You Will Be Attacked
2Sam 5:17-6:5
Synopsis 2Sam 5:17-6:5 11/23/2018
The Philistines were relatively content with a divided Israel. So, when David consolidated the kingdom under his authority, the Philistines reacted quickly. They marched deep into Israel in the valley of Rephaim.
David inquired from God whether or not to attack. And God replied that he should attack. So, he hit the Philistine formation in the center and went through them “just as water breaks through a dam”. According to the battle report, the Philistines were so soundly defeated that they abandoned their gods which were taken up as plunder.
Once again, the Philistines attacked. Once again David inquired of God how to respond. Based on God’s directions, David flanked the Philistine formation. And so, he once again routed their army, pushing them back to their traditional boundaries along the coast.
It was after this that David was inspired to bring the Ark of God up to Jerusalem. And so, he began the process of moving the Ark.
David King of Israel Was Attacked
The Philistines seemed content with a divided Israel. From their perspective, Israel under King Ishbaal was apparently not threatening. And even King David as king over the tribe of Judah was apparently a manageable situation. But David as king of all Israel was a provocation. The Philistines felt they had to immediately respond to the threat of a newly empowered kingdom under David.
You Will Be Attacked
Following God has its effect. The spirit of God changes things. It changes me.
It makes me confident even when I’ve never been that confident. And it energizes me to action even when I’ve never been that aggressive. It satisfies my need for purpose and clear direction in life, especially when I’ve wandered aimlessly up until this time.
But changes in me mean changes in the relationships around me. And so, change in me threatens the status quo.
And the status quo reacts.
The status quo wants things to remain the same. Which means, it wants me to remain the same. And this becomes the basis for attack. It’s never a question of “if”. The status quo must attack every effort to change. It must resist every effort to make things better. This is the inertial nature of keeping things the way they have always been.
God has a plan for you to overcome the status quo relationships in your life. Ask Him.
“So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.” 2Cor 5:17
