Gospel Reflections #1145: God is at work

2 Samuel 19:15 ‘So the king turned back and came to the Jordan, and the men of Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king, and they helped the king to cross the Jordan.’

This passage depicts the historical and political turning point when King David returned to the throne in Jerusalem after the rebellion (civil war) led by his son Absalom had been quelled.

David had been driven from Jerusalem by the rebellion of his beloved son Absalom and was forced to live in exile for a time; however, Absalom was killed in battle, and the civil war was drawing to a close.

However, as a section of the nation had long been complicit in the rebellion, David was unwilling to return to the capital and reassume the throne without an invitation from each of the tribes.

Opinions were divided amongst the tribes regarding support for David.

There were many voices of opposition, and some were reluctant to accept David’s return.

On the other hand, those who supported David’s return could not understand why the leaders were taking so long to summon him.

David himself harboured the same question regarding his own tribe, the ‘Tribe of Judah’: ‘Why are they delaying in summoning the king back?’

At last, the Tribe of Judah formally summoned David, though this did not represent the consensus of all the tribes.

David travelled from Mahanaim to the Jordan, where he was met by an official delegation.

He then proceeded to Gilgal, where he was met by the entire people of Judah and half the people of Israel.

This scene illustrates how loyalty and unity were restored, beginning with David’s own tribe (Judah), even amongst the kingdom that had been on the verge of political and spiritual division, and including those who had once sided with Absalom.

This is a crucial process in which, following the turmoil caused by human betrayal and grief, David’s kingship is reunited through God’s providence.

David did not wield his power arbitrarily but respected the free will of the people.

Even when unity seems absent, God is at work there.

If we cling to our emotions, we create a situation in which God cannot work.

Rather than being swayed by emotions stirred up by immediate circumstances, or acting on our own initiative, may we always be those who seek God’s will and choose to entrust everything to Him.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.