CAC LIVING WATER DEVOTIONAL FOR MAY 28, 2022 : TOPIC - REBUKE THEM NOW!
Christ Apostolic Church Living Water Daily Devotional Guide
DAY 148/365
Saturday, May 28, 2022.
REBUKE THEM NOW!
READ 2 SAMUEL 13V1-29
1 NIV:In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David.
2 NIV:Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.
3 NIV:Now Amnon had an adviser named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man.
4 NIV:He asked Amnon, “Why do you, the king’s son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”
5 NIV:“Go to bed and pretend to be ill,” Jonadab said. “When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘I would like my sister Tamar to come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may watch her and then eat it from her hand.’”
6 NIV:So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “I would like my sister Tamar to come and make some special bread in my sight, so I may eat from her hand.”
7 NIV:David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him.”
8 NIV:So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it.
9 NIV:Then she took the pan and served him the bread, but he refused to eat. “Send everyone out of here,” Amnon said. So everyone left him.
10 NIV:Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food here into my bedroom so I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the bread she had prepared and brought it to her brother Amnon in his bedroom.
11 NIV:But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed her and said, “Come to bed with me, my sister.”
12 NIV:“No, my brother!” she said to him. “Don’t force me! Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Don’t do this wicked thing.
13 NIV:What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you.”
14 NIV:But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.
15 NIV:Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!”
16 NIV:“No!” she said to him. “Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me.” But he refused to listen to her.
17 NIV:He called his personal servant and said, “Get this woman out of my sight and bolt the door after her.”
18 NIV:So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. She was wearing an ornate robe, for this was the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king wore.
19 NIV:Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornate robe she was wearing. She put her hands on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went.
20 NIV:Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother. Don’t take this thing to heart.” And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house, a desolate woman.
21 NIV:When King David heard all this, he was furious.
22 NIV:And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad; he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar.
23 NIV:Two years later, when Absalom’s sheepshearers were at Baal Hazor near the border of Ephraim, he invited all the king’s sons to come there.
24 NIV:Absalom went to the king and said, “Your servant has had shearers come. Will the king and his attendants please join me?”
25 NIV:“No, my son,” the king replied. “All of us should not go; we would only be a burden to you.” Although Absalom urged him, he still refused to go but gave him his blessing.
26 NIV:Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon come with us.” The king asked him, “Why should he go with you?”
27 NIV:But Absalom urged him, so he sent with him Amnon and the rest of the king’s sons.
28 NIV:Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Haven’t I given you this order? Be strong and brave.”
29 NIV:So Absalom’s men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king’s sons got up, mounted their mules and fled.
Memorise: NIV:(His father had never rebuked him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)
(1 kings 1v6)
Exposition
Thank God for this year's Children's Day Celebration that held yesterday. Still in the mood, God is delighted to remind us on His desire that we put our children right in His path, for Him. May we not fail. Amen. It is common to see children who are wayward, arrogant, and rebellious, everywhere, but the conscious efforts of parents on these children can reduce the defiant characters to the barest minimum. Even in the olden days when discipline was well pronounced, there were still recalcitrant children, how much more now that the rod of discipline has been withdrawn from several children at home and in school. The accident that has befallen parenthood these days is that the so-called children that are becoming parents are product of indiscipline under their own parents. So, like begets like.
King David, was an anointed man of God. He had several children, yet the events that happened to three of his sons make one to question his style of parenting. If Amnon's devilish and barbaric incestuous act with his own half-sister had been seriously condemned in strong terms without mincing words, maybe he wouldn't have died untimely by his own blood brother who murdered him in cold blood. Absalom was also killed because he plotted against his own father, a coup d'etat that was meant to take away the throne from David. His end was devastating, because he had not been seriously rebuked when he had erred earlier on.
What do we say about Adonijah, a spoilt brat, whom the Bible says had never made David happy, any time? No wonder the spoilt brat planned to make himself the King while his father was still alive (1 king. 1v5,6)! All these three sons of David not only died at their prime, but also brought sorrow to their parents. May we not weep over our children, in Jesus name. Correct and direct them, now, lest they end up being thorns in your flesh (Prov.22v6)
Prayer points
1. Lord, help me to train my children (biological, foster, and spiritual) according to Your laid down rules.
2. Pray against every deviant spirit in our children, in Jesus name.
3. Pray for the children's department of your church that God will fill the teacher's with the wisdom to help our children become God's best.
Extra Reading for Today: Nehemiah 12-13, Esther 1
HAVE A STRESS-FREE SATURDAY AS YOU STAY SAFE 🥰 ..... SHALOM!
No comments: