How are things at home?

“I’m doing the very best I can…at home, where it counts.” Psalm 101:2 MSG

After King David’s affair with Bathsheba, the prophet Nathan told him, “The sword shall never depart from your house” (2 Samuel 12:10 NKJV). And it happened. His son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar, and because David had lost his moral authority at home, he did nothing about it. When his other son Adonijah staged a coup, “his father…never crossed him at any time by asking, ‘Why have you done so?’” (1 Kings 1:6 NAS). If ever there was a time David needed to be a husband and father, this was it. As a leader, he unified Israel, won wars, and brought the ark of the covenant back to Jerusalem. But with his own family, he blew it. No wonder he “went up by…the Mount of Olives, and wept” (2 Samuel 15:30 NKJV). When he heard of his son Absalom’s untimely death, he cried, “If only I had died in your place!” (2 Samuel 18:33 NKJV). And when he faced death himself, instead of sending for his wife and children, his servants hired a “young woman…and she cared for the king” (1 Kings 1:4 NKJV). The man who made strangers of his own family died in a stranger’s arms. It’s too late to change David’s story—but not yours! If you succeed in your career and fail at home, your achievements will be hollow. Apart from your relationship with God, your first priority should be to love your spouse and dedicate yourself to the children in your care. David wrote, “I’m doing the very best I can…at home, where it counts.” Sadly, David’s best wasn’t good enough. But by God’s grace, your story can be different!

Bible in a year: Genesis 4-6 and Matthew 2