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Category Archives: 2 Samuel

2 Kings 2:1-12

05 Feb

2 As the time of King David’s death approached, he gave this charge to his son Solomon:

2 “I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage and be a man. 3 Observe the requirements of the Lord your God, and follow all his ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go. 4 If you do this, then the Lord will keep the promise he made to me. He told me, ‘If your descendants live as they should and follow me faithfully with all their heart and soul, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel.’

5 “And there is something else. You know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me when he murdered my two army commanders, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He pretended that it was an act of war, but it was done in a time of peace, staining his belt and sandals with innocent blood. 6 Do with him what you think best, but don’t let him grow old and go to his grave in peace.

7 “Be kind to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead. Make them permanent guests at your table, for they took care of me when I fled from your brother Absalom.

8 “And remember Shimei son of Gera, the man from Bahurim in Benjamin. He cursed me with a terrible curse as I was fleeing to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan River, I swore by the Lord that I would not kill him. 9 But that oath does not make him innocent. You are a wise man, and you will know how to arrange a bloody death for him.”

10 Then David died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. 11 David had reigned over Israel for forty years, seven of them in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. 12 Solomon became king and sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.

1 Kings 2:1-12

Dear God, I had a few thoughts whileI read this passage this morning:

  • The author of this knew how it would end. He (I presume it was a man) knew Solomon would eventually fall away from you and become a bad king. He would marry a lot of women who had idols and he would worship their idols. So as the author is writing verses three and four, he knows Solomon won’t live up to this, Israel will be split from Judah, Israel will fall, and eventually Judah will fall.
  • David’s deathbed instructions for vengeance see so petty. Why did he never deal with Joab before? Why did he vow not to harm Shimei only to tell Solomon to kill him? It seems like an awfully heavy responsibility to lay on Solomon as he begins his reign. The first thing he is supposed to do is arrange for the deaths of two people? I don’t like that for Solomon at all.
  • I do like that David wanted Solomon to extend kindness to Barzillai. He remembered the kindnesses as well as the slights and sins.

Father, I guess the part that really sticks with me right now, the part that I want to carry with me into my day, is the idea that I should do everything I can to love you and love others well. Help me to do that. Help me also to let go of any bitterness I have in my heart and love the people who have caused me pain. I want to be your worshipper and ambassador today.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 5, 2026 in 2 Samuel

 

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2 Samuel 24:1-17

04 Feb

24 Once again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a census. “Go and count the people of Israel and Judah,” the Lord told him.

2 So the king said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Take a census of all the tribes of Israel—from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south—so I may know how many people there are.”

3 But Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God let you live to see a hundred times as many people as there are now! But why, my lord the king, do you want to do this?”

4 But the king insisted that they take the census, so Joab and the commanders of the army went out to count the people of Israel. 5 First they crossed the Jordan and camped at Aroer, south of the town in the valley, in the direction of Gad. Then they went on to Jazer, 6 then to Gilead in the land of Tahtim-hodshi and to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon. 7 Then they came to the fortress of Tyre, and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went south to Judah as far as Beersheba.

8 Having gone through the entire land for nine months and twenty days, they returned to Jerusalem. 9 Joab reported the number of people to the king. There were 800,000 capable warriors in Israel who could handle a sword, and 500,000 in Judah.

10 But after he had taken the census, David’s conscience began to bother him. And he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt, Lord, for doing this foolish thing.”

11 The next morning the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, who was David’s seer. This was the message: 12 “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.’”

13 So Gad came to David and asked him, “Will you choose three years of famine throughout your land, three months of fleeing from your enemies, or three days of severe plague throughout your land? Think this over and decide what answer I should give the Lord who sent me.”

14 “I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands.”

15 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel that morning, and it lasted for three days. A total of 70,000 people died throughout the nation, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south. 16 But as the angel was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented and said to the death angel, “Stop! That is enough!” At that moment the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

17 When David saw the angel, he said to the Lord, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep—what have they done? Let your anger fall against me and my family.”

18 That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”

19 So David went up to do what the Lord had commanded him. 20 When Araunah saw the king and his men coming toward him, he came and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. 21 “Why have you come, my lord the king?” Araunah asked.

David replied, “I have come to buy your threshing floor and to build an altar to the Lord there, so that he will stop the plague.”

22 “Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish,” Araunah said to David. “Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and you can use the threshing boards and ox yokes for wood to build a fire on the altar. 23 I will give it all to you, Your Majesty, and may the Lord your God accept your sacrifice.”

24 But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.

25 David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord answered his prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.

2 Samuel 24

Dear God, some of these stories are so weird. I’ll confess that I don’t like them. It’s mainly the first sentence: Once again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a census. Why? Why would you set David up like this? Is this just the phrasing the author of 2 Samuel used instead of laying all of the blame on David? Did you really cause David to take the census?

What is the equivalent of “taking a census” in my life? I assume that “taking a census” was akin to putting his faith in numbers and not in you. Do I do that when I look at the size of my bank account and balance my checkbook? Do I do it when I check out the stats on this blog or my Substack for Parents of the Bible? Do I do it when I look at political polling and try to determine if “my side” will have more or less power and influence? Do I do it when I look to our military to be my protection instead of to you?

Father, the answer to all of those questions I just asked is probably, “Yes.” Yes, I sin whenever my put my hope, trust, and peace on the line against any of these things. Whenever I stop looking to you for my hope, trust, and peace, and I look to any of these things I am letting a piece of myself be torn from you. I’m sorry for that. Help me, Lord, to turn my life and my hope to you.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 4, 2026 in 2 Samuel

 

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2 Samuel 18

03 Feb

18 David now mustered the men who were with him and appointed generals and captains to lead them. 2 He sent the troops out in three groups, placing one group under Joab, one under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and one under Ittai, the man from Gath. The king told his troops, “I am going out with you.”

3 But his men objected strongly. “You must not go,” they urged. “If we have to turn and run—and even if half of us die—it will make no difference to Absalom’s troops; they will be looking only for you. You are worth 10,000 of us, and it is better that you stay here in the town and send help if we need it.”

4 “If you think that’s the best plan, I’ll do it,” the king answered. So he stood alongside the gate of the town as all the troops marched out in groups of hundreds and of thousands.

5 And the king gave this command to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “For my sake, deal gently with young Absalom.” And all the troops heard the king give this order to his commanders.

6 So the battle began in the forest of Ephraim, 7 and the Israelite troops were beaten back by David’s men. There was a great slaughter that day, and 20,000 men laid down their lives. 8 The battle raged all across the countryside, and more men died because of the forest than were killed by the sword.

9 During the battle, Absalom happened to come upon some of David’s men. He tried to escape on his mule, but as he rode beneath the thick branches of a great tree, his hair got caught in the tree. His mule kept going and left him dangling in the air. 10 One of David’s men saw what had happened and told Joab, “I saw Absalom dangling from a great tree.”

11 “What?” Joab demanded. “You saw him there and didn’t kill him? I would have rewarded you with ten pieces of silver and a hero’s belt!”

12 “I would not kill the king’s son for even a thousand pieces of silver,” the man replied to Joab. “We all heard the king say to you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake, please spare young Absalom.’ 13 And if I had betrayed the king by killing his son—and the king would certainly find out who did it—you yourself would be the first to abandon me.”

14 “Enough of this nonsense,” Joab said. Then he took three daggers and plunged them into Absalom’s heart as he dangled, still alive, in the great tree. 15 Ten of Joab’s young armor bearers then surrounded Absalom and killed him.

16 Then Joab blew the ram’s horn, and his men returned from chasing the army of Israel. 17 They threw Absalom’s body into a deep pit in the forest and piled a great heap of stones over it. And all Israel fled to their homes.

18 During his lifetime, Absalom had built a monument to himself in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to carry on my name.” He named the monument after himself, and it is known as Absalom’s Monument to this day.

19 Then Zadok’s son Ahimaaz said, “Let me run to the king with the good news that the Lord has rescued him from his enemies.”

20 “No,” Joab told him, “it wouldn’t be good news to the king that his son is dead. You can be my messenger another time, but not today.”

21 Then Joab said to a man from Ethiopia, “Go tell the king what you have seen.” The man bowed and ran off.

22 But Ahimaaz continued to plead with Joab, “Whatever happens, please let me go, too.”

“Why should you go, my son?” Joab replied. “There will be no reward for your news.”

23 “Yes, but let me go anyway,” he begged.

Joab finally said, “All right, go ahead.” So Ahimaaz took the less demanding route by way of the plain and ran to Mahanaim ahead of the Ethiopian.

24 While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates of the town, the watchman climbed to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked, he saw a lone man running toward them. 25 He shouted the news down to David, and the king replied, “If he is alone, he has news.”

As the messenger came closer, 26 the watchman saw another man running toward them. He shouted down, “Here comes another one!”

The king replied, “He also will have news.”

27 “The first man runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok,” the watchman said.

“He is a good man and comes with good news,” the king replied.

28 Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, “Everything is all right!” He bowed before the king with his face to the ground and said, “Praise to the Lord your God, who has handed over the rebels who dared to stand against my lord the king.”

29 “What about young Absalom?” the king demanded. “Is he all right?”

Ahimaaz replied, “When Joab told me to come, there was a lot of commotion. But I didn’t know what was happening.”

