May 23, 2006 - I Chronicles 19-21 and John 8:1-27
As believers, we must stay close to the Lord and stay in His will, or we will fall into sin. Even when we are winning great spiritual victories, we are still liable to fall into sin, if we let our guard down for even a short time. These passages speak to us about falling into sin, and they also show us God's mercy in these circumstances. I pray that all of us will be led to repentance through reading these passages today.
In chapters 19 and 20 we read about David's great victories, because God was blessing him. His loyal mighty men defeated Ammon and Syria, when the king of Ammon hired some soldiers to fight for him. There is no comparison between faithful soldiers and hired mercenaries. The Bible compares Satan to a hired servant and Jesus to a faithful shepherd. I pray that our hearts are loyal to the Lord for the right reasons. Then, David's men defeated the Syrian army and a group of giants. It must have been a glorious time for David and Israel. David was on top of the world.
However, in chapter 21 we read about David being motivated by selfish pride to number the fighting men. (v.1-2) This is what he wanted, not what God wanted. This happened after he stayed home from battle, which was a sign that he was slipping into the flesh. (20:1) God was very angry at David for giving into pride. He gave him a choice of three punishments. David chose to subject himself and the people to the hand of God, instead of another punishment, because David knew the mercy of God. Still, 70,000 men died because of David's pride. (v.14) However, when David realized his sin, he repented in sackcloth and began to obey the Lord again. He went to sacrifice to the Lord, just as God directed him. (v.18) God did have mercy on David and Israel, when He saw David's heart of repentance. God will do the same for us today.
In John 8 we read about the woman caught in adultery and how the Jewish leaders used her to test Jesus. It was obviously a set up, because they did not bring the man. Jesus saw their sinful hearts, and He saw a heart of repentance in the woman. He had mercy on her, telling her to go and sin no more. There was no stoning that day, because of His mercy. However, Jesus pronounced judgment on the Jewish leaders, because they would not believe. (v.24) There was no mercy for them, because of their unbelief. Sometimes, the Lord can't act in mercy and still be just. Therefore, we must not presume upon His mercy. We must humbly submit to Him in repentance when we fall into sin, praying for His mercy as David did. We must not try to demand His mercy from a defiant heart, because He will never grant mercy in those circumstances.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Chronicles 22-24 and John 8:28-59.
In chapters 19 and 20 we read about David's great victories, because God was blessing him. His loyal mighty men defeated Ammon and Syria, when the king of Ammon hired some soldiers to fight for him. There is no comparison between faithful soldiers and hired mercenaries. The Bible compares Satan to a hired servant and Jesus to a faithful shepherd. I pray that our hearts are loyal to the Lord for the right reasons. Then, David's men defeated the Syrian army and a group of giants. It must have been a glorious time for David and Israel. David was on top of the world.
However, in chapter 21 we read about David being motivated by selfish pride to number the fighting men. (v.1-2) This is what he wanted, not what God wanted. This happened after he stayed home from battle, which was a sign that he was slipping into the flesh. (20:1) God was very angry at David for giving into pride. He gave him a choice of three punishments. David chose to subject himself and the people to the hand of God, instead of another punishment, because David knew the mercy of God. Still, 70,000 men died because of David's pride. (v.14) However, when David realized his sin, he repented in sackcloth and began to obey the Lord again. He went to sacrifice to the Lord, just as God directed him. (v.18) God did have mercy on David and Israel, when He saw David's heart of repentance. God will do the same for us today.
In John 8 we read about the woman caught in adultery and how the Jewish leaders used her to test Jesus. It was obviously a set up, because they did not bring the man. Jesus saw their sinful hearts, and He saw a heart of repentance in the woman. He had mercy on her, telling her to go and sin no more. There was no stoning that day, because of His mercy. However, Jesus pronounced judgment on the Jewish leaders, because they would not believe. (v.24) There was no mercy for them, because of their unbelief. Sometimes, the Lord can't act in mercy and still be just. Therefore, we must not presume upon His mercy. We must humbly submit to Him in repentance when we fall into sin, praying for His mercy as David did. We must not try to demand His mercy from a defiant heart, because He will never grant mercy in those circumstances.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Chronicles 22-24 and John 8:28-59.