"Then David the king went in and sat before the LORD, and he said, "Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was insignificant in Your eyes, O Lord GOD, for You have spoken also of the house of Your servant concerning the distant future" (2 Samuel 7:18-19). No doubt many of us would echo David's humble expression of wonder that the Lord would do so much for us, bring us thus far in our lives. But as the old hymn goes "Still there's more to follow!" God's proven faithfulness and blessing in the past assures us of similar future faithfulness and blessing.

"Thus the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household." (2 Samuel 6:11). It has been the experience of countless believers, that the Lord indeed truly blesses the households of those who, in faith, order their family lives with appropriate honour and reverence for the Lord, allowing the presence of the Lord, through His Word, to have the priority influence.

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Bible Teaching for Today

For as his share is who goes down to the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike." (1 Samuel 30:24). Some are called to the front-line of service and commitment to the purpose of God in this world. Others are called to essential background support roles. It will be the Lord's prerogative to reward all alike according to their faithfulness in their calling.

"When Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by prophets." (1 Samuel 28:6).There are times when God will not respond to prayer: harbouring un-confessed sin (Ps 66:18); persistent rejection of the Lord Himself and His ways (Prov 1:24-29); wrong motives (James 4:3). If heaven seems silent, it may be worth considering if any of these circumstances could be the cause!

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"Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD had given you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you; and I said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD'S anointed.' (1 Samuel 24:10). Instead of seizing a golden opportunity to rid himself of the cause of hardship, suffering and threat to his life, David chose grace and mercy. In our every day lives, most of us are unlikely to be in this kind of situation. Yet conflicts arise between people, hurts come to the surface, feelings of anger and possibly revenge. Let's learn from David's example and choose grace and mercy in such situations.

"So David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" And the LORD said to David, "Go and attack the Philistines and deliver Keilah." (1 Samuel 23:2). Three times in this chapter David "enquired of the Lord" about important decisions and direction. Simple but necessary reminder for us too of the importance of seeking the Lord's guidance in all aspects of our lives, remembering that He answers through His Word, through circumstances and through the counsel of others - invariably all three!

"David said to Ahimelech the priest, "The king has commissioned me with a matter and has said to me, 'Let no one know anything about the matter on which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you; and I have directed the young men to a certain place.'" (1 Samuel 21:2). The king (Saul) had done no such thing - David was not on some secret mission. It was a deception which, humanly speaking, could have some justification. Despite all his accomplishments and his stature amongst the 'greats' of the Bible and his commendation by God Himself as a "man after His own heart", David had his failings! There are others too, great men of God who had their failings; Abraham, Moses, Samson, Elijah, Peter and others. But the Lord used them despite their failings and we, as believers in the Lord today, can also be encouraged to understand that our own failings in our service don't need to crush us and don't necessarily invalidate what we have previously done or may yet still do to honour the Lord. We learn from our failings, pick ourselves up, dust off and carry on!

"Then Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father..." (1 Samuel 19:4). That's what real friends do isn't it? They speak well of each other, encouraging and building up, and stand up for each other when needed, as Jonathan did for David when Saul was out to get him. If we have friends like that in our lives, we are blessed. If we are a friend like that in someone else's life, we are blessed! Such friendships are precious and worth the time, effort and energy invested in maintaining and nurturing them.

"Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted." (1 Samuel 17:45). The 'giants' of the life's challenges and experiences can often seem overwhelming and daunting. For the believer in the Lord, there is tremendous assurance and confidence in being able to face these giants in faith and in the Name of the Lord, knowing that the Lord goes before and behind to deliver us!