Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Tues.’s Devo - Reestablishing the Kingdom

Read: 2 Sam. 19-21
David’s army risked their lives to get David back his kingdom and all David could do was to mourn for his son, Absalom. Needless to say, the people felt betrayed by David. Joab realized if David didn’t do something to win the people’s heart back, David might lose his kingdom again and Joab would be out of a job. Joab was conniving and self-centered. When David hired his nephew, Amasa to go rally the troops, Joab took it as a threat to his position and chased down Amasa and killed him. Luckily for Joab, David was so vulnerable he was forgiving people right and left and didn’t have the strength to discipline Joab.
Sheba, an adversary rose up against David and tried to win the favor of the people and become king. He was a man of Belial. That is an expression describing a base person who is wicked and godless. He ended up dying by the fate of a prophetess.
There was a famine in Israel which is an indication that God was punishing the nation for something they had done to offend God. When David went to the Lord about it, God showed him that they were being punished because of how Saul had treated the Amorites. The Amorites had aided the children of Israel during their wilderness journey. God had told them to spare the Amorites because of this. Saul in his zeal to rid the land of God’s enemies had killed many of them. David went to the Amorites and asked how he could right that wrong. They told David they wanted seven of Saul’s sons. David spared Mephibosheth and turned the other seven other sons of Saul over to the Amorites who hung them. Then Saul took Saul and Jonathan’s bones from the enemy and had them buried in their family tomb. Because of all this, God healed their land of the famine. Then David and his servants came up against four giants and were able to defeat them. It is amazing what we can do when we do what is right to get back in God’s blessings.
Lord, show us as a nation how to repent and undo the sins our nation and get back into your blessings.

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