Are You David or Ahaz?

“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though an host pitched against me, mine heart should not be afraid: though war be raised against me, I will trust in this. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that I will require, even that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to visit his Temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His Tabernacle: in the secret place of His pavilion shall He hide me, and set me up upon a rock. And now shall He lift up mine head above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in His Tabernacle sacrifices of joy: I will sing and praise the Lord...teach me Thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a right path, because of mine enemies” (Psalm 27:1-6,11, Geneva Bible).

Too bad David’s descendent didn’t have his forefather’s faith when surrounded by enemies.

“And in the days of Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah king of Judah, Rezin the king of Aram came up, and Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel, to Jerusalem to fight against it, but he could not overcome it. And it was told the house of David, saying, ‘Aram is joined with Ephraim’: therefore his heart was moved, and the heart of his people, as the trees of the forest are moved by the wind. Then said the Lord unto Isaiah, ‘Go forth now to meet Ahaz (thou and Shear-Jashub thy son) at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, in the path of the fuller’s field, and say unto him, “Take heed, and be still: fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of these smoking firebrands, for the furious wrath of Rezin and of Aram, and of Remaliah’s son, because Aram hath taken wicked counsel against thee, and Ephraim and Remaliah’s son, saying, ‘Let us go up against Judah, and let us waken them up, and make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst thereof, even the son of Tabel. Thus saith the Lord God, ‘It shall not stand, neither shall it be. For the head of Aram is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin: and within five and threescore years, Ephraim shall be destroyed from being a people. And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If ye believe not, surely ye shall not be established’”’” (Isaiah 7:1-9).

May we stand by faith and cling ever closer to the Lord, even when surrounded by enemies. Are you a David or an Ahaz? "Now the just shall live by faith: but if any withdraw himself, My soul shall have no pleasure in him" (Habakkuk 2:4//Hebrews 10:38).