At Hand or At Hand? Yes and Amen!

Posted on June 23, 2026 by Pete

Reading the first few verses in Philippians 4. Pretty familiar stuff so I’m pretty quick with the colored pencils to mark it up. Pretty quick with the dark-green colored pencil to highlight a reminder that Jesus is coming soon. But then something (Someone?) causes me to pause and ask myself, “Self, is Paul saying Jesus is at hand, or, that He is at hand?”

Paul begins to wrap up his letter to the Philippians with seven, rapid-fire commands-to-obey. Rejoice always and rejoice again are the first two (4:4). Then Paul commands this body of believers to be gentle with everyone (4:5), anxious about nothing (4:6a), and to pray about everything (4:6b–7). He concludes with an exhortation to think about excellent things (4:8) and to put into practice all the things they had “learned and received and heard and seen” in Paul (4:9). And in the midst of this list of divine directives – as apparent fuel for the fire of obedience – is a not to be forgotten truth.

The Lord is at hand. (Philippians 4:5b ESV)

Most other translations render it, The Lord is near. Philips says, “Never forget the nearness of your Lord.” And the NLT and The Message lay their interpretive cards on the table: “Remember, the Lord is coming soon”; “Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!” (I’ll let you guess which is the NLT and which is the MSG).

And, as I read this phrase this morning, I immediately sided with the interpreters, underlining the phrase with my dark-green colored pencil. Jesus is coming soon. He is near. He is at hand.

Fair interpretation. Likely the most common interpretation. But not the only interpretation. For while it could be (and probably should be) read in a temporal sense, that Jesus’ return is closer now than ever before, it could also be read in a proximity sense, that Jesus is as close to me now – He is at hand – as He’s always been. At hand and near to me now because I am in Him.

That’s why I can rejoice always, because I rejoice in the Lord (4:4a). It’s how He promises to guard my heart and mind with a peace that passes all understanding, guarding it in Christ Jesus (4:7b).

In Him. In union with Christ. A branch abiding in the Vine (Jn. 15:5). The divine connection providing the power to do what He commands. The transcendent truth infusing the desire to obey. For just as the Son delights to do the Father’s will, so do I.

The Lord is at hand.

Out there and coming soon and very soon.

In here, through His Spirit, Christ living in me (Gal. 2:20).

At hand and coming soon? Or, at hand and ever present?

Yes!

And amen!

By His grace. For His glory.

Posted in Philippians | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Retaining by Advancing (2019 Remix)

Posted on June 22, 2026 by Pete

For Paul there was no standing still. If he wasn’t moving forward, then he knew he was going backward. If he put it in neutral, he knew that was just reverse with an N on it. To be coasting was to be in danger of crashing. Status quo’ing? High risk of soon quitting. Good enough was gonna get worse. Autopilot would inevitably lead to atrophy. That’s how Paul seemed to think about doing life as a follower of Christ.

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

(Philippians 3:13b-16 ESV)

Hold true to what we have attained . . . That’s what I’m chewing on this morning.

Living up to what we already know (CSB). Having gotten on the right track (MSG), staying in the right lane. Having made some progress (NLT), not letting it slip away. What we have attained, we need to retain.

At first, it might sound like a “hold your position” sort of posture. But in the context, isn’t Paul saying that retaining is actually accomplished by advancing? That we hold fast by straining forward? That we keep whatever ground we’ve taken by pressing on toward the goal ahead?

That’s what Paul seems to be thinkin’. And, he says, we should be thinkin’ it too.

Let those of us who are mature think this way.

Retaining by advancing is just smart thinking for those with spiritual understanding.

Makes sense that if you know you’re going to wake up every morning in enemy territory, then whatever spoils of victory you’ve accumulated to date are in danger of being taken back unless you engage afresh in the conflict.

