Something struck me this morning in light of today’s Bible reading. That thing was that all of the good things the United States has done over the years brought blessings upon blessings for many generations. But God is both loving and just. As such, as the number one exporter of abortion, war, dis-mis-information, we lead the way in breaking God’s Command to speak the truth “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” (Exodus 20:16). Then there is Covid and forced everything from don’t work to many. We have also exported Christian missionaries and continue to do so. And that is what keeps us in God’s provision for sure. Thank God for that.
When I read 2 Samuel 21:1-7, I was reminded that David, recognize God’s hand of consequential judgment for something he wasn't even responsible for. In Verses 1-2, David recognized this famine as divine chastening (cf. Deut. 28:47-48) and asked God the reason why he was facing such judgment. The sin was that Saul, zealous to exterminate the heathen from Israel, had slain some of the Gibeonites whom Isreal had made a treaty (cf. Joshua 9:3). In verse 3 David asked the Gibeonites what they would accept as settlement for the injustice. And in verse 6, the Gibeonites demanded justice in keeping with the principles of Number 35:31, a life demands a life in light of Deuteronomy 24:16.
IN APPLICATION: I am not saying that God calling for anyone to be hanged necessarily. That is His business. But I am saying that God takes keeping our word and any covenants made by individuals and nations very seriously. This goes for nations as well as individuals alike. For example, with the Ukraine war as the center of the news, we must keep in mind that the USA made a covenant with the USSR upon its dismantling NOT to expand NATO eastward towards Russia. Henry Kissinger, who passed away last 2023 year said that for the U.S. and NATO to break that convenient and expand eastward was a recipe for disaster and war, and cautioned against NATO expansion. Upon the signing of the covenant, lead by then President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, the first president of the USSR, there were 13 NATO Nations at that time. But NATO, led by the U.S. continunued to expand eastward, starting with President Clinton's breaking of the treaty. As a result, today, there are 31 and NATO has expanded all the way east to Ukraine which boarders Russia.
GRACE VS. CONSEQUENCES
The point of today’s lesson is simple in that we more often than not assume God’s grace, but expect Him to delete the "CONSEQUENCES" of our sins. We freely accept that God not only forgives us our sins, but we wrongly assume that He also eliminates the consequences of our physical and mental sins. That is not true at all. Consequences are more often than not felt for generations yet to come. And when people and/or nations “SIN NOW” it’s guaranteed to have to “PAY FOR THAT SIN LATER”. Let’s pray that God turns His judgement from us and that the United States leadership (who we as a country vote for) and we as citizens would sober up regarding the seriousness of God's Word and our faith. Christianity, or better yet, living out the Christian faith is not a sport. It’s a serious thing. A very serious thing in that we are tabernacaling and associating with the God who created the universe and everything in it. Please think about that for just a moment. We have a lot of difficult times ahead. But, we have a lot of wonderful times of joy that will come from and through our trials if we put God and His will and ways first. Within that context, please read 2 Samuel 21:1-7 below for better context of today’s lesson. And make it a wonderful start to the new week.
P.s. This is good news, as God is showing us the way BACK to His favor. And that is a wonderful thing. I just report on what the Lord shows me to report on. I am the messenger, not the message:)-Steven Garofalo
2 SAMUEL 21:1-7 David Avenges the Gibeonites
"21 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” 2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. 3 And David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement, that you may bless the heritage of the Lord?” 4 The Gibeonites said to him, “It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.” And he said, “What do you say that I shall do for you?” 5 They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel, 6 let seven of his sons be given to us, so that we may hang them before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the Lord.” And the king said, “I will give them.”
7 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul's son Jonathan, because of the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul."