The Blessings of Good Government

478 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 8:15 So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people. 16 Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; 17 Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; Seraiah was the scribe; 18 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief ministers. (2 Sam 8:15-18) David, with the help of the Lord has secured Israel's borders, and now we read of how he has secured the day to day operation of his government. Under his leadership all judgments (governmental decisions) were carried out in a just manner. There was no partiality. In this sense we see once again that David serves as a type of Christ who makes war against the enemies of God and judges perfectly. “and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. (Rev 19:11) Then we read of how David delegated responsibilities n governing the people. We could call this his cabinet. Joab was made the Secretary of War, Jehoshaphat was the record keeper. (By the way, it's always a good idea to keep meticulous records in any administrative position. Whether you own your own business, or just keeping track of your family finances, good record-keeping can prevent a lot of problems down the road.) Zadok and Ahimelech were in charge of the priests, who basically performed religious duties designed to maintain and nurture Israel's relationship with God. Seraiah (sair A ah) was the chief scribe and the scribes duties were to study and interpret the Word of God, for the purpose of day to day application. Benaiah (Ben A ah) was in charge of David's personal bodyguards or what we would call the Secret Service, and finally David's sons carried out the duties of princes. Secure borders, secure system of government, what a gift from God! God thank You for the gift of secure borders and good civil government. Continue to guard our borders, bless our government when it is good and correct it when it is bad. In Jesus name, Amen.