If there has been one person in all of history who should have a clear understanding of the value of a wife, it would have to have been Solomon—after all, he famously had hundreds of them!

Although it’s frankly a little hard to imagine him sustaining a genuine intimacy with one woman over many years, this proverb indicates that he must somehow have learned a thing or two about real relationship.

I recall being hurt by a “brother.” He claimed to believe, live and love the same God as I did and yet he hurt me. And the hurt he caused me was real and unjustified!

I can remember thinking, “One day he will pay for how he hurt me. God, either I or both of us will be able to make him pay! And when he does, I hope they won’t ask me to ever pay him tribute!”

And now what? David was in a difficult position. He knew that Samuel had anointed him to be king, and that Samuel was acting from God. Saul may be dead, but he had many supporters who were still living. How was this supposed to work out?

David was careful.

Have you ever tried to resist what you clearly knew was God’s plan? What were the results? Frustration? Loss? Disappointment? Confusion? All of these and more?

In this text, we read of the final resolution of the leaders of Israel to accept God’s directive to have David serve as king of his chosen people. But reaching this resolution took years and cost plenty.

Having captured Zion, David resolved to make it God’s city, and to establish there the chest containing the holy things that the Philistines had captured. He recognized the ark as a symbol of God’s throne, and bringing it to Jerusalem was a sign that he recognized God as the real king of the Israelites. The death of Uzzah seems strange to us, but David had failed to obey the stipulations for moving the holy things (Numbers 4:4–6, 15, 17–20). God took these actions of David with the utmost seriousness.

One of my weekly joys is helping a group of youth at our church prepare for their “rotation” as music worship leaders each month. Each week we meet to choose and rehearse songs that we believe will be meaningful and serve as a means to lead people into a deeper and closer relationship with Jesus.

The talent of my group eclipses my own – by several degrees – and I am sure the members of the congregation recognize and appreciate that.

Although he was a king, David was no stranger to trouble. From the time he defeated the giant Goliath as a young man, his list of enemies grew. Many had it in mind to destroy David, to force their own ill-gotten agendas into play. He was a man after God’s own heart, but many were after his life.

The first words of this Psalm invoke an image of David on his face before God, begging him to pay attention, to hear his desperate pleas