E-pistle for November 17, 2016
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E-Pistle
FreeWay Foundation November 17, 2016
The wise woman of tekoa
(II Samuel 14:1-33)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. Joab enlisted a wise woman of Tekoa to pretend to be a mourner and
make a petition to King David; she told David she was a widow with
two sons, the boys had fought, and that one was killed; her family
demanded that the survivor be executed, but she asked the king to
pardon the boy and restore him to her, vv. 1-11.
2. David granted her petition; then the woman revealed that the story
really had pertained to David's two sons, Amnon and Absalom;
David got her to admit that Joab had sent her; he gave consent for
Absalom to return to Jerusalem, but denied him permission to see
the king's face, vv. 12-24.
3. Absalom gained popularity among the people; he had three sons
and a daughter, whom he named Tamar; two years passed in
Jerusalem without Absalom even seeing his father, David, vv. 25-28.
4. Absalom sent for Joab, but he refused to come; Absalom then
burned Joab's barley field to pressure him to intercede with the king;
Joab mediated a reconciliation, and Absalom was returned to the
good graces of his father, David, vv. 29-33.
II. Meditation: on the wise words of the woman of Tekoa
"For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground,
which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a
life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled
from Him," II Samuel 14:14.
III. Revelation: on the truths contained in this text
1. We all shall die and be absorbed back into the ground . . . dust to dust,
Hebrews 9:27; Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 3:20.
2. God is not directly responsible for death; death came as a result of
man's deliberate choice to sin by disobeying God; in fact, "The Lord
is not willing that any should perish," II Peter 3:9. (Isaiah 57:1-2
teaches that in God's sight, the death of a righteous individual is
a divine blessing, removing a person from evil and bringing him
into peace.)
3. God is actively involved in our lives; He "devises means" . . . takes the
initiative to save fallen mankind, I John 4:19; John 3:16.
4. God has made provision for alienated sinners to receive reconciliation
and restoration, Romans 5:8-11.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Reflect upon the brevity of my life here on earth and the certainty of
death . . .therefore I should guard and preserve my family relationships.
2. Realize that my sins separate me from God; repent and return to the
Lord!
3. Rejoice with thanksgiving that the Lord loves me, even when I disobey.
4. Receive God's divine reconciliation through Christ, and enjoy the
blessings of my spiritual relationship and fellowship with Him.
Developing a personal devotional life
(Proverbs 2:1-11)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. What Should I Do?
1. Read the Bible, verse 1
* receive God's words
* treasure God's commands
2. Meditate On the Word, verse 2
* incline my ear to wisdom (listen)
* apply my heart to understanding
3. Pray, verse 3
* cry out for discernment
* lift up my voice for understanding
4. Study God's Words, verse 4
* seek spiritual wisdom as for silver
* search for spiritual wisdom as for hidden treasure
II. What Are The Benefits?
1. Understand the fear of the Lord (reverence)
2. Find the knowledge of God (intimacy)
3. Understand righteousness (right with God/man)
4. Understand equity (fairness, unprejudicial)
5. Understand every good path (toward destiny)
6. Preservation: safety; protection (security)
III. What Is The Source Of These Benefits?
1. GOD, verses 6-8
"He that is good for MAKING EXCUSES is seldom good at ANYTHING ELSE!
Benjamin Franklin
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