One Year Bible, May 26

2 SAMUEL 9:1-11:27                                                                                                    
MEPHIBOSHETH:  (an OT type of the sinner who is freed from shame)  At 17 years old, he was a fugitive from David and had been crippled through the Fall. (His nurse dropped him)  But David sent Ziba (type of Holy Spirit) to bring him to Himself.  Mephibosheth called himself a "dead dog" (which is shameful).   David (type of Jesus) gave Mephibosheth "THE Life", peace, an inheritance, a kingly portion, and a position as a son.   And so, a chariot was sent to bring Mephibosheth to the King's palace.

2 SAMUEL 10 (1 CHRONICLES 19): David's victory over the Edomites (Syrians) and the Ammonites gave him the land from Egypt to the River Euphrates. This was the longest and most fearful war and was prelude to David's sin because he sent Joab instead of going himself (It was a "war of kings".)

A ROOFTOP EXPERIENCE:  Bathsheba was married to one of David's "Mighty Men", Uriah. David was 50 years old with grown sons.   He had the Ark, a new covenant with God, and a revelation of who he was "in Christ" - and even with all that revelation, he sinned in "taking" Bathsheba and getting her pregnant.  To "cover his tracks" he had Uriah murdered on the battlefield.  V.27 says, "But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord." ("displeased" - "was evil in the eyes of the Lord".)  God viewed David's sin as despising God and His commandments.   We know from Psalm 32 that his cover-up was painful, and lasted nearly a year.

RESPONSE:  David had set himself up. One bad decision led to terrible heartaches for years and years for David.  David definitely had issues!  But God still loved him.  That must have been a difficult few months for David while he hid his sin and deceived the people around him.  Revelation is wonderful, but it must reach our actions somehow, or it is useless. 

JOHN 15:1-27                                                                                                                

A NEW LIFE OF DEPENDENCY:  Our new "walk" or "life" is one of total dependency on God. "without Me you can do NOTHING." (15:5)  Holiness, healing and happiness come to us through "ABIDING".   Abiding is a "settled rest in connection with God."  To maintain that union, we must commit to obedience. We listen for His Voice or the Holy Spirit's "nudges" and practice obeying over and over. God's grace (God's power, God's strength, and God's sufficiency) enables us by intermingling His own life with mine in my daily context.  Anything less leaves us powerless, lonely and insecure, always wanting more.  We NEVER become more and more independent; in fact, we grow in holiness as we become MORE AND MORE DEPENDENT on God.

TRANSFORMATION PROCESS: (1) It is a process: "Fruit", "more fruit", "much fruit". (2) It comes in God's Presence by God's grace as we "abide". (We put our effort into connecting with God; God does the perfecting.) (3) It comes through "purging" away barrenness (dead FLESH - in order to reveal Life). (4) It comes through cleansing and pruning away what may distract, deceive or dislodge us from abiding - so we bear lots of the fruit of righteousness. (It is the difference between having one gangly, spindly vine, or a full, leafy bush.)

THE TRANSFORMED LIFE: "IF YOU KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS": (1) You will be a channel of God's love . (2) You will have overwhelming joy. (3) You will lay down your life as a sacrifice. (4) You will be a friend of God. (5) You will have fruit that remains (God's character and Presence will be manifest in you.) (6) Answered prayer.

"CHOSEN": (v.16-19)  Chosen "out of the world" - removed from the confines of antichristian life.  Because we are CHOSEN, we have an assignment, and are put into place geographically. We can know that we were created genetically optimum for our assignment.  There is now a certainty that we will fulfill our destiny of bearing fruit on earth and having power in heaven (prayer).

RESPONSE:  Fruit is a manifestation of the Vine.  It is the result of the nourishment getting out to the tips of the branches. For me, it means God manifests Himself in me, in a visible form.  That's fruit!  Character that looks like God, acts like God, talks like God.  No matter how hard I try, I can't produce it by myself.  Will-power isn't enough.  Good parenting wasn't enough.  Skill isn't enough.  More education or knowledge of how to act isn't enough. Confrontation isn't enough.  I must "abide" - stay connected with God, moment-by-moment and ask Him to live His life through me. HIS love. HIS joy. HIS peace. HIS compassion. HIS kindness. HIS gentleness. HIS patience. He chose me, now He can make this thing work. My job is to obey and re-orient myself around Him instead of around myself.

PSALM 119:49-64                                                                                                                

ZAYIN V.49-56: A zayin is a sword, and the number seven.  It speaks of the Word of God being our "weapon" of defense and offense.  It is our hope for survival. God's Word is "my comfort in my affliction."

CHETH V.57-64:  Cheth is an protective enclosure, and the number eight.  To understand and keep God's Word is my goal, my prize and my safe place in God. The words at the beginning of each verse begin with the letter, "cheth": "portion, I begged, I thought on, I hurried eagerly, the bands, midnight, companion, and mercy."  EIGHT things or characteristics we have when we are clinging to God.





PROVERBS 16:1-3                                                                                                            
GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY
- We may lay our plans, but only God decides whether or not they'll come to pass.
- We may think we know ourselves pretty well, but are actually open to great and subtle self-deception; only God has the means of testing, so as to value the spirits according to their true worth; His investigation and judgment rests on the knowledge of the true condition of our hearts and excludes all deception.
- It is only as we roll our work (yet to be done) onto the Lord that we have the wherewithal to accomplish anything for sure.

RESPONSE:  Psa 119:61 shows that even though our FLESH may exert bondage at times, we must not allow our FLESH to lure us away from the Word of God or we are sunk. And so, at the "midnight hour",  the dark times, the alone times, the scary times when I am afraid, THAT is when I rise up to thank God for His Word, His Promises, His Covenants, His Laws. As I give thanks, my heart will settle down so it can receive God's grace and mercy.