.
21 David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. 22 Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, “Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him.”
23 Whenever the spirit from God came on Saul, David would take up his lyre and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.
David’s reign as king did not start with power or authority, but rather with servanthood to the person he would be replacing. Years later, David is anointed again and he unites the tribes of Israel, leads them into Zion (Jerusalem), and receives a palace.
In this chapter of 2 Samuel, David is receiving immense blessing from God. He is following God’s voice, and a lot of things seem to be going his way. Yet, this promise was a long time coming for David. Despite his anointing as king, David was still a servant of Saul for many years. And for the most part, Saul wasn’t particularly kind to David.
Through this period of waiting and trial, David became the type of person fit to lead Israel. He proved to be humble, merciful, and compassionate. God knew that David needed this time before his reign as king began. When Saul received the office of king, the power went to his head. As readers, this begs the question, “Will David end up compromising his character like Saul? Or will his godly character prevail as he leads Israel?” I’m not going to spoil it for you. I’m also not sure there is a cut and dry answer.
But what we do know is that David has become a God-honoring leader through various trials and a long period of waiting. He knew what God had promised him, yet it did not come to fruition for a long time. God used these trials and years to make David into the person he is supposed to become.
Perhaps you are waiting on an answer from God. Or maybe you are enduring a loss or a difficult circumstance. Whatever your case may be, it could be easy to simply ride out the trial. Romans 8:28 says that “God works all things for the good of those who love him.” Right now, God is working through our circumstances to make us into the kind of people he calls us to be. We can be assured that God wants to work our difficult circumstances out for good. David leaned into God during his time of trial and waiting, and he became the person God was calling him to be. We, too, can invite God to transform us in the midst of hardship.
Like David, may we be people who welcome growth and transformation in times of waiting and difficulty. May we trust that God is constantly working to prepare us for what He has called us to.
