Today's Daily Lesson comes from 2 Samuel chapter 2 verses 24 through 28:
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. As the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 The Benjaminites rallied around Abner and formed a single band; they took their stand on the top of a hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab, “Is the sword to keep devouring forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you order your people to turn from the pursuit of their kinsmen?”
The Lesson today comes from the aftermath of the death of Saul and the ensuing struggle between the House of Saul and the House of David. The future of Israel is in the balance, as civil war pits tribe against tribe and clan against clan, and the House of David is increasingly propped up by strong men like Joab, insistent on strong-armed tactics and brutality.
Then these haunting words from Abner, the uncle of Saul and the chief military man among the House of Saul, and a man destined to die at the hand of Joab before another chapter is out:
"Is the sword to keep devouring forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter?"
These are words to ponder deeply now for us as fellow-countrymen and women. We too see the strife and bitterness at the heart of the struggle for the future of America. Will we keep devouring one another? Do we not know that the end will be bitter?
In the immortal Texas movie "Lonesome Dove" Gus McCrae says, "You ride with outlaws, you die with outlaws." And you do.
Or sometimes worse -- and as in the case with David --you live with them.
NOTE: We are reading the Bible together this year. Tomorrow's Lesson comes from 1 Chronicles chapters 1-2.
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