Good news is ready to be found in the already and the not yet. (2 Samuel 18:26)

Welcome to the Odd Verse of the Day series.

Then the watchman saw another man running. The watchman called out to the gatekeeper, "There is another man running by himself." The king said, "This one also is bringing good news." 2 Samuel 18:26

This verse gave me goosebumps the more I studied it. 

Let's dive in. 

Let's start with the context.

There are two main characters you need to know. 

1. King David is the anointed king of Israel who honors God, but his closet is full of sin and mistakes. Now, those mistakes are going to bite him.
2. Absalom is the third child of David, who killed his half-brother, raped his sister, and mounted a rebellion against his father's kingdom. 

Before we get to our odd verse, David has sent out his army to squash the rebellion (18:2) but to spare his son (18:5). 

However, through unfortunate circumstances (read 18:9–15, just not with your kids), Absalom is killed. Now, beginning in verse 19, messengers are sent back to David for a report of victory.

Did someone say "Gospel?"

In a switch of scenes, the narrator describes the two runners' approach to the city, where David anxiously awaits news of the day's battle (18:24–27). 

When the watchman told David on the wall that a single runner was approaching, David concluded that this must mean that Absalom had not defeated his army and that the news was good.

The story is full of irony because what was good news for the messengers was the defeat and death of Absalom. Indeed, God's granting of victory to David over his enemies was good news in the broadest sense of the words.

The word gospel in Greek (NT, not here) is Euangelion, which means 'good announcement' or' good news.' 

• The good news David expected was not the one he received but the one he and those around him needed.
• Likewise, the good news in Jesus Christ is not the good news the world expected, but entirely the one we need. 

Today's takeaway

Sometimes, I wonder if we have reduced our 'gospel' down to a message of personal salvation, and while I don't want to minimize that (it is a huge and profound truth that should be shared), I believe the gospel is an even bigger statement than that.  

The gospel is a message that Jesus is a real king with an actual kingdom and an invitation to participate in that kingdom.

Good news is ready to be found in the already and the not yet. 

Let's pray about that!

God, help me be a herald (messenger) of good news to the world. It may not be the news the world wants to hear. But it is good news they need to hear. Amen.

Today's verse comes from my video series, Roll For Verse. In this series, I roll dice to pick a random Bible verse each day. Then, I spend a few minutes sharing devotional thoughts on the verse. If you'd like to join the fun and study the Bible in a new way, check it out on TikTok or YouTube.

@pastor.payton Episode 12 of Roll for Verse takes us to mourning fathers, bittersweet news, and goosebumps. This video is based on the fun format of Roll for Sandwich by @Adventures In Aardia Come back for more just like this. #rollforsandwich #fyp #verseoftheday #biblestudy #d20games #d20 #rollforinitiative #rollforseries #rollforverse #christiantok #christiantiktok #bibleversedaily #biblejournaling #dailyroutine #positiveenergychallenge #easterweekend #ressurection #jesusisking ♬ Medieval castle/Magic/Western-style building/Mystery/Otoboke(1464825) - AiM