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For I know the plans I have for you,declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer 29:11 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for collecting daily manna), make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Today's Passage : Today's Passage:Subjecta:David Flees Jerusalem [Part 2] Bible Verse:2 Samuel 15:23-37 "[By stealth and conspiracy, Absalom has made his way to Hebron and declared that he is King of Israel. He has gained so much support that David and his court have fled from Jerusalem.] Everyone cried loudly as the king and his followers passed by. They crossed the Kidron Valley and then went out toward the wilderness. Zadok and all the Levites also came along, carrying the Ark of the Covenant of God. They set down the Ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until everyone had passed out of the city. Then the king instructed Zadok to take the Ark of God back into the city. “If the Lord sees fit,” David said, “he will bring me back to see the Ark and the Tabernacle again. But if he is through with me, then let him do what seems best to him.” The king also told Zadok the priest, “Look, here is my plan. You and Abiathar should return quietly to the city with your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan. I will stop at the shallows of the Jordan River and wait there for a report from you.” So Zadok and Abiathar took the Ark of God back to the city and stayed there. David walked up the road to the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went. His head was covered and his feet were bare as a sign of mourning. And the people who were with him covered their heads and wept as they climbed the hill. When someone told David that his adviser Ahithophel was now backing Absalom, David prayed, “O Lord, let Ahithophel give Absalom foolish advice!” When David reached the summit of the Mount of Olives where people worshiped God, Hushai the Arkite was waiting there for him. Hushai had torn his clothing and put dirt on his head as a sign of mourning. But David told him, “If you go with me, you will only be a burden. Return to Jerusalem and tell Absalom, ‘I will now be your adviser, O king, just as I was your father’s adviser in the past.’ Then you can frustrate and counter Ahithophel’s advice. Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, will be there. Tell them about the plans being made in the king’s palace, and they will send their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan to tell me what is going on.” So David’s friend Hushai returned to Jerusalem, getting there just as Absalom arrived." Message:
In the preceding chapters, where David commits murder and adultery in his lust for Bathsheba, we saw David the Sinner at his very worst. Why does God love David so much? Well, we get at least part of the answer here. While the sinfulness of David marks him as human—he is no Christ, nor even a great holy prophet like Elijah—his devotion to the Ark, the place where God “lives” on earth, is incontestable. And while he has failed to build the Temple, he has at least identified Jerusalem as the permanent home of the Tabernacle. So, we have, in effect, a middle, transitional period between the Tabernacle—really just a tent to house the Ark (for over 1,000 years!) until a permanent Temple can be built—and the construction of the Temple commanded by God.
The details of the story would do an historical romance novelist proud. David would have fit right in at the court of Henry VIII or one of the Medici. Absalom may be devious, but David can play the game, too!
Meditation : Prayer : Lord, pour your love into my heart, that I may love you above all things, and my neighbors as myself. Through Christ our Lord......Amen |
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