Day #110 | "When the Man Comes Around"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 2 Samuel 8-9, 1 Chronicles 18, and Psalm 60

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

A King who reigns in mercy (2 Samuel 8-9). From today's main reading, what stuck out to me is how David's conquests were marked with mercy. As a sort of picture of God's grace in election, we see how he measures out a full line of one-third of the Moabite soldiers to be spared after he has defeated them (2 Samuel 8:2). And then, when his kingdom was secure on every side, he didn't rule with cruelty or try to eliminate all of his rivals--instead he searched out a descendant of Saul's house so that he could show him kindness (2 Samuel 9:1). When David is on his throne, old offences are forgiven, and blessing is poured out on the many. Likewise, when Jesus returns from heaven once more in the last days, he will also be a king who reigns in mercy. He will accept the broken-hearted, the poor, the weary, and the hungry into his kingdom. He will wipe away the tears of the people. He will pardon sinners who have placed their trust in him, and he will count their transgressions no more. What David models here imperfectly, Jesus will one day model in absolute, undiluted, glorious fullness of measure. Where David is merely the shadow, Jesus will be the fulfillment, as he will reign as the true King of Mercy in reality.

A partial victory that points to a greater one (Psalm 60). The lines of Psalm 60, given its historical context, seem surprising. We are told that it was written after a string of great victories, and the psalm fits that context: it mentions Israel's victories over Moab, Edom, and Philistia (Psalm 60:8). And yet, at the same time, David says "O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; you have been angry... You have made your people see hard things" (Psalm 60:1-3)! And this is not just some setup for a big victory shout at the end, either: Some of the last lines of the psalm read "Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go forth, O God, with our armies" (Psalm 60:10). How do both of these things go together? It must be that the victory came at a high cost, or not as easily as it had before. And yet despite what David says, 2 Samuel 8:14 says that the Lord was with him and "gave victory to David wherever he went." While David saw partial victories and discouraging setbacks, God saw the overall picture which was much more encouraging. And just as David's discouragement in the midst of the battle was just one part of an overall incredibly successful campaign, his partial victory also points to the greater victory of Jesus. Though David became ruler over a few territories, Jesus will one day be declared Lord over all the earth, and every knee will bow to him, and every tongue (language) will confess Jesus as Lord. Though David fought hard battles and experienced losses, Jesus will one day defeat all the forces of Satan, the world, and evil with merely a word--with "a sharp sword from his mouth" (Revelation 19:15, 21) and with a one-sided victory marked by fire from heaven (Revelation 20:9). David's victory points us to Jesus' victory: what he does imperfectly, Jesus will one day do perfectly, as the Son of David--because as Jesus himself points out at the end of Revelation, in the closing lines of the very last book of the Bible, he is "the root and descendant of David, the bright morning star" (Revelation 22:16).

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR WORSHIP we can trust in Jesus to extend mercy, and to rule with righteousness in our lives. We can trust that he will one day be victorious over the brokenness of this world, and that he will restore all things. And we can lay ourselves out before him and declare that we are his willing servants.

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