Posts Tagged ‘Scripture’

Absalom and David, Part 2

Posted: May 22, 2013 by Pam Larson in 2 Samuel, Devotionals/Commentaries, May
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Poem by John Piper, DesiringGod.org

King David’s son, Absalom, had killed his brother Amnon for raping his sister Tamar. Then he led a rebellion against the king and drove him out of Jerusalem. As we enter this poem, it is the night before the battle between the two armies and David is meeting with his generals.

The battle council sat around
The midnight fire upon the Mound
Of Ephraim above the plain
Of Gilead. Beneath the pain
On David’s face the duty of
A king took charge. “The God above
These bloody fields will guide the spear
And sword tomorrow. Do not fear.
If we find favor in his sight,
It will be well, and morning light
Will bring success.” Before him sat
His three commanders, Ittai, at
The head of foreign troops, and then
Brave Abishai and Joab, men
Whose fierce and cruel strength had shed
More blood than David ever said
They should.
Now David looked into
The eyes of Joab: “Friend, to you
I owe my life. You are a man
Of war. How often has the plan
Of battle triumphed better far
Than we had ever thought. You are
A mighty man. But there have been
Conspiracies in which your twin-
Edged sword, I fear, has brought more death
Than good, and silenced noble breath.
The blood of Abner was not shed
In righteousness. But he is dead.”

Joab had heard these things before,
And did not blink. “In love and war,”
He said, “things are not clean. I kill
To save my king, and I fulfill
The single focus that I see—
The duty God has given me:
Protect the king at any cost,
And die before the crown is lost.
Your enemy is mine, and should
I have one breath to breathe, I would
Breathe death to him, or anything
That threatens God’s anointed king.”
“I thank God for your loyalty,
Joab,” the king replied, “You see
Things through a solitary lens.
Such is the price of many men’s
Success. To play one role alone,
And be the best. You’re like a stone,
Joab, a smooth hard stone—so good
For bringing giants down, but would
Not work to build a home.”
The two
Men stood in silence looking through
The smoke across the muddy plains
Of Gilead. The fleeting gains
Of Absalom and his desires
Stretched South and West in dying fires
As far as one could see, the sheep
Of Israel, all now asleep,
Awaiting slaughter at the break
Of day. The boy-king cannot make
A match for Joab’s might. Before
The slumber David said, “He’s more
To me than you can know, Joab.

For you, like picking at a scab,
Would be his death. For me, my life
Is bound up in this boy. A knife
To my own throat would be the news
That he is dead. Joab, don’t bruise
My son. Deal gently with him for
My sake.”
Before the sun was more
Than half way up the morning sky,
Or Absalom could question why,
Full twenty-thousand of his men
Were dead, the army routed. Then
The rebel son fled on his mule,
Alone. And (to the end a fool)
He flew with haste among the oaks
Of Ephraim. And there the jokes
Of hard and callous men were made:
His hair became a deadly braid,
And caught him in the branches of
A terebinth. He hung above
The ground unable to undo
His famous hair. And thus he flew
Where there was no one else to blame.
His boast became his final shame.
And then a man told Joab, “I
Have seen the king’s son hanging by
His hair entangled in the trees
Of Ephraim.” “And did you seize
Him there?” Joab inquired. “Or was
He dead?” “He was not dead, nor does
Your servant disobey the king’s
Command.” “You fool, such mutterings
As these will save the enemy
And kill the king. Come now, and we
Will see how this insurgent swings,
And dies like all pretender kings.”

When Absalom perceived the sound
Of horses coming from around
The tree, he gained his consciousness
And grabbed once more the twisted tress
Still tangled in the branches of
The terebinth, and reached above
His head with fading strength to free
Himself—to no avail. “So we
Now meet again young traitor to
Your father’s throne. I see that you
Forgot to cut your hair before
The battle, Absalom. Ignore
The basics, boy, in love and war
And you will hang. It takes much more
Than flawless face and gorgeous hair
And kisses in the gate to tear
The crown from off the head of my
Anointed king. If you would try,
I think you better wear a band
Around your head, though not so grand—
A rope, perhaps, to hold the hair
In place, and leave the crown just where
It is, upon your father’s head.”
Then Joab took his spear, as dread
Filled Absalom. And as he took
This spiked and splintered lance, his look
Was merciless. And when he hurled
That spear, it was as if the world,
For one split second, in the mind
Of Absalom, had stopped, confined
Within the space between the hand
Of Joab and the brilliant band
Around his swinging breast. And in
That instant all that might have been
He saw, and wished, though but a trace,
That he could see his father’s face.

The spear smashed through his chest and came
Out on the other side. “The name
On that one, Absalom, is this:
Your brother Amnon, slain. Your kiss
A cover for your kill, the first
Born of the king was dead, and cursed
Be Absalom who thought to take
His place.” Then Joab said, “Now make
Room for a second spear. This lance
Has twenty thousand names. Come glance
Now if you can across the plain
Of Gilead! Behold the vain
Attempt of Absalom to be
The king: as far as one can see,
The dead, with wives still waiting in
Jerusalem.” And then the twin
Spear sank beside the first. “One more,
Fine-looking Absalom. My store
Of rage will be complete. He drew
His mighty arm again and threw
A third spear in the bloody chest
Of Absalom, and said, “O blest
And honored is my king and lord.
May all his foes have this reward.”
The word that Absalom was dead
Reached David as the crimson red
Horizon faded into night.
He stood, and as he took the flight
Of steps that led up to his room
Above the gate, he wept. Thick gloom
Now gathered over all the town
And all could hear his wail come down
Like shame upon the victory
That Joab won beneath the tree
In Ephraim.

“O Absalom
My son, my son, if you would come
Back from the dead, would I not take
Your place! O Absalom, awake,
My son, Awake! Would I had died
Instead of you.”
Joab defied
The order for the king to be
Alone, and did not bend the knee
When he approached. “My lord, do you
Not see what you are doing? Two
More hours of this, and not a man
Of war will stay. You shame the plan
And sacrifice that on this day
Was made in fierce and bloody fray
To save your crown and wives and seed.
Why show such love to those who speed
Your fall, and heap such shame on these,
Risked their lives and left their ease
And shed their blood for you? And now
You weep for Absalom! I vow,
My lord, if you lift not this shame
From off this triumph for your name,
There will not be a man beside
Your throne at dawn.”
The king replied,
“You killed my son.”
“I saved your life,
And gave you back your throne. This knife
You feel from Absalom’s demise,
Would you prefer it waken cries
From our defeat, and pierce the souls
Of widows waiting in their holes
Which they have dug, and where they wait
And pray that God would vindicate
The king, and bring their husbands back
And break the enemy’s attack.
Are these the ones you hate and smite?
I’ll see you in the gate. Good night.”

So David sat a long time in
The dark—alone, he thought.
“I’ve been
Here listening.” The tender sound
Of Tamar startled him. “I found
The other door. My mother said
It’s true—that Absalom is dead.
I thought that I would come and share
Your grief. Joab does less than fair
At comforting the king. He sees
Things through a single lens. At trees
He looks and sees the wood for spears.
At fields of grain, and what appears?
A battleground. He looks at men
At work and play, and sees again
The troops of war. One single thing
Compels this man: protect the king.
Is Joab not a gift from God?
A sinner like ourselves, and flawed
From head to toe. I am not numb.
I loved my brother, Absalom,
More deeply than you know. But I
Have seen and felt, my lord, how high
The price of vengeance is. I dread
This curse. Two brothers now are dead.
Two sons. And I now dwell alone.
And Joab is a useful stone.
I heard the wounded anger in
Your voice tonight. Perhaps it’s been
There simmering like Absalom’s.
But you can see that nothing comes
Of it but death. Revenge is not
What makes a noble king. Your lot,
As the anointed of the Lord,
Is now to lead your people toward
Their God, and sing for them a psalm,
And show them there’s a healing balm
Upon the plains of Gilead
Where twenty thousand men lie dead.
The burden of a king is great.
Tonight your place is in the gate.

Come flame and fire from candle two.
Consume revenge. We look to you,
Faint flicker of another Light
That once burned here. And O how bright
And pure it shone! Betrayed, denied,
But blameless, just, and crucified.
When he was struck, he did not strike
Again. And when the deadly spike
Was driven through his hands, he cried,
“Forgive them, Father.” Then he died,
And carried all your rage and hate.
The burden of a king is great.

May 22 Galatians 4:21-31

Posted: May 22, 2013 by Pam Larson in Bible Passages, Galatians, May Bible Readings
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May 22

Galatians 4:21-31 (ESV)

Example of Hagar and Sarah

21 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. 23 But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise. 24 Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. 25 Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; [1] she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children. 26 But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. 27 For it is written,

“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than those of the one who has a husband.”

28 Now you, [2] brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. 30 But what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.” 31 So, brothers, we are not children of the slave but of the free woman.

 

May 22 Mark 15:16-32

Posted: May 22, 2013 by Pam Larson in Bible Passages, Mark, May Bible Readings
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May 22

Mark 15:16-32 (ESV)

Jesus Is Mocked

16 And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), [1] and they called together the whole battalion. [2] 17 And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him. 20 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

21 And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. 22 And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). 23 And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. 25 And it was the third hour [3] when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. [4] 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.

May 22 Psalm 115

Posted: May 22, 2013 by Pam Larson in Bible Passages, May Bible Readings, Psalms
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May 22

Psalm 115 (ESV)

To Your Name Give Glory

115:1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!

2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in the heavens;
he does all that he pleases.

4 Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
6 They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
7 They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8 Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.

9 O Israel, [1] trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
10 O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.
11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord!
He is their help and their shield.

12 The Lord has remembered us; he will bless us;
he will bless the house of Israel;
he will bless the house of Aaron;
13 he will bless those who fear the Lord,
both the small and the great.

14 May the Lord give you increase,
you and your children!
15 May you be blessed by the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!

16 The heavens are the Lord‘s heavens,
but the earth he has given to the children of man.
17 The dead do not praise the Lord,
nor do any who go down into silence.
18 But we will bless the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore.
Praise the Lord!

May 22 2 Samuel 18-19

Posted: May 22, 2013 by Pam Larson in 2 Samuel, Bible Passages, May Bible Readings
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May 22

2 Samuel 18-19 (ESV)

Absalom Killed

18:1 Then David mustered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 And David sent out the army, one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the men, “I myself will also go out with you.” 3 But the men said, “You shall not go out. For if we flee, they will not care about us. If half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. Therefore it is better that you send us help from the city.” 4 The king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. 5 And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom.

6 So the army went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. 7 And the men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the loss there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. 8 The battle spread over the face of all the country, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword.

9 And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, [1] and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. 10 And a certain man saw it and told Joab, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” 11 Joab said to the man who told him, “What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.” 12 But the man said to Joab, “Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not reach out my hand against the king’s son, for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake protect the young man Absalom.’ 13 On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously against his life [2] (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.” 14 Joab said, “I will not waste time like this with you.” And he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak. 15 And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him.

16 Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained them. 17 And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled every one to his own home. 18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself the pillar that is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He called the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s monument [3] to this day.

David Hears of Absalom’s Death

19 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and carry news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.” 20 And Joab said to him, “You are not to carry news today. You may carry news another day, but today you shall carry no news, because the king’s son is dead.” 21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran. 22 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, “Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?” 23 “Come what may,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.

24 Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone. 25 The watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he drew nearer and nearer. 26 The watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gate and said, “See, another man running alone!” The king said, “He also brings news.” 27 The watchman said, “I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “He is a good man and comes with good news.”

28 Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, “All is well.” And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and said, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.” 29 And the king said, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was.” 30 And the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.

David’s Grief

31 And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, “Good news for my lord the king! For the Lord has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you.” 32 The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man.” 33  [4] And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

Joab Rebukes David

19:1 It was told Joab, “Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” 2 So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard that day, “The king is grieving for his son.” 3 And the people stole into the city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle. 4 The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, “O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!” 5 Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives and your concubines, 6 because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased. 7 Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.” 8 Then the king arose and took his seat in the gate. And the people were all told, “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” And all the people came before the king.

David Returns to Jerusalem

Now Israel had fled every man to his own home. 9 And all the people were arguing throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies and saved us from the hand of the Philistines, and now he has fled out of the land from Absalom. 10 But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?”

11 And King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar the priests: “Say to the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his house, when the word of all Israel has come to the king? [5] 12 You are my brothers; you are my bone and my flesh. Why then should you be the last to bring back the king?’ 13 And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me and more also, if you are not commander of my army from now on in place of Joab.’” 14 And he swayed the heart of all the men of Judah as one man, so that they sent word to the king, “Return, both you and all your servants.” 15 So the king came back to the Jordan, and Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king and to bring the king over the Jordan.

David Pardons His Enemies

16 And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, from Bahurim, hurried to come down with the men of Judah to meet King David. 17 And with him were a thousand men from Benjamin. And Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, with his fifteen sons and his twenty servants, rushed down to the Jordan before the king, 18 and they crossed the ford to bring over the king’s household and to do his pleasure. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was about to cross the Jordan, 19 and said to the king, “Let not my lord hold me guilty or remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. Do not let the king take it to heart. 20 For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore, behold, I have come this day, the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.” 21 Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord‘s anointed?” 22 But David said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be as an adversary to me? Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel?” 23 And the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king gave him his oath.

24 And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. He had neither taken care of his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety. 25 And when he came to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, “Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?” 26 He answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me, for your servant said to him, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself, [6] that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ For your servant is lame. 27 He has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like the angel of God; do therefore what seems good to you. 28 For all my father’s house were but men doomed to death before my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I, then, to cry to the king?” 29 And the king said to him, “Why speak any more of your affairs? I have decided: you and Ziba shall divide the land.” 30 And Mephibosheth said to the king, “Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has come safely home.”

