January 15th Check-In

Hello Friends!

Time has flown…so fast, in fact, that I just now realized it is again the 15th! Happy New Year!

I am at the third chapter of Proverbs, and I am feeling re-energized and re-committed after reading the poetic Psalms of praise. One new revelation that I had when reading Psalms this time was that many of them are written by David during times of physical affliction, and the context and reader’s notes suggest they the afflictions are the result of God rebuking David. David’s outcry certainly indicates that his afflictions caused a great deal of discomfort and fear. I found this to be significant to some of our previous conversations where we compared God’s treatment of Saul to God’s treatment of David. This recent reading of the Psalms has led me to believe that God afflicted David in much the same way he afflicted Saul in response to sinful actions. The difference seems to be in how David and Saul responded to God’s rebuke. David was repentant, sorry, humbled, changed, contrite, cleansed by God’s rebuke. Saul continued to persist in his own way until the very day he died, on which day he violated (again) the commandments of God by consulting with a seer. And, perhaps, that difference even affects the way each story is told…the story of David is focused on the strength of his character because that prevailed. Saul’s story is focused on his weakness of character because that is the legacy that he chose to leave. ??? Any thoughts???

I cannot wait to hear where you are in your journey! I encourage you all to reply to the group no matter where you are at so we can stay true to the purposes of the group which are accountability and encouragement!

Peace and joy, Amee Bible In a Year