When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. – 2 Samuel 5:17

Today's Scripture Reading (May 17, 2022):  2 Samuel 5

A time of transition can be a difficult time. At that moment, between what was and what will be, we often find that what was has lost all of its power, and what will be is not yet fully formed. Transition is often a time of weakness, and it is the one time when our enemies often believe that they have the advantage. It is why armies of the past sought to kill the leaders of their enemy nations. The death of a leader would automatically throw their enemies into a time of transition, opening up an opportunity to attack their enemy at a time of perceived weakness. For this reason, governments in transition try to maintain an image of strength. They go overboard trying to let their enemies know that they still possess the ability to do what is needed to defend the nation.

David has ascended to the throne of Israel. But his ascension has been at the cost of two national leaders, Saul and his son, Ish-Bosheth. Both have died, and with their deaths, the nation's hopes have perished. And at least part of the nation is unsure about what David will truly bring to the country. It is a time of transition and weakness for Israel.

And it is at this time, that the Philistines choose to make another attempt to destroy their enemy, Israel. And once again, they decide that this is the time to commit all of their military strength to an effort to defeat their enemy. Specifically, they felt that Israel would no longer possess the strength needed to defend themselves against the Philistines if they could kill David. And so they muster their forces in an all-out attempt to get to David. When David caught wind of what they were trying to do, he hid away in a secure place, placing himself out of their reach as he put together the government that would rule over the nation.

The Philistines became a reminder to David that just because the struggle with Saul was over, the civil war between David and Ish-Bosheth had ended, and God had finally placed him on the throne of Israel just as he had promised just over two decades earlier, that the struggle had not yet finished. The internal battle of Israel might have ended, but there would always be an external struggle and a reason for David to trust in God for the nation's defense rather than in his own ability as a king and the great general of Israel.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 11