Question: "What was the meaning and purpose of the ten plagues of Egypt?"

Question: "What was the meaning and purpose of the ten plagues of Egypt?"
Answer: The Ten Plagues of Egypt—also known
as the Ten Plagues, the Plagues of Egypt, or
the Biblical Plagues—are described in Exodus 7
—12. The plagues were ten disasters sent upon
Egypt by God to convince Pharaoh to free the
Israelite slaves from the bondage and
oppression they had endured in Egypt for 400
years. When God sent Moses to deliver the
children of Israel from bondage in Egypt, He
promised to show His wonders as confirmation
of Moses’ authority ( Exodus 3:20 ). This
confirmation was to serve at least two
purposes: to show the Israelites that the God of
their fathers was alive and worthy of their
worship and to show the Egyptians that their
gods were nothing.
The Israelites had been enslaved in Egypt for
about 400 years and in that time had lost faith
in the God of their fathers. They believed He
existed and worshiped Him, but they doubted
that He could, or would, break the yoke of their
bondage. The Egyptians, like many pagan
cultures, worshiped a wide variety of nature-
gods and attributed to their powers the natural
phenomena they saw in the world around them.
There was a god of the sun, of the river, of
childbirth, of crops, etc. Events like the annual
flooding of the Nile, which fertilized their
croplands, were evidences of their gods’ powers
and good will. When Moses approached
Pharaoh, demanding that he let the people go,
Pharaoh responded by saying, “Who is the Lord,
that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I
know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel
go” ( Exodus 5:2 ). Thus began the challenge to
show whose God was more powerful.
The first plague, turning the Nile to blood, was a
judgment against Apis, the god of the Nile, Isis,
goddess of the Nile, and Khnum, guardian of the
Nile. The Nile was also believed to be the
bloodstream of Osiris, who was reborn each
year when the river flooded. The river, which
formed the basis of daily life and the national
economy, was devastated, as millions of fish
died in the river and the water was unusable.
Pharaoh was told, “By this you will know that I
am the LORD” ( Exodus 7:17 ).
The second plague, bringing frogs from the Nile,
was a judgment against Heqet, the frog-headed
goddess of birth. Frogs were thought to be
sacred and not to be killed. God had the frogs
invade every part of the homes of the
Egyptians, and when the frogs died, their
stinking bodies were heaped up in offensive
piles all through the land ( Exodus 8:13–14 ).
The third plague, gnats, was a judgment on Set,
the god of the desert. Unlike the previous
plagues, the magicians were unable to duplicate
this one and declared to Pharaoh, “This is the
finger of God” ( Exodus 8:19 ).
The fourth plague, flies, was a judgment on
Uatchit, the fly god. In this plague, God clearly
distinguished between the Israelites and the
Egyptians, as no swarms of flies bothered the
areas where the Israelites lived ( Exodus 8:21–
24).
The fifth plague, the death of livestock, was a
judgment on the goddess Hathor and the god
Apis, who were both depicted as cattle. As with
the previous plague, God protected His people
from the plague, while the cattle of the
Egyptians died. God was steadily destroying the
economy of Egypt, while showing His ability to
protect and provide for those who obeyed Him.
Pharaoh even sent investigators ( Exodus 9:7 ) to
find out if the Israelites were suffering along
with the Egyptians, but the result was a
hardening of his heart against the Israelites.
The sixth plague, boils, was a judgment against
several gods over health and disease (Sekhmet,
Sunu, and Isis). This time, the Bible says that
the magicians “could not stand before Moses
because of the boils.” Clearly, these religious
leaders were powerless against the God of
Israel.
Before God sent the last three plagues, Pharaoh
was given a special message from God. These
plagues would be more severe than the others,
and they were designed to convince Pharaoh
and all the people “that there is none like me in
all the earth” ( Exodus 9:14 ). Pharaoh was even
told that he was placed in his position by God,
so that God could show His power and declare
His name through all the earth ( Exodus 9:16 ).
As an example of His grace, God warned
Pharaoh to gather whatever cattle and crops
remained from the previous plagues and shelter
them from the coming storm. Some of
Pharaoh’s servants heeded the warning ( Exodus
9:20 ), while others did not. The seventh plague,
hail, attacked Nut, the sky goddess; Osiris, the
crop fertility god; and Set, the storm god. This
hail was unlike any that had been seen before.
It was accompanied by a fire which ran along
the ground, and everything left out in the open
was devastated by the hail and fire. Again, the
children of Israel were miraculously protected,
and no hail damaged anything in their lands.
Before God brought the next plague, He told
Moses that the Israelites would be able to tell
their children of the things they had seen God
do in Egypt and how it showed them God’s
power. The eighth plague, locusts, again
focused on Nut, Osiris, and Set. The later crops,
wheat and rye, which had survived the hail,
were now devoured by the swarms of locusts.
There would be no harvest in Egypt that year.
The ninth plague, darkness, was aimed at the
sun god, Re, who was symbolized by Pharaoh
himself. For three days, the land of Egypt was
smothered with an unearthly darkness, but the
homes of the Israelites had light.
The tenth and last plague, the death of the
firstborn males, was a judgment on Isis, the
protector of children. In this plague, God was
teaching the Israelites a deep spiritual lesson
that pointed to Christ. Unlike the other plagues,
which the Israelites survived by virtue of their
identity as God’s people, this plague required an
act of faith by them. God commanded each
family to take an unblemished male lamb and
kill it. The blood of the lamb was to be smeared
on the top and sides of their doorways, and the
lamb was to be roasted and eaten that night.
Any family that did not follow God’s instructions
would suffer in the last plague. God described
how He would send the death angel through the
land of Egypt, with orders to slay the firstborn
male in every household, whether human or
animal. The only protection was the blood of
the lamb on the door. When the angel saw the
blood, he would pass over that house and leave
it untouched ( Exodus 12:23 ). This is where the
term Passover comes from. Passover is a
memorial of that night in ancient Egypt when
God delivered His people from bondage. First
Corinthians 5:7 teaches that Jesus became our
Passover when He died to deliver us from the
bondage of sin. While the Israelites found God’s
protection in their homes, every other home in
the land of Egypt experienced God’s wrath as
their loved ones died. This grievous event
caused Pharaoh to finally release the Israelites.
By the time the Israelites left Egypt, they had a
clear picture of God’s power, God’s protection,
and God’s plan for them. For those who were
willing to believe, they had convincing evidence
that they served the true and living God. Sadly,
many still failed to believe, which led to other
trials and lessons by God. The result for the
Egyptians and the other ancient people of the
region was a dread of the God of Israel. Even
after the tenth plague, Pharaoh once again
hardened his heart and sent his chariots after
the Israelites. When God opened a way through
the Red Sea for the Israelites, then drowned all
of Pharaoh’s armies there, the power of Egypt
was crushed, and the fear of God spread
through the surrounding nations ( Joshua 2:9–
11). This was the very purpose that God had
declared at the beginning. We can still look
back on these events today to confirm our faith
in, and our fear of, this true and living God, the
Judge of all the earth.

A SOUND MIND

A SOUND MIND

I am by nature something of a worrywart. I’m almost constantly preoccupied with one worry or another. I am also a multitasker. I can do just about anything and worry at the same time. For example, this morning I was trying to take my daily quiet time, reading a few pages of devotional material and reflecting on it (I say “trying,” because at the same time I was worrying about the week’s work ahead of me, ongoing health problems, and an upcoming trip) when this sentence jumped off of the page: “In the Bible, the admonition to ‘fear not’ is used more than 100 times.” I guess God knew our inclination to worry and fear.

As kids we are afraid of the dark, the boogeyman under the bed, and the dentist. A couple of years later we’ve learned that the boogeyman doesn’t exist and the dentist knows what he’s doing, so we’re afraid of bullies at school, being embarrassed in front of our friends, and making a poor grade on the Tuesday math quiz.

A few more years later and we’re afraid of pimples and braces and not being popular enough.

Soon enough we fear that first job and worry about the future and what we’ll become. We fear failing academically and failing in relationships. We fear disappointing family and friends. We fear economic failure, we fear for our children’s happiness and well-being, and we fear sickness and death.

We outgrow fears, but we never seem to outgrow fearing.

It also doesn’t help that these days there seems to be more and more to be afraid of. Just read or watch the news and you’ll see what I’m talking about—war, crime, terrorism, new strains of deadly diseases, natural and manmade disasters, and of course the miserable state of the world economy and the ramifications that brings with it.

In the Bible, God has an answer for each of those fears:

“Trouble at work? Nasty coworkers threatening to cause trouble for you? Don’t worry! Put your will on My side and I’ll take care of the problem!”

“Worried about war and terrorism? Don’t fear! Entrust your life and your family to Me, and I’ll take care of you.”

“Afraid of natural disasters? Worried about earthquakes, tsunamis, or hurricanes? Don’t be! I’ve got you covered. That’s the best insurance policy you could ask for!”

“Are you suffering physically—perhaps even battling a life-threatening sickness? Don’t be afraid. I will be with you through it all, to comfort you and hold your hand.”

“Have you been wrongly accused and therefore worry about saving your reputation and future? Don’t. I know the truth, and I’ll make sure it comes out in the end.”

“It can be a scary world out there! There’s a lot of bad stuff going on. Maybe you live in a dangerous area and that worries you sometimes. Don’t be afraid. If I take care of the birds and the flowers, what makes you think I won’t take care of you? You’re worth everything to Me.”
“I see you’ve been worried about how to provide for your family. It’s been difficult to make ends meet, and the bills are piling up. Don’t be afraid. The world and all that is in it are Mine, and it is My pleasure to meet every one of your needs. Just ask.”

As I thought about it more, I realized that God had a contingency plan for every possible calamity. For every worry, He has a solution at His fingertips. What’s more, it’s His pleasure to take care of us! He doesn’t consider us an annoyance when we come to Him with our fears and worries. Rather, like the loving Father He is, He picks us up and gently says, “I understand. Why don’t you leave that fear with Me, and let Me handle it for you?”

“God has not given us the spirit of fear,” the apostle Paul wrote, “but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

—

Luke 12:32 (NIV) Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

1. Peter 5:7 (NIV) Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

2. Timothy 1:7 (NIV) For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Onyedikachi Kingsley Ogbonna (Surv.)

SALVATION IN A MINESHAFT

SALVATION IN A MINESHAFT

(A FRIEND STORY)

Born and raised in a small Ukrainian mining town during the Soviet era, I grew up in an atmosphere of atheism. One day I came across a book titled Not by Bread Alone. Being an avid reader, I read it in a single sitting. The book offered a simple plan of salvation, followed by a prayer to receive Jesus as my personal Savior. The concepts of God, faith, and prayer were all foreign to my thinking, but something about the book captivated me. When I repeated the prayer, I had a feeling that was both marvelous and a bit scary, as though my soul was being elevated to the ceiling.

Several years later I left my hometown to study at the state university, and there I met some Christians who led me from A to Z into a life of faith and service to God and others.

The next time I visited my parents, I explained how Jesus had changed my life and that He could do the same for them. My mother received it gladly, but my father was skeptical. I promised to pray for him.

At the start of each workday, my father and the other coalminers descended the vertical shaft two by two. Part of their safety gear was a heavy belt that was anchored to the shaft’s wooden framework by a rope. My dad never used that belt, however, as it was bulky and uncomfortable. Instead he wore a lighter one that he trusted would serve the purpose just as well.

One day someone had taken his lightweight belt, so he was forced to use the heavier one. He and his partner went down the shaft and were soon busy mining, my father under their support pier and his partner on the top of it.

Suddenly my father’s foot slipped, he lost his balance, and fell into the black abyss. The safety rope caught him, but for several minutes he dangled under the pier. Shards of coal rained on him, cutting his head, face, and body.

Finally his partner, who hadn’t heard my father’s cries for help over the din of the machinery, stopped working to check on him, saw what had happened, and helped him up.

When my father recounted the incident to me later, he said that his whole life had passed before his eyes as he hung in the darkness. “I felt your prayers holding me tight,” he said, “and that was when I decided to receive Jesus as my Savior.”

My father’s favorite old belt? He thanks God that someone had taken it that day.

—

1. Peter 3:21 ESV / Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Acts 22:16 ESV / And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’

Galatians 3:27 ESV / For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Onyedikachi Kingsley Ogbonna (Surv.)

Question: "Why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart?"

