123. And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David,

2Samuel 12:15  And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he became sick. David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

 How do we end up sinning – Sometimes we think of the natural consequences of sin and we fear it and so we don’t do that sin. That may be true, but perhaps we are ignorant, perhaps we were unwise, perhaps we were tempted, perhaps we’re even told to do it even when we know it was wrong as if we were coerced. No matter how it happened, our sin is not something we want to continue in our lives. You should love God so much that when you sin, you realize that you hurt God. You should love God so much that after you sin, you want to restore your relationship with God. God wants to get our attention. He wants to help us out of our failure, but we have to listen to Him when He warns us. God gives us the Holy Spirit as our warning system. The Holy Spirit tells us when we are doing something that is against God and His commands. Nothing messes up your relationship with God more than unconfessed sin.  God wants to forgive your sin, but you have to come to Him and confess it.

Do not be blinded by neglect and complacency.  Recognize sin and run from it. Sin always has consequences and unconfessed sin will eat away at your soul.

I will send an angel before you

Genesis 24:39  I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’ But he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you and prosper your way.

Genesis 24:54  And he and the men who were with him ate and drank, and they spent the night there. When they arose in the morning, he said, “Send me away to my master.” Her brother and her mother said, “Let the young woman remain with us a while, at least ten days; after that she may go.” But he said to them, “Do not delay me, since the Lord has prospered my way. Send me away that I may go to my master.”

Exodus 23:20    “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.

Psalms 91:11    For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Exodus 33:2    I will send an angel before you

Daniel 3:28   Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.

Hebrews 1:14    Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Revelation 22:8    I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me,

Revelation 22:16    “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

It is good to notice God’s sovereignty and works in the common events of human life. Those events which to us seem the effect of choice, skill, or chance, are “appointed, directed, and purposed“ by God.

Satan will tell us to believe it is by our choice or by our skill which leads us down a path of pride and way from God.  He will tells us another lie, that it is by coincidence or chance which leads us down a path of complacency and neglect.

God tells us of His steadfast love, protection, plans and purpose for us.  He has told us of angels guarding our ways, preparing our destination, and bringing us safely through and to where and what God has planned.

Bread and Water

Joh 6:48    I am the bread of life.  Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.  This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”  The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”  So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.  For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

John 4:10    Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”  The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?  Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.”  Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,  but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

Bread of life and Living water.  Two like teachings that were both received differently.  Both people at the time of these teachings asked questions but only one said “Sir give me this water”.  Eating and drinking would indicate that these are essential for life, eternal life.  The willingness to say yes intrigues me.  I wonder what my response would have been on either example.  I don’t have to wonder much because without the drawing and leading from God, it would have been the same doubtful response.  Never underestimate the impact God will have in your life if you are wanting and willing and desiring Him.  He is the true One where we can find hope for eternal life.