Don't cling to what God might want to take away!

Absalom has incited the people to revolt against King David and make him king instead of his father. David in response to this rebellion packs up his household and family and leaves Jerusalem. David’s concern was for the people and city of Jerusalem. He knew that if he stayed there that Absalom would bring an army to destroy the city to get to him. David decided quickly to move away from the city so that it and its people would be saved.

The Ark of the Covenant was sent back to Jerusalem so that it would also remain safe during this time of unrest. David knew that Absalom only cared about finding and killing him, so by removing himself from the city he was protecting it and everything in it. For many this seems to be an unusual strategy by David. He was the king and had been anointed by God to be the king of Israel. Absalom was a usurper; he had no right to the throne. Many would think that the right strategy for David would be to mobilize the army and fight Absalom.

David was the king but did not cling to his rights as king. David knew that he was king because God had made him the king. He also knew that it was God’s place to remove him as king if that was His wish. In our text for today, David is putting his life and future into the hands of the LORD. What a beautiful picture of leadership for us to learn from.

As leaders, there are going to come times when someone comes along and takes our ‘position’ away from us. It is at those times that we need to respond like David did. He stepped aside to see what it was that the LORD wanted to do. What he didn’t do was attempt to defend his ‘position’ and fight to keep it. A great deal more harm would have been done to those that David was to protect, if he had resisted this coup. David trusted God with his ‘position’ and trusted God to deal with him justly and fairly. David knew that God had every right and justification to remove him from the throne.

In tomorrow’s reading we are going to see that God returns David to the throne and to Jerusalem. David trusted God to do that and we need to trust God to do that in our lives, ministries, and churches. If a usurper has come in and taken your ‘position’ then step aside without defending your position. If you have found favor in God’s eyes, He will return you to that place or someplace better. But if He is through with you in that place, it is His right and prerogative to remove you and do with you as He pleases.

David trusted God when he made him king and David trusted God if He wanted to remove him as king. We need to also trust God in our ‘positions’. Jesus, help us to have hearts as David, that desire You to do with us as You please.

Read: 2 Samuel 15:23-16:23; John 18:25-19:22; Psalm 119:113-128, Proverbs 16:10-11