Question: "Why did God harden Pharaoh’s
heart?"
Answer: Exodus 7:3-4 says, “But I will harden
Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my
miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt he will
not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on
Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will
bring out my people the Israelites.” It seems
unjust for God to harden Pharaoh’s heart and
then to punish Pharaoh and Egypt for what
Pharaoh decided when his heart was hardened.
Why would God harden Pharaoh’s heart just so
He could judge Egypt more severely with
additional plagues?
First, Pharaoh was not an innocent or godly
man. He was a brutal dictator overseeing the
terrible abuse and oppression of the Israelites,
who likely numbered over 1.5 million people at
that time. The Egyptian pharaohs had enslaved
the Israelites for 400 years. A previous pharaoh
—possibly even the pharaoh in question—
ordered that male Israelite babies be killed at
birth ( Exodus 1:16 ). The pharaoh God hardened
was an evil man, and the nation he ruled agreed
with, or at least did not oppose, his evil actions.
Second, before the first few plagues, Pharaoh
hardened his own heart against letting the
Israelites go. “Pharaoh's heart became
hard” ( Exodus 7:13 , 22 ; 8:19 ). “But when
Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened
his heart” ( Exodus 8:15 ). “But this time also
Pharaoh hardened his heart” ( Exodus 8:32 ).
Pharaoh could have spared Egypt of all the
plagues if he had not hardened his own heart.
God was giving Pharaoh increasingly severe
warnings of the judgment that was to come.
Pharaoh chose to bring judgment on himself and
on his nation by hardening his own heart
against God’s commands.
As a result of Pharaoh’s hard-heartedness, God
hardened Pharaoh’s heart even further, allowing
for the last few plagues ( Exodus 9:12 ; 10:20 ,
27). Pharaoh and Egypt had brought these
judgments on themselves with 400 years of
slavery and mass murder. Since the wages of
sin is death ( Romans 6:23 ), and Pharaoh and
Egypt had horribly sinned against God, it would
have been just if God had completely annihilated
Egypt. Therefore, God’s hardening Pharaoh’s
heart was not unjust, and His bringing additional
plagues against Egypt was not unjust. The
plagues, as terrible as they were, actually
demonstrate God’s mercy in not completely
destroying Egypt, which would have been a
perfectly just penalty.
Romans 9:17-18 declares, “For the Scripture
says to Pharaoh: ‘I raised you up for this very
purpose, that I might display my power in you
and that my name might be proclaimed in all
the earth.’ Therefore God has mercy on whom
He wants to have mercy, and He hardens whom
He wants to harden.” From a human
perspective, it seems wrong for God to harden a
person and then punish the person He has
hardened. Biblically speaking, however, we have
all sinned against God ( Romans 3:23 ), and the
just penalty for that sin is death ( Romans 6:23 ).
Therefore, God’s hardening and punishing a
person is not unjust; it is actually merciful in
comparison to what the person deserves.

Question: "What is the Ark of the Covenant?"

Question: "What is the Ark of the Covenant?"
Answer: God made a covenant (a conditional
covenant) with the children of Israel through His
servant Moses. He promised good to them and
their children for generations if they obeyed Him
and His laws; but He always warned of despair,
punishment, and dispersion if they were to
disobey. As a sign of His covenant He had the
Israelites make a box according to His own
design, in which to place the stone tablets
containing the Ten Commandments. This box, or
chest, was called an “ark” and was made of
acacia wood overlaid with gold. The Ark was to
be housed in the inner sanctum of the
tabernacle in the desert and eventually in the
Temple when it was built in Jerusalem. This
chest is known as the Ark of the Covenant.
The real significance of the Ark of the Covenant
was what took place involving the lid of the box,
known as the "Mercy Seat." The term ‘mercy
seat’ comes from a Hebrew word meaning “to
cover, placate, appease, cleanse, cancel or
make atonement for.” It was here that the high
priest, only once a year ( Leviticus 16 ), entered
the Holy of Holies where the Ark was kept and
atoned for his sins and the sins of the
Israelites. The priest sprinkled blood of a
sacrificed animal onto the Mercy Seat to
appease the wrath and anger of God for past
sins committed. This was the only place in the
world where this atonement could take place.
The Mercy Seat on the Ark was a symbolic
foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice for all
sin—the blood of Christ shed on the cross for
the remission of sins. The Apostle Paul, a
former Pharisee and one familiar with the Old
Testament, knew this concept quite well when
he wrote about Christ being our covering for sin
in Romans 3:24-25 : "…and are justified by his
grace as a gift, through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a
propitiation by his blood, to be received by
faith." Just as there was only one place for
atonement of sins in the Old Testament—the
Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant—so
there is also only one place for atonement in
the New Testament and current times—the
cross of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we no
longer look to the Ark but to the Lord Jesus
Himself as the propitiation and atonement for
our sins.

