March 20, 2002
Reading
“Nevertheless David
took the stronghold” (7)
One of the favorite ploys of Satan is to convince the children of God that they are weak and helpless. This is a lie that we have all bought into at one time or another because it is a half-truth. If we believe a half-truth long enough it becomes a whole truth, and we are convinced the lie is a fact. When the Jebusites heard David and his army were going to attack their stronghold they said, even “the blind and the lame will repel you.” You are so weak that we will oppose you with our weakest people and they will win! But David refused to listen and devised a way to get the job done, including calling the enemy “blind and lame.” Today we might say, “Back at you!!”
We do not have to be reminded that we are weak and helpless against so great an enemy as Satan; we know it. But a wonderful truth of the gospel is that we are strong because we have been made one with Him who has defeated our greatest enemy, and we participate in His strength and victory. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” In spite of the strength and lies of the enemy, David took the stronghold!
Not only did he take the
stronghold, but he dwelt in it. He made it his home and called it
David enforced the wall of the stronghold and built “inward.” What a tremendous picture of how we, as Christians, should behave. Paul puts it this way, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” This is equivalent to reinforcing the stronghold walls. The walls were not to keep the citizens in but the enemy out, just like the armor of God. I have always enjoyed the scripture describing the workers as they rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, “They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded” Neh 4:17-18.
Once the walls were up, David took care of the needs within them. Tragically, many Christians spend their lives building the walls and defending them to the neglect of their inner man. Do we know what it means to live a Spirit-filled life? Which category do our daily experiences fall under, the “lusts of the flesh” or the “fruit of the Spirit?” The inner man needs caring for.
As David performed his duties he gained the trust of his men and “became great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him.” This is an unfortunate rendering for the Lord was not with Him because he was great, but he became great because the Lord was with him.
Because of this relationship David
“knew that the LORD had established him as king over
God performs His will in our life
and makes us “great,” not to inflate our ego, but for the sake of others. David
knew God “had exalted His kingdom for the sake of His people