Welcome back. We are cruising rapidly toward the end of our challenge. Stay the course, keep reading, the reward at the end will feel great.
Today's reading is from 2 Samuel 2-3
Chapter 2:
It is sad to see the Israel divided. We still see this today in other nations. When there has been a king or longtime ruler and they die, there is often a power struggle to see who will gain control and power. Unfortunately, Israel gets divided: Judah and the all the rest of Israel. Saul's son sees the throne as rightfully his, yet we have already learned that God has rejected Saul and his family and has anointed David. It is clear that "Israel" is out of God's will because they are not following David. The scene that unfolds with the killing each other is sad. It is a civil war, friend killing friend, brother killing brother. It is a reminder that things can get messy when it comes to leadership, power, and control.
Chapter 3:
Abner's prophetic words point to the coming day when David will rule all of Israel. i find it interesting that Abner was aware of the promise of God to David, yet had still chose to fight with Saul's son. He is now ready to turn to David and help make him king over all the land. However, Abner's alliance would be short-lived because his life was about to be over. When Joab and Abishai learned of Abner's presence in the kingdom, he saw a perfect opportunity to avenge the death of their brother. David is furious at their actions and his love for them is fading fast. This just reminds me that we can't always act from our emotions. We can't always look to seek revenge on others. Joab and Abishai responded from pure emotions and bitterness. We too must be careful not to harbor hate and malice toward others who have hurt us.
These are some of my thoughts. What stood out to you from these passages?
What a sad journey we see unfolding. Civil War is so easy to experience when one's eyes are not on the Lord. Often Churches experience civil war in their midst. And most of the time it is because of power struggles. 99.9999% of all civil wars in churches are not about Theology but rather over who holds that power.
ReplyDeleteThese chapters remind me that only God holds the power and when we trust Him there is peace in the Kingdom. May we learn to subject ourselves to those that are anointed to lead and submit ourselves in humility to God as He directs our footsteps to be in sync with His planned leadership
I like your take on chapter 2 Erik. You are so right when you mention how messy it can be when it comes to leadership, power, and control. People don't care who they are hurting in order to get what they want or feel they deserve. We are just lucky we don't live in the time of David because we would be run through with a sword over it!
ReplyDeleteYou mention not harboring hate against someone that has hurt you. It is very hard not to do this. I think hate is a strong word, but I do tend to avoid those who continually hurt me over and over. Is avoidance of the situation wrong? Just something I have been struggling with.
I have really enjoyed reading Samuel with everyone. I know that I have gotten more out of this than I ever imagined I would.
Take Away: In the midst of it all David sought to please God...even to the point of honoring his enemies and it seemed at all cost..even if it upset those within his own camp...
ReplyDeleteIt is rare it seems to find a leader has this kind of honor.