Old Testament reading: 1 Samuel 29-31
“The righteous is delivered from trouble, and it comes to the wicked instead” (Prov 11:8). The words of righteous David in 1 Samuel 26:10 are brought to fruition as Saul’s reign as king comes to a tragic and violent conclusion. Saul’s death was tragic in the sense that Jonathan was also killed alongside him in battle, and reminds us the righteous often fall alongside the wicked. I cannot help but see some measure of Divine providence in Jonathan’s death. His survival into David’s reign would have been the source of much confusion among God’s people. As we will see in the early chapters of 2 Samuel, there was a division of loyalty between the house of Saul and of David. This would have likely been much worse had a righteous man like Jonathan been involved. In chapter 30, we see an interesting exchange between David and his men. Of the 600 men with David, only 400 were physically able to continue in battle. The remaining 200 stayed back with the supplies. After their victory, the 400 only wanted to return the portion that belonged to the 200 and not share in any of the spoil. David rebuked them saying that all would share alike in the spoil as the victory was not the result of human effort, but by the preservation and favor of God. For all the great men who stand in the pulpit or travel the globe in preaching the gospel, let us remember that there are many who serve behind the scenes or at home, and without them, the more visible ones could not be successful.
New Testament reading: Luke 1
Luke 1 contains the beautiful song of Mary, in which she expresses an understanding that the things that are happening to her are a fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. The Jews wanted Jesus to be an extension of the Law of Moses, but the promise to Abraham preceded and superseded Moses and the Law (cf Gal 3:15-18). Tragically, some have taken Mary’s statement, “all generations shall call me blessed” (v 48), to foist upon her titles and “dignities” that she neither desired nor deserves. There is no record of such veneration of Mary among the early church such as we see among multiplied millions today.
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