Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Kings 2:10-25.

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

Now Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon.  And she said, “Do you come peacefully?”  And he said, “Peacefully.”  Then he said, “I have something to say to you.”  And she said, “Speak.”  So he said, “You know that the kingdom was mine and that all Israel expected me to be king;  however, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, for it was his from the LORD.  Now I am making one request of you;  do not refuse me.”  And she said to him, “Speak.”  Then he said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not refuse you, that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as a wife.”  Bathsheba said, “Very well;  I will speak to the king for you.”

So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah.  And the king arose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat on his throne;  then he had a throne set for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right.  Then she said, “I am making one small request of you;  do not refuse me.”  And the king said to her, “Ask, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”  So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as a wife.”  King Solomon answered and said to his mother, “And why are you asking Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah?  Ask for him also the kingdom—for he is my older brother—even for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah!”  Then King Solomon swore by the LORD, saying, “May God do so to me and more also, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his own life.  Now therefore, as the LORD lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father and who has made me a house as He promised, surely Adonijah shall be put to death today.”  So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada;  and he fell upon him so that he died.”  1 Kings 2:10-25.

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We may first wonder why Solomon was angered by the request of Adonijah.

Solomon was likely aware of the rebellion of Absalom against his father, David, and the advice of Ahithophel.

“Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice.  What shall we do?”  Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house;  then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father.  The hands of all who are with you will also be strengthened.”  2 Samuel 16:20-21.

Thus, Adonijah likely made this request for David’s nurse Abishag the Shunammite as an act of rebellion against Solomon.  

And, Solomon’s was likely further angered that he gave Adonijah a chance for his life to be spared.

“Solomon said, “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.”  So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar.  And he came and prostrated himself before King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”  1 Kings 1:52-53.

The theme of today’s Scripture that Solomon’s “kingdom was firmly established”, verse 12, leads us to consider that the LORD’S kingdom is also firmly established.

“The LORD has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.” Psalm 103:19.

“The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;
Let the many islands be glad.
2 Clouds and thick darkness surround Him;
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.” Psalm 97:1-2.

“2 … Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
3 Fire goes before Him
And burns up His adversaries round about.” Psalm 97:2-3.

“3 “The LORD is a warrior;
The LORD is His name.
4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea;
And the choicest of his officers are drowned in the Red Sea.
5 “The deeps cover them;
They went down into the depths like a stone.
6 “Your right hand, O LORD, is majestic in power,
Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy.” Exodus 15:3-6.

“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 15:7.

“8 The LORD judges the peoples;
Vindicate me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me.
9 O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous;
For the righteous God tries the hearts and minds.
10 My shield is with God,
Who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
And a God who has indignation every day.

12 If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword;
He has bent His bow and made it ready.
13 He has also prepared for Himself deadly weapons;
He makes His arrows fiery shafts.
14 Behold, he travails with wickedness,
And he conceives mischief and brings forth falsehood.
15 He has dug a pit and hollowed it out,
And has fallen into the hole which he made.
16 His mischief will return upon his own head,
And his violence will descend upon his own pate.

17 I will give thanks to the LORD according to His righteousness
And will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.” Psalm 7:8-17.

Today’s devotion comes from 1 Kings 1:38-53.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Kings%201&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule, and brought him to Gihon.  Zadok the priest then took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon.  Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!”  All the people went up after him, and the people were playing on flutes and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth shook at their noise.

Now Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished eating.  When Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “Why is the city making such an uproar?”  While he was still speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came.  Then Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a valiant man and bring good news.”  But Jonathan replied to Adonijah, “No!  Our lord King David has made Solomon king.  The king has also sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites;  and they have made him ride on the king’s mule.  Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon, and they have come up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar.  This is the noise which you have heard.  Besides, Solomon has even taken his seat on the throne of the kingdom.  Moreover, the king’s servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon better than your name and his throne greater than your throne!’  And the king bowed himself on the bed.  The king has also said thus, ‘Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has granted one to sit on my throne today while my own eyes see it.’”  

