Devotionals for April 16, 2024
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READ
2 SAMUEL 11:10-17
10 When David heard that Uriah had not gone home, he summoned him and asked, “What’s the matter? Why didn’t you go home last night after being away for so long?”
11 Uriah replied, “The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in tents, and Joab and my master’s men are camping in the open fields. How could I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I would never do such a thing.”
12 “Well, stay here today,” David told him, “and tomorrow you may return to the army.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 Then David invited him to dinner and got him drunk. But even then he couldn’t get Uriah to go home to his wife. Again he slept at the palace entrance with the king’s palace guard.
14 So the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver. 15 The letter instructed Joab, “Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.” 16 So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the city wall where he knew the enemy’s strongest men were fighting. 17 And when the enemy soldiers came out of the city to fight, Uriah the Hittite was killed along with several other Israelite soldiers.
10 When David heard that Uriah had not gone home, he summoned him and asked, “What’s the matter? Why didn’t you go home last night after being away for so long?”
11 Uriah replied, “The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in tents, and Joab and my master’s men are camping in the open fields. How could I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I would never do such a thing.”
12 “Well, stay here today,” David told him, “and tomorrow you may return to the army.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 Then David invited him to dinner and got him drunk. But even then he couldn’t get Uriah to go home to his wife. Again he slept at the palace entrance with the king’s palace guard.
14 So the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver. 15 The letter instructed Joab, “Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.” 16 So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the city wall where he knew the enemy’s strongest men were fighting. 17 And when the enemy soldiers came out of the city to fight, Uriah the Hittite was killed along with several other Israelite soldiers.
REFLECT
David was desperate to cover his tracks. Running out of options to hide his sin, he goes to the most drastic measures. How often the covering up of sin leads to further death and decay of our lives! A decay that can be avoided when we simply show up before the Lord and confess where we have gotten off track. The enemy wants to keep us silent because he knows that sin grows in the dark. But when we confess the sins we are tangled in, we find freedom. The light shines through and God shows up.
We can prevent the path of decay and death by simply turning our hearts to the Lord the first moment we realize we are off track. God already knows. He has seen it all. You can’t hide anything from Him. The only one you are fooling is you. And in your attempts to hide, a greater devastation takes place. Maybe it’s time to get back on track and realign your heart with God’s purpose for your life. Remember, even the smallest sin when unconfessed can lead you down a path away from God’s best for you. Realign quickly and the path before you becomes a path of life!
We can prevent the path of decay and death by simply turning our hearts to the Lord the first moment we realize we are off track. God already knows. He has seen it all. You can’t hide anything from Him. The only one you are fooling is you. And in your attempts to hide, a greater devastation takes place. Maybe it’s time to get back on track and realign your heart with God’s purpose for your life. Remember, even the smallest sin when unconfessed can lead you down a path away from God’s best for you. Realign quickly and the path before you becomes a path of life!
APPLY
Q: Has there been a time you have tried to cover your tracks and ended up further away from the Lord?
Q: Where do you need to realign yourself to God’s purpose for your life this week?
Q: How can you help someone understand the path of decay if they don’t turn to face the Lord and get things right with Him?
Q: Where do you need to realign yourself to God’s purpose for your life this week?
Q: How can you help someone understand the path of decay if they don’t turn to face the Lord and get things right with Him?
SING
PRAY
"May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."
Dear Father God, I see where You have been chasing me down, giving me an opportunity to make things right with You. Please help me to live according to Your will for my life!
Dear Father God, I see where You have been chasing me down, giving me an opportunity to make things right with You. Please help me to live according to Your will for my life!