Old Testament reading: 2 Samuel 21-22
With absolutely no disrespect intended toward David, today’s reading reminds me of the old children’s song, “The Old Gray Mare.” Perhaps a better analogy might be, “Father time is undefeated.” David shows his age as he is no longer the great warrior he once was. In a mano a mano battle against Ishbi-Benob, a descendant of Goliath, David begins to tire and must be saved by Abishai. The text indicates the giant was on the very cusp of killing David. Abishai’s statement following is quite moving, “You shall go out with us no more to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.” Abishai recognized that David’s value to the people was not measured by his skill as a warrior, but as a light and leader to the people of Israel. Abishai’s appreciation for David provides a lesson for us today. Our greatest leaders in the church are not those who are able to lead the battle and wield the sword, but those who by reason of age, experience and wisdom are able to affect the direction and direct the affairs of the local body. Finally, as poorly as things went with David’s family, they went far worse for Goliath. Not only did he die at the hand of David, four of his sons were also killed by David through his servants.
New Testament reading: Luke 22
“And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered…” (Luke 22:61). How soon we forget! It was only a handful of hours after affirming his faith and denying the Lord’s prophecy that he would deny the Lord that Peter did exactly that. The account of Luke 22:61-62 surely followed Peter the rest of his life. Perhaps it was a source of motivation for him as he served the Lord despite many trials and persecutions. If at any time he began to waiver, he only needed to remember the look in Jesus’ eyes as Peter denied him three times. We should all allow such times in our own lives to serve as motivation to greater heights of faithful service, for who among us cannot picture Jesus looking at us with those same eyes?
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