Category: confession

Counting Strength & Finding Mercy

2 Samuel 23-24

Psalm 58

1 Corinthians 6

-Devotion by Melissa New (AR)

Here we are near the end of David’s life. He fought many battles, brought in a lot of wealth to Israel, united the nation and all twelve tribes, and made Jerusalem the capital city. We know David had troubling times, but he could also look back on his life and find many things to be proud of. In chapter 23, we are reminded of how much David had been given by God.

In the oracle of David, he calls himself a “man exalted by the Most High.” He says he was “anointed by the God of Jacob.” He recognizes that God made him “Israel’s singer of songs.” He says “The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me.” And he even asks, “Is not my house right with God? Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part? Will he not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire?” Of course, there is a lot of truth in David’s words. God has been very good to him.

Next, we see the great and awesome deeds of his mighty men. They really are something to be proud of and there is a list of his valiant men and some of their heroic exploits. But chapter 24 starts with the LORD’s anger. It says, “Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, ‘Go, and take a census of Israel and Judah.’” The anger seems to come out of the blue, but Scripture is not always chronological and it doesn’t always explain everything for us. To make matters worse, the other account of David’s census words this differently. 1 Chronicles 21:1 says, “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.”

What are we to make of this? First of all, I think two things can be true at the same time. The LORD was angry with the Israelites and it seems logical to think that Satan would tempt David’s weakness regarding his pride in his army. But who originated the census situation? Ultimately, God is always in control and He enacts judgment when He deems it appropriate and for the purpose of leading His people to repentance and mercy. So, it stands to reason that God allowed Satan to tempt David who was probably already leaning toward the desire to count his army.

David still had a choice. Remarkably, Joab advises David against the census. However, David’s checkered past with Joab may have made him the worst person to have tried to talk David out of it. If you are like me, you wonder why was God angry? Well, let’s think about the Israelites for a minute. Scripture shows us that the Israelites were constantly frustrating God and usually for the same reasons over and over again. It was invariably lack of trust and/or idolatry that was the issue.

Some suggest that God was angry because the Israelites showed a lack of trust in God’s appointment of David as king when so many of them followed Absalom. Right after Absalom’s rebellion is put down, many Israelites joined Sheba’s rebellion until it was put down as well.

Some point to Exodus 30:12 where the LORD says, “When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the LORD a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them.” They say the census wasn’t done properly. Those who were counted were supposed to give a half shekel for the Tent of Meeting.

Another theory is that David had become too proud of the strength of Israel and wanted to number the army to show how strong his kingdom was. But the kingdom belonged to the LORD. God never liked them counting on how many men they had to fight with. He wanted them to trust in Him to take care of them. He wanted to be their king. Again, I think more than one thing can be true at the same time. It’s likely that the LORD’s anger points to the Israelites’ sin, but David himself sins by ordering the census.

Psalm 58 ends by reminding us that “there is a God who judges the earth.” That is exactly what David and Israel had to face here. God judges nations. God judges kings. God judges His own people. But 2 Samuel 24 also shows us that the God who judges is the same God who shows mercy when His people humble themselves before Him.

This is important because we cannot view this as all David’s fault. He was so good about admitting when he did wrong and repenting when he messed up. But “the anger of the LORD burned against Israel,” not just David. Joab came back from counting with a massive number of 1.3 million soldiers. (I looked this up online and the United States military has about 1.3 million active-duty soldiers right now!) David doesn’t feel joy at hearing the number, though, because he immediately realized that he should not have counted the fighting men.

He confessed to the LORD and asked for forgiveness, but the consequences resulted in the LORD sending a plague in which seventy thousand men were killed. David said to the LORD, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall upon me and my family.” 2 Samuel 24:17 This is a beautiful thing. David wanted to intercede on behalf of the people.

The prophet Gad told David to build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David went and Araunah offered to give David the land and oxen and everything needed for the sacrifice. David said, “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” And the last verse of chapter 24 says, “Then the LORD answered prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.” God let David intercede for the nation of Israel.

