3 Truths

Day two hundred fifty-seven

I am very grateful for the blessings of strength that I receive.  Strength to get up when I don't really want to, strength to work hard, and the inner strength that the Lord blesses me with so that my actions reflect what I believe. I asked the Lord to once again bless me with strength today, I will need it!


2 Samuel 5

After years of struggle and civil war, all the people of Israel come to David and anoint him to be king over the entire land.  This is the third time David is anointed for this office.  The first was by Samuel in 1 Sam. 16.  The second was by the people of Judah.  The third is by the entire nation.  They are finished with partial submission. They crown David King of Israel.  As they do, they acknowledge three great truths.  These are important to our understanding of what it means for Jesus to be our King as well.

Truth #1 Relationship (v 1)
They come to David acknowledging the fact that there is a family relationship between them.  They are saying, “David we are connected by blood.” Only one with that family connection would have been fit to rule over them.

One of the first steps in excepting Jesus as our king is to recognize our connection to Him.  Our spirits share common parents.  We are taught that we are all God's spirit children.  There is a divine connection between Christ and ourselves.  He is not only our Saviour, but He is our brother too.  He came to claim a mortal body so that He could be like us (Heb 2:17).  He knows what it is like to experience life here and to still maintain a relationship with God.  Who better to lead us!

Truth #2 Responsibility (v 2)
Israel remembers the heroic deeds of David.  They remember His power and the victories God gave Israel when he was leading the armies.  They remember all that David has done for the nation and they realize they have a responsibility to bow before him.

If we would just stop to think of what Jesus has done for us, we would immediately see our responsibility to Him.  The very fact that He would die for us and save us from our sins is cause enough for us to bow before Him.  If we acknowledge the fact the He saved us we are also admitting the truth that we owe Him our very lives.  The very least we can do is surrender to Him as our Lord and King.

Truth #3 Revelation (v 2)
The Israelites verbalize their understanding of the fact that David was King of Israel by the will of God.  They seem to grasp the truth that to bow to David as their king is to bow to the will of God for their lives and for their nation.

The scriptures tell us that Jesus is the Christ and our Lord (Acts 2:36). Our duty to Him is to bow to Him; acknowledge Him to be Lord of all; and do our best to honor Him as our Savior, our Lord, and our King.  After all, we will give an account to Him someday of how we have responded to His lordship in our lives (Rom. 14:8-12).

I think I am like the Israelites in that I do not always recognize or appreciate these three truths until I have been put in a situation that clearly points them out to me.  Imagine the hardships the Israelites could have been spared if they would have recognized David as their king as soon as Saul died.  Is the same true for us?  What hardships in our lives could have been prevented had we recognized Jesus as our king and lived our lives in such a way to reflect that? 

We cannot change the past, but we can make it a point to acknowledge these three truths and live in such a way that the Lord knows how we feel. When the Israelites united and acknowledged David as their king the nation was blessed.  We are promised the same if we will acknowledge Christ as our king. The question is: Are you willing to do it?