David Inquired of the Lord
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COLUMN: FINAL PHASE
David Inquired of the Lord
by J. Randal Matheny, editor
"Afterward David inquired of the Lord, 'Should
I go up to one of the cities of Judah?' The
Lord told him, 'Go up.' David asked, 'Where
should I go?' The Lord replied, 'To Hebron'"
(1 Samuel 2:1-2 NET).
Time and again, David inquired of the Lord. When he
didn't, he wound up in trouble.
Certainly, he would back up or repent. After the fiasco
with Uzzah, once he heard the presence of the ark
brought blessing upon the house of Obed-Edom, he did it
right the second time by having the priests carry the
ark (1 Samuel 6:10-15; 1 Chronicles 15:1-15).
But when he inquired of the Lord as to his next steps,
be it moves or military tactics, he was always
successful.
It is this David who loves to inquire of God that we
know from the Psalms.
"One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will
I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of
the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon
the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his
temple" (Psalm 27:4 ESV).
"In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust;
I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to
me?" (Psalm 56:4, 13).
David was a man after God's own heart, because he
relied on the word of the Lord.
He took God at his word, relied on his promises,
trusted in his judgments, held on to hope in what God
said, even when all evidence pointed to the contrary.
And when he had God's word, he refused to trust in
man's advice:
"In the Lord I take refuge;
how can you say to my soul,
'Flee like a bird to your mountain,
for behold, the wicked bend the bow;
they have fitted their arrow to the string
to shoot in the dark at the upright in
heart; ...'"
(Psalm 11:1-2).
Instead of fear and flight, David knew the calm and
confidence from trusting God's guidance.
"I will praise the Lord who guides me;
yes, during the night I reflect and learn"
(Psalm 16:7).
"By you I can crush a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall"
(Psalm 18:29).
David inquired of God, and through those constant
consultations, became the great figure of the Old
Testament that we know him to be.
His example is most worthy of imitation.
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