Every morning we rise, we know the desires of the flesh in us are going to wage war against the Spirit of God in us (Gal. 5:16-17). Every day we venture out into the world we know there will be a battle for the mind. And to be sure, to walk another day down the pilgrim’s pathway is to be aware that there’s an adversary prowling around like a roaring lion “seeking someone to devour” (1Pet. 5:8).

And so, we need to forget about what lies behind, the ground we’ve gained, and strain forward to what lies ahead. To press on to the goal for the prize of the upward call. We need to remember that, in order to hold on to what we’ve attained, we need to keep advancing.

Oh, that we’d be protected from a “good enough”, or “far enough”, or “know enough”, or “done enough” attitude when it comes to seeking first the kingdom. That we wouldn’t rest on where we’ve been. Because to do so, is to end up where we thought we’d never go.

Pressing on isn’t complex. Keep engaging the living word. Keep conversing with the living God. Keep abiding in the living Savior. Keep communing with other living stones (1Pet. 2:5) — those with whom you are joined together and growing into a holy temple (Eph. 2:21). Not complex, but it requires intentional effort. “Straining forward” effort. “Pressing on” effort. God enabled effort.

No such thing as a neutral gear in the Christian life. It’s either put ‘er in drive or we’ll end up going in reverse.

We hold on to what we have, by His grace, only as we seek to advance, for His glory.

Amen?

Posted in Philippians | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

A 5-Star Rating

Posted on June 17, 2026 by Pete

Consumer reviews, they’ve become a pretty big deal in today’s world. Someone else’s experience with something we’re interested in is often the first thing we’ll check out. There’s a place to find reviews for almost every imaginable product or service. Whether it’s Google or Yelp, Amazon or Tripadvisor, we go there looking for stars, ideally 5 stars. “How many stars?” is what we want to know, ’cause it’s a solid predictor of customer satisfaction or product quality. The more stars, the better. 5 Stars and you’re feeling pretty good that the service, product, or business is top-tier and that taking a chance on it is a prudent choice. This morning I’m chewing on a divine 5-star rating.

Your promise is well tried,
       and Your servant loves it. (Psalm 119:140 ESV)

Well tried . . . those are the words that caught my attention.

Literally, it’s well refined. Well smelted. Thus, well tested. And something that is well refined is something that’s pure. Hence, why some translations render this, Your promise is very pure.

But the ESV’s rendering struck me this morning less as a quality review and more as a dependability review. The songwriter had tested God’s promise again and again, it was well tried, and he loved it! 5-stars!

You journey through Psalm 119 and, while the focus is the word of God, it tells the story of how the Word proved itself over and over as the psalmist faced enemies and trials and his own testing. So much so, that even when “trouble and anguish had found me out” the word of God was still his delight (v.143), “righteous forever” and the way of life (v. 144). God’s promise was well tried.

Able to be well tried because it is our “go to” repeatedly. For example, experiencing “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding” (Php. 4:6-7) isn’t a one-and-done thing. No, that’s a promise that is well tried in every storm and amidst clouds of confusion and waves of worry. Every time we experience storms, cloulds, and waves we can know the provision of supernatural, circumstance-transcending peace — again and again, over and over. That’s a promise which is well tried. And I love it! 5-stars.

The promise of mercies new every morning (Lam.3:22-23) is a heads up that we are going to enter seasons when we need mercies new every morning, when we need to experience God’s never-ceasing faithfulness and steadfast love. Persistent “thorns in the flesh” are going to try the assurance that His grace really is sufficient and that His power really is “made perfect” in our weakness (2Cor. 12:9). And they’ll require us to go to that promise over and over, again and again. So that, we too, can bear witness, Your promise is well tried and Your servant loves it!

5 stars!

By His grace. For His glory.

Posted in Psalms | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Which is Yours

Posted on June 16, 2026 by Pete

Traveling again this week. This time in the mountains of Colorado. Again hanging with some pretty impressive pastors. These a little less rural, a bit more suburban, but with the same passion to go and make disciples. So, finding limited time to keyboard some thoughts. This morning, however, feeling like I need to get a few thoughts down. I am a bit overwhelmed by a fresh reminder from Paul of something “which is yours.”

