Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Kings Chapter 2.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Kings%202&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“1  As David’s time to die drew near, he charged Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am going the way of all the earth.  Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man.  3  Keep the charge of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, 4 so that the Lord may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’

5 “Now you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed;  he also shed the blood of war in peace.  And he put the blood of war on his belt about his waist, and on his sandals on his feet.  6 So act according to your wisdom, and do not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace.  7 But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table;  for they assisted me when I fled from Absalom your brother.  8 Behold, there is with you Shimei the son of Gera the Benjamite, of Bahurim; now it was he who cursed me with a violent curse on the day I went to Mahanaim.  But when he came down to me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’  9 Now therefore, do not let him go unpunished, for you are a wise man;  and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you will bring his gray hair down to Sheol with blood.”

10 Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David.  11 The days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years he reigned in Hebron and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem.  12 And Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.”  1 Kings 2:1-12.

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Joab, Adonijah, and Shimei lived longer than they deserved, but they were finally slain in this chapter.  They lived longer than they deserved for various reasons that I will generalize as “self-righteousness”.

Joab had distinguished military service and accomplishments for Israel as a commander in David’s army.  See, for example, 2 Samuel Chapters 10-12.

Adonijah was a son of David.  He was also handsome, charming, and a born leader.  1 Kings 1:5-7.

Shimei did repent after cursing David and did participate in restoring David as king.  2 Samuel 19:16-23.

We too could trust our own accomplishments, our own family, our own abilities, and our own actions.  We too could trust our own self-righteousness.  

But, we need more than a self-righteousness that keeps us out of trouble for a little while.  

As Solomon said about Adonijah, it applied to Joab and Shimei as well.  “If he is a worthy man, not one of his hairs will fall to the ground;  but if wickedness is found in him, he will die.”  1 Kings 1:52.  “The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after.”  1 Timothy 5:24.

We need a righteousness from Christ that endures to eternal life.  

“For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”  Romans 5:17.

“The Law came in so that the transgression would increase;  but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Romans 5:20-21.

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Kings Chapter 1.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+1&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“15 So Bathsheba went in to the king in the bedroom.  Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king.  16 Then Bathsheba bowed and prostrated herself before the king.  And the king said, “What do you wish?”  17 She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your maidservant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘Surely your son Solomon shall be king after me and he shall sit on my throne.’  18 Now, behold, Adonijah is king; and now, my lord the king, you do not know it.  19 He has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king and Abiathar the priest and Joab the commander of the army, but he has not invited Solomon your servant.  20 As for you now, my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.  21 Otherwise it will come about, as soon as my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be considered offenders.”

22 Behold, while she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.  23 They told the king, saying, “Here is Nathan the prophet.”  And when he came in before the king, he prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground.  24 Then Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne’?  25 For he has gone down today and has sacrificed oxen and fatlings and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons and the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest, and behold, they are eating and drinking before him;  and they say, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’   26 But me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and your servant Solomon, he has not invited.  27 Has this thing been done by my lord the king, and you have not shown to your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”

28 Then King David said, “Call Bathsheba to me.”  And she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king.  29 The king vowed and said, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all distress, 30 surely as I vowed to you by the Lord the God of Israel, saying, ‘Your son Solomon shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place’;  I will indeed do so this day.”   1 Kings 1:15-30.

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They were very different people.  Bathsheba was a woman, and Nathan a man.  Bathsheba was family (a wife of David), and Nathan was a friend.  Bathsheba was a lay person, and Nathan was a prophet.  Bathsheba was primarily worried about the safety of her and her son Solomon (verse 21), and Nathan was primarily worried about stability in the kingdom (verse 27).

But, Bathsheba and Nathan told very similar facts to David.  Good witnesses do it.  “Just the facts, Ma’am.” said Detective Joe Friday on the old TV show Dragnet.  

We tend to want to tell other people’s stories.  We tend to mold our story by embellishing it to make us look better and by making provision for what we think God will do for other people and for what other people will want to hear.  But, we should just tell the facts of our own story.  Jesus told the man who was demon-possessed whom He healed:  “Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you.  …”  Luke 8:39.

So, what did he do?  Did he tell others what Jesus did for others like feeding the five thousand?  Did he worry about if Jesus may not heal other demon-possessed people?  

No!  “… he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.”  Luke 8:39.

There is hope for us to be good witnesses even though we are often tempted to embellish and worry:  “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;  and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”  Acts 1:8.

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Samuel 24:15-25.