Can God receive one man’s intercession and sacrifice as the place where mercy is shown to many? We see something like that happen in 2 Samuel 24. The angel of the LORD was going around striking people down. God’s judgment was not random or unfair, but the Scripture also says that “the LORD was grieved because of the calamity.” Our God is holy and righteous and when He judges, He judges rightly. We don’t really want to stand before God on what we deserve, though. We want mercy. God gives mercy to those who turn to Him as David did.

Araunah’s threshing floor became a special place where all God’s people could find mercy when Solomon built the Temple on that spot several years later.

Reflection Questions

Is it possible for us to get prideful about the things God has done for us or given us?

Are we in rebellion against what God is doing as the Israelites seemed to be?

When we give to the LORD do we recognize that it should cost us something?

When we sin, do we confess and beg the LORD for forgiveness as David did? Or do we just expect it and make excuses for our failures?

Do we trust the LORD in all things even when it’s hard to understand?

Will we humble ourselves before the God who judges, and come to the place where mercy can be found?

Prayer

Dear Lord God, You are right and all your ways are right. Thank you for Your right judgments and Your mercy again and again. Thank you for David’s example: his praise of You, his confession, repentance, sacrifice, and interceding for his people. I want to always remember that my strength comes from You. And when Your anger burns, I want to respond correctly. Forgive me for the times my pride has caused me to do or say foolish things. Help me to praise You always.

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Looking Again and Again at the Sermon on the Mount

Genesis 31-32

Proverbs 16

*Matthew 7

-Marcia Railton (IN)

For the last couple of years January often has me writing something on the Sermon on the Mount. I admit, at first it can seem like a chore to do. But, I have been thankful for the opportunity to take a deeper look into these passages, often seeing ways I need to “Think Again” to change my opinions, thoughts and ultimately my actions to become more like Jesus. It is a great way to start the year. But, how would I be different, inside and out, if I read, thought about, lived out the Sermon on the Mount every day?

So today, I will start with a few of the thoughts I have previously shared on Matthew 7 (with a few revisions, that’s part of the beauty of reading the Sermon on the Mount again and again and thinking again). You can read them – or just read Matthew 7 again. And then, in our longer than normal reflection section let’s talk about how we can be more intentional about keeping this spectacular sermon in our minds, mouths, heart and hands everyday.

Adapted from parts of The Rest of “Do Not Judge” – (from January 10, 2024 for SGL)

Unfortunately, the world has heard just the first three words, “Do Not Judge” and has twisted Jesus’ words into permission to sin and accept sin. But that is not the case! Jesus tells us over and over again (and even multiple times in this same chapter) to look carefully and judge whether people and actions and ideas are good or bad, righteous or wicked, wise or foolish, innocent or dangerous, taking us closer to God or further from Him. He warns you and I about the wolf in sheep’s clothing who wants to deceive you and figurative dogs and pigs that will tear you to pieces. And if you have already decided that it is not your place to judge if they are good or evil or to discern if they want what is good and godly for you or what will destroy you, then I fear you are already sitting in a very dangerous spot. 

So, what did Jesus mean when he started out with the words, “Do not Judge…or you too will be judged” and then gave the excellent illustration of the speck and the plank? Make sure you read it for yourself from Matthew 7. I think he was saying judge yourself first in order to be helpful in then spotting sin in others. Specks are hard to see clearly when we have a plank lodged in our eye socket. And our restored sight is crucial in then being able to delicately help our neighbor remove the irritating speck in their eye. When we judge rightly we can start out by putting every single one of us in the same sorry sinking boat of sinners in need of a Savior – just make sure you jump into that boat first. Stop bad talking and blaming the neighbors and church members and family and see yourself for what you are and what you do. Don’t sugar-coat the truth trying to make yourself look better than the rest. 