30 “Wait here,” the king told him. So Ahimaaz stepped aside.

31 Then the man from Ethiopia arrived and said, “I have good news for my lord the king. Today the Lord has rescued you from all those who rebelled against you.”

32 “What about young Absalom?” the king demanded. “Is he all right?”

And the Ethiopian replied, “May all of your enemies, my lord the king, both now and in the future, share the fate of that young man!”

33 The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to the room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son.”

2 Samuel 18

Dear God, I wonder how much, through this entire episode with Absalom, David repented for what he did with Bathsheba way back when. The dominoes of that sin, in my mind, led to this situation. David lost the moral high ground with his children, so one of his sons, Amnon, raped one of his daughters, Tamar. David did nothing in response to this heinous act, so Tamar’s full brother Absalom killed his half brother, Amnon. Then David was forced to act and Absalom was exiled until Joab convinced David to bring him back. Then Absalom decides to lead a revolt against his father, his father flees, and all of it ultimately results in this moment when Joab kills Absalom in the midst of the revolt, and David mourns. Would it have been different if David had had some moral authority way back with Amnon and dealt with the situation appropriately then.

It just made me think of the movie Unforgiven. If the sheriff had just dealt with the cowboys appropriately at the very beginning of the movie, it would have prevented a lot of pain, suffering, and death down the road.

I can relate to David’s love for his son and his mourning over the tragedy. Our children will never know how much we love them until they have children of their own. Our decisions will sometimes be mysterious to them. The other thing about being a parent is that it gives me a glimpse into how much you love me. It is so incredibly easy to forgive me children when they hurt me. I know it’s harder for them to forgive me, just as it is harder for me to forgive my parents. But the forgiveness from me to them is very easy. If we are made in your image, and we love our children this much, then how much more do you love us? How much more do you mourn when we walk away from you?

Father, I’ve done my share of repenting as a father. I’ve repented to you. I’ve repented to my children. I’ve repented to my wife. I’m sorry for how I failed them and failed you. Not that I was a bad dad. I tried. You know I tried. But that didn’t keep me from making mistakes. That didn’t keep me from hurting them and you. And I’m sorry for that. Please don’t let my mistakes lead to tragedy. In my family, let your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on February 3, 2026 in 2 Samuel

 

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2 Samuel 11 and Psalm 51

31 Jan

In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.

Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned home. Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, “I’m pregnant.”

Then David sent word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent him to David. When Uriah arrived, David asked him how Joab and the army were getting along and how the war was progressing. Then he told Uriah, “Go on home and relax.” David even sent a gift to Uriah after he had left the palace. But Uriah didn’t go home. He slept that night at the palace entrance with the king’s palace guard. When David heard that Uriah had not gone home, he summoned him and asked, “What’s the matter? Why didn’t you go home last night after being away for so long?”

Uriah replied, “The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in tents, and Joab and my master’s men are camping in the open fields. How could I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I would never do such a thing.”

“Well, stay here today,” David told him, “and tomorrow you may return to the army.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.

Then David invited him to dinner and got him drunk. But even then he couldn’t get Uriah to go home to his wife. Again he slept at the palace entrance with the king’s palace guard.

So the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver. The letter instructed Joab, “Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.”

So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the city wall where he knew the enemy’s strongest men were fighting. And when the enemy soldiers came out of the city to fight, Uriah the Hittite was killed along with several other Israelite soldiers. Then Joab sent a battle report to David. He told his messenger, “Report all the news of the battle to the king. But he might get angry and ask, ‘Why did the troops go so close to the city? Didn’t they know there would be shooting from the walls? Wasn’t Abimelech son of Gideon killed at Thebez by a woman who threw a millstone down on him from the wall? Why would you get so close to the wall?’ Then tell him, ‘Uriah the Hittite was killed, too.’”

So the messenger went to Jerusalem and gave a complete report to David. “The enemy came out against us in the open fields,” he said. “And as we chased them back to the city gate, the archers on the wall shot arrows at us. Some of the king’s men were killed, including Uriah the Hittite.”

“Well, tell Joab not to be discouraged,” David said. “The sword devours this one today and that one tomorrow! Fight harder next time, and conquer the city!”

When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. When the period of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to the palace, and she became one of his wives. Then she gave birth to a son. But the Lord was displeased with what David had done.
2 Samuel 11

—-

Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins.

Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin.

For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night.

Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say,and your judgment against me is just.

For I was born a sinner—yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.

But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there.

Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me—now let me rejoice.

Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt.

Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.

Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.

Then I will teach your ways to rebels, and they will return to you.

Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves; then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.

Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you.

You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering.

