Tough Love

February 25, 2026 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

²³But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. ²⁴Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.

¹For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. ²For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? ³And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. ⁴For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. – 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:4 ESV

Even as an apostle of Jesus Christ, Paul did not see himself as spiritually superior to the Corinthians. He viewed himself as their ally and an asset to their spiritual development. He claims, “we work with you for your joy” (2 Corinthians 1:24 ESV). He, Silas, and Timothy were tools in God’s hands, used by Him to assist the Corinthians in their growth and development. And despite the issues within the Corinthian church, Paul still believed they were firm in their faith. This made his decision to delay his visit easier, and he believed it was God’s will.

But there was another reason he postponed his visit: to keep from causing them pain and sorrow. Evidently, Paul had made a second visit to Corinth sometime between his original visit when he helped establish the church there. It was on this second visit that he had to deal with particularly difficult circumstances in the church. He knew his arrival in Corinth had caused them great pain because being reprimanded is never easy, and having to be the one to call them out had not been enjoyable for Paul either. So, he says, “I decided that I would not bring you grief with another painful visit. For if I cause you grief, who will make me glad? Certainly not someone I have grieved” (2 Corinthians 2:1-2 NLT).

It pained Paul to reprimand those he loved. This reveals his pastor’s heart and his deep care and affection for the believers in Corinth. They were his children in the faith, and he had a deep and abiding love for them and felt a strong sense of responsibility for their spiritual well-being.

Instead of paying them a potentially painful visit, Paul decided to write them a letter.

That is why I wrote to you as I did, so that when I do come, I won’t be grieved by the very ones who ought to give me the greatest joy. Surely you all know that my joy comes from your being joyful. – 2 Corinthians 2:3 NLT

The letter, now lost, was evidently quite blunt and caused Paul “great anguish” to write. Whatever he wrote had caused him great sorrow and left him in tears, but it was necessary and written in love.

It was Paul’s hope and desire that the Corinthians would take seriously the painful rebuke and loving reprimand found in his letter and do something about it. What he had written had been for their good, and he longed for them to heed his words and change their ways. Otherwise, when he did finally visit them, it would be another painful reunion.

While Paul cared for the Corinthians, he loved them too much to allow them to continue in sin. His affection for them was rooted in the love of Christ and in his knowledge that he was responsible to God for their spiritual welfare. Paul did not enjoy or take pleasure in hurting them; he simply wanted to see them enjoy all that God had in store for them. He desired that they experience all the full measure of the abundant life that Christ made possible by His death on the cross. Later in this letter, Paul explains the harsh tone of his previous letter.

I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. – 2 Corinthians 7:8-10 NLT

Paul found joy in their repentance, not in their happiness. To refrain from telling someone the truth just because you don’t want to cause them pain is not love; it is a twisted form of hate. To knowingly allow them to continue in sin would be cruel and make you an accomplice in their sin. You would be enabling their sinful behavior by remaining silent.

Too often, as Christians, our fear of losing face or friends keeps us from saying what needs to be said. But Paul believed that holiness was far more important than happiness. Our love for one another is best expressed in our unwillingness to tolerate sin in one another’s lives. Which is why Paul told the Colossian believers: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16 ESV).

Jesus said, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him” (Luke 17:3 ESV). Solomon wrote, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend” (Proverbs 27:3 ESV). King David understood the value of the loving rebuke of a godly friend.

Let the godly strike me!
It will be a kindness!
If they correct me, it is soothing medicine.
Don’t let me refuse it. – Psalm 141:5 NLT

Tough love is tough to pull off because it is difficult to confront those we love. It caused Paul pain to say what he had to say to the Corinthians, but it was necessary. It was the godly thing to do. He told the Corinthians that he wrote his previous letter “to let you know how much love I have for you” (2 Corinthians 2:4 NLT).

When we care more for another believer’s holiness than for their happiness, we truly love them. When we’re willing to risk their rejection to bring about their repentance, we demonstrate our love for them. When we make their relationship with God a higher priority than their friendship with us, we are loving them as Christ loved us. As Solomon said, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” Strong words spoken from a sincere and loving heart may cause momentary pain, but in the long run, they will produce the fruit of righteousness.

Father, nobody likes to have their sins exposed or their faults pointed out, but the truth is that we are sometimes the last ones to see what is painfully obvious to others. Yet, most of us avoid confronting the sin we see in other’s lives because we fear rejection or suspect that they will point the finger of accusation back at us. However, our silence does nothing to change their behavior or assuage our responsibility to love them enough to confront them. Father, before Your Son began His earthly ministry, You sent John the Baptist to call the people to repentance. Even Jesus’ preached the same message, calling people to acknowledge their sinfulness and their need for a Savior. He is the one who said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners” (Mark 2:17 NLT). He loved us enough to tell us the truth about ourselves. Then He went to the cross to pay the penalty we owed and provide a cure for our sinful condition. Give me the same passion to expose the sins in those I claim to love. Don’t allow me to let getting along to outweigh my responsibility to build up the body of Christ. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

What Would Jesus Do?

January 27, 2026January 27, 2026 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

²³“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. ²⁴Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. ²⁵Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. ²⁶For “the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” ²⁷If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. ²⁸But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— ²⁹I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else’s conscience? ³⁰If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?

³¹So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ³²Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, ³³just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. – 1 Corinthians 10:23-33 ESV

Paul revisits a point he made back in chapter six. “‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything” (1 Corinthians 6:12 ESV). The Corinthians had made a big deal of their liberties or freedoms in Christ and were convinced that there were certain things they were at liberty to do because of their newfound freedom. Paul doesn’t contradict their conclusion; he simply argues against their motivation. They were only looking at things from a self-centered perspective, motivated by their own rights and focused on selfish pleasures. That is why Paul repeats their point of reference back to them again.

“I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial.– 1 Corinthians 10:23 NLT

Yes, they had certain freedoms in Christ, but they were not to let those freedoms be driven by selfish desires or motivated by self-centeredness. They were to ask themselves whether those freedoms were helpful and edifying. Throughout this section of his letter, Paul places the emphasis on others. In the very next verse, he writes, “Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others.” (1 Corinthians 10:24 NLT). Paul was elevating compassion over lawfulness and promoting selflessness over selfishness.

Paul concedes that they were free to eat any meat sold in the marketplace, even if it had been sacrificed to idols. He supports his stance by quoting from the Psalms.

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. – Psalm 24:1 NLT

Even if they were invited to an unbeliever’s house, they were free to eat whatever was served. But should their host acknowledge that the meat had been sacrificed to idols, the circumstances took on a different light. They were no longer “free” to eat what was served. Paul explains that disclosing the meat’s origin made it a matter of conscience. Not their conscience, Paul asserts, but the conscience of their lost friend and anyone else who might be in attendance.

Don’t eat it, out of consideration for the conscience of the one who told you. It might not be a matter of conscience for you, but it is for the other person.) – 1 Corinthians 10:28-29 NLT

The lost friend would not know of or understand the concept of freedom in Christ. In telling their Christian guests that the meat had been sacrificed to idols, they would be assuming Christians would not want to eat such meat because it would violate their faith. Should the Christian go ahead and eat the meat, the message conveyed to their pagan friend would be confusing. Should a less mature believer be in attendance at the same dinner and see the more mature believer eating meat sacrificed to idols, he or she might be caused to follow their lead, even though their conscience told them it was wrong.

Paul follows this with two logical questions he knew the Corinthians would ask.

For why should my freedom be limited by what someone else thinks? If I can thank God for the food and enjoy it, why should I be condemned for eating it? – 1 Corinthians 10:29-30 NLT

In other words, why should a Christian let the conscience of a lost person dictate their behavior? Or why should a more mature believer allow the ignorance of a less mature believer determine their actions? Paul answers both questions with a single answer.

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. – 1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT

The more important question a believer should ask is whether their actions will bring glory to God. If the primary motivation behind our behavior is our personal pleasure, we miss the point. The bottom line for Paul was God’s glory and man’s salvation.

I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved. – 1 Corinthians 10:33 NLT

He was willing to give up his freedoms so that others might know what it means to be free in Christ. He was willing to die to his rights so that others might be made right with God.

In chapter 13, the great “love chapter,” Paul says that love “does not insist on its own way” (1 Corinthians 13:5 ESV). Instead, love cares about others and focuses on building up and edifying them, even at the expense of self. Christ-like love focuses on the good of others and the glory of God. It is selfless, not selfish. It is sacrificial, not self-centered. And the greatest example of this selfless, sacrificial kind of love was Jesus Himself. Even before He willingly laid down His life on Calvary, Jesus declared His intention to put the needs of others ahead of His own.

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” – Mark 10:45 NLT

In his letter to the believers in Philippi, Paul challenged them to follow Jesus’ example of selfless, sacrificial love.

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.

Though he was God,
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
  he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross. – Philippians 2:3-8 NLT

Jesus died so that we might live. He willingly relinquished His divine rights and humbled Himself, even to the point of enduring a gruesome death on a Roman cross, all for the sake of others. And Paul is asking the Corinthians, the Philippians, and every other person who has placed their faith in Christ to follow His example. We are called to die to self because love trumps liberty every time. Giving up our rights for the sake of others and for the glory of God is well worth any sacrifice we may have to make. And, in the long run, it will produce fruit that is far more valuable than the fleeting pleasures we may have to give up.

Father, dying to self is hard. It goes against everything in our fallen human nature. Because of sin, we are inherently selfish and self-centered. We have a natural capacity and propensity to make everything about us. But Paul calls us to make it all about You and others. Your Son demonstrated what that kind of love looks like when He willingly went to the cross on our behalf. He took our place and took the full brunt of Your wrath against sin, so we wouldn’t have to. Now, we have the opportunity to follow His example and love those around us by placing their needs ahead of our own. You are not asking us to die in their place; You are simply asking that we die to our rights. Thank You for providing the Holy Spirit to make it possible and thank You for showing patience as we continue to struggle with obedience. May we continue to see Spirit-empowered progress in this area of our lives for the good of others and for You glory. Amen

Standing Out Rather Than Blending In

January 14, 2026 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

⁷I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.

⁸To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am. ⁹But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

¹⁰To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband ¹¹(but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife. – 1 Corinthians 7:7-11 ESV

Paul understood well the necessity of marriage. He believed the institution of marriage had been ordained by God and, when treated properly, could provide believers with the full benefits of their sexuality as intended by God. As far as Paul was concerned, marriage was the only appropriate context for sexual expression between a man and a woman, because that was how God had planned it. However, Paul had a personal appreciation for singleness. Evidently, Paul was unmarried at the time this letter was written. It is uncertain whether Paul had ever been married. But when he writes, “I wish that all were as I myself am,” he is stating a personal opinion, not the will of God. He is not declaring singleness as preferable to marriage. He simply understood that marriage demands a great deal of commitment and sacrifice, requiring each person in the relationship to put the needs of the other ahead of their own.

For Paul, being single allowed him the freedom to dedicate all his time and attention to the spread of the gospel and to his ministry to the growing number of churches around the world. He truly believed that his state of singleness was a gift from God, and it was God who had given him the self-control to live as an unmarried man and to not, as he put it, “burn with passion.” He had a supernatural, God-given capacity to resist the temptations associated with singleness. Lust, an ever-present temptation for every single person, was not an issue for Paul.

Even Jesus alluded to the existence of this gift of singleness. One day, He was confronted by the Pharisees and asked whether it was “lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause” (Matthew 19:3b ESV). Quoting from the Old Testament, Jesus replied, “‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate” (Matthew 19:5-6 ESV). Jesus went on to explain that “whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery—unless his wife has been unfaithful” (Matthew 19:9 NLT). Jesus was declaring marriage to be a binding covenant between two individuals. This declaration led one of the disciples to conclude, “If this is the case, it is better not to marry!” (Matthew 19:10 NLT). To His unnamed disciple’s less-than-enthusiastic statement, Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this statement. Only those whom God helps. Some are born as eunuchs, some have been made eunuchs by others, and some choose not to marry for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Let anyone accept this who can.” (Matthew 19:11-12 NLT).

Jesus Himself never married, for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. He said, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38 ESV).

When it comes to ministry, singleness has its advantages, but it is not for everyone. So Paul goes on to address those who are married. He speaks first to the women, reminding them that they should not divorce their husbands. Paul was simply repeating the words of Jesus.

“Whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries someone else, she commits adultery.” – Mark 10:11-12 NLT

Paul knew, as Jesus did, that God’s prohibition of divorce did not prevent it from happening. So they both commanded no remarriage after divorce. To do so was to commit adultery. Paul states that if a woman divorces her husband, “she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband” (1 Corinthians 7:11a ESV). Then he adds, “and the husband should not divorce his wife” (1 Corinthians 7:11b ESV).

Jesus seems to have given only one exception to His no-divorce mandate. When He stated, “whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery” (Matthew 19:9 ESV), He appears to present sexual immorality on the part of one of the married partners as the only grounds for divorce. In the case of sexual immorality, the offending partner has broken the covenant of oneness. However, Paul emphasizes that whoever finds themselves divorced for whatever reason should remain single or be reconciled to their partner.

It is important to remember that Paul is calling the Corinthians believers to live out their faith in the midst of a dark, pagan culture where virtually anything was considered acceptable behavior. Divorce was commonplace, and sexual immorality was rampant. Sexual sins of all kinds were prevalent and regularly practiced. That is why he challenges the Corinthians to live lives worthy of their calling as followers of Christ. Their actions and attitudes were to be distinctly different than those of their unbelieving neighbors and friends. Their approach to life was to be determined by their faith, not their feelings. They were to be driven by a desire to please God, rather than the desire to pursue their own physical pleasures.

It is highly possible that some in the church in Corinth were divorcing their spouses to escape having sexual relations altogether. More than likely, these individuals were influenced by the philosophy of dualism that flourished in Greek culture. This pagan belief taught that anything associated with the body was evil. Divorce allowed them to experience “freedom” from involvement with sex altogether. But that outlook was unbiblical and un-Christian. While the culture around them was distorting God’s views on everything from marriage to human sexuality, Paul was reminding them that they were the church of God, “sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” (1 Corinthians 1:2 ESV).

Like the Corinthians, we have been called to live lives that are set apart from the world. We are to be holy, different, and distinct. As God’s children, we exist to bring Him glory. As Paul declared to the believers in Ephesus, “we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT).

Father, Your Son made it painfully clear when He stated, “The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you” (John 15:9 NLT). Yet, we often live as if we are still part of this world and we convince ourselves that the world is our friend. But Jesus said the world would hate us just as it hated Him. This world is not our home, but we go out of our way to make ourselves comfortable here. We acclimate, accomodate, compromise, and attempt to co-exist with a system that stands opposed to all that we believe. Paul’s call to live distinctively different lives in the midst of a sin-filled, self-absorbed society still holds true today. Open our eyes to the reality of Your non-negotiable expectation that we live lives worthy of Your calling on our lives. Help us to stand out rather than blend in — for our good and Your glory. Amen

We Are Far Too Easily Pleased

January 11, 2026 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹²“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. ¹³“Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. ¹⁵Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” ¹⁷But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. – 1 Corinthians 6:12-17 ESV

At the heart of Paul’s ongoing discussion with the Corinthians was his defense of and belief in the centrality of the gospel. For Paul, the gospel was about far more than a future residence in heaven. There is no doubt that Paul looked forward to the day when he would be with the Lord in His heavenly kingdom. In fact, in his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul states that he “would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8 ESV). Speaking of our earthly bodies, Paul says, “we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:2 NLT).

He knew that the day was coming when he would receive a new body, a spiritual body, created by God for eternal life.

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. – 2 Corinthians 5:1 NLT

But even with the assurance of a redeemed body and a reserved place in eternity, Paul lived with his sights fully set on the present. It was his aim to please God with the life he had been given and to fulfill the commission assigned to him by Christ. It was this view that led him to write, “whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:9-10 ESV).

But what does all this have to do with the passage above? It seems that there were those in the church in Corinth who were living as if what they did in their earthly bodies didn’t matter. As Gentiles living in a Greco-Roman culture, they probably held the view that the body was unimportant; it was nothing more than a receptacle to hold man’s soul.

“The Greeks always looked down on the body. There was a proverbial saying, ‘The body is a tomb.’ Epictetus said, ‘I am a poor soul shackled to a corpse.’” – William Barclay, The Letters to the Corinthians, p. 22.

Evidently, it was this view of the body that led some of the believers in Corinth to commit acts of immorality, and Paul used some of their arguments against them. Some were justifying their actions by saying, “All things are lawful for me.” In other words, they argued that they were free in Christ. As Paul even taught, they were no longer required to keep the Mosaic law and its host of restrictions to be justified before God. However, they were taking their newfound freedom in Christ to an inappropriate extreme, replacing legalism with license. They were embracing Greek dualism, which taught that the body didn’t matter because humans are spiritual beings. This viewpoint was contrary to the gospel because Christ came to redeem body and soul. He died to free us from the future penalty of sin, but also from the present power of sin over our lives. That is why Paul was able to say, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20 ESV).

As believers, we do experience a newfound freedom in Christ, but that does not mean that everything we are free to do is the right thing to do. Paul said that not all things that are lawful for us are beneficial. For Paul, the gospel was about life change; it was about becoming other-oriented rather than self-focused. It was about dying to self and living for others, just as Jesus had modeled. Paul raises this same issue later in his letter.

You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial. Don’t be concerned for your own good but for the good of others. – 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 NLT

Living the Christian life isn’t about what is best for me, but what will best benefit the body of Christ and honor God. As Paul so clearly states, “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31b ESV).

There is a sense in which the Corinthians did not understand the full impact of their conversion. When they accepted Christ as their Savior, they had been joined to Him; they now shared His nature and were inhabited by His Spirit. As Paul states, “your bodies are members of Christ” (1 Corinthians 6:15a ESV).

The Greek word for “members” was commonly used to refer to a limb of the human body, such as an arm or leg. As Christians, we are members of the body of Christ. We have been joined to Him and have a vital role to play in the body’s functionality. He is the head of the body, and we serve as the composite parts. We do not exist for ourselves, and what we do affects the entire body of Christ. That is why Paul asks, “Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute?” (1 Corinthians 6:15b NLT). And he answers his own question with an emphatic, “Never!”

What we do in our physical bodies has a direct impact on our spiritual lives and the corporate well-being of the body of Christ. We are not dualistic in nature, but holistic. The Hebrew word for “blameless” is תָּמִים (tamiym) and it means “complete, whole, entire, sound, having integrity” (“H8549 – tamiym – Strong’s Hebrew Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible). We are to live our lives before God with integrity or wholeness. What I think with my mind matters. What I do with my body makes a difference. What I see with my eyes impacts my soul.

Christ died to redeem all of me. He came to save me from what Paul refers to as “this body of death” (Romans 7:24). He died and rose again so that I could have new life here and now. His resurrection proved that He would and could miraculously re-purpose my body for the glory of God. So Paul would remind us, “Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God” (Romans 6:13 NLT).

Father, what a timely reminder that we have been recreated for so much more than we could ever imagine. It reminds me of the quote by C. S. Lewis. “It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted created fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slim because he cannot imagine what is meant by an offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased” (C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory). Your plan of redemption has a future aspect and, yet, we live as if it has no relevant implications for the present world in which we live. Don’t let us be satisfied with less. Don’t let us be so heavenly minded that we end up being no earthly good. We are new creations who are indwelt by Your Spirit and fully equipped and empowered to walk in newness of life. Let that be our highest priority until Your Son returns. Amen

Out With the Old, In With the New

January 10, 2026 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

⁹Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, ¹⁰nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. – 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 ESV

Up to this point in his letter, Paul has emphasized the kind of conduct or behavior that believers should model. Their unique status as children of God came with non-negotiable expectations that their lives should reflect their Father’s character. They had been “called into fellowship with his son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 4:9 ESV) and had been given the Holy Spirit to indwell and empower them. And as Paul mentioned in the opening of this letter, as the body of Christ, they lacked none of the spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 1:7).

All of these factors should have resulted in demonstrable life change, and, according to Paul, it had. But they were still struggling with pride, jealousy, and a tendency to view life from their former perspective as unbelievers. Their new natures in Christ had not yet replaced their old tendencies. This is what led them to settle their disputes in court rather than within the body of Christ. They were thinking more like pagans than believers. Their focus was on this world instead of the one to come, and they were motivated more by selfishness than selflessness. At this point, their faith in Christ was little more than an add-on, a convenient option that provided them with forgiveness of sins and eternal security, but did little to change the way they lived their lives in the here and now.

This is what leads Paul to remind them, “that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9 ESV). He then describes the unrighteous as “those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10 NLT). These behaviors are characteristic of the lost. This sordid list should have resonated with the believers in Corinth, because Paul immediately reminds them, “such were some of you” (1 Corinthians 6:11a ESV).

Paul speaks in the past tense, emphasizing that this was their former condition; it was how they used to live. But something had happened. Their old way of life had been radically changed when they placed their faith in Christ. Paul reminds them that as a result of God’s gracious gift of salvation made possible through His Son, “you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11b NLT).

Again, he uses the past tense, indicating that these things have already happened. They had been cleansed by God from their former sins, declared to be righteous before Him, and set apart by Him for His use. This is exactly what Paul had written to them in the opening chapter of his letter: “God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin” (1 Corinthians 1:30 NLT).

But their salvation was not yet complete; God’s work in them was not finished. God had declared them to be righteous because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ; now they needed to live righteously. God had made them holy, setting them apart as His possession; now their lives needed to reflect their holy standing. He had cleansed them from sin, forever delivering them from the penalty of death under which they had lived. But through His Holy Spirit, God had given them the capacity to live free from the power of sin in their daily lives. While they were still fully capable of greed, envy, idol worship, sexual immorality, theft, drunkenness, and virtually all of the sins listed by Paul in these verses, these sins were no longer characteristic of who they were. They were sons and daughters of God who had been redeemed. They were new creations and had been provided with new natures. As Paul writes in his second letter to the Corinthians, “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT). This message of new life was a recurring theme for Paul. He told the believers in Rome, “For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives” (Romans 6:4 NLT).

Salvation not only offers a future reward, but it also guarantees a real and radical transformation in our present lives. Our sanctification or growth in holiness is ongoing. We are constantly dying to our old way of life and being reformed into the likeness of Christ, and this will continue until, as Paul puts it, “Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19 ESV). It will not stop until we are “mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13 NLT). This transformative process will continue until we are glorified by God and given new bodies, are set free from sin, and are no longer held captive to the threat of death.

