When it is time to change what you do

2 Samuel Bible Background

04.29.2016 Old Testament: 2Sa 21.15–17

To read the Bible in a year, read Second Samuel 21–22 on April 29, In the year of our Lord 2016

By Don Ruhl

David won every battle he fought, and he probably thought he could always do that, but age started to settle in, and he simply could not do what he had done as a younger man,

When the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David and his servants with him went down and fought against the Philistines; and David grew faint. Then Ishbi-benob, who was one of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose bronze spear was three hundred shekels, who was bearing a new sword, thought he could kill David.  But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, “You shall go out no more with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel” (2 Samuel 21.15–17).

David had already established himself as a warrior and a leader. Therefore, if he had lost in battle and died, its affect upon Israel would have been far reaching. His men wisely told him that he was not to fight anymore. He does not seem to have disagreed. He knew that he needed to make a change, because he almost lost his life. You should change when your defeat could hurt those around you.

10 thoughts on “When it is time to change what you do”

    • If you refer to what David’s men told him, I think I applied that to Christians with the last line of my comments, that if your defeat could hurt someone, you may need to step aside and let another do the job.

      For example, I know of some preachers when they reach old age and do not know what they are doing in the pulpit anymore, they step aside, whereas others do not. The ones that do not, just make themselves and the cause of Christ look bad.

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      • Sorry for my slow delay, but I have been very sick with bronchitis.

        All Christians have people who look up to them, whether they realize it or not. You and I have both known of Christians who may not have been very active in the church, but their unbelieving families watched them, and when these Christians fell away, it only confirmed in the mind of the unbelievers that Christianity and the church is not something to take seriously; and I have seen the opposite, that a Christian continued to remain faithful even in the face of an unbelieving family and eventually some in the family came around and became devoted Christians as a result.

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      • Every Christian should learn from this that we cannot let our lamps, ourselves as lights, go out, for if we do, someone else may fall away. Do any of us truly know the power of our influence?

        Even as the enemy would have gone after David more than anyone in Israel, so Satan will go after Christians more than anyone else in the world.

        Thanks for the prayers. I have some other health problems that came on this week, especially yesterday and during the night, that will make it difficult to teach and to preach today.

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