I know you do it. Even when you are participating in one of those “read the Bible through in a year” programs you do it. Who in the world wants to read through So-and-so-jah begat So-and-so-iah verse after verse until you can hardly see straight?
But you need to do it once in a while.
That’s how you find out that Samuel was not a hypocrite for
condemning Saul’s sacrifice when he made sacrifices several times himself—his
father may have been an Ephraimite, but he was a Levite living in Ephraim.
That’s how you find out that Joab was David’s nephew, the
son of his sister Zeruiah, which probably accounts for why he put up with so
much from the rascal.
That’s how you find out that David’s counselor Ahithophel,
was Bathsheba’s grandfather, which puts a new spin on that story, and probably
explains why that man put his lot in with Absalom when he rebelled. And
all that is just the beginning of the amazing things you can discover when you
read genealogies in the Bible.
We also tend to overlook things like Deborah’s song of
praise in Judges 5. It’s just a poem, right? We already read the
important part in chapter 4. Read chapter 5 some time. You will
discover exactly how God helped his people overcome Sisera’s army—he sent a
storm that bogged down their chariots in the mud. Foot soldiers do much
better than chariots in a storm. You will discover that the elders of
Israel were applauded for a change—they actually did their jobs and did them
willingly. You will find out that several tribes did not help with the
fighting and were roundly condemned for it. You will find God’s opinion
of Jael’s actions—no more arguing after He inspires Deborah to say, “Blessed
above women shall Jael be.”
And here’s one I found recently—the conversation and ensuing
verses in 2 Samuel 12 after Nathan uttered those scalding words, “Thou art the
man,” which is where we usually stop reading.
Verse 9—“You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the
sword.” David may have only ordered Uriah’s death, but God considered it
exactly the same as doing the deed itself.
Verse 13—“The Lord has put away your sin. You shall
not die.” Understand this--there was no sacrifice for adultery and murder
because the sinners were summarily stoned. That is what David expected,
and the punishment God put aside. Read Psalm 51 now. David’s
forgiveness happened immediately after his confession and repentance (v 12),
but he repeatedly asks for it in the psalm which was written sometime
later. He understood the grace of God like never before. Now that
is godly repentance.
Verse 15—“And the Lord afflicted the child.” We keep
trying to find ways out of statements like this, but they keep popping
up. Remember this: God is in control. He knows what He is
doing. There is a reason this child could not live, but that doesn’t mean
he didn’t continue to live. More on this in a minute.
Verse 20—After the child died, David “went into the house of
the Lord and worshiped.” Why? We could come up with a ton of
reasons. Ultimately I think he was showing his acceptance of God’s will,
and sincere appreciation for the mercy he knew he did not deserve. What
do you think? This one can keep a class going for several minutes' worth
of discussion, and a whole lot of soul-searching. Would your first
inclination after a tragedy—and punishment--be to worship God?
Verse 22—“Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious and
allow the child to live?” First, this proves David’s faith in
prayer. He knew it was possible for God to change His mind simply because
one of His children asked Him to. Second, it shows that faith does not
mean you know you will get what you prayed for. Who knows? David asked.
No one does, except God. Faith knows He is able to grant your petition, not that He will.
Verse 23—“I will go to him.” David believed in the
innocence of his child. He did not believe that child was born with
Adam’s sin hanging over his head, totally depraved and unable to get out of it
without the direct operation of the Holy Spirit or some rite involving
water. His child was clean and innocent and he looked forward to seeing
him again because he was also sure of his forgiveness.
Whoa! Did you know all that was there? I didn’t
either, and this was at least the tenth time I have studied this story in depth
(I thought). What else are we missing?
The next time you do your Bible reading, think about what
you are reading, even if it’s just a list of names or a poem or directions for
how to build something. God put what we needed to know in His Word.
Don’t you go deciding that you don’t need to know some of it.
…from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are
able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All
Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be
complete, equipped for every good work, 2 Tim 3:15-17 .
Dene Ward
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