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Author Archives: John D. Willome

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About John D. Willome

I post a blog of daily devotions that are my prayer journals based on scripture.

“The Unsettling Solution to Just about Everything” by Andy Stanley

28 Jun

Dear God, I first heard this sermon six years ago. I remember being struck by it and thinking it was one of the best evangelical sermons I ever heard. Now, nearly six and a half years later, I am preparing a Bible study for nine days from now that is supposed to be more evangelical and “make-a-decision-to-follow-Jesus” in nature. I have some thoughts I’ve been considering and praying through, but I want to go back to this, take some notes, and see if there is anything here you would have me incorporate into what you’re leading me to. So with that said, I am going to listen to this real time and then take notes on the things that strike me along the way. I’m also going to consider them and think about them through typing my thoughts to you. Please, Holy Spirit, sit with me in this time. Guide me. Teach me. Comfort me. Lead me.

“I don’t know why everybody wouldn’t want Christianity to be true.”

  • Right off the bat, this is his first statement within 20 seconds of the video starting. It’s the one thing I really remember from this sermon. He’ll go on to say he can understand why people have a hard time believing the virgin birth, resurrection, and miracles in between and such are true, and he can see why people don’t want the Christianity lived out by a lot of modern American Christians to be true, but he cannot understand why someone would read the Bible, see the Jesus of the New Testament and everything he taught and offered and not want it to be true. That’s a great thought. So before I listen to what he says, what are the things about Jesus I want to be true:
    • I want to think that you loved me that much that you would sacrifice Jesus, a piece of yourself–your Trinity–to an earthly existence and horrible death–for me to be in relationship with you and made whole.
    • I want to be loved by others the way they love themselves.
  • You know, it’s funny. I think those are the two main things I want to be true about Jesus and what you gave me through him. Heaven? Sure. But that you loved me that much that you came for me. I want that. That I could move in a world or community where the people loved me like themselves? Sign me up. Yes, that’s what I want.
  • Now let’s hear what Andy says that stands out to me:
    • “People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive.” – Blaise Pascal (17th-century mathematician)
    • “Grace” The word that made Jesus and makes Christianity attractive. “Grace is what we crave most when our guilt is exposed.” Me here: What drew David to God wasn’t his need for power but his appreciation for who God was and his grace. “Grace is what we are hesitant to extend when confronted with the guilt of others. Especially when they’ve hurt me or someone I love. “Grace for me is extraordinarily refreshing. Grace for others is extraordinarily disturbing.” “GRACE IS THE UNSETTLING SOLUTION FOR JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING.” Me here: Link to Sermon on the Mount, Lord’s Prayer, forgive me as I forgive others.
    • Definition for “grace” is undeserved, unearned, and unearnable favor. “We can’t recognize or receive Grace for what it is until we’re convinced we do NOT deserve it.” It can only be experienced when there’s an imbalance and you’re on the negative side.
    • Christianity is unique because of Grace.
    • God had to show up in Jesus. We would have never know the grace of God without the presence of God.
    • John 1:14: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” “Jesus never watered down the truth and he never turned down the grace.” He called sin sin and then he laid down his life for the sinners.
    • Matthew 9:11-13: And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard that, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Me here: I think I need to hold on to this for the lesson.
    • Terrified woman caught in adultery. Jesus: Truth and Mercy. “You are guilty (Leave your life of sin), but I don’t condemn you.”
    • If you never get there intellectually, you should want this to be true.
    • If the kingdom of heaven was only reserved for the righteous, we (including David) would have no hope.
    • “Does God hear the prayers of sinners? Yes, those are the only kinds of prayers there are.”
    • Like life, Grace is not fair. It is unsettlingly better than fair.
    • Great sinners who were extended great grace: Peter and Paul.
    • Jesus knew justice and consequences would crush us. That’s why he came.
    • Why wouldn’t anyone want this to be true.
    • Luke 16:16: The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached and everyone is pressing into it. [seems a little out of context]
    • Grace is an invitation. “I know all about you. The good and the bad. And I want you to follow me. But be warned. If you follow me, I will lead you away from your sin. And, no, I have not forgotten about your sin. It’s better than that. I will remember all of it and I love you anyway. Now come. Follow me. Me here: I’ve got to use that as my closer.

Father, thank you for leading me to this sermon in the winter of 2018. Thank you for using all of these little things here and there throughout my life to prepare me for different moments. I offer all of this to you. I offer my life to you. I offer worship to you. I am grateful. I will follow you. I do follow you. Oh, I am so full of love for you right now. In this moment. Tears in my eyes. And I am normally wary of an emotional response to you because I am afraid it might be something artificial and not real, but this is just a moment where my emotions are high and I just want to lean into you. Thank you for being there for my leaning.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 28, 2025 in Musings and Stories

 

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2 Samuel 5:1-5

27 Jun

5 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. 2 Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’ ” 3 Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

2 Samuel 5:1-5

Dear God, and so there it is. David is the publicly agreed upon king over all of Israel. It just occurred to me that, even though it wasn’t a democracy, both Saul and David were only accepted as kings over Israel after popular consensus was given by the people–or at least among those who were high ranking or in some sort of leadership in their smaller communities. Almost an electoral college process. Now, from here on it will be all about nepotism and family succession, but for these first two there needed to be agreement among the people for it to happen.

I was talking with a pastor friend earlier this week about what the most biblical form of government was. What would you love for us to be able to do if we were capable of it? I guess it’s the judges system that the Israelites had for the first 400 years post-Egypt. But, to be frank, I don’t think the people, as a whole, were capable of it–especially in good times. In fact, I don’t know of any form of government that works really well. We are just so sinful and tempted to either go our own way and divide against each other or the leaders are too tempted by the power to remain true to you and servants to their people. Even David will succumb to the temptation of his power over others. Even in a practical sense, he was above the law. He never paid a direct price for stealing a man’s wife, getting her pregnant and having him murdered. Anyone else would have been tried, convicted and killed in that society, but the only explicit thing he got was a scolding from Nathan. Yes, he paid a lot of other prices for that sin, but the society seemingly couldn’t or chose not to touch him. Honestly, I don’t know that there was much value in typing anything in this paragraph except to say that, as Americans, we tend to be very proud of our form of government and some have deemed our constitution as divinely-inspired, but I don’t really see any particular advocacy for our type of government in anything I read in the Bible.

Back to David, so now he is king. Looking back on his first 30 years of life, he had a very unpredictable path to the throne. Saul reigned for 42 years and was 72 when he died, and David was 30 when he became king over Judah. Assuming he was about 12 when Samuel anointed him and 15 (give or take a couple of years either way) when he killed Goliath, that would mean Saul was about 57 and had reigned 27 years when David came on the scene. Things went okay for the first few years as David developed as a warrior and leader. He killed his ten thousands and the women swooned. He married Saul’s daughter, Michal, at some point, but that wasn’t enough to help Saul feel better about things and so he started having to run. It’s unclear how long he and his 600 discontented men had to be on the run, but we know he had two obvious chances to kill Saul and take his kingdom along the way. He also loved Saul’s son and would have been very conflicted about taking the kingdom from Jonathan or even killing Jonathan’s and his first wife’s father. He accumulated some wealth along the way when he married Abigail, the widow of Nabal. And then, for at least 16 months, he was forced to live out of Saul’s reach with the Philistines. I am sure that at any given time during those roughly 18 years between Samuel’s first anointing and his coronation as king over Judah and then, ultimately, king over Israel, he wondered what the future held and how he would get what he had been promised and probably wanted.

There are two things that impress me about David. First, he truly leaned into you. He did a lot of bad things–at least as I see them. He killed a lot of innocent people. He lied to the priest. He lied to kings and princes of other areas. Honestly, I don’t know how to reconcile or justify some of those things except to say he did whatever he thought he had to do to physically survive. But he gave credit to you. He called on you. He repented to you. He lamented to you. He sought comfort in you.

Second, he didn’t take short cuts. He could have tried to defend himself and killed Saul the first time Saul threw a spear at him. He could have killed him while when he literally caught him with his pants down in the cave. He could have killed him in his sleep. he could have led his men in an attack of Saul’s men. He had chances to selfishly grab what he wanted but he patiently waited, even though he, at some level, probably felt entitled to that throne.

Father, as I close out this first 8 weeks of my time with these CMLS men, I thank you for leading me into this path of exploring 1 Samuel 8 through 2 Samuel 5:5. There is so much humanness there. I pray that the lessons have been seeds that have found some good soil. I pray that you will use this arc to help me then prepare the lessons for weeks 9 and 10. I want these men to know you. To hunger for you. to do something different in their lives. Oh, God, I know one of the other teachers is going to talk to them about time and how much time they are willing to give to what’s important in life: you, their families, and caring for themselves. Help me to feed off of that as well. Help me to tie all of this together for your glory. I want all of this for them and for you. Holy Spirit, please move in me and in them.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 27, 2025 in 2 Samuel

 

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2 Samuel 4

26 Jun

4 When Saul’s son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost heart, and all Israel was troubled. 2 Now Saul’s son had two men who were captains of troops. The name of one was Baanah and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin. (For Beeroth also was part of Benjamin, 3 because the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been sojourners there until this day.)

4 Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.

5 Then the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out and came at about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who was lying on his bed at noon. 6 And they came there, all the way into the house, as though to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. 7 For when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom; then they struck him and killed him, beheaded him and took his head, and were all night escaping through the plain. 8 And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life; and the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants.”

9 But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity, 10 when someone told me, saying, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag—the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news. 11 How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed? Therefore, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and remove you from the earth?” 12 So David commanded his young men, and they executed them, cut off their hands and feet, and hanged them by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron.

2 Samuel 4

Dear God, this is so awful! How can human life be so expendable? Just people killing other people left and right. It’s fatiguing to read. Even some of the stuff David did with attacking villages and killing everyone and then lying to Abishai about it.

But now these two idiots took it upon themselves to finish what Abner started. They had probably heard that Abner was ready to hand the whole kingdom over to David and take it from Ishbosheth, maybe they wanted some exulted place in David’s kingdom thinking he would reward someone for his selfish gain, and did what they did. Instead, David stayed on brand and killed them for destroying the anointed king of the 11 remaining tribes of Israel.

What I find interesting about David is that, up until this point in his life, he was willing to take things as you brought them to him. He had two opportunities to prematurely become king by taking Saul’s life, but he waited. He could have gone to war with Ishbosheth and taking the kingdom from him, but he waited. What made him so patient? You had told him through Samuel maybe 20 years before that he would one day be king of Israel. What gave him the peace to wait?

Ironically, I think David was free to love and respect people. He didn’t know the “four-way test” from Rotary, but, at least to those in authority, he lived it (maybe not to the Amalekites or the Philistines). The four-way test from Rotary International is:

  • Is it the truth?
  • Is it fair to all concerned?
  • Will it bring good will and better friendships?
  • Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Maybe this isn’t a perfect fit for what David was doing, but he certainly respected the idea that he wasn’t entitled to things. He earned them in due time. The entitlement would come later as his power corrupted him. He had the confidence in his trajectory that gave him peace to be in the moment and do the work you put in front of him that day.

Father, I think that’s the lesson for me in this story. I just need to do the work you have put in front of me today. Tomorrow has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34). So I need you today. I need you to love through me today. I have a meeting this morning with a partner organization that I want to be loving in. I have a meeting late this afternoon with another partner organization that has the potential to be a rival if not handled well. Being a rival with them would be a waste of energy that can be spent on serving people. So help me to know how to love and support them in their work. I have a training in the middle of the day that will deal with artificial intelligence and how to use it effectively. Help me there too. Give me a wise and shrewd mind as I go through this day. Give me all of the fruits of your Spirit. Grow them in me.

I offer this to you in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 26, 2025 in 2 Samuel

 

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2 Samuel 3

25 Jun

3 The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

2 Sons were born to David in Hebron:

His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel;

3 his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel;

the third, Absalom the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;

4 the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;

the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;

5 and the sixth, Ithream the son of David’s wife Eglah.

These were born to David in Hebron.

Abner Goes Over to David

6 During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner had been strengthening his own position in the house of Saul. 7 Now Saul had had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. And Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, “Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine?”

8 Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said. So he answered, “Am I a dog’s head—on Judah’s side? This very day I am loyal to the house of your father Saul and to his family and friends. I haven’t handed you over to David. Yet now you accuse me of an offense involving this woman! 9 May God deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the Lord promised him on oath 10 and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David’s throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba.” 11 Ish-Bosheth did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him.

12 Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to say to David, “Whose land is it? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you.”

13 “Good,” said David. “I will make an agreement with you. But I demand one thing of you: Do not come into my presence unless you bring Michal daughter of Saul when you come to see me.” 14 Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, demanding, “Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins.”

15 So Ish-Bosheth gave orders and had her taken away from her husband Paltiel son of Laish. 16 Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go back home!” So he went back.

17 Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, “For some time you have wanted to make David your king. 18 Now do it! For the Lord promised David, ‘By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.’”

19 Abner also spoke to the Benjamites in person. Then he went to Hebron to tell David everything that Israel and the whole tribe of Benjamin wanted to do. 20 When Abner, who had twenty men with him, came to David at Hebron, David prepared a feast for him and his men. 21 Then Abner said to David, “Let me go at once and assemble all Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

Joab Murders Abner

22 Just then David’s men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. 23 When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace.

24 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! 25 You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.”

26 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. 27 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.

28 Later, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. 29 May his blood fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family! May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food.”

30 (Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)

31 Then David said to Joab and all the people with him, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and walk in mourning in front of Abner.” King David himself walked behind the bier. 32 They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king wept aloud at Abner’s tomb. All the people wept also.

33 The king sang this lament for Abner:

“Should Abner have died as the lawless die?
34     Your hands were not bound,
    your feet were not fettered.
You fell as one falls before the wicked.”

And all the people wept over him again.

35 Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!”

36 All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them. 37 So on that day all the people there and all Israel knew that the king had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner.

38 Then the king said to his men, “Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? 39 And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!”

2 Samuel 3

Dear God, I think I want to spend some time with Abner this morning. What an interesting man. Saul’s cousin. Promoted into power because of that relationship. I still don’t know where he was or how he survived the battle where Saul and his boys died. Going back to the second time David spared Saul’s life, David took that opportunity to mock Abner and suggest he wasn’t up to protecting the king.

But this was a family thing and Abner wanted to see his father’s brother’s family–his grandfather’s family–remain in power as kings of Israel so he saw to it that Saul’s throne passed to his next living son Ishbosheth. But as happens in nepotism, Ishbosheth wasn’t up to the job. He was an insecure child who, for whatever reason, accused Joab of sleeping with Saul’s concubine. I don’t know what all the implications of that were. Had she become Ishbosheth’s concubine? Was he simply accusing Abner of betraying his father posthumously? Whatever the implications were, Abner was incredibly offended and decided that it was time to follow your will for Israel and encourage the other 11 tribes to join Judah in naming David king. It strikes me that he admits up to that point he was willfully going against your will (verse 18). Or maybe he was hoping that somehow he could stay in power and David would still take care of the Philistines. It’s hard to be sure. But Abner had a lot to lose, up to and including his life, by transferring the kingdom to David. It’s interesting that this offense by Ishbosheth was the straw that broke the camels back.

Father, I heard someone say that it is hard to get someone to change their mind when their paycheck is dependent upon them believing what they believe. In Abner’s case, there was no way he was going to willingly yield his power to Joab. And Joab certainly had a grudge against Abner. There was no way the two would willingly coexist. Joab was presumably part of David’s 600 who were being chased by Saul and Abner. And then Abner killed Joab’s brother (although he tried not to). But Abner was beloved by the Israelites, and they watched David closely and how he reacted to his death. David adequately convinced them of his innocence in Abner’s death and his respect for Abner through the way he mourned, and that brought him credibility and respect in their eyes. And, of course, Joab’s crime against Abner will come up later (2 Kings 2:5-6). David never forgot. I guess my point is, help me to be willing to do the right thing under you even if it costs me money, influence, or standing. I want to be willing to do anything you call me to do to bring your glory, regardless of what it costs me. I consider my life worth nothing to me, Father. Help me to believe and live those words.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 25, 2025 in 2 Samuel

 

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2 Samuel 2

24 Jun

2 It happened after this that David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?”

And the Lord said to him, “Go up.”

David said, “Where shall I go up?”

And He said, “To Hebron.”

2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. 3 And David brought up the men who were with him, every man with his household. So they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.

4 Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul.” 5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, “You are blessed of the Lord, for you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him. 6 And now may the Lord show kindness and truth to you. I also will repay you this kindness, because you have done this thing. 7 Now therefore, let your hands be strengthened, and be valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

Ishbosheth Made King of Israel

8 But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim; 9 and he made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel. 10 Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David. 11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

Israel and Judah at War

12 Now Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon. So they sat down, one on one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool. 14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men now arise and compete before us.”

And Joab said, “Let them arise.”

15 So they arose and went over by number, twelve from Benjamin, followers of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. 16 And each one grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called the Field of Sharp Swords, which is in Gibeon. 17 So there was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

18 Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab and Abishai and Asahel. And Asahel was as fleet of foot as a wild gazelle. 19 So Asahel pursued Abner, and in going he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.

20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Are you Asahel?”

He answered, “I am.”

21 And Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men and take his armor for yourself.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22 So Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I face your brother Joab?” 23 However, he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the blunt end of the spear, so that the spear came out of his back; and he fell down there and died on the spot. So it was that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still.

24 Joab and Abishai also pursued Abner. And the sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah by the road to the Wilderness of Gibeon. 25 Now the children of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became a unit, and took their stand on top of a hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the latter end? How long will it be then until you tell the people to return from pursuing their brethren?”

27 And Joab said, “As God lives, unless you had spoken, surely then by morning all the people would have given up pursuing their brethren.” 28 So Joab blew a trumpet; and all the people stood still and did not pursue Israel anymore, nor did they fight anymore. 29 Then Abner and his men went on all that night through the plain, crossed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron; and they came to Mahanaim.

30 So Joab returned from pursuing Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel. 31 But the servants of David had struck down, of Benjamin and Abner’s men, three hundred and sixty men who died. 32 Then they took up Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at daybreak.

2 Samuel 2

Dear God, what was that all about? What was the point of that? I guess, in the end, it delineated the territory and turf of David’s kingdom against Ishbosheth’s. If David’s men had lost that day then Judah might have been absorbed back into the other 11 tribes of Israel. But this certainly helped establish the beginning of David’s kingdom. But why did so many people need to die? What a waste!

Oh, Father, how we ae so cruel to each other. I am fatigued by it. Even now, I look at the people around the world fighting each other and killing each other. I hear about a man who showed up at a church in Michigan Sunday ready to shoot the place up (thankfully, he was stopped). Even in our community, there are some people who are bent on exerting their will over other people instead of persuading and loving. We want power. And what does that “power” give us that we are missing? I suppose a sense of importance. And it also feeds our selfishness. To be sure, sometimes power is necessary to stop a crime, but most of the time we decide to exercise power it is usually to simply subdue others to our will. Isn’t it interesting that Jesus never subdued people to his will. He called us to submit to his will, but he never subdued us.

Father, thank you. Right now, you are really growing me through the teaching of this class for Christian Men’s Life Skills. I am only doing the Bible study part for one night out of three, but it’s stretching me. They’ve asked me to, in essence, do an altar call the last two weeks. That is totally out of my normal realm, but it’s also important. We will have just a weeks left with these men before they resume their normal evenings. Will this make a difference? I’ll tell you, I cannot be the man they need me to be. I cannot be the man you need me to be for them. But I can do it if you are with me. If you do it through me. So prepare my heart to “go there” in a couple of weeks. Prepare their hearts to “go there” as well.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 24, 2025 in 2 Samuel

 

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2 Samuel 1

23 Jun

1 Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had stayed two days in Ziklag, 2 on the third day, behold, it happened that a man came from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. So it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself.

3 And David said to him, “Where have you come from?”

So he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”

4 Then David said to him, “How did the matter go? Please tell me.”

And he answered, “The people have fled from the battle, many of the people are fallen and dead, and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.”

5 So David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?”

6 Then the young man who told him said, “As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa, there was Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. 7 Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8 And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ So I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9 He said to me again, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.’ 10 So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord.”

11 Therefore David took hold of his own clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 12 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

13 Then David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?”

And he answered, “I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite.”