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

Look with favor on Zion and help her; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit—with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings. Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.
Psalm 51

Dear God, these were the Old Testament and Psalm readings for the Catholic church yesterday. I started this yesterday, but I never came back to it. I’m sorry for not making my time with you in your scripture not a higher priority yesterday. I hope I didn’t miss a message you had for me yesterday and I’m just now getting it today.

Yesterday, as I looked at these scriptures, I was initially surprised that the Catholic church paired the Bathsheba and Uriah part of the story with Psalm 51. I would have thought they’d have paired the Nathan part of the story (the part where David was confronted with his sin and repented). Then I looked today and saw that they put the second half of Psalm 51 with today’s story of Nathan’s confrontation of David. But for this passage, I suppose, we are just going to marinade in David’s sin. He’s doing awful things here.

  • He’s showing slothfulness by not being productive and going out with Joab and the army.
  • He’s lustful and greedy (how many wives and concubines are in his house and ready to sleep with him at that moment?).
  • He uses servants to help him carry out his sin, thereby making them unwilling accomplices.
  • I hate to use the “r” word, but that’s seemingly what he does to an unsuspecting, helpless Bathsheba.
  • He kicks her to the curb after he uses her.
  • He tries to deceive her husband by making him think the baby she’s carrying is his.
    • He leaves her with the shame of the truth that, even if this plan works, she will have to live with.
  • He ultimately signs her husband’s death warrant and orders his execution, all the while making it look like an accident.
  • He gets Joab involved in his scheme and makes him an accomplice in Uriah’s murder
  • He sleeps with Uriah’s wife, tries to deceive Uriah, and then kills him.
  • He takes away Bathsheba’s husband and leaves her with zero options.
  • Let’s not forget the other servants who are messengers for Bathsheba and how they have to participate in all of this now.

I underlined different sections in the 2 Samuel 11 passage because they are, curiously, the verses the Catholic church decided to omit from the readings. I don’t know why they left out the part of Bathsheba’s period or Uriah’s words of nobility. I think they are an important part of the story.

Regardless, David is in a cesspool of his own making, and he’s drug some other people with him. And, as with most scandals, it’s the coverup that takes it to a new level. It’s not enough that he “r”-worded Bathsheba and got her pregnant. He killed to cover it up! Was his plan after he married Bathsheba and moved her into the palace just to go on with life as normal. How many other times, I wonder, did David do this with a woman and just not get caught?

This is a reminder that confession in the midst of mistakes is important. I’ve been in an office environment long enough to know that people talk. If there is anything going on that is inappropriate, it’s foolish of me to think that no one knows. In the case of David, this was obviously an open secret. The servants who retrieved Bathsheba for David and then took her home knew. The messengers for Bathsheba to David knew. Joab knew. Is it any wonder that word got to Nathan and he was forced to confront the king? But that’s tomorrow’s story. For today, it’s important for me to remember that I must stay above reproach in my life, and humbly confess to you when I don’t. There are no secrets when it comes to sin. And if a secret is successfully kept, it becomes a cancer that grows.

Father, I’m not perfect. I’m not even close. I sin. Maybe it’s not at the level of David here, but I’m certainly capable of grave sins. And if I had the power he had in that moment, I might have been capable of everything he did. That scares me. So help me to avoid temptation. Deliver me from evil–the evil in my own heart and the evil that comes at me from the outside. And when I sin, help me to repent quickly and not do more damage by trying to save myself instead of depending upon the blood of Jesus to redeem me in your eyes and guide me through whatever earthly consequences there are for my sin on this side of life.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 31, 2026 in 2 Samuel, Psalms

 

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2 Samuel 7:17-29

29 Jan

17 So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the Lord had said in this vision.

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed,

“Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And now, Sovereign Lord, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign Lord?

20 “What more can I say to you? You know what your servant is really like, Sovereign Lord. 21 Because of your promise and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known to your servant.

22 “How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you! 23 What other nation on earth is like your people Israel? What other nation, O God, have you redeemed from slavery to be your own people? You made a great name for yourself when you redeemed your people from Egypt. You performed awesome miracles and drove out the nations and gods that stood in their way. 24 You made Israel your very own people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God.

25 “And now, O Lord God, I am your servant; do as you have promised concerning me and my family. Confirm it as a promise that will last forever. 26 And may your name be honored forever so that everyone will say, ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is God over Israel!’ And may the house of your servant David continue before you forever.

27 “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, God of Israel, I have been bold enough to pray this prayer to you because you have revealed all this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you—a dynasty of kings!’ 28 For you are God, O Sovereign Lord. Your words are truth, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29 And now, may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you have spoken, and when you grant a blessing to your servant, O Sovereign Lord, it is an eternal blessing!”

