Introduction

This chapter is particularly well-written because its theme is David Grew Stronger and Stronger. It highlights how David's accumulated experiences began to manifest in increasing strength. This growing strength came from the presence of God, which is the most important thing in a person's life. David's past experiences were victories, one after another, culminating in fruitfulness after about 20 years. David and Joseph shared a common trait: sometimes your faith requires persistence for a year, sometimes for 10 years, and sometimes for 20 years. Knowing whether your persistence is right or wrong is crucial.

God's Presence is Paramount

Some people lose God's presence. Once you lose God's presence, everything else is finished. Know that God's presence is the most important thing in a person's life. Why did David resolve to eliminate those who shed blood in the previous chapter? Because shedding blood is not just a matter of loyalty or disloyalty; it is a sin that must be removed from the land.

This is why David killed the men who brought him the head of Ish-bosheth, Saul's son. They thought David would reward them, but David ordered his men to kill them. From a human perspective, someone helping you eliminate your enemy, destroying his kingdom so you can rule over the other eleven tribes and become their king seems like a great thing! But now that you've killed them, who will help you in the future? Actually, that's not important. If you lose God's presence, that's fatal! Having God's presence in life is the most important thing, but many people don't realize it!

Adam and Eve lost God's presence after eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Later, many others lost God's presence as well. King Saul not only lost God's presence but also invited the presence of demons. Eventually, he became mentally ill and could not grow stronger, which caused Saul much suffering. He developed a severe depression and lived a very painful life.

We must understand this spiritual principle: If you are blessed in what you do, it is because God is with you; if what you do has demons with you, it is called a curse. For example, if demons are with you when you do one thing, and demons are with you when you do another thing, no matter how detailed or thorough your plans, they are useless, because with demons present, everything will fall apart. Life becomes unbearable.

Some people often think that living the way I do makes it impossible to live a good life. But they don't know that I value God's presence more than money, which is the key to human existence. We must understand that nothing else matters; only God's presence is the most important. If a person loses God's presence and then invites the presence of demons, I don't see how you can get stronger and stronger even if you are busy till you drop! If a person does not see God's presence in their life, their life is ruined.

In the past few years, if David had only looked at the immediate situation, he could have used force to conquer the eleven tribes, but would that have been the right thing to do? Even though God had already anointed him as king of Israel, the other eleven tribes did not obey and followed Ish-bosheth for seven years. David waited for seven years and six months, during which Ish-bosheth and Abner died, but their deaths had nothing to do with David.

David was not anxious because he knew that being anxious would cause him to lose God's presence. David's attitude towards sin, towards shedding blood, and his unhurried approach to conquering the eleven tribes all demonstrate that David valued God's presence. I remind everyone, when you encounter issues and have to make decisions, have you lost God's presence? If you lose God's presence whenever you face problems, how deep will your future curses be! Brothers and sisters must know that the devil uses deception to trick people. It prefers not to attack people with real weapons, which is how the spiritual realm operates.

The devil's scheme has been known since ancient times. The devil makes you eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, removes God's presence, and leaves people living under a curse, and then its battle is over. The devil stands by and watches people being defeated by themselves. We must learn to be wise, emulate David's attitude, value God's presence, and we will surely grow stronger and stronger. When people are anxious, they lose faith, and without faith, God's presence is impossible.

David had great faith in God, even though life was difficult. If you have read Psalm 16, David mentioned, My tears have soaked my bedding; they have floated my couch. It was indeed very difficult! During David's years of fleeing, hiding from Saul among the Philistines, even though those days were hard, it didn't matter because God's presence was evident.

David saw God's presence with his own eyes, and every time the devil tried to deceive him, it failed. David didn't fall for it, didn't take the bait, and didn't accept the curse for his own benefit, his own name, or his own advantages. Do you value God's presence? I have ministered to many people with various illnesses, and I have watched them choose the path to destruction, ultimately losing God's presence.

