At last David is crowned king over the twelve tribes of Israel. The implied verdict in the text about David up to this point is that he has remained faithful to God. It is worthwhile stopping here and reflecting on David’s experience thus far. It is clear that remaining faithful to God did not mean that David never struggled with his situation, that he was never confused and that he never complained. The thing that marks David out as faithful is that, through all his troubles, he brought his confusion to God. The many Psalms written during this period show this. At times, when we feel that God has abandoned us, we might be tempted to just give up on God altogether. But when David felt abandoned by God, rather than turning his back on God and giving up, he went to God and vented his frustrations. The Psalms of complaint that David wrote during his fugitive years may not look to you like conventional piety, but they are enshrined in the Psalter because they show us what real faith looks like. Being faithful does not mean that everything makes sense. Neither does it mean that you must be happy with your situation. Being faithful means that, however frustrated you feel at times, you take your feelings to God. We should complain more. Don’t complain about God, complain to God. That is what true faith does wherever there is a tension between our present situation and the promises of God.
Do you have any complaints to bring to God?
Read 2 Samuel 5:1-5 and Psalm 13