Sin causes vision problems – those dangerous specks and planks in the eye are not conducive to seeing the world or yourself clearly. It can be all too easy to completely overlook seeing our own sins and instead attack others for not measuring up to Jesus’ standard. I have been quick to blame my husband and my kids and my friends, when the fault was also with me. I have mistreated people, sometimes to their face, sometimes behind their back. And I have tried to ‘fix’ things my way rather than patiently trusting God for what He said He would do in His time. I can be very selfish and prideful and rude. And the list goes on. And if I don’t accept and work to correct these problems and sins in myself FIRST then I will be hypocritical and ineffective when I, with that plank still stuck in my eye, turn to help my neighbor who has a speck in her eye.

Jesus was not saying specks and planks in the eye are okay and we should leave them be. Sin is not okay. He was telling us the order in which to correct things – self first SO THAT you can actually be useful in helping others recognize and remove the sins that are affecting their sight and health and well-being. Sin surgery for yourself first. Recognize it for what it is and get it out! Then look with compassion not contempt on the neighbors of the world, some of whom do not even know God’s law and have no idea they are stuck in sin because they only heard “Do Not Judge” and never heard the rest.

Adapted from parts of Will it Stand or Fall – (from January 12, 2024 for SGL)

Jesus too, warns of storms with such driving rains and rising waters which have the power to totally destroy and wipe out homes if we don’t take the proper actions beforehand. Storms are coming – and in some cases they have already begun. Jesus tells us, some houses will stand, some will not. It depends on their foundation. Is the house built on rock - or on sand – which is determined by how wise – or how foolish – the builder is. Both builders listen to the words of Jesus – good first step. The wise builder proceeds to “put it into practice” – and his house endures the storm. The foolish builder with his house built on sand has heard the words of Jesus but does not put them into practice. And when the storm comes, his house is destroyed.

Hear the words of Jesus. And then, put it into practice. It is not enough to sit at his feet listening every week or even every morning – if you don’t then spend your days DOING what he says. We have just spent the last several days reading and looking at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Now, what will we do with it? What will it look like to put it into practice today and tomorrow and every day of 2024 (and now 2026) and the rest of our lives – however long or short that may be? Both houses will experience the winds and the rain. Will your house stand?

Reflection Questions

  1. Judge yourself first – what sins are on the plank in your eye? How has sin (the plank in your eye) affected your vision? Do you want it gone? What are the benefits to having it removed? What is needed to remove it?
  2. Looking through Matthew 7, what thought or call to action strikes you as one God wants to see you really working on this month?
  3. It is not enough to be considering these words of Jesus just every January when our Bible reading plan has us reading through the book of Matthew. We need to be tending to our foundation regularly to ensure our homes will withstand the storms. How can we get these words into our hearts so we make them a part of our daily thought/judging/discerning process and then put it into practice so we don’t find ourselves (and our loved ones) surprised at the end of the wide path that leads to destruction? Every day this year I want to read something from the Sermon on the Mount. How about even multiple times a day? I printed a simple Matthew 5-7 document to hang throughout my house – one page in the laundry room, one page on the inside of the medicine cabinet, another in the front of my Bible, etc…. Through the year I can rotate them around if one is more neglected. Feel free to make yours pretty and colorful and/or underlined and marked up. I am excited about learning this familiar sermon better. But not just learning it – living it, more and more. Will you join me? Here’s one to print for you:
Sermon on the Mount NKJVDownload

Prayer

Dear God Almighty, we praise You because you are perfect in all Your ways. Thank you for the gift of Your Son who not only tells us but also shows us how to live different from the world, and also different from the “religious leaders” of his day, on the narrow path, a light for the world, with a heart devoted to pleasing You, with our foundation on the rock, putting into action every day the words and wisdom in this spectacular Sermon on the Mount. Lord, I confess the plank in my eye. Help me see it. I don’t want it to stay. I want to see clearly and I know this requires sin surgery in my own life, thoughts, attitudes and actions. Help me remove it, realizing it might be a painful process – but with such marvelous benefits in this life and the one to come. Thank you for Your forgiveness, Your wisdom shared through Your Son, Your guidance and proddings through Your Holy Spirit. Help me to listen well this whole year to this Sermon on the Mount, that I might become more and more like Your Son Jesus who preached and lived and died these words for me, and is coming again to live eternally with those who choose to hear and DO your words. In his precious name I pray, Amen.

