Tag Archives: Judgment

Day 143: Give me Jesus

1 Kings 12-13; John 6:1-21

Today we read of the division of Israel. No longer will the nation be unified, but Israel rejects King Solomon’s son Rehoboam and Judah becomes a separate nation. The line of David stands alone with his own kinsmen.

There is a stark contrast between the kings described in 1 Kings – and The King depicted in John…

First we read of Rehoboam, Son of Solomon and King of Judah, threatening “a heavier yoke” and “discipline of scorpions” to the people. Whereas we see Jesus being followed by large numbers because of his kindness to the sick. Jesus doesn’t “lord over” the crowds with cruelty, rather He feeds them, generously, and blesses them.

We also see Rehoboam, King of the one tribe of Judah, fail to force his rule over all of Israel – whereas Jesus has to withdraw from the crowds because he perceived “that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king” (John 6:15).

Then there is Jeroboam, King of Israel, who created his own religion to further separate Israel from Judah. God sends a prophet to destroy his new altars as a sign of His Power. Jesus… walks on water and shows his power over creation as he calms the storm in John 6:16-21.

Who are these kings? Besides having names that rhyme, they are power-hungry fools. They are the very antithesis of Jesus – and their arrogant cruelty brings the judgment of God on the people. My response to reading about these kings is… “Give me Jesus.” -Fernando Ortega

In the morning, when I rise… give me Jesus.
You can have all this world. Give me Jesus.

And when I am alone…give me Jesus.
You can have all this world. Give me Jesus.

And when I come to die…give me Jesus.
You can have all this world. Give me Jesus. -Fernando Ortega

Day 120: Our only hope

2 Samuel 17-18; Psalm 63

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you (Psalm 63:1)

There are times in life when it is so hard and the pain is so overwhelming, that God is the only sure hope in your life. When David wrote Psalm 63, he needed relief from the relentlessness of his circumstances. Many scholars believe he wrote this Psalm in the midst of fleeing from Absalom. Whether or not this is the case, Psalm 63 depicts a desperateness that would have characterized David during this time in his life.

These chapters in 2 Samuel illustrate God’s gracious provision for David. David was so broken that he truly did not have the means to help himself. God provided a spy network of faithful allies to warn David of Absalom’s plans. And God strengthened David’s army’s resolve to protect him from being killed in battle. Even Joab, David’s commander, understood better than David, the threat that Absalom posed and killed Absalom in spite of David’s fatherly wishes.

Do you see David’s complete brokenness? I sense that he knows that his sin has caused all of this turmoil – and the weight of the burden has become too much. David’s grief at the end of Chapter 18 is magnified by the unresolved nature of his relationship with Absalom. David had no chance to make things right with his son. The regret is all-consuming.

Even in such dark and difficult circumstances, we have a hope to which we can cling. David knew this Hope and I believe this Hope carried him through his darkest nights.

…when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me (Psalm 63:6-8).

Day 119: No escape

2 Samuel 15-16; Psalm 3

Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” (2 Samuel 12:9-12)

David has become a broken man. He is broken by his own sin and the turmoil of his family. He is broken by the treachery of his son, Absalom. His brokenness has made him tired, and he doesn’t fight against his circumstances but accepts them from God’s hand.

I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around (Psalm 3:5-6).

At the end of today’s reading, we see Nathan’s prophesy fulfilled as Absalom sets up a tent on the roof of David’s house and sleeps with David’s concubines. You never know… it might have been the same roof from which David saw Bathsheba and lusted in his heart…

What do we learn from these chapters?

In spite of our sin, God is gracious. God does not take the kingship away from David and continues to work on his behalf. And as I mentioned yesterday – God even chooses Solomon, the son of Bathsheba, to succeed David as King.

But. David can not escape from the consequences of his sin. These consequences are severe and it is hard to read about the mighty David being so defeated by the far-reaching effects of his sin.

Sin is serious. Deadly serious, in fact. We need to be rescued from its grasp. We need Jesus.

Day 118: The odious heart

2 Samuel 13-14; Luke 20:1-26

We are seeing Nathan’s prophesy of division within David’s house unfold in today’s reading from 2nd Samuel. What strikes me as most odious from these chapters is not the incest, rape and murder… And those things are odious! But it is David’s gross lack of judgment.

  • A wise father should have known better than to send Tamar to her half-brother’s house.
  • A just leader should have punished the eldest son’s crimes of rape and incest instead of showing favoritism by doing nothing.
  • And the King of Israel should have either executed or pardoned Absalom for murder. David’s half-hearted treatment of Absalom allows the ugliness to fester… as we’ll see in tomorrow’s reading.

David’s spiritual apathy is disheartening. Especially considering how closely he walked with God in his wilderness days. This description of David’s family combined with Jesus’ teaching from Luke 20… well, they remind me that the human heart is desperate and needs rescuing  Whether we are actively rebellious or just apathetically indifferent toward God – both are despicable. And both require a Savior. Jesus has opened the door to mercy – but only the penitent may enter.

O God, help me to be humbly reliant upon your grace – and show mercy to this sinful heart.

Day 109: The righteous will prosper…eventually!

1 Samuel 22:6-23; Psalm 52; Luke 16

As David is scrounging to survive in caves, Saul and the wretched Doeg are prospering in the king’s palace. The unfairness to David is infuriating.

But God is good. He is sovereign and has a plan for David’s life on earth, so that David might prosper for eternity in heaven. Hardship, suffering and pain in this life are tools the Father uses to shape us. We should count it a privilege to suffer for his sake – especially if God works through the pain to mold us more into his righteousness.

Lazarus’ story in Luke 16 should be an encouragement to the suffering on earth. Lazarus was a poor beggar who longed for even a scrap from the rich man’s table – but in death, their roles were reversed. The rich man was in eternal torment, and Lazarus was feasting at the side of Abraham.

David understands that God will make all things right in the end. Even as he mourns the death of Ahimelech and his priests, he knows that Doeg and Saul will ultimately have to answer to God for their actions…

But God will break you down forever;
he will snatch and tear you from your tent;
he will uproot you from the land of the living.

The righteous shall see and fear,
and shall laugh at him, saying,
“See the man who would not make
God his refuge,
but trusted in the abundance of his riches
and sought refuge in his own destruction!”

But I am like a green olive tree
in the house of God.
I trust in the steadfast love of God
forever and ever.
I will wait for your name, for it is good,
in the presence of the godly (Psalm 52:5-9).

How can David write that he is “like a green olive tree” when he is starving and homeless? His faith in his God gives him an eternal perspective – and this truth sustains him through the suffering. We must cling to God’s word during suffering. His truth will see us through!

Day 101: God’s divisive presence

1 Samuel 4:1-7:2; Luke 12:35-59

We read today of Israel’s great defeat by the Philistines – not just once, but twice! After Israel’s first defeat, they bring the ark of the covenant from Shiloh as a desperate measure to aid them on the battle field. But God was not with them, and the ark was captured. When Eli, the priest, heard that the ark had been captured by the Philistines, he fell over and died. Eli seemed more grieved by the loss of the ark than the death of his two sons in the battle.

But something interesting happened after the ark was captured… The ark – symbolizing the presence of God – brought great calamity upon the Philistines. So much so, that the Philistines kept moving the ark from city to city trying to get rid of it – and ultimately sent the ark back to Israel!

This is a vivid picture of an important biblical principle. God’s presence can bring comfort and protection to the believer, but is the terror of judgment to the non-believer.

This is also evident from Jesus’ teaching in today’s passage from Luke… Jesus speaks of his future return to the earth. These end-time parables seem to divide people into the “faithful” and the “unfaithful.”

Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division (Luke 12:51).

For those outside the Kingdom, to be in God’s presence will be sheer terror – as there will be no Sacrifice to shield them from His wrath. But for God’s children, the Sacrifice makes it possible for us to draw near to the balm of His Presence and find peace and rest!

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me (Psalm 23:4).