July 12, 2018 Thursday

“1 ¶  Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. 2  “Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the LORD said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’ ” 3  Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. And they anointed David king over Israel. 4  David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5  In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.” (2Samuel 5:1-5 NKJV)

            As a young man serving as a shepherd in the field David was anointed by Samuel to be king. Over the last couple hundred years many Bible “scholars” have declared that David was just a myth of Israelite history. As usual archaeology has proved the “scholars” wrong!

            For thousands of years people have sought to dehumanize the people of the Bible and to turn the true stories of the Bible into childhood tales or fantasies. Scientist who cannot believe in creation can believe that the earth was seeded by extraterrestrials!?!

            All the tribes of Israel gathered have brought and proclaimed David is their “bone and flesh”. The story of David becoming King of Israel is not a mythological story but is a story of flesh and bone.

            The elders remember that David under King Saul their enemies and brought victory to Israel! They also remember God’s call upon David to be the ruler and shepherd of God’s people.

            David was to not be a king in the world’s view of that position but God called David to be a shepherd leader which David defined so wonderfully in Psalm 23. David was called to be responsible for and to the people of Israel rather than as a leader ordering rather than guiding.

            This model of the king as a shepherd would come to fulfillment through Jesus Christ the son of David! The shepherd that David wanted to be and needed for himself came to fruition in Jesus Christ!

            David would initiate a covenant between Israel and himself “before God” and later Jesus would initiate the new covenant between God and humanity!

            Do you see Jesus as your shepherd? Do you understand what it means to be a shepherd? If Jesus is your shepherd are you willing to treat Christians as a shepherd rather than as King?

I did a lot this morning and sort of overworked myself. The rest of the day was very hard because of the pain and weariness. Bonnie and I had our devotion and time of prayer. Many Christians in Nigeria were killed and we continue to pray for the many brothers and sisters in Christ who suffer every day. It troubles me so that so many of my brothers and sisters are suffering but it also troubles me for those who will have to to stand before the face of God for killing his children!