The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
2 Samuel 16-18
Act 2: God’s Covenant People
Scene 5: Kings and Prophets: God shapes a kingdom people
Background Information: 2 Samuel 16-18
Ahithophel had been a trusted counselor of David, but he was also a man of little character who was chasing the political winds for his own selfish reasons. He had given Absalom sound military advice, but Hushai, loyal to David, gave counter advice that sounded good to foolish Absalom and proved to be his undoing. Ahithophel, knowing that he had “bet on the wrong horse,” killed himself rather than being killed by David for his treason (or perhaps he was too proud to live with the shame of having to face the King he had betrayed). Speaking of pride, the narrative had earlier pointed out Absalom’s long and luxurious hair (14:25). If it seemed strange in the epic narrative to insert a statement about his appearance, then consider that it was this same hair that became a death trap for him. There is nothing inherently sinful about long hair, but pride is the foundational sin of humanity. His hair was a symbol of his pride, and his pride is what led to his death.
“Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began…But pride always means enmity—it is enmity. And not only enmity between man and man, but enmity to God. “(CS Lewis, Mere Christianity)
There are many interesting human characters in the flow of the Biblical narrative, but do not forget that God is always the “hero” of the story. Pay careful attention to verse 17:14, “Since the Lord had decreed that Ahithophel’s good advice be undermined in order to bring about Absalom’s ruin…” Absalom could rightly be said to have ruined his own life through his pride. It is also true that the Lord decreed the ruin of Absalom and brought about that end through his own means. Once again we see that God is sovereign and humans are responsible. There is no contradiction here, but there is both a strong warning and a wonderful promise that is revealed in the storyline. James says it all in his concise and powerful way of writing.
“God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. “(James 4:6-8)
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Pray for the Onelink teams from River as they prepare for their summer trips. Ask God to strengthen the teams and to prepare the hearts of those they will encounter this summer. Pray that people would turn to Christ this summer.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.