Speaker: Rev. Arthur Wong
Scripture:2 Samuel 2:1-4; 5:1-5
Description: David’s rise to Israel’s throne was not smooth. Initially, he was only supported by the tribe of Judah, so he resided at Hebron for seven years and six months. During his reign in Judah, Israel was plunged into long and tiresome civil war, between Saul’s and David’s army. David was not directly involved with the battles, it was led by his zealous commander, Joab, fighting against Saul’s remaining army, led by an equally zealous commander, Abner. Both men are ambitious and difficult to control, their back-and-forth tit-for-tat resulted in many casualties. But through it all, David showed great restrain and kindness to Saul’s family and his people, which resulted in the unification of the nation of Israel under his kingship. Though God promised David that he would be the king of Israel, the journey to the throne is long and arduous. The promises of God sometimes seem slow in coming, but he will never fail. Therefore we must learn to walk in quiet trust, faithfully obeying God’s lead in our lives.