Month: May 2021

Posted on

“Retirement.”

2Samuel 23 As the sun slips over the horizon, so our last words honor people who have been faithful. David first honors God, who placed him in the position of being the ruler of his people. David remembers that he didn’t rule alone, but many stood by him through thick and thin.

David’s mighty men are listed, and some exploits are noted. One was a chief of the captains.  We are not privy to how Adino the Eznite slew eight hundred men at one time, but he heads the list. Then there were the three mighty men who helped David defeat the Philistines when everyone else fled. Agee slew the Philistines in a plot of land full of lentils, and the Lord brought about a great victory. David also honors the three men who risked their lives by stealing into Bethlehem to get a pitcher of water for David. It is fitting that as he finishes his list, he notes the husband of Bathsheba, Uriah the Hittite.

Who do you honor in your “retirement?” Take time now while it is fresh in your mind to stop and bless those who had been faithful in little or faithful in much. 

Posted on

Hard Words for Hard Decisions

Grieving

2 Sam 19 to 21 Have you ever come to a place where you must make a very hard decision but your heart hurts beyond all that you have ever faced? David found himself in that problem. He had decided to leave Jerusalem because of Absalom’s defection, but now that Absalom is dead, he needed to decide to remain where he was or return and take back his kingdom. As he sat in his borrowed house, grieving for his son, the nation was also in mourning. They needed a leader, and at this point, David was not that leader. Grief is one of those emotions that we find debilitating, or we find release. There is no middle ground. It helps a family to move forward or retreat into memories of what could have been. David was in the latter, and he needed a push to step up and make that hard decision. Joab’s words gave David that freedom to meet his nation’s needs—not just for himself. Joab’s hard words were just the medicine David needed because his emotions were leading the country astray. David’s priorities were misaligned. Joab told him if Absalom was alive and all of us were dead, he would be pleased.

Where are you today? Are you grieving the loss of someone precious? Beloved, as hard as it is, we must put aside our grief to meet the needs of those still in the land of the living. Ask God and other strong believers to help you in this difficult place.

Posted on

Are You Patient in Prayer?

Patience

Psalm 6, 26, 40, 58, 61-62 with emphasis on Psalm 62
The author says in vs one, “For God alone, I patiently wait;” which emphasizes that he is in the mode of waiting patiently, and then in vs. five, it is as if he is preaching to himself — “Patiently wait for God alone, my soul!” Did he lose that patience?

And that is our life…

We waver, which James tells us not to do. If we waver, we will never receive our answer or we may have to wait longer for an answer from the Lord. “But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a double-minded individual, unstable in all his ways.” [James 1:6-7]

How often are we impatient and we do not “rest” in Him? Perhaps that is why we face more problems than solutions! Today choose to be patient in prayer.

Posted on

Pride goeth before the fall…

2 Sam 16-18 “God is the Avenger, not us….”

2 Sam 16-18 “God is the Avenger, not us….” In Proverbs 20:11 we read: “Even a young man is known by his actions, whether his activity is pure and whether it is right,” and the contrast is also true.  Everyone knew about Absalom—it seems, except his father. David failed as a parent and did not raise him to have a godly heart. David lived by this principle: I will not touch the Lord’s anointed. But, given the opportunity, Absalom sought to shame David. He planned his demise and the takeover of his kingdom through pride, rape, and murder of his brother Amnon. A child left to himself will never find peace.

 Absalom gloated in his long hair, but in the end, it was that very prideful thing that brought him to his death. In all of this, David never cursed his wicked son nor gave anyone permission to take his life because he knew “the life of the flesh is in the blood…” [Lev 17:11] No matter what a man has done, only God has the right to take the life of a man. To do so is murder, and had he followed the advice of others, he would be like a man laden with the guilt of human blood… [Prov 28:17]

God had pronounced consequences for David’s sin, one of which was to be shamed publicly. In the end and Absalom fulfilled that prophecy. Yet, David mourned for Absalom, and we should do as well. There is no glory in the death of anyone, anywhere, anytime. Remember this truth: God is the avenger, not us.

Posted on

Trusting God!

Our prayer to God

Psalms 3-4, 12-13, 28, 55

Oh how family members become the ache in our hearts!! We have raised them the best we could, yet they stray so far from the values, beliefs, morals we taught them. When they practice folly, pride, lusts, and evil, our hearts are reminded of our own mistakes and regrets for wrong choices. Yet, though all of that can be understood as a human trait, the deepest heartache is watching your children walk away from the Lord! Thus, Absolom broke David’s heart.

How did David respond? He was crushed!!! This is when grey hairs, worry lines appear and vigor wanes. The one and only top-of-the-top desire of parents is for their children to love the Lord!!!
Pray! Pray! Pray! God is God of all but reigns individually in the open hearts of people who put their faith in Him. He is still above and over the ache in our hearts for our children, regardless of their age. Trust Him with their lives.

Author: S. Stansfield

Posted on

Mirrors reveal what the eye sees.

