Our text is the beginning of the story of King David who fell into sin and brought many problems onto himself and his nation. In particular, the Scripture says it was a time when kings go forth to battle and yet David stayed behind. Not going forth led to idleness, low productivity, and all manner of sin. It first affected one, and then a few, and finally many. We must constantly be going forth as believers. To not go forth is being less leading to spiritual decay. Going forth cannot be avoided if one is still to be kingly. For us not going forth may not result in the loss of our crowns, but it could mean other losses and certainly the inability to gain blessings that were intended for us. From this one verse, David lost his family’s tranquility, a child that he would not see grow up because it died, and future blessings on himself and those he loved. We must go forth! We will claim the future or lose it. The life of the believer is God’s way of expressing his lock on the world after Christ’s ascension to heaven.
How do kings prepare to go forth when the call is staring at them in the face? This is not a timeline. It is the open door. It is an opportunity to gain or lose. To go forth requires the King to have fellowship with those in his army. In modern day, it requires believers to be strong with each other. Then, in David’s day, leadership was expected. To ignore it was a gross neglect of duty. Kings are expected to have the training and knowledge that will positively influence others. This is not possible if he remains behind while others go forth to the front line. When kings look toward charging the enemy, it is reminiscent of the old victories that inspire new victories. David’s neglect is far more than taking a respite. It was an insult against all those in his army. Believers must always see themselves as suited up for battle and ready to stand forth in behalf of the Greater King.
The reputation that David had among the people was superb. It would then be a reasonable question to ask why a king would want to go forth. First, he is fulfilling his duty, his obligation. He is setting the example for bravery to others. The key is more than just someone who wears a unique outfit or sits on the throne. He is the emblem incarnate of a defense against the enemy. Brave believers are the example of truth and resistance against the wiles of the devil. The believer is the embodiment of what should be, not what may be. The conscientious believer is the match struck to ignite a dedication by others who claim to be Christian. The reason a king retains his throne is that he acts kingly. The reason a believer receives blessings from God and positively influences other believers is because there is a duty to perform that is holy and pure. It is because the believer sits on a special place before the world that is a spiritual life which does not die or shrink or stagnate or surrendered to the evil enemies. Whether they would be kings of the ancient days or modern Christian believers, the only way to receive gain from God is to be what he wants us to be before unbelievers as a witness, as an encouragement toward their salvation.
We as believers in Christ must constantly be aware of what keeps us as spiritual kings from going forth into the world as his representatives. To go forth means to win the victory over himself and his carnal ways. To go forth means to win a victory for the Almighty God. To go forth means to win the victory for those influenced by the king believer. Should he not go forth, he has submitted himself to the distractions in his worldly environment. He allows Satan’s tricks, temptations, and his own fleshly desires to negatively influence himself. To pull back from our royal duties is to poorly support others who are living beneath the Christian standard. The believer who holds back from being the person God wants him to be, has made wrong assumptions everywhere around including God, himself, and others. When a believer does not display himself before others as someone convinced of the spiritual battles in high places, he no longer sees himself as a child of the King and therefore no longer himself acts like a king here on earth to do God’s bidding. We must return ourselves to the singleness of purpose that Christ gave us in the Great Commission of going out into the world and winning others to him. When we have succeeded in our service to the heavenly King, then we will bring glory to him. We will have our rightful place in his throne room before all the angels of heaven.
Christian Writer 