April 20, 2006 - II Samuel 9-11 and Luke 15:11-32
David was a very sincere person, who truly loved God and wanted to do the right thing. However, he was not immune to sin. We are all susceptible to sin at any time, no matter how good of a person we are. We must hate sin and realize the terrible consequences of falling into sin. Then, we must take steps to stay away from sin with God's help.
David was an unselfish, kind person. He wanted to show his kindness to someone from Saul's family. This was to show again that he did not hate Saul or remove him from the throne. It was God who removed him. Therefore, David found Jonathan's lame son, Mephibosheth, and brought him to eat at his table with his sons, and he restored Saul's family land to him. This was a great gesture of covenant faithfulness. It showed David's big heart.
Then, in chapter 10 David sent messengers to comfort the new king of Ammon, since his father had died. His father had showed kindness to David, so he was showing his respect for him. However, the new king treated David's men badly, so David had to defeat them in a fierce battle. Joab and the army of Israel just wanted to do God's will. (v.12) In this case David got in trouble for being kind. It shows he was trying to do the right thing.
However, chapter 11 records David's fall into terrible sin. How could this happen to such a good person? There were several factors. He should have been at war, but he stayed home. (v.1) His mind was idle, and when he couldn't sleep, he was looking for something to do. He saw a beautiful woman bathing on the next roof top. He should have turned away, but he kept looking. His lust led him to take her, and she conceived a child. This led to killing her husband to cover up the first sins. David killed a loyal soldier. He tired to get Uzziah to compromise his beliefs by getting him drunk. Then, he used his bravery to have him killed. What a horrible set of sins from a good man. We can all see how one thing leads to another, if we are not following close to the Lord every day. This could happen to any of us at any time, so we must love the Lord and walk with him day by day and hour by hour.
Luke 15 concludes the section on God's heart for the lost sheep by telling about the prodigal son. This shows God' love for us in a dramatic way. The father waited for the son to repent, and then, he ran to him and lavished his love upon him. The other brother was bitter, because he did not understand the forgiveness and love of the father. Which category are you in? Do you long to see the lost come to know the Lord and to rejoice over them with God, or are you selfishly wondering why you don't get more blessings because of your faithfulness. God has been good to all of us. We must not be self-centered, but we must reach out to those who need God's love and forgiveness. Let's ask Jesus to give us His heart for the prodigal sons around us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 12-13 and Luke 16.
David was an unselfish, kind person. He wanted to show his kindness to someone from Saul's family. This was to show again that he did not hate Saul or remove him from the throne. It was God who removed him. Therefore, David found Jonathan's lame son, Mephibosheth, and brought him to eat at his table with his sons, and he restored Saul's family land to him. This was a great gesture of covenant faithfulness. It showed David's big heart.
Then, in chapter 10 David sent messengers to comfort the new king of Ammon, since his father had died. His father had showed kindness to David, so he was showing his respect for him. However, the new king treated David's men badly, so David had to defeat them in a fierce battle. Joab and the army of Israel just wanted to do God's will. (v.12) In this case David got in trouble for being kind. It shows he was trying to do the right thing.
However, chapter 11 records David's fall into terrible sin. How could this happen to such a good person? There were several factors. He should have been at war, but he stayed home. (v.1) His mind was idle, and when he couldn't sleep, he was looking for something to do. He saw a beautiful woman bathing on the next roof top. He should have turned away, but he kept looking. His lust led him to take her, and she conceived a child. This led to killing her husband to cover up the first sins. David killed a loyal soldier. He tired to get Uzziah to compromise his beliefs by getting him drunk. Then, he used his bravery to have him killed. What a horrible set of sins from a good man. We can all see how one thing leads to another, if we are not following close to the Lord every day. This could happen to any of us at any time, so we must love the Lord and walk with him day by day and hour by hour.
Luke 15 concludes the section on God's heart for the lost sheep by telling about the prodigal son. This shows God' love for us in a dramatic way. The father waited for the son to repent, and then, he ran to him and lavished his love upon him. The other brother was bitter, because he did not understand the forgiveness and love of the father. Which category are you in? Do you long to see the lost come to know the Lord and to rejoice over them with God, or are you selfishly wondering why you don't get more blessings because of your faithfulness. God has been good to all of us. We must not be self-centered, but we must reach out to those who need God's love and forgiveness. Let's ask Jesus to give us His heart for the prodigal sons around us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 12-13 and Luke 16.