Strength For The Journey

[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Galatians 6:7 2 Samuel 12:1-10

Sowing and Reaping

2 Samuel 12:1-10

David's harshness and lack of pity were due to his being out of touch with God. No wonder he failed to remember the judgment prescribed by the Law. At this point the Holy Spirit gave Nathan boldness to say to David, "Thou art the man" (2 Sam. 12:7).

Through Nathan, the Lord reminded David of His sovereign choice of David, of His protection of him through the years of Saul's bitter enmity, of his elevation to the throne and of the abundance of God's provision for him.

In spite of God's mercies, David had despised God's commandment. God hid nothing from His servant. David was forced to face his sin.

Nathan's message to David not only reminded him of God's tender mercy, love, abundant gifts and honor but also warned David that, because he had sinned, he would reap a harvest of sorrow.

"Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife" (v. 10).

The Lord made it very plain in the New Testament that believers cannot escape reaping the kind of harvest they sow. We cannot hide our sin; we will not get away with it. The secrets of the night are not hidden from God.

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Gal. 6:7).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference 1 John 1:9 Psalm 51:1-17

Getting Right With God

Psalm 51:1-17

David asked God to create in him a clean heart (see Ps. 51:10). With regard to the unbeliever, this would be a matter of regeneration, but for the Christian it involves renewal and restoration.

David said, "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me" (v. 11).

This is Old Testament doctrine and has to do with the fact that when a person had the Spirit of God and was disobedient, the Holy Spirit might leave him as He left Saul. David did not want this to happen to him.

In this Church Age the Spirit of God comes into the believer's life to stay. Nevertheless, many Christians, some of them Christian workers, have been put on the shelf and are useless to God because of some sin that they have allowed to control, or dominate, their lives.

Our position before God in Christ is assured, but our condition, or experience, if it is to be victorious, must be one of living in fellowship with the Lord.

Then the grace of God comes into full view as we see David saying, "Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee" (v. 13).

Once the individual has been restored to fellowship, then, by the grace of God, he can effectively share the Gospel with others.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Revelation 3:19 Hebrews 12:1-13

God's Purpose in Chastising

Hebrews 12:1-13

God's purpose in chastening us is so that we might learn not to sin. We cannot expect forgiveness and then be turned loose to go on living in the sin that brought God's displeasure.

God fixed a gulf between sin and righteousness. This must be maintained. Absolutely no compromise is possible. No attempt should ever be made by us to reduce or detract from the absolute holiness and purity of God.

Sin is always sin, and righteousness is always righteousness. There can be no blending of them in any way, shape or form. God cannot forgive us at the expense of lowering His standard of righteousness.

In order to teach us to hate sin, God chastens us. If He did not, we would be crawling to Him every five minutes for more pardon because of our continuing to live in sin.

God's people are taught by Him to hate sin by its bitter consequences and are also taught to love righteousness, or holiness. God chastens us as He pleases "for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness" (Heb. 12:10).

God does not want us to come to heaven with nothing to show for our spiritual lives and service. He wants to see abundant spiritual fruit.

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent" (Rev. 3:19).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Psalm 32:5 2 Samuel 12:24-25 2 Samuel 12:11-23

Restoration Follows Forgiveness

2 Samuel 12:11-23

When God forgives, He at once restores. He never carries a grudge. Nevertheless, we must expect to face consequences because of our sin.

The Lord uses the rod of discipline on His children, and one aspect of that discipline is to let us reap what we sow. While He restores us to fellowship, the bitter cup we have brewed for ourselves has to be drunk.

David lived for 20 more years, but the seeds of murder and lust that he had planted bore fruit in his own family.

Another son was born to David and Bathsheba, and David "called his name Solomon: and the Lord loved him. And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah [beloved of the Lord], because of the LORD" (2 Sam. 12:24,25).

David and Bathsheba's first son was taken from them because of their sin. But in the grace of God, their second son was chosen of God to succeed David on the throne.

Surely this was an indication of God's complete forgiveness of David and a fresh evidence of God's mercy. On one hand we see the severity of God. On the other, we see His grace, since the lesson He taught His child had been learned.

