Category Archives: Justice / Judgment

Discerning / Judging, Justice / Judgment

Another Look at “Do Not Judge Others”

In a recent article we discussed guidance in Matthew 7 about judging others. This area remains misunderstood by many followers of Christ. We encourage you to review the prior article, What Does it Mean That We Should Not Judge Others?, before reading on.

There remains yet another important context clue for those who are reading within Matthew 7 that we must use discernment and judge good vs. evil. Understanding the context is very important and since this is literally the same book and chapter in scripture we should take heed.

Matthew 7 (excerpts)

Judging Others

      1“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2“For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

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 A Tree and Its Fruit

      15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.

      21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

Did you catch it? verses 1-5 speak about not judging others, until you remove the sin in your own life. Some take this to be never judging right from wrong in others. But then starting in verse 15 of the very same chapter we see that we are told to be cautious and judge prophets to determine who is true and who is false. I point out some additional considerations in What Does it Mean That We Should Not Judge Others? and if you did not read it yet from the link above, I would encourage you to read it now.

We are called to use discernment and wisdom and call upon the help of the Spirit to judge what and who is good and bad. That is an important part of our journey to live and walk with Christ. However, we must not be constantly judging rashly or hypocritically. We must work first on our own righteousness, remove the log in our eye, before we can truly be of help removing the speck in our brother’s eye.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Grace / Patience, Justice / Judgment, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Share the Good News

Do Not Throw Pearls Before Swine

Our last article focused on Matthew 7:1-5 about judging others. We saved verse 6 to breakout in a separate article. Verses 1-5 are included again because they help set the right context for us as we read verse 6.

Matthew 7:1-6

  Judging Others

      1“Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 2“For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. 3“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

      6“Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

We discussed last time that we are to use righteous judgment and discern good from evil. That is a consistent message throughout the Bible. How can we engage people to repent if we are silent on sin. Sin is defined by that which someone is doing wrong which does not line up with guidance from Yahweh. Matthew 18:15-18 even shows us how to rebuke our brothers or sisters, which would make no sense if we are not to judge others at all. Matthew 7:1-5 is more about how we approach someone, including our attitudes and our own walk with God before we approach others as hypocrites.

Verse 6 should be understood in the context of the preceding verses. When we have addressed sin in our life and we can see more clearly to help others remove the speck from their eye, we should seek to help them. However, there is a distinction being made between rebuking brethren and those who are referred to as swine or dogs. (This is not a compliment in the Hebrew culture of the time, quite the opposite.) There are some people, or perhaps in some situations, where our effort to help someone address sin in their life will be not only rejected outright, but they will turn against us and “trample” us. We actually see this quite clearly in our society today, in particular when we try to correct some who are truly lost. They do not want to hear it. They will take our “pearls” of wisdom and guidance (from God, not from us) and get angry or at times even violent. I believe that verse 6 is a warning to use discernment before correcting all people for all their sin.

Perhaps one well known example involving Paul is recorded in Acts.

Acts 17:22-23

      22So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23“For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you.

I suppose Paul could have started with “You are all pagans and going to hell if you don’t repent and accept Jesus.”, but that likely would have triggered the violent response warned about where the swine turn and trample the pearls underfoot. At the least, they probably would not have listened.  Paul used wisdom in approaching them.

Of course, we can always ask Holy Spirit to guide us and help us in this discernment. There are times where the LORD may ask us to boldly address a situation that we may not think wise. In those cases, obey the LORD. In fact, the example above seems to be just that.  Acts 17:16 tells us Paul’s spirit was being provoked to take action. So even in this case Paul did not just act on his own but was following prompting from Holy Spirit (Ruach Chodesh in Hebrew).

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Idols / False Gods, Justice / Judgment, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Follow the LORD Wholeheartedly

I find it intriguing that Jeroboam, when tough time come, looks to YHWH through His prophet to seek help and clarity. However, when things are going ok for him prior to that he goes his own way, which was very bad and we can read more about by reading 1Kings 12 and 1 Kings 13.  Notice, the conflict within Jeroboam. He clearly must not think much of the prophet if he thinks he can fool him on who is asking the question, but at the same time he is drawn to him as he had properly prophesied about Jeroboam becoming king. Jeroboam seems to be trying to walk the fence… using YHWH when convenient but doing things his own way as seems beneficial to him.