2 Samuel 7:17-29

Dear God, even with what Nathan had prophesied to him before, David still didn’t have the complete picture. There’s no way he could have. When the writers of Ruth wrote down the story of David’s great-grandmother, they only had the pieces of the puzzle that lead to David and maybe Solomon. There’s no way they could no how it would lead to Jesus. And what kind of King Jesus would be–to the whole world. David was honored and humbled by the prophecy, but he was also ignorant as to what it truly meant. Frankly, he’d have been more humbled and awed by the whole truth, even as even what I know of your plan is probably still just a little part of your plan.

As for me, I have work to do today. Help me to do it well. I’m no David. I’m no Abraham, Elijah, or Moses. I’m not even an Andrew, Bartholomew, or Mark. I just one little guy sitting in his little house in a small town. Thank you for doing some little things through me and in me. Even in my little way, I do feel a little like David as he goes to sit before you and just ask, “Who am I that you have brought me this far?” No, you didn’t call me so that I can just revel in your love and sit in a little self-made cocoon. You created me so that I could develop a relationship with you through worship and service. Help me to worship and serve well today.

Father, I guess that’s it. You won’t use my life like you used David’s, and you don’t have to in order for me to know you love me. I love you, Lord. I lift my voice to worship you. Oh, my soul, rejoice! Take joy my King in what you hear. Let it me a sweet, sweet sound in your ear.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 29, 2026 in 2 Samuel

 

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2 Samuel 6:12-23

27 Jan

12 Then King David was told, “The Lord has blessed Obed-edom’s household and everything he has because of the Ark of God.” So David went there and brought the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with a great celebration. 13 After the men who were carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. 15 So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns.

16 But as the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him.

17 They brought the Ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the special tent David had prepared for it. And David sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord. 18 When he had finished his sacrifices, David blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 19 Then he gave to every Israelite man and woman in the crowd a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, and a cake of raisins. Then all the people returned to their homes.

20 When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!”

21 David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. 22 Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!” 23 So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life.

2 Samuel 6:12-23

Dear God, this story has so many parts that are interesting. I think what I want to focus on today is David’s desire for the blessing that comes from having the Ark around. Now, I don’t know why Obed-edom experienced good fortune while he had the Ark. Maybe it was because the Ark was there and maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was because how he behaved while he had the Ark. Maybe it was so that you could inspire David to get the Ark all the way back to Jerusalem. Or maybe it was for another reason altogether. I think there’s enough evidence to show that having the Ark in one’s presence doesn’t guarantee success. It was lost to the Philistines, after all, with the sin of Eli’s sons. Later, David will still get run out of Jerusalem by Absalom even though the Ark is there. It’s easy and even tempting to think of the Ark as this little prosperity-gospel trinket that we can use for our own goals, wants, and desires, but that would be a fallacy.

Are there any Arks in my life? Is there anything I look at and think, “Oh, I’ll get what I want if I do this or that”? I know there used to be some. I used to have some expectations of you that were unreasonable. I used to think I would be guaranteed some of the outcomes I wanted with my marriage, children, job/career, etc. if I did the right things. But you’ve ground that out of me over the last 16 years. I don’t really feel that way anymore. Now, I just look at the resources you’ve given me to steward and I ask that you help me to be a good steward of them. Whether it’s the wife and children you’ve given me to love, the job you’ve given me to work, or the friends and community you’ve given me to serve, I just want to rise to what you need me to be for them.

Father, I give you what I have. I’m not looking for what David was looking for. But David was in a different position than I’m in. He was leading a nation. I’m just serving a family and a community. My life is much smaller than his. Much, much smaller. We all know who he is thousands of years later. My own family will forget about me within three generations. And that’s okay. I don’t need to be remembered. I just want to live a life that knocked over a domino that you eventually used to bring about your kingdom and will being done on this earth.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on January 27, 2026 in 2 Samuel

 

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2 Samuel 11 – Uriah the Hittite

19 Sep

11 In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem.

2 Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. 3 He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4 Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned home. 5 Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, “I’m pregnant.”

6 Then David sent word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent him to David. 7 When Uriah arrived, David asked him how Joab and the army were getting along and how the war was progressing. 8 Then he told Uriah, “Go on home and relax.” David even sent a gift to Uriah after he had left the palace. 9 But Uriah didn’t go home. He slept that night at the palace entrance with the king’s palace guard.

10 When David heard that Uriah had not gone home, he summoned him and asked, “What’s the matter? Why didn’t you go home last night after being away for so long?”

11 Uriah replied, “The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in tents, and Joab and my master’s men are camping in the open fields. How could I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I would never do such a thing.”

12 “Well, stay here today,” David told him, “and tomorrow you may return to the army.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 Then David invited him to dinner and got him drunk. But even then he couldn’t get Uriah to go home to his wife. Again he slept at the palace entrance with the king’s palace guard.

