Category Archives: 1 – Old Testament
Five Principles for Receiving God’s Blessings
Daily Bible Reading – Proverbs 1-3; Romans 7
Today’s Key Passage – Proverbs 3:1-10
The first few chapters of Proverbs contain Solomon’s fatherly advice to young people, but when I read them, I can clearly hear our Heavenly Father’s advice to all of His children. Today’s key passage is a good example of this. I believe that most people want to lead happy and fulfilled lives. We want to receive God’s blessings in our lives, but sometimes we do not do our part in this process. In the first ten verses of Proverbs 3, God provides us with five distinct principles that we can follow to prepare ourselves for receiving His blessings. Now please do not misunderstand what I am saying here – these five principles do not guarantee His blessings in this life. In a perfect world, following these five principles would always lead to the blessings defined in the text here and now, but as you know, we live in a less-than-perfect world. In our world, wisdom usually leads to blessings but this is not always the case. Sometimes the sin of this world gets in the way, and sometimes God’s blessings are delayed until Jesus returns to call us to eternal life. Whether in this world or the next, however, we can be sure that following His principles will ultimately lead to blessings. With that in mind, let us look at the five principles from today’s passage:
Obedience - “do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart” (Vs. 1) – In order to practice obedience to God’s Word, we must first know what God’s Word says. As we read the Bible and learn more about God, we can begin to keep His commands in our hearts, and can eventually get better and better at obeying Him. As a result, His commands will, “prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity.” (Vs. 2)
Integrity - “Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.” (Vs. 3) – Relationships are more important than anything else in this life. Relationships with God and with other people are key to our existence. When you act in love and faithfulness, you build your integrity and positively impact all of your relationships. As a result, “you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man.” (Vs. 4)
Trust - “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Vs. 5) – God wants us to lean on Him in everything we do instead of leaning on ourselves. When you trust God with all of your heart, you will learn to lean on Him in good times and bad. As a result, “he will make your paths straight.” (Vs. 6)
Discernment - “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.” (Vs. 7) – Most of us know the difference between right and wrong. God’s Word and the Holy Spirit convict us of sinfulness in our lives and show us the things we should avoid. As we turn from evil and toward God, “this will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” (Vs. 8)
Giving - “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops” (Vs. 9) – When we give God the “firstfruits of our crops”, we are giving Him our best in terms of our time, money, and talent. We honor Him when we have a generous heart and give God the best that we have to offer. As a result, “your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”
When we follow God’s principles in life, we can prepare ourselves to receive all of His blessings. He loves us more than we can possibly imagine and He wants nothing more than to give us happiness and fulfillment in this life, but we have to do our part. Praise Him for his goodness and for His grace today, and thank Him for all of your blessings already received, and the ones yet to come.
During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you? Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.
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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.
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God’s Promises to Us
Daily Bible Reading – 2 Chronicles 6,7; Psalm 135; Romans 4
Today’s Key Passage – 2 Chronicles 7:11-22
When the temple was finally completed and the Ark of the Covenant was moved into place, Solomon dedicated the temple to God. He went to the Lord in prayer and asked Him repeatedly to hear the prayers of the Israelites. He asked God to hear their prayers now, as well as in the future. Through good times and bad, through times of obedience and times of sin, Solomon’s request was that God would always hear their prayers. In today’s key passage, God provides an answer to Solomon’s prayer of dedication. The Bible says, “When Solomon had finished the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the LORD and in his own palace, the LORD appeared to him at night”. (Vs. 11-12) While the Bible does not specify how much time had passed between Solomon’s prayer and God’s response, it reasonably could have been months or perhaps even years given that Solomon needed to finish the palace. While we are not sure of the exact timeframe here, it is important to note that regardless of how much time had elapsed, Solomon had to wait for God’s answer. Fortunately for Solomon, the wait was well worth it because God told him, “I have heard your prayer”. (Vs. 12)
There are two specific parts of Gods response to Solomon that I would like to focus on today. First, God said, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (Vs. 14) While originally God was speaking about the Israelites, it is clear that He is talking about His people, who are called by His name. As Christians, we are His people, who are called by His Son’s name. In Gods own words here, He is promising that if we humble ourselves and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, He will always hear our prayer. We do not have to wonder if He hears us, because the answer is always yes! Secondly, God said, “Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” (Vs. 14-15) Originally, God was talking about the physical temple that Solomon built. Today, however, because of the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ, each one of us can approach God through His Son and the “temple” of God is each one of us. In 1 Corinthians 3:16, we read, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” Moreover, in 1 Corinthians 6:19 we read, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own”. Because our bodies are God’s temples, we can rest knowing that His eyes and heart will always be with us.
