ESOCS Devotional 9 September
TEXT: 2 Samuel 16:1-10 KJV
MEMORY VERSE: “And the king said, and where is thy master’s son? And Ziba said unto the king, behold, he abideth at Jerusalem: for he said, today shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.” 2 Samuel 16:3 KJV
The sin of deceit is a very serious sin. All deceits are lying, and all lying are sin. Deceit might take subtle forms at times to try to disguise itself. For the records, we define it to be untrue statement that is specifically intended to deceive. Thus, Peter could say to Christians, “Put away all malice and all deceit and all slander” (1 Peter 2:1). Deceit is an act or statement, which misleads, hides the truth, or promotes a belief, concept, or idea that is not true.
We call it the deceitfulness of sin because it deceives under the appearance of the good. In the text above, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth took a couple of asses with some edible items and a bottle of wine. He told David that the asses were for the king to ride on, and the edible items for the young men to eat and drink for the weak in the wilderness. He told David that Mephibosheth stayed back in Jerusalem from where he would demand for the restoration of the kingdom of his father from the house of Israel (2 Samuel 16: 1-3).
Ziba lied, hoping to receive a reward from David. In chapter 19:24-30, Mephibosheth gave the true position. David was not certain who amongst the two was telling the truth, and the scripture left this unanswered. But we may infer from the text that Ziba lied. First, he lied to David that the asses were for the king to ride on while the edible items were for refreshments and the wine for the weak in the wilderness. Second, he presented Mehpibosheth as one who wanted to demand for his father’s kingdom through revolt. But in 2 Samuel 9:7, we were told David assured Mephibosheth that he will surely show him kindness for the sake of his father, Jonathan, David’s bosom friend by restoring all the land of Saul, and in addition, that he will henceforth eat bread at his (David) table continually
Read yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
Desire for material gain can motivate people to deceive as in this case. When the desire motivates lying, the consequences are likely to be negative- not only for the person who deceived but for other people. In the text, David could not say who was saying the truth. David could have ordinarily reversed his kindness and assurances and even banished Mehpibosheth. Deceit therefore has a destructive effect. Children of God should therefore avoid the sin of deceit no matter under any guise.
CHALLENGES
- Is there any life challenge compelling you to be involved in the sin of deceit?
- Check those old habits in you again to see if any falls under the sin of deceit and drop them.
PRAYER POINT:
- Ask God to give you discerning spirit to know any act of deceit and the ability to reject them.
FURTHER READING:Genesis 3:1-7; 2 Samuel 9; Proverb 20:17; Acts 5:1-11
Thank you for reading the ESOCS Devotional today. Please share and follow us on all our platforms to contribute to the spread of the Gospel.
ESOCS Devotional 9 September
