Cleanse Me (Psalm 51:1-7)

2/29/2012 9:18:36 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                                     Focus:  Cleanse Me

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                      Reference:  Psalm 51:1-7

            Message of the verses:  We are looking at Psalm 51, and in yesterday’s SD we looked only at the introduction because of the importance of this psalm.  1John 1:9 says that “if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  I think that an honest look at Psalm 51 will help us to understand what it means to confess our sins and not only that but we will learn what it means to be restored after confessing our sins and then we will have a desire to want to serve the Lord after we are restored to Him.

            I believe that one of the truly great things that I have learned about David is when he sinned he realized it and he would be ready to confess it.  We know that David is a man after God’s own heart and it was the Lord who chose David to lead His people.  We also remember that when the people cried out for a king that first God gave them what they wanted in a king, a tall, handsome man who could lead them into battle with their enemies.  Saul was that man but one thing that we know about Saul is that he was a man who did not truly confess his sins to the Lord and he was a man that had a hard time realizing that he sinned.  When we go all the way back to the beginning of the Bible in Genesis chapter 3 when Adam and Eve sinned and so sin was brought into the human race we saw excuses from both Adam and Eve as they did not want to say like David says in Psalm 51:4 “Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge.”  David realized that his sin was wrong, that it was against God, and that he deserved judgment from the Lord for his sin, David did not make excuses.  However when we look at Psalm 51:1 we read “Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.”  David knew that he was guilty and deserved judgment but at the same time David appealed to God’s grace.  Why?  David could not appeal to the Law, and he could not appeal to God’s justice.  David knew the truth of Psalm 103:10, “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.”  He also knew that truth of Psalm 130:3If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?”  David had a deep sincere knowing that whenever he sinned that that sin could cause him to burn in hell, yet he also knew that God was gracious.  I think that perhaps this could be something that believer’s today lack and when they sin they run to 1John 1:9 and quote that believing rightly that God will forgive them, but perhaps at the same time thinking lightly about their sin.  When we think about how horrible it was for Christ on the cross, the beatings, the humiliation, the spitting at Him, and all of these things were awful, but the worst part was the six hours that he spent on the cross when darkness was all around Him and at that time He became sin for us, for me and at that time He was separated from His Father because of our sin, because of my sin and at the end of that time He cried out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me.”  The answer to that question is God is a God of love for He is love, and God is a just God, and God is a forgiving God, and God did the forsaking because of you and because of me. 

            “Cleanse Me” (vv. 1-7):  “1 ¶  «For the choir director. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.» Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions. 2  Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity And cleanse me from my sin. 3  For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. 4  Against You, You only, I have sinned And done what is evil in Your sight, So that You are justified when You speak And blameless when You judge. 5  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. 6  Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

            When David sinned against Bathsheba, and her husband Uriah by murdering him deliberately there was no atonement in the Law for these sins.  Nathan the prophet when he confronted him Nathan told him that God had forgiven his sins.  This was truly the grace of God seen in all of this. 

            David had crossed over the line that God had drawn in the Law and we call this “transgression.”  David missed the mark that God has set for him and we call that “sin.”  David had yielded to his twisted sinful nature and we call this “iniquity.”   David asked God to “blot out” his transgressions and this refers to a debt that had to be paid, and would be paid for by the Lord Jesus Christ.  When David writes “cleanse” me he is referring to the defilement caused by touching something unclean as seen in Lev. 11:32 or cleansing from a disease as revered to in Lev. 13:1-3.

2/29/2012 10:17:30 AM             

2/29/2012 1:16:17 PM

            Now let us look at the word “wash” for this word refers to the cleansing of dirty clothing as seen in Isaiah 1:18, “"Come now, and let us reason together," Says the LORD, "Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.”  I have mentioned in earlier SD’s that in the Jewish society of the day when David was living that when someone washed their clothes and put new fresh clothes on it was a sign of a new beginning.  We can see this in Genesis 35:2 and 41:14 and also in 45:22.  Let us look at 2Samuel 12:20, “So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he came to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before him and he ate.”  This section from 2Samuel was after the baby died that was conceived when David committed adultery with Bathsheba. 

            We know that David’s sin was against Bathsheba and also her husband Uriah, but all sin that is committed is sin against God and David points this out in verse four.  In verse five we see David admitting that now only was he a sinner by choice but also by nature and this is very important to realize for as Paul writes in Romans 3:23 we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God.  When Adam and Eve sinned God told them that they would die and they did die spiritually because of their sin, but they also died physically later on at the end of their life.  This would not have occurred if they had not sinned. The sin nature that happened to them right after they sinned is passed on to all people.  Think about this, did you ever have to teach your children to do something wrong?  I don’t think so and this is evidence of the sin nature we are all born with.

            Now let’s talk about the significance of the word “Hyssop” which is found in verse 7.  “22  "You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.”  (Exodus 12:22)  Hyssop was a shrub with hairy stems and that is why it was used by the children of Israel to apply the blood to their doorposts, and it was also used for cleansing by the priests for those who needed ceremonial cleansing.  We as believers in Jesus Christ find our cleansing in the work that Jesus accomplished for us on the cross.  Hebrews 10:19-25 speaks of this:  “19 ¶  Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20  by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21  and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22  let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24  and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25  not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”  I think that chapter ten of Hebrews has been called the “let us” chapter.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The reason that I have this SD in two parts is because my daughter called and she was not feeling well and so I had to go pick up my grandson at pre-school.  I find that some of the best times of prayer are when I am in the car alone and I can talk to the Lord out loud without fear of someone else listening.  This morning my prayer was about the fact that rarely when I sin and confess my sin to the Lord that I think of what it cost my Lord to atone for those sins.  I need to remember what it cost to give me a salvation that is free.

1.       Remember the cost of God the Son and God the Father to pay for my sins.

2.       Continue to learn contentment.

2/29/2012 1:43:57 PM

The Unpardonable Sin (Mark 3:22-30)

“THE UNFORGIVABLE SIN”

(Mark 3:22-30)

            This will be the last post from Mark chapter three and it will be the hardest message of all the messages from Mark’s Gospel so far.  I am sure that most everyone has heard of the unforgivable sin before.  This unforgivable sin as John MacArthur puts it “ought to frighten the comfortable and comfort the frightened because on the on hand there are people who have no idea that they have committed the unforgivable sin…they have no idea that they have committed the unforgivable sin.  They’re comfortable and they ought to be frightened because they are heading to eternal hell!

            “There are other people who think they’ve committed the unforgivable sin and haven’t and need to be comforted.”

            This is why the message on the unforgivable sin is so difficult to write about, but something that needs to be written about so that it can be understood.  Mark 3:28-30 says, “"Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29  but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"- 30  because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit.’”  We see that Jesus begins this statement with words that He says when He is making a statement that He wants to make sure everyone hears.  Kind of like when He is talking to John in the book of Revelations chapters two and three when He says “’He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” 

            It was two blog entries ago from the book of Mark that I reminded everyone about when Jesus was baptized and that all three persons were represented at His baptism.  When Jesus came to earth as a man “He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (Phil. 2:7)  In empting Himself He laid aside His glory so that man could look upon Him without dying.  Jesus said in John 14:9b “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”  The point that I am making here is that at the baptism of Jesus the Holy Spirit entered Him in full measure, something that could not happen to another person.  Jesus was doing His miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit and as we will see His enemies are saying that He was doing it through the power of Satan. 

            In the last blog entry on Mark’s Gospel we talked about what C. S. Lewis said of Jesus that He was either Lord, liar, or lunatic. His enemies think that He is a liar and that is why they accuse Him of doing miracles in the power of Satan.  Jesus came to earth to show that He was the Son of God and they way that He did this was by the miracles that He was doing, yet some could not see that.  If a person says they are God and then does all kinds of miracles showing that He is God then people should believe Him.  Now we know that the “false prophet” who will be the antichrist’s co-worker will do miracles but the difference is that both he and the antichrist are evil, probably possessed by Satan.  Jesus did not sin and even asked His enemies if anyone could convict Him of any sin.  I also mentioned in that blog entry that at this point in the ministry of Jesus Christ while on earth that His ministry changed to begin to speak in parables because of being accused of doing His miracles in the power of Satan. 