The Other Tribes of Israel Anoint David as King

We see the other tribes of Israel anointing David as king, but who actually anointed David as king, was it them or Samuel? Clearly, Samuel anointed David as king. Whether they anointed him or not is irrelevant; it's about God's presence. God had chosen a faithful person to be the priest, and then He found a faithful man, David, to be king. God established David to be the king of Israel. The elders of Israel came to Hebron to see David, and what did they say?

Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.' (2 Samuel 5:1-2)

When the people of the other eleven tribes mentioned David becoming the king of Israel, they said, You will shepherd us. Their anointing of David as king meant, We accept your shepherding. God chose you to do the work of shepherding, and we are here to accept your shepherding. That’s how it is, which is anointing themselves to be David's sheep, to be David's people, and to be under David's rule, which is very meaningful. David was able to win the hearts of the Israelites because he valued the people of Israel more than his throne. If you value the work in your hand more than the people you lead, you're in trouble. Whether you are doing ministry, shepherding, or other work, you must not value things more than people!

If you value things more than people, don't expect people to anoint you as their shepherd. They will feel that you are not worthy of the position. We must emulate David and be people after God's own heart. David valued God's people far more than his own throne. David also knew that his throne came from God, so he sought God's will throughout his life.

If David had taken the extreme risk of attacking the eleven tribes of Israel, engaging in prolonged warfare, it would have been difficult to win the respect of the Israelite people. There's a Chinese saying: Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Everyone must know that the reason David won the respect and admiration of the other tribes of Israel, and why they wanted David to shepherd them, was because David valued God's presence, not his own throne, pleasure, or power. Therefore, David grew stronger and stronger, and the eleven tribes submitted to him.

Capturing Jerusalem

David and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, You will not get in here; even the blind and lame can ward you off. They thought, David cannot enter here. Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion—the City of David. (2 Samuel 5:6-7)

And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him. (2 Samuel 5:10)

Growing stronger and stronger is closely related to seizing land. David became the king of Israel and went to attack Jerusalem, also called the City of David. The City of David is next to Bethlehem, near Jerusalem. The Jebusites lived in Jerusalem. David led his men to attack the Jebusites in Jerusalem, seizing the land of Jerusalem because they were God's enemies. Is this called growing stronger? Yes, it is. Is this called expansion? Yes, it is. The people of Israel were finally unified into one nation.

Originally, the entire land of Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and all of Israel was the promised land that God gave to the Israelites. If you don't take it, you will lose God's presence. David and his men went to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites who lived there. As a result, the Jebusites said to David, You will not get in here; even the blind and lame can ward you off. We are also puzzled, wondering why David could not enter. It's because you can't get rid of the lame and blind. The walls of Jerusalem were very strong, with trenches and various offensive measures inside. Can land be expanded without fighting?

The enemy said, If you can't even drive out the blind and lame, how can you enter this place? If you can't even defeat the blind and lame, they can defeat your Israelite army in the trenches, so what are you fighting for? In those days, there were no drones or air force; it was just people climbing the city walls. But David managed to take it down. Why? Because God was with him. Expanding the land of the Israelites and driving these people out of this place was God's will for the Israelites.

If God wants us to expand, but we don't; if God gives us promises, but we don't take them; if we simply allow the enemy to take God's promised land, wouldn't that be troublesome? So David went to attack the Jebusites. Later, David captured that place, built a fortress there, and named it the City of David. So, in verse 10 it says, And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him! If God is with us, no difficulty can be overcome; if God is with us, no problem cannot be solved. With God with us, we don't need to be anxious. If God is with us, we can deal with the devil's schemes and not fall for the devil's tricks again, and we will not lose God's presence. If you want to expand, you will definitely encounter enemies and competitors.

We are in a season of growing stronger and stronger. Everyone must not make mistakes; know that God's presence is the most important. Do we need to seize other tribes by trickery and force? No, we don't because we need to solve the problem of shepherding. In the future, even if someone says, You always criticize other churches, it's not about criticizing others, it's simply because many people have not entered into God's heart. Some people even label me, saying, You're the only one who's right. I think maybe I'm wrong. If I'm not right somewhere, then I would like to thank you.

