Old Testament reading: 2 Samuel 19-20
“For if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?” (1 Tim 3:5). As the king of Israel, David was a father figure over God’s people. His weakness and failure to properly deal with his family was a continual source of difficulty for the nation. Absalom’s defeat and death should have been a day of rejoicing for the nation, but David openly mourned for Absalom, causing those heroic servants to shamefully slink back into the city as if they had been cowards or defeated. Joab sternly rebuked and shamed him, saying, “You have disgraced all your servants who saved your life, the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives and the lives of your concubines, in that you love your enemies and hate your friends. For you have declared today that you regard neither the princes nor servants; for today I perceive that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died today, then it would have pleased you well.” I cannot help but appreciate the courage and wisdom of Joab in this matter and can only imagine the great good he could’ve done had he had some semblance of humility and respect for authority.
New Testament reading: Luke 20-21
Are you willing to suffer for your beliefs? Apparently, the chief priests, scribes and elders of the Jews weren’t. In this latest confrontation with Jesus, the Lord’s deeds and His source of authority are brought into question. Jesus responds by exposing their inflated sense of self-importance with one simple, pointed question. While the emphasis on their response is generally on their non-response, I think it is also important to consider the reason for their ambivalent reply. They were afraid to publicly affirm what they believed about John the Baptizer! Moreover, they would have lied, saying John’s baptism was of divine origin, were they not fully aware of the implications of such an affirmation. From the outset of His preaching, Jesus exhorted His disciples to be prepared for persecution and even death. Those Jewish unbelievers were not so convicted. Once again we see the superiority of genuine faith over hypocrisy.
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