THE COST OF SIN...THE POWER OF GRACE

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In Christ, Mark

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In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.

One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"

Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home. The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant."

So David sent this word to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent him to David.

When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were, and how the war was going. Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah left the palace and a gift from the king was sent after him. But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master's servants and did not go down to his house.

When David was told, "Uriah did not go home," he asked him, "Haven't you just come from a distance? Why didn't you go home?"

Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents and my master Joab and my lord's men are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!"

Then David said to him, "Stay here one more day and tomorrow I will send you back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. At David's invitation, he ate and drank with him and David made him drunk. But in the evening, Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master's servants; he did not go home.

In the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die."

So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David's army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

Joab sent David a full account of the battle. He instructed the messenger: "When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, the king's anger may flare up and he may ask you, 'Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? Who killed Abimelech, son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn't a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?' If he asks you this, then say to him, 'Also, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.'"

The messenger set out and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. The messenger said to David, "The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open but we drove them back to the entrance to the city gate. Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall and some of the king's men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead."

David told the messenger, "Say this to Joab: 'Don't let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.' Say this to encourage Joab."

When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house and she became his wife and bore him a son.

But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.

The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup, and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.”

"Now a traveler came to the rich man but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him."

David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over because he did such a thing and had no pity."

Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master's house to you and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.'”

"This is what the Lord says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes, I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.'"

Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord."

Nathan replied, "The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die."

After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David and he became ill. David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground. The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them.

On the seventh day, the child died. David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead for they thought, "While the child was still living, we spoke to David but he would not listen to us. How can we tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate."

David noticed that his servants were whispering among themselves and he realized the child was dead. "Is the child dead?" he asked.

"Yes," they replied, "he is dead."

Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions, and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house and at his request they served him food, and he ate.

His servants asked him, "Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!"

He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.' But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him but he will not return to me."

Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba and he went to her and lay with her. She gave birth to a son and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved him; and because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah.

Meanwhile, Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal citadel. Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, "I have fought against Rabbah and taken its water supply. Now muster the rest of the troops and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I will take the city, and it will be named after me."

So David mustered the entire army and went to Rabbah and attacked and captured it. He took the crown from the head of their king — its weight was a talent of gold and it was set with precious stones — and it was placed on David's head. He took a great quantity of plunder from the city and brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes and he made them work at brickmaking. He did this to all the Ammonite towns.

Then David and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 11 and 12

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Up to this point in the scriptures, we have watched David ascend to the highest heights of leadership, first anointed and then led by the Lord to become king over Israel, Judah, and their surrounding territories. No one had more power and authority because no one had the Lord on their side as David did. Once a mere young shepherd boy, now David was on top of the world.

But there was one problem.

David was a sinner like any other person…and in chapter 11 of 2nd Samuel, we’re reminded that anyone, no matter their status, can easily be taken down by sin if they allow it to take root in our lives.

In David’s case, we read where he eyes a beautiful woman bathing from the roof of his palace and immediately lusts for her, sending “someone to find out about her”. And after finding out she was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite, he sent messengers to bring her to him.

Now, of interest, David had sent “Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army” and “they destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah”. The scriptures tell us that this time of year was when kings went with their armies but David decided to remain in Jerusalem. Had he been where he typically would have been, maybe he would have avoided the sinful infidelity he engaged in. Nonetheless, we get a sense from these chapters that David had a weakness grounded in beautiful women and this sinful lusting is what got him into trouble.

And so while Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, was off in battle with Joab, David took advantage of his wife being left alone and slept with her before sending her back home. I’m pretty sure that in his mind David saw this as a one off…a one time affair or “hook up” as we might call it today…but it didn’t take long for things to become complicated when Bathsheba “sent word to David, saying, ‘I am pregnant.’" Further, we read where Bathsheba had just gotten over her menstrual period so that there would be no doubt that the child developing within her belonged to David. David and Bathsheba’s sinful adultery had now resulted in an impregnated Bathsheba and Israel’s king was in a real predicament.

Now, you would think that at this point that a man who had been known as being after God’s own heart might turn to Him, repent, and seek forgiveness and guidance.