David Arranges for Uriah’s Death

14 So the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver. 15 The letter instructed Joab, “Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.” 16 So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the city wall where he knew the enemy’s strongest men were fighting. 17 And when the enemy soldiers came out of the city to fight, Uriah the Hittite was killed along with several other Israelite soldiers.

18 Then Joab sent a battle report to David. 19 He told his messenger, “Report all the news of the battle to the king. 20 But he might get angry and ask, ‘Why did the troops go so close to the city? Didn’t they know there would be shooting from the walls? 21 Wasn’t Abimelech son of Gideon killed at Thebez by a woman who threw a millstone down on him from the wall? Why would you get so close to the wall?’ Then tell him, ‘Uriah the Hittite was killed, too.’”

22 So the messenger went to Jerusalem and gave a complete report to David. 23 “The enemy came out against us in the open fields,” he said. “And as we chased them back to the city gate, 24 the archers on the wall shot arrows at us. Some of the king’s men were killed, including Uriah the Hittite.”

25 “Well, tell Joab not to be discouraged,” David said. “The sword devours this one today and that one tomorrow! Fight harder next time, and conquer the city!”

26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27 When the period of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to the palace, and she became one of his wives. Then she gave birth to a son. But the Lord was displeased with what David had done.

2 Samuel 11

Dear God, I want to spend some time with Uriah the Hittite this morning. I normally think of him as just Uriah, but I think 2 Samuel 11 is careful to point out to us that he isn’t Jewish. He’s a Hittite. An outsider who grafted into Israel and served in the king’s army.

The narrative also goes out of its way to tell us what a good, noble, and honorable man Uriah was. I can also make assumptions. Since he and Bathsheba did not yet have any children, I assume he as on the younger side. He had a beautiful wife and a full life ahead of him. Then it was gone. Taken because another man was trying to hide his sin. It’s true that it’s almost always the coverup that is worse than the actual crime. In fact, if Uriah had been less conscientious he would have gone home to Bathsheba that night, slept with her, and been allowed to live with the idea that he had fathered David’s child, although the timing of the child’s birth would have been off by a number of weeks. Seemingly, it was that last level of conscientiousness that cost him everything.

But here’s the thing that none of them could see at the time. The thing Uriah couldn’t see as he was recklessly attacking the city, as he had been ordered to do by Joab. That David couldn’t see as he tried to hide his sin. That Bathsheba couldn’t see as she mourned her young husband and carried the king’s baby in shame. You would redeem this path in life. Uriah’s name would be remembered forever with nothing but high honor. Bathsheba would have a son who would become King of Israel. And this woman who was a pawn in all of this would become part of the lineage for Jesus.

I wonder what it looked like from heaven as Uriah watched all of this unfold (assuming for a moment that in the timelessness of your existence, he was with you). Did anger give way to elation as he realized the sacrifice of his earthly life gave the path to Jesus? The butterfly effect of his death cleared the way for you to do what you wanted to do all along, including redeem him from Satan’s grasp?

I don’t often look at my Facebook feed, but I took a peek this morning, and I saw a number of people still mourning Charlie Kirk’s assassination by a murderer who committed an act of treachery. That person created a widow and orphans that day, along with leaving chaotic pain and mourning among a large part of our population and a fear of political violence for everyone. I thought about Charlie and his desire to live out his faith. I didn’t know who he was nine days ago and I don’t think I would have agreed with everything he did, but I do believe he loved you and was doing his best to live out that faith in the world. So his death made me think of Uriah. I know Uriah had flaws we aren’t privy to, but he was a good man. I know Charlie had flaws, but I believe he was a good man. What will you do to redeem his death and not let this pain be wasted? How will you take this pain and make it count for your good? How will you teach us to love in the face of our anger?

Father, all of us have a duty to respond to the stimulus around us. How will we honor you in it? And are we willing to sacrifice our small lives for you? Jesus told us to be grateful when people persecute us for our faith. At some level, Charlie was persecuted for his faith. Help us to find the redemption in that. But let us also not forget to offer mercy and grace. To forgive others as you forgave David. As we forgive David. I don’t know of anyone who walks around holding Uriah’s death against David. Help us to love. Help us to love. Help us to love. Help us to offer mercy. Help us to be peacemakers. Help your people to show the world what it looks like to be a Jesus follower in the midst of pain, anger, and mourning. It’s times like this that Jesus taught us a way that is foreign to the world. Help us to live up to that.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on September 19, 2025 in 2 Samuel

 

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David Crowned King of Israel – 2 Samuel 1-5:4

29 Jun

Dear God, we are wrapping up David this week for the guys in CMLS. Next week, I’ll branch into new territory of being explicitly evangelical and inviting them into a life lived with you. In conjunction with you. Loving you. Worshipping you and you alone. Rejecting idols. Loving their neighbors. Forgiveness. But first, we need to wrap up David and then link him to your son, Jesus. One, a king corrupted by his power. The other, a king who declined the power-over Satan offered him and taught us a new way.

