Category: Devotional

Jesus Pointing to David Pointing to Jesus

Every time I read Psalm 22 it blows my mind. This is the one that was quoted by Jesus on the cross, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Read it again and think about this: Jesus could have said *ANYTHING* as He was dying on that cross, but He chose to quote Psalm 22. Read it again and imagine it was written NOT about David, but about Jesus. Wow. This must have hit the Jews in the crowd like a ton of bricks as they looked around and saw EVERYTHING in Psalm 22 happening around them, then look at the ending! Wow. Wow. Wow.

Then remember that Psalm 22 was written 1000 years before these events took place!

Chariots, Censuses, and Sins

I love this triumphant line from David:

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
Psalm 20:7, NIV

Israel fought many foes under David and won because the Lord was with them, which was the point of what Moses recorded:

The king, moreover, must not acquire great numbers of horses for himself or make the people return to Egypt to get more of them, for the Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.”
Deuteronomy 17:16

Like I said before, the idea here was to trust in God for provision, not in oneself. This is what led to what many term “The Sin of David” (as if there was only one, lol) which we see in 2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 22, where David takes a census of his fighting men. Why, if not to prepare for some war against an adversary? This demonstrated an apparent lack of trust in God.

When we come up against foe to big to bear, we shouldn’t take stock of our assets, we should take it to our God. There’s nothing wrong with taking action and trying to do what you are able to, but not until you take it to God and ask Him to lead the way. Doing it our own way without involving God is — at best — benign, but at worst is a road that leads to sin.

They Can’t Argue Your Testimony

But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.
1 Peter 3:15, NET

This verse is as terrifying to some as it is inspiring to others. Do I have to give a whole Gospel presentation? What if I don’t have all the answers? What if it’s awkward? What if I’m seen as ‘pushy’? What if I don’t have a fully fleshed-out systematic theology and they ask about divine aseity!??!

Let’s remember that 1 Peter is about unjust suffering. That even as we suffer, we should still display the hope of Christ. So much so, in fact, that people will take notice and ask us why were are so hopeful given the circumstances. So live in a way that invites people to ask you questions! Be joyful, exuberant, and hopeful.

Then follow David’s lead. He writes:

I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
Psalm 9:1, NIV

The thankfulness leads to joy. That is actually scientifically true, as argued by Dan Baker in his book “What Happy People Know”. Baker notes that our brain physically cannot experience gratitude and anxiety simultaneously. So exercising gratitude (I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart) will lead to that contagious, curious joy that will make folks take notice. And when they ask, you can tell them what God has done in your life (I will tell of all your wonderful deeds)!

People can argue whether Jesus is God, whether He rose from the grave, whether He even lived, but they can’t argue with what He has done in your life! And when you tell them the answer for your hope, joy, and gratitude is Jesus, then they will want to know more about Him.

Yes, sharing the Gospel is awesome, but sharing what the Lord has done in your life demonstrates the fruit of the Gospel, and opens doors for church events, service invitations, and even leading someone to Jesus!

So be joyful! And be willing to tell people why you are that way! God bless, my friends.

Are Our Prayers Results-Oriented?

While going through today’s reading, one verse hit me in the face with the force of a heavyweight boxer. David is praying for his son, Solomon, who will become king. David says,

Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.
1 Chronicles 29:19, NLT

Wow! Really let this sink in. Maybe you are not guilty of this, but I know I am; when I pray to God I want to see a result. I want to see a particle thing happen. Then I can check it off in my prayer journal and be satisfied that God has answered this prayer in the affirmative and move on to the next one. But David’s prayer, so simple and moving is that Solomon would not MERELY obey and accomplish, but that he would have the WHOLEHEARTED DESIRE to do so.

Is that how we pray? Do we want God to do the work/empower us to do the work, or do we want God to help us DESIRE to do the work?

God help me DESIRE more of You. Help me WANT to do what is right. Incline my heart toward Your will and Your way. Help me to long for unity with You, help me to persevere toward that Goal all of the days of my life. Help me to hunger and thirst after your heart. Help me to feel incomplete without your direction. God have Your way in me. Help me to love myself less so that I can leave more room for Your love to share with those who do not yet know You. Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Everything I am for Your kingdom’s cause.

Thank you Jesus.

Sola Scriptura

This phrase was the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation and comes from the Latin: sola meaning “alone” and the word scriptura meaning “writings” (the Scriptures, the Holy BIble). Sola scriptura declares that Scripture alone is authoritative in the life of the Christian as it pertains to matters of faith and truth. The Bible is complete, authoritative, and true.

Today I am applying it a little differently. Usually I would expound some kind of explainer or extrapolate some application from the day’s passage, but in this case, I think I will go with Scripture alone. And just allow the text to speak directly. Be encouraged, friends!

Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you for forsake you.
1 Chronicles 28:20b

What is Casting Lots Anyway?