But that’s not what David did. Instead, he allowed sin to continue to rule over him which led him into even deeper trouble. For we read where David concocted a plan to try and cover up the fact that he had gotten Bathsheba pregnant. He would summon Uriah back from the battlefield and get him to sleep with his wife so that her pregnancy could be tied to him. And so David did just that, sending word to Joab to send him Uriah.

When Uriah came back, we read where David asked “how Joab was, how the soldiers were, and how the war was going” before telling Uriah to go home and wash his feet. And so Uriah left the palace and David was sure that he would return home and have sex with Bathsheba but that’s not what happened at all. For “Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master's servants and did not go down to his house”.

Well, David was told about this and asked Uriah:

“Haven't you just come from a distance? Why didn't you go home?"

To which Uriah replied:

“The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my lord's men are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!"

We get a sense of Uriah’s loyalty in his words…a loyalty that David was sorely lacking.

Well, David’s first plan had not gone as expected but we see where he wasn’t ready to give up yet for he had Uriah stay one more day, inviting him to eat and drink with him. David thought that if he could get Uriah drunk then surely he would go back to his home and lay with Bathsheba so the child could be pinned on him.

And so Uriah “ate and drank” with David and became drunk but again after he left David’s company, “Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master's servants” and “did not go home”.

Once more, David’s sinful plan had failed so what would he do now?

Unfortunately, he decided to take his sin to the highest extreme, choosing to get rid of Uriah. Since he couldn’t place Bathsheba’s pregnancy on Uriah while he was alive, David comes to the conclusion that killing him would give him the same result. For if Uriah died, there would be no way he could dispute being the father of his wife’s child and if Bathsheba confessed, it would end up being her word against the king’s...and we know how that would have turned out given how the testimony of women was disregarded in biblical times.

And so David wrote a letter to Joab saying:

“Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die”.

Ironically, Uriah then carried the letter to Joab, essentially delivering his very own death warrant.

Well, after Joab received the letter, he followed its orders putting “Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were” and it was there that he died as “the men of the city came out and fought against Joab”.

This time, David’s plan had succeeded.

We read where Joab sent word back to David about what had happened, thinking he would be angry because of all the other men who had died along with Uriah in the battle. But David obviously took the news well and sent encouraging orders back to Joab saying:

“Don't let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.”

And Joab did just that fighting “against Rabbah of the Ammonites” and capturing the royal citadel.

Meanwhile, Bathsheba “heard that her husband was dead” and “she mourned for him”. The scriptures tell us that “after the time of mourning was over”, David “brought her to his house” where “she became his wife and bore him a son”. At this time, all seemed well again for David who had finally pulled off his plan and, in his mind, had gotten away with his sinful actions.

But he hadn’t really because he forgot one very important thing. For the Lord sees everything and so He clearly knew everything that had transpired with David, behavior that we read displeased Him.

You know, we need to keep this in mind as well in our lives. One sin is unacceptable enough to God…but sin added to sin added to sin added to sin infuriates Him. In David’s case, adultery led to an attempted deceitful cover up which led to murder. And in this story, we’re reminded that no one ever gets away with sin. There is always a cost that is paid.

In David’s case, we see where God sent the prophet Nathan to David who shares the following parable:

"There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.”

"Now a traveler came to the rich man but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him."

Note the meaning of the parable.

The rich man who had everything took the one and only treasure that the poor man had…just as David had taken the one thing that his poor servant Uriah had in his wife Bathsheba, represented by the “little ewe lamb”.

Back to the scriptures where we find David burning “with anger against the man” in the parable saying to Nathan:

“As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over because he did such a thing and had no pity."

And with that, Nathan delivers the news that David is the rich man in the parable before giving him the following message:

“This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave your master's house to you and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.'”

"This is what the Lord says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes, I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.'"

David had thought he had gotten away with murder but the Lord saw it all and showed Israel’s king that there are penalties…severe costs…for sinful behavior, a truth we need to take note of as well.

In David’s case, the Lord vowed that members of his family would also be murdered and his wives would be taken from him and given to others for sexual relations…all this done in broad daylight and clear sight…not in secrecy and darkness as David had done. Essentially, David’s sinful actions against others would be brought against him but not without his knowledge of it.

