Why David Had to Fight for His Throne Is Why We Have to Fight for Eternal Life

2 Samuel 2–5

What We Can Learn from Israel’s Internecine Conflict Over Who Would Be the Next King of Israel

Second Samuel chapters two through five chronicle the conflict between those Israelites allied with David and those loyal to the family of Saul over who would be Israel’s next king. Scripture characterizes this bloody civil war with swords and spears that lasted for seven long years this way, “Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker,” (2 Sam 3:1). Even though at YHVH’s command the now deceased Samuel had chosen and anointed David king over Israel many years earlier, why did YHVH require David to have to fight his way to the top leadership position in Israel? Why didn’t the Almighty just hand David the keys to the throne of Israel after the untimely death of Saul and his sons? What lessons can we learn from this tragic portion of Scripture?

There may be other reasons for this, but upon prayerful reflection several immediately come to mind. The first is this: When YHVH gives us a promise, he often does not tell us how or when the promise will be fulfilled. That is to day, there is no guarantee that it will be handed to us on the proverbial silver platter. 

Why is this? 

Everything in life is an uphill battle, even in fulfilling one’s spiritual, Elohim-ordained destiny. This is because the saints have resist the spiritual gravitational pulls that keep us grounded as prisoners on this earth; they all conspire to keep us from flying high spiritually. We are, in a sense, condemned to fight against and to overcome the world, the flesh and devil, which are all aligned against the will and ways of the Creator. However, on the positive side, in the process of having to overcome these enemies of Elohim’s plans, one grows in faith, patience and dependence on his Creator. The character of the saint is refined and strengthened in the fires of adversity. As the saying goes, “No pain, no gain.” Weightlifters, body builders, athletes and coaches understand this principle well. Gravity and inertia are against success and victory and these must be overcome to win. For this reason, the aspiring athlete pushes his or her body past the point of pain and endurance in order to attain higher levels of achievements resulting in victories and broken records.  A trophy awaits the winner. The same is true on the spiritual playing field.

In the Scriptures, there are few if any examples of physical or spiritual achievement without hard work. It all started in the garden after the fall of man when sin entered the world. After that, man had to go to work. Life was no longer a free lunch, so to speak. The days of living in a paradise called the Garden of Eden were gone where man could just stroll about naked freely feeding himself with the fruit just hanging from trees ripe for the picking. Now he had to struggle not only against his own carnal, fallen sin nature as well as against the devil serpent, but also against the unrelenting earth itself where weeds and thorns now grew and would only reluctantly yield its fruit by blood, sweat and tears to satisfy man’s hungry belly.

Why did the Creator make it necessary for man to have to endure such a lifelong struggle from cradle till grave? Other than the fact that this struggle was man’s criminal sentence for rebelling against his Creator, there is a greater purpose for man’s otherwise painful and laborious existence trapped on this time-space capsule called Earth. It is this: YHVH has called his saints to be overcomers, even as Yeshua, who led the way for us, was an overcomer. We read the following in the Scriptures:

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

You are of Elohim, little children, and have overcome them [i.e. the spirit of Antichrist that controls the world], because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

For whatever is born of Elohim overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. (1 John 5:4)

Why does YHVH require his saints to be overcomers? Because the rewards that he intends to hand out are beyond anything any human can think or imagine, and are only for those who are willing to fight hard for them and who will thus appreciate them. What are these rewards that require so much overcoming to achieve? We read,

To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of Elohim. (Rev 2:7)

He who overcomes shall not be hurt by the second death. (Rev 2:11)

To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it. (Rev 2:17)

And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations. (Rev 2:26)

He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (Rev 3:5)

He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My Elohim, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My Elohim, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My Elohim. And I will write on him My new name. (Rev 3:12)

To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. (Rev 3:21)

And finally, the pièce de résistance:

He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his Elohim and he shall be My son. (Rev 21:7)

So, in reality, this physical sin-sick, spiritual wilderness of life in which we are condemned to exist physically is, in reality, a proving or testing ground, a class room, or a cauldron of fire to test and refine us, if you will, to prepare us for something much greater, which is way beyond anything we can think or imagine. It is a launch pad, for those who qualify, to send us into a perpetual spiritual orbit around YHVH Elohim-Yeshua.

Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which
Elohim as prepared for those who love him. (1 Cor 2:9)

Yes, YHVH Elohim put the first humans into a garden paradise and set before them the free gift of eternal life on the condition that they would first pass the test of obedience. Well, we all know what happened: they flunked the test and here we are today in the ensuing, resulting chaotic mess. 

Yet despite it all, our Father in heaven, who so loves the world, is still offering the same reward to whomsoever will believe on him and meet his conditions by passing the obedience-sin test. This is why we must swim upstream and overcome all that is coming against us and trying to pull us downward, for this is what it takes to fullfil the spiritual destiny to which he has ordained us and to win the prized trophy of eternal life. David had to pass such a test, as did Abraham, Moses, Yeshua and everyone else who would inherit eternal life. 

After two previous rebellions (i.e., the Luciferian and the Adamic rebellions), YHVH Elohim will not allow a third rebellion to occur resulting in everlasting chaos in his eternal kingdom. He wants peace, joy, love, holiness and righteous to be set in stone forever, not the opposite.

 

9 thoughts on “Why David Had to Fight for His Throne Is Why We Have to Fight for Eternal Life

  1. Yes this is the classroom and there is a test at the end and we all want to pass that test-so beware of those false teachers! We want to be promoted and not denominated! Natan, this was a great teaching and encouragement, thx!

  2. Oh this is so applicable TODAY, and will be tomorrow! I knew I would love this article by just reading the title. I’m starting to feel a wee bit of the pleasure and joy our Abba might be enjoying as he watches us, his children, persevere and fight our way out of this spiritual birth canal called life, into His hands as overcomers! Glory, glory! Thank you Nathan! We all needed this!

  3. But Nathan, being a born again believer, I have in my heart and soul- “It is a gift of God lest any man should boast” If a gift is a gift than it is free, given by Him who can give it, when I add works into the mix, do I not create a work salvation?Are we not created in Him to do good works?Are not our works a byproduct of our lives in the Spirit?

    • The way we see it is, yes, Salvation is a gift, but we have to qualify for it. Naughty children normally don’t get gifts.
      Eternal Life is a gift, because we humans don’t possess the means or powers to create eternal life for ourselves. However, Elohim won’t give the gift of eternal life to people who refuse to live according to His standards. Otherwise, we will again have all the troubles we have in the present world.
      Blessings, Sonja

    • John 8: 1 – 11

      The woman was guilty of the sin if adultery. A violation of the Law. She was forgiven by Yeshua. His response to her was, go and sin no more. Repentance and forgiveness is a gift. We can never repay the debt we have accumulated. Our response should be like hers, to go and sin no more!

  4. My understanding and version of Rev 3:12-13 is to change the word ‘name’ to ‘Torah’.
    In view of Rev 19:12-13 it fits well.
    Shalom, John

  5. I watch the world getting darker around us by the day wasn’t it Paul that said they murder us all day long and no one takes note of it. I know for me from Shabbat to Shabbat I stay in Yahavah’s word and ask him for power to become an overcomer and try to steer some towards B’shem Immanuel Though we are all part of the body not all of us can be teachers that’s why I’m glad there are still some good teachers like Natan left to guide us.Natan how do you pronounce your name? Shabbat Shalom ! Great observations on David and Saul…

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