As we quickly think about how foolish this may seem, let us take time to challenge ourselves that we do not also do likewise in our own lives. Do we go to church and claim the name of Yeshua when things suit us? Do we still do so when we face losing our job or getting harassed by people for our faith? Do we order our steps according to how the Bible instructs, even when it is not what we would like to do? If the Spirit guides us to do something that does not make sense to us, will we obey or rationalize that our way is better?

We also see in 1 Kings 14 how Jeroboam now faces consequences for his idolatry and rebellion against the LORD. We are all accountable before YHWH. It is just a question of when and how. To truly follow the LORD is to do so wholeheartedly, not sometimes “yes” and sometimes “no”. We should not take what YHWH tells us to do and then make our own version of it as Jeroboam did. That is idolatry. It does not go over well with the LORD. It is worth noting that we see no signs of repentance within Jeroboam after his mistakes… thus he remains in defiance against the LORD.

1 Kings 14: 1-20

Ahijah Prophesies against the King

      1At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick. 2Jeroboam said to his wife, “Arise now, and disguise yourself so that they will not know that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh; behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who spoke concerning me that I would be king over this people. 3“Take ten loaves with you, some cakes and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”

      4Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age. 5Now the LORD had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. You shall say thus and thus to her, for it will be when she arrives that she will pretend to be another woman.”

      6When Ahijah heard the sound of her feet coming in the doorway, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam, why do you pretend to be another woman? For I am sent to you with a harsh message. 7“Go, say to Jeroboam, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel, “Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over My people Israel, 8and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you—yet you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only that which was right in My sight; 9you also have done more evil than all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back— 10therefore behold, I am bringing calamity on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male person, both bond and free in Israel, and I will make a clean sweep of the house of Jeroboam, as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone. 11“Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city the dogs will eat. And he who dies in the field the birds of the heavens will eat; for the LORD has spoken it.”’ 12“Now you, arise, go to your house. When your feet enter the city the child will die. 13“All Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he alone of Jeroboam’s family will come to the grave, because in him something good was found toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam. 14“Moreover, the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam this day and from now on.

      15“For the LORD will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the LORD to anger. 16“He will give up Israel on account of the sins of Jeroboam, which he committed and with which he made Israel to sin.”

      17Then Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed and came to Tirzah. As she was entering the threshold of the house, the child died. 18All Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet.

      19Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he made war and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. 20The time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years; and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

All Powerful / King of All, Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Idols / False Gods, Justice / Judgment, Lying / Deceiving, Obeying God, Spiritual Warfare, Through Prophets, Unteachable / Foolish, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

A King’s Idolatry in God’s Name and a Disobedient Prophet

1 Kings 13 has several important threads to pull on. The kingdom has just been divided between Rehoboam and Jeroboam due to Solomon’s rebellion against God, and Rehoboam’s arrogance and pride, mixed with some foolishness for listening to bad counsel instead of good counsel. Jeroboam set up his own altars and priests for the LORD, but this is truly idolatry as we do not get to change and adapt for our desires what the LORD has said… even if we still claim we do it for Him. Meanwhile, we also get an opportunity to explore the path of two prophets who are knitted together in this historical account.

1 Kings 13

Jeroboam Warned, Stricken

      1Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. 2He cried against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’” 3Then he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the LORD has spoken, ‘Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the ashes which are on it shall be poured out.’” 4Now when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him.” But his hand which he stretched out against him dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself. 5The altar also was split apart and the ashes were poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. 6The king said to the man of God, “Please entreat the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before. 7Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.” 8But the man of God said to the king, “If you were to give me half your house I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place. 9“For so it was commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way which you came.’” 10So he went another way and did not return by the way which he came to Bethel.

The Disobedient Prophet

      11Now an old prophet was living in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the deeds which the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words which he had spoken to the king, these also they related to their father. 12Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen the way which the man of God who came from Judah had gone. 13Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode away on it. 14So he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak; and he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” 15Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” 16He said, “I cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17“For a command came to me by the word of the LORD, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water there; do not return by going the way which you came.’” 18He said to him, “I also am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied to him. 19So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water.

      20Now it came about, as they were sitting down at the table, that the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back; 21and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have disobeyed the command of the LORD, and have not observed the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you, 22but have returned and eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which He said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water”; your body shall not come to the grave of your fathers.’” 23It came about after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24Now when he had gone, a lion met him on the way and killed him, and his body was thrown on the road, with the donkey standing beside it; the lion also was standing beside the body. 25And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown on the road, and the lion standing beside the body; so they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived.

      26Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of God, who disobeyed the command of the LORD; therefore the LORD has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to him.” 27Then he spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And they saddled it. 28He went and found his body thrown on the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside the body; the lion had not eaten the body nor torn the donkey. 29So the prophet took up the body of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back, and he came to the city of the old prophet to mourn and to bury him. 30He laid his body in his own grave, and they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!” 31After he had buried him, he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I die, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. 32“For the thing shall surely come to pass which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria.”

      33After this event Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but again he made priests of the high places from among all the people; any who would, he ordained, to be priests of the high places. 34This event became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to blot it out and destroy it from off the face of the earth.

Clearly we see Jeroboam is warned in dramatic fashion about his sin and idolatry… and he refuses to repent. This is not a man who is truly pursuing the LORD, despite the actions of setting up a priesthood and altars in His name. He is going through religious activity but missing on the main point of being in relationship and obedience to God. He is doing things his own way and damaging the name or reputation of God in the process. There are people doing this very commonly throughout our culture today! We should prayerfully reflect and ask God to show us if and how we are doing this in our lives today, by rationalizing how we mix and mingle obeying God with other cultural influences or personal desires. We should submit to and serve God and God alone.

In regards to the prophet, we can explore many different aspects. We could get focused on why the old prophet who lied was not punished. Maybe he was. That is not the focus God wanted us to have from this historical account. He wants us to focus on the young prophet. He knew clearly and firmly that he was not to eat or drink in that place. He said so firmly to both king and the older prophet. He allowed himself to be deceived. He chose to go against what God had clearly told him. God held him accountable for that. When we are in a mature relationship with the LORD where He does miracles through us and brings His word clearly through us, He also has high expectations that we obey. In that case, He knows we clearly understood Him and then disobeyed.

It is not written, but one can easily imagine the role of Satan playing out behind the scenes here. I imagine him influencing the king to tempt the prophet. As we learn from Satan’s temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, he always comes more than once and he gets trickier. You only defend by clearly understanding the word of God and obeying it. I can see Satan coming back with a trickier approach through the older prophet and he manages to get the younger prophet to disobey God and face the consequences. God sent the lion to cause death to the prophet. This was not simply the LORD removing his hedge of protection. The lion killed the man and then ate neither man nor donkey and just stayed there by the site where it happened. The LORD punished the prophet by bringing about his death.

If that seems harsh or makes us uncomfortable, then we should prayerfully reflect on it, but it is still true. Let us recognize that the LORD is to be respected and at times feared. That should encourage us in our obedience, in particular when He has clearly spoken to us what we are to do.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Children, Consequences of Sin, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Fear / Reverence for God, Interceding for Others, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Justice / Judgment, Learning To Pray Effectively, Loving / Kind, Merciful, Parenting, Repenting from Sin, Seeking God, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Solomon’s Dedication Captures Timeless Principles We Should Study

It is worth reading and reflecting prayerfully on the prayer of dedication Solomon delivered for the temple. There is a lot of truth about our relationship YHWH that today people seem to have forgotten in mainstream Christianity. Our relationship with YHWH is not simply that He gives us all we want no matter what we do because of grace. It is a covenant. Both sides have a commitment. If we are His people and walk in His ways, then He will be our God.

Solomon recognizes that there will be sin. He further recognizes that there will be consequences for sin. He focuses then on the importance of repentance and turning away from sin and wholeheartedly back to YHWH as a key step in forgiveness.

These are timeless principles. The main change is that now we know who Messiah is in the person of Yeshua. We can accept forgiveness through His payment for our sins. However, we still need to repent genuinely and fully and come humbly before our God asking forgiveness in Yeshua’s name.

Incidentally, our relationship with our Father serves as a model for our earthly relationships as parents and children. Sin and disobedience has consequences. Full reconciliation requires repentance to a godly standard.  We do not do our children favors by accepting them fully and cheerfully in their rebellion as if there is no issue for them to change. It sets the stage for them to live in rebellion to YHWH throughout their lives.

