Tagged: Bible Reading & Meditation

“My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!” —2 Samuel 19:1 David grieved deeply upon hearing of the death of his son Absalom, who had rebelled against him. However, the true grief of this situation is that it might have been prevented if David had a heart for reconciliation with Absalom a few years earlier. A rift had occurred in David’s family. David’s son Amnon raped Absalom’s blood sister Tamar. David took no action to deal with the situation; he simply “became very angry” (2 Sm 13:21)....

“Go home to your family and make it clear to them how much the Lord in His mercy has done for you.” —Mark 5:19 Jesus was told to leave the Gerasene territory. But He left a part of Himself behind — the man whom He had set free from the demons which possessed him (Mk 5:19). This liberated man was the only one from the Gerasene territory who wanted Jesus in his life. He begged Jesus to let him accompany Him wherever He went. “Jesus did not grant his request” (Mk 5:19). Instead Jesus sent him back into the territory...

Mary and Joseph “brought Him up to Jerusalem so that He could be presented to the Lord.” —Luke 2:22 The Jewish practice of presenting a child to the Lord stems from the concept that the child truly belongs to God. According to the law of Moses, the husband and wife present their first-born child to the Lord, thus acknowledging God as the Author and Owner of the life of this child (see Ex 13:2; Lv 12:6-8). Along with presenting their child, the couple also presents a sacrifice, a kind of payment, in this case a pair of doves, and God...

“Since you have utterly spurned the Lord by this deed, the child born to you must surely die.” —2 Samuel 12:14 We need Nathans and John the Baptizers to prophesy to a society wallowing in sexual sin. We don’t hear much talk about the sins of adultery and fornication, but only about the so-called, “new sins” of getting sexually transmitted diseases or getting pregnant. We used to hear about grace to overcome sexual temptations. Now we hear about condoms so as to be overcome by temptations. Who will stand not only for purity, but sanity? Who will speak of repentance...

“Uriah the Hittite died.” —2 Samuel 11:17 God’s just law prescribed “life for life” (Ex 21:23), that is, David’s death in punishment for arranging Uriah’s death. However, God is “rich in mercy” (Eph 2:4). Therefore, God mercifully told David that He forgave his sin and promised that David would not die (2 Sm 12:13). Later, God restored David’s happiness and blessed him abundantly. This is great news for all sinners, especially for those who have committed sexual sins. Yet where is the mercy and justice for Uriah and for those like him who innocently suffer the consequences of the sins...