"I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin" (Ps. 32:5).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Mark 8:36 2 Samuel 18 1 Kings 1:28-31 1 Kings 1:5-14

Results of Neglect

1 Kings 1:5-14, 28-31

David's last years, possibly eight or nine after the death of Absalom (2 Sam. 18), were comparatively quiet. But there came a moment toward the last days of his life, after he had reigned almost 40 years, that a crisis began because he had been careless in making known his choice of a successor.

This crisis occurred when David was ill and about to die. His two oldest sons, Amnon and Absalom, were both dead. A third son possibly died in his youth, for very little is known of him.

The fourth son, who was then David's oldest living son, was Adonijah, the son of Haggith. He set himself up as king and prepared chariots and horsemen and 50 men to run before him (see 1 Kings 1:5).

David had not displeased this son at any time. He had never said to him, "Why hast thou done so?" (v. 6).

What factors led to Adonijah's attempt to take over the throne? There was only one--neglect on David's part. He had not done what God had ordered him to do. David was careless, not rebellious, yet that carelessness opened the door for Satan's counterfeit.

Our Enemy is always looking for opportunities to control our lives. Where he cannot stir us up to revolt against God, he will seek to make us careless so that before we realize what is happening we are dominated by our fallen natures.

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference Psalm 118:8 2 Corinthians 3:5 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 1 Chronicles 21:1 2 Samuel 24:1-14

A Misplaced Confidence

2 Samuel 24:1-14; 1 Chronicles 21:1

This last attack of Satan upon David took place about 38 years after David had ascended the throne and about two years before his death.

Satan was successful for a brief time in enticing David into sin, which should remind us all that we are never free from being tested. At the same time we can have God's victory.

If we fall, we can find forgiveness and restoration if we are genuine in our repentance.

Ordinarily nothing would be wrong with numbering people. Census taking is done periodically by any alert government.

But numbering the children of Israel was a matter of pride. David wanted to know how strong his nation was militarily. His strength really was in God, but David was putting his trust in his armies when he numbered the people.

God's advice was, "You do not need to number the people. I have taken care of this situation." The strength of Israel's army meant nothing if God was not with them.

The same is true in our spiritual life. Until we can say with true conviction, "I am nothing," God cannot do much for us. He has chosen that which is nothing to confound the wisdom of the wise (see 1 Cor. 1:26-29). Our sufficiency is of God, not of ourselves (see 2 Cor. 3:5).

"It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man" (Ps. 118:8).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference 2 Samuel 24:18-25 1 Chronicles 21:18 2 Samuel 24:24 Psalm 51:17

When Is It a Sacrifice?

2 Samuel 24:18-25

The Lord not only stayed the plague, but through Gad He also instructed David to build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite (1 Chron. 21:18).

The Lord was very specific about this and left no alternative in the matter.

Why this particular spot was chosen does not appear in the narrative, but later on in 2 Chronicles 3:1 we have this statement: "Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD at Jerusalem in mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared unto David his father, in the place that David had prepared in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite."

If David had been a grasping, selfish man, he might have looked on this as an opportunity to fulfill the will of God without any cost to himself.

He had been passed over when the plague struck men in Israel, and now a rich man had offered him a threshing floor for an altar and animals and grain for the offerings.

But David refused to bring before the Lord that which cost him nothing. "And the king said unto Araunah [Ornan], Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing" (2 Sam. 24:24).

What a tremendous lesson for us. It is one thing to serve on boards and committees that handle the affairs of others; it is quite another to make decisions that affect us personally.

It is not a sacrifice to the Lord if we give of that which costs us nothing.

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (Ps. 51:17).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference 1 Kings 17:1 James 5:16-18

God Lives!

1 Kings 17:1 James 5:16-18

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. He had a remarkable ministry, but he was still human. He had special gifts from God and was set apart to perform a special ministry.

The difference between him and us is due to the special work God had for him and the fact that he was fully submitted to God.

When he relied on his own resources, he became as weak as a child. At one period in his life he was discouraged almost to the point of death. Renewed by God, he was as bold as a lion.

He dared to stand before King Ahab and pronounce the judgment of God on him and his kingdom. The prophet showed no hesitancy and expected God to do what He said He would. The basic principle behind this is given in the New Testament.

The first thing that Elijah did when he stood before Ahab was to remind the king that the God of Israel is a living God.

Jezebel had brought Baal worship into Israel and had 850 priests leading in the worship of idols. So the first thing Elijah said was "As the Lord God of Israel liveth" (1 Kings 17:1).

