1 Kings 1-2
They were tough times back in the Bible days; always somebody plotting against somebody. It seems some things never change. It can be difficult to distinguish good men from bad. Joab, for instance, was often on the right side of things, but he did a lot of wrong as well. And in the end, Solomon, not David, though at David’s word, had Joab struck down for his blood guilt; for when he exacted revenge on his personal enemies by his own hand. Of course, Joab did a lot of other things against David, but it was this “blood guilt” act for which David commanded Solomon to make right. It seems so strange to me that David never did anything about it himself. Not only did he do nothing about it, he kept Joab as commander of his armies! Sometimes I just don’t understand things.
And then there was Shimei. He was shown much mercy, by both David and Solomon. But he disregarded it; took it for granted. It seems a harsh thing to put him to death for going after his servants, especially since he did not go with the intention of ‘leaving’ Jerusalem. It was a temporary mission with a specific purpose and he came right back to where he belonged. But that, it seems is where the mercy ended. He made a vow and broke it. In however small a way, a broken vow is still a broken vow. And since he was already living only under mercy, I suppose the outcome was to be expected.
I guess all I can say about all of this is that I am so very glad that God gave us a different way, a new covenant – a covenant of mercy. It is a mercy that is new every morning and that knows no bounds. It is a mercy that never ends; one that follows me every day of my life. No matter how many times I screw up, get it wrong, break my word…whatever…God always brings me back. Yes, He doesn’t just take me back, He brings me back. It is He who turns my heart to Him, because He has called me as His own. How grateful I am for that.
John 18:19-40
Pilate asked the Jewish leaders, “What accusation do you bring against this man?”. They gave him a very familiar type of answer – they projected their own faults on Him without ever laying down any specific accusation. They claimed He was doing evil, without stating what that evil was. Truth is, the evil was in their own hearts. How ironic, that they were laying their own evil on Him, when in actuality, He was taking it willingly on Himself and they didn’t even know it.
In the face of their lying, Jesus told Pilate that His purpose for coming into the world was to bear witness to the truth. Then we get another very familiar answer – “Pilate said to him, ‘What is truth?’” (vs 38). It doesn’t seem to be a question that he intended for Jesus to answer, but I find it fascinating somehow that he asked it. He was standing there, staring Truth in the face – did he recognize it? Why was it at that point when he went and declared that he found no guilt in Jesus? I wish I knew what went on in Pilate’s heart as a result of his encounter with Jesus, the Truth. Was he counted guilty for his part in Christ’s death or did he at some point find forgiveness in the Truth?