Listening to the Word

1 Chronicles 22-24; 1 Thessalonians 3   “But this word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side…’” 1 Chronicles 22:8, 9 The building of God’s house required hands that were clean and free of bloodshed.   Has God changed in this regard as he looks for people to join his mission of bringing salvation to the nations? We live under the atoning sacrifice of Christ’s blood for our sin. This blood speaks a better word than the cry of innocent blood for justice. Those who know Christ’s forgiveness are ambassadors of reconciliation to the nations. We are peacemakers because we have experienced peace with God through the Prince of Peace. We choose to forgive our enemies and do good to those who persecute us because we are representin...

2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21; Psalms. 30; 1 Thessalonians 2   “David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the Lord, and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. Then the Lord spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.” 1 Chronicles 21:26, 27 God’s judgment of Israel through a plague (pandemic) cost 70,000 lives. It was only as David repented before God that the Lord commanded the angel who stood over Jerusalem to put his sword back into its sheath. What is our response before the Lord during the plague in our day? What if we could see the angel of the Lord with a drawn sword? How would we respond? As David cried and repented before the Lord, his intercession was heard and the Lord’s mercy and compassion were stirred. It is the Lord who is our Saviour - more than science or the wisdom of man. Jesus has paid the price for the sin of the world; however the Lord stil...

2 Samuel 21-23; 1 Thessalonians 1   “During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the Lord. The Lord said, ‘It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.’…David asked the Gibeonites, ‘What shall I do for you? How shall I make amends so that you will bless the Lord’s inheritance?’” 2 Samuel 21:1, 3 Blood-guilt from the reign of Saul affected rainfall many years later during the reign of David. The healing of the land which God promised Solomon was conditional on the Israelites humbling themselves, seeking God’s face, repenting, and turning away from their wicked ways (2 Chronicles 7:14). God is still grieved with blood-guilt. The shedding of innocent blood defiles our land as well. David asked the Gibeonites, “How shall I make amends”?   Are we willing to ask the same question? The atonement of Jesus’ blood is our covering from God’s wrath against sin. However, Jesus t...

2 Samuel 19-20; Psalms 55; Matthew 28 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 These final words of Jesus to his disciples in Matthew’s gospel follow a period of incredible trauma and pain. The betrayal of Jesus, his tortuous death, and the shocking resurrection had deeply shaken the disciples, so much so that as these words were being spoken by the resurrected Christ, some of his disciples doubted it was really Jesus. Jesus didn’t engage the doubters; instead, he refocused the attention of his disciples on their collective mission. Jesus’ call to make disciples, baptizing them into a new identity, and teaching them to obey all that Christ had commanded, focused the disciples on the future. Are we focused...

2 Samuel 18; Psalms 56; Matthew 27 “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” Psalm 56:3, 4 David valued the presence of the Lord and listened to his word. When surrounded by danger in the Philistine city of Gath, David trusted in God’s promises to him which called for faith, not fear. When we feel surrounded, discouraged, or full of fear, in whose word are we placing our trust? The enemy of our soul accuses, lies, tempts, and distracts us from the truths of God’s Word. Are we listening to the Word or to the enemy? Will we reverence and fear God by honoring his promises and Word to us, or will we fear man? David realized that the Philistines could only kill his body; but, the Lord had watch over his body, his soul, and his spirit. Many years later the Lord used Ittai, the Gittite from Gath, along with 600 men to strengthen David’s leadership as he overcame Absalom’s rebellion. The Word of the...

2 Samuel 17; Psalms 71; Matthew 26   “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together. They say, ‘God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him.’ Be not far from me, O God;…Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.” Psalm 71:9-12, 18 Some of David’s greatest tests came in his old age. His sons feuded with each other and Absalom led a rebellion. The whisper campaign against David sought to undermine people’s belief that the Lord was still with David. Everyone knew that it was the presence of the Lord that gave David his strength. His age was secondary. Do we, too, feel forgotten or undermined by others? The world counts beauty, physical strength, or our earning power as the source of our value. David would tell us our value comes from the Lord. As we g...