In today’s key passage, God reveals to us two important truths that we must always hold in our hearts. God will always hear our prayers, and God’s eyes and heart will always be with us. With promises like that from the Creator of the universe Himself, what can possibly stand against us? What can we possibly have to worry about in this life? What can we possibly fear? Think about these truths today. Think about what they mean to your life. Think about how these truths put everything else into the proper perspective. Finally, praise God for these truths. Praise Him for His promises, and praise Him for his saving grace.
During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you? Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.
To become a fan of The Daily Bible Plan’s Facebook Page, CLICK HERE.
To follow me on Twitter for inspirational tweets, click the follow button – Follow @kevin_griggs
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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.
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The Proper Order
Daily Bible Reading – 1 Kings 8; 2 Chronicles 5; Psalm 99; Romans 3
Today’s Key Passage – 2 Chronicles 5:4-14
There are many times in life when things must be done in the proper order. For example, you cannot eat a scrambled egg without first cracking the egg, you cannot read a book before it is written, and you cannot move into a house before it is built. Trying to do any one of these things out of order will result in failure. There is another time when maintaining the proper order is important, and that is in our interactions with God. Whether in a corporate setting like a church service or an individual setting like prayer, it is important that before we go to God with all of our needs we spend some time praising Him and thanking Him first. Solomon understood the importance of maintaining this proper order when worshiping God.
For almost 500 years, (since the exodus from Egypt) the Ark of the Covenant was largely kept in a movable tent. The ark contained the two stone tablets given to Moses with the Ten Commandments, and it was the embodiment of God’s presence on earth. In today’s key passage, we read that after all of this time the ark was finally moved into a more permanent structure – the temple built by Solomon. After seven years of construction, the temple was finally ready, so the priests and the Levites brought the ark inside. It was a time of great celebration for all of Israel, and it was a time for worshiping God. Once the ark was in its new home, Solomon would offer a prayer of dedication to God, and would ask Him for a great many things for his people. He would ask God to fulfill many of their needs for years to come. Before he began asking God for anything, though, Solomon knew that they should spend some time thanking God, so, “accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD.” (Vs. 13)
It can be easy to fall into the habit of going to God in prayer only when we have a need. We go to Him and ask for protection, safety, wisdom, or relief without first taking the time to really thank and praise Him. Do not get me wrong, God wants us to go to Him with all of our needs and desires, but He wants us to come to Him with the right heart. When we spend time with God thanking him for his perfect goodness and praising His name for all of the blessings He has given each of us, we can prepare our hearts and our minds before coming to Him with our needs. Remember that God is not a genie in a bottle waiting only to grant us our wishes; He is the creator of the universe who loves us so completely that He gave His only Son to die for our sins. Instead of just approaching Him with needs, spend some time thanking and praising Him. You will be amazed at the results as you begin to grow even closer to Him.
During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you? Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.
To become a fan of The Daily Bible Plan’s Facebook Page, CLICK HERE.
To follow me on Twitter for inspirational tweets, click the follow button – Follow @kevin_griggs
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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.