The apostle John provides us with these encouraging words:

Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. – 1 John 3:2 NLT

In the meantime, we have been given the privilege, power, and responsibility to live our lives in keeping with our standing as God’s children. We are commanded to lead lives worthy of our calling by God (Ephesians 4:1). We are encouraged to live in a way that honors and pleases God (Colossians 1:10).

So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. – 2 Corinthians 5:9 NLT

We were once sinners, but now we are saints. However, we must learn to live out our new identity so that our lives reflect the true nature of who we have become in Christ.

Father, for some reason, we have no problem accepting our salvation as a free gift provided by Your grace and made available through the death and resurrection of Your Son. But when it comes to our sanctification, we seem to struggle believing that we can truly live set-apart lives that reflect our new identity as Your sons and daughters and exhibit the fruit of the Spirit in our everyday lives. Holiness seems unattainable. A life marked by righteousness appears to be unachievable. But Peter said that You have “given us everything we need for living a godly life” (2 Peter 1:3). We have the indwelling presence and power of Your Spirit and access to Your written Word. But our old sinful natures seem to be too hard to resist. The allures and attractions of this world seem too strong to deny. Open our eyes to the reality of our ongoing sanctification. We are not who we used to be. We have been redeemed and are being transformed, because You are faithful and will finish what You began. Amen

Preferring Rights Over Righteousness

January 9, 2026 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

¹When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? ²Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? ³Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! ⁴So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? ⁵I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, ⁶but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? ⁷To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? ⁸But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers! – 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 ESV

It seems that the believers in Corinth were having a difficult time grasping the significance of their new status as members of the body of Christ. The concept of having been set apart to God and separated from the world had not yet sunk in. They were still thinking like Greeks and as citizens of Rome. Their mindset was more worldly than godly. This was not an uncommon problem in the early church. In fact, in his letter to Titus, Paul gave him a much-needed reminder:

…we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds. – Titus 2:12-14 NLT

Back in chapter three of this letter, Paul reprimanded the Corinthians for their propensity to live their lives from a worldly perspective.

…you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? – 1 Corinthians 3:3 NLT

It is unclear if Paul is laying down a hardline prohibition against Christians taking one another to court. But his point seems to be that the Corinthians were not approaching their problems from a spiritual perspective. First of all, the fact that they were having disputes among one another that would require legal action was unacceptable. It indicates that they were living in the flesh and not the Spirit.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul gave a lengthy, but far from complete, list of sins associated with living according to our sinful natures. In it, he included sexual immorality, lustful pleasures, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, and division. Virtually any lawsuit or legal claim entails one or more of these “deeds of the flesh.” Which is what led Paul to say to them, “Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated?” (1 Corinthians 6:7 NLT).

Paul’s primary concern was the integrity of the body of Christ and the honor of God’s name. He is not making a sweeping accusation against the legal profession or courts of law. He simply desires that the believers in Corinth see their Christian faith as more than a label; it was to become a way of life. Their belief in Christ was to influence the way they conducted themselves within their local fellowship and before the eyes of a watching world.

Paul is also not naive enough to believe that disputes will never take place between believers. As long as we live in these earthly bodies, we will be prone to conflicts, even with fellow Christians. But there is a proper way in which we are to settle our disputes. That is why Paul asks, “Isn’t there anyone in all the church who is wise enough to decide these issues?” (1 Corinthians 6:5 NLT). For Paul, it made much more sense to settle disputes between believers and within the family of God. It was a matter of common sense. How could ungodly judges know what is best when deciding a dispute between godly believers? What makes legal sense is not necessarily what God would have us do. The right legal decision and the proper spiritual one are not always one and the same.

Remember what Paul said earlier in this very same letter.

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.” – 1 Corinthians 1:18-19 NLT

The message of the cross is at the heart of Paul’s argument. The cross of Christ doesn’t just provide us with forgiveness from sin and escape from future condemnation; it provides us with the power to live godly lives in this world. It is a means of both positional and practical righteousness. However, none of that makes sense to those living in the world. While a secular judge may determine that a believer who owes a debt to a brother must pay it in full or face the full penalty of the law, God may require that both the debt and the brother be forgiven. God’s ways are not our ways. His judgments and application of justice will not always follow the legal code established by men. Since “no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11 ESV), how can an unbelieving judge know what God’s will might be in a given situation?

Paul refers to the lawsuits they were filing as “trivial cases.” He is not suggesting that they were small matters or of little significance. He is simply saying that, in the grand scheme of things, earthly disputes are nothing to worry about. We are to live with a future orientation, fully aware that our ultimate reward is in heaven, where we will sit as judges over the nations. We will rule and reign with Christ, and all disputes, large and small, will be settled once and for all. The greatest dispute to be settled will be the debate over the sovereignty of God and the Lordship of Christ. Everyone who has refused to acknowledge God and accept Christ as Savior will be judged. And yet, here were the Corinthians wasting time and energy disputing with one another over “trivial cases,” and taking one another to court to settle insignificant issues that have no eternal value.

We have been set apart by God and have been given new natures. We have the Holy Spirit living within us and the Word of God to direct us. Our designation as Christians is more than a label; it is a description of our lifestyle. We are to live like Christ. We are to love like Christ. We are to model Christ in all that we do. Christ was willing to suffer so that we might live. He was willing to endure unjust accusations and an undeserved death sentence so that we might be saved. As Isaiah so poignantly put it:

He was oppressed and treated harshly, yet he never said a word. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter. And as a sheep is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. Unjustly condemned, he was led away. – Isaiah 53:7-8 NLT

Father, we live in a culture that is fixated on justice. Yet, we don’t have a clue what that word even means. If You were to inact justice and pour out Your righteous anger on mankind, no one would be left standing, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Every one of us stands condemned and deserving of judgment, yet You provided a way for us to receive mercy, grace, and forgiveness through the seemingly unjust death of Your righteous and completely sinless Son. In the meantime, we fixate over the so-called injustices we suffer at the hands of others. We complain about the slights and mistreatments we have to endure, even from those who claim to be our brothers and sisters in Christ. We waste so much time worrying about our rights in this world and forget that we are citizens of a future Kingdom. Help me have the attitude that Paul expressed to Timothy. “I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory” (2 Timothy 2:10 NASB). Amen

Be Careful Who You Judge

January 8, 2026 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

⁹I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— ¹⁰not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. ¹¹But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. ¹²For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? ¹³God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.” – 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 ESV

Evidently, Paul had sent another letter to the church in Corinth before this one. In it, he had warned them, “not to associate with sexually immoral people” (1 Corinthians 5:9 ESV). Yet, they had evidently not taken his advice. That one command makes their toleration of the sin within their midst all the more egregious. They had turned a blind eye to the individual in their fellowship who was having an incestuous affair with his stepmother. Rather than confront this man about his sin, they were willingly ignoring it and even bragging about their tolerance of it. And yet, according to these verses, the believers in Corinth were isolating themselves from the unbelievers in their city. They were practicing a form of isolationism, refusing to have anything to do with the lost, probably out of a sense of moral superiority.

But Paul wants to make himself perfectly clear. In his previous letter, he was in no way promoting a brand of monasticism or spiritual isolationism. To attempt to eliminate all contact with unbelieving sinners would require them to leave the world. It would be impossible for a believer to disassociate himself from all contact with the lost. In fact, to attempt to do so would go against Jesus’ call that we be salt and light in a world filled with moral decay and spiritual darkness. Jesus Himself was accused of associating with sinners. In fact, he went out of His way to spend time with those who, in His day, were deemed the worst of sinners.

If we adopt a policy of spiritual isolationism, it will be difficult to obey His command to “go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone” (Mark 6:15 NLT). Had Paul determined to have nothing to do with the immoral, greedy, swindlers, and idolaters, no one in Corinth would have ever come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior. In the very next chapter, Paul reminds his audience of their former status as spiritual outcasts and moral misfits.

Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people — none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. – 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NLT

As Christians, it is so easy to judge the world and to view ourselves as morally superior because of our faith in Christ. But we should never forget that, before receiving God’s marvelous gift of grace, we were sinners, condemned, and unclean. We “lived in this world without God and without hope” (Ephesians 2:12 NLT). But God showed us mercy and graciously revealed to us the message of hope found in the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son. We were lost, but God sought us out and made us the undeserving sheep of His fold (Luke 15:1-7). We were spiritually blind, but God gave us sight. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, but God gave us new life through Christ.

We have no right to judge the lost of this world. We are not their moral superiors, and God did not choose us because we were somehow more deserving or had earned His favor. Before coming to faith in Christ, we were just as sinful and condemned.

It seems the Corinthians were quick to judge those outside their fellowship as moral misfits who were undeserving of their love and attention. But Paul clarifies that when he told them “not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin” (1 Corinthians 5:9 NLT), he wasn’t talking about unbelievers.

I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. – 1 Corinthians 5:11 NLT

Paul wanted them to turn their attention inward and focus on the moral condition of their own flock. He wanted them to know that they had a God-given responsibility to judge one another as believers. The Greek word Paul uses is κρίνω (krinō), and it carries a range of meanings. It can mean “to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong,” but it can also mean, “to pronounce judgment, to subject to censure” (“G2919 – krinō – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible).

There is a sense in which believers are to judge one another’s actions, but that judgment is not to be arbitrary or subjective. It is not left up to our own opinions or personal preferences. With the assistance of the Spirit of God, we are to use the Word of God to determine whether the behavior of a brother or sister in Christ is in keeping with the will of God. If we find that their behavior is out of step with God’s will, our first goal should be restoration. Paul told the Galatians, “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself” (Galatians 6:1 NLT). James wrote something very similar.

My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. – James 5:19-20 NLT

If we “judge” or determine that a fellow believer is behaving sinfully, we have an obligation to lovingly confront them, but our goal is their repentance and restoration. In those cases where they refuse to repent, we have a responsibility to practice a form of tough love, out of concern for the well-being of the body of Christ. We have an obligation to remove the unrepentant from our fellowship so that their behavior does not become infectious and destroy the spiritual health of the flock. Paul warned the Corinthians, “not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people” (1 Corinthians 5:11 NLT). Their lifestyle choices did not match their professed belief in Jesus. By their actions, they were bringing shame and dishonor to the name of God. They were a cancerous threat to the body of Christ, and the Corinthians’ refusal to remove them was allowing their sinful, disobedient mindset to infect others.

It is our willful tolerance of sin in the camp that causes the body of Christ to be weak and anemic. We are more than willing to judge unbelievers, pointing our fingers at their sinfulness and pridefully claiming the moral high ground. But when it comes to the blatant sins of those who claim to be Christ followers, we are more than willing to turn a blind eye and act as if nothing is wrong. That is exactly what the Corinthians had done. There was sin in their midst, and they had chosen to ignore it. Like so many of us today, they were probably saying, “Who am I to judge?” Or they defended their lack of judgment by using the words of Jesus.

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?” – Matthew 7:1-3 NLT

But Jesus meant that we were not to pass judgment on those whom we have no authority to do so. The context of Jesus’ statement is hypocrisy — judging someone else when you have not effectively dealt with your own sin. He was referring to judging and condemning the “speck” of sin in someone else’s life while ignoring the “log” of sin in your own.

Judgment is appropriate and right when done with the spiritual well-being of the body of Christ in mind. We have a responsibility to protect the integrity of God’s household, removing those who reject our calls to repentance. The fact is, we all sin, but we are called to confess our sins and turn from them. When we do, God is faithful to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). But if we choose to remain unrepentant, our brothers and sisters in Christ have an obligation to step in and call us out.

As Paul so clearly states, “It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning” (1 Corinthians 5:12 NLT). And the apostle Peter echoes Paul’s words when he writes, “For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household” (1 Peter 4:17 NLT).

Father, this is a difficult passage because it not only sounds impossible to pull off, but it isn’t very appealing. Judging unbelievers is easy because their sins are so apparent, and when I find fault in them, it makes me feel better about myself. But You are far more concerned about the sin in my life and the sins I so easily tolerate within the body of Christ. Of all people, we have no excuse for our sinfulness because we have been forgiven, redeemed, and filled with the Holy Spirit. As Peter states, You have “given us everything we need for life and godliness” (1 Peter 1:3). Yet, we keep on sinning and then try to justify our actions as somehow normal and acceptable. We not only tolerate the sin in our own lives, but we turn a blind eye to the sins of others who claim to be Christ followers. Give us a growing distaste and dissatisfaction for the sin that so easily entangles us (Hebrews 12:1). Increase our desire to live set apart lives and to remove the sin from our camp so that we reflect the character of Christ to a lost and dying world. Amen

Repentance Must Precede Restoration

May 24, 2025May 24, 2025 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite.

¹I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever;
    with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
²For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;
    in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”
³You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
    I have sworn to David my servant:
⁴‘I will establish your offspring forever,
    and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah

⁵Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD,
    your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
⁶For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
    Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,
⁷a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,
    and awesome above all who are around him?
⁸O LORD God of hosts,
    who is mighty as you are, O LORD,
    with your faithfulness all around you?
⁹You rule the raging of the sea;
    when its waves rise, you still them.
¹⁰You crushed Rahab like a carcass;
    you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
¹¹The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;
    the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
¹²The north and the south, you have created them;
    Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
¹³You have a mighty arm;
    strong is your hand, high your right hand.
¹⁴Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
    steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
¹⁵Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
    who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face,
¹⁶who exult in your name all the day
    and in your righteousness are exalted.
¹⁷For you are the glory of their strength;
    by your favor our horn is exalted.
¹⁸For our shield belongs to the LORD,
    our king to the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁹Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said:
    “I have granted help to one who is mighty;
    I have exalted one chosen from the people.
²⁰I have found David, my servant;
    with my holy oil I have anointed him,
²¹so that my hand shall be established with him;
    my arm also shall strengthen him.
²²The enemy shall not outwit him;
    the wicked shall not humble him.
²³I will crush his foes before him
    and strike down those who hate him.
²⁴My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,
    and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
²⁵I will set his hand on the sea
    and his right hand on the rivers.
²⁶He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
    my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’
²⁷And I will make him the firstborn,
    the highest of the kings of the earth.
²⁸My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
    and my covenant will stand firm for him.
²⁹I will establish his offspring forever
    and his throne as the days of the heavens.
³⁰If his children forsake my law
    and do not walk according to my rules,
³¹if they violate my statutes
    and do not keep my commandments,
³²then I will punish their transgression with the rod
    and their iniquity with stripes,
³³but I will not remove from him my steadfast love
    or be false to my faithfulness.
³⁴I will not violate my covenant
    or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
³⁵Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;
    I will not lie to David.
³⁶His offspring shall endure forever,
    his throne as long as the sun before me.
³⁷Like the moon it shall be established forever,
    a faithful witness in the skies.” Selah

³⁸But now you have cast off and rejected;
    you are full of wrath against your anointed.
³⁹You have renounced the covenant with your servant;
    you have defiled his crown in the dust.
⁴⁰You have breached all his walls;
    you have laid his strongholds in ruins.
⁴¹All who pass by plunder him;
    he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
⁴²You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
    you have made all his enemies rejoice.
⁴³You have also turned back the edge of his sword,
    and you have not made him stand in battle.
⁴⁴You have made his splendor to cease
    and cast his throne to the ground.
⁴⁵You have cut short the days of his youth;
    you have covered him with shame. Selah

⁴⁶How long, O LORD? Will you hide yourself forever?
    How long will your wrath burn like fire?
⁴⁷Remember how short my time is!
    For what vanity you have created all the children of man!
⁴⁸What man can live and never see death?
    Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah

⁴⁹LORD, where is your steadfast love of old,
    which by your faithfulness you swore to David?
⁵⁰Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked,
    and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations,
⁵¹with which your enemies mock, O LORD,
    with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed.

