Mothering is an art form, when done well, nurtures to the core of life with an intimacy of grace, presence and ability to trust. Where there’s a loss, trauma or a lack of mothering, wounding can arise from neglect, abuse, or abandonment. Formed into negative patterns along life’s pathway, pathways of compromise, complacency, consumption set in reproducing results that cripple. This was the case in II Samuel 8:1 until ‘the course of time’ was upon them.
“In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the control of the Philistines.”
The meaning of the word, Metheg Ammah is the ‘bridle of the mother city’. In this case, Gath, a city including its surrounding villages. The city related to mothering in that it nurtured itself and the smaller villages around – there were shared values, to include a distain and hatred towards Israel as a common enemy. An allegiance to maintain nurture and comfort in the region required the Philistines hold fast to a focus of control in opposition to the ways of God’s people, Israel, and the One True God.
Put in our language, “You stick with us, and everything will be ‘ok’.” Well, that wasn’t a healthy mothering approach, and God was about to teach and release this region to its intended design through David and his men.
This passage shows us of David’s victory, not only in defeat of the Philistines but to subdue them. Subdue is an interesting maneuver, brought about slowly or quickly, it transforms something into a new place or condition. Was there battle?
The verse doesn’t say but, we know that there was a removal of abusive control from off the region. This ‘subduing’, a term used here as a type of warfare, effectively disentangled the enemy’s ability to leverage an opposition toward Israel.
Removing the bridle (that which communicates between a rider and his horse) meant David would have had to have come very close to the enemy, so as to take the ‘bit’ out of the mouth and remove the bridle off the people and the land. Without a conclusive direction, the Philistines could no longer maximize on a determined a clear directive and evil their intent against Israel was dissolved.
Within our lives, there are times where life’s circumstances seem to mount up in opposition to framework of our rights, responsibilities, duties, obligations in given relationships. This conflict can feel contrary to our birthright and God-given design (God’s promise of purpose), we ofttimes use as our focus.
Like a bridle of a horse, the situation seems to in charge and steering our direction. Where is our internal rage within to stop this ‘off course’ direction and remove the ‘bit’ we have agreed with as our only hope!
Listening to that voice of God speaking to you within. Ask the hard questions and get tenacious with your inner man. Get curious about your emotions, rage, anger, chaos or confusion.
Listen closely and get compassion for what God says about His methods of nurture for this season. Evaluate the bridle bit clenched between your teeth. Its time to take the ribbons off these hard times of transition.
Thresholds are hard, very hard, and ‘sugar coating it’ only takes us further away from our true original design. Yes, God is with us but leading us through the valley to ‘subdue’ something can bring us closer to His design in us. Learn to lean in and let God's ways enlarge you.
Lord,
The course of time is upon us and ask the blessing of Your presence that opens our ears to listen and hear how our human spirit has so long been crying out to be heard. Show us what defeats have pulled us off-course and serve a brutal blow to our cult of comfort and unwillingness to embrace the reality of our condition. Give us insight into where we have made agreement with the residue of abuse.
We welcome Your mothering intimacy to cut us free from unholy and unhealthy restraint. Bring an increase of illuminating light to shine clearly and help me see more than ever before. Enlarge our vision of the options around us, and open doors to our true alliance and bloodline inheritance. Slather our hearts with Your eternal principle of sowing and reaping into our ‘timeline’ now. The element of time has been created by You, our Creator God. Bring more elasticity to our perspective, just as King David focused on the circumstance set before him. Help the enemy’s strategy and Your solution – change my eyesight and help us relate to Your ways of bringing an intervention.
David saw what belonged and what did not. Israel belongs to You and so do we, Your sons and daughters belonging and carrying a sovereign place in our hearts a deep gratitude and longing to come into agreement with how vastly we belong to You, and You alone!
Shine Your light and shine it with extraordinary colors of brilliance across our being as we become indignant in a righteous way, about right things – situations, relationships, and territory over to Your ownership. Open our eyes to potential and return our souls to the sovereign source for right timing, with the right assets and motivations and a singleness of heart. Teach us to trust Your multi-variegated light of Your nature and reveal any abuse we still hold fast too.
Discover any access points within and around us, just as with David and the Philistines, crush the residue of external misalignment – even that within our own ranks. Bring the ungodly bridle to a gridding halt. Center our spirit, soul, and body with a clear direction forward with You.
Restore boundaries, set relationships in rightful order, cut us free to find our true victory in the middle of unholy control and remove the enemy’s access to direct away from Your divine purpose. No more selective responsibilities and agreements with passive abuse, turn our hearts toward Your mother love for us which nurtures and ushers in deep and thirst-quenching restoration.
Have Your elegant way dearest King of King, our birthright is at hand to possess.
AMEN
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