Lesson Three
Waiting Patiently for the Lord to Act
(2 Samuel 4)
I don’t like to wait. And I believe that I’m in “good (or bad) company” with most – if not all – of you. We are not, generally, a nation of people who like to wait for anything. That’s probably why we have so many fast food chains, as well as why micro-waved meals are so popular. Most Americans simply don’t like to wait. In the Scriptures, however, we find many examples of people having to wait. Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac to be born. Job waited through horrific losses and pain for God to finally give him relief from his sufferings. Noah waited nearly a year for the flood waters to abate enough for him and his family to exit the ark and walk again on solid ground. And, of course, devout believers across the Old Testament era waited thousands of years for God to fulfill His promise to send the world its Messiah in the person of Jesus Christ.
David waited roughly 15 years from the time he was anointed as Israel’s next king by Samuel before he finally became the king of Judah. It would take another seven years of waiting before he became the monarch of the entire nation of Israel. And so, David can teach us a great deal about how we can also wait faithfully and patiently on the LORD.
What Were The Chief Events That Led
To David’s Finally Becoming King of All Israel?
After God, through Samuel, had designated David to be Saul’s eventual replacement, David had to wait many years before he would take his place on Israel’s throne. In the interim, David rose from being a lowly shepherd boy, to the courageous victor over Goliath, to a beloved member of Saul’s own family as his son-in-law. Eventually David fell out of Saul’s favor, because Saul was insanely jealous of David’s popularity (and he was also under the control of an evil spirit). Consequently, David became a fugitive with whom most of the Israelites were afraid to associate, lest they too would incur Saul’s wrath. During his three years “on the run” from Saul, David had many different experiences that would train him to be a better leader and king for having endured them.
As our story opens, he is now well prepared to be Israel’s next king. In addition, Saul has just died. Yet God would only allow David to become the king of his own tribe, Judah. He would have to wait seven more years before he became the king of all Israel. Following Saul’s death and the deaths of three of his sons, David asked the Lord what he should do in response to Saul’s death. God told David and his men to leave Ziklag (which was in Philistine territory) in order to go to the city of Hebron in the land of Judah. It was there that the people of Judah anointed him as their King (2 Samuel 2:1-4).
The reason David was not anointed king of all Israel was that Abner, Saul’s cousin and commander of the armed forces of Israel, installed Saul’s son, Ish-bosheth, as his father’s successor. He put Ish-bosheth on Israel’s throne knowing that God had designated David to be the nation’s next king. Abner’s motivation for doing that was undoubtedly primarily self-serving, but also was probably, secondarily, an act of loyalty to the house of Saul (of which he also was a part). However, since David had promised Saul that he would not cut off his descendants, David did not try to remove Ish-bosheth as king. So, as a man of principal and trusting that God would act on his behalf at the right time, David waited on the LORD for seven more years before he would rule the entire nation of Israel.
Israel’s first civil war (a second would occur roughly 80 years later….) was sparked by the ego of David’s nephew and commanding general, Joab, and the ego of Abner (the real power behind Ish-bosheth) and Saul’s former commanding general and cousin. Their forces initially engaged in a competition that turned bloody and quickly led to all out war. As the fighting expanded, Asahel, the younger brother of Abishai and Joab, found himself hot on the heels of Abner, who did not want to kill Asahel. (He knew how vengeful Joab could be). But Asahel was not going to give up his pursuit of Abner. Finally, failing to dissuade Asahel, Abner turned and bludgeoned his pursuer to death. But let’s keep in mind that this was not murder, because it was an act that took place in the midst of a war. Besides, Abner was simply defending himself from someone who wanted to kill him. Although Abner had no real choice but to defend himself, Joab vowed he would never accept what Abner did as anything but murder. And Joab intended to get his revenge.
Eventually, David and Abner brought the war to a negotiated end, when Abner switched from Ish-bosheth’s side to David’s side. Joab, no doubt, feared that David might replace him with Abner, but it was hatred and bitterness over Asahel’s death that drove a vengeful Joab to reach out to Abner for a “friendly meeting”….during which Joab embraced him and – in that moment – stabbed Abner to death. Joab had his satisfaction, but the cost to Joab would be extraordinarily high. When David learned that Joab had murdered Abner in cold blood, he immediately, publicly renounced Joab’s actions. David not only condemned the murder of Abner, but also called down divine judgment on Joab and his family for that heinous act. Shortly after David’s death, Solomon would see to Joab’s execution.
