Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?”
After the death of Saul, the army of Saul continued to fight David's army. David's army was stronger and was defeating Saul's army, but Abner (from Saul's army) called out and asked for mercy. David's army backs down. This is not the end of the war, but it demonstrates the kind of army David lead. Are we the kind of person who takes every advantage offered to us, or are we merciful?
Lord, thank you for being merciful to us. Please help us to be merciful to others. Amen.
Showing posts with label pride. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pride. Show all posts
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Monday, January 23, 2017
Luke 9:54 - James the windbag
When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?”
In three verses in the gospels, James (and John) are shown in a not so flattering light. In Mark 3:17, Jesus calls them both Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”, I did a little research on this name and "sons of thunder" may not be a perfect translation for Boanerges. It may means something closer to Thunder Boys or Bunch of Windbags or Busy Lowing Oxen. No matter the translation, it wasn't good. In Luke 9:54 (above) the brothers are bold enough to call down fire from heaven to destroy a village. First of all, that is not how Jesus rolls. Second, they have the audacity to call down fire from heaven. Elijah, a prophet, is the only person in the Bible who does this. The third verse is in Mark 10:35-37 when James and John ask to be at the right and left side of Jesus in glory. Jesus and the other apostles did not take kindly to this political positioning from the brothers.
The last mentions of James in the Bible restore him as a great man of God regardless of his shortcomings. Acts 12:1-2 states :It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. James was faithful to the end and in Galatians 2:9, he is esteemed as a pillar of the church.
Lord, Thank you for giving us examples of imperfect Christians. Please help us to grow and improve in our manner and conduct. Amen.
In three verses in the gospels, James (and John) are shown in a not so flattering light. In Mark 3:17, Jesus calls them both Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder”, I did a little research on this name and "sons of thunder" may not be a perfect translation for Boanerges. It may means something closer to Thunder Boys or Bunch of Windbags or Busy Lowing Oxen. No matter the translation, it wasn't good. In Luke 9:54 (above) the brothers are bold enough to call down fire from heaven to destroy a village. First of all, that is not how Jesus rolls. Second, they have the audacity to call down fire from heaven. Elijah, a prophet, is the only person in the Bible who does this. The third verse is in Mark 10:35-37 when James and John ask to be at the right and left side of Jesus in glory. Jesus and the other apostles did not take kindly to this political positioning from the brothers.
The last mentions of James in the Bible restore him as a great man of God regardless of his shortcomings. Acts 12:1-2 states :It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. James was faithful to the end and in Galatians 2:9, he is esteemed as a pillar of the church.
Lord, Thank you for giving us examples of imperfect Christians. Please help us to grow and improve in our manner and conduct. Amen.
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