14 So David said to him, “How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” 15 Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go near, and execute him!” And he struck him so that he died. 16 So David said to him, “Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’ ”

17 Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, 18 and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow; indeed it is written in the Book of Jasher:

19 “The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
20 Tell it not in Gath,
Proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon—
Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

21 “O mountains of Gilboa,
Let there be no dew nor rain upon you,
Nor fields of offerings.
For the shield of the mighty is cast away there!
The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain,
From the fat of the mighty,
The bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
And the sword of Saul did not return empty.

23 “Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives,
And in their death they were not divided;
They were swifter than eagles,
They were stronger than lions.

24 “O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
Who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury;
Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

25 “How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan was slain in your high places.
26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
You have been very pleasant to me;
Your love to me was wonderful,
Surpassing the love of women.

27 “How the mighty have fallen,
And the weapons of war perished!”

2 Samuel 1

Dear God, I want to talk about other things from this passage, but I just noticed something about David’s psalm here. It doesn’t mention you. It’s about his lament over Saul, Jonathan, and the suffering of the Israelites, but he doesn’t invoke your name or reference you at all. Is that perhaps an acknowledgment that you had left Saul and were now with David? Did David start to understand how you were laying this out? Maybe David wrote a lot of poems/psalms/songs that didn’t mention you, but it’s interesting that this one didn’t.

Next, somehow this Amalekite knew David was next, knew where David’s home was, and went to him. Did he lie about killing Saul or did Saul’s armor bearer kill himself prematurely before Saul was actually dead? Did he think he could become someone important to David by telling him the news that he himself had finished Saul off? First, he must not have known about how David felt about Amalekites. If nothing else, it was probably very easy for David to kill another Amalekite after having just come back from getting his wives and possessions back from them. But then to be able to once again reiterate how strongly he felt about harming your anointed king. This was an important moment for David.

Another thing is his public lament put him above reproach. He will do this again one day when Joab kills Abner. He will use the opportunity of public lament for diplomacy. He will use it to communicate his noble inner feelings.

Finally, there is a real moment of mourning for Jonathan. David’s lament for Saul and the Israelites were probably real and legitimate, but he must have really mourned to learn of Jonathan’s death. “Your love to me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women.” No, they didn’t have a homosexual love, but Jonathan met David on an emotional level he had not experienced with anyone else.

Father, when it comes to lessons out of this story, I think for me the big one is that there are times of real lament and when things are going terribly wrong, but you are still using them to bring about your will. I also see that David did a lot of teaching in this chapter. He taught people how to treat your anointed. He taught people how to mourn, even those who saw you as an enemy. He taught people how to not covet what others have–in this case, David did not covet Saul’s kingship but mourned Saul’s loss of it. I don’t know how much the idea of harming your anointed comes into play for me, but certainly to mourn for others and to turn loose of coveting is a huge thing. You are my God. I am your child. Help me to experience every moment today through your eyes and with your heart.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 23, 2025 in 2 Samuel

 

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David in Exile and Saul’s Demise – 1 Samuel 27-31

22 Jun

Dear God, it’s time to tie together the five days of prayer journals to make a lesson for the men tomorrow night. Help me, Father, do good work here. I want to speak to these men with your voice. I want to spread seeds that will find good soil. I want to glorify you in their eyes. I want them to love you with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strength, and then love their neighbors as themselves. Help us, Father, to all get to that place.

When last we left off…

  • David had spared Saul’s life for the second time, and they each went on their way.
  • We talked about leadership and how one of the real traps for anyone is to give into feeling sorry for themselves or feel like they are not being respected as much as they think they deserve to be respected. This was Saul’s problem from the beginning, and we saw David give into it when he almost killed Nabal and his men for disrespecting him.
  • Although David had left his wife Michal back home, he picked up two wives after Nabal dies of “natural causes.

Page 328

David and Achish

  • There was no way David was going to trust Saul or even other Israelites again, but there was no way he would trust him or, more importantly, other Israelites like the Ziphites to not betray him to Saul. 1 Samuel 27:1 – 27 And David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.”
  • David takes his 600 men and heads to the land of the Philistines and goes to Gath, one of the Philistine’s major cities. Note: Goliath was from there (1 Samuel 17:4). King Maoch had a son named Achish who liked David and let him stay there.
    • It’s unclear why Achish trusted David.
  • Saul hears David is in Gath and decides to give up looking for him anymore.
  • David wants more room to maneuver so he manipulates Achish into giving him his own town. 1 Samuel 27:5-6 – 5 Then David said to Achish, “If I have now found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?” 6 So Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. 
  • David ended up living among the Philistines for 16 months.
  • When you have an army you don’t turn them into farmers or shepherds. They aren’t carpenters. They are fighters. So they make their living raiding other towns, killing everyone, and plundering their stuff.
  • He would go to the Girzites, Geshurites, and Amalekites and raid their towns. When he would bring back tributes to Achish he would lie and say he had been raiding Judah or other people the Philistines didn’t care about. This accomplished several things:
    • It protected Judah because the Philistines thought someone was already getting their plunder
    • It gave David something to live on and also things to give Achish as tribute
    • It made Achish think David was truly on his side and now an enemy of his own people. 1 Samuel 27:12 – 12 So Achish believed David, saying, “He has made his people Israel utterly abhor him; therefore he will be my servant forever.”
  • Now, the Philistines decide to move their army to Mt. Gilboa and attack the Israelites there. Achish puts David in an awkward position of making David and his men his bodyguards for the battle.
    • You can almost picture this as a movie and we cut to commercial when this scene ends.

