David

May 28

2 Samuel 15:1-13

A rebellion is planned

Absalom, one of David’s sons did not follow God. He wanted to be king of Israel, and so he gathered loyal followers around him by pretending to care for them and by sorting out their problems.

Absalom wanted the followers to help him take over the throne of his father David. Eventually the number of Absalom’s rebellious followers grew until they had become strong enough to fight David’s army.

How does a rebellion start?

A person who rebels is one who goes against the structures and authorities that keep law and order. Structures are the rules, while authorities are people who make up the rules and see to it that people keep them.

A country has laws to protect its people and make it possible for them to live in peace (1 Timothy 2:2). Your school has rules that keep children and teachers focused. Even a home has certain rules to keep the harmony between everyone.

A rebel is one who disobeys the law and disrespects those in authority, whether it is a parent, a teacher, the leaders of a country, or even God Himself.

Before God created man, an angel in heaven decided to rebel against God. God threw him out of heaven down to earth (Isaiah 14:11-12). His name is Satan.

A rebellion starts when Satan puts bad thoughts in the mind of a person. If the person’s heart is filled with anger, jealousy or pride then those feelings feed the rebellious thoughts. Bad thoughts lead to bad actions and those actions influence others, and so the rebellion spreads.

Verse for today

Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. Romans 13:2