2024-10-04
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, the Holy Spirit prompted me to prepare to write about King David’s views of pride (a lack of humility), faith, and judgment. You’ll remember IS 29: 15 was cited; I repeat it here. “Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and think, ‘Who sees us? Who will know?’” David had knowledge of Isaiah’s writings and of God’s amazing light. We know from HE 4: 12-13, “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account.” I’m sure you wonder how David, who didn’t have the NT, knew this. The reason is clear. He had a remarkably faithful relationship with God—the kind God wishes all of us to have. The same was true to the prophet, Nathan, who God sent to David to encourage David to take responsibility for his sins with Uriah and Bethsheba. Nathan’s job was not to judge David, but to find a way to speak truthfully to the king and help David to admit and confess his sin to God. Nathan did this with great skill and compassion for David. The net result can be read in PS 51: 1-19, which I hope you will read.
Reading about both David and Nathan reveals these remarkable men in the light of the skills and faithfulness to God that each was given. John in the NT helps us to have a better understanding of people like David, Nathan, by our Lord Jesus. JN 1: 1-5, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Now notice the relationship between Light and darkness as shown in JN 3: 19-21. “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.” IS 5: 20, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”
David was very human and complex. However, the depth and truth of his relationship with God strong affected his responses to his own sinfully human nature. 2 SAM 24: 1-17, particularly vss. 12-17, is well worth reading. It is the story of his action contrary to God’s will of taking the census of fighting men to enroll them in his army. The prophet, Gad, presented three choices given to him by God, for dealing with the consequences of David’s sin: 1) three years of famine in your land; 2) three months of fleeing from your enemies as they pursue you; 3) three days of plague in your land. David was told to think this over and decide on one of the three. In deep distress, David finally decided on three days of plague, leading to the deaths of 70, 000 men from Dan to Beersheva, because this choice was the only one in God’s hands and not man’s. Why make this choice? It was because of God’s great mercy, of which David was familiar!
PRAYER: O Lord, we are born with darkness that we inherit from the original sin and add to with our own sins [GN 3: 1-6]. Yet, there are those of us who You call out of darkness and into Your marvelous light [1 PET 2: 9]. David came to know You and became one of the latter. We pray that we too are like that. RO 13: 12, “We must realize that Day of Christ is near; the night is nearly over. So, let us put on the armor of light.” David’s example of godliness is one for us to follow, as we know how important our relationship with You really is to You. We offer You praise, thanks, our loyalty, and reverence for all You are and all You do, in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: The Holy Spirit commands me to write about judgment and the relationship between the Potter and the clay next week. In the meanwhile, mediate over EPH 5: 8-9, “For you were once in darkness, but now you are the light in the Lord. Live as children of the light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth). We have the power to please the Lord by living in the Light of Jesus Christ. Thanks and praise be to Him!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn, JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2024. All Rights Reserved.
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