Sun.’s Devo - The True Vine

Read: 2 Samuel 9:1-11:27; John 15:1-27; Psalm 119:49-64; Proverbs 16:1-3
David wanted to honor anyone who was left of Saul’s household for Jonathan’s sake. Saul had a servant named Ziba who had been caring for Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth. Mephebosheth had become lame in both legs a the age of five when he fell, fleeing from the enemy.
David gave all of Saul’s land to Mephiboshth and asked Ziba to farm it for his family and for Mephibosheth, but Mephibosheth and his son, Mica, were to eat every meal with David at the palace.
David also wanted to show sympathy to Hanun the new king of the Ammonites because his father had died. His father had been kind to David when he was running from Saul. David sent his men with words of comfort to Hanun but his advisors believed David’s men to be spies. They had David’s mens beards shaved and the skirts of their uniforms cut off explosing them. When David found out he sent these men to a secluded town till their beards could grow back and rallied his troops for war. Hanun knew this was coming so he hired the Armenians to fight with him. Israel won and the Armenians never helped the Ammonites again. Instead they both served David and paid him tribute.
In the spring, when David should have been out to war, he stayed home and was idle. He walked out on his balcony and saw Bathsheba bathing from her monthly period. He wanted her, so he sent for her. It didn’t seem to matter to David that she was married and that her husband was one of the best soldiers serving in his army. He had sex with her and when he found out she was pregnant, he did everything he could think of to cover his sin. David had to resort to killing her husband, Uriah, so he could legally have Bathsheba and hide his sin. He couldn’t hide it from God and I’m pretty sure most of David’s household servants knew the truth also.
In John, Jesus told his disciples that he is the true vine. A vine is a picture of a family line. If Jesus is the true vine, then there is a false vine also that produces a bad family line. Cain, Esau, and Ahab were all examples of fruit from Satan’s line.
If we are born again, then we are part of God’s vine and the only way we can produce fruit is to get the nourishment of the vine. To do this we must remain attached to the vine. Everything God does stems from the blood flowing through this vine so apart from it we are lifeless and we will die.
In case this seems confining, Jesus said that if we remain on the vine, in him, we are his friends. On the vine, we can ask anything and it will be ours because we will be asking what God wants. We will have his heart and his blood flowing through our veins. To help us know God’s heart, God sent us his Holy Spirit to give us truth.
Lord, help us to remain in you so that our words can bring life.