2 Samuel 5:6-8 has some hard words in it. When we understand what was really happening on that wall, they make sense, and they show us something about God's heart.
A city on a ridge. Jerusalem belonged to the Jebusites. It sat on a ridge with steep sides and a wall on top. Israel had been in the land for centuries, and nobody had taken it.
Not nervous. So when David showed up, the defenders were not nervous. They were amused.
The taunt. Their taunt was a brag about how safe they were: you will never get in, even our blind and lame could hold you off. They were not really talking about disabled people. They were insulting David. They were saying his army was so weak that the weakest people in the city would be enough to stop it.
Nevertheless. David took the city anyway. Verse 7 begins with one great word: “Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion.”
The saying. On his way in, David threw their own words back at them. A saying came out of that day, and people kept repeating it: “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house” (5:8).
What that saying was. It was trash talk from a battle that turned into a proverb. The Bible tells us it was said because it really was said. Telling us what people said is not the same as agreeing with it.
Other examples. The Bible tells us about Jacob lying to his father and Jephthah's terrible vow, and it does not approve of either one.
God's own words. God's command on this subject had been in His law for centuries: “You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God” (Leviticus 19:14).
Caring for the weak. God's people were to protect people who could not see or hear, not make fun of them. The God of Israel cares for the weak.
God sees the heart. Years before, God told Samuel, “the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). People judge by strength and looks. God never does.
Jesus did the same. When Jesus walked the earth, He stopped for blind men sitting by the road, and He touched people everyone else stayed away from.
What we learn. God does not think less of anyone because of their body. He made every person, and He loves every person.
What to do. This week, notice someone who gets left out at school or church. Eat lunch beside them, help them, or say something kind. That is God's heart.
The Bible does not leave that saying standing. God answers it two times, and the second answer is wonderful.
The first time. Four chapters later, in 2 Samuel 9, King David went looking for anyone left of Saul's family. He wanted to show them “the kindness of God” (9:3).
Jonathan's son. David found Jonathan's son Mephibosheth. He had been dropped as a small boy and was lame in both feet.
A seat for life. David gave him back all of Saul's land. Then he said, “you shall eat bread at my table continually” (9:7).
The last words. Verse 13 says, “he ate continually at the king’s table. And he was lame in both his feet” (9:13).
David's heart changed. So the same king whose saying shut the lame out of the house gave a lame man a seat at his own table for the rest of his life.
The second time. About a thousand years later, Jesus rode into Jerusalem while the crowds praised Him as the Son of David (Matthew 21:9).
In the house. He walked into the temple, the house of God, and drove out the people buying and selling there. Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them (Matthew 21:14).
Not turned away. The saying said they could not come into the house. They came into the house, and the Son of David did not turn them away. He healed them where they stood.
What Jesus said. Jesus told John's followers what He was doing: “The blind see and the lame walk” (Matthew 11:5).
The door. Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved” (John 10:9). He is the way into God's house.
A place ready. Jesus also said, “In My Father’s house are many mansions” (John 14:2). There is room for everyone who comes to Him.
Brought near. “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). That is true of every person who trusts Jesus.
What we learn. If you ever wonder what God thinks about the people the world shuts out, look at who came in, and look at what Jesus did when they got there.
What to do. This week, thank Jesus that He let you in. Then make room for someone else.
Complete all sections to finish!
Read each section and answer the questions correctly.