The Recovery from Gilboa

A very sad chapter in the history of Israel closes with the words,' how are the mighty fallen and the weapons of war perished'. Israel's ruin on Gilboa was a tragedy to be mourned over, the loss was enormous; God had been greatly dishonoured; those that remained of God's people were in reproach; the testimony of Israel was stained by defeat.

This is but a sad reflection of the ruined testimony of evangelical protestantism in our nation today; the enemy of protestantism has used the weapon of humanism very effectively against the Reformed faith as it has forced an unscriptural political settlement in Ulster at Hillsborough. It is not a time for saved protestants to look out convenient scapegoats to punish at will; such action will only worsen and weaken our spiritual position further, to the delight of our foes. Albeit, as believers in Christ, we have been humiliated and our Saviour's great name discredited, yet there is the possibility of a spiritual recovery through God.

David turned from the time of sorrow, shame, loss and defeat; he prayerfully and carefully sought God for recovery. 2Samuel chapter two opens with the words; 'And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD, saying, shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, go up. And David said, whither shall I go up? And he said, unto Hebron.'

'And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD --' Here is a man that despite what has happened in the past, despite his loss and humiliation, is turning to God for help. David could have been bitter as to how Saul had mistreated him personally; he could have wanted to discredit Saul's memory for all that he knew that Saul had done wrong; he could have justified himself in as much as he was not on Gilboa when Israel was defeated. There was a lot that David could been bitter about; the loss of friends, the loss of position and so much more; however, what is remarkable here is, not so much David's bitterness as his brokenness. David had mourned over Israel's defeat as if it were his own; he took the ruined testimony of God's people to heart; it was from a broken, rather than from a bitter heart that David enquired of the LORD.

David couldn't alter the past, he could not turn the clock back; he could never enjoy the friendship and fellowship that he once enjoyed with Jonathan, no all that was gone; but what he could do was to enquire of God from a wounded and broken heart. He did not want to see the flock of God scattered; he did not want to think of his fellow believers on the hills wild and bare, the circumstances that David found himself in were allowed of God. David was concerned about God's people, he was concerned about the testimony of Israel; so he enquired of the LORD. Can I ask you, do you have this concern? I would like very much to hear from you, so that we may enquire of the LORD.

David's enquiry was directed to the LORD; he was turning from the ever changing and uncertain circumstances of men and appealing to Almighty God. David was enquiring of the covenant keeping God; David's enquiry was to the One that was a very present help in time of need; he would call upon the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. If there was to be recovery from Gilboa for God's people, then it must come from a broken hearted supplicant, before the mercy seat, laying hold upon the covenant keeping God of heaven. If there is to be recovery from the defeat that evangelical protestantism has suffered of late; then it must come from broken hearted supplicants before the throne of grace in humble contrite petition. Away with all the shouting, screaming and foaming pretentious prayer offerings of the past and let those among us that are broken hearted call consistently, continuously, and reverently upon the LORD.

David was not looking for another political solution, he was not asking the people for direction, no, David was enquiring of the LORD. David had witnessed what human agency was capable of; he had experienced the ruin that the arm of the flesh could bring, David would not stop with Abner, he would not depend upon Isbosheth, and not even upon Joab; he would enquire of the LORD alone.

'Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?' David's desire was to go up, he wanted to achieve a higher plain; the road to spiritual recovery for all of God's people begins with an intense desire of heart for higher ground; despite the obstacles, no matter the difficulties anticipated, David wanted the LORD to lead the way. The path to spiritual recovery for evangelical protestantism, is not the path of presumption; it is, rather, the path of obedience to the revealed will of God. David wanted God to reveal the place where he could praise the name of the Lord; 'shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah'; Judah means praise, so David wanted the Lord to lead him to where he could praise the LORD. A bitter spirit rarely desires to praise the Lord, but a broken heart is often the fountain from which praises unto the God of all comfort can flow. Recovery from ruin at Gilboa was to begin with a desire to praise the Lord in the place of God's choice; this would mean separation from Ziklag and separation unto a place where God's name could be praised. David prayed and God answered by saying, 'go up'.

Now there was the clear voice of God, speaking to one that desired to be separated unto the praises of the Almighty; now the road to spiritual recovery is always punctuated by the voice of God saying, 'this is the way walk ye in it'. How sweet the path to spiritual recovery is, when the believer hears God's voice from out of the sacred page. If we are ever to praise the name of the Lord as evangelical protestants, then we must give ear to God's voice speaking to us from out of His Word; only the Lord can guide His redeemed on the path to spiritual recovery.

'And David said, whither shall I go up? And he said, unto Hebron'. David had been encouraged by the way that the Lord had answered prayer; he was encouraged when he heard God's voice; this encouragement of heart prompted him to seek the Lord concerning the very place where the Lord wanted him to be. Praise was restored and now a place to serve the Lord was all important to David. God directed his servant to Hebron; this is most significant because it is the very place where Abraham had built an alter unto God after he was separated from the compromising company of Lot. For David, this was the place where the patriarchs had stood, here was a place where God could be praised; a place of God's choosing, where fellowship with God could be restored.

Is there such a yearning in our hearts as evangelical protestants, for a place where God's name can be praised and a testimony established for His glory? Do we really yearn such a recovery?