            Warren Wiersbe has this to say about parables, “At this point, Mark introduced a new word-parables (see Mark 3:23; 4:2; 10-11, 13:33-34).  Jesus explained the kingdom, not by giving a lecture on theology, but by painting pictures that captured the attention of the people and forced them to use their imaginations and think.  Our English word parable comes from two Greek words that mean ‘to cast alongside’ (para—alongside; ballo—to throw or cast). A parable is a story or figure placed alongside a teaching to help us understand its meaning.  It is much more than ‘an earthly story with a heavenly meaning,’ and it certainly is not an ‘illustration’ such as a preacher would use in a sermon.  A true parable gets the listener deeply involved and compels that listener to make a personal decision about God’s truth and his or her life.  So penetrating and personal are parables that, after they heard several of them, the religious leaders wanted to kill the Lord Jesus!  (See Matt. 21:45-46).

            “A parable begins innocently as a picture that arrests our attention and arouses our interest.  But as we study the picture, it becomes a mirror in which we suddenly see ourselves.  If we continue to look by faith, the mirror becomes a window through which we see God and His truth.  How we respond to that truth will determine what further truth God will teach us.

            “Why did Jesus teach in parables?  His disciples asked Him that very question (Mark 4:10-12; and see Matt. 13:10-17).  A careful study of His reply reveals that Jesus used parables both to hide the truth and to reveal it.  The crowd did not judge the parables; the parables judged the crowd.  The careless listener, who though he knew everything, would hear only a story that he did not really understand; and the result is his life would be judgment (see Matt. 11:25-30).  The sincere would ponder the parable, confess his ignorance, submit to the Lord, and then begin to understand the spiritual lesson Jesus wanted to teach.”

            Dr. Wiersbe then talked about the importance of the parables that Jesus taught and they were on hearing the Word of God.  Jesus was not talking about physical hearing but spiritual hearing.  Jesus will use a parable while speaking to the Pharisees who have just concluded that His miracles were done in the power of Satan.  I want to write briefly on the parable that we find in this section of Mark and then a bit more about the unforgivable sin.

            There is a parallel passage in Matthew 12 and we will look at verse 22-24 in order to help us better understand the setting, “22 ¶  Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. 23  All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, "This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?" 24  But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.’”

            Dr. Wiersbe has this to say about Beelzebul, “Beelzebub or Beelzebul is a name for the devil, and it means ‘master of the house.’  Jesus picked up on this meaning and gave a parable about a strong man guarding his house.  To plunder the house, one must first overcome the strong man.”

            By the way there is another incident where Jesus is accused of doing His miracles by the power of Satan and that is found in Luke 11:14-23, but this is not a parallel passage of Matthew and Mark’s account, it is a different one, which shows that there were perhaps many of these that Jesus encountered.

            Why do you suppose that these Pharisees accused Jesus of doing His miracles in the power of Satan and not just simply say that He is a lunatic?  Well the answer is that lunatic’s don’t perform miracles and Jesus was performing countless numbers of miracles and that is the only way to explain it.

            John MacArthur explains the parable:  “He starts with a logical absurdity and then goes to a logical reality. Here's the absurdity. “He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in these kinds of parables. Number one, how can Satan cast out Satan?” Good teachers ask questions, don't they? Ask questions the students have to answer. Even better, ask questions that put students on the horns of a dilemma. Even better, ask questions that makes student's comments absurd. How can Satan cast out Satan? How can he do that? I mean, that is an absurdity. While there might be inconsistency in his kingdom, and there certainly is because he's not omnipresent and he's not omnipotent, therefore he can't run everything all the time everywhere among all the demons. And while there's a certain amount of freedom in the chaos of evil to express itself in different ways, he is certainly not by design going around tearing up his own kingdom. He's not going around exposing people with demons who are sitting comfortably in synagogues doing his damning work. He wants them clandestine and unknown, not exposed. But every time Jesus goes into a synagogue, the demons scream. And, “Oops, there goes our cover.’  He's not designing to destroy himself and his enterprise. Listen, this is a being that was created originally as a holy angel and lived in the presence of God and is extremely magnificent and wise, been around a long time. Satan is no fool. He is cunning. He is deceptive. He is wily. He is conniving.

It's absurd to think that Satan would be running around dismantling his kingdom.

            And then he makes some truisms, some axioms, self-evident statements. “If a kingdom is divided

against itself, the kingdom can't stand. If a house is divided against itself, the house will not be able to

stand.” House being some entity, any entity. That's obvious, that's a truism.

“So, verse 26, “If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, he is telos

ekka(??), it's over. He's just brought an end to himself. He just brought the whole thing down on his

own head.

