Good morning my steemchurch brothers and sisters and I do hope you had a wonderful night.
As children of God, it is expected for us to seek safety from the Lord. This is because The Lord is our refuge and our fortress. Under His banner shall we be kept safe. It is a taboo for a child of God, having known the place to safety, to choose to die like a fool at the gate of the city of refuge.
TEXT : 2 Samuel 3:24-27 New International Version (NIV)
So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.”
Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern at Sirah. But David did not know it. Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into an inner chamber, as if to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died.
What does this mean ?
When you consider the story of Joab, Abner, and King David, Abner a renown warrior died at the gate of the city of refuge by the sword of Joab. King David described his death as a fool's death because Abner should have known better. He was a warrior yet he was killed it the gate of safety. Where was him sword? Where was his shield? And where was his spear? These questions puzzle the mind of a soldier who knows how to defend himself even at the city of safety.
Isn't that a pathetic death for one whole should have known better? Remember, Abner slew Joab's brother at a previous battle. Yet Abner was foolish enough to have followed Joab out of the gate unguarded. As Christians, we are expected to apply wisdom in every thing we do. The Bible says "my people perish for lack of knowledge". It is profitable to be wise. The Bible says, "get wisdom and in thy getting, get understanding."
As soldiers of Christ, we are expected to arm ourselves with the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the feet fastened with the gospel of peace, the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God
We cannot have all these and yet die like Abner at the gate of the city of refuge. If we do, we become fools. Jesus tells us that we should watch and pray that we may not fall into the hands of the enemy.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO WATCH?
It means that we should watch the environment we find ourselves; watch the people we come in contact with and watch the thoughts in our mind. We should also be watchful of what we look at, watch what we hear and watch our actions. At the same time, we should pray in and out of season.
In this present dispensation, when corruption and all manner of sin have polluted this world, majority think it is difficult, if not impossible for people to become holy. But it is possible through Jesus Christ our heavenly David who is our our refuge.
The Bible says that if you know the truth, it shall you free from bondage. So the question is; why should some Christians having known the truth, end up dying like fools when the city is refuge is just in front of them?
We must not be ignorant of the devices of the enemy because we know the truth which is in God's word. God has enjoined us to have the mind of Christ so that we might be more like Him.
The gate of the city of refuge is still open for those willing to enter. The Bible says, "I shall live and not die to declare the works of the Lord in the land of the living "
Therefore you shall not die like a fool at the gate of the city of refuge in Jesus name. Amen !
Thank you for reading.