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

(Philippians 2:3-7 ESV)

Which is yours in Christ Jesus . . . That’s what I’m chewing on this morning.

The rendering looks to be unique to the ESV. Other translations render the exhortation as “have the same mind” or “have the same attitude.” But the consideration that this mind is already mine, adds a whole new dimension to this command-to-obey.

Mine isn’t to manufacture some super level of of humility, the likes of which is beyond my fallen nature to create or sustain. I can’t power my way to a life characterized by looking to other’s interests above my own. Mine isn’t to “develop” this mind, it is to “have this mind” and let this mind have its way. The mind which is yours in Christ Jesus.

O’ blessed union with Christ. His mind, my mind!

To be sure, there’s a lot of other stuff in my mind that wars against His. And not in just my mind, but in my body, and soul, and spirit, as well. Yet, this mind of Him who took upon Himself the form of a servant “is yours.” And so, I can direct myself towards it, submit myself to it, and, through His power within me, be transformed by it — this mind which is yours in Christ Jesus.

In Christ Jesus . . . no place I’d rather be this morning . . . or any other morning.

This mind . . . no mind I’d aspire for more than the mind of the One who emptied Himself for me.

Father, keep me from selfish ambition and conceit. Let the mind of Christ — now my mind because I am in Christ Jesus — be an increasingly predominant mind.

Only by Your grace. Only for Your glory.

Posted in Philippians | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A Thin Silence (2020 Remix)

Posted on June 11, 2026 by Pete

The LORD was not in the great and strong wind that pulverized the rocks. Nor was He in the quake that shook the ground. And though you couldn’t take your eyes off the blazing fire, the LORD wasn’t in that either. Thinking this morning how sometimes what we need is to hear the sound of a thin silence.

Hovering over the story of God tending to the depressed prophet. Elijah had hit them with his best shot (1Kings 18) and had nothing to show for it; nothing had changed. And though I can’t identify with Elijah’s prayer to “take away my life”, his words, “It is enough!” seem to resonate. I’m tired. It’s time to tap out. Let’s call it a day, shall we? Can’t we just go home?

That Elijah was done, is pretty evident. That the prophet of God who defeated the 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah was spent is pretty clear. To say that he “lost courage” after Jezebel put out a hit on him would be an understatement. And so, he runs. And so, God intervenes. And so, he ends up at the mount of God at Horeb, Sinai. And there he holes up in a cave.

And there, God asks the kind of penetrating question that God is prone to ask. In the garden, the LORD God called to the man and asked, “Where are you?” Here, on the mount, the searching, seeking God of His people asks the weary prophet, “What are you doing here?” (19:9).

Elijah, you’ve come to the place where the bush once burned without being consumed. You’re standing on the holy ground that compels men to put off their sandals. I have thundered on this mountain before. From here I have revealed my will and my ways for my people. So, what are you doing here? Why the cave? What do you want?

And, as is often the case with all of us, Elijah, the man “subject to like passions as we are” (James 5:17 KJV), can’t help but focus on himself. The world around him has descended into chaos and Elijah boils it down to, “I, even I only, am left.”

And God knows just what His weary messenger needs.

And He said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, . . .

(1Kings 19:11a ESV)

Stand on the mountain before Yahweh. Post up before the LORD’s presence. Firmly plant your feet, fix your eyes, open your ears, and behold anew My glory.

Thinking that’s what you need sometimes amidst the overwhelming chaos. A fresh intake of God’s glory. And where does it come from?

And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

(1Kings 19:11b-12 ESV)

The sound of a low whisper. Three words in the original, literally a “voice still small.” Or, as the rendering in my margin reads, a thin silence.

