ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 101 - 1 Kings 10-11 (Solomon's Sins)
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"But King Solomon loved many foreign women,...Solomon clung to these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines; and his wives turned away his heart. For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the LORD his God, as was the heart of his father David....Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not fully follow the LORD, as did his father David. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the hill that is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the people of Ammon. And he did likewise for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods." (1 Kings 11:1-8)
There are many things in the Bible that are hard to believe yet when carefully reflected upon by the serious student of the Word actually mirror everyday human experiences. Aaron, Moses's brother and annointed first priest of God makes a golden calf and tells the people to worship it. Moses in his anger breaks the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments written by the very hand of God. David, the recipient of God's promise that the throne of his kingdom will be establised forever.
Now, we read in our text that Solomon, to whom God appeared twice and like a genie told Solomon to ask for anything and God would give it, blatantly disregards God's specific commands to him not to multiply his wives (he had one thousand) because those women will lead him astray to worship their idols which he ended up doing.
Although hard for some like me to believe, the sins committed by these heroes of the faith actually mirror human nature of sinfulness. The failures of these spiritual giants only goes to show that no person, no matter how spiritual he may be, is immune from temptation and sinning. The Bible says that the heart of man is "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked;..." (Jeremiah 17:9) This begs the question, "how can I avoid sinning against God just like Solomon sinned against Him?"
It is helpful for the devout beiever who sincerely seeks to live a holy and obedient life to understand his weaknesses that are most likely to cause him or her to sin. For many, it is sexual temptation. For others, it is the desire to be rich or it may be lying or anger issues. Satan always attacks the believer in his weak spots so it is imperative that we recognize what they are and to put up hedges to protect ourselves from temptation.
One example of the hedges I put up in my own life to guard against my weakness is to not allow my fingers to click a picture of a pop up of any tempting iamge on my computer that could lead me into sinning with my eyes. Another is never allowing myself to be in the company of another woman alone beside the women in my own family. Had Solomon put up similar hedges for himself, he would have avoided the sins he committed.
What about you? Do you recognize what your weaknesses are that lead you into sin? Are you willing to put up hedges of protection to guard yourself from temptation? If you do have the longing to live a holy life and to avoid sin, I praise God for you and pray that God will show you what you need to do in putting up hedges of protection to guard your heart from temptation and sinning.
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Friday, April 17, 2015
Day 100 - 1 Kings 8-9
ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 100 - 1 Kings 8-9 (Be Filled With the Spirit of God)
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"And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD." (1 Kings 8:10-11)
In our Scripture reading for today, Solomon had just finished building the temple of God in Jerusalem and he commanded that the Ark of God be brought in by the priests. As soon as the priests had set the Ark in its place and had left the holy place, we read that the cloud, representing the Spirit of God, "filled the house of the Lord."
In the Old Testament, God's house or temple was made out of physical building materials such as animal skin as in the case of the tent or stones and wood as in the case of the temple of Solomon. The permanent location of God's house was to be the temple mount in Jerusalem. In the New Testament, however, God's house is no longer the physical temple in Jerusalem but rather, it is the very bodies of the believers in Christ, as the apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthian believers:
"Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are." (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
Just as God filled his house in the old testament at certain times throughout the old testament, God also fills Christians who are called the temple of God today. In fact, Christians are commanded by God to be filled with the Holy Spirit: "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit..." (Ephesians 5:18) How then can we as Christians be filled with the Spirit?
To be filled with the Spirit of God, one must first and foremost be a child of God. Jesus said, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.." (John 1:12). After one becomes a child of God by faith in Christ, the believer must believe that he or she can be filled and must be filled with the Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit is no different than being born by the Spirit in salvation; both are an act of faith on the part of the believer.
Assuming the believer believes that he can be filled with the Spirit, he must make sure that he is a clean vessel to be filled by the Spirit of the Holy God. This is where confession and repentance come in. The believer in Christ must confess all known sins to God through Christ our priest and must genuinely be sorry for them. The Bible says that God cannot be mocked. God know our hearts and will not fill the person who is not genuinely repentant.
Assuming that the believer has no unconfessed sin in his life, he must believe that he is filled with the Spirit of God and he is. Being filled with the Spirit is a moment by moment experience not unlike breathing air for life. Apart from the Spirit of God filling a person, that person is aimlessly drifting outside the will of God. Such a person, although saved, is powerless to do anything of worth in the sight of God. God uses those who are willing and clean and who have the faith to believe that they are filled with the Spirit of God.
"O Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit. Thank you that I am filled with your Spirit. Help me to be sensitive to any sin that will hinder my fellowship with you. Use me by the power of your Spirit to do your will and your work through me. In Jesus name, amen."