Question: "Why did God strike Uzzah dead for touching the Ark of the Covenant?"

Question: "Why did God strike Uzzah dead for
touching the Ark of the Covenant?"
Answer: The story of Uzzah and the Ark of the
Covenant is found in 2 Samuel 6:1-7 and 1
Chronicles 13:9-12 . As the ark was being
transported, the oxen pulling the cart stumbled,
and a Levite named Uzzah took hold of the ark.
God’s anger burned against Uzzah and He
struck him down and he died. Uzzah’s
punishment does appear to be extreme for what
we might consider to be a good deed. However,
there are the reasons why God took such
severe action.
First, God had given Moses and Aaron specific
instructions about the Tent of Meeting and the
movement of the Ark of the Covenant. "After
Aaron and his sons have finished covering the
holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and
when the camp is ready to move, the
Kohathites are to come to do the carrying. But
they must not touch the holy things or they will
die. The Kohathites are to carry those things
that are in the Tent of Meeting” ( Numbers
4:15 ). No matter how innocently it was done,
touching the ark was in direct violation of God’s
law and was to result in death. This was a
means of preserving the sense of God’s
holiness and the fear of drawing near to Him
without appropriate preparation.
Notice how David took men with him to collect
the ark, rather than allowing Abinadab and his
sons to bring it to him. That was a great
mistake, since it ought never to have been put
upon a cart, old or new. It was to be borne upon
men's shoulders, and carried by Levites only,
and those of the family of Kohath ( Exodus
25:12-14 ; Numbers 7:9 ), using the poles
prescribed. Failing to follow God’s precise
instructions would be seen as (a) not revering
God’s words when He spoke them through those
such as Moses, whom He had appointed; (b)
having an independent attitude that might
border on rebellion, i.e., seeing and acting on
things from a worldly, rather than a spiritual,
perspective; or (c) disobedience.
Second, the ark had stayed for a period of time
at Abinadab’s house ( 2 Samuel 6:3 ), where his
sons, Uzzah and Ahio, may well have become
accustomed to its presence. There’s an old
saying, “familiarity breeds contempt,” that could
apply in this case. Uzzah, having been around
the ark in his own home, could very likely forget
the holiness that it represented. There are
times when we, too, fail to recognize the
holiness of God, becoming too familiar with Him
with an irreverent attitude.
Third, the account tells us the oxen stumbled.
The cart didn’t fall and neither did the Ark, just
as the boat carrying Jesus and the disciples
rocked fiercely in the storm, though it wasn’t
necessarily in danger of sinking ( Matthew
8:24-27 ). And yet, just as with the disciples who
failed to put their faith in their Master, Uzzah,
for a moment, felt it was his responsibility to
save the integrity of God, and that our almighty
God somehow needed Uzzah’s assistance. He
presumed that, without his intervention, God’s
presence would be dealt a blow. As Job asks,
“Can you fathom the mysteries of God?” ( Job
11:7 ). “His greatness no-one can
fathom” ( Psalm 145:3 ). “His understanding no-
one can fathom” ( Isaiah 40:28 ). Moses lost his
right to enter the promised land because he felt
his intervention was needed when he struck the
rock, instead of speaking to it as God had
commanded ( Numbers 20:7-12 ). We need to
listen carefully to what God has to say to us,
and in obedience strive to do all He commands.
Yes, God is loving and merciful, but He is also
holy and He defends His holiness with His
power, and affronts to His holiness sometimes
bring about His holy wrath. “It is a dreadful
thing to fall into the hands of the living
God” ( Hebrews 10:31 ).
Something of God’s presence in the Ark of the
Covenant seems to be lost in the church today.
In the time of Moses, the people knew the
awesomeness of God’s absolute holiness. They
had witnessed great miracles when the ark was
with them. They respected that God’s ways and
thoughts are much higher than ours ( Isaiah
55:8-9 ). In truth, the more we try to bring God
down to our worldly way of thinking or
reasoning, the further away He will seem to us.
Those who would draw near to God and have
Him draw near to them are those who approach
Him in reverence and holy fear. Uzzah forgot
that lesson, and the consequences were tragic.

