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2 Samuel 21:1 – The Mercy of Clarity

We have a God who doesn’t just tell us that things are bad. We could work that out for ourselves. He also tells us why they’re bad, and that’s a mercy that we shouldn’t take for granted. We see it in the passage in front of us. The chapter opens with a famine. But there’s something unusual about the famine because it just keeps going. And David seeks the face of the LORD. Don’t miss how wonderful that is. As Christians we have a God that we can go to for clarity. How different this is from the world. A crisis hits. What’s the world’s reaction? “We can fix this”. They don’t seek the face of the LORD, because they don’t think they need to. Or think of the average unbeliever. Their child is rushed to hospital. Some other crisis hits their life. But they have no God to seek the face of. Do you realise how blessed you are, to have a God that you can go to in a crisis?

So David goes to the LORD to ask what’s causing this famine. God’s answer is: ‘Bloodguilt’. In other words, sin. Now that might not necessarily be the answer David wants to hear. But again, what a mercy that God tells us what the actual issue is. Think of someone who goes to a counsellor. Maybe their life is just dominated by sin, and they’re super stressed trying to keep it hidden, and also keep up appearances at home. That counsellor, if they’re not a Christian, isn’t going to say: ‘You’re living in sin and you need to stop it right now’. Why not? Because sin isn’t a category that the unbelieving counsellor can use. Because they don’t believe in it. Or perhaps the person is suffering the consequences of sinful lifestyle choices in the past. The counsellor isn’t going to say what they should say which is first and foremost that they are suffering the consequences for past sin, that needs to be repented of and dealt with. Rather, all the counsellor will do is try and help them manage the situation they find themselves in now without dealing with the root of the problem. If someone went to the doctor with a physical illness, and the doctor knew what was causing it, but only told the patient how to manage the symptoms, that wouldn’t be loving – if they could actually deal with the problem at the source. But God in his mercy tells us what the root cause of our problems is in order that we can do something about it. Or rather – that we might come to him, and have him do something about it.

Question

  1. What is the root cause of our problems?

Prayer Points

  1. Give thanks that we have a God that we can go to in a crisis.
  2. Use prayer points from your congregation.
  3. Pray for family matters.