Meanwhile…Saul and the Medium

  • Saul sees the Philistines gathering for battle around Mt. Gilboa at Shunem so he moves his army to Giboa to defend it. Keep in mind we learned way back at the beginning that Saw was 30 when he became king and reigned for 42 years, so he is presumably 72.
  • He has a bad feeling about this. 1 Samuel 28:5-6 – 5 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6 And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.
    • Keep in mind a couple years back Saul had killed all of the priest except one who got away (Abiathar), took the Ephod and ran to David. We will see that Ephod come up for David later.
    • Also, would things have been different if David were there to fight alongside him?
  • Saul finds a medium, lies to her about who he is and gets her to work for him.
    • In Leviticus 19:31 and 20:6 (page 131), God had commanded Israelites to not consult with mediums. At some point in the past 42 years, probably when he was feeling closer to God, Saul had outlawed mediums. But he was desperate now because he wants to talk with someone who died.
  • She summons Samuel for him and it works. Remember, Samuel had not seen Saul since before he anointed David—except for the time Saul came looking for David when he was hiding with Samuel and Saul started prophecying.
  • Samuel does not have good news for Saul. 1 Samuel 28:15-19 – 15 Now Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

And Saul answered, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.”

16 Then Samuel said: “So why do you ask me, seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? 17 And the Lord has done for [b]Himself as He spoke by me. For the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. 18 Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. 19 Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”

  • Saul is devastated and goes back to his army.


Meanwhile…David and the Philistines

  • All of the Philistine armies gather at Aphek, including David and his men at the rear with Achish as his protectors. They did a military review/parade by the king and Achish’s brothers.
  • The princes refused to allow David and his men to join them in the battle. 1 Samuel 29:4 – 4 But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men? 
  • Achish tells David he and his men have to go and David protests. 1 Samuel 29:8 – 8 So David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
  • Achish affirms that he believes in David, but this is the way it has to be.
    • David and his men cannot see it in this moment, but God is looking out for them in several ways that we will discuss in a bit.
  • 1 Samuel 29:11 – 11 So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

The first thing God did for David

  • They take three days to get back from Ziklag and find everyone and everything is gone and what’s left got burned down. It was the Amelekites.
    • They saw opportunity with all of the Philistine warriors off to battle
    • David probably wondered if he should have left some warriors behind. We will see why I say this later.
  • The author is careful to tell us no one was killed, but just taken captive
  • His discontented men are on the edge. 1 Samuel 30:6 – 6 Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was [a]grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
    • Notice it said that David took this moment of despair to lean into God.
  • Remember in chapter 28 when we talked about Saul killing the priests except Abiathar and he ran to David with the Ephod? Here’s where it comes back into play. 1 Samuel 30:7-8 – 7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”

And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”

  • On their way 200 of the men are too tired to continue so they get left behind to guard provisions. 400 continue on.
  • They find an Egyptian who says he was an Amalekite slave who was left behind because he was sick. The Egyptian tells them what they had been up to. 1 Samuel 20:14 – 14 We made an invasion of the southern area of the Cherethites, in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the southern area of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
  • They strike a deal with the Egyptian to help David and his men find the Amalekites.
  • They find the Amalekites, kill them and take back their own stuff plus the stuff that was taken from the other areas.
    • David claims the things from the other areas as his own. We will see why in a bit.
  • They head home and get back to the 200 left behind. The “wicked and worthless men” who got the stuff back said that the 200 should just get their wives and children and 1.) not get any of the stuff recovered and 2.) be sent away.
  • David uses this as a teachable moment and leads in the face of conflict with these men. 1 Samuel 30:23-25 – 23 But David said, “My brethren, you shall not do so with what the Lord has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. 24 For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.” 25 So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
    • I think David wanted to emphasize to the men that God had provided for them. It’s so easy to seek God before something and then take credit for it after it’s happened.
    • I also think David wanted to set a precedent for leaving some men behind to guard things after seeing the devastation from not doing so.
      • Going back to his conflict with Nabal, he had left men behind to guard the provisions but hadn’t done it this time with the Philistines.
  • David sent the spoils he claimed from the attack back to the cities in Judah that had been raided. This will become important as he sets himself up as their future king next week.

Meanwhile…Saul’s Final Battle

  • We don’t get battle details, but it all goes poorly. The Philistines wipe them out, including Jonathan and two of his brothers.
    • At least one brother is not there and we will meet him next week.
  • Saul’s final moments. 1 Samuel 31:3-6 – 3 The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers [a]hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers.

4 Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and [b]abuse me.”

But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. 5 And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword, and died with him. 6 So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.

  • Going back to David being spared from this battle, what might have happened if David had followed the Philistines into battle against the Israelites?
  • When the Israelites saw their army had lost, they evacuated their cities in the area and the Philistines moved in to occupy them.
  • The next day, the Philistines were looting the battlefield and found Saul’s and Jonathan’s bodies. The beheaded him (remember how David did this to Goliath?) and took the bodies and their armor back to their temple (remember how Goliath’s armor was at the temple when David went there needing a sword?).
  • The valiant men repaid a great debt to Saul. 1 Samuel 31:11-13 – 11 Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and traveled all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13 Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

Wrap Up

  • An implicit lesson from David’s experience – Don’t leave a flank of your life exposed. Christian singer said Satan tries to get into small areas of our lives while we focus on other areas.
  • God used even the Philistine princes to:
    • Save David from an awkward situation in battle.
    • Possibly keep him from becoming king
    • Save his wives and the wives and children of the 600 men.
  • My conundrum with Saul and living to serve God regardless of the cost.

