The God Who Adds Blessing upon Blessing

Hunted by Saul and driven to the very edge of endurance, David held fast to God alone. Years went by, and when Saul died, the elders of Israel came of their own accord and made David king; and by way of the Jebusites’ water shaft he took Jerusalem, a city that had been thought impregnable.

What David gained was not won by his own strength. He had endured long years of refining and striven not to hate his enemy, and there God added a city, authority, and even peace with the neighboring nations. Yet even after he came to power, David inquired of God before every battle, and God himself went ahead of him and scattered his enemies.

The time of blessing is the most dangerous time of all. Those who forget the grace that led them and grow proud lose even the blessings they have received, but those who give thanks and humbly keep the statutes go on enjoying them. For those who, like David, live as dead to the world and keep God’s law with their very lives, that blessing is not reserved for a special few; it is open to everyone, even now.