David asked God, “Should I march up against the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The LORD said to him, “March up! I will hand them over to you!” So they marched against Baal Perazim and David defeated them there. David said, “Using me as his instrument, God has burst out against my enemies like water bursts out.” So that place is called Baal Perazim.
1 Chronicles 14:10-11 NET
How does God work in the world? Sometimes, he operates without any human involvement. But at other times, he uses people to accomplish the work he wants done. And this passage describes one of the latter.
David had just been crowned king of all Israel, and the Philistine army marched out to challenge him. David asked God if he should march out with his army to oppose the Philistines. God’s response to David was to go, and God would hand the Philistine army over to him.
You might have expected that if God were going to hand the Philistines over to David, he would not have had to fight. There were times in Israel’s history when that was true (2 Chron. 20), but not this time. David and his army fought against the Philistines and defeated them. It would seem that David’s army did all the work while God sat back and watched.
But David saw things differently. He understood that he was an instrument that God used to defeat the Philistines. The victory belonged to the Lord, not to David. It was God who enabled him to achieve this victory. Without God’s help, the stronger Philistine army would have had the upper hand.
What God did for David, he continues to do today. He continues to work in the world around us. And he continues to use us as his instruments. As he trained and enabled David to be a successful military leader, he has trained and enabled me as a teacher and writer. I am a tool that God is using.
And what was true for David, and is true for me, is true of all God’s people. He equips and uses each of us in the service of his kingdom. So, be a willing instrument in God’s hands, letting him use you as he sees fit. And glorify him for what he accomplishes through us.
