"The Determination"

"I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about." (Psalms 3:6) I hope you got that closing yesterday, if not, well I am sorry for your lack of imagination. If you understand what was going on in David's life right about now, then you would know that things were actually starting to get really intense as Absalom was advancing upon David. People that David was putting his trust in began to abandon him; which is usually the case when those that are pretending to be loyal, really are just looking out for themselves. If you want to read this story for yourself, you should start in 2 Samuel 13 and read all the way through chapter 20, which is where the revolt finally ended. Back in the day, the people of Israel had declared David their hero, as they proclaimed, "Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands". If you really want to know how David was feeling about now, you can get a really good description from his servant Hushai, who was advising Absalom how to attack David, yet he was really leading him into a trap; "For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they be chafed in their minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field;" (2 Samuel 17:8). You just don't realize how true this statement really is! The anger was real, yet not at God, or at anyone in particular, but towards the solution and the task at hand. I can remember the boldness that I was given to share Christ through my love for my wife; it was not really that I was being bold, but that I was determined to do everything in my power to protect her and to comfort her. You might not think that she needed protection while in that hospital for three solid months, but you would not believe how careless some people really are. Besides the carelessness of the staff, I had to also deal with those that wanted her to be put to death; some of these were also friends and family, as they would try and consult me to pulling the plug. There was nothing more important in my life than that of being dedicated to her, and her safety and care. Even the business, that I had spent over twelve years building, did not matter anymore to me; but for the fact that I knew I needed to continue to provide for her. As for David, he was determined to still be the king, and had not given up on God's promise of his establishment. So too, I had a determination to care for my wife, with or without the business that I had built. You would not believe the changes that I went through within a period of just a few months. By the second month that my wife was in the hospital, I had decided to move my business closer to the hospital and to my church. God was directing me in so many ways, as I sought out a home to rent that I could bring her home to. Although everything I did, I did it by reacting to the challenge, and by blindly moving forward. Really, you would have had to been there to understand what I am saying; because I really did not care about much else than doing what was needed to care for my wife. Now then; if you want to consider how Jesus fits into this portion of this Psalm, then His resurrection from that tomb would do quite nicely. At this point in His work that He came to do, He was past all the persecution and the suffering part, and it was now time to prepare His church, as He would minister to them before ascending up into heaven. As for David, he was prepared for the battle; not knowing how that it would happen, but knowing that as Absalom advanced upon his position, God would work it out. The funny thing was, that it was Absalom's hair which brought him down, and it was his hair that people praised him on. Weird, isn't it?