Yes, sin has a definite cost in consequences from an almighty, infinitely powerful God but we also learn something else in these two chapters play out in our lives as well, For we see that there is a just as much a power in the grace that we experience from the Lord as there is in punishment.

For after hearing the word of the Lord from Nathan, we find David simply confessing:

“I have sinned against the Lord."

And it was immediately after this confession that we find Nathan telling David:

“The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.”

Here we see that through the power of God’s grace David would be spared but note that the power of God’s consequence would not be taken away. Because David’s actions had “made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt”, the Lord tells him that “the son born to you will die."

And so after Nathan departed, the “Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife (Bathsheba) had borne to David” and the child became ill. We read where “David pleaded with God for the child”, fasting and spending his “nights lying on the ground” refusing to get up but his actions were of no use for “on the seventh day the child died”. We see where the king’s servants were afraid to tell him because they didn’t want him to do something desperate but David heard them whispering and, fearing the worst, asks them if his child was dead…which they confirm.

Well, with this news, we read where David gets up, washes himself, puts on lotions, and changes his clothes before going to the “house of the Lord” to worship. It’s so interesting that David’s first act after experiencing the power of God’s judgment and grace was to go before Him and worship.

This is something we can learn from for when we have committed wrongs and then repented, we need to return to the Lord and draw ever nearer to Him. For even though He disciplines us as any father would out of love for his children, so too does God bring us back to Himself out of love and a desire to continue making us to be the people He wants us to be…to teach us how to live right each and every day.

Going back to our passage, we see that David goes home after worship where he finally breaks his fast and eats. Confused by his behavior, the servants asked:

“Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!"

To which David replied:

“While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.' But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."

David’s words revealed a renewed sense of trust and hope in what the Lord might do. He stayed steadfast in his repentant prayers and fasting before the Lord hoping the Lord might graciously change His mind and spare the child born out of adultery. But after the child died, David realized that the cost had been paid for his sinfulness and it was time to move forward because nothing he could do would bring the child back.

It’s at this point we see the steep cost of sin that fell on David as he lost the son produced from infidelity with Bathsheba. And it was after this debt was paid that we see the equally powerful nature of God’s grace for we read that as “David comforted his wife Bathsheba”, he lay with her and “she gave birth to a son” who they named Solomon…the son we know will succeed David as king. And the scriptures tell us that “the Lord loved him”.

In David, we see a lot of ourselves. Yes, I know that we aren’t kings and rulers over vast territories and peoples but that’s not my point. For it’s not our position or stature that' matters as much as it is how we live our lives in whatever place or position the Lord has us.

David just so happened to be king of Israel and Judah. When I was in the Navy, I had the privilege to serve in the highest position of senior enlisted leadership as a Command Master Chief. You are working as a (fill in the blank). The point is that we all have different jobs that the Lord puts us in but we all share one thing in common. We’re all sinners who run the risk of seeing sin take over if we allow ourselves to get away from the Lord and His Spirit within us.

David did that and allowed lust to lead to adultery…adultery to lead to deceitful scheming…and deceitful scheming to lead to murder. The same can happen to us, one sin cascading into others if we aren’t careful. We should never underestimate Satan’s ability to play on our desires so to lead us down the road of transgression.

In the end, David learned that there is a cost to be paid for sinful behavior. In his case, it cost him a son and we too should realize that there are harsh consequences for sinful behavior, hopefully using this truth as a deterrent in our own decision making. For as we get set to do wrong, we need to remember that the Lord is watching and always convicting us, something we refer to as a conscious. At that point of conviction, we need to condition ourselves to stop and consider whether we’re prepared to face God’s punishment for our sinfulness because rest assures it will come.

Sin never happens without an associated cost to pay.

We also need to learn from these chapters that there is equal, if not more power found in God’s grace for us.

In David’s case, he did lose a son but also gained one as well…one that God accepted and loved…one that would ascend to the throne of Israel and build the Lord’s temple. In granting this blessing, we see God’s beautiful and mighty grace revealed as he moved David and Bathsheba forward, moving them beyond their sin towards becoming better than they were…to become the people He wanted them to be.

