I Chronicles 18:11 King David also dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold that he had brought from all these nations—from Edom, from Moab, from the people of Ammon, from the Philistines, and from Amalek.
Over the years, I have been on many trips with students. Some multiple days, others, just a few hours. Though I never had anything terrible happen, I always knew that it could, so I gave instructions. Detailed instructions. Probably more often than not, the students felt I gave too many instructions! On one occasion, we were at a big park of sorts and, since we had a smaller group, we were all staying together. Some of the group wanted to venture off on their own though I had said I wanted us together. I was very gratified to overhear their conver-sation; especially to hear one student quietly tell the others that they were not going to do that. Whenever a student rises to that level of positive leadership, it’s very gratifying.
David was, in a real sense, a successor to Joshua. Though separated by hundreds of years, he really picked up where Joshua had left off. Moses was instructed by God what to do when they got to the promised land. There were battles to fight. But Moses never got to go in. Joshua led the people in and he followed God’s instructions. However, before the job was finished, he died. After Joshua, came the judges. In the time of the judges the people just did what was right in their own eyes. After many cycles of defeat and subservience, the people wanted a king. They thought that would solve their problems. So King Saul was chosen. He started off very promising, but soon he showed his unwillingness to follow God.
Enter King David. David’s days as king (most of them) were marked by consulting God before a battle or other big decision to determine God’s will. Knowing God’s will like this allowed David victory after victory. Along with the victories came spoils. David did not take these to himself as he may have wanted to. He dedicated them to the Lord. David showed time and again that he was not only aware of what God wanted, he was willing to follow God’s wishes. This is why he was referred to as a man after God’s own heart. David was not a perfect King. (That perfect King came hundreds of years later, born like David, in Bethlehem!)
God loves us because He has chosen to. Being God, His love is perfect. However, though God loves everyone, not everyone experiences the benefits of His love. When we stay far from Him, rejecting His word, rejecting His ways, rejecting His church, we should not be surprised that we see no benefits of God’s love. When we bring ourselves under His authority; when we, like David, are in communication with God before we take action, stay in touch with Him during the action, and dedicate the proceeds to Him after the action, we will begin to see the benefits of God’s love on our lives. God’s love is assured and it’s wonderful. But to know that our following His instructions is gratifying to Him is next level!
Blessings,
Pastor Russ
