II Samuel 14
Joab sends woman of Tekoah to Davidverses 1-12
Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart
was toward Absalom
And Joab sent to Tekoah – and fetched thence a wise woman
and said to her
I pray you – feign yourself to be a mourner
and put on now mourning apparel
and anoint not yourself with oil
BUT be as a woman that had a long time
mourned for the dead
And come to the king
and speak on this manner to him
So Joab put the words in her mouth
and when the of Tekoah spoke to the king
she fell on her face to the ground
and did obeisance
and said
Help O king
And the king said to her
What ail you?
And she
answered
I am indeed a widow woman – and mine husband is dead
and your handmaid had two sons
and they two strove together in the field
and there was none to part them
BUT the one smote the other
and slew him
And behold – the whole family is risen against your handmaid
and they said
Deliver him that smote his brother – that we may kill him
for the life of his brother whom he slew
And we will destroy the heir also
and so they shall quench my coal which is left
and shall not leave to my husband neither name
nor remainder upon the earth
And the king
said to the woman
Go to your house
and I will give charge concerning you
And the woman of Tekoah
said unto the king
My lord – O king – the iniquity be on me
and on my father’s house
and the king and his throne be guiltless
And the king
said
Whosoever says aught unto you – bring him to me
and he shall not touch you any more
Then
said she
I pray you – let the king remember the LORD your God
that you would not suffer
the revengers of blood to destroy any more
lest they destroy my son
And he said
As the LORD lives
there shall not one hair of your son fall to the earth
Then the woman
said
Let your handmaid – I pray you
speak one word to my lord the king
And he said
Say on
Woman of Tekoah gives reason for her actverses 13-17
And the woman
said
Wherefore then have you thought such a thing
against the people of God?
for the king does speak this thing as one which is faulty
in that the king does not
fetch home again his banished
For we must needs die – and are as water spilt on the ground
which cannot be gathered up again
neither does God respect any person
yet does HE devise means
that HIS banished be not expelled from HIM
Now therefore that
I am come to speak of this thing
to my lord the king
it is because the people have made me afraid
and your handmaid said
I will now speak to the king
it may be that the king will perform
the request of his handmaid
For the king will hear – to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of
the man that would destroy me and my son together
out of the inheritance of God
Then your handmaid said
The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable
for as an angel of God
so is my lord the king to discern
good and bad
therefore the LORD your God will be with you
King confronts woman of Tekoahverses 18-20
Then the king answered
and said unto the woman
Hide not from me – I pray you
the thing that I shall ask you
And the woman said
Let my lord the king now speak
And the king said
Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this?
And the woman answered
and said
As your soul lives – my lord the king
none can turn to the right hand or to the left from aught
that my lord the king has spoken
for your servant Joab – he bade me
And he put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid
to fetch about this form of speech hath your servant
Joab done this thing – and my lord is wise
according to the wisdom of an angel of God
to know all things that are in the earth
King calls Joab in to have Absalom returnverses 21-24
And the king
said unto Joab
BEHOLD now – I have done this thing – go therefore
bring the young man Absalom again
And Joab fell to the ground on his face
and bowed himself
and thanked the king
and Joab said
Today your servant knows that I have found GRACE
in your sight – my lord – O king
in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant
So Joab arose and went to Geshur – and brought Absalom to Jerusalem
and the king said
Let him turn to his own house
and let him not see my face
So Absalom returned to his own house
and saw not the king’s face
Description of Absalomverses 25-27
But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised
as Absalom for his beauty from the sole of his foot
even to the crown of his head there was
no blemish in him
And when he polled his head
(for it was at every year’s end that he polled it
because the hair was heavy on him – therefore he polled it)
he weighted the hair of his head at two hundred shekels
after the king’s weight
And to Absalom there were born three sons – and one daughter
whose name was Tamar
she was a woman of a fair countenance
Joab refused to respond to Absalomverses 28-30
So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem
and saw not the king’s face
Therefore Absalom sent for Joab – to have sent him to the king
BUT he would not come to him
and when he sent again the second time
he would not come
Therefore he said to his servants
See – Joab’s field is near mine
and he hath barley there
Go and set it on fire
And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire
Joab confronts Absalomverses 31-33
Then Joab arose – and came to Absalom unto his house
and said to him
Wherefore have your servants
set my field on fire?
And Absalom
answered Joab
BEHOLD – I sent to you
saying
Come hither – that I may send you to the king
to say
Wherefore am I come from Geshur?
it had been good for me to have been there still
now therefore let me see the king’s face
And if there be any iniquity in me
let him kill me
So Joab came to the king – and told him
and when he had called for Absalom
he came to the king
and bowed himself on his face to the ground
before the king
and the king kissed Absalom
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 2 And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said to her, I pray you, feign yourself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not yourself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead. (56 “feign yourself to be a mourner” [‘abal] means play the mourner, to observe mourning rites, lament, grieve, or pretend to be a mourner)
DEVOTION: Joab hired an actress to go to King David regarding his desire to see his son, Absalom again. He knew that David was over his mourning for his son, Amnon. However, David was not doing anything to bring his son home to live again. So it took it upon himself to help David reconsider bringing Absalom home.
This actress was to convince David that she only had two sons and one had killed the other over something. Now the relatives wanted to kill the other son, so that, she would have no sons to help her for the rest of her life.
David promised her that he would help her. However, he also knew that she was acting for someone else regarding his son Absalom. He agreed to bring Absalom back to Jerusalem but would not see him.
Now we know that David had many more sons than just two. However, he did love Absalom and wanted him to return to the land without being judged for his killing of his brother.
The LORD had a standard for someone who had killed another. David was not thinking of keeping the LORD’S standard because he didn’t want to kill a son he loved. It would cause a problem later in his reign because of this action of not honoring the LORD’S commands.
We can like someone who doesn’t honor the LORD and think that we are doing good, when in reality we are being disobedient to the LORD and in the end it will hurt us and our testimony.
One way we see this is when a person who loves the LORD goes out and dates someone who doesn’t love the LORD. They think that they can cause the other individual to repent of their sins and become a believer because they love them. This usually doesn’t happen.
Believers should only date believers. We can be swayed by outer beauty rather than the inner beauty of being a follower of Jesus Christ. This should be the only consideration we should have when we date and when we mate with someone of the opposite sex.
Watch out that you are not obeying the commands of the LORD regarding someone who seems to us to be someone we should love.
CHALLENGE: Watch out that someone is a good actor and not a good follower of the LORD. Some people are good actors!!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 17 Then your handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD your God will be with you. (8085 “discern” [shama‘] means examine, able to hear, pronounce, comprehend, or understand)
DEVOTION: Earlier we had the LORD send Nathan the prophet to David to tell him a story concerning a poor man and his one lamb. Now we have Joab sending a woman of Tekoah with a story of a widow with only one son.
The story got the attention of David. The purpose of the story was to have David allow his son to come back to Jerusalem. Absalom had been in Geshur for three years after he killed him brother Amnon for his rape of Tamar.
Absalom wanted to come back to Jerusalem. He sends for Joab to get the king to allow him to come back. Joab goes to an actor from Tekoah. She tells king David a story. He falls for the story. She asks him why he has not brought back his son.
David understands that she was sent by Joab to convince him to have Absalom return. The woman compliments David for having the “wisdom of angels of God.”
Wisdom helps us to make intelligent decisions. Wisdom is the understanding of facts and how to apply them to daily life. Wisdom comes only from God. We are told to pray for wisdom.
The angels of God made a choice before the world was created. Some chose to follow God. Others chose to follow Satan.
Here we find that this wise woman says that David can make the right choice, just like, the angels of God.
We are told in I John to “try the spirits” to see if they are of God. Are we using our mind of Christ to understand what is going on in our lives? The wisdom from above is available to all those who are followers of Jesus Christ. We only have to ask for it. Too often we think we don’t need this wisdom because we think we can make wise decisions without the help of the LORD. Does this tell us why there are so many problems in the church today
CHALLENGE: Ask for the wisdom of God to understand what decisions we should make in our life. Life can be confusing at times.
: 20 To fetch about this form of speech has your servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth (1697 “form of speech” [dabar] means word, matter, affair, discourse, statement, skilled in speech, lawsuit, word of dispute, a legal action taken in court as a contest between wo parties for justice)
DEVOTION: She was speaking for someone else. She had made statements that David recognized as something that Joab would have said to get the king’s attention. He was not fooled by what was being said.
This woman of Tekoah was a wise woman but she didn’t fool David in what she was saying. He knew who had set her up and what the point of the speech was. He knew that they were trying to convince David to allow Absalom to return to the presence of David.