⁵²Blessed be the Lord forever!
Amen and Amen. – Psalm 89:1-52 ESV

The author of this psalm was Ethan the Ezrahite, who, according to 1 Kings 4:31, was a wise member of King David’s royal administration. He and his brother Heman, the author of Psalm 88, also served together as Levitical musicians and singers. His song begins by praising Yahweh (the LORD) for His unfailing love and faithfulness.

I will sing of the LORD’s unfailing love forever!
Young and old will hear of your faithfulness.
Your unfailing love will last forever.
Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens. – Psalm 89:1-2 NLT

His psalm includes a reminder of the covenant promises that Yahweh made to David.

“Now I will make you as famous as the great men of the earth. I will establish a place for my people Israel and settle them there; they will live there and not be disturbed anymore. Violent men will not oppress them again, as they did in the beginning and during the time when I appointed judges to lead my people Israel. Instead, I will give you relief from all your enemies. The LORD declares to you that he himself will build a dynastic house for you.” – 2 Samuel 7:9-11 NLT

For 25 verses, Ethan sings Yahweh’s praises, declaring His supremacy and incomparability. Yahweh has no equal, and His power is limitless. The Creator of heaven and earth rules over all with justice and righteousness, displaying His glory for all to see.

But Ethan knew that God had His limits. Despite His unfailing love and faithfulness, Yahweh would not tolerate spiritual infidelity and disobedience in His people. His covenant with David was intended to be ongoing, extending to future generations of David’s descendants.

“When the time comes for you to die, I will raise up your descendant, one of your own sons, to succeed you, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for my name, and I will make his dynasty permanent.” – 2 Samuel 7:12-13 NLT

But Ethan knew Yahweh would hold each succeeding generation accountable for their actions. He would demand obedience to His law and submission to His will, and if they failed to do so, they would experience His judgment and wrath.

But if his descendants forsake my instructions
    and fail to obey my regulations,
if they do not obey my decrees
    and fail to keep my commands,
then I will punish their sin with the rod,
    and their disobedience with beating. – Psalm 89:30-32 NLT

Yahweh warned David that this would be the consequence of future unfaithfulness. David’s heir to the throne would experience God’s love, but he would also come under God’s loving discipline if he refused to follow his father’s example of faithfulness.

“I will become his father and he will become my son. When he sins, I will correct him with the rod of men and with wounds inflicted by human beings. But my loyal love will not be removed from him…” – 2 Samuel 7:14-15 NLT

Ethan went out of his way to recall the covenant Yahweh made with David, almost as if to remind Him of its binding promises. He repeats Yahweh’s words back to Him in an attempt to hold Him to His word.

“No, I will not break my covenant;
    I will not take back a single word I said.
I have sworn an oath to David,
    and in my holiness I cannot lie:
His dynasty will go on forever;
    his kingdom will endure as the sun.
It will be as eternal as the moon,
    my faithful witness in the sky!” – Psalm 89:34-37 NLT

And Ethan has a purpose behind the rather lengthy opening to his psalm. The first 37 verses have served as the preface to his opening remarks in what appears to be a trial of Yahweh. In verse 38, he accuses God of violating the terms of His covenant agreement.

But now you have rejected him and cast him off.
You are angry with your anointed king.
You have renounced your covenant with him;
you have thrown his crown in the dust. – Psalm 89:37-38 NLT

Ethan provides no hints as to which descendant of David he has in mind or what event has caused his concern. Obviously, something tragic has taken place, forcing Ethan to draw the conclusion that Yahweh has broken His covenant promise. Whoever the king is, his reign is at risk and the future of the kingdom is in jeopardy. It seems likely that Ethan is recounting the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. Over a period of years, King Nebuchadnezzar and his forces had threatened to destroy the southern kingdom of Judah. A series of Davidic kings had attempted to hold off the Babylonian threat and failed. Jehoiachin’s father, Jehoiakim, had reigned for 11 years, but it all came to an end when Nebuchadnezzar took him back to Babylon in chains. Jehoiachin ascended to his father’s throne at the age of 18, but he only lasted three months before he too was taken captive to Babylon.

Ethan describes the scene of Jehoiachin’s fall and places the blame on Yahweh.

You have ended his splendor
and overturned his throne.
You have made him old before his time
and publicly disgraced him. – Psalm 89:44-45 NLT

But he conveniently leaves out an important part of the narrative. Both Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin had been guilty of sinning against Yahweh.

Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God. – 2 Chronicles 36:5 NLT

Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the LORD. – 2 Chronicles 36:9 NLT

Ethan doesn’t seem to remember that Yahweh had promised to punish David’s descendants for their sin. His judgment was inevitable but it was never to be taken as a sign that God had reneged on His covenant promises. In fact, God’s judgment was in keeping with His covenant commitment.

But speaking on behalf of the fallen king, Ethan writes, “LORD, where is your unfailing love? You promised it to David with a faithful pledge. Consider, LORD, how your servants are disgraced! I carry in my heart the insults of so many people. Your enemies have mocked me, O LORD; they mock your anointed king wherever he goes” (Psalm 89:49-51 NLT).

There is no evidence of brokenness or repentance. The king displays no remorse and offers no confession of his sins. It must have been demoralizing for Jehoiachin to leave Jerusalem draped in chains and treated like a common slave. The city must have mourned as they watched yet another king led away in defeat and ignominy. The Babylonians had arrested their king and plundered their Temple, and Yahweh seemed to be AWOL.

But Yahweh was there and simply waiting for someone to take ownership for the sins of His covenant people. He wanted someone to have the attitude that David had.

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
    You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
Look with favor on Zion and help her;
    rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit—
    with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.
    Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar. – Psalm 51:17019 NLT

But all Ethan could muster up was a weak line of praise at the end of his somber song.

Praise the Lord forever!
Amen and amen! – Psalm 89:51 NLT

He expects God to do something. In fact, he conveys the idea that God is obligated to fix their problem because He has broken His covenant commitment. But where is the broken spirit? What evidence of repentance does Ethan give? He wanted to experience Yahweh’s deliverance, but is unwilling to admit that their suffering had been self-inflicted. A whole succession of kings had led Judah to disobey Yahweh, and now they were paying the consequences for their actions. But the faithful, always loving Yahweh stood ready to restore His people when they were ready to confess their sins.

“If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14 NLT

Confession is the key to experiencing God’s deliverance. Repentance must precede restoration. David knew that, and so did his son Solomon. The promise recorded in 2 Chronicles 7:14 was spoken by God at the dedication of the Solomonic Temple. And God had warned His people that disobedience would bring discipline in the form of their nation’s fall and the Temple’s destruction.

“If you or your descendants abandon me and disobey the decrees and commands I have given you, and if you serve and worship other gods, then I will uproot the people from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make it an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations” – 2 Chronicles 7:19-20 NLT

But Yahweh was ready and willing to forgive their sins and restore their land — as soon as they were ready to humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways.

