Rev. Don Campbell
2 Samuel 8-9; 1 Chronicles 18
THOUGHT FOR TODAY, May 9, 2019
“DID YOU REALLY WANT TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT”
God had granted David victory after victory as he solidified his power and reigned over all Israel (2 Samuel 8:1-14). It is one thing to win great victories, whether on a battlefield of blood or the battlefield of politics. It is another to exercise that power in a way that pleases God. Speaking through Jeremiah, he said, “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
When judges were appointed to judge Israel, they were given these instructions: “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous. Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you” (Deuteronomy 16:18-20).
When we read, “So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people” (v.15), we know exactly what was meant.
Right is right and wrong is wrong, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, party affiliation or any other consideration. Martin Luther King, Jr., in “A Letter from the Birmingham Jail” quoted Amos: “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24).
If we really want America to be great, we will always act with justice and equity and demand the same from our leaders.
CONNECTIONS
1. James places the sin of partiality in the same category as what other sins? (2:8-13)
2. What sin were the priests of Malachi’s day committing? (2:1-9).
