Day 196

1 Chronicles 19:1–21:30; Romans 2:25–3:8; Psalm 11:1-7; Proverbs 19:10-12

AS WE JOURNEYED through 1 Chronicles today, we continued to experience the reign of King David. And though we’ve covered his story previously in the books of Samuel and Kings, the retelling gives us the opportunity to immerse ourselves more deeply in it. For example, in today’s reading, David bought a plot of land and built an altar to God. The land belonged to a man named Araunah, who offered to donate everything David needed for the altar, as well as his land. David responded, “No, I insist on buying it for the full price. I will not take what is yours and give it to the LORD. I will not present burnt offerings that have cost me nothing!” (1 Chronicles 21:24).

Let us consider our own lives in light of David’s posture of heart. Are we offering God what costs us nothing in time, talent, and treasure? Or have we offered all that we are and all that we have to Him?

In Romans today, Paul addressed questions that arose out of a distortion of his message of grace. The first argument was that sin has value because it ultimately reveals God’s righteousness: “Our sinfulness serves a good purpose, for it helps people see how righteous God is. Isn’t it unfair, then, for him to punish us?” (Romans 3:5).

The second argument was, “The more we sin, the better it is!” (Romans 3:8). In other words, the more dishonest I am, the more God’s truthfulness is revealed.

These are classic the-end-justifies-the-means arguments, and Paul renounces them completely for the same reason we must: It is unthinkable that God is unjust or unfair (Romans 3:6). And God’s mercy is not a license to destroy ourselves through sin.

Our reading from Proverbs also gave us much to think about: “Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs” (Proverbs 19:11).

This is a truly brilliant proverb. Isn’t our inability to overlook wrongs usually the catalyst for us losing our temper? Let’s pay attention to this. When we feel as if we’re about to lose it, let’s pause and consider what overlooking the wrong might bring to the situation. This isn’t to say that we leave matters unaddressed. But we must approach them sensibly, as the proverb counsels us.

MEDITATION:

The LORD still rules from heaven. He watches everyone closely, examining every person on earth. The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked.