Read 2 Samuel 22

Be A Blessing, Be Blessed

David continuously praised God for His many blessings. The king recognized that everything good in his life was a direct result of God’s faithfulness to His faithful servant. “The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God” (2 Samuel 22:21-22).

Far from claiming that he deserved any of God’s blessings, the king nevertheless acknowledged that God’s grace would be shown to one who was righteous. On the other hand, those who rebelled against the commands of the Almighty would be punished justly.

One should not expect to receive what he is not willing to give. “With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; with a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; with the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. You will save the humble people; but Your eyes are on the haughty, that You may bring them down” (2 Samuel 22:26-28).

We must strive to be like God in all that we do, even though we know we will fall short. We must strive to show mercy to our fellow man, knowing that only the merciful will be shown mercy (Matthew 5:7; 6:14-15; 18:21-35). We must strive to be blameless, just as the Son of God stood blameless before His accusers (Luke 23:4). We must be pure if we hope to see God (Matthew 5:8).

Yet, if we behave in a “devious” manner, we will discover that we cannot fool God. Paul warns, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7).

Perhaps the apostle had David’s words in the back of his mind when he wrote to the young evangelist Timothy. “This is a faithful saying: for if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He will also deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:11-13).

Do you want to be blessed by God today? Have you been a blessing to someone else today?