APRIL 20 READINGS...2 Samuel 2:1-3:5 & 1 Chronicles 3:1-4a & 2 Samuel 23:8-17 &
1 Chronicles 11:10-19 & 2 Samuel 23:18-39 & 1 Chronicles 11:20-47
Transition of leadership is never easy...Saul is dead and now it is time for David to move into his place as king of Israel. The Lord instructs David to return to Hebron in Judah, where he is anointed king. At the same time Abner, Saul's general, anoints Ishbosheth the son of Saul king in the northern region. This of course caused tension and strife between the people of Israel...for they had divided loyalties. There is a lesson here for us in the church...we have only one Head, Jesus. Those who try to have more than one head in the church have divided loyalties...that brings strife in the church. Neither the Pastor, Elders, Deacons, or the people are the head of the church...Jesus is the Head of the church, or it is not His Church...merely another religious organization. It is good for us to recognize that anything with more than one head is a monster...the church is the bride of Christ...and He is her Head.
As we continue in our readings we see that the divided kingdom of Israel brings war. The Lord is with David and his troops, and David's power increases while that of Ishbosheth begins to diminish. God provided David with his mighty men...there were thirty-seven in all. These men were exceptionally gifted in war, and they were used of God to perform many mighty exploits. Here we have another lesson for we in the church. The Lord ALWAYS provides those He needs in His church to do what He has called the church to do. The Lord has gifted His people...He has placed them in His body (the church)...and it is His design to work through them to do His super-natural work in the world. Jesus promised that He would build His church and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. The Lord never told us to build His church...to find the best people from our point of view to get the work done. He promised He would build His church...and in Him the very gates of hell cannot stand.
Please share your thoughts from today's readings. Praise God that you are selected by Him to be in His church...and that He is using us, by empowering us to do what we could never do on our own.
TOMORROW'S READINGS...2 Samuel 3:6-4:12
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