Bible Study: 1st
Kings 2, 1 to 4 and 10 to 12. And Mark 6, 7 to 13.
In today’s first reading, we see a
moving account of David handing on to his son, Solomon. In his final parting
words, David said: “I am about to go the way of all the earth, so be strong,
show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his
ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written
in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you
go.”
When you try to go beyond the surface
value of these words of advice, you will see in David, a man who knew what it
meant to walk with God, a man who made serious mistakes and realised his
mistakes and also, a man who did not wish anybody to go through the pains he
experienced. And the best gift David could offer to this son Solomon was to
tell him the truth. Walk in the ways of God, keep his commands, his laws and
requirements and you will be secure.
In a sense, David was saying to
Solomon, “if you do not want to suffer what I suffered, do not break faith with
God, walk in his way, obey his commandments and strive to please him.” Now, the
question is: What would eventually become of Solomon? Did he really listen to
David’s advice? Even David himself, did he learn from Saul his predecessor?
Why is it that we humans do not learn
from the mistakes of others? Why do we prefer to make our own mistakes instead?
How come we read stories like this in the Bible and they do not seem to change
anything in us?
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus
sends out his twelve disciples two by two into the towns and villages and
imparts upon them authority over unclean spirits. These twelve disciples had
been with Jesus learning from him. So at this point, Jesus wants them to go out
and gain some practical experience for themselves.
It takes humility as well as a deep
sense of wisdom to learn from others. Failure to learn only brings about history
repeating itself. Just imagine what the reign of Solomon would have been if he
had actually learnt David’s mistakes and put his advice to practice. Or imagine
what would have been the fate of the twelve disciples if they had ignored
Jesus’ instructions.
Life is too short to make your own
mistakes, begin to learn from others today.
Let us Pray:
Lord Jesus, open my heart to truly
learn by walking in your ways, following your instructions and keeping your
commandments that I may not repeat the mistakes of the past. Amen.
God bless you. Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is
well with you.
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