Scripture to Read: 2 Samuel 11
God gave David great success as king over Israel. We can read about the success God gave to David in 2 Samuel 8, 9, and 10. But, in 2 Samuel 11, we find David home in Jerusalem. David, as king, was supposed to be waging battle with his army. We know this from 2 Samuel 11:1 “Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem.” We do not know why David did not go to battle with his army. We could speculate as to why David did not go, but speculation leads us down paths that cannot be proven true. God only tells us that at the time that kings go to battle, David stayed home. Every day God lays on our heart a work to do for His kingdom and glory (Ephesians 2:10). If we choose not to be about God’s work, we are choosing disobedience toward God. The minute we open one area of our life to disobeying God, we have opened up all areas of our lives to being tempted to disobey God. That is why God warns us in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” We must always choose to walk in obedience to our God, no matter how we may feel.
Challenge & Application
1. What did God teach you today about obeying Him in all areas of your life?
2. How are you guarding your choices so that you are choosing to walk in obedience to God daily?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!