Daily Devotional for Thursday, November 30

David’s Fame

“And David perceived that the Lord had confirmed him king over Israel, for his kingdom was lifted up on high, because of his people Israel,” 1 Chronicles 14:2.

“Famous for being famous.” Many in our culture hold this title. They have not done anything particularly spectacular nor did they have any great accomplishments. They are just famous. Social media and television have created a market for people seeking to be famous as well as a market for people seeking to follow famous people. It is a crazy world in which we live. But this is not new. When you examine the story of the tower of Babel, the people sought to make a name for themselves. Even thousands of years ago, people sought notoriety and fame.

David himself grew to become quite famous. David personally came from the back pastures of anonymity to the front rows of legendary status. The people of Israel also grew from being a backwater country to a player on the world scene by the time Solomon reigned. Fame can be a blessing and a curse. When David properly understood God had elevated him to a position of power and prominence so He could accomplish His purposes in the world, David was able to accomplish some amazing things. But when he became self-centered in his understanding of his place in Israel, he sinned and there were disastrous consequences.

God in his wisdom chooses to elevate some of his children to places of public prominence; others of us He chooses to keep behind the scenes and relatively unknown. Neither is better than the other. Both achieve what God wants done. Our role, whether in the limelight or in the shadows, is to trust God, remain faithful and know that He is in charge of it all.

REFLECTION: To be known by God is our greatest good. To make Him known is our greatest service.

Jason Rutherford