2 Samuel 13; Psalm 112; Romans 14

 June 13: How much pain and offense could be saved if we consistently lived by the principle of self-restriction in light of every man’s susceptibility to temptation and sin? We’re so frequently shamed into indulgence by the claim that we’re strict, suspicious or legalistic. What if we were better at confessing our faults and making no provision for the flesh?


2 Samuel 13: The drama that continues to play out according to God’s prophetic word through Nathan has to do mostly with Absalom and David. But what about poor Tamar? What happened to her after these events? She “remained desolate in her brother Absalom’s house. Was it perpetual?

Psalm 112: This Psalm is making me think of the Romans 7 passage: "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not… I delight in the law of God after the inward man…” (7:18,22) I can recognize the greatness of God’s commandments - how even in the treatment of the weak brother in Romans 14, it is love and care that is shown. I can also acknowledge that without the power of God I have no ability to consistently perform. How does this lead to the “fixed heart” of Psalm 112:7? It is His promises that fix my heart: if it’s true that righteousness doesn’t come by the works of the law but by faith, then my hope is entirely in Him and not in my ability to perform.

Romans 14: In chapter 13, Paul extolled the higher law of love as the fulfilling of the law and urged us to put on Christ and make no provision for the flesh. How does that work out in “doubtful disputations?” Self-restriction for those who have liberty of conscience in matters such as clean and unclean foods or observances of days. We have obligations to one another not to offend.

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