Scattering the Sheep

576 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 17:2,,3, “I will come upon him while he is weary and weak, and make him afraid. And all the people who are with him will flee, and I will strike only the king. 3 "Then I will bring back all the people to you. When all return except the man whom you seek, all the people will be at peace." (2 Sam 17:2,3) I want to spend one more day on this passage simply because it is so......devilish. And I hope that you will have an added urgency to pray for pastors. There was a “Far Side” cartoon several years ago that had two deer engaged in a conversation. One of the deer had an outline of a shooting target on his chest, and the other deer says, “Bummer of a birthmark Hal.” Well, pastors have similar marks and are prime targets for the evil one. Ahithophel, (a type of instrument of the devil) says, “I will strike only the king.” And in Zech 13:7, we read, "Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered;” Get the leader to fall and the flock is put in great danger. Moral failure of course is always a danger to the credibility of the pastor's message, but perhaps a more dangerous threat is the pastor who speaks from the pulpit with compromised lips. Jer 23:17 says, “They (False prophets) continually say to those who despise Me, 'The LORD has said, "You shall have peace"'; And to everyone who walks according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, 'No evil shall come upon you.'" Such prophets have been stricken by that liar the devil and the spirit of this world, and their compromising message scatters the flock and leads them to down the path of destruction. Speaking of these compromisers in Jer 23:1, we read, “ "Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!" says the LORD. Ahithophel asserts that with the king gone, the people will be at peace with Absalom, (a type of Satan) it is the same with compromised pulpits. There is a warning about the acceptance of compromising teachers in 2Ti 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; Lord, give us true shepherds who preach Your truth without compromise!

For the Weary, Weak, and Fearful

575 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 17:2,,3, “I will come upon him while he is weary and weak, and make him afraid. And all the people who are with him will flee, and I will strike only the king. 3 "Then I will bring back all the people to you. When all return except the man whom you seek, all the people will be at peace." (2 Sam 17:2,3) Ahithophel serves as a “type” of Judas here, and Judas if you recall had become an agent of Satan. Lu 22:3,4 says, “ Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. 4 So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.” I mention this because I think it is important to know one of the tactics that Satan uses against us. He comes upon us when we are like David, “weak, weary, and fearful.” 1Pe 5:8 gives us a word picture to dwell on in this regard. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” Much like a lion attacking a herd of wildebeest, singling out the weak, weary, and fearful for the kill. The roar of the lion instills fear wherever it is heard and can create panic, and when we panic we often make wrong choices. Learn to stay in the safety of the herd, surrounding yourselves with brothers and sisters in Christ who can help you withstand the attacks of the evil one. Strengthen yourself with a steady diet of hearing God's Word and worshiping your Deliverer. “Resist the devil, steadfast in the faith, (making right choices) knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” And when fear strikes, hear the words of the Holy Spirit spoken through the prophet Isaiah, “ Isa 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' 11 "Behold, all those who were incensed against you Shall be ashamed and disgraced; They shall be as nothing, And those who strive with you shall perish. 12 You shall seek them and not find them-Those who contended with you. Those who war against you Shall be as nothing, As a nonexistent thing.” This is the end of Satan and his allies. Believe it! Persevere in the faith, make right choices, for the battle is the Lord's and He has already won!

Ahithophel: A Type of Judas

575 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 16:23-17:4, “Now the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom. 17:1 Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Now let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight. 2 "I will come upon him while he is weary and weak, and make him afraid. And all the people who are with him will flee, and I will strike only the king. 3 "Then I will bring back all the people to you. When all return except the man whom you seek, all the people will be at peace." 4 And the saying pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel. (2 Sam 16:23-17:4) This is an amazing picture of our Lord's last night on earth. Ahithophel here, serving as a “type” of Judas, who worked with the council in Jerusalem to bring Jesus in and put Him to death. Judas took an excessive number of soldiers with him to take Jesus in, and that was Ahithophel's plan to take David as well. The strategy was right out of Mt 21:38, “Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.' and Zec 13:7 "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, Against the Man who is My Companion," Says the LORD of hosts. "Strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered; Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.” Ahithophel said in v2, “I will come upon him while he is weary and weak, and make him afraid. (Jesus was weary, weak, and afraid as He prayed in the Garden) And all the people who are with him will flee, (that's exactly what happened in the Garden as the disciples scattered!) and I will strike only the king. (Jesus alone was arrested) 3 "Then I will bring back all the people to you. When all return except the man whom you seek, all the people will be at peace." (This was the hope of the ruling council at Jerusalem. The end of Jesus would be the end of this movement, and they could go on living in their sweet arrangement of compromise with the Romans.) The plan seemed so right to the council, but God had other ideas. Take heart from this incident, knowing the truth of Isa 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me," Says the LORD. Father, help us to always remember our heritage in Christ, especially when the enemy threatens.

The Perfect Justice of God

574 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 16:20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, "Give counsel as to what we should do." 21 And Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Go in to your father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel will hear that you are abhorred by your father. Then the hands of all who are with you will be strong." 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. ( 2 Sam 16:20-22) Ahithophel's advice seems bizarre to us, but according to the customs of the times, this act on the part of Absalom would signify that he had wrested all of the kingdom from his father, (even the concubines of the king were his!) This was an irreconcilable act on his part. There was no turning back at this point. The rest of Israel would know for sure now that Absalom was totally committed to wresting the kingdom from his father and this would strengthen their resolve to follow him. Of course this act was a fulfillment of the prophecy given by Nathan concerning David's penalty for the whole Bathsheba affair. 2Sa 12:11 "Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. How ironic that this act of Absalom's would take place on the very spot where David first laid eyes on Ahithophel's granddaughter...Bathsheba. Here's a question for you. Do you think it was irony or an example of fitting justice? Given the track record of other judgments carried out in the Bible I would vote for the latter. (I think specifically of Haman in the Book of Esther, who was hanged on the very platform that he had set up for Mordecai!) This should serve as a reminder to all that God's justice is fitting and it is perfect. He means what He says and He will carry out His judgment perfectly. This then is the judgment of God! Receive His Son Jesus as your Lord and Savior and live. Reject Him and you die. It is fitting and it is perfect. Father, I pray for those who have shrugged off the idea that you are a just God. There is a heaven, there is a hell, grant to them, the gift of repentance, that they might be spared.

