The Lord said to you, “You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.” 2 Samuel 5:2
The role of a leader is to provide and to protect. Like a shepherd, he provides for his people in time of peace, and like a prince, he defends his people in times of trouble.
Jesus Christ is the shepherd who will lead you.
The people had appointed Ish-bosheth as their king. What had he ever done for them? Their self-appointed king had failed them, and now that he was gone, these people were like sheep without a shepherd.
God called David to be the shepherd of these people. And David knew what that meant because the Lord was his shepherd, and he wrote about that in Psalm 23. When you can say, “The Lord is my shepherd,” you will also be able to say, “I shall not want. He leads me. He will restore me. He will provide for me. Even when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, he will be with me, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Jesus Christ is the prince who will defend you.
When had Ish-bosheth ever led them out against their enemies? The reason there were so many battles after this day is because enemies who oppressed God’s people had gained control in large parts of the Promised Land. The isolated tribes of Israel were under the thumb of enemies who were embedded in the land. They needed a prince who could defend them. When David became their king, he led these defeated people to victory over the enemies who oppressed them.
Have you been resisting the rule of Christ in your life? Don’t you see that you need him to lead you and defend you? Why would you not crown him your king today?
