PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN ( 2 Samuel 8:11 ): David is having many victories as king of Israel, now. The one things I’ve noticed, however, is that throughout all of this he is still being God-focused and God-driven. In this verse, a town’s leaders make an offer to David for thanks in his defeat over Hadadezer. David did not necessarily take this for himself, but instead You say here that David “dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had dedicated from all the nations he had subdued.” He gives offerings of thanks and gratitude to You because he knows it is You that attained all these victories and that he’s just a vessel for Your use right now. I have failed many times to truly dedicate to You all of the things You have blessed me with in this life, Father. Forgive me for not being God-focused and God-driven all of the time in my life. Help me to become better, Father.
PROMISE ( 2 Samuel 8:6 ): You are always faithful to Your promises. You promised David many victories as the king of Israel. This verse fulfills that promise as You have said “the Lord made David victorious wherever he went.” When You make a promise of many great victories, You follow through with Your promise as David is defeating everyone and anyone at this point and it’s all thanks to You, Father.
ATTITUDE ( 2 Samuel 8:11 ): Kingdom-minded; that is what David is up to this point in his life. He proves this all the time with his dedications of his victories and their spoils to You. I am not as consistent and obedient as David in this topic, unfortunately. Continue to teach me, Father, what it truly means to be Kingdom-focused in this life. Continue to show me Your ways of living this life, so that I can become the righteous man You expect me to be, Father.
COMMAND ( 2 Samuel 8:15 ): I see a command here that tells me You cannot have one without the other in this world full of sinners. Your scripture says that “David reigned over all Israel, administering justice and righteousness for all his people.” This tells me that You want us to administer justice and righteousness, but also that the two are not separate. What exactly is Your justice, Father? What exactly does righteousness look like in this world of sinners? None of us are perfect, especially me, but I know that Your plans and expectations are far better than the world’s. Help me to understand this command better, Father. Teach me Your ways, Your expectations, and Your plans.
EXAMPLE ( 2 Samuel 8:11 ): I am brought back to this verse for a great example. David is king of Israel. He’s winning every battle that comes along his path and then some. He’s bringing in likely a ridiculous amount of spoils from the war. Is he becoming what a typical king in this world would become? Is he still living in humility? Is he still keeping his battles, triumphs, and spoils of the wars kingdom-focused? He’s continuing to provide great examples of what it means to be Kingdom-focused and God-driven. What he’s doing for the kingdom of Israel is providing them examples of how to live out this life with Your truth, Your power, Your blessings without sacrificing the top priority of always pointing back to You through all things. Thank You for this great example, Father!
*DAILY NOTE: I often get lost in the world and in my own flesh, Father. I often fail to point my entire existence and all that I do back to You. Today, You give me an amazing reminder to keep my mind, heart, soul, and eyes all focused intently on You and Your kingdom. Thank You for this reminder today, Father. Thank You for always knowing what I need and when I need it. Thank You for the continued building of our relationship, so I can truly learn, understand, and embrace what it means to be a man of Christ in this very broken world.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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