1 Kings 8: 22-53

The Prayer of Dedication

      22Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven. 23He said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, there is no God like You in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing lovingkindness to Your servants who walk before You with all their heart, 24who have kept with Your servant, my father David, that which You have promised him; indeed, You have spoken with Your mouth and have fulfilled it with Your hand as it is this day. 25“Now therefore, O LORD, the God of Israel, keep with Your servant David my father that which You have promised him, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man to sit on the throne of Israel, if only your sons take heed to their way to walk before Me as you have walked.’ 26“Now therefore, O God of Israel, let Your word, I pray, be confirmed which You have spoken to Your servant, my father David.

      27“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You, how much less this house which I have built! 28“Yet have regard to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today; 29that Your eyes may be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You have said, ‘My name shall be there,’ to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place. 30“Listen to the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place; hear in heaven Your dwelling place; hear and forgive.

      31“If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath, and he comes and takes an oath before Your altar in this house, 32then hear in heaven and act and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked by bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness.

      33“When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house, 34then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers.

      35“When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain, because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name and turn from their sin when You afflict them, 36then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and of Your people Israel, indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Your land, which You have given Your people for an inheritance.

      37“If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, locust or grasshopper, if their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 38whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, each knowing the affliction of his own heart, and spreading his hands toward this house; 39then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men, 40that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You have given to our fathers.

      41“Also concerning the foreigner who is not of Your people Israel, when he comes from a far country for Your name’s sake 42(for they will hear of Your great name and Your mighty hand, and of Your outstretched arm); when he comes and prays toward this house, 43hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to fear You, as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name.

      44“When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatever way You shall send them, and they pray to the LORD toward the city which You have chosen and the house which I have built for Your name, 45then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause.

      46“When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and deliver them to an enemy, so that they take them away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near; 47if they take thought in the land where they have been taken captive, and repent and make supplication to You in the land of those who have taken them captive, saying, ‘We have sinned and have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly’; 48if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and pray to You toward their land which You have given to their fathers, the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name; 49then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven Your dwelling place, and maintain their cause, 50and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You, and make them objects of compassion before those who have taken them captive, that they may have compassion on them 51(for they are Your people and Your inheritance which You have brought forth from Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace), 52that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and to the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You. 53“For You have separated them from all the peoples of the earth as Your inheritance, as You spoke through Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers forth from Egypt, O Lord GOD.”

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Fear / Reverence for God, Grace / Forgiveness, Justice / Judgment, Merciful, Mercy, Offering Sacrifices, Pride, Repenting from Sin, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation/Tempting, Through Prophets

Dealing With Sin and Restoring Relationship with the Father

There is a lot going on in the last chapter of 2 Samuel. David sins against the LORD despite Joab trying to persuade him not to take a census.  When it is complete, David recognizes his sin and asks for forgiveness. The LORD gives David a choice for punishment. David’s punishment affects his people, not just him. (Others often share in consequences of our sin.) David throws himself on the mercy of the LORD, and receives it. He then gets closure by building an altar.

David does ask the LORD to let the punishment fall on him rather than others. I deeply respect this request. I also respect that David did not take for free the property and sacrifice offered to him, but rather paid a fair price for it. He did not take advantage of his position as king.

This chapter basically sums up David’s relationship with YHWH. What made him different from so many others? What made David a man after God’s own heart? I believe it was that when David sinned, he sought forgiveness and turned to YHWH and accepted consequences and changed his behavior.  That is something for us all to model.

We also see YHWH’s mercy at play as he stops the pestilence before it if fully rolled out.

Of course, we could also ask…”why is it a sin to take a census?”  “Was it YHWH who was angry that caused David to sin?”

If we cross reference with 1 Chronicles 21, we learn that it was Satan who rose up and incited David to conduct the census. It is likely that the sin here is not counting the people. There are other examples where the people were counted. Perhaps the sin here was pride growing within David and the people about their own might and power as a nation. Let us take care to avoid that trap (pride) that Satan sets for many of us.

Remember also that when sin occurs, and we repent, that does not mean we will not still experience consequences.

As perhaps a last thought, when David sinned with Bathsheba, there is no mention of Satan. That was just a sin motivated by David’s own sin nature. This event is different. This is an example of spiritual warfare in which Satan tempted or incited David to sin. We must be on guard for both.