Just a brief explainer for today.

We see casting lots pop up 25 times in the Bible. The first is God giving directions to Aaron in Leviticus 16:7-9, the final one is the nomination of Mathias in Acts 1:26, and the most secular is the dividing of Jesus’ clothes in Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24-25, Luke 23:34, and John 19:23-24. I always sort of pictured is as drawing straws, but it was literally rolling dice, and that’s how the NET Bible translates it.

If this seems random to you, I can certainly understand why, but Solomon assures us:

The dice are thrown into the lap, but their every decision is from the Lord.
Proverbs 16:33, NET

1 Chronicles 23-25 | 123/365

(Not) Having All The Answers

I’ll just say it… 2 Samuel says that God told David to take a census (then punished him for it), whereas 1 Chronicles says that Satan led David to take a census and then God punished him for it. I find the theories online quite unsatisfying and I find it frustrating that I don’t have anything to put in the place of these theories. I was deep-diving into the Hebrew and looking at sentence structure and asking my wife what she thought of this or that observation. Then she said something wonderful in its simplicity. Sometimes we don’t have the answers. That’s not to say that the answer is un-findable (because I fully intend to find it and yeah, I will update you all when I do!), but rather that these secondary issues are not ones on which we need to get hung-up. The cross of Christ is primary and all these other items are grow, learn, discuss, and deepen our faith, but we don’t need to be afraid of not having a solution or a perfect understanding immediately.

If you ever find yourself unsure about something when reading the Bible… that’s okay. You don’t need to be afraid of it. God is still God. Jesus is still Jesus. And in time, with study and dedication these answers will come. At the very least we will be satisfied when we stand before the Lord with unveiled faces.

Be blessed tonight my friends.

2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21, 22 | 122/365

Recognition & Hope

Today’s reading featured two copies of a song David wrote. Despite all that’s gone on in David’s life to this point, he still lifts the name of God and recognizes all that the Lord has done for him and to deliver him. I made a non-exhaustive list who David says God is, and what David says God is bigger than. Perhaps you’ll find it as encouraging as I did.

God is my • Rock • Fortress • Saviour • Protection • Shield • Power • Safety • Refuge • Hearer • Support • Leader • Reward-giver • Restorer • Seer • Lamp • Light • Strength • Perfector • Trainer • Victory • Object of Praise

God is bigger than • Death • Destruction • Grave • Enemies • Deep Waters • Hate • The strong • Sin • Darkness • Armies • Walls • Battles • Mountains • My accusers • Those who wish me harm • My opponents

What else would you add to either of these lists?

2 Samuel 22; Psalm 18 | 121/365

Fickle Friends

Absalom is dead and his coup with him. David returns to Jerusalem, his victory undercut by the death of his son. God’s promise that David’s sin would lead to his family living (and dying) by the sword is coming to pass. And during his return to Jerusalem several men from all the tribes of Israel help him return to the palace. But 10 of the tribes are angry that Judah is helping. They insist that David send them away because “where were they before!?”. David rebukes them, but then a man named Sheba tries to lead ANOTHER revolt against David and everyone EXCEPT Judah joins with him! This coup, too, would be shut down, but it shows the dangers of fickle friends. What if David had sent away Judah, and relied on the loyalty of people who would so quickly turn on him?

We cannot allow ourselves to be swayed by popular opinion. We cannot allow ourselves to be held hostage by the opinions of those who would hold their friends over our heads. Listen to the council of a faithful friend, but always weigh it against the truth of Scripture. Most friends come and go and shouldn’t have a place of high influence. But you should absolutely find a Ruth, Jonathan, or Barnabas and be that in return.

Faithful (in every sense of the word) friends > Fickle Friends

2 Samuel 19:30-21:22; 1 Chronicles 20:4-8; Psalm 7

Attacking God’s Anointed

David had two opportunities to kill Saul, but refused to attack the Lord’s anointed. David’s position was that God would deal with Saul in His timing, and David didn’t need to insert himself into God’s will. And all this after being told by Samuel that he was God’s anointed and ALREADY the new king of Israel.

Absalom took… a different approach. He spent 4 years sowing division, built a monument to himself, rape the king’s harem on the roof of the palace and tried to wipe him out with a huge army of rebels. He ended up caught in a tree by his own luxurious hair, stabbed through the heart 3 times, and dumped into a pit. And all this based on a vendetta for David’s inaction dealing with his daughter (Absalom’s sister)’s rape.

Don’t attack the Lord’s anointed. It won’t end well for you. Even if things seem to be going good at first and you’ve got the majority on your side and everything is coming up Millhouse, eventually it will catch up with you. I’ll leave us off today with the wise word of Will Smith:

Throughout life people will make you mad
Disrespect you and treat you bad
But let God deal with the things they do
‘Cause hate in your heart will consume you, too
Will Smith, Just The Two Of Us

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