“15 So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand men of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.  16 When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Now relax your hand!”  And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.  17 Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking down the people, and said, “Behold, it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong;  but these sheep, what have they done?  Please let Your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”

18 So Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 David went up according to the word of Gad, just as the Lord had commanded.  20 Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him;  and Araunah went out and bowed his face to the ground before the king.  21 Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”  And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be held back from the people.”  22 Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what is good in his sight.  Look, the oxen for the burnt offering, the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood.  23 Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king.”  And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.”  24 However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing.”  So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.  25 David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.  Thus the Lord was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel.”  2 Samuel 24:15-25.

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We see that through the sin of one man (David), the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel and death spread to seventy thousand people.  “Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking down the people, and said, “Behold, it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong;  but these sheep, what have they done?  Please let Your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”  Verse 17.

But, we also see that through the sacrifice of one man (David), the LORD was moved to hold back the plague.  “David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.  Thus the Lord was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel.”  Verse 25.

Today’s Scripture points us to the one Man, Jesus Christ, and what He has done for us.

“…  For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.”  Romans 5:15.

“For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”  Romans 5:17.

“For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.”  Romans 5:19.

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Samuel 24:1-14.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Samuel+24&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“1 Now again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”  2 The king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, “Go about now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and register the people, that I may know the number of the people.”  3 But Joab said to the king, “Now may the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see;  but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?”  4 Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the commanders of the army.  So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to register the people of Israel.

…

⁹ And Joab gave the number of the registration of the people to the king;  and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

10 Now David’s heart troubled him after he had numbered the people.  So David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done.  But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”  11 When David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, 12 “Go and speak to David, ‘Thus the Lord says, “I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you.”’”  13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land?  Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you?  Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land?  Now consider and see what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.”  14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress.  Let us now fall into the hand of the Lord for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”  2 Samuel 24:  Verses 1-4 and 9-14.

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Rather than count our strengths like David counted his army in today’s Scripture, we need to count our blessings.  “And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”  Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”  2 Corinthians 12:9.

We are all in great distress because of our sins.  The only question is:  Do we want to fall into the hand of man or the hand of God?

Most doctrines choose the hand of man.  “Give us the free-will of man!  We will do the works to appease God or at least be wise enough to choose Christ.  We want our fate in our own hands.”

But, Reformed Doctrine chooses the hand of God.  “Let us now fall into the hand of the Lord for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”  Verse 14.

And so, Reformed Doctrine embraces “Unconditional Election”, “Limited Atonement”, “Irresistible Grace”, and “Preservation of Saints” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation, all of which are in the hand of God.

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Samuel 23:8-39.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Samuel+23&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had:  Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains, he was called Adino the Eznite, because of eight hundred slain by him at one time;  9 and after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there to battle and the men of Israel had withdrawn. 10 He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and clung to the sword, and the Lord brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to strip the slain.

11 Now after him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered into a troop where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines.  12 But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it and struck the Philistines; and the Lord brought about a great victory.

…

39 Uriah the Hittite;  thirty-seven in all.”  2 Samuel Chapter 23:  Verses 8-12 and 39.

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Today’s Scripture names David’s thirty-seven mighty men and recounts some of their mighty acts.  But, it reminds the reader twice (verses 10 and 12) that “the Lord brought about a great victory”.

Today’s Scripture concludes by naming the man (Uriah the Hittite) whom David arranged to be killed to try to hide David’s adultery with Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife.

Scripture humbles us and reminds us Who gives us the victory. 

“16 The king is not saved by a mighty army;
A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
17 A horse is a false hope for victory;
Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength. 

18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
19 To deliver their soul from death
And to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart rejoices in Him,
Because we trust in His holy name.
22 Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in You.”  Psalm 33:16-22.

“But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory.  O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?”  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;  but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  1 Corinthians 15:54-57.

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Samuel 23:1-7.

“1 Now these are the last words of David.

David the son of Jesse declares,
The man who was raised on high declares,
The anointed of the God of Jacob,
And the sweet psalmist of Israel,
2 “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me,
And His word was on my tongue.
3 “The God of Israel said,
The Rock of Israel spoke to me,
‘He who rules over men righteously,
Who rules in the fear of God,
4 Is as the light of the morning when the sun rises,
A morning without clouds,
When the tender grass springs out of the earth,
Through sunshine after rain.’
5 “Truly is not my house so with God?
For He has made an everlasting covenant with me,
Ordered in all things, and secured;
For all my salvation and all my desire,
Will He not indeed make it grow?
6 “But the worthless, every one of them will be thrust away like thorns,
Because they cannot be taken in hand;
7 But the man who touches them
Must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear,
And they will be completely burned with fire in their place.”  2 Samuel 23:1-7.