2 Samuel 24

The Census Taken

      1Now again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2The king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, “Go about now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and register the people, that I may know the number of the people.” 3But Joab said to the king, “Now may the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see; but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” 4Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to register the people of Israel. 5They crossed the Jordan and camped in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad and toward Jazer. 6Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and they came to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon, 7and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites, and they went out to the south of Judah, to Beersheba. 8So when they had gone about through the whole land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9And Joab gave the number of the registration of the people to the king; and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

      10Now David’s heart troubled him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” 11When David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, 12“Go and speak to David, ‘Thus the LORD says, “I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you.”’” 13So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider and see what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.” 14Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the LORD for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

Pestilence Sent

      15So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand men of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. 16When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Now relax your hand!” And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking down the people, and said, “Behold, it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”

David Builds an Altar

      18So Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up, erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19David went up according to the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded. 20Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; and Araunah went out and bowed his face to the ground before the king. 21Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be held back from the people.” 22Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what is good in his sight. Look, the oxen for the burnt offering, the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23“Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” 24However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Thus the LORD was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel.

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Consequences of Sin, Justice / Judgment, Rebuke Wrong Behavior, Repenting from Sin, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Seven Men Hanged for the Sins of a Family Member

2 Samuel 21 records a difficult series of events to digest.  YHWH puts a famine on the land because of the sin of Saul against the Gibeonites. David seeks to make things right after three years because the LORD is rebuking Israel. I find it curious, and a bit disappointing that David asks the Gibeonites what to do to reconcile. I would have preferred if he would have asked YHWH. Maybe he did and YHWH did not answer. The answer seems pointless and unfair to the descendants of Saul. They were not the ones at fault and they are executed. Saul was already dead.

Ultimately after some additional actions and prayer, the LORD removes the famine. However, I can’t help but wonder if there could have been another option on how to repent and make things right. My opinion does not matter, however, in this account. We are left to reflect on the recorded events and decide how to apply in our lives.

For me, I want to be close to the LORD and know when I am being rebuked, like David was close to Him. I want to seek His guidance on what actions to take, even if they are hard. I do not want to seek opinions of people per se, except to better understand what YHWH may want us to do. I also want to recognize that sometimes my sin may be revisited upon my sons or daughters. I want to walk with righteousness as best I can and seek grace and forgiveness along the way.

2 Samuel 21

Gibeonite Revenge

      1Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the presence of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is for Saul and his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” 2So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them (now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites, and the sons of Israel made a covenant with them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah). 3Thus David said to the Gibeonites, “What should I do for you? And how can I make atonement that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?” 4Then the Gibeonites said to him, “We have no concern of silver or gold with Saul or his house, nor is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.” And he said, “I will do for you whatever you say.” 5So they said to the king, “The man who consumed us and who planned to exterminate us from remaining within any border of Israel, 6let seven men from his sons be given to us, and we will hang them before the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.” And the king said, “I will give them.”

      7But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the oath of the LORD which was between them, between David and Saul’s son Jonathan. 8So the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, Armoni and Mephibosheth whom she had borne to Saul, and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she had borne to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite. 9Then he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the mountain before the LORD, so that the seven of them fell together; and they were put to death in the first days of harvest at the beginning of barley harvest.

      10And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until it rained on them from the sky; and she allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night. 11When it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, 12then David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the open square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day the Philistines struck down Saul in Gilboa. 13He brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there, and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged. 14They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the grave of Kish his father; thus they did all that the king commanded, and after that God was moved by prayer for the land.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Grace / Forgiveness, Humility, Justice / Judgment, Kindness / Gentleness, Loving / Kind, Merciful

Even the Mighty Need Help Sometimes

Even the mighty need help sometimes. They need help from YHWH and from others who remain loyal and faithful to them in times of difficulty. David was a strong king, but due to his sin YHWH brought about some difficult times for him to face as punishment. David repented. There were still consequences, but YHWH and others who were faithful to David remained on his side to help him bring about victory.

We like to feel like we can control much or most of what happens in our lives. Some situations we can not control. We may need help from friends and from YHWH. Let’s be sure we are willing to ask for it and be thankful when it comes.

