SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH (MEMORIAL)

The Lord of hosts was with him. 

We see David in today’s first reading as he is being anointed king by all the elders of Israel. David’s story fills forty chapters in the first and second books of Samuel with tales of success and failure. But across that vast span of time, a common theme emerges for David that can also apply to us: “The Lord was with him.”

It’s easy to see evidence that the Lord was with David: he was anointed by the prophet Samuel and defeated Goliath with just a stone and a slingshot (1 Samuel 16:13; 17:1-50). He evaded King Saul’s attempts to kill him and showed mercy to Saul on many occasions (chapters 16–31). He conquered Israel’s enemies and triumphantly brought the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6).

But there were also times that David disobeyed or strayed from the Lord. He conspired to kill Uriah after David took Uriah’s wife as his own. He also failed to defend his daughter Tamar from his violent son Amnon (2 Samuel 11, 13). Even in his last years, David disobeyed the Lord and took a census of the people of Israel to assess their strength at the end of his reign (chapter 24).

Considering his inconsistent history, how can we understand what seems like an unconditional statement: God was with David?

The truth is, God’s love for David did not rise and fall with David’s actions. The Lord knew him inside and out. Yes, David had potential for greatness, and yes, he had his weaknesses. But even when David was mired in sin, there was still some part of him that wanted to please the Lord. Even when he disobeyed, his heart was open enough to hear the call to repentance and see the error of his ways.

That can be a lesson for us. Like David, we have been blessed by God, but his love for us isn’t won by our good behavior. Even when we’re lost in sin, God is still beside us, always prepared to take us back. That’s when our hearts need to be like David’s—ready to hear and respond to God’s call to repentance, always trusting that he is with us.

“Lord, thank you for your unfailing love for David. Help me to be like David in my response to you.”

Psalm 89:20-22, 25-26
Mark 3:22-30
2 Samuel 5:1-7, 10