"When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed." (2 Samuel 4:1 NIV)
Ish-Bosheth lost the war in his own heart before he lost the war in his land. He did what we are all tempted to do when life gets tough: go home and crawl under the covers. The enemy found the coward-king asleep in his own bed: curled up in a comforter, hiding out from the world. Ish-Bosheth made it easy for his prey to take him out.
This story scares me. I’m a napper by nature.
What stole away Ish-Bosheth’s courage? We look at his story and see how his kingship had been propped up by by Abner. When Abner met his unfortunate end, Ish-Bosheth assumed he was next. He took to his bed as a coward instead of standing tall like a king.
I read of Ish-Bosheth’s crumbled confidence and remember Joshua’s repeated command to a the brand new nation of Israel four hundred years prior:
"Be strong and courageous." (Joshua 1:7 NIV)
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9 NIV)
"Only be strong and courageous." (Joshua 1:18 NIV)
And then I think of David at Ziklag, just a few chapters before this one in 2 Samuel. David’s men were away at war and when they came home, they found out their wives and children had been carried away and their homes destroyed by fire. The entire company lashed out in grief and the insurrection was ready to stone their leader. In the face of mutiny, David didn’t lose heart; he didn’t look to his people or his circumstances to muster courage. He looked up, he chose to strengthen himself in the Lord. He found the courage he lacked in the presence of God alone.
"But David found strength in the Lord his God." (1 Samuel 30:6 NIV)
Circumstances bring despair, but God dispenses courage. Courage to stay the course. Courage to believe for the impossible. Courage to keep showing up. Courage to believe Him at His Word.
"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of thieving. Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord." (Psalm 27:13-14 NASB1995)
When our courage runs low and our heart begins to fail, we must go back to God. We pray. We worship. We recall His past provision and His last instructions. We tighten our grasp on His holy hand and we re-enter the world affirmed again of His sovereignty and strength.
David didn’t die that day in Ziklag like Ish-Bosheth did in his bed. Though his devastated men had threatened mutiny, they didn’t follow through with it. Perhaps they were moved by their leader’s courage to call on God in their most terrible moment. God met them there: He strengthened the whole company and by His grace, they recovered everyone and everything the enemy had stolen. Isn’t that encouraging?
When we feel our heart failing, we can run to the Father for more courage. We get into His presence and receive supernatural provisions of faith and strength. Only then are we ready to lead others in divine victory.
Lord, we come to You today lacking courage. The temptation to lose heart is great. The circumstances are crummy and we feel responsible. But You haven’t changed. Your promises ring true. Thank You for availing Yourself to us, for meeting us in our weakness and exchanging it for Your strength. We pick up courage in Your presence. We are ready to move forward in divine victory, reclaiming what the enemy has absconded with. Have Your way, Lord. Begin with us. Amen.