Timing

            David was 30 when he became king in Hebron (2 Samuel 5:4).  Considering he was young enough to escape his father’s notice when Samuel came anointing, he had probably waited 15-20 years for his chance.  After a certain age, that doesn’t seem like quite so long, but it seems like forever when you’re 30!  And still, it was going to be another 2 years until he unified Israel, and 5 years after that that he would occupy Jerusalem, and some years after that that he finally subdued the Philistines and the rest of his enemies.  The first thing that strikes me, then, is the sheer length of time that the Lord takes to work out his promises.  Since we live in an era when communication is instantaneous and everything happens fast, the notion of waiting 20-40 years for God’s promises to work themselves out boggles the mind.  I find myself content to be the age I am now because I can look back at events 25 and 15 years ago with a certain detachment, a certain wisdom, a certain insight that I lacked when I was going through them.  Time to reflect and consider and grow is a great gift of God.

            The second thing that I’ll point out is more a historical reflection.  I have argued in Bible class that Israel was at best a loose confederation of tribes during the time of the judges—nearly 300 years.  Even Saul doesn’t seem to have really unified the tribes into a nation.  It is David who finally, after a 2 year civil war with all sorts of political intrigues, unites the tribes into a cohesive kingdom.  If you’re looking for meaning in that, I guess part of the meaning is that the Lord doesn’t just work along the relatively short timelines of human lives (20-40 years); He also works on the much longer timelines of nations’ lives (hundreds of years).  And, if we could stretch it a little bit, He works on the timeline of the eons that run from Creation to New Creation.  To read the story of David is, at least in part, to be reminded not to crowd God’s timing.  He works at His pace, for His purposes.  When it suits Him, He lets us see what He’s up to.