9/29/2010 1:00:46 PM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My
Worship Time Focus: From hatred to murder
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: 2Samuel 13:23-36
Message of the verses: “23
Now it came about after two full years that Absalom had sheepshearers in
Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons.
24 Absalom came to the king and said,
"Behold now, your servant has sheepshearers; please let the king and his
servants go with your servant." 25
But the king said to Absalom, "No, my son, we should not all go,
for we will be burdensome to you." Although he urged him, he would not go,
but blessed him. 26 Then Absalom said,
"If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us." And the king said
to him, "Why should he go with you?" 27 But when Absalom urged him, he let Amnon and
all the king’s sons go with him. 28
Absalom commanded his servants, saying, "See now, when Amnon’s
heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ’Strike Amnon,’ then put him
to death. Do not fear; have not I myself commanded you? Be courageous and be
valiant." 29 The servants of
Absalom did to Amnon just as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons
arose and each mounted his mule and fled.
“30 ¶ Now it was while they were
on the way that the report came to David, saying, "Absalom has struck down
all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left." 31 Then the king arose, tore his clothes and lay
on the ground; and all his servants were standing by with clothes torn. 32 Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother,
responded, "Do not let my lord suppose they have put to death all the
young men, the king’s sons, for Amnon alone is dead; because by the intent of
Absalom this has been determined since the day that he violated his sister
Tamar. 33 "Now therefore, do not
let my lord the king take the report to heart, namely, ’all the king’s sons are
dead,’ for only Amnon is dead." 34
Now Absalom had fled. And the young man who was the watchman raised his
eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him
by the side of the mountain. 35 Jonadab
said to the king, "Behold, the king’s sons have come; according to your
servant’s word, so it happened." 36
As soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king’s sons came and
lifted their voices and wept; and also the king and all his servants wept very
bitterly.”
The
downfall of David’s kingdom is taking another step down in this section and it
kind of follows the same pattern of David’s sin with Uriah for just as David
had someone else kill Uriah, so Absalom would use someone else to kill Amnon.
Now
let’s look at revenge and how it is wrong for a Christian to take revenge, for
Paul writes that vengeance is mine says the Lord. Dr. Wiersbe give a quotation from Francis
Bacon “In taking revenge a man is but even with his enemy, but in passing it
over, he is superior.” These are good
words for they follow the model of Jesus Christ at His trial and crucifixion
yet He refused to retaliate. Dr. Wiersbe
goes on to say, “The Christian way is the way of forgiveness and faith,
trusting the Lord to work everything out for our good and His glory.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: Trusting the Lord in difficult situations
is just plain difficult. Seeing someone
take advantage of you and not retaliating is not always the easiest thing to
do, but it is the right thing to do.
Losing so much money right after retirement was a huge blow to me, but I
realize the things that I did wrong, trusted the Lord to show me any other
things that I did wrong so that I could confess it to the Lord, and then trust
the Lord to make things right or if He chose not to make things right to keep
His promises to never leave me nor forsake me, and to work this out for my good
and for His glory.
David
was a man who handled this situation in a godly way, which is far from the way
that Saul would have handled it.
My
Steps of Faith for Today:
1. Trust
the Lord with all of my heart and not to lean on my own understanding, in all
my ways acknowledge Him and He will direct my path.
2. Give
myself to the Lord for worship and service.
9/29/2010 1:28:57 PM
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