He wanted to be close to his father again and they were working with him to see that it happened.
It is sad when there is miscommunication between a father and child or a mother and son or daughter. There should always be some communication between them to make sure that their relationship is pleasing to the LORD.
The LORD doesn’t want families fighting with each other. HE wants families to get along just like HE does with the rest of the Godhead. They communicate. It is hard for us to understand their relationship but they are working together to see that we live our lives in a way that is pleasing to them.
Parents should want the same thing between them and their children. Only the LORD can make this happen as we are stubborn people most of the time. We want everyone to agree with us and if that doesn’t happen, we have problems.
There was a definite problem between David and Absalom. However, it seems that Absalom didn’t want to get it settled all the way as he later rebelled against his father. It is hard to know what is going to happen between parents and children but I think the LORD wants all families that claim HIS grace to get along well together.
Families are the basic units that the LORD works with to show the rest of the world what should be happening in society. If Christian families are having problems what is the rest of the world going to be do when there are problems between family members.
CHALLENGE: Work out your difference if you are part of a Christian family. The Holy Spirit can give you wisdom.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 25 But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. (3971 “blemish” [muwm] means spot, blot, physical defect, stain, beautiful, or flaw)
DEVOTION: Absalom had outer beauty like no other in the land of Israel. He looked good. He received praise for his looks. However, outer beauty doesn’t mean inner beauty as well.
There are many people who want to look good on the outside and do everything in their power to make sure that they look good. They are the ones that all the commercials on television are showing others to be like. If they could only buy a product, that would change their ugly looking into someone who was handsome or beautiful.
The LORD is the one who looks at the hearts of individuals. It is the heart that HE is more concerned about rather than outer beauty. HE wants us to have a heart that is pleasing to HIM.
Too often we think that someone who has outer beauty or is handsome as someone who is blessed of God. This might be true if their heart is right with the LORD. However, this was not the case with Absalom. His beauty was only on the outside.
As we read more about him in the future, we will see that his heart was far from the LORD. He was someone who was only thinking of himself and what would make him happy.
He killed his brother for what he did to his sister but that was an act of family honor, not something that pleased the LORD. He in this chapter set fire to a field because Joab was not paying attention to him. He wanted his way and used any means he could to get it.
We need to watch out that we are not trying to hang out with those who are popular because of outer beauty. We need to be followers of those who have inner beauty that is pleasing to the LORD.
Many who have outer beauty are more concerned with themselves and their popularity than with what is pleasing to the LORD. As believers we need to make sure that we understand that God always looks at the heart first and then the external appearance. HE wants us to have a heart that is pleasing to HIM.
CHALLENGE: Watch what we consider more important in our life: outer beauty or inner beauty. Work on your relationship with the LORD for inner beauty
: 32 And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent to your, saying, Come, hither, that I may send you to the king, to say, Wherefore, am I come from Geshur? It had been good for me to have been there still: now therefore let me see the king’s face, and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me. (5771 “iniquity” [‘avon] means the state of having committed an offense, misdeed, sin, guilt caused by sin, activity that is crooked or wrong, consequence of or punishment for iniquity, or mischief)
DEVOTION: Absalom was one who had blood of his brother on his hands and he should have been executed according to the LORD. He didn’t care what the Law of the LORD said he wanted a special privilege from his father. He wanted to be forgiven for the sin of murder. He wanted to be restored to power as a king’s son. He didn’t like just being alive he wanted it all.
Too often we feel the same way. We think that we deserve it all. We think because we have become a follower of Jesus Christ we should have health and wealth. We think that the LORD should give us it all even though we know that we are still sinners and deserve a place in the lake of fire for eternity.
We are not happy with just what the LORD gives us but we expect more. This puts us in the grips of those who preach the “health and wealth gospel.” This is not part of the gospel at all.
The LORD promises us that there will be persecution while we are here on this earth. There will be times when people will want to kill us because we are believers in Jesus Christ as the only way to get to heaven. They want us to compromise our beliefs to allow anyone into heaven who lives a good life or does good works.
That is not what the Bible teaches. It teaches that those who are genuine followers of Jesus Christ are working on being obedient to the LORD because of HIS gift of salvation. We don’t earn our salvation because HE was the only one who could earn it for us. HE died on the cross, so that, we could have eternal life.
There was iniquity in the life of Absalom which he had not repented of but wanted to be blessed in spite of his sin. That is the way that many individuals today think God should act. HE doesn’t condone sin. HE judges sin and will only accept those who are willing to repent of their sin and become an obedient follower of HIM.
Absalom was stuck on himself and wanted to be able to brake all the rules and still receive the blessings of a believer without repentance. That is not how God works in the life of this type of person.
CHALLENGE: HE honors those who honor HIM with obedience.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal)verses 11, 17
God – Elohim (Creator)verses 11, 13, 14, 16, 17, 20
LORD thy Godverses 11, 17
People of Godverse 13
Inheritance of Godverse 16
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Angel of Godverses 17, 20
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Murderverses 6, 7, 32
Disobeying Law of Godverses 8, 11
Iniquityverses 9, 32
Faultyverse 13
Afraidverse 15
Setting fire to barley fieldverse 30
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Guiltlessverse 9
Not a respecter of personsverse 14
Inheritance verse 16
Discern good and badverse 17
Wisdomverse 20
Graceverse 22
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Joab- son of Zeruiahverses 1-3, 19-33
Sent to Tekoah – wise woman
Faked being a mourner
Told to go to king David
Joab put words in mouth
Confronted by David
Told to bring Absalom to David
Brought Absalom to Jerusalem
David – king of Israelverses 1-33
Heard woman of Tekoah
Allowed Absalom back to Jerusalem
Allowed Absalom to see him
Absalomverses 1, 21-32
Brought to David
Brought from Geshur to Jerusalem
Didn’t see King’s face
Praised for his beauty
Had three sons and one daughter
Dwelt in Jerusalem two full years
Set Joab’s field on fire
Woman of Tekoahverse 2
Spoke to King David
Revengers of blood
Told king he should bring home
his banished
Revengers of bloodverse 11
People of Godverse 13
Israelverse 25
Outer beauty of Absalomverse 25
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Absalom would rather be killedverse 32
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QUOTES regarding passage
28–32 Although Absalom’s exile is over, he is forced to cool his heels in Jerusalem for “two years” (v.28; for the structural significance of the “two years” here and in 13:23 and the “three years” of 13:38, see comment on 13:1–22) before being invited to see “the king’s face” (for the meaning of this phrase and its importance with respect to its parallel unit, see comment on v.24). The literary subsection under consideration (vv.28–32) is delimited by the phrases “without seeing the king’s face” in v.28 and “I want to see the king’s face” in v.32.
No more persuasive with Joab (v.29) than he had earlier been with David (cf. 13:25), Absalom decides to take drastic measures. In an act reminiscent of that of Samson against the Philistines (cf. Judg 15:3–6), he instructs his servants to torch a nearby field belonging to Joab (v.30) as a means of not only getting his attention but also of getting even for being slighted by him. The loss of an entire crop of barley was a tragedy in ancient times (cf. Exod 9:28–31; Joel 1:11), even in the best of circumstances. On the basis of the Mosaic law (cf. Exod 22:6), Joab would have every right to demand adequate compensation, especially since in this case the fire was set deliberately.
If Joab’s indignant reaction (v.31) is understandable, Absalom has a ready answer. Joab has been unresponsive to Absalom’s repeated pleas for his mediation, leaving Absalom with few alternatives. Unless the king grants him an audience soon, he might as well never have left Geshur (v.32; cf. v.23 in the parallel passage) in the first place (cf. similarly Exod 14:11–12; 16:3; 17:3; Num 11:5, 18, 20; 14:2–4; 20:3–5; 21:4–5; Judg 6:13). Echoing verbatim the earlier words of his father to his friend Jonathan (“if I am guilty”; see 1 Sam 20:8 and comment), Absalom declares himself ready to be “put … to death”—and thus he unwittingly reprises the penalty that the wise woman of Tekoa knew would be incurred by her only surviving “son” because of his alleged fratricide (cf. v.7). (Youngblood, R. F. (1992). 1, 2 Samuel. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, pp. 985–986). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
14:28–33. After two more years of estrangement from his father, Absalom twice sought Joab’s aid in bringing about a final resolution of their differences. Rebuffed each time, Absalom resorted to dramatic action—he set Joab’s barley field on fire, which did get the general’s attention. Joab then intervened with the king and at last made it possible for Absalom to be reunited with his father. The meeting was at least superficially cordial, but as subsequent events demonstrated, David’s long-delayed acceptance of his son came too late. Absalom was embittered and resolved to do whatever was necessary to make David pay for his intransigence. (Merrill, E. H. (1985). 2 Samuel. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 470). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
14:21–33 Absalom’s return to Jerusalem. Although the Tekoan woman flattered David about his wisdom (20), his action towards Absalom was not in fact very wise. He allowed Absalom back into Israel but refused to restore him to his position at court. Absalom could have done David little harm if he had remained in exile, and he might have wished David no harm if David had welcomed him back. Instead, David’s action deeply angered him and at the same time gave him every opportunity to build up a conspiracy against David. This passage shows what an attractive person Absalom was outwardly but also indicates his arrogance. (Payne, D. F. (1994). 1 and 2 Samuel. In D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, & G. J. Wenham (Eds.), New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., p. 329). Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press.)
