From the Inside Out

441 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 5:6-8, “And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, "You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you," thinking, "David cannot come in here." 7 Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David). 8 Now David said on that day, "Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites (the lame and the blind, who are hated by David's soul), he shall be chief and captain." Therefore they say, "The blind and the lame shall not come into the house." (2 Sam 5:6-8) The Jebusites were a pesky people who had taken up refuge in the city of Jerusalem. The city was very well fortified and the Jebusites kept possession of the city even during the days of Joshua. They challenged David by saying their city was so impregnable that even the blind and lame could defend it. David evidently liked this word picture because he then referred to the Jebusites as the “blind and the lame.” Puhlease, David did not hate lame and blind people, (his life was a clear demonstration of just the opposite!) He is just saying that he regarded these Jebusites as enemies and if they insisted on being so proud as to say they could defend their city with the blind and lame, then David will obligingly call them “the blind and lame.” I like the fact that David's first act as King was to conquer Jerusalem, It reminds me of Jesus and the gospel, first conquering Jerusalem and then Samaria and now the ends of the earth. Further, I like the method of conquering. David does not take the city from the outside, but rather he comes up through the water pipes. He conquers from the inside, and so it is with the gospel of Christ. He conquers the human soul from the inside. It's a matter of the heart. Some people appear to be impenetrable on the outside, but God is able to conquer the heart through the work of the Holy Spirit. There is no one beyond the reach and power of His grace. Father, thank You for breaking through my defenses, and just now, I pray for those in my own circle of acquaintance who appear impenetrable, and I pray that You win them for Jesus.