Good morning! I hope this was a great week for you so far. The best is yet to come. Sometimes it feels like we’re Sisyphus pushing a rock up the hill only to have it roll down again. Getting past Wednesday always feels like a relief. Oddly, Thursday is my busiest day most weeks.
I digress. Let’s open the Bible and read 2 Samuel 20-22 today.
Sheba’s Rebellion
We start with verse 20:1, speaking of a troublemaker named Sheba. Many replicas of Sheba remain today.
I have been trying to build my social media following on many platforms. My book has not sold enough for it to make sense to invest in a lot of advertising or marketing for it.
That is alright, I didn’t write it to become rich and famous, but to spread the Gospel.
To increase my base, my following, I reach out and follow as many people who have profiles which align with my values. This is not foolproof.
Along the way, I have met many females who think I want to go into private apps so they can be “friendly”. I refuse and use the opportunity to explain why this is inappropriate. When they persist, I have to block and delete them.
There are others with scams, and more crypto cons, and people warning about the banking industry about to collapse.
The bottom-line is there will never be a shortage of troublemakers. It would seem that Sheba’s descendants have multiplied.
Moral Integrity
I will always get to a point where I will ask them if they know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The vast majority will answer they are atheists.
Like Sheba, they have no share in David (v20:1b) I share with them this heritage but explain God changed me.
At this point, most will stop bothering me. I hope they see my posts and God works on their hearts.
It is not my role to convert them. We are called to share the Gospel and witness to them. This is telling them what God is doing in our lives.
The rest is up to the Holy Spirit.
I mention the women who want to get me alone to be “friendly” with me, because in verse 20:3 we read when David returned to his palace he treated his concubines with kindness.
It was not their fault Absalom abused them. They were, however, defiled and so David never had sexual relations with them.
Maintaining moral standards is important.
He was the king, and they were his servants. He could have done with them, however he wanted. No one would have been able to suppress him.
He did the right thing. This is integrity, doing the right thing when you have choices.
What I find shocking on the social media outlets is the blatant deception.
People claiming to be Elon Musk, or even his son, just to con you. Misrepresenting who they are and what they believe to steal your identities.
A friend of mine is part of the CyberCrimes division within our police department. She has provided me with enough knowledge to know how to protect myself.
God’s Justice
If we pay attention, we can see their daggers hanging out of their belts, like Amasa should have, when Joab reached for his hand (v20:8-9). Instead, he ignores the blade, and his guts spill out.
People will attempt to disarm you to encourage you to spill your guts. To divulge details of your life which they can exploit.
I have also met many wonderful people on the socials. They have read some devotionals I share. The Word of God is being spread.
This encourages me to continue, but I can’t ignore the warnings in scripture. We live in a treacherous world and sin will always look to destroy us.
Protecting ourselves requires not giving the devil a foothold (Eph 4:27).
The righteous also deserve our help.
The woman in verses 20:16-22 understands her city faces destruction because of Sheba’s wickedness.
Undeterred, she fearlessly took a stand, using her cunning to eliminate Sheba.
Her actions saved their city.
Chapter 21 begins with a famine.
God will hold us accountable. He pours out His wrath against Israel because of how Saul and his people killed the Gibeonite.
Even though David was fighting Saul, he wasn’t denying the debt.
It would be easy to say, “I was trying to kill Saul and did!”
That would not have righted the wrong. As the leader of Israel, he takes the action to correct this injustice.
The Giant
Toward the end of this chapter, we read about an enormous man with six fingers and six toes. A descendent of Rapha. Related to Goliath.
When reading the Bible, my mind will get distracted by non-biblical knowledge. All I could think about as I read this paragraph was the six fingered man in “The Princess Bride”. A silly movie about vengeance. (1)
This fits the narrative of this chapter, although I know it’s unrelated.
My guess is that many of you are now reciting in your minds, “my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die!”(1)
Life has many experiences. Sharing those that glorify God is important.
Enjoying the parts God has blessed you with honors Him.
Avoiding the dangers which are ever present. Watching out for troublemakers, and paying attention to details, like daggers falling out of a belt, is crucial to survival.
Atonement
Trusting in the Lord to protect us when we slip up. To hold us accountable even when we were not the perpetrators helps to grow in our faith.
What are the warning signs you see around you today? Are there people in your life who would take your head off?
Are you being pursued for actions you, or someone else, took?
How can you repent and atone for these transgressions?
The greatest news of all is even when we can’t do anything about them. Jesus will remove that debt from us. He paid for all our sins on the cross.
Holding on to them will cause the debt to remain on the road. It will block your progress.
Giving it to Him will remove it and allow our life to move forward.
Are you ready to hand it all to God and seek His salvation?
Special note: Chapter 22 is all the Song of David. Much like the Song of Moses in Exodus 15, this deserves its own discussion. If you have read my book, Moving Ahead: How to Make America Godly Again, you know that Psalm 144 became a seven-week sermon series and is the basis of a book.
The Song of David deserves just as much attention.