Question: "What can we learn from the life of David?"

Question: "What can we learn from the life of
David?"
Answer: We can learn a lot from the life of
David. He was a man after God’s own heart ( 1
Samuel 13:13-14 ; Acts 13:22 )! We are first
introduced to David after Saul, at the insistence
of the people, was made king ( 1 Samuel 8:5 ,
10:1 ). This choice of king, or even having an
earthly king at all, was against the will of God,
and although Saul was anointed by God through
Samuel, he did not measure up as God’s king.
While King Saul was making one mistake on top
of another, God sent Samuel to find His chosen
shepherd, David, the son of Jesse ( 1 Samuel
16:10 , 13 ). David was believed to be 12-16
years of age when he was called in from tending
his father’s sheep to be anointed as the true
king of Israel. As soon as the anointing oil
flowed down David’s head the Spirit of the Lord
departed from King Saul ( 1 Samuel 16:14 ). The
fact that evil spirits were tormenting Saul
brought David into the king’s service ( 1 Samuel
16:21 ). Saul was pleased with young David, but
this feeling vanished quickly as David rose in
strength to slay the Philistine giant, Goliath, and
win the overwhelming favor of the people ( 1
Samuel 17:45-51 ). The chant in the camp of
Saul was taunting as the people sang out the
praises of David and demeaned their king,
causing a raging jealousy in Saul that never
subsided ( 1 Samuel 18:7-8 ).
If you or someone you know has eked his way
through life amid strife, conflict and continuous
battles, then you might understand how David
lived and felt throughout his lifetime. Although
Saul never stopped pursuing him with the intent
to kill him, David never raised a hand against
his king and God’s anointed ( 1 Samuel 19:1-2 ,
24:5-7 ). He did, however, raise up a mighty
army and with power from God defeated
everyone in his path, always asking God first for
permission and instructions before going into
battle ( 2 Samuel 5:22-23 , 23:8-17 ). Throughout
the life of David, God honored and rewarded this
unconditional obedience of His servant and gave
him success in everything he did ( 2 Samuel
8:6 ).
David mourned King Saul’s death and put to
death the one claiming responsibility for Saul’s
death ( 2 Samuel 1:12-16 ). Only after Saul’s
death was David anointed king over the house
of Judah ( 2 Samuel 2:4 ), and even then he had
to fight against the house of Saul before being
anointed king over Israel at the age of thirty ( 2
Samuel 5:3-4 ). Now king, David conquered
Jerusalem and became more and more powerful
because the Lord Almighty was with him ( 2
Samuel 5:7 ). David was so enthralled with
bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem
that he omitted some of God’s instructions on
how to transport the Ark and who was to carry
it. This resulted in the death of Uzzah who,
amid all the celebrations, reached out to steady
the Ark, and God struck him down and he died
there beside it ( 2 Samuel 6:1-7 ). In fear of the
Lord, David abandoned the moving of the Ark for
three months and let it rest in the house of
Obed-Edom ( 2 Samuel 6:11 ).
After the Ark was in its rightful place, David
decided to build a temple of the Lord around it
( 2 Samuel 6:17 ). Because of David’s bloody,
battle-scarred record as well as his adulterous
relationship with Bathsheba and the slaying of
her husband, God denied his otherwise faithful
servant the honor of building the temple, the
house of the Lord ( 2 Samuel 6:5-14 ). This was
surely a blow to David, but God assured him He
would continue to make his name the greatest
on the earth and forever establish the throne of
David through David’s son, Solomon. Instead of
being angry with God and having a pity party,
David sat before the Lord, praising Him and
thanking Him for all the many blessings he had
received in his life ( 2 Samuel 7:18-29 ).
David’s battles did not end with his kingship but
continued with the surrounding nations and
within his own household. Throughout the life of
David, His sons connived and conspired to take
control of the kingdom and they, as did Saul,
threatened their own father’s life. And as with
the death of Saul, David mourned the death of
his beloved son Absalom, showing a passionate
and forgiving heart (2 Samuel chapters 15-18).
David’s broken heart and contrite spirit are what
brought him the forgiveness of God and are
what will bring him back to be the prince of
Christ during Christ’s millennial reign.