January 24: 2 Samuel 7:4-17
Key Verse: 2 Samuel 7:14
I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands.
Devotion:
When David wanted to build a temple for God to dwell in after so much travelling through the desert carrying the arc of the covenant, God’s answer was a bit different than David expected. God reminded David He had been living in the tabernacle ever since they left Egypt and all that time He had not asked for a temple or any other house to be built for Him.
Instead God turned the tables and promised David He would build another type of house based on people, all from David’s descendants! Then God reminded David He was his Father, and David His Son; and just like a father God would punish him for doing wrong, but it would be punishment given by human hands and not God.
This is the promise He continues to have with us. He will look after us both in the good times and the bad times. When we are out of line, God will allow us to be punished by human hands because He does not want to punish us as we are His children. God has every right to judge and punish us and if we take things too far, we cannot say He will ignore things.
But His love for us means He will continue to try and give us what is best for us. He will continue to put the right people at the right place and time so that we can choose to prosper in His sight. That is the love a true father has for his children!
Points to Ponder:
Do you get punished when you break the law?
Will you allow God to guide you in righteousness?