The repetitiveness of the past several readings has really made me think a lot about the experience of bringing the Ark back to Israel and giving it a more permanent home. It seems so funny to me that, in the midst of celebration by so many, Michal, David's wife, watched the situation in disgust. In fact, she went so far as to despise David in her ... [Continue Reading]
An unfortunate event (2 Samuel 5:11-6:23; 1 Chronicles 13-14)
In some respects it is hard to understand why Uzzah was struck dead by God for attempting to keep the Ark of the Covenant from falling over. After all, it seems like his intentions were good. David, likewise, had a hard time with this because his fear of the Lord increased as a result. Why did God do it? That might be a question we will never ... [Continue Reading]
The reason for Saul ‘ s death (2 Samuel 5:1-9; 1 Chronicles 10, 11:1-9)
There is, within this portion of the narrative, an important characteristic of spiritual leadership that was lacking in Saul: seeking guidance from the Lord. Since the goal of the spiritual leader is to lead people into a growing relationship with God, it seems obvious that such a leader would need to be in tune with God himself. The sad reality, however, is ... [Continue Reading]
How deep should we go?
I have had some interesting discussions with people in the last several weeks, and one of the discussions is regarding the depth of what should be taught in church. There are people who claim that they want to go deeper spiritually and desire more teaching times, but the reality is that if we don't put into practice those things that we're learning, then who ... [Continue Reading]
An undeserved loyalty (2 Samuel 1-4)
Did I miss something here? Wasn't David being pursued by Saul? Wasn't Saul trying to kill him? Is David even human? Because if he is, then I don't understand how in the world he could possibly have mourned over Saul's death. After all, it was his turn to shine; he finally got to be the king! The Bible records, ... [Continue Reading]
Where do you turn? (1 Samuel 30-31)
One of the things I appreciate most about David is his inspiring character. Time and time again we have seen David make the right choices. In the defining moments of life when character is important, David has been more than impressive because every time he faced difficulty in his life circumstances, he looked to the Lord for his strength. The ... [Continue Reading]
Separation from God (1 Samuel 27-29)
I really appreciate the picture the Bible gives us in this reading of what happens when sin enters the scene and separation occurs. I think we're tempted to buy into the idea that our sin doesn't really hurt us. But because of God's holiness, our sin creates a barrier between us and him. That is why Saul's inquiry to the Lord comes back ... [Continue Reading]
Leaders appointed by God (1 Samuel 24-26)
This portion of reading really exemplifies the fact that God appoints leaders of his people and that it is His responsibility alone to remove them from leadership when the time comes. Consider the following: David had an opportunity to kill Saul at his most vulnerable moment (relieving himself in a cave), but David believed that it was not his place to remove a ... [Continue Reading]
Facing Life ‘ s Giants: Dishonesty
The latest sermon from LifePoint Student Ministry. We face a lot of giants in life, but the biggest giants we face are on the battleground of character. In the second part of a 2-week series I talk about the giant of dishonesty. Download Dishonesty.mp3 ... [Continue Reading]
False accusations (1 Samuel 21-23)
There is a tendency in human nature that Saul exemplifies in 1 Samuel 23:22. Saul is hunting down David, and he has yet to capture him. In verse 22 he makes an accusation against David that is void of any legitimacy: "it is told me that [David] is very cunning." A certain level of irony exists in this statement because throughout this whole ... [Continue Reading]
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