March 2, 2020 CAC Living Water Devotional :- COVENANT BREAKERS
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LIVING WATER🌊 CAC DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
Monday, March 2, 2020.
COVENANT BREAKERS
Read: 2 Samuel 21:1-9
2 Samuel 21:1-9 Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the Lord. And the Lord answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.
And the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah.)
Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make the atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the Lord?
And the Gibeonites said unto him, We will have no silver nor gold of Saul, nor of his house; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel. And he said, What ye shall say, that will I do for you.
And they answered the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel,
Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will hang them up unto the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, whom the Lord did choose. And the king said, I will give them.
But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the Lord’s oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite:
And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the hill before the Lord: and they fell all seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest.
MEMORISE: In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he honors those who fear the Lord; He who swears to his own hurt and does not change (Psalms 15:4)
EXPOSITION
Only God makes covenant and stays by it, ultimately. Man’s life is characterised by inability to stay true to whatever said. Many people can keep to so many things, except covenants and vows. They conclude that, after all, they are not God. Yes. None of us is God, but we are made in His image and likeness. So, it is expected of us to possess His communicable attributes.
People like Jephtah and Hannah are very scarce in the world, nowadays. These people were very faithful to God, most importantly with regard to their vows. Even when nobody was around when they made their promises, they still did not default in fulfilling them (Jdg. 11:30,31; 1 Sam. 1:11-24). Conversely, Saul did the worst, when he decided to kill the people of Gibeon. Covenant, or let’s call it peace treaty, had existed between the Gibeonites and Israelites, many years before Saul became king in Israel (Joshua 9:3-18). Many leaders had come and gone, who knew about the treaty and would not tamper with it, provided the Gibeonites stayed contented with their status amidst God’s people. Why would Saul break this treaty in his own time? Why would he do such a terrible thing? He was simply motivated by a covenant-breaking spirit. This is the same spirit that is running in many people, today.
Check it! Don’t you find it difficult to fulfill promises, covenants and vows? Covenant breakers are like city breakers. A noticeable thing about them is that, they find it difficult to maintain relationship. Saul refused to honour the covenant he met on ground, which was made and sealed by his patriarchs. He paid dearly for it, with the lives of his children and grandchildren. Be a builder, repairer, or mender, not a breaker of godly covenants.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Lord, help relationships that are in disarray to be cordial again, in Jesus’ name.
2. Homes that are suffering from the menace of divorce, O Lord, bring healing to them, in Jesus’ name.
3. Lord, give me the spirit of forgiveness and friendliness, so that I will be loving and never seek retribution.
EXTRA READING FOR TODAY: Numbers 8 & Luke 19