“And David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.”
~ 1 Chronicles 14:2
Hi James and Ellen,
Do you ever ask your dad and/or ma for his or her or their advice on what to do about something? Do you ever ask your Father God for His advice on what to do about something? Do you listen to the advice that your dad and/or ma give you? Do you listen to the advice that your Father God gives you? King David twice asked God for His advice on how to fight the Philistine people group’s army. The chronicler recounts is 1 Chronicles 14 the two times when King David listened to the advice that God gave to him on how to fight the Philistine people group’s army. After three of King Saul’s kids were killed in a battle against the Philistine people group’s army and after he was wounded in the same battle, King Saul opted to literally fall on his own sword to kill himself. Once it was known that King Saul was no longer alive, David was accepted by Israel’s people group’s guys and gals to be their next king. After David became king over God’s specially chosen guys and gals, King David decided to make his home in the city of Jerusalem. Because there was not in the city of Jerusalem a palace from where King David could reign as king, Tyre’s king – King Hiram, sent cedar logs, stonemasons and carpenters to help build a palace for King David in the city of Jerusalem. David was accepted by most every guy, gal and kid who lived in the land area of Israel as his or her king. Verse 2 says, “And David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.”
When the Philistine people group’s guys heard that David was now the king over Israel’s people group’s guys and gals, they decided to go all out to get rid of King David. The Philistine people group’s army began in full force to search for King David. When King David was told that the Philistine people group’s army was looking for him to kill him, King David called together his army and he and his army headed for the Valley of Rephaim to meet up with the Philistine people group’s army. When King David and his army began closing in on the Philistine people group’s army in the Valley of Rephaim, King David asked God for His advice as to whether he and his army should just charge in to kill the Philistine people group’s guys or whether he should just wait and . . . God told King David to charge in to kill the Philistine people group’s guys and He would give King David and his army the victory. God gave King David and his army a victory of the Philistine people group’s army. After the Philistine people group’s army had been badly defeated by King David and his army, it would not have been hard at all to understand if the Philistine people group’s army had decided to leave King David alone to be king over Israel’s people group’s guys and gals but . . . the Philistine people group’s army decided to try again to kill King David. King David and his army would again meet up with the Philistine people group’s army in the same valley where they had fought in the first time. King David again asked God for His advice as to whether he and his army should just charge in to kill the Philistine people group’s guys or whether he should just wait and . . . this time God told King David to take his guys and to circle around to the back of the Philistine people group’s army and to wait near some balsam trees with his guys until he heard the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees. God told King David that when he heard the marching sound in the tops of the balsam trees that he and his army were to attack the Philistine people group’s army. God told King David that He would attack the Philistine people group’s army from the front and . . . the Philistine people group’s army was again decimated by King David and his army.
Asking for and listening to your Father God’s advice as to what to do next is something that your grandmaa and grandpaa are hoping that you will learn to do. Your grandmaa and grandpaa know that their Father God has their lives and future in His hands in the same way that He had King David’s life and future in His hands. After spending seven weeks in 1976 in Colombia on a South American Mission summer team, your grandmaa and grandpaa wanted to return to Colombia as missionaries. When your grandmaa and grandpaa found out that the Colombian government would probably not give them visas to live and minister as missionaries in Colombia, your grandmaa and grandpaa asked South American Mission if they could be assigned to Peru to live and minister as missionaries. When your grandmaa and grandpaa found out that there was a real possibility that a Peruvian visa would not be available to them if they pursued going to Peru, your grandmaa and grandpaa asked the South American Mission leadership if they could join the church planting team that was coming together to plant churches in Bolivia. Your grandmaa and grandpaa during this time continued to listen to and follow their Father God’s advice as to what they should do next. Your grandmaa and grandpaa know now that having their Father God send them to Bolivia as missionaries and as members of a church planting team was the best place for them to end up in as missionaries. The twelve years that your grandmaa and grandpaa spent in Bolivia on the South America Mission field missionary team were invaluable experiential learning years. Being obedient to their Father God’s quiet voice advising them gave your grandmaa and grandpaa life experiences that enabled them to be able to help other missionaries today. Talking to your Father God is a habit that you need to practice doing every day. Your Father God is always ready to listen to and to give you an answer for whatever it is that you want His advice. Just as your Father God advised King David 3000 years ago on how to fight the Philistine people group’s army, your Father God will advise you today on what He wants you to do.
1 Chronicles 14 (508)