9/16/2010 8:00:01 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: Idleness
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 2Samuel 11:1-2a
Message of the verses: “1 ¶ Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. 2 Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king’s house.”
This SD begins a new chapter in Dr. Wiersbe’s Commentary on 2Samuel, but there is nothing written in 1Chronicles about the sin of David. Wiersbe entitles this chapter “David’s Disobedience, Deception and Discipline.” The chapter has seven main points in it and I will begin the first main point, (“The Conceiving”) in this SD. There are three sub-points under this first main point of which the first is “Idleness.”
Dr. Wiersbe points to James 1:14-15 at the beginning of his commentary on the first main point, “13 ¶ Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.” I have included verse thirteen in this SD because I believe that it is important that God is never blamed when I am tempted.
The writer who is writing under the influence of the Holy Spirit begins by saying that springtime is the time when kings go out to war. The winter rains have stopped and the weather is warmer and there is an abundance of food available for the soldiers to eat, and that are some of the reasons that these wars began in the spring. Not the interesting point that the writer makes here is that he shows that David did not go out to this battle, but he stayed home and this was the first step in his sin even though staying home was not a sin David should have been out with his troops advising, for David was a military genius and would have been a great asset to his troops. This is perhaps another reason that David did not go and this is recorded in 2Samuel 21:15-17, “15 ¶ Now when the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David went down and his servants with him; and as they fought against the Philistines, David became weary. 16 Then Ishbi-benob, who was among the descendants of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight, was girded with a new sword, and he intended to kill David. 17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, "You shall not go out again with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel." It is good to remember that 2Samuel is not written chronological order as this even happened before the events in chapter eleven.
The battle that David sent Joab out to was for him to finish what they had started against Ammon because they had embarrassed those David had sent to console their new king and he got his advice from his young advisers.
Up to this point and even when David begins to walk out on the roof there is no sin, but these were things that the enemy would use to tempt David to commit sin. Perhaps Davis should have been doing things that kept his mind more occupied, things concerning the running of his kingdom. David was perhaps around fifty years of age and this could be another reason that he did not go out on this battle, but again he could have been very useful helping Joab in a leadership role. I have heard a saying “idols hands are the Devil’s workshop” meaning that we all should be doing something constructive, but does not mean that we have to be working all of the time in order to be doing something constructive. David surely was not doing something constructive and it was part of what lead him to his downfall.
Perhaps someone should have gone with David on this walk so that he would have had some company and then he would not have taken that second look, for looking the first time is sometimes unavoidable, while stopping to take a second look is, but I am getting into the next sub-point.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I can honestly say that getting rid of our cable TV has helped me to be more constructive in my life because I am not just sitting around watching TV. Last night I viewed a movie that I have on VHS, so that tells me that it was an older movie, somewhere around twenty years old, and I was shocked at how much swearing there was in it because I have not been exposed to that kind of language in a long time because I do not have cable anymore. This follows what Chip Ingram said would happen when you stop watching TV.
The point here is that I have to be doing things that are constructive, which David was not doing. I want to say that I am glad that the Lord has put into His Word these sins that all of these great leaders fallen into as it shows me that they were human, and had the same struggles that I have today, and also that I can learn from their mistakes so that I will hopefully not do the same as they did.
My Steps of Faith for Today:
1. Continue to trust the Lord to guide our steps as we look to go to Kauai for work and for ministry.
2. Trust the Lord to make our paths straight and to give us heavenly shock absorbers to handle the bumps along the way.
3. Give myself to the Lord for worship and for service.
4. Continue to learn contentment.
9/16/2010 9:16:49 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment