Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: 2nd Samuel 19-21 … To study these chapters, go to this link -
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Highlight Passage : 2nd Samuel 19: 9-10 … 9 Throughout the tribes of Israel, all the people were arguing among themselves, saying, "The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies; he is the one who rescued us from the hand of the Philistines. But now he has fled the country to escape from Absalom;10 and Absalom, whom we anointed to rule over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?"
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Highlight Passage #2 : 2nd Samuel 20: 2 … So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bikri. But the men of Judah stayed by their king all the way from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
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Highlight Passage #3 : 2nd Samuel 21: 2-3 … 2 The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.)3 David asked the Gibeonites, "What shall I do for you? How shall I make atonement so that you will bless the Lord's inheritance?".
My Journal for Today: My reading plan today took me through 2nd Samuel, Chapters 19-21; and it was not very exciting reading, exposing all the political workings and struggles King David had to reunite the twelve tribes of Israel, … ten in the North (i.e., Israel) and the two in Judah in the southern kingdom. I’ve highlighted three passages, one from each chapter, today to illustrate the fickle nature of worldly politics; and if you’re reading along with me, I think you would agree, seeing what’s going on in today’s world, that worldly politics is fickle at best … and absolutely ruthless at worst.
Hence the need for the people of any time in history, certainly now, to be united by something that transcends the politics of the world; and that, for the people of David’s time, should have been their common belief in the one true God, Yahweh, as well as their common values emanating from God’s Book of the Law, His transcendent truth – the Scripture.
However, as you read these three historical chapters today, one sees that David had great troubles uniting the Israelites because they were looking for political solutions as well as using human ego control for their answers, rather than looking to the overriding and immutable standard of God’s way … found in His word. Today we have the same problem in this country – and really, in the entire world.
Mankind is moving away from the worship of God and even farther away from His answer for the foibles and fallacies of human politics; and that is in His never-changing, overriding truth found in His word, the Bible. And it is clear, at least to this believer/observer, that we’ll always have – and likely increasingly – the divisions and political struggles that we see in the world (and this country) until we can come together by worshipping our Lord and living by His word, … the one, true standard for living.
I think of two passages in Scripture, one from the OT and one from the NT, which express this; and if you don't have these two memorized, I would ask you NOW to seek out (on your own) and meditate on 2nd Chronicles 7: 14 and Romans 12: 1-2, which I strongly believe have God’s prescription for our world to move away from the political solutions of the world and come humbly and prayerfully to God and live by His word. And then – AND ONLY THEN – will we find healing and unity in our world.
My Prayer Today: … Lord, forgive Your peoples for thinking that we can solve anything without You and Your word. Have mercy on us, Lord! Amen
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