Daily Devotional for Friday, January 26

The Tally of Leaders

“Now Joab was over all the host of Israel: and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherithites and over the Pelethites: and Adoram was over the tribute: and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder,” 2 Samuel 20:23, 24.

You have probably seen memes with the captions, “How It Started vs. How It’s Going.” Normally these are about some new diet or about a particular team’s beginning and ending to a season. But we instinctively understand these statements because we have all felt a hopeful start with a not-too-successful completion. We have seen a small glimpse of this in David’s kingdom.

Second Samuel 20:23-26 parallels 2 Samuel 8:15-18. They are comparison summaries of David’s kingdom. They read similarly, but we notice a couple important differences that tell us much about David’s time as king.

First, we see the absence of David in the second summary. His reigning and his administration of justice and equity were highlighted in the first summary. In the second, there was no such record. It’s almost as though there was not much good to say. Second, we notice in the second summary the addition of a new position not seen in the first. Adoram is listed as the head over tribute or over forced labor. This was a practice more fully utilized by Solomon, which also led to the later splitting of the kingdom, which, at the very least, foreshadows some later problems.

In between these two summaries are the tragedies of David’s sins and the two revolts against him. David’s kingdom was still intact, but it was not the same glory. All of this shows us the working of God’s grace and God’s mercy. David did not deserve his kingdom, but through God’s grace and mercy, David’s kingdom stood.

As we fail and sin, we likewise stand in need of God’s grace and mercy. We also rely upon God’s promise to keep us and love us, in spite of our failures before Him.

REFLECTION
Like the tax collector of Luke 18:13, we also cry out, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”

Jason Rutherford