Old Testament reading: 1 Kings 1
God will “by no means clear the guilty, but will visit the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation” (Num 14:37; cf Ex 20:5; 34:7; Deut 5:9). David’s parental deficiencies would follow his family even beyond the grave. As David nears death, his son Adonijah presumes to take the throne. Securing the support of Joab and Abiathar, he makes a feast, blows the trumpet and has himself declared king. All of this was done without his father’s consent or knowledge. Why would he be so presumptuous? Verse 5 provides the answer: “And his father (David) had not rebuked him at any time saying, ‘Why had you done this?’” A child without rebuke and correction becomes a god to himself. “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother” (Proverbs 29:15 NASB). Moreover, verse 5 describes him as being a good looking man. Sadly, it is the nature of man to follow those of impressive stature and exceptional looks, regardless of their character or deeds (Saul of Cish serves as another example). Those who followed after Jesus were not drawn to him by such a shallow measuring stick, for “he had no form nor comeliness, and when we see him there is no beauty that we should desire him” (Isa 53:2).
New Testament reading: John 1-3
“Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice? I do not know the Lord…” (Ex 5:2). For those seeking to know the Lord, John 1 provides us with many wonderful images: He is the eternal, living Word – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (v 1); He is the Life and Light of men (v 4); He is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (v 29); He is the fulfillment of the Law of Moses (v 45); He is the Son of God (v 49) and the Son of Man (v 51). I find it interesting that those whose hearts were set on the word of God had no difficulty recognizing Jesus as the one foretold both by Moses in the law and also in the prophets. There was no excuse for any Jew to reject Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham and Moses.
Leave a Reply