Editor’s Note: AMI Quiet Times from May 11-17 are written by pastor David Kwon of Journey Community Church.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
2 Samuel 15:1-12
After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him. [2] And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And when he said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,” [3] Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you.” [4] Then Absalom would say, “Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.” [5] And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. [6] Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.[7] And at the end of four years Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the LORD, in Hebron. [8] For your servant vowed a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If the LORD will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will offer worship to the LORD.’” [9] The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron. [10] But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, ‘Absalom is king at Hebron!’” [11] With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem who were invited guests, and they went in their innocence and knew nothing. [12] And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing.
During 1942, the Red Cross sent packages for prisoners held in German concentration camps. At one point, the International Red Cross asked for an accounting, and it turned out that at Buchenwald alone, some seven carloads of supplies (about 21,000 packages) were unaccounted for. Some of the prisoners who survived to see the collapse of the Third Reich were highly amused watching the SS (German) officers feverishly clearing empty Red Cross cartons from their offices in April 1945. The packages had been taken by another group of solders that were not originally intended for them—they took what did not belong to them.
In today’s passage, we see Absalom is seizing what does not belong to him – the kingdom. Instead of using force, Absalom uses his charisma and charm to win the people. He provides himself with chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him (v.1). Now Absalom would rise early and stand beside the way to the gate. Anyone who had a dispute and came to the king for a decision, Absalom would inquire about the person’s hometown and would say to him, “Look, your case is good and right; but there is no deputy of the king to hear you.” He was showing empathy to win the people’s hearts and it was working! Whenever anyone came near to bow down to him, he would put out his hand and take him and kiss him. In this manner Absalom acted like the king toward all of Israel. He would continue his rebellious plot by sending out secret messengers who would hail him as king as soon as the trumpet sounded (v.10). Absalom’s following would increase as his evil plot of rebellion would continue to unfold (v.12).
What can we learn from today’s devotion? We need to live a life of integrity that honors the Lord. The definition of the word integrity is “honesty, transparency, and being the same in one situation as another.” It means that you are not deceitful in any area of your life, which was not the case for Absalom. Integrity is the foundation for any Christian whether they are a leader, parent, student, employee, etc. We grow in our integrity by growing in character through His Word, prayer, and being part of community. Ask the Lord to search your heart this morning and reveal any areas that need to be surrendered to Him.
Prayer
Lord, I want to continue to grow in my character and integrity. Help me to continually be a person who is the same in any situation. Reveal any areas of deceitfulness in my heart, which would lead me to repentance and change. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Ezekiel 16
Lunch Break Study
Read James 1:22-25
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. [23] For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. [24] For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. [25] But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
Questions to Consider
- What does James emphasize when it comes to the Word?
- What is the result of being a doer of the Word?
- James uses a brilliant illustration of a mirror showing what it is like when we are not doers of the Word. What areas in our life are we just being listeners and not doers?
Notes
- James points out that it is not enough simply to know Scripture or godly teaching; knowledge alone is useless. What’s worse is when a person thinks that knowing the Bible makes one godly—he is self-deceived.
- The contrast here between the hearer and the doer is that the doer remembers the “law of liberty” and obeys the Word, which results in freedom and blessing.
- Personal Response
Evening Reflection
Living a life of holiness is a process of surrender and repentance. As we focus more on the Lord, it should reveal how depraved our hearts are; but it also becomes more evident how magnificent His grace is towards us. As we close the day, pray for greater integrity and holiness in our lives as the apostle Peter reminds us, “but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (1 Peter 1:15).
If you have ever watched shows such as Dr. Phil, one of the reoccurring topics is—the dysfunctional family. There would always be an episode about parents who were not doing their job or kids in rebellion, and it is tragic to hear some of their stories shared on national TV. As we have been reading the account of David and his sons—Absalom and Amnon—in the past few days, one observation we can make is how dysfunctional this family was. We have already seen rape, hatred, revenge, and murder— and it does not seem to be getting any better.
If you have ever watched the movie Kill Bill starring Uma Thurman, it is a story of revenge. Thurman, a former assassin, known simply as The Bride, awakens from a coma four years after her jealous ex-lover Bill attempts to murder her on her wedding day. Fueled by an insatiable desire for revenge, she vows to get even with every person who contributed to the loss of her unborn child, her entire wedding party, and four years of her life. She goes through great lengths to make sure her enemies pay for what they had done to her.
Have you ever had a moment of indecisiveness that resulted in unwanted consequences? I remember about a year ago, I was trying to buy an airplane ticket online, but when I saw how high the price was, I figured I would wait. I kept checking the price in the days after but the ticket price was not going down. I became indecisive of whether to purchase the ticket and after a few more days of waiting, I ended up paying more than when I first started to look. I was met with unwanted consequences because of my indecisiveness.
If you turn on the news on any given night, you will often hear about a crime that seems unimaginable. I recently watched a story of a nurse who burned down a hospital, which resulted in 5 newborn infants dying all because she received a bad review at her job. Shock, anger, and confusion are just a few of the many emotions that come to mind when we read these stories.
Upon banishing the first couple from the garden for their willful act God, “made garments of skin . . . and clothed them” (Gn. 3:21). Methuselah set an all time record for longevity, and once he finally passed away at the age of 969 (6:27), the rain began to pour and it wouldn’t stop for 40 days. The Lord, in response to the post-Noah generation’s attempt to construct a tower high enough to reach to the heavens, “confused their language so that they will not understand each other” (11:7).
I once got a speeding ticket in Arizona for driving 60 MPH back in 1985 when the legal limit was 55 MPH—it’s probably 70 or 75 MPH now. The speed limit is the rule of the road, much like how some countries have rules to drive on the right side of the road while others require the left side—they are completely arbitrary. What isn’t arbitrary is the law of speed, which stipulates that the faster I go, the more time and distance it takes to stop. Ignoring that law may result in a serious accident that can kill or injure people. This is to say, while it is no longer a crime to drive above 55 MPH in Arizona, that doesn’t abrogate the law of speed, which, once broken, can produce death.
I cannot remember the last time I saw a bumper stick that says, “I love Jesus.” Maybe that’s a good thing since most Christians don’t drive all that differently than those who prefer other stickers, such as “My other car is a Porsche.” While some lousy Christian drivers have done some small harm, it pales in comparison to when famous Christian leaders fall from grace, and the whole world knows about it. And that is one reason David’s sin was so detrimental: “Because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt” (2 Samuel 2:14).
Going to school or work is stressful enough. Adding to that the pressure to live out the Christian faith in public may seem too much; as a result, many of us remain as incognito Christians. Some may even skip praying in public before a meal to stay anonymous; yet, once in the safe confines of a church, we dance and holler for Jesus! Don’t live like that! Be a witness for Christ! However, before trying to “stick out” for Jesus, prepare your heart and mind spiritually and intellectually; otherwise, we may end up dishonoring God by hypocrisy and through an inarticulate defense of our faith.
Prophet Nathan, having been told by God to confront David, knew better than to openly rebuke the king lest he lose his head. Even the valiant Prophet Samuel was concerned that King Saul might kill him (1 Sam. 16:2), if the king knew that he was searching for the next king. So, Nathan came up with a clever story of a rich man forcibly taking the only lamb belonging to a poor man, and then feeding that to his guest. Burning with anger, David’s reaction—“The man who did this deserves to die”—was worthy of an Emmy, except this time he wasn’t acting. He was being genuine only because nine months of seeming tranquility had numbed the guilt and made him feel as though he really was the caring king who looked after a poor widow. Perhaps David was patting himself on the back for being such a swell guy.
But the holy God is neither blind nor stupid. Nathan’s tactful approach, no doubt prompted by God, made David his own accuser: “You are the man!” said the prophet, adding, “Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes?” (v.7).
When my children were little, they enjoyed watching Veggie Tales, a Christian cartoon show whose characters were entirely made up of vegetables. In one episode, a fib told by “Junior” grows to be an enormous monster, growing with each lie to cover up previous lies. David would’ve given Junior a run for his money for that role.