The Violent World We Live In

438 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 4:5-7, “Then the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out and came at about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who was lying on his bed at noon. 6 And they came there, all the way into the house, as though to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. 7 For when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom; then they struck him and killed him, beheaded him and took his head, and were all night escaping through the plain. (2 Sam 4:5-7) The power struggle continues. Rechab and Baanah devised a plan to assassinate the king of Israel. They would go to the palace during the heat of the day, when most people, including the king, would be resting from the heat. Their plan was to pretend to be visiting the palace in order to collect wheat. Remember, these men were captains of troops in Israel's army and it was customary to pay soldiers with wheat, so this activity was perfectly normal for them. So they sneak into the king's chamber, stab him, and cut off his head. They likely put it into a grain sack and then made their getaway. Sometimes the Bible makes for gory reading. But remember this is the real life stuff of the violent world we live in. Let's be honest, our newspapers often make for gory reading as well. School children, who should be safe inside the walls of their school, are massacred. Airplanes are hijacked and flown into buildings. All these terrible things happen because our world is infected with the disease of sin. Sin spills out of the wicked hearts of men and brings death and destruction with it. Is there anyplace that is safe from the effects of sin? I'm afraid not. One day, Jesus commented on the daily news in Palestine, where a tower had collapsed and killed many, and a bloody massacre had occurred in the temple. (Luke 13:1-5) He didn't say that Christians were immune to such disasters. He just used these events to remind us all, “unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” The message is clear. There are tragic eternal consequences for those who refuse to bow there knee to Jesus in the here and now, but there is also a safe place in the life to come, and that place is in the arms of Jesus. This is our only guarantee in this world, let us embrace it and Jesus today. Father, thank You for the safety and refuge we have in Jesus.