{"id":33786,"date":"2024-12-17T22:00:28","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T05:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/2-samuel_11_14-27-copy\/"},"modified":"2024-12-03T18:08:34","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T01:08:34","slug":"2-samuel_12_1-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/2-samuel_12_1-14\/","title":{"rendered":"God Is For You, Not Against You"},"content":{"rendered":"

2 Samuel\u00a0 12:1-14\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0(CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 2 Samuel 12:1-14.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!<\/p>\n

2\u00a0Samuel\u00a012:1 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>The LORD sent Nathan to David\u2026<\/p>\n

On verse 1a:\u00a0 Nathan the prophet was David\u2019s friend and pastor.\u00a0 Previously it was through Nathan that God spoke some powerful and encouraging promises to David about his future (2\u00a0Samuel\u00a07:4-17).\u00a0 Now Nathan was to confront David to speak the truth in love regarding David\u2019s adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah, Bathsheba\u2019s husband.<\/p>\n

I like what Pastor Jon Courson puts it:
\n\u201cGod didn’t send an enemy of David to talk to him about his sin. He sent a friend. This is most often the way of the Lord. When He has a word of correction to bring us, inevitably it will be by someone who has a heart for us. Conversely, unless your heart is filled with compassion for the person you are about to correct, it is probably not your responsibility to correct him.\u201d [1]<\/p>\n

We live in a culture where people are very quick to judge, condemn, and speak out against people they don\u2019t even know.\u00a0 While we need to speak out against injustice, many people have a tendency to take it to an extreme, doing so without compassion and grace and without knowing all the facts.\u00a0 God is a righteous judge who hates injustice more than anyone else, but at the same time, no one loves us and has compassion for us more than God does.\u00a0 In our desire to judge, we must also look with eyes of compassion and mercy, knowing that we need compassion and mercy as much as anyone else.<\/p>\n

2 Samuel 12:1-7 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n1\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0\u2026When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor.
\n2\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle,
\n3\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
\n4\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0“Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”
\n5\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the\u00a0LORD\u00a0lives, the man who did this deserves to die!
\n6\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
\n7\u00a0<\/sup>\u00a0Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!…<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 1b-7a:\u00a0 To indirectly illustrate David\u2019s sin against Uriah, Nathan tells David a story about how a poor man\u2019s beloved lamb was stolen and slaughtered by a cold-hearted rich man.\u00a0 David gets so wrapped up in the story that he condemns the rich man for his actions and says that the rich man deserves to die. David was unknowingly pronouncing a death sentence on himself (\u201cYou are the man!\u201d said Nathan).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0Sometimes we can be the most critical of those who commit the same sin we ourselves struggle with, whereas Jesus, who was free of sin, is gentle and merciful toward us who are full of sin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

2\u00a0Samuel\u00a012:7-8 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n7<\/sup>\u2026’I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.
\n8\u00a0<\/sup>I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah.\u00a0And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 7b-8:\u00a0 Here we see how much God loved David and wanted to bless him.\u00a0 After listing the incredible things God had done for David, God even says, \u201cand if all this had been too little, I would have given you more\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0God is not in the business of depriving us.\u00a0 God knows how much blessing we can handle and how much we need.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0His supply will never be too little or not enough.<\/strong>\u00a0 Like David, we need to\u00a0learn to appreciate what God has already given us, not be greedy, and realize that God is for us, not against us.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2\u00a0Samuel\u00a012:9a (NIV)<\/strong>
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes?…<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 9a:\u00a0 When we sin against God, we are essentially telling God that we think we know better than Him.\u00a0 In doing so, we despise His Word and show contempt for His commands.\u00a0 When we sin we are basically saying, \u201cGod, Your way is not as good as my way, and Your thoughts are not as high as my thoughts\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0Yet the truth is God\u2019s ways are always better than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts.<\/strong><\/p>\n

2\u00a0Samuel\u00a012:9b (NIV)<\/strong>
\n9\u00a0<\/sup>\u2026You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 9b:\u00a0 David used Israel’s enemies to kill Uriah, who was an Israelite and a member of God\u2019s people.\u00a0 He also stole Uriah\u2019s wife.\u00a0 Even when David was pretending to run with the Philistines, David had never killed an Israelite.\u00a0 But now David had stooped to a new low.\u00a0 David was anointed by God, yet David let himself be used by Satan to steal, kill and destroy a brother\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0Just because we are anointed by God and have a relationship with Him does not mean that we are immune to sin\u2019s influence.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0We must still be careful.<\/strong>\u00a0 For if we allow sin to reign in our hearts, like David we will do regretful things unbecoming of God\u2019s people.<\/p>\n

