Daily Devotional For Thursday, April 30, 2026
Good day Southside! Our devotional reading for today comes from following the reading for The Chronological Bible for April 30. This comes from Our text is this Psalm 3:1-2:
"O LORD, I have so many enemies; so many are against me. (2) So many are saying, ‘God will never rescue him!’” (NLT).
The context of Psalm 3 is King David is on the run, having been removed as king by his son Absalom. Absalom knows that the only way he can assure his reign is the death of his father, David. Absalom has all the Israeli army loyal to him pursuing, chasing and trying to find David and his soldiers. We can hear in David’s words not just fear, but regret. All of this has come as a result of his sin with Bathsheba and his murder of her husband, Uriah.
In the rest of the verses of Psalm 3 David praises the Lord for sparing his life and keeping him safe. What we see in 2 Samuel 17, our reading for today, is a man who wished he had utilized wisdom in the decision he made that now has resulted in horrendous consequences for him. Most people want wisdom, but rarely pursue it. Some think they gain wisdom from experiences, especially the ones that brought pain. Yes, we can gain some wisdom from that, but not fully. This is what I call the “wisdom of hindsight.”
Some think they can gain wisdom through education. They get as many degrees as they can so that we have to call them Dr. Fahrenheit. Yet, some of the most educated people make some of the dumbest decisions. What David needed and what we need is what I call “wisdom of foresight.” This is the willingness to play out certain decisions, considering not only the pleasure of them, but also the horrendous consequences from them. This is the kind of wisdom you need if you are considering buying a Timeshare.
Wisdom comes from the Word of the Lord – the Bible. That is the point of 2 Timothy 3:15. The beginning and foundation of all wisdom is our willingness to take God seriously – the Bible calls this “the fear of the Lord” (Job 28:28; Psalm 111:10; and Proverbs 1:7). What David should have reminded himself of on that balcony that day was that God had a plan and purpose for his life. We love to make our plan and there is nothing wrong in that as long as we ask the Lord first. All of us can get so caught up in our own lives with our own agenda, we forget that we have been called by God to live our His agenda in our lives and in this world.
David definitely forgot this and he paid horribly for it. Even “the man after God’s own heart” forgot this. Since he did, how much more should we be on guard that we do not. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught us this in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (NASB). Literally it says in the Greek text, “keep seeking, continually seek.” This is not a one time thing we do, but an on-going attitude we have throughout each day.
The architect of that plan to destroy the Davidic dynasty was Ahithophel, the esteemed counselor who had once advised King David. He had now defected to the traitorous Absalom. Absalom had arrived in Jerusalem to claim the throne. David had fled from the city, across the Kidron Valley, over the Mount of Olives, and on to the Jordan River. Ahithophel had advised Absalom to make the rift from his father public and irreversible, which Absalom had done (2 Samuel 16:20-22). Ahithophel knew it was time to reveal his demonic plan to destroy David and his kingdom. With knowledge of this, David wrote Psalm 3. God is not going to allow that to happen, but while David flees and sweats this out, God is behind the scenes moving the pieces to reinstate David as king.
Why would God do this? – David’s heart and character. When God sent Nathan the prophet to confront David about his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah, David’s first response is found in 2 Samuel 12:13, “Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord’” (NASB). David exhibited wisdom here in his confessional repentance. He did not blame Bathsheba. He did not excuse his sin. He took sole responsibility for his sin. That is a “man after God’s own heart.”
This is why God restored David. This is why God chose the Davidic line for the Messiah to come from later in the future. At this point, David does not know where or how this is going to end. All he can do now is put his complete trust in God as had before his sin with Bathsheba and against Uriah. Wisdom knows that in order to receive forgiveness from God for our sin, we have to be willing to admit them and take ownership of them.
Reflection Assignment: When you sin, do you admit it? Do you take sole responsibility for it? Do you get defensive when you are confronted by others about your sin? If you have wisdom, you do. Or, do you look to others or circumstances to cast blame. You have often heard me say that when we choose to blame, we have chosen to “B – Lame.” Read Psalm 32 and Psalm 51, that come from David’s confession, repentance and godly wisdom. As you read these, where do you need to be more like David in your own admittance of your sins?
Scripture To Meditate On: 1 John 1:9, “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Father in heaven, I am a sinner coming to You for forgiveness and restoration. God, here are my sins [name them]. I and I alone are responsible for them. I want to be a person after Your own heart. Give me wisdom through Your Word to know what to do, when to do and how to do it or NOT do it. Open my eyes to see the traps of the devil. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly