Today, we begin 2nd Samuel Chapter 21.
For the Complete Jewish Bible, click HERE.
For the King James Version, click HERE.
Scholars label this chapter as an Appendix to the book of 2nd Samuel.
It’s a collection of random pieces of information that were put here since they didn’t seem to fit anywhere else.
The point is that the various events listed here are NOT in chronological order.
And the fact that they’re at the end of the book has NOTHING to do with WHEN these events occurred.
Ya feel me?
Another thing.
When we read about how David dealt with a severe famine that swept the land, we need to keep in mind we’re gonna be exposed to a MIXTURE of Torah Law combined with Middle Eastern traditions and downright pagan superstitions.
Not understanding the difference between these things is why so many Bible preachers and teachers screw up big time in trying to understand Scripture.
They’ll always try to find some ridiculous loophole or technicality to justify David’s behavior because they’re handcuffed to this idea that everything he did was instructed by God.
Well, that’s not always the case.
Chapters like this lead to many Christian scholars apologizing for what God did in the Old Testament era…
And how, when Christ came, he, as “God in human flesh,” established a new covenant and a new order of doing things.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
And I burn with rage whenever I’m exposed to that typical false Christian assumption.
Anyways, with that out of the way, let’s move on.
So the first piece of random data we’re exposed to is that David dealt with a famine that stretched out for a period of about 3 years.
In terms of the timing, the famine probably took place pretty early after David first became king.
Another thing I need to be clear on is that when the Scripture speaks of a famine, it doesn’t mean there was no food whatsoever.
People were not dropping like flies all over the landscape due to starvation.
No, man.
It simply meant there wasn’t a sufficient amount of food to go around.
The typical but still tragic result was that poor families would suffer from malnutrition.
Only those folks who were trapped in extreme poverty might perish from starvation.
Now, in most cases, and this was especially true of the land of Canaan, famines were caused by droughts.
The only other causes of famines were widespread diseases or plagues.
And those usually only lasted for a season, never for a full year.
So, I think it’s safe to assume that the famine mentioned in this chapter was caused by a drought.
It was the severe lack of rainfall that caused the crops, orchards, and vineyards to dry up.
This leads to our takeaway.
What’s coming to me is just how dependent we are on how God works through nature to care for us.
It’s the land God created that produces the crops that nourish our bodies and feed our farm animals.
And it’s the water that God provides that enables the crops to grow.
In other words, our lives are much more dependent on trusting God than we realize.
We think we’re safe because we’ve got supermarkets, money, and apps that deliver food to our door.
But pull back the curtain, and it’s the same old story.
Without God sending the rain, everything stops.
The land stops producing.
The animals stop thriving.
And sooner or later, we stop surviving.
Nature itself answers to God.
Ya feel me?
When the rain didn’t come…
It wasn’t just a weather problem.
It was a spiritual one.
So remember that.
In your daily life, you may act like you’ve got everything covered.
But one little drought…
One supply chain break…
One Covid outbreak…
And suddenly, you wake up really fast to who’s really running the show…
And who you really need to rely on to survive in this universe.
Ya feel me.
So perish the foolish idea that you’re in control of your life.
Your existence is much more fragile than you think it is.
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?
Can any one of you by worrying
add a single hour to your life.”
-Matthew 6:26-27
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