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Amazing Grace

Nehemiah 8-10

Devotion by Telva Elwell (South Carolina)

This chapter, Nehemiah 9, contains the longest prayer in the Bible.  No, prayer is not a contest, but sometimes it takes a lot of words to get things off your chest.  Other times it only takes a few words to speak your heart to God.  When Jesus hung on the cross, he only needed 10 words— “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”  But in Nehemiah’s day in Jerusalem, it took a lot of words to get everything out so that God’s people could express their forgiveness and experience restoration.

And so, they prayed.

Sometimes we need to express our heart in different ways.  In Nehemiah 9 it is written that the people expressed their sin, their shame, and their remorse in many ways.  They fasted; they wore sackcloth and ashes.  They threw handfuls of dirt on their heads; they separated themselves from others; they confessed their sins along with the sins of their ancestors. They even signed a binding contract promising obedience to God.  All of these things were important, but it was what they expressed from their hearts that was probably the most meaningful. Often those feelings are expressed without words, but with tears. Peter remembered Jesus’ prophesy, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times,” and after his third denial, Peter “went out and wept bitterly” (Matt 26:75). (See also Rom. 8:26). Tears speak a language our tongues cannot.  Nehemiah understood.

When Nehemiah received the report from his brother, Hanani, that the Jewish remnant was in “great trouble and disgrace” and that “the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates have been burned with fire…he sat down and wept…” (1:3.4)

And then he prayed:

“I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family have committed against You. We have acted very wickedly toward You. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws You gave your servant Moses.” (1:6,7)

As I read this prayer, I noticed that these people acknowledged failing their God six times, by disobeying and betraying Him.

  •  “Our fathers acted presumptuously and stiffened their neck and did not obey your commandments. (9:16)
  • “They had made for themselves a golden calf and said, “This is your God…” (9:18)
  • “They were disobedient and rebelled against You and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets…and they committed great blasphemes.” (9:26)
  • “They did evil again before You.” (9:28)
  • “Yet they acted presumptuously and did not obey your commandments but sinned against your commandments.” (9:29)
  • “Even in their own kingdom, and amid your great goodness that You gave them, and in the large and rich land that You set before them, they did not serve You or turn from their wicked works.” (9:35)

And six times they came crawling back, probably wrapped in their sackcloth and covered with dirt and grime.  Each time they acknowledged the goodness and greatness of God!

  • “But You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and did not forsake them.” (v17)
  • “You in your great mercies did not forsake them in the wilderness.” (v19)
  • “Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing.” (v21)
  • “According to your great mercies You gave them saviors who saved them from the hand of their enemies.” (v27)
  • “Many times, You delivered them according to your mercies.” (v28)
  • “Nevertheless, in your great mercies You did not make an end of them or forsake them, for You are a gracious and merciful God.” (v31)

He did not forsake them.

 But when will He despair of their sins and wickedness?  When will God decide He has had enough?  When will He turn His back on His people?  When will He turn His back on ME?  When will He stop listening to MY prayers of confession?  Never.  Because that is who He is! He is “a forgiving God, slow to anger and abounding in love.” (9:17) “Nevertheless, in your great mercies You did not make an end of them or forsake them for You are a gracious and merciful God.” (9:31).

“For He will never leave you or forsake you,” (Duet.31:8) NEVER. So, every time that you mess up and dishonor God, pray.  Because God forgives.

 Every time.  

Reflection Questions:

  1. The people choose to fast when they prayed.  Have you ever fasted when you prayed?  Did it ever change the experience for you?  If you have, what kind of occasions do you think are appropriate for fasting and praying? 
  2. Why do you think the Jews acknowledged God’s greatness and mercy in their prayer of forgiveness? 
  3. Remember Judas’ sin of betrayal of Jesus and later his suicide?  Did he show signs of regret?  If so, was that the same as confession?  Do you think the outcome would have been different if he had confessed, as the Jews did, and then acknowledged the mercies of God?  Or was he just too depraved?  Did he feel he was beyond being forgiven? Was he too ashamed?  Have you ever felt that way?
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