Today's Reading - 2 Samuel 5:1-10, 1 Chronicles 11-12
Background
The anointed king of Israel is finally recognized by all of God's people. The short Samuel passage records the end of the brief civil war between Judah under David's leadership and the northern tribes of Israel. Though they united under David, the split never completely disappeared and after Solomon's death they became separate countries. We also have the story of David's conquest of Jerusalem which became known as the City of David.
In 1 Chronicles 11-12, the same material is presented with additional material about David's mighty men - those who supported him in his travails.
Devotional - Serving the King
Though there are a couple of sins recorded in David's life - glaring ones at that - he was consistently regarded as the greatest of Israel's kings, the standard by which all the subsequent kings were judged. He was a man after God's own heart, a man of devotion and worship, a man who loved and served God faithfully.
But he was no lone ranger. David was a great man but he did not try to do it all by himself. He surrounded himself with strong men and inspired them to do great things. Weaker men would be threatened by the exploits of the "mighty men" - their ego might not be able to handle it. But David realized that a truly great man is dependent on the help of others around him.
This speaks well of both David's ego and that of the men who surrounded him. David served God and the mighty men served David and God. There is no greater enemy of success in the kingdom of God than pride, ego, or arrogance. David knew that his kingdom only succeeded because of the great men who stood with him. Those mighty men submitted themselves to build up David's throne.
The church has a king named Jesus and it is our duty to give ourselves to serve him. When Jesus built his church, he did not choose mighty men but average, even weak men (1 Corinthians 1:27-31) as his leaders. But he redeemed them and filled them with his Holy Spirit to make them strong. The church today is made up of redeemed and Spirit-indwelled men and women.
God's kingdom only grows when we serve the king, when we, like David's men, humble ourselves and devote ourselves to the Great Commission. The church isn't made strong by a celebrity pastor or a few key leaders, but by mighty men (and women) who give themselves to do mighty exploits in the name of their king.
Lord, may I humble myself, being empty of all ego, so that I may serve the interests of Jesus, my king.
Think and Pray
Do you live for ego, for self?
Or are a "mighty man" (or woman) - living for the interests of the king?
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