            So he says, “You've got to be kidding. I mean, that is a logical absurdity. Satan is not going to do that.  Satan wants to destroy the work of God, he doesn't want to destroy his own work.” From that logical

absurdity He goes to a positive reality that they can't deny in verse 27. Let's go positive on this one.

“On the other hand, no one can enter the strong man's house and plunder his property unless he first

binds the strong man and then he will plunder his house.’

            “Is that obvious? That's another truism. That's axiomatic. That's a positive kind of axiom. Look, if you want to go in and get the property of someone, you have to overpower the guy. You've got to be

stronger than he is to get his property. So Jesus is saying the only logical conclusion here is that I am

stronger than Satan and there is only one who is stronger than Satan and who is that? It's God. You

can't enter the strong man's house. The strong man is Satan.”

            I suppose that I have read this passage many, many times and did not understand it as well as I do now that I have listened to John MacArthur’s sermon along with Warren Wiersbe’s writing on it.

            The sin that the Pharisees committed that would not be forgive was that they came to the wrong conclusion about who Jesus was and therefore would not be able to repent of that sin because they said that Jesus was demonic.

            There is a question that comes up when thinking about this unforgivable sin and that is “Does this mean that God the Son is less important than the Holy Spirit?  Why would a sin against God the Son be forgivable and yet a sin against the Holy Spirit be unforgivable?”  (Warren Wiersbe)

            We see the patience that God has with the nation of Israel as He first sent John the Baptist and the “religious” people did not come to see John, but the common people did and repented, and then no one came to the rescue of John the Baptist and he was killed.  The same was true with Jesus Christ.  Then we see the Holy Spirit coming at Pentecost and demonstrated God’s power in many convincing ways.  The religious leaders responded in the same way by arresting the apostles.  We read that after the Apostle James was killed that because it pleased the Jews Herod had Peter arrested too and would have killed him if it were not for an angel of the Lord letting him out of jail.  Now let’s look at what Steven said right before the Jews killed him “"You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.’”

            Can people today commit the unforgivable sin?  “People today cannot commit the ‘Unpardonable sin’ in the same way the Jewish religious leaders did when Jesus was ministering on earth.  The oly sin today that God cannot forgive is rejection of His Son (John 2:16-21, 31).  When the Spirit of God convicts the sinner and reveals the Savior, the sinner may resist the Spirit and resist the witness of the Word of God, but that does not mean he has forfeited all his opportunities to be saved.  If he will repent and believe, God can still forgive him.  Even if the sinner so hardens his heart that he seems to be insensitive to the pleadings of God, so long as there is life, there is hope.  Only God knows if and when any ‘deadline’ has been crossed.  You and I must never despair of any sinner (1Tim. 2:4; 2Peter 3:9).”  (Warren Wiersbe)

            It is my prayer that those who read this will better understand what exactly the unpardonable sin is and that if any think that they have committed it they will now realize that they have not, and if there are any who read this that have not heard of this sin that they will confess their sins and invite Jesus Christ into their lives and become born from above.

           

           

The Conquering (2Sam. 12:26-31; 1Chr. 20:1-3)

9/26/2010 9:33:14 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  The Conquering

Bible Reading & Meditation                                    Reference:  2Sam. 12:26-31; 1Chr. 20:1-3

            Message of the verses:  “26 ¶  Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon and captured the royal city. 27  Joab sent messengers to David and said, "I have fought against Rabbah, I have even captured the city of waters. 28  "Now therefore, gather the rest of the people together and camp against the city and capture it, or I will capture the city myself and it will be named after me." 29  So David gathered all the people and went to Rabbah, fought against it and captured it. 30  Then he took the crown of their king from his head; and its weight was a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone; and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought out the spoil of the city in great amounts. 31  He also brought out the people who were in it, and set them under saws, sharp iron instruments, and iron axes, and made them pass through the brickkiln. And thus he did to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

            “1 ¶  Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that Joab led out the army and ravaged the land of the sons of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. And Joab struck Rabbah and overthrew it. 2  David took the crown of their king from his head, and he found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there was a precious stone in it; and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought out the spoil of the city, a very great amount. 3  He brought out the people who were in it, and cut them with saws and with sharp instruments and with axes. And thus David did to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.”

            It is kind of a mystery to me as to how long this battle was going on with Ammon, for when it began in the spring is when David sinned with Bathsheba and now this is at least ten months later if this part was done in the order that the chapter was written. 

