Living in the Past


2 Samuel 20:1
“And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.”

The war with Absalom was over, and those who were going to be disloyal to David had a prime opportunity to sow their discord because Israel was divided. The verse above says that Sheba blew the trumpet in Israel and said, “We have no part in David…” This is interesting because Sheba was of the tribe of Benjamin. It is interesting to note that Saul was also of this tribe. What happened was Sheba never accepted David as his king. He refused to move on from the past, and it was at this moment that he saw an opportunity to bring the past alive. Sadly, he was only hurting himself and those who followed him because the past could no longer be revived. His refusal to live in the present kept him from enjoying the reign of the greatest king in Israel’s history.

Many people have made the same mistake that Sheba made in that they want to live in the past because of the fond memories or loyalties they had to someone. What they don't understand is that living in the past is living in a make-believe world. The past is a memory that you cannot make a current reality. Certainly, you can learn from the past, but you cannot make the past come alive.

Living in the past is truly a refusal of God’s will for the present. It was God’s will for David to be king, but Sheba refused to accept God’s present will because of his loyalty to Saul. He so badly wanted to have Saul’s family rule that he refused God’s will. You can refuse God’s will for your life in the present because of your fond memories for the past, but you are only hurting yourself and rebelling against God’s will. God’s will is never in the past. His will is always in the present. When you refuse to live in the present, you are refusing to accept God’s will.

Moreover, living in the past cheats today of its opportunities. I have watched so many Christians try to keep past leaders alive that they refuse to accept what God is doing in the lives of Christian leaders today. I do believe you should honor those whom God used in the past and remind people what God did through their lives, but God is still doing a work today. There are so many opportunities you are missing today when you choose to live in the past. God wants to do things today! God wants you to invest in the lives of those who are alive today. Stop cheating today’s opportunities because you refuse to leave the past.

Furthermore, living in the past robs tomorrow’s treasures. Do you realize that your refusal to move on from the past is taking away from God’s rewards for tomorrow? There are people whom you could invest in today if you would move on from the past. The future leaders of tomorrow will never be trained as long as you live in the past.

Friend, the past may have good memories, but you can't live there. Take the memories and lessons from the past and use them as you live in God’s will today so that you can invest in tomorrow’s treasures. Let the past be your teacher, but don't let it be your dwelling place.