David and all the Israelites marched to Jerusalem
(that is, Jebus). The Jebusites who
lived there said to David, “You will not get in here.” Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of
Zion, the City of David…And David became more and more powerful, because the
LORD Almighty was with him. (1
Chronicles 11:4, 5, 9)
David was the
newly crowned king of Israel. He set his
eyes and heart on the hilltop fortress of Jebus which would come to be called
Jerusalem. He marched on the city and as
he stood outside the walls the people called down to him. They were confident. They were powerful. They would do everything in their power to
defeat David in his quest. They were
certain they could prevent him from conquering their city.
In spite of
their confidence and their efforts, the Jebusites failed. The Chronicler simply states, “Nevertheless, David captured the fortress
of Zion…” We can use our
imaginations to see the battle and the efforts of the Jebusites. As David and his men stormed the walls the
defenders threw down stones and poured out hot oil. They shot arrows and threw spears. They used every strategy they could imagine. Yet David captured the fortress, made it his
capital, and it came to be known as the City of David.
The explanation
for David’s success is found in verse 9, “And
David became more and more powerful, because the LORD Almighty was with him.” David and his men stormed the city and
pressed the defenders with all their energy.
They fought valiantly and skillfully.
But they did not conquer the city because of these things. They won the victory because God was with
them.
As I read this
passage in 1 Chronicles 11 a New Testament passage came to mind. “From
the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been
forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it” (Matthew 11:12). Jesus told his disciples that the kingdom of
heaven had come to earth. They may not
have been able to see what was going on in the spiritual realm but Jesus told
them the kingdom had been advancing forcefully.
The Enemy was losing territory as the kingdom of heaven moved
ahead. Certainly Satan was doing
everything in his power to stop or slow the advance of God’s kingdom but he was
failing. The Son of God was on earth and
with his presence the kingdom’s advance could not be foiled.
Jesus also said
that “forceful men lay hold of it.” David was a forceful man. He was courageous and did not care about the
numbers or strategies of his enemy. He
pressed on, determined to lay hold of the kingdom that had been promised him. And so it is with the kingdom of heaven. One does not find himself in the kingdom accidentally! Nobody will open his eyes and look around and
ask how he ever entered into the kingdom of heaven! Only those who fix their eyes on the prize of
the kingdom and pursue it energetically without concern for the opposition will
enter the kingdom.
The kingdom of
heaven continues to advance today.
Perhaps many people do not perceive the way God is working in this
world. The Enemy works to blind their
eyes. He uses every strategy he can
think of to prevent the advance of the kingdom.
Those of us who are Christ followers are the army of the King. We are the forceful men who have laid hold of
the kingdom and are fighting to spread the rule of our Lord. We will not fail because the LORD Almighty is
with us. So we press on without growing
weary! We proclaim his kingdom and his
victory in spite of the efforts of the Enemy to hinder us! The good news is that the victory has already
been won and we cannot be defeated!
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