            I think that the point of this section is the grace of God, for even though there was this great sin in the life of Israel’s king God was gracious to give Israel the victory over Ammon, but the hammer is going to come down on David with members of his family in the next chapter of 2Samuel.

            The crown that the king of Ammon had on his head weighed between fifty and seventy-five pounds so it was not on his head for long, and after wearing it for a short time it would go into the treasury for Solomon to use to build the Temple of God. 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I am thankful for the grace that God gives to me each day, and for the mercy that He gives to me each day.  I could never earn my salvation that the Lord provided for me through Jesus Christ, and if I got what I deserved it would be hell, but God is rich in His mercy towards me and for that I am thankful and praise the Lord.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.      I trust the Lord will see us through to Kauai and that He will have work for us to do when we get there to His glory.

2.      I give myself to the Lord for worship and service today.

9/26/2010 9:53:39 AM

The Comforting (2Sam. 12:24-25)

9/25/2010 8:38:09 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  The comforting

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference:  2Sam. 12:24-25

            Message of the verses:  “24  Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her; and she gave birth to a son, and he named him Solomon. Now the LORD loved him 25  and sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah for the LORD’S sake.”

            God gave forgiveness to David and Bathsheba in giving them a son whom the Lord loved in a special way and he would be the one who will be the next king of Israel.  In verse twenty-four Bathsheba is called the wife of David and not Uriah’s wife as seen in other places. 

            There is one thing that I do not truly understand and that is what is recorded in 1Chronicles 3:5 “These were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon, four, by Bath-shua the daughter of Ammiel.”  Here and in other places it is mentioned that Solomon is born number four in line of children of Bathsheba and David and yet it seems like after reading the verses for today’s SD that he is the very next child to be born to David and Bathsheba.  Dr. Wiersbe says that David was around fifty years old when all this took place and if Solomon was their fourth child then David would have been somewhere around 55-60 when Solomon was born and David died at age 70 so Solomon would have been a very young king.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Romans 8:28 reads as follows, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  As I look at some of these incidents that are found in Scripture such as what is seen in chapters eleven and twelve of 2Samuel I see this as part of the meaning of Romans 8:28.  When I first started looking at situations like found here I would think that this was all in God’s plans, which it was, but in a bad sense and not in the sense where God was showing His grace and forgiveness and using this and other situations to work out for their good and for God’s glory.  These are very hard things to understand and things that will probably never be understood on this side of glory.

            I am thankful for the grace of God.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.      Trust that the Lord will give me the strength to finish the task of helping us to get ready to go to Kauai.

9/25/2010 9:15:10 AM

The Chastening (2Sam. 12:15-23)

9/24/2010 6:59:01 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  The chastening

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference:  2Sam. 12:15-23

            Message of the verses:  “15 ¶  So Nathan went to his house. Then the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s widow bore to David, so that he was very sick. 16  David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground. 17  The elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. 18  Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, "Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child is dead, since he might do himself harm!" 19  But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they said, "He is dead." 20  So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he came to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before him and he ate. 21  Then his servants said to him, "What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food." 22  He said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ’Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.’ 23  "But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.’”

            I want to begin this portion of my SD by quoting from Dr. Wiersbe’s commentary on 2Samuel:  “Chastening is not punishment meted out by and angry judge who wants to uphold the law; rather, it’s difficulty permitted by a loving Father who wants His children to submit to His will and develop godly character.  Chastening is an expression of God’s love:  ‘11  My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, 12  For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights’ (Proverbs 3:11-12).” 

            The death of Bathsheba’s son brings about a question that must be asked, but difficult to answer and the question is “Why does a loving God permit evil in the world?”  Dr. Wiersbe writes “There are no easy answers to settle our minds, but there are plenty of dependable promises to heal our hearts, and faith is nurtured on promises, not explanations.”  I like that last part of the quote speaking of promises that nurture us and not explanations.  Abraham said in Genesis 18:25 “Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?’” 

            Some have said that what David meant in verse twenty three means that David was speaking of him going to his son in death, but this would not be a good promise, for I believe that David is speaking of going to see his son, whom he will recognize, in glory.

            One more thing and that is something that I have gone over in earlier SD’s and that is the part where David learned of his son’s death and then the Scripture says “So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes.”  “In Scripture, washing oneself and changing clothes symbolizes making a new beginning.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  David had been away from the Lord for a long time before Nathan confronted him with his sins, and now David has returned to fellowship with the Lord and this is seen by what David is doing in this section and this shows that he truly is a man after God’s own heart.  What I can learn from this is it is important how I handle problems, how I handle chastening from the Lord, and it does not always mean that I have sinned in order to be chastened by the Lord.  The word in Hebrews 12:5-13 that is translated in the KJV as chastening and in the NASB as discipline speaks of the discipline that a Greek son were taught when they were little as they went to the gym to learn how to be prepared for life.  “AV-chastening 3, nurture 1, instruction 1, chastisement 1; 6  

1) the whole training and education of children (which relates to the cultivation of mind and morals, and employs for this purpose now commands and admonitions, now reproof and punishment) It also includes the training and care of the body

2) whatever in adults also cultivates the soul, esp. by correcting mistakes and curbing passions.

2a) instruction which aims at increasing virtue

2b) chastisement, chastening, (of the evils with which God visits men for their amendment)”

This explanation comes from the Greek English dictionary that is on the Online Bible program that I have on my computer.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.      Learn to handle discipline in a godly mater so that I will grow in the Lord from that experience.

2.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.

3.      Trust the Lord to direct my path today.

9/24/2010 7:41:19 AM 

The Pardon (2Sam. 12:13-14)

9/23/2010 9:50:17 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                                             Focus:  The pardon

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference:  2Sam. 12:13-14

            Message of the verses:  “13  Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. 14  "However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die.’”

            David wrote two Psalms to show his repentance from these sins, and these Psalms, 32 & 51 give comfort to all who have sinned against the Lord and have truly confessed and repented from their sin.  Verse fourteen begins with the word “however” and this is the part that Dr. Wiersbe points out that this has to do with the government of God, and so God would allow David to go through the consequences of his sin, and the first part of that would be the death of Bathsheba’s son.  As mentioned in an earlier SD David would also lose three more sons and he also had a beautiful daughter rapped by her half brother and this began the great trouble in David’s family that almost cost him his throne. 

            Spiritual meaning for my life this morning:  I have been writing about the stages of how temptation and sin work in a person’s life and will repeat some of these things in this section of this SD today.  Temptation is not sin for Hebrews tells me that the Lord Jesus was tempted :  “Heb 2:18  For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.  Heb 4:15  For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”  These two verses prove that temptation is not sin.  When I am tempted I can get rid of the temptation and one of the ways to do this is to quote 1Cor. 10:13 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

            Next when I give in to temptation in my mind that will be the next easiest way to not sin in my body.  Jesus spoke of this in His sermon on the mount:  “Mt 5:27  "You have heard that it was said, ’YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; Mt 5:28  but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  Sinning in my heart can lead to sinning in my body and it does not only mean sexual sins like is spoken of above, anger and murder begin in the heart along with other sins and in the heart is the second best place to get rid of these sins before one commits them in their bodies.

            David did not follow any of these steps and thus broke four of the Ten Commandments.  God, in His grace, forgave David and because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross I will be forgiven for all my sins, but if I continue to sin then I will not be in wonderful fellowship with the Lord and will not be conformed in the image of Jesus Christ, something I have a great desire to do

My Steps of Faith for Today: 

1.      Remember the truth of 1Cor. 10:13.

2.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and service this day.

3.      Trust the Lord to guide & direct my path today.

9/23/2010 10:29:19 AM

The Verdict and Sentence (2Sam. 12:7-12)

9/22/2010 7:07:16 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                                 Focus: The verdict & the sentence

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference:  2Sam. 12:7-12

            Message of the verses: “7 Nathan then said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ’It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 ’I also gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! 9 ’Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.  10 ’Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ 11 “Thus says the LORD, ’Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 ’Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.’”

            David was angry at the man in the story who had killed the little ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and so Nathan tells David that he was that man.  I do not suppose that he gave David time to react to that statement, but he goes on to tell him the verdict that the Lord had told Nathan to tell David.  David had not only sinned against Uriah and Bathsheba, but he also sinned against the Lord and he did not care that he had broken four of the Ten Commandments and used the enemy of Ammon to kill Uriah, and then he took Bathsheba to be his wife.  Nathan goes on to tell David that if the things that the Lord had given him were too little that He would have given him more.  The Lord had taken David from tending sheep to make him king and then kept him safe from Saul and then given all that Saul had and given it to David, and God had also given him victory over his enemies and now David forgot all of this for one moment of pleasure. 

