Small Starts, Big Promises

God always fulfills His promises, even if it is in ways we do not expect.   #daybydaylw   Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!   ~~~   Take note of the first phrase in 2 Samuel 2:1, “After this, David inquired of the LORD.” After Saul has been mourned properly, after the proper amount of time, then and only then, does David begin to pray about next steps. It may seem to us a little strange that David would need to pray about this. After all, hasn’t he legitimately been anointed as the next king. What is there to pray about? Oh there’s plenty to pray about. And we see David’s humility come through in his seeking God’s counsel first, foremost, before acting. This has been the steady pattern in David’s life. We can look back to 1 Samuel, and forward throughout 2 Samuel, and count at least 9 times where David inquires of the LORD during an important time in his life. “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” Judah was a pretty safe place for David, after all, David is from Bethlehem of Judah. His people are there. His family. But in God’s response, God does not send David back to Bethlehem, but rather to Hebron. So Why Hebron? You see, Hebron, and David’s rule as king over God’s people, starts small. It starts in Hebron, and over just one tribe, Judah. That is the emphasis of the text. We see it four times in our passage, at the end of each main section: 2:4 “they anointed David king over the house of Israel” 2:7 “the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.” 2:8 “the house of Judah followed David…David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah.” Hebron may have been a small place, but it was also a place of gargantuan promise. Hebron reminds us that this promise includes a kingdom filled with as many people as there are grains of sand on the seashore. God tells Abraham that He will make Abraham’s offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, his offspring could be counted.