Daily Devotions - covering the whole Bible in 365 days!APRIL 4 - II Samuel 8-11 David had loved Jonathan with a supernatural love. Jonathan was dead, but David had not forgotten his many kindnesses. Now that he is established as king over all Israel, he wants to show kindness to Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth. The story of David and Mephibosheth reveals the Gospel in a beautiful way. Mephibosheth is a type of the sinner and the condition in which he is in. He was helpless, being lame on both feet. He could not come to David by his own strength, but had to be carried into the king's presence. The sinner cannot help himself; he cannot save himself. And just as David wanted to help Mephibosheth "for Jonathan's sake," God has manifested His love and grace toward us "for Jesus' sake." We are nothing except for the grace of God. Every one of us deserves hell. But "for Christ's sake" God has provided salvation for all who believe. Romans 10:13 tells us, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Chapter 11 proves beyond any shadow of a doubt that the Bible is the Word of God. If man had written the Bible, he would never have recorded this dark and terrible part of David's life. David was not a passionate youth who deliberately walked into this sin. Rather, he was a man of God who had now reached middle-age. If you will read these verses carefully, you will see how David got involved with Bathsheba. First, he was self-confident, after enjoying victories and prosperity. Second, he was disobedient, staying at home when he should have been on the battlefield. Third, he was idle, lying in bed in the evening. Fourth, he was self- indulgent, giving freedom to his desires when he should have been disciplining himself. Fifth, he was careless, allowing his eyes to wander and yielding to the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes. James 1:13-15 perfectly describes David's case. His desires were activated by the sight, and he failed to curb them. The desire conceived the sin in his mind; his will surrendered, and this led to sin. The sin later led to death. David did not watch and pray as Matthew 26:41 commands; nor did he deal decisively with his wandering eyes (Matthew 5:29 and 18:9).

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