Pride

573 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 16:14-19, “Now the king and all the people who were with him became weary; so they refreshed themselves there. 15 Meanwhile Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem; and Ahithophel was with him. 16 And so it was, when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, came to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, "Long live the king! Long live the king!" 17 So Absalom said to Hushai, "Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?" 18 And Hushai said to Absalom, "No, but whom the LORD and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his I will be, and with him I will remain. 19 "Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father's presence, so will I be in your presence." ( 2 Sam 16:14-19) David and his men are safely out of Jerusalem and take a break to recharge their batteries. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Absalom has heard of David's departure and moves quickly to occupy the city. He was pleasantly surprised to find Hushai waiting for him, since Hushai was one of his father's closest friends and greatest advisers. This is almost too good to be true! Absalom can't believe his eyes and questions Hushai about his loyalty. What I find interesting about Hushai's response, is he never really says that he has stopped serving David. Listen again to his words: “Long live the king! Long live the king!" (He can just as easily mean King David) Then he says, “whom the LORD and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his I will be, and with him I will remain. (believing that the Lord has chosen David, he can just be restating that loyalty to David) Then he says, “As I have served in your father's presence, so will I be in your presence." ( This again can be taken as “I remain loyal to David!”) But Absalom is so sure of himself, so enamored with his press clippings and success, he imagines that all of Hushai's comments speak of loyalty to him! It is just as we read in Pr 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. John Ruskin has said “In general, pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes.” it's what caused Absalom to seek to ascend to the throne in the first place, and it was pride that allowed him to misinterpret the words of Hushai, which ultimately led to his demise. It wasn't the words of Hushai that deceived him, it was the pride in his heart!! Ob 1:3 says, “ The pride of your heart has deceived you! Father, guard our hearts from pride.

The Peope We Hurt Will Often Throw Stones At Us

572 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 16:12 "It may be that the LORD will look on my affliction, and that the LORD will repay me with good for his cursing this day." 13 And as David and his men went along the road, Shimei went along the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, threw stones at him and kicked up dust. ( 2 Sam 16:12,13) Shimei has met David and his men with cursing and David believes that this cursing was from the Lord and so he accepts it. His hope is that as he endures the cursing of Shimei without retaliation, that the Lord will see and repay him for his merciful reaction. David embraced the cursing of Shimei because he knew he had it coming. This was God's way of showing David that sins have repercussions David knew that he had been forgiven by God, but this incident reminded him that others aren't going to be so quick to forgive. This is a lesson, we would all do well to learn. We have this tendency to think that once we have hurt someone and fessed up to that hurt, that God forgives us and that's the end of the story, man up, move on.....it's not. The people we have hurt will often throw stones at us because they are still hurting from the harm we have brought into their lives. They will “browbeat” us (and that's the meaning of the word “affliction” here.) In other words, they will keep dragging up our past mistakes unless, God works forgiveness into their hearts. Notice that David didn't grab Shimea by the lapels and demand that Shimei forgive him, he knew that was something God had to work in Shimei's heart, and that would take time. Meanwhile, David would take the browbeating, trusting that God would work his patient submission into something good. The Holy Spirit puts it this way in Jas 1:2-4, “ My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” Learn the patience of David. Learn to take it. Learn to say your deeply sorry for your wrongs as many times as you need to. Embrace the depth of the pain you have caused others by your sin. Knowing that God is using this to build you and them into the person He wants you and them to be.

When God Curses

571 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 2Sa 16:10b-11, “ So let him curse, because the LORD has said to him, 'Curse David.' Who then shall say, 'Why have you done so?'" 11 And David said to Abishai and all his servants, "See how my son who came from my own body seeks my life. How much more now may this Benjamite? Let him alone, and let him curse; for so the LORD has ordered him. (2 Sam 16:10b,11) David is convinced that the Lord has ordered Shimei to utter these curse words against him. Wait a minute. God “orders” someone to curse another? What is that all about? In this particular instance, God has instructed Shimei to curse David for the purpose of reminding him of his past failures with Bathsheba, Uriah, Amnon, and Absalom. In short, David is telling his men, “I've got it coming.” This is an earmark of repentance! Ps 119:21 says, “You rebuke the proud-the cursed, Who stray from Your commandments.” David had strayed and these events that were unfolding in his life served as reminders of what Nathan had told him back in 2Sa 12:10 'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' We should never forget the curses that God has pronounced against sinners. Ga 3:10 says, “for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." “Everyone? All things? Let that sink in. This verse in Galatians, is Shimei following the orders of God, throwing stones at you and I, cursing us, reminding us that we all deserve to be cursed. But then beloved, jump ahead to Ga 3:13 and believe it! “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), God curses sin! But Jesus became that curse for us when He died on a cross on Calvary. So be like David and let the curse of God ring in your ears reminding you of the penalty for sin, then look to Jesus, receive Him as your Lord and Savior and have that curse AND penalty removed. Jesus, thank You for taking the curse of my sins upon You.