Chinese Mingding Destiny is still on the path of expansion. We must win God's presence. By all means, let people know that we are a pastoral church. Do you all know that what the church lacks most now is pastoring? Without pastoring, God's people suffer greatly. I tell you, when God sees that churches are not shepherding His people well, God will take His people and give them to the churches that can pastor. For this is God's intention. Today, we are still expanding, and our pastoring needs to be continuously improved. Although we are a pastoral church, our pastoring is actually quite poor and needs to be continuously expanded.

Expanding God's church, strengthening the foundation of the church, and continuously gaining unreached lands, that is what we need to do most right now, that is called growing stronger day by day. So, we have a feeling inside that we are in a season of growing stronger day by day. In this season, never forget that it is God who makes us victorious. Perhaps we are attacking a spiritual fortress, and the demons in this spiritual fortress might say to us, Even with the lame and the blind there, you will not be able to enter.

If you cannot enter even with just the blind and the lame there, then how fortified is the enemy's camp? Even such a fortified camp cannot stop God's work. If God is with us, we will surely capture the heavenly Jerusalem, which is the Jerusalem in the spiritual realm. As we begin to gain victory little by little and move forward little by little, the King of Tyre will begin to offer tribute. Do you all know what offering tribute means? It means that surrounding nations see that you are strong and try to curry favor with you by offering tribute.

Hiram, King of Tyre, Begins to Offer Tribute

And David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of hosts was with him. And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also masons and carpenters to build David a house. (2 Samuel 5:10-11)

The effect of David growing stronger day by day is unimaginable. King Hiram submitted. To curry favor with David, Hiram sent cedar trees to David, and also sent messengers and carpenters to build a palace for David. If you are not strong enough, who will pay attention to you? In this generation, we have also witnessed the rise of the Chinese nation.

The Chinese nation is beginning to become strong, unlike the past hundred years when it suffered much humiliation among the world's powers. The September 18th Incident tore China apart. You need to know that in this generation, we are to be raised up in the kingdom of Jesus Christ. In this generation, God will greatly use the Chinese.

When we conquer one stronghold after another, and triumph in the spiritual world, even the King of Tyre will come to offer tribute. This prosperous day has come. Compared to those difficult days of the past, think about how difficult the road David walked was back then. When David was leading those four or five hundred people, they sometimes did not have enough to eat, and six hundred people even wanted to stone David to death. Even in such a difficult environment, David still persevered.

In this generation, we must persevere again and continue to maintain God's presence, and not lose God's presence. If we persevere until the King of Tyre comes to offer tribute, that will be extraordinary! Next, Chinese Mingding Destiny will enter a season of growing stronger day by day. Of course, we also have to learn a lesson and be especially careful not to fall into the pit that David fell into. David once sinned and offended God, and his lesson is also a lesson we must learn. If people start to feel great about themselves, then there will be trouble! Know that it is not because we are great, but because we obey God's word and walk according to God's word that God is with us.

The Enemy Also Defeated Before David

Later, God established David as king over Israel, and then there was war. The Philistines came to attack the Israelites. The first time they came, they camped there. David asked the Lord,

Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” (2 Samuel 5:19)

As a result, David defeated the Philistines. The king of the Philistines used to have a good relationship with David. Now he must regret not killing David earlier. At that time, he thought David was Saul's enemy, so he became his friend. But David was good, he had hidden in the house of Achish, king of the Philistines, for many years. After returning to Israel, he became king, and as a result, he became their enemy.

The Philistines came to attack David, but they did not know that David had God's presence. When David asked God, God told him to go and fight, and that God would surely give them into his hand. Can the Philistines defeat God? They cannot. Whether doing business, or building a church, never lose God's presence. As a result, David greatly defeated the Philistines.

