Call Upon The Lord

The Great Story – Week 11: King David (2 Samuel 01-23)

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Cory WiggingtonMarch 22, 2013

David was a good and righteous king. He was the anointed of God to lead Israel, and under his rule, Israel was successful both militarily and economically. David sought God when decisions needed to be made, and he was repaid for his faithfulness.

David was made king of all of Israel after the challenges from Saul’s sons were dealt with. He reigned as king for 40 years in total. In one of the greatest acts of humility in the Bible, David is described as dancing before the Ark of God in a linen ephod. When confronted about his behavior by his wife, Michal, David told her, “I will be even more undignified than this and will humble myself in my own sight.” Here was a man who loved the Lord and sought His glory.
David was a just and fair king. He even showed compassion on the last remnant of the house of Saul. When he found that Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, was still alive, he gave to him all the land that Saul once had. Further, he told Mephibosheth that he could eat at his table continually. David loved Jonathan, and he fulfilled their covenant with this act of kindness.

David was not a perfect man however, and his life and kingdom suffered the effects. David took the wife of Uriah, Bathsheba, and committed adultery with her. Bathsheba became pregnant and since Uriah would not go home to see her because of his service to the army, David had Uriah killed so he could have Bathsheba. As a result of this sin, the child born from this act died, and Nathan prophesied that the sword would never leave David’s house. For her part, Bathsheba would bear Solomon, the future king of Israel.

David’s own son, Absalom, rebelled against his father and proclaimed himself king. David fled from Jerusalem and a battle within the house of David began. Absalom was eventually killed, but David grieved greatly for lost son.

The Lord established David’s kingdom forever. This was first accomplished through Solomon, his heir, then through the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the savior of us all. Even when men fail, and we always do, God’s plan is never interrupted or detoured. We serve a mighty God!

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The Great Story – Week 10: The Rise of David (1 Samuel 16-31)

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Cory WiggingtonMarch 22, 2013

David was the youngest among his brothers. He spent his youth as a lowly shepherd. He had no expectations of wealth and power, yet the Bible tells us that David was a man after God’s own heart.

Saul had defied the commands of God. The Spirit of the Lord had departed from him, and the kingdom would soon follow. Saul, the people’s choice for king, was beginning a downward spiral from which he would never recover.

Samuel was sent to find a man who would replace Saul. Unlike Saul, the new king would be chosen by God. This new king would lead Israel into a time of unprecedented prosperity and loyalty to the Most High God.

David entered Saul’s service as a harp player and armor bearer. When Saul was being afflicted by a tormenting spirit, he would call upon David to play his harp and he would be relieved. Because of this relationship, David had the ability to visit Saul at will. This is an example of God’s Providence as David was able to go into Saul and petition him to fight Goliath.

David’s success against Goliath and his numerous victories over the Philistines made him very popular among the people. At the same time, Saul became jealous David’s popularity and sought to kill him. He attempted to kill David by throwing his spear at him, twice. Later, Saul pursued David through the wilderness in two separate attempts to kill him, but failed. Saul never got the chance to harm David, but rather David spared Saul’s life in both of these attempts because he refused to harm the Lord’s anointed.

Saul’s dynasty was cut short by the Philistines. His sons were killed while retreating from battle. Saul, who was severely injured by an arrow, resorted to falling on his own sword to avoid being captured. With his death, Israel was left without a king.

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The Great Story – Week 09: Samuel and The King (1 Samuel 01-15)

Posted on December 27, 2012 by Cory WiggingtonMarch 22, 2013

Samuel was a great man of God. Before he was even born, his mother had already committed him into the service of the Lord. The Bible records that as soon as he was weaned, he was sent to the house of Eli (the judge and High Priest of the day) to live. Even when he was a child, the Lord spoke to him and he prophesied. As the last judge of Israel, he was the shining example of obedience to a wayward people.

As Samuel grew older, the people rejected his rule along with the sovereignty of God. The people demanded to have a king placed over them. Because the people had rejected God, God allowed them to have king of their choosing. This man was taller and more handsome than any other. By any human standard, he was the clear choice. Yet, the choices of man rarely meet the standard of God, and this case was no exception. The new king’s name was Saul.

