Elect Lady's Corner

Most people when trouble arises in their lives, the first thing they want to know is how do I correct this or get resolution from this trouble. But, to truly resolve conflict, you should start with “honesty and clear communication.” Are you looking for the truth to resolve this conflict or are you looking for justification to appease your conscience? But, when the rubber meets the road and a person is really being honest and seeking real deliverance from his or her troubles, they will “inquire of the Lord!” 

Jeremiah 29:13 said: “And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.”  Psalm 34:19 NLT said: “The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.” Now, most of us are familiar with the story of David when he inquired of the Lord what to do when he and his men returned to Ziklag after retreating from battle with the Philistines. When David and all his men arrived home, they found the Amalekites had burned down the city, and taken all their wives, daughters, and sons as captives. 

David and his men wept sorely until they had no more strength to weep. Then, David’s men became angry with him and wanted to stone him, although David had suffered great loss as well. This was a very troubled time in David’s life, when it seemed he was standing alone, and the odds were all against him. But David encouraged himself or he took on strength by “inquiring of the Lord.” 

Then, the Lord gave David the strategy how to defeat the Amalekites and recover all that they had taken, including all their families and the spoils. (I Samuel 30:1-19) So, when unexpected trouble comes in your life, you have to learn to encourage yourself and say: “Weeping may endure for a night, but I’m not going to stay in this weeping season, but I’m going to inquire of the Lord!” But there was another time when David had to inquire of the Lord in the time of trouble, and that was in 2 Samuel 21:1-14. 

At this time, there had been a famine in the land of Israel for 3 years and King David did not know what to do, so he inquired of the Lord. James 4:2b said: “… ye have not, because ye ask not.” So, faced with trouble again that was beyond David’s ability to handle, he inquired of the Lord. The Lord told David the trouble came because of the sins of the former king, Saul. 

God sent the famine because Saul and his family were guilty of killing the Gibeonites when Israel under the leadership of Joshua made a vow not to kill them. Although many years had passed since Saul was king and he is now deceased, God does not forget when you make sacred vows. Ecclesiastes 5:5 (NIV) said: “It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.”  

But it was said, Saul tried to kill off all the Gibeonites, not because they broke their part of the covenant with Israel, or rebelled against them, or tried to regain their lands, but because Saul was zealous and just wanted to show his authority and influence over them. So, king David went to the Gibeonites and asked them what he could do to rectify this injury done to them, so God would again bless Israel.  

But, sometimes, not inquiring of the Lord, can affect your whole family or nations. David allowed 3 years of trouble and famine to exist in Israel until he finally inquired of the Lord. So, the Gibeonites replied, we’re not asking for gold or silver from Saul or his family, and neither are we asking for any man in the nation of Israel to be put to death.

But we are requesting, because it was king Saul that killed our people and tried to annihilate all of us and force us to have no place in Israel, that we be given 7 of his male descendants (sons or grandsons) and let us openly hang them up before the Lord at Gibeah on the mountain of the Lord. And David agreed; and had 2 of Saul’s sons and 5 of Saul’s grandsons to be sent to the Gibeonites to be executed. Seven innocent men died because of the sins of their forefather Saul who did not inquire of Lord about killing the Gibeonites. 

Also, the Gibeonites would not have become a trouble to Israel if Joshua had inquired of the Lord before he made a vow to them. (Joshua 9:14-15) Joshua had made this vow by leaning to his own understanding. Also, David could have probably shortened the famine had he inquired of the Lord earlier than waiting 3 years.  So, don’t let trouble detain you or discourage you, but immediately: “Inquire of the Lord in the time of trouble!”