October 24, 2024 - 2 Samuel 20:1-10

October 24, 2024 - 2 Samuel 20:1-10

20 Now there happened to be there a worthless man, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said,

“We have no portion in David,
and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse;
every man to his tents, O Israel!”

So all the men of Israel withdrew from David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

And David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten concubines whom he had left to care for the house and put them in a house under guard and provided for them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood.

Then the king said to Amasa, “Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself.” So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he delayed beyond the set time that had been appointed him. And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord's servants and pursue him, lest he get himself to fortified cities and escape from us.” And there went out after him Joab's men and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men. They went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. When they were at the great stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing a soldier's garment, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened on his thigh, and as he went forward it fell out. And Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. 10 But Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Joab's hand. So Joab struck him with it in the stomach and spilled his entrails to the ground without striking a second blow, and he died.  Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri. 

Just before writing this I was listening to a pastor preaching and he said something that helped me look at these scriptures differently.  He said, “your perspective creates your reality, and your reality creates your identity and your identity creates your future."  

The men in these verses had a perspective that meant they would pursue to the death those against their king.  No one would get in the way of their goal.  This pursuit became their reality and that created their future.

So what I will ask you, and I truly want to you to pray over this: 

What is your perspective based on?  Is it Jesus?  Is it the world?  Is it sharing Jesus with everyone you can or gaining as much wealth as you can? 

What is your identity based on?  The truth of Jesus Christ, or the world that follows the enemy? 

What is your future?  To spend eternity with Jesus who died on a cross because of His love for you, or to spend eternity in a lake of fire with the enemy who wants you to suffer because of greed, jealousy and pride?

What is your perspective based on?

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