            As for the matter of the sentence that the Lord was about to give to David it was harsh because the crimes were also harsh, but the Lord will pardon David from a part of this sentence because He is gracious and because God had made a covenant with David to always have a man on the throne and this still holds true even today as Jesus Christ is seated on the throne in heaven next to His Father ruling and reigning. 

            David would lose four of his sons, the baby; Amnon, Absalom, and Adonijah were all kill by the sword with the exception of Bathsheba’s baby.  Absalom would lie with David concubines in full view of all to see.  What David did with Bathsheba was not as serious as what he did to Uriah, and in 1Kings 15:5 the author speaks of the matter of what David did to Uriah, but does not speak of what David did with Bathsheba.

            Dr. Wiersbe points out the laws that David broke and the consequences that that are written in the Law when these laws were broken and they all happened to David, especially when Absalom took over for a brief time as king before Joab killed him.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  God is equitable in all his doings with me, and though my sins have been forgiven me through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ there are still consequences when I sin just as there were when David sinned.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.      I give myself to the Lord today for worship and for service.

2.      I trust the Lord to guide my path today.

3.      I trust the Lord to guide me into making the correct decisions with the health problems that I am now facing.

9/22/2010 7:45:41 AM

           

The Trial (2Sam. 12:1-6)

9/21/2010 9:10:33 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                                                         Focus:  The trial

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                            Reference:  2Sam. 12:1-6

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said, "There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. 2  "The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. 3  "But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb Which he bought and nourished; And it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, and was like a daughter to him. 4  "Now a traveler came to the rich man, And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; Rather he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him." 5  Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. 6  "He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion."

            This SD begins the forth main point from Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on 2Samuel and this is from the fifth chapter in his commentary.  He has entitled this forth point “The Confessing,” and this is the first of four sub-points to be covered.

            I believe that this may be the second time the prophet is mentioned as he came on the scene in 2Samuel chapter seven where David had had the desire to build a temple for the Lord and Nathan responded at first with telling David to do so but then came back with the Word from the Lord not to do it, but let his son do it.

            Now Nathan must tell David a story that will show him that he had committed a great sin that was deserving of death along with his pregnant wife and he uses an illustration that if very familiar to David that of a sheep probably reminding David of his days as a shepherd of sheep.  In this story there is a rich man who represents David, a poor man who represents Uriah, and a guest who represents sin.  I think that all of these representations are very clear with possibility the reprehensive of sin.  I want to turn to the very first chapter in the Bible and something that happened near the beginning to help illustrate why sin can first be a guest and then can be a master.  “6 ¶  Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7  ‘If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.’”  I think the Lord is saying to Cain that if you don’t master sin it will master you. “6 ¶  GOD spoke to Cain: "Why this tantrum? Why the sulking? 7  If you do well, won’t you be accepted? And if you don’t do well, sin is lying in wait for you, ready to pounce; it’s out to get you, you’ve got to master it.’”  (Message)

            The Lord gave Nathan the right words to say to David and David will respond in the correct manner, as the Word of God had great effect with David’s sin unlike what it did in the life of Cain who became the first murderer on planet earth. 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I could not sleep for a while last night I picked up the book that I have been reading “Hand Me Another Brick” by Charles Swindoll and got to a chapter called “The Fine Art of Insight.”  In this chapter he writes about the difference between input and insight and this is what is seen or will be seen with David, for David was listening to Nathan and was receiving insight from the Word of the Lord, while Cain was only getting input from the Word of the Lord and it did not affect him.

            I have a great desire to read and understand and have insight into the Word of God, and I want it to affect me in such a way that it will do the work in my life that God wants it to do.  At times I truly fight with myself on how I show people things that I have learned from the Word of God as I want to bring glory to the Lord for what He has taught me and at times I lose this fight and it seems to me that I have brought glory to me, and this just causes me a great deal of pain for I know that this is sinful and wrong.  This puts me in the seventh chapter of Romans where I am doing what I don’t want to do and not doing what I want to do, “24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.      In all I do I want to give glory to the Lord.

2.      Give myself to the Lord for worship and service.

3.      Continue to learn contentment.

9/21/2010 10:03:46 AM