When last we left off…

  • David was in Ziklag, having just recovered his and he men’s wives, children, and possessions from the Amalekites and sent some off to the cities in Judah who were close to him.
  • Jonathan and his brothers were killed in battle.
  • Saul died a particularly painful death, impaling himself on a sword after being shot by arrows.
  • The Israelites inhabiting the towns in the area of the battle evacuated the towns and the Philistines took up residence.
  • The men of Jabesh Gilead honored Saul by caring for his and his sons’ bodies.

Page 332

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

  • 2 Samuel 1:1-2 – 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.
    • Notice the torn clothes and dust on his head. This was a sign of mourning and grief. These words are important to describe what they nonverbally communicated to David.
  • David knew the battle would have happened, but this was his first contact with anyone who had news. 2 Samuel 1:4-18 – 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.’ ”

The Song of the Bow

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:

  • David does some important things here:
    • He punished the Amalekite for killing God’s anointed, even under those circumstances.
      • Did the Amalekite lie?
    • He publicly laments for Saul to disabuse anyone of the notion that he was rooting for Saul’s death by tearing his clothes and “mourned and wept and fasted until evening.”
      • Forgiveness?
    • He deeply mourns for Jonathan.
  • David is a song writer and his words in this moment live until this day: “Oh, how the mighty have fallen!
    • We usually use these words in a derogatory/sarcastic way, but David wrote them when he was in deep pain.

David, King of Judah

  • David asked God if it was time to go home and where he should go. God told him to do to Hebron.
  • The men of Judah anoint David king over their tribe. The most of the rest of Israel aren’t part of it.
  • David learns about what Jabesh Gilead did for Saul and Jonathan and his brothers. He sends a message to the thanking them for what they did and letting them know that he is now king over Judah.
    • Maybe not as much a recruitment for them to do the same but a seed planted for later.
    • Look at the map
  • Abner, Saul’s cousin and Commander over the army took one of Saul’s remaining sons, Ishbosheth and threw his own credibility and power behind him to have him anointed as king over the 11 remaining Israelite tribes.
    • Did Abner do this for Ishbosheth, or did he do it for himself?
    • The historian is careful to say David sought God and the people anointed him king while Abner anointed Ishbosheth and positioned his capital away from the Philistines.


Joab and Abner

  • Joab was David’s army commander and his cousin. He also had two brothers, Abishai and Asahel.
  • Abner took his army to Gibeon. We don’t know why. Joab decided to do the same. 2 Samuel 2:12-17 – 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.

  • Keep in mind that Joab had spent several years with David, running from Saul and Abner. He also wanted to command all of Israel’s army and for David to be king over everyone.
  • A huge battle ensues in which 19 of Joab’s men die, but 360 of Abner’s die.
  • But the death among Joab’s men that hurt the most was Joab’s brother Asahel. We will see how this plays out later in our story.
  • Abner finally calls for a truce and Joab blows the horn to stop.
  • Abner returns to Mahanaim while Joab buries his brother in his father’s tomb in Bethlehem, and then he and all the men head back to Hebron.
  • 2 Samuel 3:1 – 3 Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

Abner’s Switch of Allegiance

  • Chapter 3 starts with a list of David’s son’s born in Hebron, and we would spend more time on them if we were going through the rest of 2 Samuel.
  • One day, Ishbosheth accuses Abner of sleeping with one of Saul’s concubines. 2 Samuel 3:7-11 – 7 And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ishbosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?”

8 Then Abner became very angry at the words of Ishbosheth, and said, “Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Today I show loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David; and you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman? 9 May God do so to Abner, and more also, if I do not do for David as the Lord has sworn to him— 10 to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” 11 And he could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.

  • It’s obvious who had the real power in Ishbosheth’s kingdom.
  • Abner decides to make an alliance with David, ingratiate himself to David and make it possible for all the tribes of Israel to make David king.
  • Abner sends a message to David saying if David will make a covenant with him he will deliver the rest of the tribes of Israel.
  • David tests the offer by requiring he bring David’s first wife Michal. 2 Samuel 3:13-16 – 13 And David said, “Good, I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you: you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.” 14 So David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” 15 And Ishbosheth sent and took her from her husband, from Paltiel the son of Laish. 16 Then her husband went along with her to Bahurim, weeping behind her. So Abner said to him, “Go, return!” And he returned.
  • Abner communicates with the elders of Israel encouraging them to follow David.
  • Then he goes to Hebron, David has a feast for him, and Abner tells him he will go and deliver the remaining tribes of Israel to him.
  • David sends Abner away in peace.
  • Oh, but wait. Joab wasn’t mentioned in any of this, and Abner has forgotten about the grudge Joab has for killing Asahel.
  • Joab gets back to Hebron and finds out what Abner’s been up to. 2 Samuel 3:24-27 – 24 Then Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you; why is it that you sent him away, and he has already gone? 25 Surely you realize that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you, to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing.”