Then all the guests of Adonijah were terrified;  and they arose and each went on his way.  And Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, and he arose, went and took hold of the horns of the altar.”  1 Kings 1:38-50.

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Other doctrine only wants to give limited sovereignty to our King and Lord, Jesus Christ.  Other doctrine will “allow” sovereignty to Jesus Christ over the stars, but not salvation.  Hand-off our free-will!

“2 The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us tear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The LORD scoffs at them.
5 Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury, saying,
6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD:
He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,
You shall shatter them like earthenware.’” Psalm 2:2-9.

“But these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence.” Luke 19:27.

But, Reformed Doctrine rejoices in the total and perfect sovereignty of our King and Lord, Jesus Christ over everything, including salvation.

“The LORD has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.” Psalm 103:19.

“But our God is in the heavens;
He does whatever He pleases.” Psalm 115:3.

“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.

“10 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
11 Worship the LORD with reverence
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” Psalm 2:10-12.

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

“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.  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.  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.”

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.”  David went up according to the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded.  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.  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.”  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.  Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king.”  And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.”  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.  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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“For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.  Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?  But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.  For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. …

…

Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins;  but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet.  For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.  And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us;  for after saying,

“THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM
AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAYS THE LORD:
I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEART,
AND ON THEIR MIND I WILL WRITE THEM,”

He then says,

“AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS
I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE.”

Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”  Hebrews 10:1-4 and 11-18.

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Samuel 24:1-14.  Here is a link to this Scripture – 2 Samuel 22 NASB1995 – – Bible Gateway

I quote only the following verses.

“Now again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” 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.”  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?”  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.  …  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.

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.”  When David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, “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.”’”  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.”  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 24:1-4 and 9-14.

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As we meditate upon the sin of David in taking a consensus in today’s Scripture, we can infer that David was motivated by pride.  David wanted to feel pride as king of the army by the number of people in his army.  This desire is in sharp contrast to David’s humble song of praise to God in the immediate prior Scripture of 2 Samuel chapters 22 and 23.

The first lesson that we can glean is to be careful that we do not think that we can, so to speak, finish our praise to God and dependence on God, and then turn our attention and dependence to ourself.  We may have had a wonderful worship experience yesterday (Sunday), but will we turn our attention and dependence to ourself on today (Monday) as we go to work?

The second lesson that we can learn is if we are going to take a census, would it not be better to take a census of our weaknesses rather than our strengths?!  “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.  Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake;  for when I am weak, then I am strong.”  2 Corinthians 12:9-10.

The third lesson is to know the LORD. 

“13 The LORD looks from heaven;
He sees all the sons of men;
14 From His dwelling place He looks out
On all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 He who fashions the hearts of them all,
He who understands all their works.
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 33:13-22.

The fourth lesson is to seek God’s mercy. As today’s Scripture states: “His mercies are great”.

“Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.
4 Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You are justified when You speak
And blameless when You judge.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,
And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me to hear joy and gladness,
Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins
And blot out all my iniquities.

10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation
And sustain me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will be converted to You.” Psalm 51:1-13.

Today’s devotion comes from 2 Samuel 23:8-39.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Samuel%2023&version=NASB1995

I quote only the following verses.

“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;  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.  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.

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.  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.

…

Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty.  And he swung his spear against three hundred and killed them, and had a name as well as the three.  He was most honored of the thirty, therefore he became their commander;  however, he did not attain to the three.

Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab.  He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day.  He killed an Egyptian, an impressive man.  Now the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.  These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and had a name as well as the three mighty men.  He was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three.  And David appointed him over his guard.”  2 Samuel 23:8-12 and 18-23. 

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“And what more shall I say?  For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions,  quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.”  Hebrew 11:32-33. 

“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.” Psalm 33:16-20.

“The horse is prepared for the day of battle,
But victory belongs to the LORD.” Proverbs 21:31.