Our Sins and what we do with them challenge us to greater intimacy with God. 2 Samuel 24

God's anger was kindled against Israel...

Not really hard to believe. It seems harder to believe that God would weave their intentions and warfare into His goodness and relationship with Him. Pride comes before a fall and the children of Israel walked in stumbling obedience to God and I am glad that He is teaching us through their relationship with Him

David had just come from great victory in prayer and praise and there he is numbering the people. It somehow reminds me of how my mother spoke to us, You want to number something, I will give you something to count. The retribution was a sad and sordid number to count. A choice of how much of what sort to be retaliated and then to have to know the number of recipients of the horrible scourge.

God's amazing condesencion to our low estate. To be entreated in prayer of confession and repentance and anger was an amazing relationship that David had with God. With Saul, it was all about how he looked. "Don't let them think God has departed from me" he entreated Samuel. His relationship was not with God, it was with Samuel, who knew God. David said, "I did a foolish thing, Lord" He had learned in aging not to cover his sins, but to come clean and plead for the mercy of God! None of us have a leg to stand on, before God's anger and righteousness. Still, David shows us growth and love of God in our infirmities, even those infirmities that we bring upon ourselves. How much more God is willing to be entreated and appealed to, than we are to come to Him with our messes.

Lord of Holiness and Mercy, teach me to love You with greater fidelity and hope in Your mercies, Amen. For Jesus' Sake

I am in Awe of David's faith! David knew that "His Redeemer Liveth"

The clarity of David's conscience smiting him, was everywhere. My meditations of God's dealings with David, this time has gleaned much to my soul's profit.

I saw him as flawed and I had dealt with my anger with him on the many levels. Today's reading made him my own soul, as I saw him. I prayed and contemplated that I could see the goodness of God, in the aging of my body.

I can't fight anymore. I can't claim youth or goodness or the victories as being mine, but I can see God's hand leading me all the way. I have lost dear ones, but look how many things I have gained. God's mercy and grace, His victories for His namesake and many people who have saved my life and my face, in too many situations to recount. And last, but certainly not least, Uriah the Hittite{for whose sake countless generations will see the sword in my house, because it was me that killed him} What a confession and what an ownership of the mercy of God!2Samuel 23---David's Counting His Blessings!

We claim your benevolence and receive Your Mighty condescension into our lives, Lord. a Prayer

You have been so merciful to our lost generation, we are confessing our sins of taking your mercies for granted, Lord!

We are sending a wave of confession and repentance. It is us who are standing in the need of prayer. We have sinned in every way. We do not deserve your mercies that you have bestowed upon us. We have inherited mighty works that our forefathers have done and repayed your mercies by adding to the sins and building a major part of our economy on the murder of innocents. We confess and send you a wave of repentance for these hideous expressions of depravity that we have engaged in. You promised that the blood of Jesus could cleanse the sins to the uttermost and we take you at that Word, Lord Jesus.

We don't want to be those who take your mercies for granted! We want to be those that are redeemed and taken up into the right dealings with You! We don't want to go down, Lord! We want to be those that go up!

You are our only hope! It is clear that we have been the leaders in sin. Help us to be leaders in repentance and cleansing from the most hideous of those sins, the slaughter of the innocents. We pray that you would grant repentance and faith to us and assistance to act in such a manner that exalts Your mercy and your glory! God lift us up, because we are humbly bowing our country and our lives to reflect that we are the imbicels who don't know how to get up from our infirmity. Carry us to the cross, Lord. Be our friend and our redeemer. Be our healing and cleansing. Be our help and our shield! In Jesus' Strong Name. Amen!

Thoughts about the death of Ahithophel{Not falling but rising in wisdom}

 The counsel of Ahithophel,  that shall stand!

When you have lost your identity.   I lost my serve!   I lost my record at doing word puzzles!   I lost my identity..  What are you when you are not who you identified as?   

Are you even a person?

Where will you find your new identity?

What will you do to recoup and regroup e parts of your mind and body that did that one thing?

I don’t know if Ahithophels suicide was a cop out or a realization that his side was bound to lose and early entering into that loss…

No suicide is right or good.   He had time to put his house in order.  The other soldiers on his team were still hinting that God had forsaken David, like he had Saul.   Perhaps that is what having a king means?  Perhaps,  there is a reason that God is not giving us longevity in one family?   The Jews were all struggling with these reasonings?  David is a bloody man and what he did to Saul is being requited.

No, Samuel was In touch with God!

Absalom was the fruit of the sown seeds of adultery and murder that David had sown.   He reaped a horror movie that he couldn’t get out of.

Everybody has a specialization.  Wisdom was Ahithophels. It was followed for years and by responsible people.

The leadership style of Absalom is one to be averted.  Multitude of counsellors, is commendable, but the public demeaning of the counsellors is wrong.   Ahithophels was not senstitive.   He knew that there was a wrong premise that Absalom was following.   Diss the establishment.   Put down anybody of power.   New is not always better.  Young people may follow you, but if you can’t show precidence,  you shouldn’t be trusted.   There was no Lord and Savior who had paid it all for his sins and failures.  He had no counsellor for his soul.  Don’t let that be your dilemma.   If you find yourself on the wrong side of the conflict with God, repent.  Seek His counsel and renewal.  God has many new purposes for wrong starts in people’s lives.  Jesus is the answer! 

This is what I say to myself and to the many wise men who I have seen demoralized in a new aged world that hates wise men!