Day 100 - 1 Kings 8-9 (Be Filled With the Spirit of God)
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"And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD." (1 Kings 8:10-11)
In our Scripture reading for today, Solomon had just finished building the temple of God in Jerusalem and he commanded that the Ark of God be brought in by the priests. As soon as the priests had set the Ark in its place and had left the holy place, we read that the cloud, representing the Spirit of God, "filled the house of the Lord."
In the Old Testament, God's house or temple was made out of physical building materials such as animal skin as in the case of the tent or stones and wood as in the case of the temple of Solomon. The permanent location of God's house was to be the temple mount in Jerusalem. In the New Testament, however, God's house is no longer the physical temple in Jerusalem but rather, it is the very bodies of the believers in Christ, as the apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Corinthian believers:
"Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are." (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
Just as God filled his house in the old testament at certain times throughout the old testament, God also fills Christians who are called the temple of God today. In fact, Christians are commanded by God to be filled with the Holy Spirit: "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit..." (Ephesians 5:18) How then can we as Christians be filled with the Spirit?
To be filled with the Spirit of God, one must first and foremost be a child of God. Jesus said, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.." (John 1:12). After one becomes a child of God by faith in Christ, the believer must believe that he or she can be filled and must be filled with the Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit is no different than being born by the Spirit in salvation; both are an act of faith on the part of the believer.
Assuming the believer believes that he can be filled with the Spirit, he must make sure that he is a clean vessel to be filled by the Spirit of the Holy God. This is where confession and repentance come in. The believer in Christ must confess all known sins to God through Christ our priest and must genuinely be sorry for them. The Bible says that God cannot be mocked. God know our hearts and will not fill the person who is not genuinely repentant.
Assuming that the believer has no unconfessed sin in his life, he must believe that he is filled with the Spirit of God and he is. Being filled with the Spirit is a moment by moment experience not unlike breathing air for life. Apart from the Spirit of God filling a person, that person is aimlessly drifting outside the will of God. Such a person, although saved, is powerless to do anything of worth in the sight of God. God uses those who are willing and clean and who have the faith to believe that they are filled with the Spirit of God.
"O Lord, fill me with your Holy Spirit. Thank you that I am filled with your Spirit. Help me to be sensitive to any sin that will hinder my fellowship with you. Use me by the power of your Spirit to do your will and your work through me. In Jesus name, amen."
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Day 99 - 1 Kings 6-7
ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 99 - 1 Kings 6-7 (The Gift That Glorifies God)
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Day 99 - 1 Kings 6-7 (The Gift That Glorifies God)
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"Now King Solomon sent and brought Huram from Tyre. He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker; he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds of bronze work. So he came to King Solomon and did all his work." (1 Kings 7:13-14)
There is a saying, "You either have the gift or you don't." I wish I had the gift of music but I know that I don't. I am happy that all of my children as well as my sife have the gift. I tell people, though, that there is one instrument that I play and perfectly at that. When they ask me what instrument that might be, I answer, "the radio".
Obviously, Huram from Tyre was an extremely gifted craftsman because Solomon chose him to do all the art work for the temple and his palace. The author of 1 Kings under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit was careful to include a descriptive phrase about Huram in our text above: "he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill".
I believe that God's filling of His Spirit on this master craftsman was what separated him from all other gifted craftsmen. No doubt that for Huram, his craft was not just a matter of livelihood for him but rather it was a form of worship to his God. One cannot be filled with the Spirit of God in a specific giftedness and not use the same gift in his worship to the Lord.
The distinction between a gifted person simply exercising his gift and one who does it as a worship to his God is none more evident than in Christian worship leading. People can tell when the worship leader is truly filled with the Spirit of God or not in his worship leading. When the worship leader is filled with the Spirit, he is able to lead the entire congregation in awesome worship in music and praise to God and, more importantly, God is truly glorified in the worship and singing of the people.
What is your gift? If you don't thnk you have any or are not sure what it is, here is great news for you. The Bible teaches that every believer in Christ is given at least one spiritual gift to use for the edification of the whole Body of Christ: "As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." (1 Peter 4:10) "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift... for the edifying of itself (the Body) in love." (Ephesians 4:7;5:16b)
Would you like to receive a gift from the Holy Spirit? You must first be born-again into the family of God by receiving Christ as your Lord and Savior. Then, the Holy Spirit will dwell in you and will give you a gift for you to use to glorify God and build up the Body of Christ which is the Church.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Day 98 - 1 Kings 4-5
ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 98 - 1 Kings 4-5 (Friendship)
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"So King Solomon was king over all Israel. And these were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, over the army; Zadok and Abiathar, the priests; Azariah the son of Nathan, over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest and the king's friend;..." (1 Kings 4:1-5)
Friendship. Many things have been written about it. The Bible talks a lot about it. For those who know its value, it ranks among the top three of what's most important in life - it certainly is for me. On a wall in my living room hangs a wooden board that says, "Faith, Family, Friends". Those three words describes what's most imoportant in my life and in the lives of the members of my family.
