{"id":34239,"date":"2025-01-15T22:00:35","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T05:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/2-samuel_22_44-51-copy\/"},"modified":"2025-01-07T12:44:13","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T19:44:13","slug":"2-samuel_23_1-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/2-samuel_23_1-12\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Limit What God Can Do Through You"},"content":{"rendered":"

2 Samuel 23:1-12 \u00a0 (CLICK HERE FOR\u00a0BIBLE VERSES)<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 2 Samuel 23:1-12.\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<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Samuel<\/em><\/strong>\u00a023<\/em><\/strong>:<\/em><\/strong>1<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n1<\/sup>\u00a0<\/em>These are the last words of David: “The oracle of David son of Jesse, the oracle of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, Israel’s singer of songs:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse\u00a01: \u00a0In the past God used David in many different roles:<\/p>\n

– as a shepherd to protect sheep,
\n– as a king to lead His people,
\n– as a warrior to defeat giants and a military commander to defeat armies,
\n– as a priest who leads the people in worship,
\n– as a writer and singer of His songs.<\/p>\n

But in this chapter and the previous chapter, we see God using David in another way: as a prophet who speaks words inspired by the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this? \u00a0Don’t limit what God can do through you. \u00a0<\/strong>Don’t type cast yourself.\u00a0 Don’t think that just because you are accustomed to serving God in a certain way, that God cannot use you in other ways.\u00a0 In different seasons God could very well want to use you in different or additional ways to help others.<\/p>\n

Also, the fact that David served as a prophet, priest and king foreshadows how Jesus the Son of David would later serve as God’s greatest prophet, our great high priest, and the King of kings.<\/p>\n

2<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Samuel<\/em><\/strong>\u00a023<\/em><\/strong>:<\/em><\/strong>2<\/em><\/strong>-3a (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n2<\/sup>\u00a0<\/em>“The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue.\u00a0<\/em>
\n3\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God,\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses\u00a02-3a: \u00a0In the past when David would inquire of the Lord, he would often do so with the help of priests and prophets who would inquire on his behalf and then tell David what they heard.\u00a0 But here David tells of an experience where he sensed God speaking His word directly into David’s heart, what we call a\u00a0rhema\u00a0<\/em>word from God.<\/p>\n

I pray that as you grow closer in intimacy with the Holy Spirit, as you get more of the Bible in your heart, you will hear Him speak not only through preachers and teachers or through godly people you consult, but that you would hear the Holy Spirit speaking His\u00a0rhema<\/em>\u00a0word directly to your heart.\u00a0 Some of the most powerful and important things God has ever spoken to me — words that have sustained me through my toughest times — were\u00a0rhema\u00a0<\/em>words that the Holy Spirit spoke directly to my heart.<\/p>\n

If you desire to hear more of God’s\u00a0<\/strong>rhema\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>word spoken to your heart, then make studying the Scriptures, memorizing them and spending quality time with the Holy Spirit your priority.<\/strong>\u00a0 That’s because the Holy Spirit uses the language of Scripture to speak to you.\u00a0 He will never say anything to you that contradicts His Word.\u00a0 So the more you have God’s Word in your heart, the more equipped you will be to hear the voice of God speaking to you.<\/p>\n

One more tip about hearing God’s voice: \u00a0Especially if you’re still learning to hear the voice of God, it helps to check what you think you might be hearing with a godly Christian friend in your life, to help make sure you are on the right track.<\/p>\n

2<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Samuel<\/em><\/strong>\u00a023<\/em><\/strong>:3b-4 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n3\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God,\u00a0<\/em>
\n4\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth.’\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 3b-4: \u00a0What is the meaning of these verses?\u00a0 Here David is sharing a powerful leadership lesson that the Holy Spirit spoke to him: when a leader seeks to do what is right and to honour God with his decisions, it affects his environment, his home, his kingdom, and his territory of influence in an incredibly positive way.\u00a0 That positive affect is like a sunrise on a cloudless morning or like the gleaming of the sun on new grass after the rain (v3-4).\u00a0 A just, God-fearing leader brings life, light, hope and warmth to those around him.<\/p>\n