Father, we love the idea of forgiveness and count on the reality of Your unfailing love. But we take these gracious gifts for granted and treat them with contempt because we fail to acknowledge our sinfulness. We fully expect You to keep Your covenant promises, but seem to believe we are under no obligation to do our part. Somehow, we have determined that faithfulness is Your responsibility, not ours. But You still expect Your people to display humble hearts and a willingness to take ownership for our sins. Your love for us came at a high price; You sacrificed Your Son on our behalf. So, forgive us for making Your grace cheap and our faith as if its optional. Amen

The Joy of Forgiveness

March 28, 2025 / kdmiller55 / Leave a comment

A Maskil of David.

¹Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
²Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

³For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
⁴For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

⁵I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

⁶Therefore let everyone who is godly
    offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
    they shall not reach him.
⁷You are a hiding place for me;
    you preserve me from trouble;
    you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

⁸I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
    I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
⁹Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
    which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
    or it will not stay near you.

¹⁰Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.
¹¹Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart! – Psalm 32:1-11 ESV

This is a didactic psalm, one that is intended to share a hard-learned life lesson with others. In this psalm, David uses his personal experience with sin, confession, repentance, and forgiveness to encourage others to follow his example. He describes the joy that comes with living openly and honestly with God.

“…what joy for those
whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt,
whose lives are lived in complete honesty! – Psalm 32:2 NLT

At the same time, David shares the far more painful experience of refusing to admit his guilt. Failure to repent results in the easily avoidable discipline of God.

When I refused to confess my sin,
my body wasted away,
and I groaned all day long.
Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. – Psalm 32:2-4 NLT

David provides only two alternatives when it comes to dealing with sin: Confess and receive God’s gracious forgiveness or stubbornly refuse God’s conviction and bear the consequences. For David, the choice was a simple one.

Finally, I confessed all my sins to you
and stopped trying to hide my guilt.
I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.”
And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. – Psalm 32:5 NLT

David used his life experiences as a teaching tool, hoping to spare others the painful lesson of trying to deny their sin and ignore their guilt. That way of life was unproductive and painful. Yet, the unpleasant consequences of unrepentance could be avoided by heeding David’s gracious advice. In a prayerful aside to God, David offers his desire that all men could discover the joy of confession and forgiveness.

…let all the godly pray to you while there is still time,
that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. – Psalm 32:6 NLT

Turning back to his human audience, David begs them to heed his words.

Do not be like a senseless horse or mule
that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control. – Psalm 32:9 NLT

Stubbornness is not a virtue. An unwillingness to admit guilt is not the same thing as innocence. Denying one’s sin does not make it go away. Refusing to accept God’s conviction does nothing to avoid condemnation. David offers the choice between sorrow and joy, suffering and blessing, denial and divine forgiveness.

One of the sad realities of human life is sinfulness. It is unavoidable and inevitable. We have inherited a sin nature, and it shows up uninvited and without warning on a regular basis in all of our lives. Sometimes, our sins are small and appear relatively harmless. Other times, even we are appalled at the extent of our own capability to commit sins that are offensive to most men, let alone God. Our sinful natures are constantly doing battle within us, fighting with the indwelling influence of the Holy Spirit. Paul put it this way:

The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. – Galatians 5:17 NLT

The battle within us is real, and the presence of our sinful nature is easy to recognize. We see it in the sins we commit daily, both sins of commission and omission. We don’t do the things we should do, and we do those things God has forbidden us to do. But here is the good news: God is fully aware of our sinful nature. He knows that we are sinners, so He sent His Son to serve as our sin substitute.

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT

God has set us free from slavery to sin. We no longer HAVE to sin, because we have been given a new nature. He has provided His Spirit to indwell us, fill us, and empower us to live a life that is no longer sin-saturated, but Christ-centered. We now have the capacity to NOT sin. We can say no to sin.

We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. – Romans 6:6-7 NLT

But the truth is, we still sin because we still have three things contending against us: Satan, the world, and our own sinful natures. John reminds us, “If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth” (1 John 1:8 NLT). So sin is still inevitable but avoidable. When we do sin, there is hope. We have forgiveness available to us. We need only confess or admit our sin to God, and He offers complete forgiveness. Confession is not telling God something He doesn’t already know about us. He knows everything. He sees all our sins. Confession is agreeing with God on the presence of that sin in our lives and acknowledging our need for His forgiveness. David said, “I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt” (Psalms 32:5 NLT). The Hebrew word for “confessed” is yada, and it carries the idea of both knowing something and making it known. As God makes us aware of our sin, we are encouraged to agree with HIs assessment and acknowledge our guilt to Him. That is confession.

Attempting to hide or deny our sin is ridiculous because God already knows all about it. When we refuse to confess, we miss out on His forgiveness. As part of His sanctifying process in our lives, God is always exposing our. He shines the flashlight of His divine omniscience into the dark recesses of our lives to point out the unconfessed sins that reside there. When He reveals our sins to us, all He asks is that we acknowledge or confess their presence to Him and ask for His forgiveness. The good news is that is exactly what we receive. David says, “what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!” (Psalms 32:2 NLT).

David loved the forgiveness of God because he knew how much he needed it. He was a sinner just like you and me. He didn’t always do what God wanted him to do, and he sometimes did those things God didn’t want him to do. But David knew the reality and blessing of confession and forgiveness. So, he reminds us to live a life of confession as well.

David knew that God guides and directs His children on how to live. Part of that process requires the exposure of the sin in our lives so that we might be made aware of it and then confess it to Him. It is for our own good. To refuse to see it, acknowledge it, and admit it would make us like a senseless horse or mule that needs the pain of a bridle and bit to make it do what it is supposed to do. Confession is meant to be comforting because it leads to forgiveness. It frees us from guilt, restores our relationship with the Father, and brings us joy. So why wouldn’t we confess our sins readily and regularly?

Father, I confess to You that I do not confess often enough. I sometimes try to ignore my sins as if they are not that great. But I know that I need to see them and confess them to You. They are a constant reminder to me of my need for You. I cannot cleanse myself. I cannot sanctify myself. I cannot get rid of my sin by myself. Only You can remove the sin that remains within me. Only You can conquer the sin nature that still does battle with me daily. So I want to learn to confess more regularly and readily, so that I might enjoy the blessing of Your forgiveness.. Amen

Sin’s Consequences Have a Long Shelf-Life

July 20, 2024 / kdmiller55 / 2 Comments

¹Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” ²So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. ³And David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement, that you may bless the heritage of the Lord?” ⁴The Gibeonites said to him, “It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.” And he said, “What do you say that I shall do for you?” ⁵They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel, ⁶let seven of his sons be given to us, so that we may hang them before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the Lord.” And the king said, “I will give them.”

⁷But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, because of the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. ⁸The king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite; ⁹and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord, and the seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest.

¹⁰Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens. And she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the field by night. ¹¹When David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, ¹²David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. ¹³And he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged. ¹⁴And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. And they did all that the king commanded. And after that God responded to the plea for the land. – 2 Samuel 21:1-14 ESV

These closing chapters of the book of Second Samuel function as a kind of appendix, presenting six unrelated stories that do not appear in chronological order. Yet, this compilation of disconnected stories is intended to provide a historical overview of the life of David. The first involves a famine, which probably took place early in David’s reign. It had lasted three years and brought much devastation to the people of Israel. But it was not until David sought the face of God that he became aware of the famine’s cause. It is significant to note that, early in David’s reign, he seemed to have been more prone to seek the face of God when faced with difficulty. But he had still waited three years before he determined to seek the Lord’s will concerning the matter.

It seems that David initially viewed the famine as nothing more than a natural disaster. But after three years with no relief, he finally inquired of the Lord and was told, “The famine has come because Saul and his family are guilty of murdering the Gibeonites” (2 Samuel 21:1 NLT). This was not a case of divine judgment; God was punishing Israel for a sin committed by Saul during his reign as king. But the genesis of this story goes back much farther than that.