Father, I give this preparation to you. I give these seeds to you. Holy Spirit, help them to find good soil. Prepare the hearts of the men for tomorrow night. I know they are going to be learning a lot about themselves through Joe’s DISC survey. I pray that this will all somehow work together for your glory in their lives and in mine.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 22, 2025 in 1 Samuel

 

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What Our Lord Saw from the Cross (Ce que voyait Notre-Seigneur sur la Croix) – James Tissot

21 Jun
What Our Lord Saw from the Cross (Ce que voyait Notre-Seigneur sur la Croix)
James Tissot

Dear God, my wife sent me this picture a few days ago, and this is my first opportunity to really spend some time with it. My first inclination is to look and see if I can identify the people who are there and what they are doing, but I think I want to work backwards and look for people I know should be there, either up close or way off in the distance.

You know what? That’s too hard. I can’t figure anything out. There are a lot of people, and I can’t figure out what most of them are doing.

  • Why are two guys on decorated horses?
  • What’s the one guy looking at? Did he notice the sky is going dark?
  • I guess those are Pharisees back on the upper right portion of the image. Some of them seem to be cheering. Even in the death of your enemy, is cheering really the sentiment one should feel?
  • I can’t tell if that’s John to the left of the three women grouped together. It kind of looks like a woman’s hair, but it also might be a light beard of a young man.
  • I wonder how this crucifixion compared with others. Was there a bigger crowd because of Jesus and who he was? Were there normally people gathered in the distance to watch? I wouldn’t think people would normally show up to watch a crucifixion–especially at Passover. And I don’t know that the crowd looked like this in reality, but I’m sure it was larger than most.
  • I’m guessing that is Mary Magdalene close to the cross while is mother is with her sister(s) in the group of three.
  • What’s with the guys with the long sticks? Were those the soldiers that hoisted up some vinegar for them to drink? They look tired.
  • There’s a tomb there. I doubt Jesus could really see the tomb from his vantage that day, but it’s there waiting for him.
  • Just let me stop and sit with the embarrassment of hanging there naked for a moment. With all of these people, including your mother, to see you.
  • Imagine looking down on this crowd and knowing something they don’t know. Knowing this is part of the plan. Knowing that they need this to happen. Knowing that it’s all for them. Loving them. Forgiving them.
  • I guess the one soldier who is dressed better than the others is the centurion who recognized Jesus’s deity.
  • This scene is where the “Jesus was a good teacher but not divine” argument falls apart. If this was the end for a good teacher, why do I care? If he wasn’t God he was delusional. He did it for absolutely nothing. If he is not God and there is not resurrection coming then he lost that day, and it’s a loss there’s no coming back from.
  • There are a lot of horses. Did the Pharisees all have horses? It’s an interesting thing for the artist to include. I count seven horses and one donkey.

Jesus, of course, Mr. Tissot has no idea what you saw from the cross. I don’t either. But I am confident in your knowledge of the plan and why you were doing what you did. You turned history in that moment. You tore the veil. You broke down the separation between us and the Father. You prepared the way for the Holy Spirit. You sacrificed yourself, set up your resurrection, and then taught us a new way. You validated all of the bizarre teaching you did the previous three years. You validated the weirdness and illogic of the Sermon on the Mount. And they were too ignorant (and I mean ignorant in the best definition of the world) to see what you were doing. In fact, if they had seen it they might not have done it. No, they needed to think you were delusional and crazy. They needed to not trust you. They needed to hate you. Some of them needed to think you had lost and mourn you. Even now, I need to really simmer in the idea of what you did so I can be here right now, in this moment, praying to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you!

I pray this in you and with the Holy Spirit you left me and all the earth,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 21, 2025 in Miscellaneous, Musings and Stories

 

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1 Samuel 31

20 Jun

31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons. 3 The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers.

4 Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and thrust me through and abuse me.”

But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. 5 And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword, and died with him. 6 So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.

7 And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were on the other side of the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. 8 So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines, to proclaim it in the temple of their idols and among the people. 10 Then they put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.