Elijah was unafraid when he stood before Ahab because he had knelt in humility before Almighty God.

The Lord gives grace to the humble, but He resists the proud. For this reason we are to submit ourselves to God, but we are to resist the Evil One, and he will flee from us.

When we are right with God in our hearts, then we will ask for the things that please Him, and He will answer us.

"I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (John 6:51).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference 1 Kings 17:2-7

One Step at a Time

1 Kings 17:2-7

Obeying God always comes first; then He reveals the next step. Too many of us, in doing the work of God, want to see the end result immediately. But that is not trusting God, that is trusting sight. Faith does not see; it trusts and obeys.

When Elijah had delivered His message to Ahab, the Lord told him what his next step was to be.

Tradition says that this brook [the brook mentioned in today's scripture passage] ran into the Jordan about 15 miles above Jericho. Its waters came from the mountains of Ephraim from a spring concealed under a high cliff and shaded by a dense jungle.

It is probable that it was in such a spot that God hid His servant--a place of safety made known after Elijah's first step of obedience.

The ravens were to bring Elijah his food at Cherith. Suppose, however, he had thought he knew a better hiding place and had gone back to some spot in the mountains of Gilead? He could have starved to death, for the ravens had not been commanded to go there.

The ravens were told by God to go to the Brook Cherith, by those high cliffs near the Jordan River where a special stream was fed by a spring. There God would protect Elijah from Ahab.

The brook bordered the land of Samaria, the very land over which Ahab was king. There God protected His servant.

"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams" (1 Sam. 15:22).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference 1 Kings 17:8-16

Sufficient for Each Day

1 Kings 17:8-16

Because Elijah was a man like us, he undoubtedly wondered what God had in store for him when he saw the brook beginning to dry up. Since he was trusting in God, however, he believed and help arrived.

God did not send a sudden squall of rain for that immediate neighborhood, nor did he provide some supernatural source of water in that place. Instead, Elijah was to arise, go to Zarephath and dwell there. Only at Zarephath would a widow provide food for him.

Few of us have faced the extremity this widow experienced. It seemed as though each day she might face starvation; yet each day by faith she trusted God to meet her need.

The result was that she and her house "did eat many days" (1 Kings 17:15). God supplied not a year at a time but a day at a time.

This is what we need with regard to God's grace. We do not need a great stockpile of it for future use but a daily appropriation of it, which God supplies freely.

The manna was gathered daily, not in the evening but in the morning, and each one gathered for himself. So must we accept grace from God.

We cannot hoard today's grace for tomorrow or call on yesterday's grace for today. We cannot gather enough on a Sunday to last a whole week. We need to have daily contact with God, particularly in the morning.

"Give us this day our daily bread" (Matt. 6:11).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference 1 Kings 17:17-24

New Life

1 Kings 17:17-24

The death of her son apparently reminded the widow of some past sin. Her conscience was aroused, and she wanted to vindicate her character in her own eyes. Under such circumstances a person wants to turn the blame, if there is any, on someone else.

Perhaps our reaction to some sorrow or loss or problem is "Do I deserve this?" or "Why has God treated me so harshly?" If we have lost a loved one, perhaps we ask why God took that loved one.

We wonder why we have to suffer and why our neighbors do not. This is the carnal nature expressing itself, not the spiritual nature.

Elijah's one purpose in bringing this young boy back to life was to honor God. The psalmist said, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart" (Ps. 37:4). God could easily give new life to this lad.

Life flowed into the boy's body again, and Elijah put him in his mother's arms. She said, "Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth" (1 Kings 17:24).

Perhaps others could say that of us if we would only trust and obey God, showing the same spirit of trust and submission that Elijah did.

"I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:28).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference 1 Kings 18:1-7

A Secret Believer

1 Kings 18:1-7

As Elijah, in obedience to God's command, set out to meet Ahab, he saw that the famine was very severe in Samaria, one of the areas ruled by Ahab and inhabited by the Israelite people.

Apparently it extended beyond Ahab's kingdom, but Samaria seemed to be getting the brunt of it. This, of course, was in line with God's judgment--He was disciplining His people.

The Prophet Isaiah wrote: "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it" (Isa. 1:19,20).

This principle was literally fulfilled before Elijah's eyes. The people had rebelled, and they were not eating of the good of the land.

Obedience to God is the key to His blessings upon us. The Israelites had suffered for three and a half years because of their disobedience, but because of the obedience of a man of God, the Lord's judgment would be lifted.

The first man Elijah met, however, was not Ahab but Obadiah, the governor of Ahab's household. Obadiah held a position of prestige and influence in overseeing Ahab's household and possessions.

But instead of Obadiah's lifting up Ahab, apparently Ahab tended to drag Obadiah down so that he was more concerned about herds and possessions than about the will of God.

Does this speak to our hearts? Perhaps God allowed this man's life to be included in the Scriptures to teach us this lesson.

"In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him [Christ]" (Eph. 3:12).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference 1 Kings 18:7-16

Where Do We Stand?

1 Kings 18:7-16

Elijah commissioned Obadiah to tell Ahab that he was looking for him. Obadiah's response was one of fear. This man seems to have lacked moral strength and spiritual backbone. When the commission was given, he was reluctant to obey.

The similarities between Obadiah and Elijah are few, and the contrasts are many. They were both God-fearing men, and both had a commission. Elijah had a commission to show himself to Ahab, and Obadiah had a commission to tell Ahab that Elijah was coming.

But this was about as far as their similarities went. These two men contrasted greatly with regard to obedience.

When God told Elijah to do something, he did it without hesitation. Obadiah, on the other hand, hesitated, fearing for his life. He lacked faith in the power of God.

Why not check our own lives against the lives of these two men. Where do we stand? Are we where God wants us? Is God able to use us, or are we rejoicing only in what He is doing through others?

Let us learn to know Him. Let us take time to do so, for this knowledge does not come overnight. Time spent in the presence of God brings eternal results.

"Search me, 0 God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts" (Ps. 139:23).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference 1 Kings 18:17-19

Charge and Countercharge

1 Kings 18:17-19

The monarch's first words were "Art thou he that troubleth Israel?" (1 Kings 18:17). I am not sure how Ahab said that, but I have a feeling he was shaking in his boots.

He was standing before a man who had been in the presence of God. Though Ahab could say to his servants, "You do this and do that," and though he was surrounded by his bodyguards, I am sure he was awed in the presence of Elijah.

The king's accusation was false, and under such circumstances the normal reaction is for a person to justify himself. The Spirit-filled person, on the other hand, has surrendered all his rights and has no self to justify.

Elijah might have moderated the king's displeasure by telling him that rain was on the way, but that was not the message Ahab needed at that moment. The king and his people had to be humbled before God.

God's glory was at stake, and His honor had to be vindicated. Thus, Elijah's answer was fearless. He sought no favor from the king.

Even though Ahab's bodyguards were with him and would have slain Elijah at the king's command, the prophet minced no words. These soldiers held no terror for him.

The language he used is seldom heard in our day to rebuke leaders of nations who are doing wrong. "I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim" (v. 18).

"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy" (1 Tim. 6:17).

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[nChrist]

Author: Theodore Epp
Source: Strength for the Journey
Scripture Reference 1 Kings 18:20-24

Make a Decision!

1 Kings 18:20-24

God worked not only in Ahab's heart but also in the hearts of the Israelites. He subdued the king so that he obeyed Elijah's orders, and He also made the people of Israel willing to gather at Mount Carmel.

Even the 450 prophets of Baal attended, though the 400 prophets of the goddess Asherah may have anticipated what was to follow, for apparently they did not respond to the command to meet at Carmel.

It is very possible that all of the Israelites, those of the king's household and the false religious leaders who came to Carmel had contempt in their hearts for Elijah; nevertheless, a power beyond themselves caused them to come.

Seven times during the course of that great day, Elijah spoke, and his words were the true index of his heart. His first words were addressed to the people of Israel, not to the prophets of Baal: "How long halt ye between two opinions?" (1 Kings 18:21).

Elijah demanded a definite decision on their part. There was only one true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the great I Am. There was no other God. He will not accept a divided heart on the part of His people.

We, too, have a decision to make in this day. We must decide between the god of materialism and the God of grace. We cannot serve God and money or other material objects. The individual who is not for Christ is against Him.

"Choose you this day whom ye will serve" (Josh. 24:15).

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