Seeking His Face

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

SEEKING HIS FACE

2 Sam 21:1-6

21:1 During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the LORD. The LORD said, "It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death." 2 The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to [spare] them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.) 3 David asked the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? How shall I make amends so that you will bless the LORD's inheritance?" 4 The Gibeonites answered him, "We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death." "What do you want me to do for you?" David asked. 5 They answered the king, "As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel, 6 let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and exposed before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul — the Lord's chosen one." So the king said, "I will give them to you."

NIV

This is a strange encounter, with what looks like revenge being taken by the Gibeonites against the blood-stained house of Saul. However, the more important story is about David, who sought the face of the LORD. Of course, it was about the three successive years of famine, and the LORD did tell David why, so that he could settle the matter with the Gibeonites. Those are the two truths that are in this narrative. First, it is always the right thing to seek the LORD for all our matters of life. We may not experience a famine such as in the land of Israel, but we wonder if we could experience a spiritual famine at times. Is it possible that there are times when we just do not feel the presence of the Lord, but go through the religious motions in the power of our flesh? We know the Lord is always with us and always available to seek his counsel about everything. We also think it is best to listen more than we talk when we spend time seeking the Lord. When David sought the face of the LORD, we are not told how much David said, or how long his prayer was, but we are only told he sought the face of the LORD. Then we are told what the LORD said, and that David responded. The Lord will answer, He will give us the path to take, He will give us the solution to any situation we encounter that may be difficult, but it is best we keep our mouths shut, or at least keep our words short. Even when we feel like we are in a spiritual famine, if we seek the face of our Lord, He will be there, He will embrace us, assure us, and give us the answer we need, according to His purpose. This brings us to the second truth. David did what the LORD told him, and made every effort to settle the matter with the Gibeonites. There had been an injustice done to them by the house of Saul, and the LORD wanted David to pursue peace. Of course, that peace required giving them seven of the sons from the house of Saul so they could put them to death. But justice was served in a sense. We know the justice of God will be served someday against all who attempt to fight against his kingdom, although their feeble efforts are useless. However, the truth here is that David made the effort of reconciliation. As unfortunate as it may be, there may be times when some conflict occurs within the body of Christ, especially within the local church. We are people, and that can cause problems when we get distracted by our own self-interest. We could offend someone, perhaps unaware, or perhaps on purpose, because of “self”. The point is that if we are seeking the face of the Lord, harmony will prevail. Our Lord has instructed us, commanded us to make every effort to live in peace with each other and be holy. This would mean we do not demand our own way in matters. Again, it is about seeking the face of the Lord. What does the Lord have to say about some matter within the local assembly? What is the Lord’s will concerning this or that? We may try to force our will, our opinion on what is right or wrong, but to seek the face of the Lord is always best, and then harmony, peace, and being in one accord will happen. It should always be about seeking his face.