Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭35‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I laughed aloud!

Though David was, in all seriousness, denying himself bread and food in lament over the loss of a fellow friend, shallow me found the passage stand-alone funny as I rarely deny myself food and have this body as evidence.

I’m not proud of my lack of self control.

However, I am pleased that God cared enough to initially send me an important message through my love language: humor.

Self-denial is not my strong suit.

However, under threat of God dealing with me like David “ever so severely,” my weakness quickly got real.

My health has taken a huge rap for my routine of poor diet and exercise, and while I don’t believe God has punished me for it, he has let natural consequences result in obesity, diabetes, and heart disease which together or alone are destined to take my life sooner than later without a serious change of habit.

Takeaway: God speaks to our sin in ways we understand best. For me, it was humor which quickly turned deadpan.

Today begins my four-day weekend and an excellent opportunity to start some better self-care habits.

Sounds like he might want me around here longer than I expected.

In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.

The Lord said, “Go up.”

David asked, “Where shall I go?”

“To Hebron,” the Lord answered.”

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Like you, so many of my days have been spent asking for God’s direction in my life.

Praying, pining, and pleading, even creating a private decision matrix to determine if it was God answering or if I needed to spend more time on my knees for the answer.

Never have I ever simply asked and heard his answer, even moreso, including specifics as David did in this passage.

The difference?

God is good. His desire is for us to live and thrive.

David knew and acted upon this premise of prayer. He didn’t overthink or second guess himself nor God.

These days, that still small voice of the Holy Spirit is crowded out competing with the noise and distractions of this world.

David lived a simple life wholly dependent on God for his own existence and survival. Noise, distractions and interruptions were few.

The enemy is the mind’s noisemaker.

Psalm 20:4 and Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart”

“May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed”

And in the New Testament, Matthew 6:8: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him”

God’s will and direction is not a shell game.

Simplify, ask, and trust that God has only your best interests and intentions at heart.

God answered David: “Hebron.”

“Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah.

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

For David, the formula turned out great!

I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women.

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭1‬:‭26‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Lamenting the death of Jonathan, his close friend and son of King Saul, David’s verse highlights the profound bond they shared.

Jonathan’s love and loyalty were exceptional, even surpassing typical romantic love, reflecting the depth of their friendship with loyalty, grief, and the pain of loss.

Platonic love can be just as meaningful and impactful as romantic relationships.

Losing someone so close and devoted is a heartache familiar to many of us.

While a part of us dies amid such loss, a new part of us is born of the memories and experiences that forge us into greater maturity.

Loss is only loss if we refuse to let it transform us from the same death to the new life as they now enjoy.

“He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’? This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my Lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’ See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. See that there is nothing in my hand to indicate that I am guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. As the old saying goes, ‘From evildoers come evil deeds,’ so my hand will not touch you.”

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭24‬:‭9‬-‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

While David had every reason to kill Saul, his pursuer, he chose mercy, against his basic impulse.

Seeking peace and reconciliation even in the face of danger and the advantage opportunity presents, is a much more noble act.

Vengeance and retribution have their place but that place belongs to God alone.

Daily choices against impulses must be our rule and not the exception if we are to show ourselves as followers of Christ.

From evildoers come evil deeds.

Like David, we need to think beyond our impulses and act according to our calling to the principle of cultivating peace with our enemies when opportunity presents.

It was young David who the Lord made king due to Saul’s disobedience. David killed Goliath the Philistine giant with a sling and a stone and was admired by many, most significantly Jonathan.

You’ve got a friend in me.

After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

You’ve got my back.

Each of us longs for such a friend.

When you come to know the character and potential of another, sometimes it’s such a rare find it compels a love and devotion that aligns and joins you together as one in spirit and purpose, not unlike a marriage.

Loyalty, fidelity, devotion, commitment, in the Bible there is no recorded model of friendship closer than that of Jonathan and David.

Jonathan risked his all and saved David from his jealous father’s sword many times and did so at deeply personal sacrifice. The dialogue between the two is immensely powerful throughout the book. I encourage you to read it yourself.

Each time I have encountered this story it has resonated with me across the spectrum of my own life.

I have always desperately wanted a Jonathan. I think I would have become a much different man than I am today.

Perhaps some day.

Saul rationalized why he didn’t heed the very specific instructions of the Lord:

But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭15‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When the Lord gives orders it’s no time to cherrypick which parts to obey.

But…but…but…

Saul explains he thought he was doing the right thing by taking plunder from battle, sounding remarkably familiar to many of us who too often think we know what’s best.

We invite God’s direction in our lives but then resist walking the path he sets before us.

Life in Christ is all or nothing.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.—Jeremiah 29:11

No if’s, ands, or buts.

Samuel said to Saul:

The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭10‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬

As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day.

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There’s been a resurgence of signs and prophecies reported pointing to end times that are upon us.

Signs and prophecies were once the guides to entire societies, directing its leaders and people to actions and victories.

Today, few follow or believe in them as little more than conspiracy theories or rants from religious extremists.

As history continues to unfold before us, there are clear signs that much of what was once predicted did indeed appear in scripture long ago.

Adherents will continue to warn us of what’s just around the corner and what’s soon to come, using arguments increasingly hard to ignore.

To be best prepared for the days ahead, we recognize the writing on the walls and acknowledge that while signs and prophecies may detail and confirm our present circumstances, it might be that they were given writ large to build our faith in God during these increasingly difficult times.

Or both.

End times are always upon us. They have been for centuries.

And they will continue to be until the day of the Lord arrives which none of us truly know.

Takeaway: Readiness and preparedness are not difficult to attain if you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. “For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world.

‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

To attribute both fortune and misfortune as the dominion of God is a mature perspective.

His actions and purposes, though oftentimes difficult to comprehend within the bounds of human understanding, are nonetheless his and his alone.

There is found a freedom, however, when discharging ourselves from burdens of the equation with full knowledge, trust, and confidence that the infinite mind of God is full of answers that will explain and comfort us at the time of his choosing.

Human hindsight often reveals some of these answers and explanations over time and how we manage such ambiguities in the interim always serves divine purpose in our growth and Christ-like maturation.

On the very foundations of this, his Earth, he has set the world to accomplish his purposes.

Nothing that happens escapes his plan and end game.

Soon enough our impatient hearts will be fully settled by his divine revelation.