March 20 - II Samuel 21-24
This passage shows us several things about David and several truths for us to apply in our lives each day. Here we are reminded that David was not a person who rebelled against God. He wanted to do God's will. When he sinned, it was because he fell into sin because of weakness or lack of focus. He did not set out to disobey God, but sometimes he did. For the majority of his life he was faithful to God. He wrote many songs like the one here expressing his faith. He led others to trust God. He was a good and just king. I hope you can say the same thing about yourself. I pray that it is your aim to please God all of the time. I pray that you are not acting in rebellion in any area of your life knowingly. When David learned of his sin, he would repent of it and make it right. That is how we should be.
With the Gibeonite situation and the census we see the need for atonement for sins. In these instances and others like them there is a need to do more than just confess a sin and repent of it. There needs to be some restitution before the situation is resolved. The famine was caused by the sin of Saul, so David did what was necessary to remove the effects of that sin, and God honored his actions. In the case of the census it was David's sin that brought the plague, so he offered the sacrifice to atone for it. This is how it is with many sins, we must listen to what God tells us and do it, so that the sin can be fully resolved. It is like a person who robs a bank. The person is caught. What should be done? Should he just say, " I'm sorry, and I won't do that again? No, he should give the money back, and pay a penalty by spending time in prison. Then, the sin is fully atoned.
The passage naming the mighty men is very insightful. David did not defeat the enemies by himself. He was not the only one fighting the giants. He had a group of loyal, brave men standing with him. It is the same for us today. Don't think that you can live the Christian life by yourself. You need faithful brothers and sisters to surround you and help you. That is why God gave us the church. Each local unit of the church is to be a faithful family to care for each other and help each other grow. We all need our own group of mighty men, even if we are not a king.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Kings 1-3.
With the Gibeonite situation and the census we see the need for atonement for sins. In these instances and others like them there is a need to do more than just confess a sin and repent of it. There needs to be some restitution before the situation is resolved. The famine was caused by the sin of Saul, so David did what was necessary to remove the effects of that sin, and God honored his actions. In the case of the census it was David's sin that brought the plague, so he offered the sacrifice to atone for it. This is how it is with many sins, we must listen to what God tells us and do it, so that the sin can be fully resolved. It is like a person who robs a bank. The person is caught. What should be done? Should he just say, " I'm sorry, and I won't do that again? No, he should give the money back, and pay a penalty by spending time in prison. Then, the sin is fully atoned.
The passage naming the mighty men is very insightful. David did not defeat the enemies by himself. He was not the only one fighting the giants. He had a group of loyal, brave men standing with him. It is the same for us today. Don't think that you can live the Christian life by yourself. You need faithful brothers and sisters to surround you and help you. That is why God gave us the church. Each local unit of the church is to be a faithful family to care for each other and help each other grow. We all need our own group of mighty men, even if we are not a king.
Tomorrow, I intend to read I Kings 1-3.