{"id":33556,"date":"2024-11-28T22:00:42","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T05:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/2-samuel_1_17-27-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-11-12T15:41:32","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T22:41:32","slug":"2-samuel_2_1-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/2-samuel_2_1-11\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Despise Small Beginnings. Trust God."},"content":{"rendered":"

2 Samuel 2:1-11 \u00a0 \u00a0(CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 2 Samuel 2:1-11.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

2 Samuel 2:1-4 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0In the course of time, David inquired of the\u00a0LORD. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked. The\u00a0LORD\u00a0said, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go?” “To Hebron,” the\u00a0LORD\u00a0answered.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When David was told that it was the men of Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul,<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse\u00a01-4a: \u00a0David is considering what his first move should be after the death of Saul.\u00a0 He does the wisest thing anyone can do: he inquires of the Lord.\u00a0 The Lord tells David to go to Hebron.\u00a0 Why Hebron?\u00a0 We don’t know for sure, but reasons could include: (1) it was the largest city of refuge in the region; (2) it was a city that had belonged to Caleb, an ancestor of David’s wife Abigail; and (3) it was given to the priests of Israel, the sons of Aaron, and David’s pastor Abiathar the priest was a son of Aaron.\u00a0 For all these reasons, Hebron was a relatively safe and strategic place for David, his family and men to take residence after returning to Israel.\u00a0 David obeys God’s direction to go to Hebron (v3) and there the men of Judah anoint him king over the tribe of Judah (v4a).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this? \u00a0When you’re considering your next step, don’t just assume you know what to do; inquire of the Lord.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Look to God for guidance.\u00a0 Also,\u00a0notice that the Lord didn’t give David all the answers at once; rather, the Lord revealed more specifics as David asked Him for more specifics.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Why is that?\u00a0 It’s not because God was playing games with David; rather it’s because God values intimacy with His people.\u00a0 He loves hearing from you and being close to you. \u00a0The closer and longer you draw near to God, the more He will reveal Himself and His heart to you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Samuel<\/em><\/strong>\u00a02<\/em><\/strong>:4b-7 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n4\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>…When David was told that it was the men of Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul,\u00a0<\/em>
\n5\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>he sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead to say to them, “The LORD bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him.\u00a0<\/em>
\n6\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>May the LORD now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this.\u00a0<\/em>
\n7\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 4b-7: \u00a0The people of Jabesh Gilead may have been afraid of David, fearing that David would be upset at how they had treated Saul well and had given him an honorable burial.\u00a0 But in these verses David shows that he is not that kind of jealous person.\u00a0 David blesses the people of Jabesh Gilead for the way they honoured Saul (v5) and assures them that because of their kindness to Saul’s family, David will be kind to them (v6).\u00a0 He encourages them to be brave and lets them know that he has been anointed the king over the tribe of Judah (v7).<\/p>\n

2<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Samuel<\/em><\/strong>\u00a02<\/em><\/strong>:8-11 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n8\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.\u00a0<\/em>
\n9\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.\u00a0<\/em>
\n10\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David.\u00a0<\/em>
\n11\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>The length of time David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 8-11: \u00a0While David was being anointed king over Judah, Abner, a cousin of Saul, wants to ensure that one of Saul’s sons retains the throne over Israel.\u00a0 So Abner takes Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth and makes him king over all Israel (v8-9), while the tribe of Judah remained loyal to David (v10).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0 David’s calling was to be king over all of Israel.\u00a0 But notice this dream and calling did not happen overnight.\u00a0 When David first became a king, the jurisdiction over which he became king was very small in comparison to his calling: just one tribe of Judah versus the entire nation of Israel.\u00a0 Even after King Saul had died, it would be another 7.5 years before David would become king over all of Israel, gradually taking over Israel piece by piece.<\/p>\n

Likewise, God has a calling and a dream for your life.\u00a0 But callings and dreams rarely get fulfilled overnight.\u00a0 It takes time.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0God’s kingdom is the same way.\u00a0 Like a mustard seed it begins small but with proper care it grows more and more until it is the largest plant in the garden.\u00a0 So\u00a0don’t despise small beginnings and don’t be discouraged if the calling and dream God has for your life has not yet been realized.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Like David, just be faithful with what is in your control, trust God with what is not in your control, and watch Him complete the good work He has started in you.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Father, thank You for the calling and dream You have for my life.\u00a0 You will be faithful to fulfill it, faithful to complete the good work You started in me.\u00a0 I trust in You.\u00a0 In Jesus’ name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 2 Samuel 2:1-11.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!\u00a0<\/p>\n

2 Samuel 2:1-4 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0\u00a0In the course of time, David inquired of the\u00a0LORD. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked. The\u00a0LORD\u00a0said, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go?” “To Hebron,” the\u00a0LORD\u00a0answered.
\n2\u00a0\u00a0So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.<\/p>\n

On verse\u00a01-4a: \u00a0David is considering what his first move should be after the death of Saul.\u00a0 He does the wisest thing anyone can do: he inquires of the Lord.\u00a0 The Lord tells David to go to Hebron.\u00a0 Why Hebron?\u00a0 We don’t know for sure, but reasons could include: (1) it was the largest city of refuge in the region; (2) it was a city that had belonged to Caleb, an ancestor of David’s wife Abigail; and (3) it was given to the priests of Israel, the sons of Aaron, and David’s pastor Abiathar the priest was a son of Aaron.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33558,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33556","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33556","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33556"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33556\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33559,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33556\/revisions\/33559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33556"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33556"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33556"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}