Afflictions Sisters And Brothers

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KJB Daily DevotionFollowing Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Saturday, May 19, 2018
Chapters: II Samuel 19-21
Message: Afflictions Sisters And Brothers

Hello My Friend,

Did you ever notice that affliction has sisters and brothers? I mean, it rarely happens that it is just one thing that we are afflicted with, it comes one after another, and sometimes several at the same time. I remember when I was being afflicted so much that every year I would say, “This is the year that God will turn things around for me.” I truly felt like I was being punished for my past and that I just had to deal with it until God was done being angry at me. Well, that was only partially true, I punished myself for my past, God afflicted me until I came to grips with the fact that the life He wanted for me had nothing to do with my past. You see, affliction is rarely something that is caused by our own sin, it is a way for us to draw closer to God and come to the understanding that it is His will be done. “For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” – II Corinthians 4:15-17.

Affliction first comes to teach us about salvation, until we come to the knowledge that we are all sinners who need to be saved, we may not understand that it is God who allowed it so that He can show is His Son. Salvation has never been about confession of sin, after all, God knows we are sinners, it has always been about remission of sin, knowing that we need a Saviour to pardon us of the punishment for sin. Remember Shimei, he cursed David as he was passing by? As David heads back home he is greeted by Shimei, this time to seek forgiveness for cursing him.

And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the king’s household, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was come over Jordan; And said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart. For thy servant doth know that I have sinned: therefore, behold, I am come the first this day of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king. But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD’S anointed? And David said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day be adversaries unto me? shall there any man be put to death this day in Israel? for do not I know that I am this day king over Israel? Therefore the king said unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die. And the king sware unto him.” – II Samuel 19:18-23.

shall there any man be put to death this day in Israel?” It is God who decides whether or not we are to be put to death for our sin, and He bases that on who we know, not how much we have sinned. The punishment for all sin upon anyone is death, but God pardons all who believe in and receive the Gospel of His Son. What about those who were here before Jesus came in the flesh and gave His life for all mankind? They were saved by their faith also. “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.” – Romans 4:1-3.

Now, after all that happened, it was time for David to get back to work and be the king of the people that God ordained him to be. No sooner than he gets back to his palace, a man named Sheba starts a civil war, Judah remained faithful to David while the rest of the tribes walked away from him.

And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel. So every man of Israel went up from after David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri: but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem. And David said to Abishai, Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom: take thou thy lord’s servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fenced cities, and escape us. And they came and besieged him in Abel of Bethmaachah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench: and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down. Then cried a wise woman out of the city, Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that I may speak with thee. Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and cast it out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.” – II Samuel 20:1,2,6,15,16,22.

And there happened to be there a man of Belial,” Belial, that old devil himself. As soon as we get things right with God and start moving in the right direction, here comes the devil placing affliction in our lives in an attempt to get us doubting our faith again. Believe it or not, sometimes God will allow the devil to place affliction upon us for the sake of our staying faithful to Him. Why? He wants to make sure we stay out of trouble, and the majority of the time the only way we do that is through affliction. Affliction brings us closer to Christ and gives Him the glory for helping us through it. “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” – I Peter 4:12-13.

Remember, affliction may not always come from the wrongs we have done, but what someone else has done. No sooner than God delivered Israel out of the hands of Sheba a famine comes, for three years David sought answers from God on this matter, finally he gets his answer, it was something that Saul did to the Gibeonites.

Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites. And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.) Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD? And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you. And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel, Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, whom the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give them. But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the LORD’S oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.” – II Samuel 21:1-7.

But the king spared Mephibosheth,” This is proof that we are not saved by our works or our inheritance, we are saved by our faith in Christ alone. No matter what we have done in the past, present, or future, once saved always saved because of the vow that God took not to destroy one soul who believes in His Son. Salvation has never been based solely upon ones works, if that were the case none of us would be here because we have all sinned, it has always been about faith. The law was meant to be a guide for God’s people to walk in the ways that He would have them, it separates them from the immoral and corrupt world, it was never meant for redemption, blood was always required for redemption, Jesus made it permanent when He shed His own blood. “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” – Hebrews 9:11-14.

Jesus Christ Magnified: “And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king, even to his house.” – II Samuel 19:11.

Today’s Prayer: God, Although I do not understand everything that You allow me to be afflicted with, I do understand that You have a reason and a purpose for all of it. Jesus, thank You for having my back, for keeping me close to You, no matter how many times I mess up. Lord, give me Your strength to endure all my affliction, give me wisdom to understand why You have placed this affliction before me in the first place, help me understand if it is something I need to repent of, need to address with someone else, or if it is simply the devil testing my faith. Give me Your power to trust, wait, and grow closer to You through my afflictions and keep me to looking to You for guidance and direction in all my steps so that I can endure them with You getting the glory for seeing me through. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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