May 06, 2014 - Tuesday

Start Time: 5:56 A.M.

End Time: 6:12 A.M.

Title: Ish-Bosheth Murdered

Scripture: 2 Samuel 4:1 – 12

God’s Message / God’s Promise / God’s Commands:

→ When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed. Now Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Rekab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin, because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and have resided there as foreigners to this day. (Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the newsabout Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled. His name was Mephibosheth.) Now Rekab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth,and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest. They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Baanah slipped away.  They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah. They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to kill you. This day the Lord has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.” David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as theLord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble,  when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!” So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb at Hebron.

NOTES:

Ø God is a God of love and forgiveness!  David’s heart in this passage shows God as merciful and loving to Saul.  Even in Saul’s death, God’s love for him abounds and extended to his family.  Anyone who took matters into their own hands and went against the clan of Saul, were all put to death.  Saul is God’s anointed and David clearly understood this that even when the people are saying victory from Saul and his sons’ death, david’s heart mourned a loss!  God never sees us as failures even when we choose to take the other side.  His love for us is so amazing that it extends to all our family.  And when people rejoice to our defeat, God avenges us for we are His chosen people.  Hallelujah Lord!  Thank You for making me Your child.

Ø Men’s actions are careless without the guidance of the Lord!  Rekab and Baanah thought that David will be pleased with them for they killed the sons of his mortal enemy, but they failed to really know David by heart.  It is important to know our God so we know His heart.  Only God knows what pleases Him and if we want to please Him, He is the best source of information.  So it is important that we spend time with the Lord and know His heart that we may act in accordance to His will and not the opposite of it.  Let us not be foolish but be wise in God!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, high and mighty God!  I want to thank You for You are truly a God of love and forgiveness!  Your thoughts are higher than ours and You have seen things in a wider and bigger scope.  You know the beginning and the end and You can change it!  Only You has the power to do so.  Help me Lord to see Your glory that I may always seek for Your desire.  I want to know what pleases You Lord that I may do just that.  I don’t want to act anything, thinking that it will please You but ended up hurting You.  Lord give me the eyes and the heart that is One with Yours.  Allow me to see who You really are that I may act accordingly as I am supposed to be.  May I be an instrument to bring people to understanding that You are love and You forgives.  You do not condemn nor punished!  You pour out Your grace and favor to those who seek it and I seek it Lord.  Bless me with Your love every day that I may proclaim it to others.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!