2 Samuel 14-16

April 5

2 Samuel 14-16

David messed up. His son Absalom conspired against him. He made some bad choices and before he knew it Absalom built up a following and claimed to be king. David decided not to fight, but to leave Jerusalem. The Levites carried the ark and began to follow David out of the city. David realized that he was suffering the consequences of his own sin and instructed the Levites to take the ark back to the city. Even in the face of his discipline by God, David turned back to God and put his trust in Him.  “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.”" (2 Samuel 15:25-26, NIV)

As David traveled down the road a man named Shimei came out cursing David and throwing rocks at him. One of David’s men wanted to go and kill the man for cursing David, but David responded that maybe God had instructed the man to curse him.

It is easy to bless God and to trust Him when things are going well. It is another story when we are going through hard times. Sometimes we suffer because of the choices of others, but sometimes our suffering is a result of our bad choices. We can learn from David. When we suffer, it is not a time to blame God, but a time to humble ourselves before Him and trust Him with the end results.