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The Eyes are the Window to the Soul
Daily Bible Reading – 1 Kings 4,5; 2 Chronicles 2; Psalm 101; 2 Thessalonians 3
Today’s Key Passage – Psalm 101
We have all heard the saying that the eyes are the windows to the soul, and I happen to believe that this statement is true. I know that when I look into my wife’s eyes or my daughter’s eyes, I feel like I can see straight through to their hearts. When I want to know how they are feeling, often all it takes is a simple look into their eyes. When I worked as an investigator, many times during an interrogation I would look into someone’s eyes and I would just know whether they were innocent or guilty. The eyes truly are a window. The thing about windows, though, is that they work both ways. You can look in through a window, but you can also look out. If you can see someone’s heart through their eyes, then it stands to reason that whatever goes into someone’s eyes will go directly to their heart. In today’s key passage, David addresses this when he says, “I will set before my eyes no vile thing.” (Vs. 3)
David wanted to live a blameless life. To do that, he knew that he needed to avoid temptations to sin, such as looking at wickedness. (Ironically, one of his greatest sins occurred later in his reign as king when he “set before his eyes a vile thing” and watched Bathsheba bathing, setting off a chain of sin that almost destroyed him.) In today’s culture, we are literally surrounded by “vile things”. It seems everywhere we turn, there are potential temptations to sin bombarding our eyes. These “vile things” can be found in certain movies and television shows, the internet, and even in television commercials. As followers of Christ, it is important that we protect our eyes from what they can see, but it is even more important that we protect our children’s eyes from what they can see. Whether we realize it or not, our hearts are affected by what we see. In order to protect our hearts, let us all resign to set before our eyes no vile thing.
During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you? Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.
To become a fan of The Daily Bible Plan’s Facebook Page, CLICK HERE.
To follow me on Twitter for inspirational tweets, click the follow button – Follow @kevin_griggs
If you like this post, please SHARE it with others to spread the Word of God.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.
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Solomon Asks for Wisdom
Daily Bible Reading – 1 Kings 3; 2 Chronicles 1; Psalm 78; 2 Thessalonians 2
Today’s Key Passage – 1 Kings 3:4-15
Most of us, at one time or another, have played the little game of “3 wishes” with ourselves or with others. The game goes something like this – you have been given three wishes, and you can ask for anything you want. What would your wishes be? The answers to this question are typically humorous and pretty informative. In fact, if you ever want to really understand what drives another person, ask him or her this question. In today’s key passage, we see a real-life example of this game in Scripture. Solomon was the new king and one night in a dream, God appeared to him and said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” (Vs. 5) Now we all have moments of greatness in our lives. These are moments when we do the right thing, say the right thing, or think the right thing. In my opinion, Solomon’s greatest moment comes in the next few lines of Scripture. In response to God, we read in verses 7-9, “Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties. Your servant is here among the people you have chosen, a great people, too numerous to count or number. So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.” When given the chance to ask God for anything, Solomon chose to ask for wisdom. The next line of Scripture is beautiful in its simplicity as we read, “The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this.” (Vs. 10)
My question today for each of us might be a convicting one. If you were in the same position as Solomon, what would you say? If God appeared to you today and told you to ask for whatever you want, what would you ask for Him to give you? I ask that you spend some time today prayerfully considering this question, because while it may seem like an easy one, the answer will directly reflect where your heart is in relation with God’s will. When considering this question, remember that no matter what we say our answer would be, God knows our heart and He knows what we would truly ask from Him. He knows what is in our deepest prayers and He knows what drives us and motivates us. Would your answer be pleasing to Him? If not, the good news is that God has the power to change our hearts. He has the power to help our will line up with His perfect will. In fact, that is what our walk with God is really all about – growing and maturing in our faith as we become more like Christ. My prayer today is that you would prayerfully consider your request, that your request would be pleasing to God, and that He will give you the desire of your heart. Just as God granted Solomon’s request for wisdom, He will grant your request as well when it lines up with His perfect will.
During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you? Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.
To become a fan of The Daily Bible Plan’s Facebook Page, CLICK HERE.
To follow me on Twitter for inspirational tweets, click the follow button – Follow @kevin_griggs
If you like this post, please SHARE it with others to spread the Word of God.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.
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Seeking God’s Protection
Daily Bible Reading – 1 Kings 1; 1 Chronicles 28; Psalm 91; 1 Thessalonians 5
Today’s Key Passage – 1 Kings 1:42-53
Near the end of King David’s life, it was clear that the time had come to anoint a new king. One of David’s sons, Adonijah, stepped forward and decided that he would be king, so he gathered support and made preparations. When the prophet Nathan heard about this, he immediately went to Bathsheba, David’s wife, and together they went to inform David. David was not happy about Adonijah’s rebellion, because God already declared that David’s son Solomon would be the next king of Israel. David quickly took steps to have Solomon anointed king before Adonijah could begin his reign. Meanwhile, Adonijah and all of his guests were having a party in celebration of his kingdom. When they heard the news that David had anointed Solomon king, the party quickly ended and the crowd dispersed. In verse 50, we read, “But Adonijah, in fear of Solomon, went and took hold of the horns of the altar.” Adonijah knew that his evil scheme was over, and his first reaction was to run to the altar of God. He was in effect seeking God’s protection. Solomon initially allowed Adonijah to live despite his rebellion, but he was later executed when he attempted to claim the throne a second time.
Adonijah had the right idea in seeking God’s protection. The problem was his timing. When we do wrong and things go badly, most of us will turn to God for protection. This is not a bad thing because God is always there to catch us when we fall and forgive us, but it is certainly not the best way to go about things. If Adonijah had sought God’s guidance and protection before he started his rebellion, he could have saved himself a lot of heartache. In fact, he could have saved his own life. Repeatedly we read stories in the Bible about people doing wrong and then turning to God when things get bad. The simple fact is that when we act without first seeking God’s guidance, things will almost invariably go badly. We can wait for that to happen to turn to God for protection, but why would we want to put ourselves through that? I believe there are two main reasons why we do this. We act without seeking God either because our pride convinces us that we can accomplish what we want on our own without God’s help, or because, like Adonijah, deep down we know what we are trying to accomplish is wrong. Either way, the result will be the same. Without God’s guidance and protection, we will ultimately fail. Do not let pride convince you to move without talking it over with God. Do not let temptation convince you to go against what you know is right. Seek God’s protection and guidance first in all things, and have faith that God will point you in the right direction.
During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you? Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.
To become a fan of The Daily Bible Plan’s Facebook Page, CLICK HERE.
To follow me on Twitter for inspirational tweets, click the follow button – Follow @kevin_griggs
If you like this post, please SHARE it with others to spread the Word of God.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.
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Casting Vision to our Children
Daily Bible Reading – 1 Chronicles 22-24; 1 Thessalonians 3
Today’s Key Passage – 1 Chronicles 22:5-19
In the final few books of 1 Chronicles, we read all about the preparations David made for the building of the temple. David originally wanted to build the temple himself, but God stopped him. God had a different plan in mind and wanted David’s son Solomon to build the temple of the Lord. Before his death, however, David began making the preparations necessary for the job. He gathered the funds and supplies that would be needed, found the right craftsmen, planned the administration, and took steps to arrange the worship services. The most important preparation he made, however, was not in laying out the construction or the division of duties. His most important contribution to the job was the vision for the temple he cast with his son Solomon. In today’s key verse, David calls his son to him and tells him all about the vision for his life. In verses 7-10 we read, “David said to Solomon: “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the LORD my God. But this word of the LORD came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’” Imagine how memorable this conversation must have been for Solomon, as his father took the time to cast vision to him about God.
One of the most important things we can do as parents is casting vision to our kids about God. Most of us likely do not have as specific a vision for our children as David did, but we certainly all have a vision to share with them. It is a vision of loving God with all of their hearts, souls, and minds. It is a vision of loving their neighbors as themselves. It is a vision of serving an all-powerful and loving God every day of their lives. As much as we would like to, we cannot guarantee our children’s salvation. Each of them must make their own personal choice to accept Jesus Christ as the Lord of their lives. As parents, though, how we live and what we teach our children can play a HUGE role in how they develop. The time we spend with them now casting vision, the prayers we pray with them and for them, and the way they see us interacting with others can all help a child grow into a Godly adult. As we discussed a couple of days ago, we are all called to make disciples. As parents, that job begins at home.
During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you? Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.
To become a fan of The Daily Bible Plan’s Facebook Page, CLICK HERE.
To follow me on Twitter for inspirational tweets, click the follow button – Follow @kevin_griggs
If you like this post, please SHARE it with others to spread the Word of God.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.
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God Disciplines with Mercy
Daily Bible Reading – 2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21; Psalm 30; 1 Thessalonians 2
Today’s Key Passage – 1 Chronicles 21:1-19
Once when I was about eight years old or so I was particularly bad and my parents grounded me for two weeks. During this time, I was not allowed to go outside and play, which in my mind was just about the worst punishment imaginable. Sometime during this two-week period, my family and I went to my grandmother’s house on a Sunday afternoon to visit her, my aunt and uncle, and my cousins. I can still remember standing inside my grandmother’s house starting out the window watching my brother and my cousins playing outside. I was devastated. All I wanted in the world was to go outside and play, but I knew that I was grounded and I knew better than to ask to go outside. At some point, though, my father came to me and told me to go outside and play. I was given a temporary reprieve from my well-deserved punishment for one simple reason – even while being disciplined, my parents still showed mercy. In today’s key passage, we see that our Father in Heaven does the exact same thing.
David decided to take a census of all of the fighting men in Israel. Normally, this might not have been a problem, but David wanted the men counted so that he could feel pride in the strength of his army. Following all of the success he and his men had in war, David was beginning to trust his own military strength more than he trusted God. Because of David’s sin, God spoke to Gad, David’s seer, and told him to offer David a choice of three different punishments. David could choose between three years of famine, three months of war, or three days of plague in the land. Before we continue, let me just point out that this alone was merciful of God. He did not have to give David a choice about his correction, but He did because of His mercy. David chose the three days of plague, because it was the one option that was a direct punishment from God. He told Gad, “Let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.” (Vs. 13) Once David had chosen his punishment, God sent a plague that killed 70, 000 men. In verse 15 we read, “And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, ‘Enough! Withdraw your hand.’” Even though David sinned against God and deserved to be disciplined, God had mercy on him and the people of Israel.
When we act in sinful ways and we do not repent and turn from that sin, sometimes God has to discipline us. He does this not to punish us but to correct us and to help us see the error of our ways and return to Him. If He did not, He would not be a loving and concerned Father. Just as we discipline our own children for their welfare, so does our heavenly Father lovingly correct His children for their benefit. One thing that is certain, though, is that even when He has to discipline us, He will still show us mercy. This perfect mercy of God is just one of the many characteristics that make our God so awesome. The next time you receive a gentle correction from God, remember his amazing mercy, and praise Him for it.
During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you? Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.
To become a fan of The Daily Bible Plan’s Facebook Page, CLICK HERE.
To follow me on Twitter for inspirational tweets, click the follow button – Follow @kevin_griggs
If you like this post, please SHARE it with others to spread the Word of God.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.
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What God Wants
Daily Bible Reading – 2 Samuel 15,16; Psalm 32; Matthew 25
Today’s Key Passage – Psalm 32
Most of us spend a lot of time thinking about “wants”. We think about what we want to eat for dinner. We think about what our children want for their birthdays or Christmas. We think about where our spouses want to go on vacation. A better “want” to consider, however, is what God wants. The Bible helps us answer this question in many different ways. We know that He wants us to love Him. We know that He wants us to put Him first. In today’s key passage, we find more clues as to what God wants. Let us look at a few of those “wants” today:
- God wants us to be cleansed - (Vss. 1-2) – God wants each of us to receive the initial cleansing that comes from the salvation offered through Jesus Christ. In addition, he wants us to be continually cleansed by Him as we live our lives daily.
- God wants us to be convicted - (Vss. 3-4) – The Holy Spirit living in us convicts us of sins as they happen. When we sin, God will convict us and show us that we need to turn back to Him to restore our relationship. This conviction will not let us rest until we have dealt with our sin.
- God wants us to confess - (Vss. 5-6) – When we acknowledge our sins to God, He forgives us and cleanses us from our impurities.
- God wants us to rest in His protection- (Vs. 7) – God wants to be our “hiding place” from all of the troubles of this world. When we rest in Him, he will shield us from evil.
- God wants us to rest in His guidance - (Vs. 8) – God wants to instruct us and teach us how to walk in His ways. He wants us to trust Him to lead us only to what is best for us.
- God wants us to cooperate - (Vss. 9-11) – Some people in this world are stubborn. Rather than allowing God to guide them with love, they leave God no other choice but to lead them with “bit and bridle”. In other words, they force God to lead them using discipline and punishment. When we fail to acknowledge our sins before God, He may punish us to force us back to Him. God will use any means necessary to restore our relationship with Him.
As I read today’s passage, I am awestruck by the differences between God and man. Obviously, human beings are very different from God in many ways, but I believe one of the biggest differences comes in the area of forgiveness. When humans forgive others, we sometimes do it almost grudgingly. We know we “should” forgive someone, or we feel like we “need to” forgive someone. Sometimes we even feel like we “have to” forgive someone. When we do forgive, we very seldom ever forget. God, on the other hand, is not like us in this regard. God never feels like He should forgive, or that He needs to forgive, and he certainly never feels like He has to forgive. God wants to forgive us. In addition, when He forgives, He forgets completely that we have sinned. We do not have this ability on our own, but God does. He does not keep a record of wrongs. When God forgives us, we are washed clean in the blood of Christ and are made white as snow, and our relationship to God is completely restored. We do not have to live with guilt over sin. We do not have to live in fear of His punishments. We can find freedom and joy today through the forgiveness He offers us. The next time you are thinking about “wants” in your life, consider what God wants for you. Think of this Psalm, and rest in His promises.
During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you? Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.
To become a fan of The Daily Bible Plan’s Facebook Page, CLICK HERE.
To follow me on Twitter for inspirational tweets, click the follow button – Follow @kevin_griggs
If you like this post, please SHARE it with others to spread the Word of God.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.
The Snowball Effect of Sin
Daily Bible Reading – 2 Samuel 11,12; Psalm 51; Matthew 23
Today’s Key Passage – 2 Samuel 11:1-27
The life of King David is well chronicled in the Bible. He was truly a man after God’s heart, and he lived much of his life to please his master. Though the perfect Messiah, Jesus Christ, would later come from David’s bloodline, King David himself was not perfect. He sinned on many occasions, and perhaps his greatest sin is captured in today’s key passage.
Have you ever seen a snowball rolling down a hill? As it continues down a hill, a small snowball will continue to pick up more and more snow and will eventually become huge. Most of the time, sin works the exact same way. David’s greatest sin began quite innocently. It all began with the sin of laziness. It was spring, which was the time when kings would traditionally go off to war, but David decided that he would stay in Jerusalem and send Joab out instead. One night, David was walking around on his roof and saw a beautiful woman named Bathsheba taking a bath. Her beauty tempted David, and instead of turning away from that temptation, he inquired about her. He had Bathsheba brought to his palace, and he committed adultery with her. This in itself was bad enough, as everyone including David knows that adultery is a sin, and if this was the end of the story that would be one thing. Sadly, David’s sin only gets worse.
Shortly after sleeping with Bathsheba, she sent word back to David that she was pregnant, so David tried to think of a way to hide his sin. First, he sent word to Joab to send Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, back from the war. David was hoping that Uriah would go home and sleep with his wife so her pregnancy could be attributed to him, but Uriah refused to go home while his friends were still fighting a battle. Since Uriah would not cooperate with David’s plan, David told Joab to put Uriah at the front lines of the war so that he would be killed in battle.
The consequences of David’s sin were far-reaching. Some of the consequences, such as Uriah’s death, were immediate. Other consequences, such as the death of his son, the turmoil in his family, and the national rebellion against him would come later. It is interesting to note, however, that all of this started with the single, seemingly innocent sin of laziness. If David had fulfilled his duty as king and gone to war, none of these consequences would have happened. David had many chances along to way to stop sinning and turn back to God, but each time he instead decided to sin further, making the situation infinitely worse each time. Never believe the lie that there is “innocent” sin. Never believe the lie that one little sin is not going to hurt anyone. You never know where that one little sin is going to lead, and you never know who is going to get hurt. At the first sight of sin, it is important that we recognize it, confess it to God, and repent. Anything less can lead to dire consequences. Anything less can eventually snowball out of control.
During your Bible reading today, what “key passages” stood out to you? Leave a comment below to share what God is showing you about His Word today.
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May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you today.
Related articles
- The Story of King David: Week 5 (ecumenicallife.wordpress.com)
- Uriah the Hittite: Close Friend? (bricehope.wordpress.com)
- David and Bathsheba (thebiblehistorybooks.wordpress.com)