Mirrors reveal what the eye sees

2Sam 13 to 15 David’s grieving over his sin and the loss of the baby born to him and Bathsheba is a turning point in David’s reign as king. God forgives, but He still allows the consequences that we might learn from them and others might as well. From chapter 11 onward, God will show us several lessons regarding sin and its consequences that we may take heed lest we too fall prey to the enemy of sin. Where scripture is silent, we are not to speculate; therefore, our questions are irrelevant to why David did not discipline Amnon or Absalom. However, we can look and heed closely how God used his children’s errors of judgment to discipline David and to draw him closer to Himself. “These things happened as examples for us, so that we will not crave evil things as they did” [1Co 10:6]

This set of chapters is not given to us to speculate, but instead to teach us how David responded in times of crisis and show us how we are to respond. Our responses to life crises show us that we are either walking with God or apart from God. We are to look into the mirror of God’s Word to see our heart. We are to take that image and remold ourselves into the image of Christ. As James says, we are quick to respond and “forget” rather than heeding the warning that the mirror has revealed.  

Posted on

Are you Mule-Headed?

don't be a mule

Psalm 32 Mules are ornery stubborn animals. When we are stubborn and refuse to seek God’s forgiveness we say we are “mule-headed.” David pined away in his bed and kept busy throughout the day trying to forget his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. David in his mule-headedness, refused to seek God’s forgiveness until the prophet Nathan was sent to him. Then David confessed his sin and quit trying to cover up his wrongdoing. That is the same for us. When we refuse to yield to the Spirit’s conviction, it is as if we are like a mule. But God has not given up on us so we will repent.

Verse 5 is key: David said, I will confess my rebellious acts to the Lord, and that is what we have to do as well. The man who is blessed realizes that God has forgiven his transgression.

When we refuse to yield our sin it is nothing more than pride; it is “mule-headedness.” Is your pride keeping you from admitting your sin? Come to God now and seek His forgiveness.   

Posted on

You Can’t Go Back,

you can't go back

2Samuel 11-12, 1 Chron 20 but you can move forward

The Apostle John wrote much about the price of sin and the cost Jesus paid for our forgiveness. While John writes to help us, the accuser of the brethren, Satan, waits for us to sin, and then he begins his dastardly work. First, he watches, and then he enters God’s throne room to accuse us of what we have done. And, like King David, we are slow to learn that there is no returning to our former state of bliss once we have sinned. Just as Nathan rehearsed God’s Words in David’s hearing, we too come to realize that we “have shown contempt for the Lord’s decrees.” [2Sam 12:9] It is then that the Spirit begins his work to “convict [us] concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” [Jn 16:8] so that we might repent.

Yet, Satan will rehearse our sin because he wants us to think we are unworthy to be called a child of God. But remember this truth, Jesus was revealed to take away our sin and remove our guilt and remove the Scarlet Letter over our heart.  [1Jn 3] And just as Nathan said to David, the Spirit reminds us that “the Lord has forgiven your sin.” [2Sam 12:13]

Know this truth: God’s grace is greater than the accusations of Satan and our sin. Although we cannot go back, we can move forward and tell the accuser: I am forgiven because of God’s great mercy.  

Posted on

SHHHHHHH…

choose wisely

Psalm 64 Whether a child or an adult, we are easily hurt by another’s words, which aim at the heart. We quote this ditty when challenged: “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never harm me.” But we know that is not true. Words hurt or words edify. David knew this all too well as he notes that his enemy ‘sharpens their tongues like swords; they aim their arrows, a slanderous charge.’ 

Words either edify or tear down. Words lift, and praise or words seek to destroy. Jesus said that the things that come out of the mouth originate in the heart. James reminds us that our tongue cannot be subdued; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it, we bless the Lord and Father, and with it, we curse people made in God’s image. Men face this problem. Perhaps that is why David challenged himself with these words: I will put a muzzle over my mouth, and again I will watch what I say for once words are said, they cannot be retrieved. But, also like David, we become impatient, wanting to speak our minds.

We would do well to memorize and apply Ephesians 4:29 “You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it would give grace to those who hear.”

Today may we choose our words wisely.

Posted on

How do you handle rejection?

How do you handle rejection?

2Samuel 10: Have you ever done something nice only not to receive a thank you but a rebuff? With a pure heart, David sent emissaries with a sympathy message at hearing the king of the Ammonites died. God sent His Son, but men have rebuffed his message of the gospel. Instead of receiving David’s message with a pure heart, the king’s son saw this as a challenge to war, whereas David had only meant peace and friendship.

There is a story in the NT about a vineyard that belonged to a king, a.k.a. God. God sent emissaries, but none were accepted. Instead, they sought to murder each representative He sent. Lastly, He sent his Son, and they killed him. These two stories are similar in many ways. God sent His Son to the vineyard, but his Son was humiliated. David sent sympathy gifts but the Ammonites rejected his overture. God sent His Son but He was rejected and ultimately crucified.

David had been more than patient with the Ammonites for what they had done earlier at Jabesh Gilead. He chose to retaliate then. God has been more than patient with his children, but there will come a time when He will act like David and retaliate.

What would we choose to do; be as David or patient as God?

Optimized by Optimole