READING:
One-year plan: 2 Samuel 18-20
Two-year plan: Psalms 51-54, Romans 10:1-13
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I am not a father, as Pam and I do not have children. So, I can’t fully enter into David’s grief when he learned that his son, Absalom, was dead. The Word, though, describes that pain with strong words: “The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber above the city gate and wept. As he walked, he cried, ‘My son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son!’” (2 Sam 18:33). The pain must have been intense.
At the same time, scholars view David’s grief as compounded by the fact that his adultery with Bathsheba led to this deep tragedy in his home (2 Sam 12:10-11). It’s one thing to grieve a son’s death simply because you’re the father; it’s another matter to grieve a death influenced by your own sinful actions. The anguish surely was indescribable for David.
Today, all of us thus need to ask this question: “How might my actions today lead to future issues with the generations I influence—either positively or negatively?”
PERSONAL REFLECTION: How would you answer the question above?
DAILY PRAYER: “God, help me to influence next generations for Your glory.”
TOMORROW’S READINGS:
One-year plan: 2 Samuel 21-24
Two-year plan: Psalms 55-57, Romans 10:14-11:10
MEMORIZATION VERSE (April 1-15):
“Be strong, and let your heart be courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord.” (Psa 31:24)
*first published in 2023