The Ammonites hired tens of thousands of Syrians to war with them against Israel. David sent Joab with his mighty men. But they faced Syrians in front and behind. Taking half his army one way, and sending the other half with his brother, Abishai, Joab said, "Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth him good." The Syrians lost 40,000 men and 700 chariots.
2 Samuel 10:19 - "So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more."
PRINCIPALS - "Mephibosheth"
David asked Saul's servant, Ziba, if any of Saul's family were still alive. He discovered that the day Jonathan died, a nursemaid fled with his 5-year-old son. He fell down, becoming crippled for life. Mephibosheth required constant care. David had him brought to Jerusalem, and adopted him. David's compassion should inspire us to be compassionate toward the underprivileged.
2 Samuel 9:7 - "I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father's sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually."
PRINCIPLES - "Distrust and Suspicion"
Nahash the Ammonite king showed some unknown kindness to David. When he died, David showed kindness to his son, Hanun, by sending his servants with condolences. But the Ammonite princes distrusted David and suspected the men were spying to overthrow them. They shaved off their beards, cut off their skirts, sent them shamefully away, hired mercenaries, and declared war on Israel. David sent Joab with an army, who whipped them soundly. Distrust and suspicion cause unnecessary wars.
2 Samuel 10:19 - "When all the kings ...saw that they were smitten before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them."
PROPHECIES - "David's Sin and Curse"
While his armies were off to war, David saw Bathsheba washing herself and ordered his servants to fetch her. He committed adultery with her, then conspired to have her husband killed on the front lines. But Nathan prophesied sorrowful tragedies to come. Beware the awful anguish and high price of sin.
2 Samuel 12:10-12 - "The sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house."
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Come, Lord Jesus |
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. – 1 John 3:2-3 |
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Hopelessness. As this age draws to a close, that's a feeling that's going to be more and more common among the people of this world. But, you know, it's something we as believers never have to feel! Because no matter how much pressure comes on the earth, no matter how dark the natural circumstances around us are, we know that we have hope in the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sometimes we forget that. We get our attention focused so intently on the natural things of this life that we lose that hope and get caught up in the hopelessness around us. But we don't have to let that happen. A friend of mine once met a born-again Arab woman in the Middle East who was living proof of that. The woman was caught in a life most of us would consider almost unbearable. She was living in a war zone that had been torn up by violence. She faced the danger of bombs and bullets every day. Now that Arab woman had no hope in the natural. Her country was being destroyed around her. She had to go to Israel to work and get money for her family because there were no jobs where she was, no way to make money. Things around her seemed to be going from bad to worse, but she told my friend she had hope because she knew that Jesus was coming back for her. And that hope kept her going. So, if you're feeling hopeless, get your eyes off this world and get them on the soon return of Jesus. Not only will that raise your spirits, the Bible says it will purify you. It will cause you to live uprightly, to separate you from the sin and failure of the world around you. It will lift you into the joy and victory of God. Think about this. When this old world comes to an end, you and I will just be getting started. We'll be stepping into the most glorious life we've ever known. The people of the world may look back wistfully and wish for better days gone by. But for you and me, the best is yet to come. So we can shout hallelujah in the midst of trouble and say with the Apostle John, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Come quickly! |
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