2 Samuel 17

Hushai’s Counsel

      1Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Please let me choose 12,000 men that I may arise and pursue David tonight. 2“I will come upon him while he is weary and exhausted and terrify him, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king alone, 3and I will bring back all the people to you. The return of everyone depends on the man you seek; then all the people will be at peace.” 4So the plan pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

      5Then Absalom said, “Now call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he has to say.” 6When Hushai had come to Absalom, Absalom said to him, “Ahithophel has spoken thus. Shall we carry out his plan? If not, you speak.” 7So Hushai said to Absalom, “This time the advice that Ahithophel has given is not good.” 8Moreover, Hushai said, “You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men and they are fierce, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is an expert in warfare, and will not spend the night with the people. 9“Behold, he has now hidden himself in one of the caves or in another place; and it will be when he falls on them at the first attack, that whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’ 10“And even the one who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will completely lose heart; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with him are valiant men. 11“But I counsel that all Israel be surely gathered to you, from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is by the sea in abundance, and that you personally go into battle. 12“So we shall come to him in one of the places where he can be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men who are with him, not even one will be left. 13“If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city, and we will drag it into the valley until not even a small stone is found there.” 14Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had ordained to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the LORD might bring calamity on Absalom.

Hushai’s Warning Saves David

      15Then Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, “This is what Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this is what I have counseled. 16“Now therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, ‘Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means cross over, or else the king and all the people who are with him will be destroyed.’” 17Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying at En-rogel, and a maidservant would go and tell them, and they would go and tell King David, for they could not be seen entering the city. 18But a lad did see them and told Absalom; so the two of them departed quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard, and they went down into it. 19And the woman took a covering and spread it over the well’s mouth and scattered grain on it, so that nothing was known. 20Then Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And the woman said to them, “They have crossed the brook of water.” And when they searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

      21It came about after they had departed that they came up out of the well and went and told King David; and they said to David, “Arise and cross over the water quickly for thus Ahithophel has counseled against you.” 22Then David and all the people who were with him arose and crossed the Jordan; and by dawn not even one remained who had not crossed the Jordan.

      23Now when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and arose and went to his home, to his city, and set his house in order, and strangled himself; thus he died and was buried in the grave of his father.

      24Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. 25Absalom set Amasa over the army in place of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Ithra the Israelite, who went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. 26And Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.

      27Now when David had come to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, 28brought beds, basins, pottery, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, lentils, parched seeds, 29honey, curds, sheep, and cheese of the herd, for David and for the people who were with him, to eat; for they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Curse, Discipline / Guidance From God, Humility, Justice / Judgment, Patient, Submitted / Servant, Teachable

Even in a Very Bad Day, Trust the LORD

I have had bad days before. I suspect we all have. However, I may not have had one as bad as David. As he leaves Jerusalem, fleeing from his son who has deposed him as king, he is both helped and cursed by different people. Even as one curses him, he withholds striking him down, instead trusting in the LORD’s hand even during punishment for his sin. This is a great example for us to follow. We all mess up. David trust and submits to the LORD truly even as he experiences the harsh consequences of his sin.

How we respond to our circumstances when they are painful largely reflects our relationship with our Father.

2 Samuel 16

Ziba, a False Servant

      1Now when David had passed a little beyond the summit, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a jug of wine. 2The king said to Ziba, “Why do you have these?” And Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine, for whoever is faint in the wilderness to drink.” 3Then the king said, “And where is your master’s son?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.’” 4So the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.” And Ziba said, “I prostrate myself; let me find favor in your sight, O my lord, the king!”

David Is Cursed

      5When King David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out from there a man of the family of the house of Saul whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came out cursing continually as he came. 6He threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the mighty men were at his right hand and at his left. 7Thus Shimei said when he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of bloodshed, and worthless fellow! 8“The LORD has returned upon you all the bloodshed of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. And behold, you are taken in your own evil, for you are a man of bloodshed!”

      9Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over now and cut off his head.” 10But the king said, “What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah? If he curses, and if the LORD has told him, ‘Curse David,’ then who shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” 11Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my son who came out from me seeks my life; how much more now this Benjamite? Let him alone and let him curse, for the LORD has told him. 12“Perhaps the LORD will look on my affliction and return good to me instead of his cursing this day.” 13So David and his men went on the way; and Shimei went along on the hillside parallel with him and as he went he cursed and cast stones and threw dust at him. 14The king and all the people who were with him arrived weary and he refreshed himself there.

