At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. 2 Samuel 5:5
David reigned in Hebron for seven and a half years. In all that time, only one tribe owned him as king, and God’s people endured one outbreak of violence after another. How could all of this be happening when God’s anointed king was on the throne in Hebron?
This is the same question we face as we look at our world today: How can the world be as it is if Jesus Christ is really on the throne?
In Psalm 110, David clearly anticipates that, like him, the Messiah will also experience a long delay between the time of his own anointing and the time when his enemies will be subdued. “The Lord says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool’” (Psa. 110:1).
Then David recalls how God said to him, “Rule in the midst of your enemies!” (Psa. 110:2). That is what David did for seven and a half years. In all the chaos and violence, there must have been times when even David wondered if the promised kingdom would ever come.
The same thing is said about the rule of our Lord Jesus Christ. The writer to the Hebrews tells us that God has “crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet… At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him” (Heb. 2:7-8).
Jesus Christ is God’s anointed king. He is on the throne, but like David, what we see around us is continued chaos, opposition, and violence. And like David, we need great patience.
Are you overwhelmed by the chaos around you? Or are you looking to Christ and the coming of his kingdom?
