TUESDAY July 16, 2019
Questions, Questions!
And it happened the next day, the second day of the month, that David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat, either yesterday or today?” So Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked permission of me to go to Bethlehem. And he said, ‘Please let me go, for our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, please let me get away and see my brothers.’ Therefore he has not come to the king’s table.”
1 Samuel 20:27-29
It was the second day of the feast, and Saul, once again, saw David was missing. This time Saul, questioned Jonathan why David was missing from the table? He asked his son openly if he knew David’s whereabouts. Saul knew Jonathan and David were good friends; surely Jonathan knew where he had gone.
Jonathan tested his father’s reaction and told him he had given David permission to see his family, as they had insisted David should be with them. Nothing unusual for Saul to be upset about if his heart was not thinking evil of David who had done no wrong. What would happen next?
This is what happened with Jesus. He had done no wrong, but the chief priests and scribes questioned Jesus to entrap Him, so they could kill Him. On one occasion, they sent spies to question Jesus about paying taxes to Caesar:
So they [chief priests and scribes] watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor (Luke 20:20).
Jesus was very perceptive. He knew what was in their hearts and said:
“Why do you test Me? Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?” They answered and said, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Luke 20:23-25).
It seems questions asked can reveal so much about a person’s heart!
What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.
~A.W. Tozer~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!