Today, God’s grace extends just as powerfully to you and me…for just by me writing this today and you reading it, we should rejoice in the blessing of life…that despite our sinfulness, the Lord has found it fit to bring us into another day…another day where He can mold and shape us into becoming the kind of people He wants us to be…a people who live each and every day in the spirit of righteousness and holiness.

Before I close, I want to touch on one last point to put an exclamation point on this very important message. For if you don’t believe there’s a heavy cost associated with sin, then you haven’t looked at the cross lately. There, God’s one and only Son…our Savior, Jesus Christ…was crucified, the unblemished Lamb who purchased our pardon while serving as the final sin sacrifice that would ever be needed.

And so next time we have as decision to make that involves right or wrong, let us look to the cross and remember the penalty of sin covered by our dying Savior…and while doing so, also remember the incredible, amazing power of grace and love that God showed when He gave His only Son to die in the place of sinners so to bring salvation to anyone who would simply believe in Him (John 3:16).

Indeed my brothers and sisters, the cost of sin and the power of grace are fully displayed in one place…the cross of Calvary, a truth that should always lead us to ponder:

Where would we be without Jesus?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

WHAT WILL THE LORD DO?

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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In the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died and his son Hanun succeeded him as king. David thought, "I will show kindness to Hanun, son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me."

So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.

When David's men came to the land of the Ammonites, the Ammonite nobles said to Hanun their lord, "Do you think David is honoring your father by sending men to you to express sympathy? Hasn't David sent them to you to explore the city and spy it out and overthrow it?"

So Hanun seized David's men, shaved off half of each man's beard, cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away.

When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, "Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown and then come back."

When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench in David's nostrils, they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth Rehob and Zobah, as well as the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and also twelve thousand men from Tob.

On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men. The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.

Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai, his brother, and deployed them against the Ammonites. Joab said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you. Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in His sight."

Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans and they fled before him. When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were fleeing, they fled before Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab returned from fighting the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.

After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they regrouped. Hadadezer had Arameans brought from beyond the River; they went to Helam with Shobach, the commander of Hadadezer's army leading them.

When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and went to Helam. The Arameans formed their battle lines to meet David and fought against him. But they fled before Israel and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also struck down Shobach, the commander of their army, and he died there. When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with the Israelites and became subject to them.

So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.

2 Samuel 10

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In chapter 8 of 2nd Samuel, we read about the many victories that the Lord blessed David with as he conquered nations that bordered Israel and Judah, expanding territorial boundaries to match up with what the Lord had promised to provide.

At the end of the fighting, you’ll remember that the Lord vowed to give David peace from his enemies and we get a sense that this happened at least for some time because as chapter 10 of this book opens, we read that “in the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died” with his son Hanun succeeding him as king. The scriptures tell us that the deceased Ammonite king had sown kindness to David during his reign so David decided to return the favor and “show kindness to Hanun”, sending a “delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father”.

Well, as the delegation “came to the land of the Ammonites”, we see where the nobles there became suspicious of their motives, saying to Hanun:

“Do you think David is honoring your father by sending men to you to express sympathy? Hasn't David sent them to you to explore the city and spy it out and overthrow it?"

Unfortunately, their words influenced Hanun to believe that David had sent the men for nefarious reasons outside of expressing sympathy and so had them seized and “shaved off half of each man's beard” before cutting “off their garments in the middle at the buttocks” and sending them away. These actions were clearly meant to embarrass the men who were “greatly humiliated” over what had been done to them.

Well, word of what happened got back to David and he sent “messengers to meet (his) men telling them to:

“Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back."

This command was meant to ensure the men would not have to face embarrassment and ridicule in Jerusalem over what had been done to them. Through his actions, David respected and preserved the honor of the men who had gone to represent him.

Meanwhile, the Ammonites realized that David would not take what they had done lightly and would most likely come to avenge his men and so we read where they “hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth Rehob and Zobah, as well as the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and also twelve thousand men from Tob” so to construct an army they thought would be able to defeat David’s Israelite forces. As for David, he got wind about what the Ammonites had done and “sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men” in response.

A battle was soon about to take place and this is how things sized up.

The Ammonites “came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country”. Joab, seeing “there were battle lines in front of him and behind him”, chose “some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans”. He then “put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai, his brother, and deployed them against the Ammonites”. Overall, we see Joab giving the following directions to the troops saying:

“If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you. Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in His sight."

And with that, “Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans” who “fled before him”. Meanwhile, the Ammonites “saw that the Arameans were fleeing” and fled themselves, going into the city. With this, Joab “returned from fighting the Ammonites” and went back to Jerusalem.

Well, after all this you would think that the Ammonites and Arameans would just admit defeat and let things stay as they were but that didn’t happen. For “after the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they regrouped” with Hadadezer having “Arameans brought from beyond the River” and sending them “to Helam with Shobach, the commander of Hadadezer's army leading them”.

Again, word got to David about the Aramean regrouping and so he “gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and went to Helam to meet the Arameans who had “formed their battle lines to meet David”…and with that the battle started.

Right away, it was obvious that the Arameans made a bad decision to challenge David again because before they fled Israel, he and his men “killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers” as well as “Shobach, the commander of their army”. And when “all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel”, they decided to make “peace with the Israelites”, becoming “subject to them” and afraid to “help the Ammonites anymore”.

In the end translation, the Lord had once again delivered Israel’s enemies into their hands in battle.

Why did He do so?

We find Joab helping us find the answer in this passage when he says this to his men:

“Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in His sight.”

In other words, he assured them that they need not fear so to stay bravely focused on the battle at hand because when it came right down to it, the Lord would do “what is good in His sight”…all because He is always in control.

My friends, these words can offer us encouragement too as we go forth each day to carry out what Jesus instructed us to do…to go forth and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all He commanded (Matthew 28:19-20). For as we go forth to do God’s will, we always seem to be up against our own enemy.

For David and his fighting men in this passage, it was the Ammonites and Arameans.

For us, it’s Satan who wants nothing more than to prevent us from doing what the Lord desires.

So how do we deal with the adversarial work of the devil in life?

We begin by going into each day unafraid while fighting bravely for the cause of Christ, knowing that we never fight alone. For not only did Jesus give us a command within His Great Commission, He also gave us the promise that He would be with us until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20)…and we know that will perfectly fulfill everything He said He would do.

And so, if we willfully and intentionally choose to partner with Jesus every day, going to do as He demanded with His power and presence in our hearts, minds, and souls, then trust me when I say that Satan will never have victory over us…for there is no way he will ever gain victory over Jesus. In fact, he has already been defeated.

Indeed, our Lord will always do what is good and He will do it in, through, and around us.

Going back to our passage today and specifically looking at verse 12, we can find additional assurances by looking at different translations while answering the following question:

“What will the Lord do?”

1. He will do “whatever He sees need doing”. (The Message)

The Lord has a plan and that plan is going to be fulfilled. We can trust in that.

And so our Lord will do whatever He sees needs to be done in order for His plan to be carried out successfully…and often He uses us to do that and so we need to offer ourselves to Him each and every day so He can use us in any way He sees fit to accomplish His purposes.

2. He will do “what seems good to Him”. (The Amplified Bible)

In the Book of James, we read this about the Lord:

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights”. (1:17)

Indeed, our Lord does whatever seems good to Him and will grant us good from above to make that happen. And since we serve a Lord who is perfectly right and just, then we can rest assured that He will always do what is perfectly good…and all His works as just that.

3. He will do “whatever pleases Him”. (The Contemporary English Version)

After all, He is the Lord…the Maker and Master of everything. And so it only makes sense that He makes everything happen in a way that is pleasing to Him.

Given this, it’s not our place to demand that He do anything because typically our petitions involve things that are pleasing to ourselves…and that might not always match with what would please the Lord so our prayer should be for the Lord to do what is pleasing in His sight because that is in fact what He will do.

His word assures us of this.

4. He will do “what He thinks is right”. (The New Century Version)

The Lord doesn’t make mistakes and so He never does wrong. We need to remember this.

So given that everything He does is right, we should praise Him for that, even when things in our lives might not seem to be working out in the way we think they should.

After all, as sinners who fall short of His glory (Romans 3:23), who are we to argue against Him?

5. He will do “His will and it will be done”. (The New Living Translation and Holman Christian Standard)

Brothers and sisters, there is no question that the Lord will do what He sees needs done…what seems good to Him…what pleases Him…and what He thinks is right. All these add up to equal His will and that will is going to be done in our life and in this world we live in, no matter what. Any fight against it being accomplished is absolutely futile because no one person is greater than the power of the Lord…a power that will ensure His will is always done.

It’s this truth that allowed Joab and his men to men to go to battle bravely and unafraid and it’s a truth that allows us to do likewise as we go through every day we’re blessed with.

So if you wonder what the Lord is doing in your life today, the answer is simple.

He’s doing what is good in His sight…just as He does each and every day.

Let’s be thankful for it.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

HELPING THE LOST BECOME FOUND

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In Christ, Mark

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David asked, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?"

Now there was a servant of Saul's household named Ziba. They called him to appear before David, and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?"

"Your servant," he replied.

The king asked, "Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?"

Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet."

"Where is he?" the king asked.

Ziba answered, "He is at the house of Makir, son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar."

So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir, son of Ammiel.

When Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.

David said, "Mephibosheth!"

"Your servant," he replied.

"Don't be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul and you will always eat at my table."

Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant that you should notice a dead dog like me?"

Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops so that your master's grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table." (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

Then Ziba said to the king, "Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do."

So Mephibosheth ate at David's table like one of the king's sons.

Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica and all the members of Ziba's household were servants of Mephibosheth. And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king's table and he was crippled in both feet.

2 Samuel 9

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

How well do we show compassion and love to those who are marginalized by society…those who are pushed to the fringes and made to feel worthless and inadequate?

Do we actively seek to reach out and find these people, helping them see they are loved and valued?

Or do we consider ourselves blessed to not be like them and continue on with our everyday lives?

Personally, I couldn’t imagine how it feels to be culturally shunned, made to feel as if I don’t count but I know there are so many people who are and that’s why today’s scripture passage and the words the Lord has placed on my heart are so important.

For as 2 Samuel, chapter 9 opens, we see a refreshing shift in God’s word…a respite from reading about all the battles that Israel was involved in as we find David seeking to show kindness to someone…specifically someone from the “house of Saul”…and “for Jonathan's sake."

You remember Jonathan, right?

We saw earlier in 1 Samuel where he was the son of Saul who developed a special friendship with David (1 Samuel 18:1-4). The scriptures told us that they were one in spirit and that Jonathan loved David as himself, willing to do anything for his friend to include put his life on the line just to keep him safe. We saw where he did just that as he helped rescue David several times from the hands of his murderous father, the one who was the first king of Israel.

With this, it’s of little surprise that David is pleased to learn from his servant Ziba that a son of Jonathan was still alive, a man by the name of Mephibosheth who was “crippled in both feet." After learning this, we read where David demands that Mephibosheth be brought to him.

Now…it’s important to keep in mind at this point that the disabled were not cared for very well in biblical times. Most men were expected to work to make a living and fight in battle to protect the kingdom. A crippled man would have difficulty doing either and therefore was devalued, often having to resort to begging just to have a source of income. This made other look down upon them, often leaving feelings of loneliness and inadequacy.

And so as Mephibosheth is brought to David, the king, it’s no shock that he (Mephibosheth) “bowed down to pay him honor” as he identified himself as a servant. There’s little doubt that David’s reputation proceeded him and Mephibosheth could have been feeling like this was the end…that he might be executed for being part of Saul’s family.

Any of those feelings had to change as David said this:

“Don't be afraid…for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul and you will always eat at my table."

Imagine how unbelievable these words must have been for Mephibosheth! For if what David promised actually happened, his standard of living was about to change drastically...and for the better for he was about to go from begging for money to inheriting the wealth of his grandfather and dining with the king!

Well, we see where all this was just too much for Mephibosheth to comprehend for he “bowed down” and humbly asked David:

"What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?"

His words had to pierce David’s heart for we get a sense of how Mephibosheth felt about himself and his place in the world…that he felt of no more worth than a dead dog. Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone because all other members of the society at that time who suffered from disabilities of some sort must have felt the same way...and perhaps some do today as well, a truth that truly saddens me as it should you.

Given this, are we going to do anything about it?

In our scripture passage, we see where David certainly took action as he “summoned Ziba” saying:

“I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops so that your master's grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table."