A thin silence, sometimes that’s what is needed amidst the cacophony of the chaos around us. Needing God’s still small voice when we feel victimized. Waiting on the whisper of God when we’re feeling waylaid by life. Hearing afresh His quiet call as, in our quiet place, we open and read His word.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10 ESV)

A thin silence . . .

By Your grace, Lord, show me again Your glory.

Posted in 1Kings | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Stories of Affliction

Posted on June 8, 2026 by Pete

I was away last week at a conference with a bunch of pastors and their families. Wednesday afternoon was “free time”, so me and a friend and a “new friend” checked out Pebble Beach, Carmel by the Sea, and Cannery Row in Monterey, CA. Some good sight seeing, some amazing white sand, and some wonderful food made for a great few hours together. And, as happens with “new friends”, during the afternoon we found ourselves telling our stories. And as good pastors are prone to do, probing questions were asked. One of which took me down a path that was, frankly, still kind of painful. That conversation came to mind as I read in the Psalms this morning.

Your hands have made and fashioned me;
       give me understanding that I may learn Your commandments.
Those who fear You shall see me and rejoice,
       because I have hoped in Your word.
I know, O LORD, that Your rules are righteous,
       and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me.
Let Your steadfast love comfort me
       according to Your promise to Your servant.

(Psalm 119:73-76 ESV)

Your hands have made and fashioned me . . . You have afflicted me . . . Let Your steadfast love comfort me . . . That’s what I’m chewing on this morning.

I don’t think we’re meant to forgive and forget. Forgive? For sure. Forget? I’m not so certain. Though Jesus forgave, though ascended to the right hand of power, forever He will be recognized as “a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain” and worshiped as “the Lamb who was slain” (Rev. 5:8, 12). The scars forever a part of His story. Us too, I think. Though we forgive, trauma will always be part of our tale to be told.

But it should be more than just a saga of sorrow. It should be the story of a God who made me, a God who afflicted me, and a God whose steadfast love comforted me. Comforted me then and continues to comfort me now.

As was the case with my “new friend”, though telling the story stirred embers of hurt and bitterness, it also reminded me that a sovereign God is ultimately the Author of all our stories of affliction so that He might work the perfect work of forming Christ in us — that “we may share His holiness” and know “the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:10-11). And in feeling the affliction afresh, so too we know afresh the unfailing comfort of His steadfast love.

Our stories — even our stories of affliction — are our stories. Sourced in the faithfulness of the One who created us. Founded that we might experience the reality of His steadfast love. Remembered that we might know the unfailing love of God continually.

This too, by His grace and for His glory.

Posted in Psalms | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

40,000 Horses

Posted on May 28, 2026 by Pete

For those who know something of the life of Solomon, if asked, “When did things start to ‘go south’ for this wisest and most impressive of all Israel’s king”, the answer is likely to be, “When he started marrying ‘foreign women’ — like 700 princesses and 300 concubines” (1Kings 11:1-3). A thousand wives! Talk about a complex “honey do” list!

But before 1,000 wives, there were 40,000 horses.

Judah and Israel were as many as the sand by the sea. They ate and drank and were happy. Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the Euphrates to the land of the Philistines and to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and served Solomon all the days of his life. . . . And Judah and Israel lived in safety, from Dan even to Beersheba, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, all the days of Solomon. Solomon also had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots, and 12,000 horsemen.

(1Kings 4:20-21, 25-26 ESV)

40,000 horses . . . that’s what catches my attention. It’s what always catches my attention when I read these chapters in 1 Kings. Not that it’s simply an impressive stat (though it is), but that it is a foreboding signal of something going askew. Even for the wisest guy in the world.

“You may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. Only he must not acquire many horses for himself . . .”

(Deuteronomy 17:15-16a ESV)

Hold your horses. That was God’s command to the future king the people would want ruling over them. But Solomon didn’t.

