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. 2 Samuel 2:1
SUGGESTED FURTHER READING: Luke 11:9–13
When the text says God told David that he should go to the country of Judaea, it teaches that we have only ourselves to blame if we do not accept good advice. For Scripture says we are to knock on the door and it will be opened to us, we are to seek and we shall find, we are to ask and it will be given to us (Matt. 7:7). David had this promise engraved on his heart, but it had not yet been stated in its fullness as we have it today. Instead, he sought God’s will by the ceremonial means of the priestly ephod.
Today we have far more than that. Our Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to fulfill his promise to his disciples that he would no longer call them his servants but his friends (John 15:15). That means he has come so close to us that we, like good pupils, can learn all we need to know.
When we clothe ourselves in humility, God will certainly respond to our need. Are we lacking in wisdom? James says the “Father of lights” (James 1:17) is ready and able to help us in our weakness and needs. Thus, let us go to him. Above all, when we need wisdom, let us realize that God reserves the right to give it, and we should not be so foolish as to attribute wisdom to ourselves. Instead, let us worship him for such an excellent gift.
We should be persuaded that if we ask God to give us the Spirit of understanding, we can be assured that he will respond if we are ready to subject ourselves to his Word. We will find him ready and inclined to grant our requests, and we will never be frustrated for having waited to make our requests to him.
FOR MEDITATION: God has not changed since the time of David. David asked and he received what he asked for; we too can ask and know that we will receive what we ask for. The New Testament clearly states this. Believing this is a great test of our faith because it is difficult. Be encouraged by David’s example.
John Calvin and Joel R. Beeke, 365 Days with Calvin (Leominster; Grand Rapids, MI: Day One Publications; Reformation Heritage Books, 2008), 342.