The Lord told Saul and the people that if they would only follow His commandments that he would be with them. Yet, as the cycle of disbelief continued in Israel, Saul disobeyed the Lord two distinct times. First, he performed sacrifices that were forbidden for him because he failed to wait on Samuel. Then he spared the king of the Amalekites and let the livestock live when he was told to destroy everything. These two offenses were enough for God to reject Saul as the king, but Saul’s downward spiral was just beginning.

God always has plan. When we lose our faith and try to do things on our own, things very often turn out badly. Trust in the Lord and He will direct your paths. Saul would have benefitted greatly, if only he had listened to the Lord.

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The Great Story – Week 08: The Judges (Judges 01-21)

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Cory WiggingtonMarch 22, 2013

It was a dark time. It was a time of chaos. It was a time where men did what was right in their own eyes. Every manner of idolatry and wickedness was practiced, and the nation was being lost. Israel had lost their faith and God had given them over to foreign oppressors.

The time of the Judges began after the death of Joshua. The people, realizing their grievous sins, would cry out to God for repentance and deliverance. God would hear their cries and respond by raising up a Judge to lead them. Yet this newfound faith was short-lived as after the Judge died, the people very quickly returned to their sinful ways. God was faithful to His covenant when His people were faithful.

Week 08: Judges reminds us that we never go so far astray as to be irredeemable by our infinite God. When we cry out, our God hears us. When we place our faith and trust in Him, He will respond in kind and fight our battles for us.

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The Great Story – Week 07: Joshua (Joshua 01-24)

Posted on December 20, 2012 by Cory WiggingtonMarch 22, 2013

Joshua was a man of faith. When he was sent as a spy, only he and Caleb kept their faith in God and encouraged the people to move take the land that God had given them. Because of his faith, Joshua was spared death in the wilderness and allowed to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.

Joshua was the appointed leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. He was a great general and lead the armies of Israel to many military victories. In Joshua 24:15, he declared, “And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” The success and prosperity that Israel enjoyed under the guidance of Joshua was a tribute to his faith and obedience to God.

If only Israel had continued to honor God and worship Him as the one and true God, they would have continued to prosper. This prosperity was not to last though. When Joshua died, the faith of the people went with it.

Week 07 of the Great Story describes how powerfully God’s power can be demonstrated when He is revered and worshipped in the way that He commands. When the people keep the Commandments of God, God is faithful to them.

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The Great Story – Week 06: The Wandering People (Num 01-27)

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Cory WiggingtonMarch 22, 2013

“All that the Lord has spoken we will do” is what they said. God was on their side. He had sent a prophet to them and he had led them out of captivity. The Egyptians were destroyed when they attempted to pursue. Hungry in the desert, the Lord had fed them. God had given them His holy ordinances and the people knew that God was dwelling in the tabernacle and leading them wherever they went. How is it that when everything seems to be going so well that sin enters the picture and begins to corrupt?

The Israelites were tired of the free food that God supplied every day. They yearned for the meat and produce that was available while they still in captivity. Forgetting all the hardships they endured in Egypt, they desired to be out of the wilderness and return to their life as slaves just so they could eat some different food. They questioned whether Moses was the one that God actually chose to lead them or even whether he was fit to lead. They doubted God when they saw the might of the people living in the Promised Land. A lack of faith in Israel characterizes much of the book of Numbers.

God had a plan for Israel. If Israel would have followed the commands of God, they would have been blessed endlessly. Instead judgment befell them and they spent an additional forty years wandering the desert. Even Moses had a lapse that forced him to stay outside of the Promised Land. Submission, Trust, and Obedience are the things that God demanded, but the Israelites were a stiff-necked people. Sometimes judgment is necessary before repentance can begin.

Week 06 of The Great Story tells of the predicaments that Israel got themselves in to during their forty years in the desert. The cycle of sin, judgment, and repentance continues throughout the book of Numbers. Listen and Learn from the missteps of the Israelites.

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