What a treasure of testimonies we have from King David putting to pen the reality of his surroundings, and the obstacles and joys he faced, knowing and testifying that the Lord delivered him at every turn. We know that he drew His strength directly from the testimonies of those who had come before him, who had also trusted in the Lord. We recognize the emphasis on the assurance and absolute certainty that God will provide protection and shelter from all his oppositions, as was done to his Ancestors. We see the similarities, as in Exodus 33: 21: the Lord says to Moses, “Behold, there is a Place by Me, and you shall stand there on the Rock.” Psalm 61: 2: “From the end of the earth I call to Thee, when my heart is faint; lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.”
Although it had been a few generations since God’s people were delivered from captivity in Egypt, David’s lineage had both witnessed and known God’s deliverance alongside Moses, and Joshua. We know this by the testimony of his great-great Grandmother Rahab (the harlot), who hid the spies of Israel in the time of the fall of the walls of Jericho; as it is written in Joshua 2: 1. Her father-in law was Nahshon, leader of the sons of Judah, (1 Chronicles 2: 10). And of his great Grandmother Ruth (the Moabite) who came out of a land of bondage with Naomi, and then married Boaz, Rahab’s son, (Ruth 4: 13). What powerful testimonies he drew from, from this close-knit family who had seen God’s Mighty Hand of deliverances first hand.
All the more we can appreciate and appropriate these testimonies for ourselves through Jesus, as we read in Matthew 1: 1: “The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: that Abraham was the father of Isaac… (then) Jacob… Judah… Perez (by Tamar)… Hezron… Ram… Amminadab… Nahshon… Salmon… Boaz by (Rahab)… Obed (by Ruth)… Jesse… David the king. That we also may know with absolute confidence that God will conceal us and hide us in His Tabernacle and Secret Place, and lift us up on the Rock, which is Jesus. Colossians 3: 1 – 3: says, “If then you have been raised up with Christ (Jesus), keep seeking the things which are above, where Christ (Jesus) is, seated at the right Hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth; for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ (Jesus) in God.
Dearest Holy Lord Jesus: what powerful testimonies we have received from those who have come before us. And what awesome responsibility we have in the testimony which we will leave behind for those who will come after us. Come by Your Holy Spirit, and give us a Divine appreciation for the lives within our families that You have used for Your glory. Come and fill us afresh to rise up above the familiarities of this day that would annul the value of one’s faith, which You find so very precious in Your Sight. Glory to You alone!