And so it was.

Ziba did what David commanded and “Mephibosheth ate at David's table like one of the king's sons” while living in Jerusalem. He had been lost…but now was found.

Now…up to this point, our discussion has centered on physical disabilities and how the handicapped often are sidelined and disenfranchised but there’s another form of disability I would like us to consider that this is the matter of spiritual disability. This includes a multitude of people today who think they are walking the road to success and goodness when they are really on the path to destruction and damnation…all because they’re lost and without a Savior. These people have gauged their value and status by the world’s standards, allowing Satan to blind them from Jesus, the One who is the Way and the Truth and the Life…the only One who can bring anyone to God the Father (John 14:6).

The stark truth about things is that some people who feel they have everything actually have nothing…and conversely, some people who seem to have nothing have everything.

Jesus, the Savior of the world, provided a primer on being spiritually lost before being found in what is arguably His most well know parable…the Parable of the Lost or Prodigal Son:

Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.”

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country, and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating but no one gave him anything.”

“When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against Heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father.”

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him. and kissed him.”

“The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against Heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'”

“But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.”  Luke 15:11-24

In the parable, the man’s son thought that he had it all going for him. He wanted to leave home for something better so he asked for his inheritance before his father had even died and went off to a distant country where he proceeded to throw away all his material wealth on wild living.

Think this ever happens today?

Well, the son found himself broke and in the midst of a famine…circumstances that put him in such great need that he hired himself out to feed pigs, rock bottom for a Jew who knew pigs were considered unclean in accordance with the law of Moses. We read where no one gave him anything and so he reached a point of starvation, yearning to just be able to eat the pods the pigs were eating.

And so we find the son at his lowest…separated from society and his family while feeling lost, alone, and hopeless.

It was at this point that we read where the son came to his senses and began to think that even his father’s servants were better off than he was and so he decided to return to his father and apologize for the wrongs he had committed, hoping he might be accepted back as a servant.

We see where he journeyed home to see his father, sure that he would face consternation and anger for what he had done but as we know, none of that happened. Instead, he experienced joy, grace, mercy, and love from his dad who ran to him, embraced him, and gave him a kiss. His son had been lost but now was found.

Now, this didn’t stop the son from saying he was sorry…confessing his sins to his father while asserting that he deserved to be disowned. Surely now, he must have thought that his father would give him a lecture on the poor choices he had made but that never happened for we read where the father told his servants to place his best robe on the son…to put sandals on his feet and a ring on his finger…to slay the fattened calf and prepare a great feast of celebration. The son’s return was reason for celebration not condemnation.

Today, the truth of the matter is that all people are lost and hopeless without a Savior…no matter what their physical health or worldly status might be.

As you read this, perhaps you have already run back to God the Father as I did more than 33 years ago, experiencing first-hand what the son in the parable did. No criticism…only forgiveness and love…rejoicing and celebrating over another child who returned to him and was saved…a child who, once dead was now alive.

But maybe you’re reading this and have never placed your belief in Jesus. You’re still like the son when he was lost in a distant country far from the Father. Maybe you’re just now realizing how you are spiritually dead while physically alive…teetering on the edge of losing your chance at salvation…your name missing in the Lamb’s Book of Life and in desperate need of being found before it’s too late and you end up in Hell forever.

If this is you, my advice is to not delay one more second in placing your faith in Jesus as Savior and running back to your Father who is waiting your return. Don’t wait until you reach spiritual starvation and hit rock bottom before you decide to go home and seek forgiveness and a better life through Christ…the only One who can bring us to God the Father for ever (John 3:16 and 14:6).

In the end translation, we can be certain that we serve a heavenly Father who loves us compassionately and unconditionally, no matter where we are. This wonderful Father never wants to see us lost or marginalized or mistreated or feeling hopeless. Rather, He is ever watching and waiting for the lost to return home to Him and become found…an event that brings celebration in Heaven each and every time.

Ultimately, what we experience from God through putting our faith in Jesus can be referred to as amazing grace…and it is truly a sweet sound that saves the wretched and sinful…that helps the lost become found…that helps those who were blind see…that helps those who were dead come alive…forever.

Is there any news much better than that?

It’s no wonder they call it good.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.