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In his last days, David testified to his salvation.  God “has made an everlasting covenant with me”.  And that everlasting covenant is :  “Ordered in all things, and secured;  For all my salvation and all my desire”.  Verse 5.

Most doctrine’s salvation is not ordered, but subject to man’s alleged and rambling free-will.  Man may believe one day but not the next.  Man may do good works one day but do evil deeds the next.  Under most doctrine, salvation is as chaotic as man is, and salvation will not be determined until death.

But, Reformed Doctrine’s salvation, expressed in “TULIP”, is “ordered” by God.  Salvation is “ordered” by God from “Unconditional Election” to “Limited Atonement” to “Irresistible Grace” to “Preservation of Saints” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

Most doctrine’s salvation is not secure.  Most doctrine shows by their preaching and teaching that salvation is ultimately in man’s feeble hands.  So to speak, most doctrine teaches that we should take our hand and grab hold of God’s hand and not let go of God’s hand.

But, Reformed Doctrine’s salvation is “secured” by God.  Reformed Doctrine shows clearly and strongly that salvation is in God’s hand.  We may let go of God’s hand, but God will never let go of our hand.  “Unconditional Election” is in God’s hand.  “Limited Atonement” is in God’s hand.  “Irresistible Grace” is in God’s hand.  And, “Preservation of Saints” is in God’s hand.  “…I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish;  and no one will snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all;  and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”  John 10:28-29.

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Samuel 22:37-51.

“37 “You enlarge my steps under me,
And my feet have not slipped.
38 “I pursued my enemies and destroyed them,
And I did not turn back until they were consumed.
39 “And I have devoured them and shattered them, so that they did not rise;
And they fell under my feet.
40 “For You have girded me with strength for battle;
You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.
41 “You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me,
And I destroyed those who hated me.
42 “They looked, but there was none to save;
Even to the Lord, but He did not answer them.
43 “Then I pulverized them as the dust of the earth;
I crushed and stamped them as the mire of the streets.
44 “You have also delivered me from the contentions of my people;
You have kept me as head of the nations;
A people whom I have not known serve me.
45 “Foreigners pretend obedience to me;
As soon as they hear, they obey me.
46 “Foreigners lose heart,
And come trembling out of their fortresses.
47 “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock;
And exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,
48 The God who executes vengeance for me,
And brings down peoples under me,
49 Who also brings me out from my enemies;
You even lift me above those who rise up against me;
You rescue me from the violent man.
50 “Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the nations,
And I will sing praises to Your name.
51 “He is a tower of deliverance to His king,
And shows lovingkindness to His anointed,
To David and his descendants forever.”  2 Samuel 22:37-51.

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Today’s Scripture about King David’s destruction of his enemies points us to Christ our King’s destruction of His enemies. 

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war.  His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems;  and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself.  He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.  And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.  From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron;  and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.  And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”  Revelation 19:11-16.

“When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”  Colossians 2:15.

“For it is written,

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me,
And every tongue shall give praise to God.”  Romans 14:11.

“68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,
69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David His servant—
70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—
71 Salvation from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;
72 To show mercy toward our fathers,
And to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,

75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.”  Luke 1:68-75.

Question 45:  How does Christ execute the office of a king? 

Answer:  Christ executes the office of a king, in calling out of the world a people to himself, and giving them officers, laws, and censures, by which he visibly governs them; in bestowing saving grace upon his elect, rewarding their obedience, and correcting them for their sins, preserving and supporting them under all their temptations and sufferings, restraining and overcoming all their enemies, and powerfully ordering all things for his own glory, and their good;  and also in taking vengeance on the rest, who know not God, and obey not the gospel.  Westminster Larger Catechism.

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Samuel 22:29-36.

“29 “For You are my lamp, O Lord;
And the Lord illumines my darkness.
30 “For by You I can run upon a troop;
By my God I can leap over a wall.
31 “As for God, His way is blameless;
The word of the Lord is tested;
He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
32 “For who is God, besides the Lord?
And who is a rock, besides our God?
33 “God is my strong fortress;
And He sets the blameless in His way.
34 “He makes my feet like hinds’ feet,
And sets me on my high places.
35 “He trains my hands for battle,
So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
36 “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation,
And Your help makes me great.”

