How's That Working Out For You

554 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 15:7 Now it came to pass after forty years that Absalom said to the king, "Please, let me go to Hebron and pay the vow which I made to the LORD. After forty years? Forty years of what? This cannot mean that Absalom waited a full forty years before he made his move. He was ready now! We need to go back further in time. Before we do, let's look at the significance of the number 40. The number forty in Scripture is associated with a time of probation, trial, or discipline. These periods are included in Scripture to cause us to pause and ask ourselves, “How's that working out for you?” After reading of the 40 days and nights of flooding in the days of Noah, we ought to ask, “How did the utter disregard for God working out for the world? When the Israelites were forced to wander in the wilderness for forty years, we ought to ask, “How did that lack of trust in God work out for them?” In Jg 13:1 we read, “Again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years.” Did you catch the word AGAIN? AGAIN, and AGAIN and AGAIN, we don't seem to learn! But it's not always bad! In the Days of Gideon when the people followed the Lord, we read, in Jg 8:28 Thus Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted their heads no more. And the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon.” How did following the Lord work out for you? This 40 year period spoken of concerning Absalom was likely 40 years after the people demanded that Samuel give them a king. And the question begs to be asked, “How's that “king thing” working out for you people? It's been a mess! It's a mess because we are sinners, and we are going to mess things up. Our only hope then is to turn to the One King who never messes up. Jesus. This same Jesus who spent 40 days in the wilderness facing every temptation known to man, and He withstood them all. How did that work out for us? It worked out extremely well for those who see that giving into a life of sin and not trusting Jesus is a recipe for disaster. Always has been and always will. So whenever you see that number 40 in Scripture, you might ask yourself, “How did that work out for the people? Then pay attention to the one that worked out best. Father, help us to trust You and Your Word. Father truly knows best.