Scripture

Our verse for today comes from 2 Samuel 24:18, ” And Gad came that day to David and said to him, ‘Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.’ ” 

Background

A vast majority of us look the same in one particular way. If you were to roll up the sleeve of one of our arms, you would find a scar up near the shoulder. That recognizable mark is the sign of the polio vaccine that we received as a child. Before the 1950’s, polio was a much- feared disease for which there was no vaccine and no cure. Thousands each year were crippled or died because of the virus. But with the discovery of vaccines by Jonas Salk in 1955, and subsequently Albert Sabin a few years later, the disease has been virtually eradicated from the US. Worldwide, there were about 350,000 cases in 1988. In 2015, there were 23, with 22 of those occurring in one country. The last known case in the US was several years ago among a few children of a religious community who did not take the vaccine. It’s amazing to think that a disease which brutally affected tens of thousands of people each year could effectively be wiped away from a society simply by receiving a little dose of medicine. No great sacrifices were required, and no personal expense was levied. One simply had to show up. 

Application

A similar imbalance seemed to exist for David as he was instructed to build an altar to God. David’s census had brought about judgment from God, David had chosen three days’ of plagues, and 70,000 men had lost their lives. Now, all David had to do was build an altar and the plagues would be gone. Well, not exactly. David’s heart had been convicted, so he asked God to withhold His wrath from the innocent people and pour it out on him and his family. He was willing to make a huge sacrifice, to pay a great expense, all for the mercy of God. Some people make being a Christian sound pretty simple. And they’re pretty good at it. But following Jesus is much more than that. It requires a heart change that makes a relationship with Him more precious than any vaccine. Let the mark of Jesus cover every inch of you in each moment and every situation. 

Charge

As we seek Him today, live as one who has been cured of everything.