Amidst what is, for the most part, a glowing report of the governing structure Solomon created and the good life lived by his people, and plopped right in the middle of the repeated reminders that “God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure” (1Kings 4:29, 30, 31, 34; 5:7, 5:12), there is this little fact of full, full stalls. While — at least during the beginning of his reign — we might want to see Solomon as a hero, we need to come to grips with all these horses.

Chosen by God. Visited by God. Blessed by God with wisdom beyond wisdom. And yet, we have this indicator that, at least in some areas, Solomon was not fully obeying God.

And as I noodle on this, I’m reminded that the Bible isn’t meant to be read as a bunch of stories of great heroes but is instead one story of a great redemption. Who needs this story? We all need this story. Even the wisest ruler to have ever lived. Even the guy who had an encounter of the divine kind, the guy given wisdom from heaven itself. The guy who eventually bought 1,000 wedding rings. The guy who started down the slippery slope by first collecting 40,000 horses.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23 ESV)

Sure, God will accomplish His purposes even through sinners. He will endow with great talents even transgressors. Lavishing wisdom even upon lawbreakers. But thank God that eternity is not left up to how well we perform. Instead, it is found in believing that I need the finished work of a substitutionary sacrifice and in the reality of a risen Savior and an empty tomb.

Thank God we can all have a part in this grand story of a great redemption. Amen?

Only by His grace. Only for His glory.

Posted in 1Kings | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Eyes of Your Heart

Posted on May 27, 2026 by Pete

And I thought Paul Baloche had flunked anatomy. That in his “artistic license” he was loosely connecting body parts that aren’t really connected. But he was quoting Scripture! Who knew?

Open the eyes of my heart, Lord
Open the eyes of my heart
I want to see You
I want to see You
~ Paul Baloche, “Open the Eyes of My Heart”, © 1997, Integrity’s Hosanna! Music ~

I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him,
having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know . . .

~ Paul the Apostle, Ephesians 1:16-18a ESV, © The Holy Spirit ~

The eyes of your hearts . . . That’s what I’m chewing on this morning.

Some translations render it “the eyes of your understanding”, but for most it’s the eyes of your hearts.

What a curious phrase when you stop to noodle on it for a bit.

The eyes. Made for seeing. An “input device”, if you will. Required for sight. And, apparently, also needed for insight.

Our hearts. The seat of not only our emotions, feelings, and desires, but also of our understanding, thoughts, and imagination. The portal to our souls. Shaping who we are.

And so, Paul the Apostle sings Paul Baloche (not really), “Open the eyes of their hearts, Lord! They need to see You.”

That’s why we have been given the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation — so that we who were once darkness (Eph. 5:8a) and without God in the world (Eph. 2:12) could now walk as children of light (Eph. 5:8b) possessing the knowledge of Him.

Seeing is believing, sure. But believing is also seeing. Seeing with the soul.

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him” — these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

(1Corinthians 2:9-10 ESV)

What an amazing dynamic! Through the Spirit, God reveals to us stuff we could never have come up with on our own. Stuff beyond our five senses, stuff beyond our wildest speculations. Talk about having an encounter of the divine kind! And Paul prays (the apostle, not Baloche) that it would be the normative experience of the believer — to have the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know.

. . . that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you, what are the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe.

(Ephesians 1:18b-19a ESV)

That you may know . . . the hope . . . the riches . . . the power . . .

Yes, Lord! Open the eyes of my heart!

By Your grace. For Your glory.

Posted in Ephesians | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Blessed!

Posted on May 26, 2026 by Pete

I start in on Psalm 119 this morning with expectation. These next 22 readings in the Psalms are among my favorite portions of my reading plan. An Ode to the Word. A Love Letter for God’s Law. One grand theme with multi-faceted implications. Saddle up your horses! Let’s do this.

But this morning, it’s the reading I just finished in Ephesians that provides a filter for the opening verses of this sweet song.

Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
       who walk in the law of the LORD!
Blessed are those who keep His testimonies,
       who seek Him with their whole heart.

