Victory is Mine When the Battle is the Lord’s

I have always enjoyed reading places in the Bible where you can find a synopsis of what took place in a particular person’s life or history of a nation from one chapter or from a few short verses. In second Samuel chapter five, we find that all Israel came to David at Hebron to anoint him king over Israel. It says that David was 30 years old when he started – he reigned 40 years total: Seven years he reigned over Judah from Hebron, and 33 years over all of Israel and Judah from Jerusalem.

At Hebron, David is now in a new place in his leadership of a nation. The kingdom is no longer divided. They recognized David’s ability to lead the troops even when he was under King Saul’s leadership. They could see God’s choice, and they anointed him as their king. David makes a covenant with the elders of Israel and receives a new assignment from the Lord.

Shortly after this event David leads his his army into battle and they captured the stronghold of Zion. David made that place (the stronghold) his home. He called it the city of David. A new anointing, a new assignment from God and a fortified place to live. This is now where David begins to lead from Jerusalem.

However as exciting as all of this sounds, events like these that take place in our lives do not go unchallenged. As soon as the Philistines heard that they had anointed David as king, it says that they mobilized their troops and fought against Israel. When he heard of this attack, it says that David went down to the stronghold.

In a time of intense spiritual conflict David knew that the safest place for him to be was in the stronghold. It signifies a place of safety. A place of strength. A place to rethink our strategy as we plan our next move. This is where David lived!

Our stronghold is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Only in Him is our victory! Find your place [your stronghold] in Him today. The victory is ours when the battle is the Lord’s!

~ Dan Ecker