David united the twelve tribes of Israel under his kingship, a role carved and intimately prepared by God. The succession of David was the unfolding of the divine plan of God.

Furthermore, in becoming the king of Israel, David also entered into a covenantal agreement with the tribes of Israel, binding the life and prosperity of all Israel with his own life.

The covenant requires faithfulness and devotion towards God and God's mercy and faithfulness to David. Even if David was attentive to God, he could not stand if God's favour was not with him.

God's power enables all things to be possible. David was just a shepherd and musician to Saul, his predecessor. Without kingly ambitions, David freely followed God's plan for him that was beyond his imagination.

Such favour by God demands our great fidelity to God and denial of other false gods. If we deny God his pre-eminence in our lives, salvation and hope are lost to us. In other words, evil has triumphed.

With God's unparalleled power, Jesus drives away any other opposing powers. For Jesus, the struggle between good and evil is real and essential.

We encounter this struggle in the assaults on our moral conscience, especially the traps of our unchallenged inherent biases in our complacency and comfort.