The God of All
Verses:1 Chronicles 18:13-14
“And he put garrisons in Edom; and all the Edomites became servants to David. And Jehovah gave victory to David whithersoever he went. And David reigned over all Israel; and he executed justice and righteousness unto all his people.”
When we read these words, a deep discomfort can arise in the heart that seeks the true God. The scripture states plainly that Jehovah gave David victory wherever he went, that David established garrisons in Edom and made the Edomites his servants. For the objective reader, this presents a profound challenge. Is this the same God who created all people? Did God truly take sides in human conflicts, helping one nation to subjugate another? To accept this without questioning is to risk making God appear small, a tribal deity who plays favorites among His children. This is where we must approach interpretation with honesty and courage, setting aside our preconceptions to seek the greater truth.
The text presents David's military campaigns as acts of divine favor. We might try to justify these actions by imagining that these conquered peoples were wicked, yet the scripture itself offers no such moral justification here. It simply records the victories as triumphs. This creates a tension for the sincere seeker of truth. We feel pressured to defend every action described in scripture or risk being labeled unfaithful. But true faithfulness requires us to think deeply, to question, and to hold these accounts against the broader understanding of God's universal nature. The writers of Chronicles were recording their history from their particular viewpoint, in a time when every nation believed its god fought for them alone. They were on a journey of understanding God, and their writings reflect their perspective at that stage of the journey.
Here lies the crucial point: thinking of God as truly being for all people is in itself a healing truth. When we interpret God as belonging exclusively to one group, we damage both our understanding of God and our relationship with our fellow human beings. If we see God as taking sides, we inevitably justify taking sides ourselves. But if we hold to the truth that God is God of all—that the same Creator breathes life into every person, that the same divine presence fills all lands—then our perspective transforms. This truth heals our divisions and corrects our limited vision. It prevents us from using God's name to justify domination over others. It reminds us that the justice and righteousness David executed for his people must be the same justice and righteousness God desires for all people.
This is not about dismissing scripture but about reading it with wisdom. It is about recognizing that our understanding of God must be consistent with God's fundamental nature as the Creator of all. The healing comes when we realize that God cannot be against some of His own children. This perspective does not weaken faith but strengthens it, grounding it in a God whose care is truly universal, whose love encompasses all humanity without partiality. To know that God is for all is to find healing for our own divided hearts and for the conflicts that separate us from one another.
Prayer:
O God, Creator of all peoples and all lands, give me the honesty to read your scriptures with an objective heart. When I encounter passages that trouble my spirit, grant me wisdom to seek your true nature. Help me to understand that you are God of all, not just of some. Heal my mind from any thought that you take sides among your children. Let this truth settle deeply in my spirit: that you are for all people, and in this truth, may I find healing for my own divisions and a greater love for all your creation. Amen.