(Please read the Scripture passage before reading the homily.)
The Philistines had defeated Israel and Saul. David had been anointed King over the southern portion of the Israelites, Judah. David’s position had grown stronger. In today’s reading, the Israelites from the north have come freely to David with an offer to accept him as their king.
This seemed to make sense. Both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah had a shared history and shared ancestors. The people recognized David as bone of the bone and flesh of their flesh, that is, sharing a common ancestry with those from the north. David, then assumed control of all the Israelites’ territory. David wisely chose Jerusalem, a non-Israelite city where Jebusites lived, as his capital. The Scriptures summed this up by stating that “the Lord of hosts was with him.”
Now, if the Lord is with us, does this mean that we will become President or financially successful or have some other spectacular good fortune come upon us some day? No. On the contrary, the Lord is always with us because the Lord has chosen us. We may only see the Lord’s presence after a long process and from hindsight. Now we see in part, but then we shall see as they really are.
The second Book of Samuel gives us a record of a time in history when much was changing. The political forces of the era were pushing the people towards kingship. The transition did not take place easily, but in the end the people came to realize God’s presence in their lives.
We have a north and a south; we have had a civil war. We also have much polarization in the country. We have seen leaders come and go. We do not have the ideal leaders we should like to have, but we have never had a perfect leader. Perhaps we get the leader we need for the moment, even if such person be not the leader we want. Perhaps, we need hindsight to see God’s hand in the daily struggles, the politics, and the challenges we face. The Lord of hosts is with us, but it may take time for us to see this.