Old Testament reading: 2 Samuel 17-18
“A man’s pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor” (Prov 29:23). Ahithophel was Absalom’s counselor. 1 Samuel 16:23 says his advice “was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God.” Always accustomed to having his advice accepted, he was no match for the prayer of righteous David, who prayed, “O Lord, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!” (1 Sam 15:31). When Absalom accepted the counsel of Hushai over that of Ahithophel, the latter went out and hanged himself. This decision by Absalom brought his rebellion to a violent and ignominious conclusion. We also see Joab blatantly disregarding David’s direct order to capture Absalom alive. Throughout this account, we see God’s providence at work. Some misunderstand the nature of providence. In brief, divine providence is God working through natural, non-miraculous means to accomplish his will. God still works today in this same manner.
New Testament reading: Luke 17-19
“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” (Eph 2:8-10). Luke 17:7-10 illustrates why salvation is by grace, but not without works. The false dilemma of “grace or works” was unknown in the days of the New Testament and those immediately following. Clement of Alexandria lived in the second century, in the shadow of the apostles. Of salvation he wrote, “For by grace we are saved – but not, indeed, without good works.” Clement of Rome was contemporary of the apostle Paul. Concerning the faith that saves, he wrote, “For what reason was our father Abraham blessed? Was it not because he worked righteousness and truth through faith?” Thus, the idea that Abraham was declared righteous without any works was considered heresy by one who lived and worked alongside the apostle Paul. Of course, we could just read what James the brother of Jesus wrote in James 2:21-23, namely, that the Scripture declaring Abraham’s righteousness was not fulfilled until he obeyed God. We are not saved by our works, but we cannot be saved without them.
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