2\u00a0Samuel\u00a012:10 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n10\u00a0<\/sup>Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 10:\u00a0 God now begins to declare the consequences for David\u2019s sins.\u00a0 First, the sword will never depart David\u2019s house (v10).\u00a0 \u00a0In other words, just as David caused violence to Uriah, David\u2019s own family would be the victims of violence.\u00a0 For example, four of David\u2019s sons would later die premature deaths \u2013 the unnamed son that Bathsheba would give birth to, Amnon (13:29), Absalom (18:14-15) and Adonijah (1 Kings\u00a02:25).\u00a0 This correlates with verse 6 when David angrily condemns the rich man in Nathan’s story and says, \u201cHe must pay for that lamb\u00a0four\u00a0<\/em>times over\u201d.\u00a0 It\u2019s a sobering lesson that we should\u00a0be careful when casting judgment on others, for as Jesus says, \u201cwith the measure you use, it will be measured to you\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0(Matthew 7:2).<\/p>\n

2\u00a0Samuel\u00a012:11-12\u00a0(NIV)<\/strong>
\n11\u00a0<\/sup>“This is what the LORD says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight.
\n12\u00a0<\/sup>You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.'”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 11-12:\u00a0 As a second consequence of David\u2019s sin, God says that just as David had an affair with another man\u2019s wife in private, someone from David\u2019s household would have an affair with David\u2019s wives in public.\u00a0 Here God seems to be exercising \u201ceye for an eye\u201d retaliatory justice.\u00a0 Does God still do that today?\u00a0 I believe the situation is different today because Jesus Christ has absorbed all of God\u2019s wrath for our sin.\u00a0 God\u2019s anger toward our sin has been exhausted at the cross.\u00a0 Now God waits to see how we will respond to His Son Jesus.\u00a0 There will be consequences based on our response.\u00a0\u00a0I don\u2019t believe God wants to retaliate against others for their sin as much as He is waiting for them to repent and to respond in faith to Jesus.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

2\u00a0Samuel\u00a012:13-14 (NIV)<\/strong>
\n13\u00a0<\/sup>Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.
\n14\u00a0<\/sup>But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die.”<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 13-14:\u00a0 David repents of his sin (v13a).\u00a0 Though he deserved to die for his sin of adultery, the Lord had mercy on him and said \u201cthe Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.\u201d (v13) \u00a0However, \u201cthe son born to you will die\u201d (v14).\u00a0 I believe God is not just speaking here about the baby boy that Bathsheba would give birth to.\u00a0 Even more, He is referring to Jesus Christ the Son of David, who would be born to David and die\u00a0on the cross\u00a0in David\u2019s place and our place for our sins.\u00a0 What can we learn from this?\u00a0\u00a0While we deserved to die for our sin, God had mercy on us and instead let Jesus the Son of David die in our place.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Father, thank You for Jesus Christ who died for me when it was I who deserved to die for my sins.\u00a0 Thank You for sparing my life in Your mercy.\u00a0 Help me please to realize that You are not a God who deprives me of what I need. Rather help me to see how abundant Your grace already is in my life.\u00a0 \u00a0Help me to learn to appreciate what You have already given me, not to be greedy, and to realize that You are for me, not against me.<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>In Jesus\u2019 name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

[1] Courson, Jon.\u00a0Jon Courson’s Application Commentary \u2013 Jon Courson’s Application Commentary Old Testament Volume 1<\/em>. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2005. WORDsearch<\/em>\u00a0CROSS e-book.<\/p>\n

opyright \u00a9 2022 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 2 Samuel 12:1-14.\u00a0 As usual,\u00a0I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.\u00a0 See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit\u2019s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.\u00a0 Let’s go!\u00a0<\/p>\n

2\u00a0Samuel\u00a012:1 (NIV)
\n1\u00a0The LORD sent Nathan to David\u2026<\/p>\n

On verse 1a:\u00a0 Nathan the prophet was David\u2019s friend and pastor.\u00a0 Previously it was through Nathan that God spoke some powerful and encouraging promises to David about his future (2\u00a0Samuel\u00a07:4-17).\u00a0 Now Nathan was to confront David to speak the truth in love regarding David\u2019s adultery with Bathsheba and his murder of Uriah, Bathsheba\u2019s husband.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I like what Pastor Jon Courson puts it:
\n\u201cGod didn’t send an enemy of David to talk to him about his sin. He sent a friend. This is most often the way of the Lord. When He has a word of correction to bring us, inevitably it will be by someone who has a heart for us. Conversely, unless your heart is filled with compassion for the person you are about to correct, it is probably not your responsibility to correct him.\u201d [1]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33788,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33786","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gametime-sharing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33786","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33786"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33786\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33789,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33786\/revisions\/33789"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33786"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33786"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33786"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}