14:30–32 set the field on fire. This was an act of aggression by Absalom to force Joab to act in his behalf with David, his father. Such a crime was serious, as it destroyed the livelihood of the owner and workers. It reveals that Absalom’s heart was not repentant and submissive, but manipulative. He wanted an ultimatum delivered to David: Accept me or kill me! (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (2 Sa 14:30–32). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 32. And Absalom answered Joab, &c.] Neither denying the fact, nor being ashamed of it, nor asking pardon for it; but endeavouring to vindicate it, by giving a reason as he thought sufficient for it: behold, I sent unto thee, saying, come hither, that I may send thee to the king; which was assuming great authority over a person in such an high office as Joab was; had he been king, he could not have used more, to send for him, and command his attendance, and send him on what errand he thought fit, as here: to say, wherefore am I come from Geshur? why did the king send for me? why did not he let me alone where I was? to what purpose am I brought hither, since I am not admitted to court? it had been good for me to have been there still; and better, where he lived in a king’s court, and had honour and respect shewn him, suitable to his rank; and where he had his liberty, and could go where he pleased; and where this mark of his father’s displeasure, not suffering him to see his face, would not be so manifest as here, and so less disgraceful to him: now therefore let me see the king’s face: that is, speak to the king, and intercede for me, that I may see his face; which he was so importunate for, not from affection to the king; but that being at court, he might be able to ingratiate himself among the courtiers and others, and carry the point which his ambition prompted him to, supplant the king, and seize the crown: and if there be any iniquity in me, let him kill me; signifying he chose to die, rather than to live such a life he did: but of being put to death he was not much afraid; presuming partly upon his innocence, thinking that the killing of his brother was no crime, because he was the aggressor, had ravished his sister, and for it ought to die; and since justice wag delayed, and not done him, he had committed no iniquity in putting him to death; and partly on his father’s affection to him, which he was sensible of; at least he had reason to believe he would not now put him to death; for had he designed that, he would have ordered it before now, since he had had him so long in his hands. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 625). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
Ephesians 1
Christians have forgiveness of sin–an eternal inheritance.
INSIGHT
Most Christians need to re-identify who they are. We still see ourselves as mere human beings, children of the age with the albatross of the world hanging around our necks. That is who we once were, but are no longer. We have been adopted by God and are now His children. We are newly created in Him in holiness and righteousness. We have been given an inheritance in heaven that includes wealth and power. We have been changed; we are no longer what we were. When that truth “sinks in,” we begin to act like who we really are rather than who we were. (Quiet Walk)
2 Corinthians 12
Paul was given a vision of heaven and then “a thorn in the flesh” to keep him humble.
INSIGHT: The Bible gives us a number of reasons why Christians suffer adversity. One reason is to strengthen and mature us. Another is that it is the natural consequence of our own foolishness from which God does not necessarily protect us. And another reason Paul gives us in today’s chapter is to keep us humble. If things always went well for us, if life was always “coming up roses,” we would tend to become conceited, to think more highly of ourselves than we ought and perhaps think less of others. Notice that Paul only prayed three times for the removal of his “thorn in the flesh” (vv. 7-8). When it was clear that God was not going to remove it, Paul accepted it. (Quiet Walk)
Alone in the Dark?
How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? PSALM 13:1
Some people believe the words “Christian” and “depression” should never appear in the same sentence. They believe that a person whose Bible proclaims, “The joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10), should know better than to be unhappy.
It makes you wonder, though, if that was the case with William Cowper, author of such classic hymn lyrics as “God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform” and “There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel’s veins.” Severe depression forced him early in life to abandon his career in law.
If not for the patient mentorship of John Newton (composer of “Amazing Grace”), who knows how low Cowper’s depression would have taken him?
Charles Spurgeon struggled mightily with depression, particularly after a false cry of “Fire!” set off a stampede in his packed-house congregation, killing several in attendance. He often talked about hearing his “own chains clank” as he delivered his sermons, comparing his feelings to a chariot stuck in the mud.
King David, we know, cried out in melancholy many times through the psalms. Paul, who wrote, “God, who comforts the depressed, comforted us by the coming of Titus” (2 Corinthians 7:6), certainly knew seasons of darkness and despair. Biblical figures such as Moses, Job and Elijah went through overwhelming valleys of doubt and fear. 9
So if either of you find yourself under the heavy weight of depression today, grappling to work free but not always able to win the fight, you’re not alone in your struggle. Your suffering is not unknown by God. Your dark circumstances are not beyond His power to heal, restore and redeem.
As you seek God for relief, take a measure of comfort in your good company.
DISCUSS
What purpose could possibly be served by depression? Why would some of God’s greatest servants be touched with it? (Moments with YOU by Dennis & Barabra Rainey)
EVANGELISM AND SANCTIFICATION
As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
John 17:18
Our Lord’s disciples are to be sent to evangelize the world. How are they to do it? What is the first thing to consider? You notice what our Lord puts first: It is sanctification: “Sanctify them, for the work needs to be done in them before it can ever be done in the world.”
There is nothing that appalls me so much as the almost incredible way in which Christian people seem to ignore entirely the teaching of the Scriptures with regard to methods of evangelism. In the Scriptures from beginning to end, the emphasis is on the messenger, not his external methods. It is on his character and his being and on his relationship to God.
Take the case of Gideon. A mighty enemy army was facing the children of Israel, and at first Gideon collected an army of thirty-two thousand people. Then God began to reduce them until in the end there were only three hundred. God in effect said to Gideon, “I am not going to do this through the great army of thirty-two thousand, but in My way.” So He sent them out, not with great armaments, but with pitchers with lamps inside them, along with trumpets to blow. And with that ridiculous equipment they conquered the army of the enemy.
That is God’s way. God has always done His greatest works through remnants. If there is one doctrine that runs through the Scriptures more prominently than any other, it is the doctrine of the remnant. How often God has done everything with just one man. Do you remember the story in 1 Samuel 14 of Jonathan and his armor-bearer? They did not spend their time arguing about the condition of the enemy. One man, with his armor-bearer, trusting in the living God, could conquer an entire army!
A Thought to Ponder: God has always done His greatest works through remnants.
(From Sanctified Through the Truth, p. 22-23, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
The Good Part
“But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42)
The sisters Mary and Martha both loved the Lord Jesus and wanted to please Him. Jesus also loved them (John 11:5) and apparently was an occasional guest at their home in Bethany. Martha evidently felt that activity and service were pleasing to the Lord (and these, indeed, are good and important), whereas Mary simply “sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word” (Luke 10:39). To Martha’s surprise and chagrin, Jesus said that Mary had chosen the “good part”—a part more important even than service and food.
Long, long before, the patriarch Job, whom God had said was “a perfect and an upright man” with “none like him in the earth” (Job 1:8), had also chosen that good part. “I have esteemed the words of his mouth,” Job said, “more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12).
We today can sit at Jesus’ feet and hear His Word only by reading and meditating on the Scriptures. Important as our daily responsibilities may be to meet our material needs and those of our families, we should make priority time available for this “good part.” The same surely applies especially to Christian leaders. They may have many important tasks to perform in the service of God, but it is still more important for them to take time to “hear His word” in the Scriptures.
The unknown psalmist who wrote the grand 119th Psalm had learned this truth: “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day..How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through thy precepts I get understanding” (Psalm 119:97, 103-104).
We today have a higher privilege than Job, or the psalmist, or even Mary, for we have all the Scriptures! If we truly desire “that good part,” the Lord will surely provide the time, as He did for Mary. (HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
God at Work
Surely he was the Son of God!
Matthew 27:54
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