31 Now Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim, and he went on with the king to the Jordan, to escort him over the Jordan. 32 Barzillai was a very aged man, eighty years old. He had provided the king with food while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man. 33 And the king said to Barzillai, “Come over with me, and I will provide for you with me in Jerusalem.” 34 But Barzillai said to the king, “How many years have I still to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? 35 I am this day eighty years old. Can I discern what is pleasant and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or what he drinks? Can I still listen to the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king? 36 Your servant will go a little way over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king repay me with such a reward? 37 Please let your servant return, that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. But here is your servant Chimham. Let him go over with my lord the king, and do for him whatever seems good to you.” 38 And the king answered, “Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do for him whatever seems good to you, and all that you desire of me I will do for you.” 39 Then all the people went over the Jordan, and the king went over. And the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his own home. 40 The king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him. All the people of Judah, and also half the people of Israel, brought the king on his way.

41 Then all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king, “Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away and brought the king and his household over the Jordan, and all David’s men with him?” 42 All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because the king is our close relative. Why then are you angry over this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king’s expense? Or has he given us any gift?” 43 And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, “We have ten shares in the king, and in David also we have more than you. Why then did you despise us? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king?” But the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.

Satan will be vanquished

Posted: May 21, 2013 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries, Galatians, May
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And though this world with devils filled
Should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear, for God hath willed
His truth to triumph through us.

The prince of darkness grim,
We tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure
For, lo, his doom is sure;

one little word shall fell him.

John Piper comments:

An example of the word that can fell Satan in our lives is Galatians 4:3–7, “When we were children, we were slaves to the elemental spirits of the universe. But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So through God you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir.”

Do you see what that means? It means that when the appointed time came, God looked down on his own world under the dominion of Satan and said to his Son, “Prepare for the invasion. The artillery of the enemy will be heavy. In fact, before you get very far on the beach you will be killed. But I will raise you from the dead and the beachhead you established will spread until it invades every tongue and tribe and nation. And I will free town after town from slavery to demons and slavery to the law. And we will draw into our movement all those who trust in you, my Son, and we will send your Spirit to empower them and bring them to glory. And they will be my children and heirs of everything I have. Satan will be vanquished, all unbelievers will be banished to outer darkness, and our glory will fill the earth like the waters cover the sea.”

What makes you tremble?

Posted: May 21, 2013 by Pam Larson in Devotionals/Commentaries, May, Psalms
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What ails you, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs? 

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turns the rock into a pool of water,
the flint into a spring of water.
—Psalm 114:5-8

Charles Spurgeon, in The Treasury of David:

Men fear the mountains, but the mountains tremble before the Lord. Sheep and lambs move lightly in the meadows; but the hills, which we are wont to call eternal, were as readily made to move as the most active creatures. Rams in their strength, and lambs in their play, are not more stirred than were the solid hills when Jehovah marched by. Nothing is immovable but God himself: the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but the covenant of his grace abideth fast for ever and ever. Even thus do mountains of sin and hills of trouble move when the Lord comes forth to lead his people to their eternal Canaan. Let us never fear, but rather let our faith say unto this mountain, “Be thou removed hence and cast into the sea, “and it shall be done.

What can we learn from this sad history?

Posted: May 21, 2013 by Pam Larson in 2 Samuel, Devotionals/Commentaries, May
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A Sad but Instructive History

by William Plumer, at GraceGems.org

ABSALOM was the eldest son of David, whose mother was the daughter of a king. His name signifies “the father of peace” or “the peace of a father.” It was not given him by prophecy, but only expressed the hopes entertained of him. …..

The news of his death was borne to David, who was exceedingly affected thereby. In a moment a thousand tender recollections rushed upon his mind. He thought of the promise of the boy, the beauty of the man and his ignominious and fatal end. It was too much for him; it quite overcame him. The joy of victory was lost in the grief of so sad an end to a favorite son. This brief story is full of instruction:

1. The worst men often have good names; some of them the best of names. Instead of being the peace of his father, Absalom was the plague of his father; instead of being the father of peace, he was the father of strife and tumult. Many were called Jews who were inwardly heathen. If you have a good name, do you deserve it?

2. Personal beauty is itself a good, but easily abused. It was one means of Absalom’s ruin; it made him vain. Sarah’s beauty led both herself and her husband into trouble. Bathsheba’s beauty was the occasion of Uriah’s death and David’s crimes. Beauty is a good thing easily abused.

3. Absalom’s murder of his brother was doubtless as capable of plausible defense as most of the duels, assassinations and murders of our times, and yet it was a wicked and a bloody affair. David greatly erred in not treating it as a murder, to be deservedly punished.

4. When parents and grandparents protect their offspring in crime, they are showing no real kindness to the guilty and are laying up stores of wretchedness for themselves. The murderer countenanced by his father became his rival and sought his life.

5. But David was a magistrate also. He was bound to be “a terror to evil-doers.” He was not at liberty to “bear the sword in vain.” Magistrates are as much bound to punish murder capitally as they are to rule in mercy.

6. Absalom is one of thousands of instances of the danger of high places. His elevation made his head giddy; had he been in a humbler walk in life, it might have been different. The higher he rose, the more giddy he became, until, tottering on the brink of ruin, his feet slipped and he sunk to rise no more. Lowly places in life are commonly the safest.

7. To all right moral feeling, ambition is a deadly foe, and yet some make it the mainspring of all their actions. To it constant appeals are made, rivalships are encouraged, competitions are commended. “Do you seek great things unto yourself? seek them not!” Woe to him who makes himself his god and sacrifices thereto!

8. The world is no wiser than it was three thousand years ago. The wicked are as proud, guileful, covetous and ambitious as they ever were. The arts of politicians are all old and hackneyed; the world is cursed with them. An upright, able statesman is a real blessing; a trading politician is a curse and a vexation. Profane history never reforms men.

9. Human friendships not based in Christian love are vain. Joab and Absalom’s friendship was hollow. “Human friendships, much like Venice glasses, easily broken, or like Jonah’s gourd, short-lived.” “When I see withered leaves drop from the trees in autumn, just such, it seems to me, is the friendship of the world; while the sap of maintenance lasts, friends swarm in abundance.” But let the frosts of adversity come, and see how they will fall off. He is a fool who puts his happiness in the power of the wicked.

10. There is nothing more dangerous than to despise parental tenderness, unless it be to despise the God of our fathers. It is only fools who throw away a father’s estate, but it is only madmen who renounce a father’s God.

11. “The memory of the wicked shall rot.” From his death to this time no one has discovered any sweet-smelling savor from the sepulcher or history of Absalom. So shall it be with all the enemies of truth and peace and God; we see it so continually. Who cares for Caesar or Voltaire or Paine?

12. Good counselors are no security against fatal errors. Unless the Lord is on our side, we shall, like Absalom, reject the wisest counsel. The Lord takes the wise in their own craftiness. He knows the thoughts of the wise that they are vain. Left to himself, man is a stark fool. If God be against us, who can be for us?

13. As in old time, so now, the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong. The Lord directs all the javelins of death. His strength nerves the weak; his power emboldens the timid. It is by God’s help that the worm Jacob shall thrash the mountains and make the hills as chaff. If God be for us, who can be against us?

14. Great is the sin of disobedience to parents. “Honor your father and mother.” “He who curses his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.” That is a species of wickedness that “common sinners dare not meddle with.” It brings fearful guilt and fearful woes.

15. Nor is it less clearly a sin to rebel against a just and good government, such as David’s was. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers.” To all officers give their dues in tribute, custom, fear or honor.

16. Parents, take heed how you bring up your children. “As a man must ask his wife whether he is to be a rich man or a beggar, so a child must ask his parents whether he is to be a wise man or a fool.”

“A parent’s heart may prove a snare;
The child she loves so well
Her hand may lead, with gentlest care,
Down the smooth road to hell.”

Beware how you teach and guide and act and speak in regard to your child, lest by God’s judgment he die in his sins, and you, like David, cry when it is too late: “O my son Absalom! my son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died for you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

May 21 Galatians 4:1-20

Posted: May 21, 2013 by Pam Larson in Bible Passages, Galatians, May Bible Readings
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May 21

Galatians 4:1-20 (ESV)

Sons and Heirs

4:1 I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, [1] though he is the owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. 3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles [2] of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Paul’s Concern for the Galatians

8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? 10 You observe days and months and seasons and years! 11 I am afraid I may have labored over you in vain.

12 Brothers, [3] I entreat you, become as I am, for I also have become as you are. You did me no wrong. 13 You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached the gospel to you at first, 14 and though my condition was a trial to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as Christ Jesus. 15 What then has become of the blessing you felt? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have gouged out your eyes and given them to me. 16 Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth? [4] 17 They make much of you, but for no good purpose. They want to shut you out, that you may make much of them. 18 It is always good to be made much of for a good purpose, and not only when I am present with you, 19 my little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! 20 I wish I could be present with you now and change my tone, for I am perplexed about you.

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