(Psalm 119:1-2 ESV)

Blessed are those . . .

Blessed. Who doesn’t want to be blessed? Who doesn’t want to apply and appropriate and identify with someone who God declares to be blessed?

But while I’d like to think this is me, as I chew on it, at best maybe I can think this is sometimes me. Maybe me on a good day? On my best day? Sigh . . . it’s not me.

Be honest, Pete, and your way is not blameless. And while your walk may be worthy some of the time, it’s not a walk directed by the law of the LORD all the time. While you might try and keep His testimonies, your own testimony is that you come up short way too often. As for seeking Him with your whole heart? Well, mostly? Mostly seeking Him with a whole heart? Seeking Him with mostly a whole heart? Have I sighed already?

But is this guy sitting here this morning indeed blessed? Absolutely! One hundred percent! Cue the Ephesians filter.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, . . . . to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved.

(Ephesians 1:3, 6 ESV)

Blessed . . . in Christ. Christ, the One whose way is blameless, who perfectly walked in the law of the LORD.

Blessed . . . in the Beloved. The Beloved, the only begotten Son who kept the Father’s testimonies. The Beloved who could say with full confidence, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God” (Heb. 10:7), having sought God without wavering, seeking Him with His whole heart.

Jesus alone lays claim, both literally and completely, to the blessed One of Psalm 119. And I am in Him.

Because of my union with Christ, His reality is mine. Because I am in Him and He is in me, what is true of Him is true of me, as well.

I own Psalm 119:1-2 because I am not my own but am His alone. Through the finished work of the cross. Through the guaranteeing work of the Spirit (Eph. 1:14). To the praise of His glorious grace (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14).

Blessed are those . . . who are in Christ.

That would be me.

Blameless . . . even as I long to be blameless. Counted as walking in the law, even as trip and stumble along the way. Seen as seeking Him with a whole heart — a new heart — even as I fail and falter in my battle against the old heart. All because I am in Christ.

Blessed!

By His grace. For His glory.

Posted in Ephesians, Psalms | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

How Shall I Make Atonement?

Posted on May 21, 2026 by Pete

Something was wrong. So wrong it resulted in divine displeasure — famine for three years. Thus, David “sought the face of the Lord” (2Sam. 21:1). Good move. But then, it seems, David took matters into his own hands.

Reading 2 Samuel 21 this morning and the first half of the chapter just doesn’t land right. I get that there’s unresolved “bloodguilt” on Saul and his family for his self-serving, God-disobeying, aggression to “strike down” the Gibeonites, a Canaanite people Israel had covenanted to protect (Joshua 9). I get that Saul’s sin had never been dealt with and as such stained the land. Good for David in seeking the Lord to bring to light the sin. But, just as in Joshua (9:14), there’s no indication that David sought the Lord as to what to do about the Gibeonites. And it results in David rounding up seven sons of Saul, born by concubines, and handing them over for execution. And like I said, it just doesn’t land right.

And I think here’s why.

So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. And David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement, that you may bless the heritage of the LORD?”

(2Samuel 21:2-3 ESV)

How shall I make atonement? Emphasis on “I”! That sent shivers down my back.

That’s why this Gibeonite “justice” just doesn’t seem to fit with the God who had said “nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin.” (Deut. 24:16). What’s more, after executing the seven sons, they then leave the bodies to hang there day after day, another violation of God’s specific command (Deut. 21:23). I don’t think that going with whatever the Gibeonites felt was just reparation was God’s atonement plan, just David’s. No sacrifice for sin. Just vengeance. How shall I make atonement? Shudder!

I don’t know what should have been done in this situation. But David didn’t either. And rather than ask the Lord, he asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How shall I make atonement?”

Thank God for His way of atonement. For substitutionary sacrifice. For the divine design which allows mercy to intersect with righteousness and grace to flow forth from justice.

Thank God for the cross!

Amen?

Posted in 2Samuel | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments