Day #111 | "Taking It On the Chin"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 2 Samuel 15-16 and Psalm 3

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

"Why is this happening to me?" (2 Samuel 15-16). There is a clear sense here that David is going through all of the things described in this chapter as a natural consequence of his failures as a king and father. It is true that David has been forgiven by God for his actions; he has been cleansed of sin and shame, and his throne has been eternally guaranteed by God. But God has still allowed him to experience the natural, earthly consequences of his wrongdoing. It might be the same with us: it is possible for us to repent, to be forgiven by God, and to experience forgiveness--and yet to still experience the earthly fallout of sins that we have committed. God may allow us to experience these kinds of natural consequences in order to teach us that our actions come at a cost, both to ourselves and to those around us. The best way to approach seasons where you are experiencing this is to do what David did: to take it on the chin, march through it, and learn from it (as he did with Shimei), and yet to handle the situation in the best strategic manner that you can (as he did with Absalom). And to trust God with the rest.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? In this case, the "action" step tied in so naturally with the "thought" step that the application is right there, above.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean