Keep Your Focus on the Lord
Today's Scripture: 1 Chronicles 20
1And it came to pass, that after the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle, Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah, and destroyed it.
2And David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set upon David's head: and he brought also exceeding much spoil out of the city.
3And he brought out the people that were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. Even so dealt David with all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
4And it came to pass after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, that was of the children of the giant: and they were subdued.
5And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver's beam.
6And yet again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six on each hand, and six on each foot and he also was the son of the giant.
7But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother slew him.
8These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.
Today's Scripture Meaning:
David's wars.
- Though the Lord will severely correct the sins of his believing people, he will not leave them in the hands of their enemies. His assistance will overcome all advantages of number and strength of those that defy his Israel. All that trust in Christ, shall be made more than conquerors through him that loveth them.
Today's Scripture Application
Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we Continue in the book of 1 Chronicles with Chapter 20 and we see David's Army conquering the Ammonites and taking on the Philistines in battle. This Chronicle covers the details of the battle but this is the period of time when David sinned with Bathsheba. It is mirrored in 2 Samuel 11-12. What catches my eye is how David fell in the midst of such great victories in his life. After the humility that launched David into the graces of God we see how David took his eyes off the Lord and sinned. In making application we need to see that the enemy tempts us when we have our largest victories of the Lord. We are vulnerable in these times because our flesh has a tendency to take credit for the victories and this lack of focus on the Lord allows the enemy to tempt us. A mature Christian will learn the tricks of the enemy and keep our focus on the Lord at all times. How about You? Do you recognize how the enemy works in our lives? Let us learn from our text today and the life David to recognize when and how the enemy attempts to tempt us and how to keep our focus on the Lord.
