I was amazed at the parallel between the times when I read this Scripture passage from 2 Samuel!
Actually, it was like reading a news headline from America today.
But, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.
After the death of Saul, David was anointed king over Judah.
But, Saul’s son (Ish-bosheth) was chosen as king over Gilead.
You can read how this came about in chapter 2 here.
The point I’m making is; David was not accepted as king over all the tribes of Israel.
Because of tensions between the factions, civil war broke out — dividing the nation.
Civil War and King David
“Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David became steadily stronger, while the house of Saul became steadily weaker.” – 2 Samuel 3:1 (NASB)
The Real Tragedy of War
The verse above is short–but very profound.
First, let’s ask a simple question:
Why did God bring the people to the promised land? It was certainly not to fight each other.
No, He made His point crystal clear when Israel crossed over the Jordan. They were to…
- Settle the land (Genesis 12:7)
- drive out the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 7:1-4)
- and most importantly; to obey God’s laws. (Deuteronomy 8:1)
Sadly, Israel lost sight of God’s vision for them. This led to civil conflict — which seldom leads to good.
The American Perspective
As I mentioned in the beginning, I see this happening in the United States today (and in other parts of the world).
We have brought back battles between the races and the classes.
Some on each side are still fighting the war of 1861– Some still believe it’s 1963!
Yes, it really makes me sad that our great nation suffers the same situation as David faced with his country.
But, there is an answer… His name is God.
God’s Answer – United We Stand
Israel had bigger tasks to accomplish than to fight each other.
God anointed David as king but some saw him as a threat.
In fact, they ignored the goals God set for them.
When civil war, or even a war of words rages, outside enemies watch.
As for our country, we need to step back and unite against the enemy watching for weak points.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand..” ~ Abraham Lincoln
Yes, Lincoln was a wise man. But, he took this quote from a more ancient one. In Mark 3:25, Jesus said:
“If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.“
As Christians, God gave us a common ground. Jesus gave us two commandments. Paraphrased:
- To Love God
- To Love Each Other
If we follow those two, it becomes almost impossible to war with each other.
God knew what was best for Israel–He also knows what’s best for us!
‘Nuff said!
In Christ,
Bob
If you would like to discover how to receive the love and life-changing experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to see John 3:16 here.