26 And when Joab had gone from David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know it. 27 Now when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately, and there stabbed him in the stomach, so that he died for the blood of Asahel his brother.

28 Afterward, when David heard it, he said, “My kingdom and I are guiltless before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. 29 Let it rest on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and let there never fail to be in the [i]house of Joab one who has a discharge or is a leper, who leans on a staff or falls by the sword, or who lacks bread.” 30 So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.

  • CONSPIRACY THEORY must be stopped. Now, David has a political problem. All of the Israelite elders were about to anoint him king, but this might look to them like David had tricked Abner. David publicly lamented Abner’s death and showed him a ton of public respect in order to convince everyone he had nothing to do with Abner’s death, and it worked. 2 Samuel 3:36-37 – 36 Now all the people took note of it, and it pleased them, since whatever the king did pleased all the people. 37 For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king’s intent to kill Abner the son of Ner. 
  • David tells his staff Joab has made him look weak and he hopes God pays them back for it, but he doesn’t do anything – yet. 1 Kings 2:28-33 (page 366) – 28 Then news came to Joab, for Joab had defected to Adonijah, though he had not defected to Absalom. So Joab fled to the tabernacle of the Lord, and took hold of the horns of the altar. 29 And King Solomon was told, “Joab has fled to the tabernacle of the Lord; there he is, by the altar.” Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.” 30 So Benaiah went to the tabernacle of the Lord, and said to him, “Thus says the king, ‘Come out!’ ”

And he said, “No, but I will die here.” And Benaiah brought back word to the king, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.”

31 Then the king said to him, “Do as he has said, and strike him down and bury him, that you may take away from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood which Joab shed. 32 So the Lord will return his [g]blood on his head, because he struck down two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword—Abner the son of Ner, the commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, the commander of the army of Judah—though my father David did not know it. 33 Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and upon the head of his descendants forever. But upon David and his descendants, upon his house and his throne, there shall be peace forever from the Lord.”

The End of Ishbosheth

  • We hear a really quick story about Mephibosheth that will be important later when David is King over all of Israel.
  • Word spread that Abner was dead and Ishbosheth lost heart.
  • Two captains of the guard sneak in and killed Ishbosheth, beheaded him and headed off to Hebron because, apparently, they hadn’t heard about how David treated people who killed Israel’s king. 2 Samuel 4:9-12 – 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 [f]blood at your hand and [g]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.

David, King of Israel

  • 2 Samuel 5:1-4 – 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. 


Wrap-Up

  • David’s path to the throne
    • Samuel anoints (about 12?)
    • Goliath (about 15?)
    • He loved Jonathan and probably felt confused about how he would rule at Jonathan’s expense.
    • Made a captain and kills his 10,000s
    • Married the king’s daughter, Michal
    • Runs from Saul – Jonathan talks Saul down
    • Runs from Saul – Spares his life in the cave but doesn’t return. This is the one where he lies to the priest and gets all of the priests but one killed and pretends to be crazy to another king.
    • Runs from Saul – Spares his life in the valley and then heads to the Philistines and lives with them over a year. Raids other areas and deceives Achish
  • Faithful to wait on God’s timing. No short cuts.
  • Saul’s life was marked by insecurity and self-pity, and it ended up being the death of him and his family’s kingdom.
  • David’s life, while fraught with a lot of blood and some deception, is marked by loving God, worshipping God, and being willing to honor others over himself.
  • God noticed David’s excessive killing. 1 Chronicles 22:6-10 (page 457) – 6 Then he called for his son Solomon, and charged him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. 7 And David said to Solomon: “My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the Lord my God; 8 but the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight. 9 Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around. His name shall be [b]Solomon, for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days. 10 He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’ 

Father, give me the words to say to these men tomorrow night. I will go through most of this. Some of it I will end up skipping. And I’ll add other things extemporaneously. Whatever I do in the moment, I want to be completely guided by your Holy Spirit. I want to be a seed sower. I pray that you will prepare hearts for tomorrow night. Start with mine. Teach me through these men. Teach me through my own teaching. Holy Spirit, fill that place tomorrow night.

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen

 
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Posted by on June 29, 2025 in 2 Samuel

 

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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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