PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN ( 2 Samuel 14:19-20 ): This sounds so familiar to me, Father. Thank You for the conviction this morning. I see myself in this scripture. I have often been more kind, loving, and lenient towards the situation of others than I have to my own exact same situation. I have been more loving and kind towards other people doing certain things than I have to my own family doing the exact same things just as the example with David here. Why do I do this, Father? Am I blinded in the moment because of how close I am to my family that I fail to offer kindness and love to them but would be quick to offer it to a stranger or friend? Please forgive me for living in this double-standard, Father. Help me to be better at recognizing when I do these things so that I can quickly lean on You for better understanding and resolve.
PROMISE ( 2 Samuel 14:33 ): There is a hidden promise from You in this verse. The promise is that Your forgiveness, true forgiveness, is able to be given and received for any and all circumstances. One of David’s sons murdered another of David’s sons. David kept Absalom in solitude away from Jerusalem for many years. Even after being convinced by Joab to allow him to return to Jerusalem, he kept him in solitude from himself. David still had some unforgiveness issues, but recognized the wrong he was doing. He allowed Absalom to return home, but was still dealing with his own heart’s unforgiveness so he kept Absalom apart from him even longer even though they were now in the same town. It wasn’t until David truly embraced Your promise of forgiveness that he allowed Absalom to fully remove himself from the solitude he was in. I need to be better at not harboring unforgiveness. I do this so much and allow it to poison and harden my heart towards others, Father. Please continue to work in me on any unforgiveness I now or in the future harbor in my heart, Father.
ATTITUDE ( 2 Samuel 14:1, 33 ): Joab appears to be a great mediator and conveyor or Your messages to David. He could see the tension, negativity, and issues in David’s heart because You revealed them to him. He didn’t just sit idly by to let someone else get involved. Instead, he took the initiative to do Your great works in others by acting as a great mediator between You and David, but also between David and others. I often, not always, stick with being in the crowd as an onlooker or passerby instead of bringing the healing that only You can bring to others, Father. Please forgive me for this passive nature of mine. Help me to learn how to become more active in this attitude. Help me to become less of an onlooker/passerby and more of a Joab to others, Father.
COMMAND ( 2 Samuel 14:33 ): I see a command of forgiveness is this final verse today, Father. Yes, I see a promise here as well, but also a command. A command from You that forgiveness is vital to proper healing and restoration. A command that we must forgive others of their sins as You have forgiven our own sins. This is a big command for me to receive due to my own issues with forgiveness. I often find it difficult to forgive even myself let alone others. I know that You have forgiven me of all my sins, but if I do not forgive myself of those same sins then I am essentially saying that Your forgiveness over me is worthless. That is not how I want to live my life, Father. I want to fully embrace and experience the forgiveness only You can bring to my heart. Help me to truly understand, feel, and embrace what You have to offer me, Father.
EXAMPLE ( 2 Samuel 14:22 ): Although Joab went to king David with some very harsh truths, albeit in a roundabout way, he still provides a great example of humility here. He could have been very straight-forward, blunt, and demanding towards David about his son’s solitude, especially once David figured out what was going on. He didn’t do that, however. Instead, when David figured it all out, Joab “fell with his face to the ground in homage and praised the king.” Joab truly embraced an attitude of humility while also not having fear of relaying messages and truths from You to others; not even allowing the title of king to hold him back from revealing harsh truths to David. I’ve often allowed someone’s status or position to hold me back from revealing a harsh truth. Maybe not all the time as I do have a big mouth at times, but I know there have been times that I’ve felt like I should just close my mouth or not reveal the entire truth because of their position or status. This is not how You’ve called me to live, Father. You’ve called me to only have a reverent fear of You and to not fear ANYTHING else in this life. If I am speaking Your truth to others, then I should never have a fear over the words I am saying. I still need to be cautious of how I speak to others and my choice of words, just as Joab shows me here, but it doesn’t mean that I just completely shut down. Thank You for this great lesson today, Father. Please continue to help me understand what it means to be a God-driven man, but also what my true identity as a man of God really means.
*DAILY NOTE: Wow! I will admit, when I first read through this scripture, I didn’t think I was going to be able to do my entire journal on it, Father. This shows that I should never doubt Your influence on me when I am willing to truly listen. Thank You for revealing so much to me in today’s quiet time, Father. Thank You for always knowing what to say to me when I need something said. Thank You for allowing me so much growth to the point that I’m actually truly listening to You now, Father. This was a great scripture to go through this morning and I truly love the conversations we’re having as You navigate me through David’s testimony and journey. Thank You!
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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