And David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. And he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking flood.” Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim. (2 Samuel 5:20)

Did David strike that? No. David went to strike the Philistines, but in fact, the Lord God broke through the enemies before him, like a flood washing away the Philistines. Before the battle even began, the Israelites saw the Philistines being washed away like a flood. This was nothing else, this was the power of God. As a result, the Philistines left their idols there. The idols could not save them, and they did not have the strength to take them away.

And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men picked them up. (2 Samuel 5:21)

What did they do with them? They burned them as firewood, they did not take them home to worship, because that stuff was useless. Later, the Philistines came again.

And David inquired of the Lord, and he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear and come against them opposite the balsam trees. And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines. (2 Samuel 5:23-24)

If there is the sound of marching in the tops of the trees, whose footsteps are those? It is the army of God. God is going to fight for us, so the enemy will surely be defeated before us. This is beyond what people can imagine. We are fighting a spiritual battle, and God is going ahead of us to gain victory. If we can annihilate the devil in an instant, that is not the credit of you and me, it is because we value God's presence. What a wonderful revelation! God fought for David, and it has become an example for us to follow.

If there is the sound of marching in the tops of the trees, that is God sending angels and heavenly hosts to fight for us, but if we say in our hearts: anyway, God has already gone, so let's not go. To think that would be bad, that would be wrong! Because we are co-workers with God. God has sent troops, and we follow behind, this is called working with God. Don't ever think that God has already done it, so we don't need to do it, then you are wrong.

And David did as the Lord commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer. (2 Samuel 5:25)

David's Family Prospers

This chapter also mentions that David had many sons, and his family was very prosperous. I don't know if I should praise David, I don't quite understand it here.

And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David. These are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet. (2 Samuel 5:14-16)

David had many children. If you envy this, I also wish you grow stronger day by day. Did David lose God's presence because he had so many concubines? No. Why? Because God really did not care about this matter. Is this God's intention? Later, when Solomon was born, God even established Solomon to succeed David as king. And Solomon was the child of Bathsheba, and Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah the Hittite. This is too difficult for us to understand. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? If spiritual children and daughters are prosperous, it is really a good thing.

We need to know what God values and what He does not value. When David did that ugly thing and killed Uriah, the prophet Nathan came to see David. God said: I have given you everything I should give you. You have taken so many concubines, and I did not care. If you had taken a fancy to Uriah's wife, you could have told me, and I would have helped you solve the problem! Why did you have to do this kind of thing to shame God's name? Why did you have to kill Uriah? This is troublesome. As a result, David did not do this according to God's will.

In fact, God really does not care whether David has one more or one less concubine, but we must never do sneaky things or shed blood, because that is quite corrupt. Later, God cursed David, and the sword would not depart from his house. Don't think that there are no consequences after committing a sin. Once a person sins, they will definitely bear the consequences. David's prosperity in Jerusalem was also an aspect of growing stronger day by day. If David was not growing stronger day by day, where would he have the time to have so many children? Many couples are exhausted just raising one child.

Summary

David accumulated for so many years and finally lived a life of growing stronger day by day. I also hope that this day will come upon us. I have a clear feeling in my spirit that this season is coming. In the past few years, it has not been easy for us to persevere, but Chinese Mingding Destiny will influence the entire generation. This generation lacks pastoral churches too much. If someone is willing to build a pastoral church, we are willing to share all our gains without reservation, hoping that God's will can be accomplished.

The days of growing stronger day by day are coming soon. I hope that our brothers and sisters can see the needs of this generation and train themselves up. If you are narrow-minded, expand your borders; if your mind is not enough, start learning to become wise and desire to be used by God. In this generation, the spiritual world is full of opportunities.

God has given you and me such an opportunity, and we must seize this opportunity and shape ourselves into a person who is after God's heart and who shepherds God's people. Don't spend all day fighting with the people being pastored, and don't fight with your students either. If something is wrong, there must be something wrong inside us. The most important thing is to adjust ourselves.

May God bless everyone!