Day 4, Brothers and Sons

Psalm 3
The superscript describes this as a Psalm David wrote as he fled from his son Absalom. I don't know about you, but I think that is just a sad title. To suffer a broken relationship with one of your kids, I don't know that hurt . . . yet (?). . . but worse, David's son wanted him dead. Wow!
I love the line and I know we have sung it, Ps 3.3, But, you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory and the lifter of my head. I pray right now, Lord will you lift the head of those persons who are devastated by the pain of a broken family relationship, in Jesus name.

Genesis 4
Another relationship gone bad, Cain and Abel. The Lord's question to Cain after he rejects Cain's sacrifice - If you do well will you not be accepted?- seems to imply Cain did not do well. Gift not given with right heart??? With arrogance, holding back, competing with Abel???
Compare events to Adam and Eve's sin in Gen 3 - God asks Where is Abel? like he asked Adam Where are you? References to hiding in both events; curses result from both sins; Cain leaves God's presence, like his parents were ejected from the Garden. Sin results in estrangement from God, frustration in work, wandering, broken family relationships.
Lamech appears to be first polygamist - Gen 4.19. What did God think about this? Is Lamech's demise connected to this sin.
Contrast line of Seth, they begin to call on name of Lord, verses Cain who went away from the Lord's presence.

1 Chronicles 4
More names. More son of's. Tribes of Judah and Simeon. I see prayer of Jabez tucked in here, 1 Chronicles 4.10. Good prayer - wasn't it Bruce Wilkerson wrote a very popular devotional book on this one verse? Simeon is a tribe that will be eventually assimilated into tribe of Judah. Perhaps that's why they are mentioned in this order.

Luke 2.1-21
This passage never gets old. It's magical, wondrous is probably a better word. The birth of Jesus. Hard not to hear the voice of Linus when we read Luke 2.8-14. What a joy it was to hear my 7 year old son read aloud this passage last week. V.20 is slightly confusing. Where were the shepherds returning to. To Jesus after telling others, or to their flocks?? Jesus like John also given the name provided by the angel, however the reverence to being conceived in the womb (by the HS) is a subtle reference to the superiority of Jesus' birth to John's and therefore the superiority of Jesus' person to John's. It's a theme you see throughout the first 3 chapters of Luke.

What's your favorite line in Psalm 3? What's your favorite part of the Christmas story? Does it still fill you with wonder?