365 Reflections

What happens to an undisciplined child? Absalom is a case study: 2 Samuel 14:25 (ESV) Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. We begin to see the character Absalom emerge in several features. First, the text teaches us of his appearance. The words, "there was no blemish in him" are striking particularly for an ancient audience. This was supreme natural beauty. His hair is also mentioned by its weight and also his habit of cutting it every year. Was this a country-wide event? We are drawn in by these details to imagine Absalom as supremely handsome and utterly self-absorbed. I mean, who weighs dead hair? Looks can carry weight for someone in the world. We live in a country enamored by beauty. Often times we let physical beauty mask other deficiencies in a person's character. This is the case for Absalom as the next passage will...

David's life begins to spiral downward after the Bathsheba moment. The seeds of these disasters are found in Amnon's lust for and rape of his half-sister Tamar. This produces a vengeful attitude in Absalom and he bides his time for the opportunity to avenge his sister's mistreatment. Absalom waits two years for vengeance. He then calls for the family to gather at his place for a special feast. He invites David and then specifically invites Absalom. 2 Samuel 13:25–27 (ESV) But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to you.” He pressed him, but he would not go but gave him his blessing. 26 Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” 27 But Absalom pressed him until he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him. We note here David's reluctant attitude to speak bluntly and authoritatively to his children. This is a problem for David. Firs...

Deuteronomy 6:20–24 (ESV)   “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. 23 And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. 24 And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. Having given the people of God the Ten Commandments again, Moses unpacks the absolute necessity to make them an everyday part of their lives. They are to bind them on their hands and between their eyes. They are to teach them to their children. They are to p...

It's such a simple command. It's such a deep word. Exodus 20:12 (ESV) “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. God includes the honor of Father and Mother in the top 10 commands of the Bible. There should be no doubt that God takes this institution seriously. The marriage of a man and woman and the procreation of children deserves honor from all people, but it starts in the home with the children.  Why does God command honor for parents? Because a parent's job reflects God's endeavor. He is our Father in heaven. Jesus described himself as a "Hen who longed to gather her chicks under her wings." (Matthew 23:37). God's parental role is exhibited throughout the Scriptures starting with Adam who is termed the "son of God" in Luke's genealogy. Why does God command that honor for parents start with the children? Because God knows that children will have the biggest ...

No single verse sums up the activity of God throughout scripture better than this: Genesis 29:31 (ESV) When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. The human desire to be loved is a strong as anything. People will do almost anything to be loved by someone. Leah wanted desperately to be loved by the man she plotted with her father to marry unbeknownst to him.  Some people may look at Leah's predicament and think she deserved what she got. After all, she should have refused to marry Jacob. But that argument assumes that young women in those days had the rights they have today. We don't know for sure. What we do know is that no matter how she got into this marriage, it was void of love, and it hurt badly.  But God saw Leah not being loved. And God acted on her behalf.  FACT: God choses the unlovely. The New Testament makes that plain as day. While Jacob met the love of his life at a well who was a virgin, pure and beautiful, J...