DAILY TEXT, Today's Friday April 1, 2022, The things that were written before were written for our teaching (Rom. 15:4).

DAILY TEXT, Today's Friday, April 1, 2022

Let's Examine the Scriptures Every Day 2022

Friday April 1, 2022 

The things that were written before were written for our teaching (Rom. 15:4).

Are we going through some difficult test? Perhaps some brother in the congregation has harmed us (Jas. 3:2). Or we may be mocked by our schoolmates or co-workers because we serve Jehovah.​—1 Pet. 4:3, 4. And what if someone in our family is trying to get us to stop going to meetings or talking to others about our faith? (Matt. 10:35, 36). If the test is making us suffer a lot, we may be tempted to throw in the towel. But we can be sure that whatever problem we have, Jehovah will give us both the wisdom and the strength to face it. In his Word, Jehovah has given us detailed explanations of how imperfect humans coped with difficult situations. He has done it so that we learn from them. That is what the apostle Paul wrote by inspiration. Reading these stories can give us comfort and hope. But, for this, it is not enough to just read the Bible. We must allow what we read to shape our thinking and reach our hearts. w21.03 14 paras. 1, 2

How would you summarize the account of David and Absalom?

2) Imagine. Let's think about what this story tells us and imagine how all this affected King David. His son Absalom struggled for years to endear himself to the people (2 Sam. 15:7). When he thought the time was right, he sent spies throughout Israel to prepare the people to accept him as king. He even persuaded Ahithophel, David's close friend and adviser, to join the rebellion. Absalom then declared himself king and tried to capture and kill David, who was perhaps seriously ill at the time (Ps. 41:1-9). When David found out about it, he fled from Jerusalem. Finally, Absalom's army confronted the men loyal to David. The rebel army lost, and Absalom was killed.

What could King David have done?

Next, imagine how David must have felt. He loved Absalom and trusted Ahithophel. Still, the two betrayed him. They caused him a lot of pain and even tried to kill him. David might have thought that his other friends had also joined Absalom and mistrusted them. He could have focused on his feelings and tried to flee the country on his own. Or, desperate, he could have given up. But he didn't do any of that. Rather, he passed this difficult test. How could he do it?

What did King David do in that difficult situation?

3) Meditate. What principles can we learn from this account? We can ask ourselves, "What did David do to help himself?" He did not allow fear to paralyze him or lead him to make rash and unwise decisions. What he did was pray to Jehovah for his help. He also asked his friends for help. And, when he made decisions, he carried them out quickly, without procrastinating. Although he was very hurt, he did not become bitter or distrustful. He continued to trust Jehovah and his friends.

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