God in the midst of a messy family
Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Joanna Moss:
What did I like about today’s passage?
As David lies on his deathbed, he has a message for his son, Solomon. He begins with encouragement and good advice about staying close to God and following His commands, however it ends with instructions to kill – not quite the emotional farewell speech I was expecting. From David’s language it seems that these are personal offences – 2 v.5, ‘Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me’. And the chapter ends with Solomon eliminating these two people as instructed, as well as his brother.
We will see throughout the book of 1 Kings this internal conflict, as Solomon and future kings attempt to (sometimes) follow God but also seek to do what they want and fulfil their own ideas of justice, without waiting on God first. Firstly, I think this shows how much we like to be in control and that sometimes we’d rather act ourselves and do what we think is right rather than waiting for God. It also reminds me of how complex human behaviour can be and that even as Christians, after committing to following Jesus we can still feel pulled towards other things (money, power, success, achievements, sex, beauty, popularity, etc.) that distract us from God and from following His will instead of our own.
What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?
For me, it showed me God’s grace, that even as people who are imperfect, unfaithful, and insolent, He still chooses to use us for his purposes and plans. David was a great man of God, unparalleled in his own time or since, but his home life was far from perfect and honestly quite messy. There was adultery, murder, deceit, rape, estrangement, and death – hardly the ideal family set up. And here at the beginning of 1 Kings we meet at family at odds: with brothers fighting over their father’s crown and his previous wife. Yet, God is in the midst of this family, maintaining his promise to David and establishing a lineage that would lead to Jesus’ birth 14 generations later.
It reminds me that God doesn’t turn His back on our messy situations but that actually, He is right in the middle of them.
What am I going to do differently as a result?
I think I need to get better at sharing the parts of my life that I think are messy or difficult with God more. I think I have a tendency to want to fix a situation or relationship that has gone wrong myself, without letting God be a part of it. Instead, I want to be quicker at giving it to God and asking His advice and blessing first.
Who am I going to share this with?
My uni friend Emma – as someone I have been sharing my faith with for a while, I want to hear her thoughts on this passage and also have her keep me accountable to doing what I’ve said.