April 27th~Pursue Peace

2 Samuel 12:26-31

1 Chronicles 20:2, 3

2 Samuel 13:1-14:33

Joab and the army ended their siege of the Ammonite capital of Rabbah; but, instead of capturing the city himself, Joab sent a message to David, “Bring the rest of the army with you and finish the job, so that you will get credit for the victory instead of me” (12:28). Joab’s unselfishness is impressive. Most generals are all about guts and glory, self-aggrandizement, but Joab wanted to honor his king instead of himself.

Unfortunately, though things were going well on the battlefront, David’s family experienced some dysfunctionality back home. David’s son Amnon forced himself on his sister Tamar, which, of course, disgraced her and dishonored the family. David’s first son, Absalom, took revenge into his own hands and arranged to have Amnon killed. Absalom fled to Geshur for three years, until David finally called him to return to Jerusalem. Although the two were reconciled, the story is not over. We will read more tomorrow.

Once again, it was David’s general, Joab, who realized how much the king was missing his son and who arranged for them to get back together. While he was a great leader and a fierce warrior, Joab demonstrated tremendous character, such as courage, humility, loyalty, kindness, and compassion. He was not oblivious to other’s needs, but, instead, recognized that David was hurting and took the initiative to help him.

Daily Reflection

We were also introduced to a strange woman from Tekoa who “had a reputation for wisdom.” Joab used her to appeal to David, instead of going to him directly. In her charade, she made a few comments that I thought were noteworthy. “All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. That is why God tries to bring us back when we have been separated from Him. He does not sweep away the lives of those He cares about, and neither should
you” (14:14). While this woman was not speaking on God’s behalf, but from her own wisdom, she said some things worth thinking about.

First, unless Jesus returns, you will die. Like a spilled drink, it cannot be put back into the cup. Though you will have eternal life in heaven, on earth physical death is irreversible. What that means is, in the grand scheme of things, your time here is short, so short, in fact, that it is a waste of your days to be tangled up in conflict with others, separated from them because of anger, bitterness, grudges, or hurt feelings. It is far better to spend your days reconciled to others, especially the ones you love.

As of today, are you reconciled with all people or is there someone from whom you are separated? Have you pursued reconciliation?

If there is someone with whom you need to be reconciled, what is keeping you from doing so?

 “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men” (Romans 12:18).

BiAY.org | Day 117 — 248 Days to Go