We continue our review of the key events that’ll lead us right into the books of the Kings.
When we last left off, the rebel Absalom had been killed.
However, soon after, another rebel named Sheva and his men rose from the northern tribal territories.
Joab sprang into action to quell this rebellion and trapped the northern rebels in a fortified city famous for its council and wisdom.
After negotiating with the city’s wise woman, Joab agreed to withdraw if they surrendered Sheva.
The city’s inhabitants decapitated Sheva and threw his severed head over their walls back to Joab.
Satisfied, Joab stopped his attack.
Afterward, Joab turned his attention to Amasa.
Recall that Amasa was the appointed commander of Absalom’s army during Absalom’s rebellion against David.
However, after Absalom’s death, David appointed Amasa to be his new general.
This was a politically strategic move to reunify the nation.
David wanted to win back the tribe of Judah (who had supported Absalom).
And it may have been David’s response to Joab’s defiance in killing Absalom.
Well, Joab wasn’t having any of it.
One day, Joab meets Amasa on the road.
He greets him like family, and then he murders him.
I have to admit, Joab is indeed a fascinating character.
He was fiercely loyal to David and militarily brilliant.
Yet he was politically ruthless.
He had no qualms about disobeying orders and murdering rivals when threatened.
Onward.
David rebuilds his throne via a combination of diplomacy and military victories over the Philistines.
During this time, he also composed a Psalm praising the Lord as an awesome deliverer.
However, the sad truth is that David is now a used-up, old, and frail man who has strayed far from the Lord and His Will.
Don’t get me wrong, David was still a man whose heart continued to long for and trust the Lord.
Because of this, the Lord still accepted and let David remain as the anointed Leader of Israel.
But there would be no avoiding the consequences of the wicked sins David committed.
Of course, I’m talking about…
The affair he committed with Bathsheba…
The subsequent murder of her husband…
The failure to discipline Amnon after he raped Tamar…
And so on.
Because of David’s sins, the Lord would not allow David to build a Temple for Him.
But he did allow David to purchase the land in Jerusalem where it would be built.
This spot was the threshing floor owned by a gentile known as Araunah the Jebusite.
This was the same place that Abraham was ordered to sacrifice his son, Isaac, before God stopped him at the very last moment.
Alrighty, so what’s the takeaway for today?
It is this.
It doesn’t matter if you start strong for the Lord…
If you stray from His commands, you will finish weak.
David’s life is a perfect example of this pattern.
Fortunately, the opposite is also true.
You can start weak for the Lord…
But if you commit yourself to Him…
Even if it happens later in life…
You can still finish strong.
Joseph’s life is a perfect example.
He literally went from the pit to the palace.
But consider this.
What if he had committed adultery by giving in to Potiphar’s wife’s advances?
I imagine we’d be reading a much different story about Joseph in our Bibles.
So there you have it!
One man, David, gave in to sexual sin and ended up spiritually broken, even if the Lord let him remain on the throne.
Another man, Joseph, refused temptation and became the one who saved Egypt from famine, rose to second under Pharaoh, and fathered two sons, one of whom founded one of Israel’s most powerful tribes.
One man’s household (Joseph’s) was filled with abundant fruitfulness…while the other man’s household (David’s) was plagued with violence.
This goes to show just how powerful living a moral life that aligns with the Lord’s commands really is.
So even if your life has been a disaster up until now…
No matter what you’ve done…
Or no matter how old you are…
You can still finish strong…
For all eternity.
Remember the criminal on the cross!
Ya feel me?
So chew on that thought for today.
And be blessed!
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith.
Now there is in store for me
the crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge,
will award to me on that day
—and not only to me,
but also to all who have
longed for his appearing.”
-2 Timothy 4:7-8
“Then he said,
‘Yeshua, remember me when
you come into your kingdom.’
Yeshua answered him,
‘Truly I tell you,
today you will be with
me in paradise.’”
-23:42-43
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