“David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?”
The Lord answered him, “Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.”
Our bathroom shower was broken, really broken. The tile was caved in and something had to be done. I called my brother to see what to do. He tells me not to fret and he would help us rebuild the bathroom. Excited for the help, I was eager to start. My brother shows up and we start demoing the bathroom, the fun part. In-between the demo and trash I asked my brother if he had ever done this before. He looked over without hesitation and said, “No, why do you ask?” We got the bathroom finished but I will never forget starting a project of that magnitude without first beginning with end in mind and the tools/talent to pull it off.
David becomes king over all Israel in this chapter. He was 30 year old when he became king and reined for 40 years. David’s first action as king is take Jerusalem back from the Jebusites. These Jebusites were old Canaanites that intermarried with the Benjaminite’s and took over the city. That is another lesson. These people mocked David and said there was no way he can enter and conquer the city. But, according to commentary, David used underground tunnels to sneak into the city. David conquered Jerusalem. Well, the Philistines hear of David becoming king and assemble the troops to fight. Before David goes out to fight, in verse 19, he inquires of the Lord as to what he should do. The Lord then shows David a special battle plan and defeats them again.
Today’s lesson is short and sweet. Who do you inquire when you are facing a problem? Do you ask friends, read your horoscope, copy someone else and what they did? Back in David’s day all they had were the books of the law and the Lord spoke directly to His people. Today, God has given us the Holy Bible. The infallible, inspired, and living word of God. This was written by man but inspired by the Holy Spirit so we can use it as our guide in life. David could have asked his leading commander what to do, after all, Joab was skilled in war and gifted. David could have just went off and charged the enemy because he was great at battle himself. Both actions seem like the smart things to do. David, however, understood that the Lord is the one who sustains him. He just spent 15 years running from Saul and saw first hand how the Lord protected him. David writes this after the Lord had rescued him from Saul.
Psalm 18:17 says, “He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me.”
What do you look at for instruction? If you are Christian it should be the Bible and prayer. God does not give us the end of story or even what will happen in our next chapter. He simply wants us to obey and when it is time to move on he will let you know. David did what was in front of him that day but he started out with inquiring of Lord before he moved.
Prayer: Father, show us the steps we are to take today. Let us humble ourselves and only step forward with you. Strengthen our faith so that we may follow you in good times and even more in times of trouble. For you go before us and level the mountains. It is only by your mighty hand that we move forward. In Jesus name, amen.
Let It Go 
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