A Recap

748 Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ki 2:10 So David rested with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David. 11 The period that David reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in Hebron, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. And so ends the life of David. I began this verse by verse exposition with 1 and 2 Samuel in May of 2011. My prayer is that you have been encouraged, enlightened, and strengthened along the way. My favorite verse in these two books remains as 1Sa 15:22 Then Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.” I like that verse because it reminds me that the act of ritualistic sacrifice, which can be likened to attending a weekly worship service is a source of delight for God, but an even greater source of delight is our obedience to His Word. Sometimes we spend an hour in a worship setting declaring that Jesus is Lord, but our lives reflect a different story! Jesus said in Lu 6:46 "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?” Thankfully, the door to repentance remains open to us, as it opened to David, in still another favorite part of this study, namely his affair with Bathsheba and the consequent murder of her husband Uriah. The Psalms bear out how heavy this sin weighed on David's heart as he kept sweeping it under the rug. When Nathan confronted him with his sin, David confessed, “I have sinned against the Lord,” and Nathan then pronounced God's forgiveness to him. Can there be any sweeter words to hear? Adultery, murder, and upon confession...forgiven. If you take nothing else from this 3 and a half year study, let it be this: There is no sin that Jesus did not pay for on the cross! Confess it! Repent of it! And receive his promised forgiveness! You don't have to carry the weight of your sins! Cast them upon Jesus who paid for them on the cross and remember: 1Jo 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.