It is interesting to note in our text above how Zabud who was a priest and listed as one of the Solomon's officials was also described as the king's friend. This wasn't the first time that an office of the king's friend was recognized in the Bible. Hushai the Archite was listed as holding the office of "the king's friend" under David: "Ahithophel was the king's counselor. Hushai the Arkite was the king's friend." (1 Chronicles 27:33)
The fact that king David and king Solomon recognized the value of a trusted confidant should make us recognize it as well. Do you have someone in your life you can consider a true friend, someone whom you can confide your deepest secrets or struggles to? Every person needs at least one "best" friend. If you do have one true friend, you need to treasure that friendship as much as you treasure anything or any other person in your life.
One of my regrets in life is the friends I had whom I let slip out of my life due to our loss of contact with each other. Fortunately, Facebook and other social media have been helping many people, including myself, to re-connect with old friends as well as keep in contact with current friends. With all these wonderful ways to connect with friends, however, nothing can still replace the old fashioned face to face interaction over a meal or simply hanging out together.
I am so thankful to God for the friends He has given to me and my wife. We love and treasure our friends and it is our earnest hope and prayer that we will continue to stay connected with all of them. "Dear God, please bless my friends and their families. Help me draw me closer to them and may they draw close to You. Amen."
Day 98 - 1 Kings 4-5 (Friendship)
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"So King Solomon was king over all Israel. And these were his officials: Azariah the son of Zadok, the priest; Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, over the army; Zadok and Abiathar, the priests; Azariah the son of Nathan, over the officers; Zabud the son of Nathan, a priest and the king's friend;..." (1 Kings 4:1-5)
Friendship. Many things have been written about it. The Bible talks a lot about it. For those who know its value, it ranks among the top three of what's most important in life - it certainly is for me. On a wall in my living room hangs a wooden board that says, "Faith, Family, Friends". Those three words describes what's most imoportant in my life and in the lives of the members of my family.
It is interesting to note in our text above how Zabud who was a priest and listed as one of the Solomon's officials was also described as the king's friend. This wasn't the first time that an office of the king's friend was recognized in the Bible. Hushai the Archite was listed as holding the office of "the king's friend" under David: "Ahithophel was the king's counselor. Hushai the Arkite was the king's friend." (1 Chronicles 27:33)
The fact that king David and king Solomon recognized the value of a trusted confidant should make us recognize it as well. Do you have someone in your life you can consider a true friend, someone whom you can confide your deepest secrets or struggles to? Every person needs at least one "best" friend. If you do have one true friend, you need to treasure that friendship as much as you treasure anything or any other person in your life.
One of my regrets in life is the friends I had whom I let slip out of my life due to our loss of contact with each other. Fortunately, Facebook and other social media have been helping many people, including myself, to re-connect with old friends as well as keep in contact with current friends. With all these wonderful ways to connect with friends, however, nothing can still replace the old fashioned face to face interaction over a meal or simply hanging out together.
I am so thankful to God for the friends He has given to me and my wife. We love and treasure our friends and it is our earnest hope and prayer that we will continue to stay connected with all of them. "Dear God, please bless my friends and their families. Help me draw me closer to them and may they draw close to You. Amen."
Day 97 - 1 Kings 1-3
ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 97 - 1 Kings 1-3 (The Request That Pleased the Lord)
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"At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask! What shall I give you?" ...give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" The speech pleased the LORD, that Solomon had asked this thing." (1 Kings 3:5, 9-10)
I know of no other request to God that the Bible says pleased the Lord besides Solomon's request for wisdom in our text above. Solomon could have ask for anything including riches and honor but instead he chose to ask for an understanding heart. It is interesting to note that God was not only pleased to grant solomon's request; He also gave Solomon that which he had not asked for but what everybody wants - wisdom and honor beyond that attained by any other human being.
What would you ask from God He said to you, "Ask! What shall I give you?" Now that you know what pleases God, I would hope that you would ask for something greater than riches or honor that do not last forever. I would hope that you would rather ask for something of lasting value like wisdom or love or faith.
James the apostle and half-brother of our Lord wrote this about wisdom: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5) James went on to say "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (verses 6-8)
When we ask God for wisdom, we can have the blessed assurance that He would be pleased to give it to us liberally and without reproach. Who among us could not use more wisdome in our life? And how much better would the world around us be if we had more wisdom to enrich the lives of others?
"Father, please give me, your servant, an understanding heart to bless the people around me. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen."
James the apostle and half-brother of our Lord wrote this about wisdom: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5) James went on to say "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (verses 6-8)
When we ask God for wisdom, we can have the blessed assurance that He would be pleased to give it to us liberally and without reproach. Who among us could not use more wisdome in our life? And how much better would the world around us be if we had more wisdom to enrich the lives of others?
"Father, please give me, your servant, an understanding heart to bless the people around me. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen."
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Day 96 - 2 Samuel 23-24
ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 96 - 2 Samuel 23-24 ()
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"Then the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel." (2 Samuel 24:24-25)
The last chapter of 2 Samuel, the book about the life of David, is a bittersweet ending of his life. It contains the last recorded sin of David, his sin of pride in counting the men of war in Israel and Judah. As punishment, God killed seventy thousand Israelite men. God instructed David through the prophet Gad to erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Araunah offers to donate the piece of land for the altar and David's response is the text above.
We can learn two important lessons from the last episode of David's much decorated life. The first is concerning the sin of pride. To most people, David's act of counting the number of his army may seem completely innocent and normal for a commander-in-chief but as Scriptures say, "the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7b) God saw David's motive that it was prideful.
We need to be very careful to always check our motives especially when our actions apparently look innocent or even good. For example, I just heard about one professional athlete on radio promote a donation of a new car he made to a single mom. Although it was a very good deed indeed, the fact that he promoted it on radio made me wonder about the motive of the athlete for his donation.
The second lesson we can learn from David's last act recorded in 2 Samuel concerns his refusal to offer something to God which does not cost him anything. How often are we guilty of this subtle sin in our own devotion or lack of devotion to God! I know many Christians who say that the only time that they spend alone with God is when they are driving in their cars. I wonder how they would feel if the only time that their own children have to talk to them would be when they happen to be riding in their children's car.
I hope that little illustration I just gave regarding some Christians' devotional life is convicting you and me about our own lack of devotion towards God. God gave us His very best in sending His own Son to die for us; how could we not also give Him our very best? Listen to God's own words in Malachi concerning those who treated Him with contempt:
"And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice,
Is it not evil?
And when you offer the lame and sick,
Is it not evil?
Offer it then to your governor!
Would he be pleased with you?
Would he accept you favorably?"
Says the LORD of hosts." (Malachi 1:8)
Day 96 - 2 Samuel 23-24 ()
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"Then the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel." (2 Samuel 24:24-25)
The last chapter of 2 Samuel, the book about the life of David, is a bittersweet ending of his life. It contains the last recorded sin of David, his sin of pride in counting the men of war in Israel and Judah. As punishment, God killed seventy thousand Israelite men. God instructed David through the prophet Gad to erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Araunah offers to donate the piece of land for the altar and David's response is the text above.
We can learn two important lessons from the last episode of David's much decorated life. The first is concerning the sin of pride. To most people, David's act of counting the number of his army may seem completely innocent and normal for a commander-in-chief but as Scriptures say, "the Lord looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7b) God saw David's motive that it was prideful.
We need to be very careful to always check our motives especially when our actions apparently look innocent or even good. For example, I just heard about one professional athlete on radio promote a donation of a new car he made to a single mom. Although it was a very good deed indeed, the fact that he promoted it on radio made me wonder about the motive of the athlete for his donation.
The second lesson we can learn from David's last act recorded in 2 Samuel concerns his refusal to offer something to God which does not cost him anything. How often are we guilty of this subtle sin in our own devotion or lack of devotion to God! I know many Christians who say that the only time that they spend alone with God is when they are driving in their cars. I wonder how they would feel if the only time that their own children have to talk to them would be when they happen to be riding in their children's car.
I hope that little illustration I just gave regarding some Christians' devotional life is convicting you and me about our own lack of devotion towards God. God gave us His very best in sending His own Son to die for us; how could we not also give Him our very best? Listen to God's own words in Malachi concerning those who treated Him with contempt:
"And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice,
Is it not evil?
And when you offer the lame and sick,
Is it not evil?
Offer it then to your governor!
Would he be pleased with you?
Would he accept you favorably?"
Says the LORD of hosts." (Malachi 1:8)
May God help all of us to never again treat the God of the Universe with contempt by what we offer to Him.
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Day 95 - 2 Samuel 20-22
ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE
Day 95- 2 Samuel 20-22 (Would You Like to Be Blameless?)
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"The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His judgments were before me; and as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. I was also blameless before Him, and I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His eyes." (2 Samuel 22:21-25)
How can David declare in our text above that he was righteous and that his hands were clean and that he had obeyed God and have not wickedly departed from Him? How dare him say that he was blameless and free from iniquity? Didn't this same David commit the horrible sins of adultery and murder? How then can he regard himself as righteous and blameless before God?
The answer to these questions can only be had by those who have experienced the saving grace of God and who understand the nature of salvation by grace through in Christ. David understood, with regards to the repentant sinner's guilt and sin, Scriptures teach, "As far as the east is from the west so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 102:12)
The central teaching of the Bible is that man is a sinner and as such must pay the penalty for sin which is death, both physical and spiritual. But "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) Therefore, the sinner who repents and believes in his heart that Jesus Christ is Savior is saved from eternal punishment and receives eternal life.
The Bible teaches that salvation is completely the work of God apart from any contribution from the sinner: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Grace means unmerited favor. What the sinner deserves is eternal death but instead, by the grace of God, he receives eternal life. Salvation is through faith. Faith is being sure of that which we do not see, says the author of the book of Hebrews. The sinner is saved by trusting in Jesus Christ, whom he does not see, to save Him from the punishment of sin as a result of bearing the world's sin on the cross, and to bring him to heaven, which again is unseen and in the future.
In order to understand how David could declare himself righteous and blameless, we need to understand one more characteristic of salvation which is called sanctification. Sanctification simply means that the sinner saved by grace through faith in Christ has been made righteous by God before Him. God made this possible by removing the sin of the repentant person and transferring it on His Son as He hung on the cross, thus judging sin's death penalty upon the innocent Lamb of God.
Removing the sin from a person alone will not make him righteous; God needed to then impute or credit the righteousness of His Son upon the sinner thus making him righteous before Him. David fully understood this mystery of sanctification when he wrote, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." (Psalm 51:7) No wonder David was able to make the confident declarations in our text above regarding his righteousness before God.
Would you like to be made righteous before God and have your sins removed as far as the east is from the west? Then humble yourself before God and repent of your sins and through faith believe that Jesus died for your sins and wants to forgive you and give you His own righteousness to wear forever.
Day 95- 2 Samuel 20-22 (Would You Like to Be Blameless?)
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"The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His judgments were before me; and as for His statutes, I did not depart from them. I was also blameless before Him, and I kept myself from my iniquity. Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His eyes." (2 Samuel 22:21-25)
How can David declare in our text above that he was righteous and that his hands were clean and that he had obeyed God and have not wickedly departed from Him? How dare him say that he was blameless and free from iniquity? Didn't this same David commit the horrible sins of adultery and murder? How then can he regard himself as righteous and blameless before God?
The answer to these questions can only be had by those who have experienced the saving grace of God and who understand the nature of salvation by grace through in Christ. David understood, with regards to the repentant sinner's guilt and sin, Scriptures teach, "As far as the east is from the west so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 102:12)
The central teaching of the Bible is that man is a sinner and as such must pay the penalty for sin which is death, both physical and spiritual. But "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) Therefore, the sinner who repents and believes in his heart that Jesus Christ is Savior is saved from eternal punishment and receives eternal life.
The Bible teaches that salvation is completely the work of God apart from any contribution from the sinner: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Grace means unmerited favor. What the sinner deserves is eternal death but instead, by the grace of God, he receives eternal life. Salvation is through faith. Faith is being sure of that which we do not see, says the author of the book of Hebrews. The sinner is saved by trusting in Jesus Christ, whom he does not see, to save Him from the punishment of sin as a result of bearing the world's sin on the cross, and to bring him to heaven, which again is unseen and in the future.
In order to understand how David could declare himself righteous and blameless, we need to understand one more characteristic of salvation which is called sanctification. Sanctification simply means that the sinner saved by grace through faith in Christ has been made righteous by God before Him. God made this possible by removing the sin of the repentant person and transferring it on His Son as He hung on the cross, thus judging sin's death penalty upon the innocent Lamb of God.
Removing the sin from a person alone will not make him righteous; God needed to then impute or credit the righteousness of His Son upon the sinner thus making him righteous before Him. David fully understood this mystery of sanctification when he wrote, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." (Psalm 51:7) No wonder David was able to make the confident declarations in our text above regarding his righteousness before God.
Would you like to be made righteous before God and have your sins removed as far as the east is from the west? Then humble yourself before God and repent of your sins and through faith believe that Jesus died for your sins and wants to forgive you and give you His own righteousness to wear forever.
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