Mon.’s Devo - Lies Lead to Death

Read: 1 Chronicles 19:1-21:30; Romans 2:25-3:8; Psalm 11:1-7; Proverbs 19:10-12 David learned that King Nahash of the Ammonites had died and his son had taken the throne. He sent ambassadors to give his respects for his father but his officers thought they were there to spy out their land for a future attack. They took David’s men and cut off their beards and their robes. They returned to David in shame. David let them stay in Jericho until their beards grew out. *** The people of Ammon realized how angry David was with them and hired chariots and soldiers from Aram-naharaim, Arammaach, and Zobah. David’s army met them at Medeba. Joab had enemy armies to fight on both sides to fight so he divided his army. He took some of Israel’s elite troops with him to fight the Arameans in the fields. His brother Abishai took the rest to fight the Ammonites. They both fled before Israel’s armies. The Arameans gathered more troops from beyond the Euphrates River. Israel crossed the Jordan where they battled again. Once again, Israel won and Hadadezer’s allies surrendered to David and became his subjects. *** Just to think, all of this was over a misunderstanding. All David was trying to do was to send condolences to King Nahash. This is how little offenses can grow into great wars. The answer to all of this is communication, trust, and forgiveness. *** Chapter 20 begins, “in the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war.” The priests don’t record this, but this was when David sinned with Bathsheba. Joab did go out to war and destroyed the city of Rabat taking the king’s crown. He had David come and remove the crown from the king’s head so he would get the credit for the victory. *** War broke out with the Philippines at Gezer and they killed a giant named Saph. They also killed Lahmi, Goliath’s brother in another battle. David’s nephew killed a giant at Gath who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. *** David sinned by taking a census of the people. Joab tried to talk him out of it but he insisted. After it was done, God gave him three options for his punishment. He could have three years of famine, three months of destruction by war or three days of severe plague on his nation. He chose the latter because he would rather fall into the hands of God than man. Good choice! *** The plague killed 70,000 of his people and just as the angel of the Lord was going to destroy the people of Jerusalem, David and his leaders put on sack cloth to show their repentance. They fell on their face before God and he relented. The angel stopped at the threshing floor of Araunah. Araunah and his four sons saw the angel and ran and hid. David walked up and offered Araunah to buy his threshing floor where the plague stopped so he could offer sacrifices to the Lord. Araunah offered to give David the land and the animals to sacrifice but David insisted on paying full price. He gave him 600 pieces of gold to pay for it. *** Romans begins with a valuable statement: “The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law.” This is true of salvation. We could say it like this: “Walking down an aisle and giving your heart to the Lord only has value if you walk in Jesus’ teaching.” *** Paul goes on to say that a change of heart can only happen by the Spirit of God. That person will have a heart that seeks to praise the Lord and seek his praise and not man’s. *** The false teachers of his day were saying that by sinning it made God look more righteous so they were justified in their sinful lifestyles. Paul totally disagreed. He will speak more about that tomorrow. *** Lord, may our righteousness be to your glory because only you can make a person righteous. May we glorify you.