1 Chronicles 20:1-8

David continues his conquest of the territory that the Lord had promised to the nation of Israel.  These nations should have been removed many years prior to David, but the children of Israel refused to obey the Word of the Lord and were too easily satisfied with what they had already conquered.  These nations were a constant source of temptation to Israel and led them into sin and idolatry for generation after generation.  Finally David was taking on the task that should have been accomplished by previous generations.  We must be careful not to be too easily satisfied with where we are in our walks with the Lord.  We can easily become complacent in our walk with God and tolerant of sin that displeases the Lord.

ISRAEL CAPTURES THE CITIES OF THE AMMONITES: The Ammonites were a people with whom the children of Israel had lived for many generations and, for the most part, there had not been war between the nations.  David had peaceable relationships with the former king, but that all changed and so now David is capturing the cities that were inhabited by the Ammonites that were within the borders of Israel.  These cities had been a source of temptation as the children of Israel married the children of the Ammonites and consequently began to worship the idols that the Ammonites worshiped.  David was victorious and much plunder including a huge and valuable crown was recovered by the army of Israel and brought to David.  We can be complacent in our lives and are often tempted to make peace with besetting sins that the Lord would like to have us exterminate from our lives.


ISRAEL CONQUERS THE GIANTS OF THE PHILISTINES:  Different from the Ammonites, the Philistines had been a constant source of conflict and war with the children of Israel.  The Philistines were a powerful people with many valiant warriors who were literally giants.  David had killed Goliath, but now the army of Israel is having to conquer many other giants including Goliath’s own brother.  From the beginning, the children of Israel were afraid of the people of this land because they were so large and strong.  This lack of faith in the Lord’s ability to deliver and give victory in every circumstance became a plague in the land that David is just now starting to deal with.  David and his men were victorious in every instance because the Lord was with them.  The Lord had always been with them.  We must be careful not to allow giants of discouragement or temptation to overcome our faith and trust in the Lord.  He is willing and able to give us the victory as we trust Him.  We must not think that once we have conquered one giant that we can stop fighting.  Just like Goliath had a brother that took his place, when we have a victory in one area we can expect to face similar struggles in the future.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 1:3-7

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not   to teach any different doctrine,   nor   to devote themselves to myths and endless   genealogies, which promote   speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.    The aim of our charge is love   that issues from a pure heart and   a good conscience and   a sincere faith.    Certain persons, by   swerving from these, have wandered away into   vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law,   without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.   There will always be false teachers that come into the church attempting to distract people from the truth and destroy people’s faith.  When this happens, it is the job of spiritually mature leaders to confront these false teachers and correct their teachings.  However, it is important that this correction be accomplished with the right motives and methods. 
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more