Waiting for God’s time and God’s way (2 Sam 2:1-11)

‘I want patience – AND I WANT IT RIGHT NOW!’, goes the humorous saying. In our instant culture where we can order something online before midnight and get it delivered the next morning, patience is a scarce commodity. Yet, in God’s economy there seems to be no hurry and what He intends comes about in His time and in His way. This is a hard lesson to learn for all of us and it was no doubt hard for David. After all, he has been on the run for years and now, finally, his rival is out of the way. The waiting has paid off, David proved himself faithful – it is time that the promise of his becoming king is fulfilled. Once again, we may be surprised by God’s timing, which seems to run at a more leisurely pace than we would hope for.

David seeks God and his people’s interest

David, however, seems to take the delay in his stride. Instead of fretting, fuming or taking the initiative into his own hands – after all, hadn’t God promised he would be king? – he, once again, inquires of the Lord for the next step (2 Sam 2:1). Hebron was in the central part of Judah and both Jezreel and Carmel were close by,[1] so that through David’s marriages (2 Sam 2:2), the support of that area could be counted on. David also sent Hebron a portion of the spoil after fighting the Amalekites (1 Sam 30:26, 31). David’s earlier generosity towards Judah has paid off and his own tribe now acknowledges him as king (2 Sam 2:4). His open-handedness should not be seen as calculating, however. Throughout those difficult years on the run from Saul, he consistently put his people’s interest above his own. Thus, he fought against the Philistines to save a city in Judah (1 Sam 23:1-2), provided protection for ordinary people (1 Sam 25:14-16) and shared his booty with his tribe. Moreover, he now offers support to a town in northern Israel in the Transjordan (Jabesh-Gilead), because they honoured Saul, his rival, with a decent burial (2 Sam 2:5-6; 1 Sam 31:11-13).

New opposition and delay

Compared to David’s attitude, his new opponent is clearly not interested in God’s will. Abner, Saul’s army commander, makes Saul’s surviving son king in Mahanaim (in the Transjordan; 2 Sam 2:8-9) on his own initiative; there is no inquiry for God’s will. Abner is the active agent, the king himself is passive and the decision rests entirely with the former, probably because he controlled the Israelite troops. There is no mention of any popular support for this king, while David is actively followed by Judah (2 Sam 2:10).[2] How frustrating this delay must have been for David, especially when this ad-hoc arrangement was so clearly not a communal decision of Israel’s. Yet once again, David refuses to seize power and continues to wait on the Lord.

Jesus and waiting for God’s vindication

Reading David’s story, I cannot help but remember Jesus, who likewise refused to prove Himself as Israel’s legitimate king and waited on the Lord. Thus, when Satan challenged Him in the desert ‘If you are the Son of God…’, a royal title (see Ps 2:7 and my post on this), He declined to rise to the bait (Matt 4:3-6). Likewise, when the people and priests mocked him on the cross, He refused to prove Himself to them (Matt 27:40-43). His validation came from God, just as David’s had done. May we take encouragement from their story that the Lord is on our case, whether we are waiting for vindication, answers to prayer or the fulfilment of God’s promises in our lives.

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[1] These two places are in Judah and are not the same as the Jezreel and Mount Carmel mentioned in 1 Kings 18:20, 46, which was the area where Elijah had the showdown with the Baal priests in northern Israel.

[2] David G. Firth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Nottingham: Apollos, 2009), 333.

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