They Anointed Him King

Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and told him, “We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the one who really led the forces of Israel. And the LORD told you, ‘You will be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be Israel’s leader.’” So there at Hebron, King David made a covenant before the LORD with all the elders of Israel. And they anointed him king of Israel. 2 Samuel 5:1-3

DAVID WAS A TEENAGER when the prophet Samuel anointed him to be king over Israel. But many years later, he still was not ruling on the throne. After Saul’s death, David was finally made king of Judah in the south, but Ishbosheth, one of Saul’s sons, was made king of Israel over the ten tribes in the north. “That was the beginning of a long war between those who were loyal to Saul and those loyal to David” (2 Samuel 3:1). When Ishbosheth was eventually killed, the people of the northern tribes had to decide if they would accept the king God had chosen and anointed and submit to his rule for their lives.

It’s the same decision we, and each of our children, have to make. Will we submit to the rule of God’s chosen king —King Jesus? Or will we continue to reject his rule? Anyone who has ever parented a child —from toddler to teenager —knows that we are all born with a determination to rule ourselves. Our children are naturally self-sovereigns until the day they come under the rule of Jesus. We are all in need of grace to put an end to our dangerous hope for autonomy.

Every day, as our children learn to accept our authority as their parents, they’re learning what it means to submit to an authority greater than their own. And as we use our influence for their good, we’re teaching them something about the goodness of life under the supremacy of King Jesus.

Lord, even as I begin to pray for ________ to grow in glad submission to King Jesus, I realize that I, too, have a heart and a will more inclined to autonomy than authority. Forgive me for believing the lie that your rule in my life will somehow diminish my life and my freedom rather than give me life and freedom. May my life of glad submission to you provide a picture to ________ of the joy of having you as King over all.