With the death of Abner, Ish-bosheth lost his protector, and his confidence was shattered. To put it bluntly, Ish-bosheth was a lame duck….something that was evident to two of his military commanders (and fellow Benjaminites), Baanah and Rechab, both sons of Rimmon. Without Abner backing him, he was just a weak man ruling an ever-weakening kingdom. David was destined to be the king of all Israel, and everyone knew it. Baanah and Rechab had an idea about how to make that happen….and, perhaps, to enrich themselves in the process. They visited Ish-bosheth’s home in the middle of the day, pretending that they wanted to acquire some wheat. The king was taking a midday nap when the two entered his bedroom and killed him in his sleep. They even cut off his head and traveled with it all night to reach David at Hebron. They proudly presented Ish-bosheth’s head to David….assuming David would reward them for eliminating his “enemy.”
Obviously, they didn’t understand that because David had trusted that God would make him king in God’s time, David consistently over the years had refused to raise his hand against God’s anointed (whether that was Saul, or Ish-bosheth). David not only respected Saul as God’s anointed king, he loved Saul and his family….and had committed himself to protecting all of Saul’s household – Ish-bosheth, included. Instead of rewarding them for handing him Ish-bosheth’s head as well as Israel’s throne, David commanded that the two assassins be killed immediately, with their hands and feet cut off, and their bodies hung beside a pool in Hebron. He also had the head of Ish-bosheth buried in Abner’s grave in Hebron (2 Samuel 4:9-12). In spite of the horrible way it occurred, David nevertheless, at long last, was finally king of all Israel.
What Are Some Spiritual Lessons We Can Take Away From This Story?
1. God made a promise to David and kept it….but in His own time and in His own way. When God’s people wait on Him to provide us some blessing or act of deliverance, we often wait longer than we would like because the LORD has some special plans and purposes that He intends to accomplish for our benefit. Typically we have no idea what those specific plans and purposes are, so we simply must trust God (Proverbs 3:5,6) and not worry (Matthew 6:25-34), or attempt to take matters into our own hands (Psalm 31:15). Unfortunately, during those periods of waiting, many of God’s people falter in their faith and obedience.
Of course, Satan often tries to capitalize on our impatience and unwillingness to wait on the LORD, suggesting (as the Father of Lies that he is) that God’s delays are proof that He either doesn’t care about us, or that He lacks the power to provide for us. In those times when we are forced to wait on God, Satan encourages us to doubt that God’s promises will ever be fulfilled, and so that we have to act independently of God to solve our problems (or provide for our needs/wants) on our own. He urges us to disregard what God’s Word tells us and instead to follow our own instincts and desires. And every time we listen to him and follow his leading, we end up sinning, harming ourselves and dishonoring God.
But, ultimately, waiting is actually a blessing from God…..since it tests our faith and develops patient endurance for our faith. For example, have you ever noticed how many of the Psalms were written during times of waiting? The question, “How long…?” is found fairly frequently in the psalms, as is the statement, “wait on the Lord.” David wrote many of those “waiting Psalms.” He understood from his many life experiences that waiting for God to carry out His will is not only an act of faith, but is also a gift that God gives us to further our Spiritual growth and maturity.
2. Of course, not all waiting is God-induced, or God-pleasing. Waiting to do what we know is right and what God has commanded us to do is never appropriate. In such circumstances, waiting to act is always sinful (James 4:17).
3. Waiting is a part of our lives as Christians. Almost every believer eventually deals with some type of pain or suffering, for which he/she waits on the LORD for deliverance. Sometimes we also find ourselves waiting in the LORD to bring about the conversion of someone in our lives who does not yet believe in Him….as we pray for and work on/witness to them. We might also have to wait on the LORD to change for the better someone near us….or even to change us for the better. Those changes don’t happen overnight. And, finally, we also wait for Him one day to call us home to heaven….but always in His own good, gracious time.
In closing…..if you want to eat in a hurry, you can drive through McDonald’s and buy a “Happy Meal.” But if you want a gourmet meal, you know you’re going to have to wait a while. That’s because great meals don’t happen quickly, or easily. God’s plans and promises are not of the microwave variety; they’re like a great meal. In fact, our God slow cooks His plans and His people, to bring out the very best in us and to give us His best blessings. You can almost always plan on the fact that God will make you wait for whatever is best for you. He’s never late, but He is also rarely quick. He works according to His own, perfect time schedule. And so, when God’s plan is for you to wait on Him, rest assured He will always make that wait worthwhile. Indeed, His timing is always impeccable. And so, we can be reminded from today’s study of David’s waiting to become king, that waiting on the LORD is a normal part of our lives of faith as Christians. Let’s resolve, then, that each of us will faithfully and patiently wait on the LORD to always fulfill His purposes for us and His promises to us…..always in His own good time. And let’s be sure to thank Him for all that He does for us….no matter how long He makes us wait!