11 Now when the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose and traveled all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan; and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13 Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

1 Samuel 31

Dear God, okay, here we go again. There’s so much here in each paragraph. I feel like I need to bullet-point what I’m seeing:

  • Would David and his men have made a difference? If they had been with Saul instead of absent or with the Philistines, would Saul and his sons have lived? We will never know, but it certainly seems that way. Were you maybe ready for Saul’s reign to end and to start the David era? Was this part of the plan. Saul was around 72 now so he lived an extraordinarily long time. It’s too bad his and his sons’ deaths weren’t peaceful.
  • The poor armor bearer. He was in a terrible situation too. I don’t know that I’d have behaved any better. Probably worse. I do not know who this person is, and his name is lost to history, but I do not envy him being faced with mercifully finishing off Saul. Then watching Saul kill himself. What a terrible day. What was left to do but kill himself? I suppose he might have felt some guilt for letting Saul get wounded in the first place and not being able to protect him.
  • The people back home decided it was time to evacuate. I don’t think I’ve noticed this before. The army was defeated. It was time to take what they could and run from the Philistines. How horrific too. All of this is just horrific. It’s a reminder of just how evil and cruel people can be to each other. And I’m including David in that and what he did to the villages where he killed and plundered to make a living.
  • After the Philistines established control over the local towns, they returned to the battlefield to assess the damage and see what they could take from the slain soldiers. Weapons. Jewelry. Clothing. Whatever was on them. Then they found the great prize of Saul and most of his heirs-apparent, so they took them as trophies and put them in their temple.
  • Now, this last paragraph reminds me of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea when they take Jesus’s body after the cross and care for it. The men of Jabesh-gilead sent their mightiest people to go and care for the bodies of Saul and his boys. What a great act of respect and mercy! I am sure there were a multitude of motivations in their action. Perhaps some pride. Perhaps some shame in letting it happen in the first place. Perhaps respect and love. Whatever the reason, it was a noble thing to do. Just like Nicodemus and Joseph, when they thought all was lost for the man they believed in taking the time to care for him. And maybe their motivations were as varied as the men of Jabesh-gilead that day.

Father, thus ends the tragic story of Saul. Part of me wonders if it would have been better if you had just left him alone when he was looking for the lost donkeys way back in 1 Samuel 9. But you had a plan and our lives are not our own. We get one life to live, and we think it is so precious, but as I’ve said many times in these prayers, life is cheap. I am 1/6 billionth (or so) of the earth’s population. I am 1/110 billionth of the earth’s history of humans. What gives me the most meaning is if my life is truly worth nothing to me, but is used by you as part of your plan. While my life is so small, you are the one true God, and if my life can be used in some small way by you then I become part of something so big that it doesn’t matter what it costs me. So I offer myself to you. I love you. I am here to serve in whatever way you wish.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 20, 2025 in 1 Samuel

 

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1 Samuel 30

19 Jun

30 Now it happened, when David and his men came to Ziklag, on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the South and Ziklag, attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire, 2 and had taken captive the women and those who were there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried them away and went their way. 3 So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. 4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 5 And David’s two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. 6 Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.

7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring the ephod here to me.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”

And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”

9 So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. 10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor.

11 Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water. 12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights. 13 Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?”

And he said, “I am a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick. 14 We made an invasion of the southern area of the Cherethites, in the territory which belongs to Judah, and of the southern area of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.”

15 And David said to him, “Can you take me down to this troop?”

So he said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this troop.”

16 And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17 Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. 18 So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. 19 And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all. 20 Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”

21 Now David came to the two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they also had made to stay at the Brook Besor. So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near the people, he greeted them. 22 Then all the wicked and worthless men of those who went with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man’s wife and children, that they may lead them away and depart.”

23 But David said, “My brethren, you shall not do so with what the Lord has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. 24 For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.” 25 So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

26 Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord”— 27 to those who were in Bethel, those who were in Ramoth of the South, those who were in Jattir, 28 those who were in Aroer, those who were in Siphmoth, those who were in Eshtemoa, 29 those who were in Rachal, those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, those who were in the cities of the Kenites, 30 those who were in Hormah, those who were in Chorashan, those who were in Athach, 31 those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men were accustomed to rove.

1 Samuel 30

Dear God, there is so much in this chapter, I want to just run a list of what I notice as I read it:

  • I guess the Amelekites perceived an opportunity with the Philistines getting ready to go to war. It’s a reminder to me to not leave a flank unattended in my own life while I am focusing somewhere else. I was watching a video this morning from a former lead singer of a Christian band. He talked about letting Satan into small areas of his life while he focused on other areas, and it was in those small areas that he got destroyed and destroyed others.
  • David is fortunate the Amelekites just took the women and children and didn’t kill them like he and his men did to the Amelekites. How much of this was payback and revenge on the part of the Amelekites?
  • The discontented men were ready to stone David. Things were not going well for him. But he found strength in you (verse 6).
  • I don’t know how you spoke to David through the Ephod, but I would think everyone’s emotions would be tainting any words from you. But in this case, it appears they heard you correctly.
  • Six hundred men started, but only 400 made the whole trip. I wonder what the story was there. We will see later that the 400 men who did the whole thing noticed.
  • It was a long battle. Overnight and until evening the next day. I kind of picture it to be the kind of thing that would be over in 30 minutes one way or the other. I wonder what took so long.
  • They got it all back, but the 400 were ready to exclude the 200. David used it as another precedent-setting moment (like don’t touch the Lord’s anointed) that we are all one body and we all share.
  • David used it as an opportunity to ingratiate himself to the leaders of Judah–especially the places who had helped him and his men while they were running from Saul.

Father, there are definitely some lessons in here for me. Watch my unprotected flank and be diligent. Recognize the victories are really yours and share with all parts of the body, not just the parts that look more important. Show gratitude to those who help you. It is the right thing to do, but it is also the shrewd thing to do. Thank you for these lessons. Help me to carry them with me into my life today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 19, 2025 in 1 Samuel

 

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