Day 138: The Effect of Sin on Others

Today's readings: 2 Samuel 20, 1 Chronicles 25, and Psalm 39.

I. 2 Samuel 20 recounts a rebellion by Sheba the Benjaminite. Although he is eventually defeated and killed, enough Israelites had sided with him that this is another foreshadowing of how Israel would split after the death of Solomon. During the fighting, Joab murdered a rival named Amasa, which will cost him his own life later (1 Kings 2:5-6; 32-34). 

The BIY Companion, Vol II, has some good commentary about David's poor concubines:

As we see in 2 Samuel 20:3, violence begets violence. David left ten of his concubines behind to care for the house, and Absalom raped them. Because of this, David treats them as widows. They are sequestered until their deaths. This seems unjust. They are "caught in the crossfire" between David and Absalom's evil choices. Here we see how others can suffer due to our sins. The consequences of our evil choices do not end with us. (p. 38)

I don't even know what to say here. Easy for me to judge 3,000+ years later, but still. Those poor women were truly treated unjustly from the description.

II. 1 Chronicles 25 describes how David organized the musicians for the worship of God in the Tabernacle. It emphasizes that sacred music was a divinely appointed ministry and not just merely a performance.

III. Psalm 39 is, as the Ignatius Bible notes:

A lament psalm. Initially the speaker, beset with a terminal illness, was determined to accept his suffering quietly and without complaint; but when his condition worsened, he was unable to keep silent any longer. He asks the Lord for a true understanding of the brevity of life and prays for deliverance from both his sin and his sickness. (p. 863) 

That's all for today!