The Book of Joshua records an incident concerning the people of Israel as they were attempting to take possession of the land of Canaan. This was the inheritance that God promised to give to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Now, centuries later, Joshua had been appointed by God to lead the Israelites in their conquest and occupation of the land. Early on in their mission, Joshua was approached by a contingent of Gibeonites who were disguised as weary travelers who had come as emissaries of a distant nation. They informed Joshua that they wished to make a treaty with the Israelites.

These Gibeonites, who were actually local occupants of the land, had heard of Israel’s destruction of Jericho and Ai and feared that they would suffer a similar fate. So, they had come up with a plan to deceive the Israelites into making a treaty with them, and it worked. But what’s important to note is that it worked because Joshua “did not ask counsel from the Lord” (Joshua 9:14 NLT). Instead, he signed a treaty with the Gibeonites, vowing not to attack them.

Even when the Israelites discovered that they had been deceived, they were powerless to do anything about it because they “had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel” (Joshua 9:18 NLT). This story contains a powerful and timeless life lesson. When faced with the Gibeonites’ plausible but false story, Joshua failed to seek God’s wisdom or will. As a result, he was deceived and made a treaty with the Gibeonites, in direct violation of God’s will.

“Be very careful never to make a treaty with the people who live in the land where you are going. If you do, you will follow their evil ways and be trapped. Instead, you must break down their pagan altars, smash their sacred pillars, and cut down their Asherah poles. You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.

“You must not make a treaty of any kind with the people living in the land. They lust after their gods, offering sacrifices to them. They will invite you to join them in their sacrificial meals, and you will go with them. Then you will accept their daughters, who sacrifice to other gods, as wives for your sons. And they will seduce your sons to commit adultery against me by worshiping other gods.” – Exodus 34:12-16 NLT

Joshua didn’t realize it at the time, but his decision would have long-lasting implications. The Israelites would suffer no immediate consequences for finalizing their agreement with the Gibeonites but, in time, the wisdom behind God’s earlier prohibition would make sense.

The Israelites’ tendency to leave God out of the picture would repeat itself over the centuries. The names of the leaders would change but the pattern of autonomy and stubborn self-sufficiency would continue to raise its ugly head. Even David, the man after God’s own heart, has displayed a surprising propensity for leaving God out of his decision-making and, each time he did, it never turned out well.

This incident with the Gibeonites is yet another reminder that failure to seek the will of God doesn’t always produce immediate consequences, but it is a dangerous game to play. God’s wisdom and will are not up for debate. His plan is perfect and in no need of alteration or assistance. Joshua had no way of knowing how his decision would impact the lives of future generations of Israelites. He simply signed the treaty with the Gibeonites and moved on with the conquest of the land.

But centuries later, when Saul became king of Israel, he violated the treaty that Joshua made with the Gibeonites. It is unclear whether Saul was ignorant of the long-standing treaty or willingly broke it to eliminate the Gibeonites as a threat to his kingdom. The details of this incident are not recorded in Scripture but Saul’s actions would produce consequences.

When David sought God’s insight regarding the cause of the famine, he was told, “It is because of Saul and his bloodstained family, because he murdered the Gibeonites” (2 Samuel 21:1 NLT). God had not forgotten the initial treaty signed by Joshua or Saul’s violation of it. The Almighty’s memory is flawless and His will is unchanging. Even though God had not authorized the treaty between Israel and the Gibeonites, once it was ratified, He expected its terms to be kept. But Saul had chosen to break that binding agreement for the sake of his kingdom. Now, years later, Saul’s debt was coming due and David would have to pay it.

It’s important to note that David did not dispute the facts of the case. He didn’t question the Lord’s explanation for the famine or demand to know why he was having to clean up Saul’s mess. The famine was the result of Saul’s sin and David was being tasked with the unpleasant prospect of mitigating its consequences. There is little doubt that Saul did not seek the will of God before he broke the treaty with the Gibeonites, and there is no indication that he personally suffered for doing so. But David and the people of Israel had been forced to endure three long years of hunger and suffering for Saul’s disobedience.

It should not be overlooked that Saul’s motivation for killing the Gibeonites was honorable.

Saul, in his zeal for Israel and Judah, had tried to wipe them out. – 2 Samuel 21:2 NLT

He had meant well but because he did not seek God’s will, the outcome didn’t turn out well. Saul never had to face the consequences of his disobedience, but David did. When he interviewed the Gibeonites and asked for a list of demands to remedy the injustice Saul had committed, their answer must have surprised him.

“It was Saul who planned to destroy us, to keep us from having any place at all in the territory of Israel. So let seven of Saul’s sons be handed over to us, and we will execute them before the Lord at Gibeon, on the mountain of the Lord.” – 2 Samuel 21:5-6 NLT

The Gibeonites didn’t ask for financial remuneration or demand that David award them rights to Saul’s former land holdings. They appealed to the ancient law of lex talionis which demanded retribution in kind. The Mosaic Law contains its own version of this legal precedence.

But if there is further injury, the punishment must match the injury: a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot, a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise. – Exodus 21:23-25 NLT

Once David heard their demand, he knew he could not ignore it or attempt to barter his way out of it. The famine would not end until this situation was made right and justice was served. So, David gathered seven of the sons of Saul and “gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord, and the seven of them perished together” (2 Samuel 21:9 ESV).

This must have been a dark day for David and the people of Israel as they watched the seven sons of Saul marching to their deaths. Saul’s kinsmen would have found this payment for past sins particularly hard to accept. Their lingering dislike for David would have boiled over into resentment and disdain for his all-too-quick assent to the Gibeonite’s demand.

But one of the lessons we must take away from this story is the residual nature of sin. Joshua failed to seek God’s counsel and ended up making a covenant that violated God’s will. Yahweh had commanded the complete destruction and elimination of the occupants of the land. No treaties were to be made. No alliances were to be formed. Joshua’s failure to listen to God not only left the Gibeonites in the land but created a ticking time bomb that would threaten future generations of Israelites. Saul would end up breaking Joshua’s treaty with the Gibeonites by putting some of them to death. Then, years later, the people of Israel ended up having to endure a three-year-long famine as payment for the disobedience of both Joshua and Saul. One sin led to another, leaving David with the unpleasant task of having to remedy the whole situation by having seven innocent men put to death.

Sin always has consequences. What can easily be overlooked in this story are the thousands of innocent people who suffered from the famine. Many likely lost loved ones due to starvation. Innocent children suffered. Animals died. The entire community was forced to go through three years of God-ordained punishment because of the sins of two men. It’s impossible to ignore the sorrow of Rizpah, the grieving mother who remained by the lifeless bodies of her sons, mourning her loss and attempting to protect their bodies from scavengers. Her grief was the direct result of someone else’s sin.

The story comes to a conclusion with David gathering the bodies of the seven slain sons, along with the bones of Saul and Jonathan, and burying them all in the land of the Benjamites. Saul and Jonathan had also died as a result of sin against God. Saul deserved what happened to him, but Jonathan was yet another innocent casualty of sin’s devastating impact. Time and time again, the Scriptures reveal the latent and lingering influence of sin. It has a long shelf life. Our sins can be forgiven, but their consequences can last for generations. That’s why it is so important to seek the Lord’s wisdom and to strive to live within His will. It is when we fail to seek Him that we leave ourselves vulnerable to our own sinful natures and the influence of the enemy. Ignoring God and following our own flawed and selfish desires never produces the result for which we are looking. When we leave God out of our decision-making, our poor choices will always come back to haunt us. We wrongly assume that our sins are personal and harm no one but ourselves. But the Scriptures are full of sobering stories like this one that proves that conclusion painfully wrong – dead wrong.

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