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Most doctrine portray salvation as a joint venture between God and man.  According to most doctrine, man must perform an indispensable condition whether it be man’s works or only man’s will to be saved.

But, Reformed Doctrine portrays salvation as a gift of God unconditionally and totally performed by God.  According to this Reformed Doctrine, God does everything from “Unconditional Election” to “Limited Atonement” to “Irresistible Grace” to “Preservation of the Saints, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;  and these whom He predestined, He also called;  and these whom He called, He also justified;  and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”  Romans 8:29-30.

“But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”  1 Corinthians 1:30-31.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith;  and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  Ephesians 2:4-8.

“For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.”  Romans 9:15-16.

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Samuel 22:20-28.

“20 “He also brought me forth into a broad place;
He rescued me, because He delighted in me.
21 “The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness;
According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.
22 “For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
And have not acted wickedly against my God.
23 “For all His ordinances were before me,
And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.
24 “I was also blameless toward Him,
And I kept myself from my iniquity.
25 “Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,
According to my cleanness before His eyes.
26 “With the kind You show Yourself kind,
With the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
27 With the pure You show Yourself pure,
And with the perverted You show Yourself astute.
28 “And You save an afflicted people;
But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You abase.”  2 Samuel 22:20-28.

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At first reading, we may think David is bragging in today’s Scripture.  But, then we meditate a little more on the bookend verses of today’s Scripture, and we realize how David starts with crediting God for rescuing him (verse 20) and how David recognizes that God abases the haughty (verse 28).  We also remember other Scripture such as Psalm 51 which shows the depth of David’s humility.

There are times for all of us Christians, like for David in today’s Scripture, that we can and should praise God for the righteousness, steadfastness, cleanness, and even blamelessness that He has developed within us and continues to do within us.

Our praise should not be limited to God healing us.  Our praise should not be limited to God delivering us from some dangerous situation.  Our praise should not be limited to God giving us food.  

Our praise should extend to those spiritual blessings that God has given us. 

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.  …”  Ephesians 1:3-4.

“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;  and these whom He predestined, He also called;  and these whom He called, He also justified;  and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”  Romans 8:29-30.

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;  seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”  2 Peter 1:2-3.

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Samuel 22:8-19.

“8 “Then the earth shook and quaked,
The foundations of heaven were trembling
And were shaken, because He was angry.
9 “Smoke went up out of His nostrils,
Fire from His mouth devoured;
Coals were kindled by it.
10 “He bowed the heavens also, and came down
With thick darkness under His feet.
11 “And He rode on a cherub and flew;
And He appeared on the wings of the wind.
12 “And He made darkness canopies around Him,
A mass of waters, thick clouds of the sky.
13 “From the brightness before Him
Coals of fire were kindled.
14 “The Lord thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered His voice.
15 “And He sent out arrows, and scattered them,
Lightning, and routed them.
16 “Then the channels of the sea appeared,
The foundations of the world were laid bare
By the rebuke of the Lord,
At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
17 “He sent from on high, He took me;
He drew me out of many waters.
18 “He delivered me from my strong enemy,
From those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.
19 “They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
But the Lord was my support.”   2 Samuel 22:8-19.

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Many people worship their “Santa Claus” image and idol.  Their “god” bows down to the alleged free-will of man.  Their “man upstairs” is at the beck and call of man downstairs.

We, Reformed Doctrine people, worship the Almighty God of Scripture Who in the greatness of His excellence (justice) shatters His enemy.  The heavens bow down to our God.  The foundations of the world are laid bare by the rebuke of our God.  Our God is truly sovereign and does whatever He pleases.

“6 “Your right hand, O Lord, is majestic in power,
Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.
7 “And in the greatness of Your excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You;
You send forth Your burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff.”  Exodus 15:6-7.

“3 Fire goes before Him
And burns up His adversaries round about.
4 His lightnings lit up the world;
The earth saw and trembled.
5 The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.”  Psalm 97:3-5.

“5 Bow Your heavens, O Lord, and come down;
Touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
6 Flash forth lightning and scatter them;
Send out Your arrows and confuse them.
7 Stretch forth Your hand from on high;
Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters,
Out of the hand of aliens

8 Whose mouths speak deceit,
And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.”  Psalm 144:5-8.

“5 For I know that the Lord is great
And that our Lord is above all gods.
6 Whatever the Lord pleases, He does,
In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps.”  Psalm 144:5-6.