27 Dec (Revelation 18)

Revelation 18

In the previous chapter, God dealt with the Satanic religion of man...the church of works, paganism and humanism. All these things deny the work of God on the cross, and have devised a way to earn a way into heaven by their own works or for being "a good person."

In this chapter, God deals with the power of the anti-Christ...the world money system. Remember, Babylon has been the symbol of Satan and humanism from the beginning. From the Tower of Babel to the anti-Christ using that area now known as Iraq to influence the world, Satan has been at work.

Those that have denied God, and have been enticed by the worldly things, have fallen for the anti-Christ's sales pitch. They will wail and gnash teeth, for they have believed the lie.

Babylon has been ravished time and again over the centuries, but there has always been inhabitants...a remnant. After the LORD deals with Satan's Throne for the last time, no one will live or work there again!

The good news is that one glorious day, as it's written in Isaiah 55:1, that there will no longer be a need for commerce...there will be such an abundance of food and water, that mankind will no longer want for anything! That will be, of course, for His believers.

Mar 20 (2 Sam 19-21)

2nd Samuel 19

(v.12) David doesn't hurry back and assume the throne...he wants the people to be in agreement that he is king, and invite him back. This is a typology of Jesus as well...He came the first time and wasn't received or welcome (John 1:11) but they will call out to Him and beg for Jesus to return again (Hos 5:15).

(v.23) Here is some more typology...David shows mercy on the man who insulted him and threw rocks at him. This is like when Jesus asked the Father to forgive his persecutors on the cross (Luke 23:34).

(v.28) I like to use this event to teach my kids, that we have been blessed beyond measure and what we really deserve. The one fact that Jesus died on the cross for us, is all that we really need in this life, since it gives us admission into the next life with God. Any other blessings we get in this life are extra. If we have a heart of gratitude, we will live more joyful and complete lives.

2nd Samuel 20

For clarity, I teach my kids that when the Bible says the men of Israel, they are speaking of the people who sided with Absalom, and the men of Judah were in the South, who sided with David. This will also become a factor in the times after Solomon.

The men of Israel (Absalom) didn't know their Scriptures, since if they did, they would've known that God would have the tribe of Judah be the kingly tribe (Gen 49), like the tribe of Levi would be the priestly tribe. This is what happens when we let our pride and greed get in the way of common sense and facts.

(v.22) The wise woman at Abel is a little graphic for some of our younger kids, but she does teach us to focus on the important things. Her wisdom was, why destroy the whole city that has many righteous people over just one man? Joab agreed, and when Sheba's head was delivered, Joab and his men departed, sparing the city.

I read to my kids the account of Abraham talking with God in Gen 18 where God says He will not destroy all in Sodom in order to bring justice to the evil few.

2nd Samuel 21

David had to make things right with the LORD before God would bless the land. This is so true for us today. America was established as a Christian nation, requiring that God-fearing people rule. We have strayed from that, and God's blessings have diminished. I read 2 Chr 7:14 to remind myself and my kids, that we need to make sure we are following God, then we can attempt to change the nation.

(v.20) We see the giants again here, the offspring of the union between the fallen angels (Nephilim) and women. The results of this union are evident by their stature (almost 10 feet tall) and that they have six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. This is a genetic mutation from this union of angel and mankind.

(v.22) I ask my kids again, why they think David gathered five stones just before he went against Golaith. We see that Goliath had four brothers...David was going to kill all five giants that day, but the four brothers ran off like the rest of the enemy.

Mar 19 (2 Sam 17-18)

2nd Samuel 17

In 2 Sam 15:31 David prayed to the LORD that Ahithophel woud give foolish advice to Absalom. However, his advice was brilliant...why didn't the LORD answer David's prayer? To David, his request made sense, but God had other plans with the same result. God had Hushai act as a double agent, and hand all of Absalom's men over to David in one battle, instead of only a portion.

I remind my kids that God doesn't need our advice on how to do things...and He knows what is best for us. He does want us to call on Him and ask Him for His guidance, but as far as the timing of things, and the way they work out, that is His doing, not ours.

(v.15) Hushai was able to buy David and his people time...time to regroup and cross over the river.

(v.19) Again, God has a courageous woman save two of His people like Hagar did in Joshua 2.

(v.23) Why did Ahithophel hang himself?

~ Ahithophel had a son named Eliam, who had a daughter named Bathsheba...he was the grandfather of the woman whom David took as his wife by killing her husband! It's safe to say that Ahithophel hated David, and he feared that he would be killed once David regained the throne.

Unfortunately, we will never know if David would've shown mercy upon Ahithophel. Ahithophel's anger cost him his own life.

2nd Samuel 18

(v.2) David prepares for battle, and gives out a word of comfort, much like our LORD says to us:

Lo, I am with you always ~ Matt 28:20

David wanted to fight with his people, but they convinced him, that if he were captured or slain, the loss would be too great.

I remind my kids that Absalom was famous for his long and full hair...he would have won "Best Hair" in school every year! It was Absalom's pride that killed him...his hair got caught in the brush.

Joab killed Absalom himself...why did he disobey his king's direct order? I don't know for sure, but perhaps Joab didn't want his collusion with Absalom to be known, or he just knew that Absalom would continue to divide the kingdom if he was still alive.

(v.17) Absalom was covered in stones, which was the punishment for rebellious sons in Deut 21:18-21

Anyone who has lost a child can relate to the mourning of David. Even prodigal sons that rebelled are still loved and mourned when they die so young. But Joab gave David some tough love and a pep talk. All of Israel would've reacted to David's state of mind. David needed to praise and thank all that fought for him, instead of focusing on just one person.

Mar 17 (2 Sam 13-14)

2nd Samuel 13

This chapter is tricky if you have young children. If you have teenagers, then it's worth going through this in detail.

Amnon and Tamar were half brother and sister...they came from two different mothers who were wives of David. If we've paid attention, this practice of siblings marrying is not new to that time nor the whole Bible. Only today, where there have been centuries of mutations in the human DNA, has offspring been affected. In those days, it was not so.

Amnon was not in love...for love is patient and kind. Amnon was in lust...and lust always acts impulsively and without thought to consequences.

(v.15) Notice that Amnon hated Tamar, even though he was the one who raped her. This is quite often seen by police, where a rapist does his evil deed, then hates himself over what he did, and he blames the victim for his sin. Then, most kill the victim in hate, and to prevent the victim from telling authorities.

(v.21) Absalom has told Tamar that he would take care of Amnon, and he would...not out of chivalry, but out of his own desire to be king. David was understandably mad as well, but he didn't do anything...why? Perhaps his own conscious had him remember what he did to Bathsheba and Uriah, and felt he was unworthy to act in this incident...we don't know for sure.

Absalom kills Amnon, and David is grieved over the loss of a son, and the departure of his other son. Lust and greed kill families.

2nd Samuel 14

David's great general, Joab, devises a way to confront David with guilt much like Nathan the prophet did...it worked once, why not try it again? It did work, and perhaps Joab was making sure his position would be secure if Abasalom were the next king.

David loved Absalom, but he couldn't forgive him for what he did to Tamar. David was a great example of faith and courage, but he did have his faults like you and me. Sometimes we let our pride get in the way of serving God. Since David refused to see Absalom for five years, Absalom developed a great hatred and resentment for his father. This would prove to be tragic later.

I discuss with my kids that we have a God who forgives if we repent...and He will remember our sins no more! Heb 8:12