Absalom Enters Jerusalem

      15Then Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. 16Now it came about when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!” 17Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?” 18Then Hushai said to Absalom, “No! For whom the LORD, this people, and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19“Besides, whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father’s presence, so I will be in your presence.”

      20Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice. What shall we do?” 21Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father. The hands of all who are with you will also be strengthened.” 22So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. 23The advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one inquired of the word of God; so was all the advice of Ahithophel regarded by both David and Absalom.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Discipline / Guidance From God, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Fear / Reverence for God, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Justice / Judgment, Repenting from Sin

David’s Punishment Comes Home To Roost

No sooner does David forgive his son, Absalom for a revenge killing than Absalom is recorded as conspiring against him to take the thrown. It was a plot that took time and was well thought out. Absalom should not have been trusted. He deceived the king to commit murder and then burned Joab’s field to get him to come and bring a message to the king. This man basically was out only for himself.

However, let us remember that some of this family trouble was brought upon David by his own sin, as he was punished for adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband. He repented, but there are still consequences. What we see now is the character of David in how he responds to the situation where his punishment for sin comes home to roost.

What is encouraging about David, is that he ultimately still submits to the LORD regardless of circumstance (2 Samuel 15: 25-26, included below).

2 Samuel 15

Absalom’s Conspiracy

     1Now it came about after this that Absalom provided for himself a chariot and horses and fifty men as runners before him. 2Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way to the gate; and when any man had a suit to come to the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And he would say, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” 3Then Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but no man listens to you on the part of the king.” 4Moreover, Absalom would say, “Oh that one would appoint me judge in the land, then every man who has any suit or cause could come to me and I would give him justice.” 5And when a man came near to prostrate himself before him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. 6In this manner Absalom dealt with all Israel who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel.

      7Now it came about at the end of forty years that Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow which I have vowed to the LORD, in Hebron. 8“For your servant vowed a vow while I was living at Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If the LORD shall indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the LORD.’” 9The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron. 10But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then you shall say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’” 11Then two hundred men went with Absalom from Jerusalem, who were invited and went innocently, and they did not know anything. 12And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom.

David Flees Jerusalem

      13Then a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.” 14David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise and let us flee, for otherwise none of us will escape from Absalom. Go in haste, or he will overtake us quickly and bring down calamity on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” 15Then the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king chooses.” 16So the king went out and all his household with him. But the king left ten concubines to keep the house. 17The king went out and all the people with him, and they stopped at the last house. 18Now all his servants passed on beside him, all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had come with him from Gath, passed on before the king.

      19Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why will you also go with us? Return and remain with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile; return to your own place. 20“You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander with us, while I go where I will? Return and take back your brothers; mercy and truth be with you.” 21But Ittai answered the king and said, “As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be.” 22Therefore David said to Ittai, “Go and pass over.” So Ittai the Gittite passed over with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. 23While all the country was weeping with a loud voice, all the people passed over. The king also passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over toward the way of the wilderness.

      24Now behold, Zadok also came, and all the Levites with him carrying the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God, and Abiathar came up until all the people had finished passing from the city. 25The king said to Zadok, “Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the sight of the LORD, then He will bring me back again and show me both it and His habitation. 26“But if He should say thus, ‘I have no delight in you,’ behold, here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him.” 27The king said also to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace and your two sons with you, your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. 28“See, I am going to wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” 29Therefore Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem and remained there.

      30And David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, and wept as he went, and his head was covered and he walked barefoot. Then all the people who were with him each covered his head and went up weeping as they went. 31Now someone told David, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O LORD, I pray, make the counsel of Ahithophel foolishness.”

      32It happened as David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, that behold, Hushai the Archite met him with his coat torn and dust on his head. 33David said to him, “If you pass over with me, then you will be a burden to me. 34“But if you return to the city, and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father’s servant in time past, so I will now be your servant,’ then you can thwart the counsel of Ahithophel for me. 35“Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So it shall be that whatever you hear from the king’s house, you shall report to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 36“Behold their two sons are with them there, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son; and by them you shall send me everything that you hear.” 37So Hushai, David’s friend, came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.