You too have been given a sphere of influence, a territory over which God has made you ruler for His glory.\u00a0 It could be your home, your workplace, children in your care, a team you lead, a ministry God has entrusted to you, people God has given you influence over.\u00a0\u00a0Seek to rule the territory God has given you with justice, in a way that honours God.<\/strong>\u00a0 Do what is right.\u00a0\u00a0When you lead this way, the glory of God will shine on everything and everyone in your territory.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

2<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Samuel<\/em><\/strong>\u00a023<\/em><\/strong>:5 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n5\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>“Is not my house right with God? Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part? Will he not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verse 5: \u00a0The covenant God made with David is like the covenant God made with you and me in Christ: \u00a0it is everlasting, arranged and secured in every part.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Praise God!\u00a0 Like David we are so blessed in Christ!<\/p>\n

2<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Samuel<\/em><\/strong>\u00a023<\/em><\/strong>:6-7 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n6\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns, which are not gathered with the hand.\u00a0<\/em>
\n7\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>Whoever touches thorns uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear; they are burned up where they lie.”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 6-7: \u00a0In verses 3-5 David said that when a leader seeks to honour God, he will experience God’s hand of blessing on his life.\u00a0 In contrast, verses 6-7 talk about how when men are evil, God will withhold His blessing and His presence from them.\u00a0 His hand will not get close to them because He is too holy.\u00a0 Like thorns they are destined to perish.\u00a0 It is only because of God’s mercy expressed through Jesus Christ that sinners like us can escape the fate of evil men and have the hand of God’s blessing on our lives.<\/p>\n

2<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Samuel<\/em><\/strong>\u00a023<\/em><\/strong>:8 (NIV)\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>
\n8\u00a0<\/sup><\/em>These are the names of David’s mighty men: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

On verses 8-12: \u00a0Who were David’s mighty men?\u00a0 They were a group of over 30 men who fought closely alongside David and who were valiant and accomplished warriors in their own right.\u00a0 Verses 8 to 12 mention Josheb-Basshebeth, Eleazar, and Shammah.\u00a0 Notice that each of them fought bravely against incredible odds and “the Lord brought about a great victory” (v10, 12).<\/p>\n

What can we learn from this? \u00a0If your back is against the wall and you are facing what seems like an impossible situation, be brave like Josheb-Basshebeth, Eleazar, and Shammah and trust that God will bring about a great victory.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Father, thank You for all the lessons we can learn from Your Word today.\u00a0 Thank You that You rule over us in righteousness and justice, and as a result there is light that shines on us every day.\u00a0 Thank You that the covenant You make with us is everlasting, arranged and secured in every part.\u00a0 Therefore, though we may face difficulties today, we can fight bravely and not be afraid because we know that in Your time You will bring about a great victory.\u00a0 In Jesus’ name, AMEN!<\/em><\/p>\n

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

Hi GAMErs,<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s passage is 2 Samuel 23:1-12.\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\u00a023:1\u00a0(NIV)\u00a0
\n1\u00a0These are the last words of David: “The oracle of David son of Jesse, the oracle of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, Israel’s singer of songs:\u00a0<\/p>\n

On verse\u00a01: \u00a0In the past God used David in many different roles:<\/p>\n

– as a shepherd to protect sheep,\u00a0
\n– as a king to lead His people,\u00a0
\n– as a warrior to defeat giants and a military commander to defeat armies,
\n– as a priest who leads the people in worship,\u00a0
\n– as a writer and singer of His songs. \u00a0<\/p>\n

But in this chapter and the previous chapter, we see God using David in another way: as a prophet who speaks words inspired by the Holy Spirit. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":34241,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34239","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\/34239","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=34239"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34239\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34242,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34239\/revisions\/34242"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ocbf.ca\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}