April 6

I thought that it was interesting today that it still quite a while before David is King. He does not just automatically walk into his destiny or his calling you might say. There is a process to it....a long one.

The other thing I have been noticing for a while is that even the people we consider to be the most godly are 'victums' you might say of their culture. For instance it seems to be almost expected to go around raiding and plundering. Although David definately brings an elevated standard to it and new level of 'rules' to the 'game'. But he also seems to already be 'collecting' wives too. And assortment of children by these wives who will become very troublesome before you know it.

The other thing that struck me about todays reading is all the warriors who made David king. It seems that they were all prepared by God ahead of time with different talents and abilities. Brave warriors carrying shield and spear, men who undestood the times and knew what Israel should do, and experienced soldiers prepared for battle with every kind of weapon to help David with undivided loyalty. Sounds like a great mix!! He is going to need it because in tommorows reading he is going to take on the Jebusites.

Our guide told us that when David was living in the valley below what is now the Temple Mount/Dome of the Rock that he realized that the Jebusites were using where Abraham nearly sacrificed Issaic as a threshing floor (I'll have to read more to see how much of this is biblical and how much tradition). He realized the site was sacred and wanted to build a temple there in that spot there overlooking all Jerusalem and that motivated him to attack the Jebusites. This is where the Dome of the Rock is today. It's easy to read these stories when you know the outcome and think that we could have had that kind of faith. But would you have enough faith to believe that you could conquer the Muslims and capture the Temple Mount if God were with you? Not that any of us would ever be called to do that, but just to give you something to relate it to.