When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses.” (1 Kings 2:1-3a) A person's final words are ... [Continue Reading]
A Pleasing Heart (1 Chronicles 28-29)
I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. (1 Chronicles 29:17) God cares more about your heart than He does about your actions. Christ's death on the cross made it possible for us to be made right with God in spite of our actions but not in spite of our hearts. David was called a man after God's own heart, and this title was given to him ... [Continue Reading]
Careful What You Count (2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21-22)
David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” (2 Samuel 24) There are some things that are very valuable to count. For instance, I was leading a group of students on a trip to Chicago ... [Continue Reading]
Persevering Against All Odds (2 Samuel 22-23)
Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty men, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the men of Israel retreated, but he stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops ... [Continue Reading]
The Pain of Loss (2 Samuel 19-21)
Joab was told, “The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” And for the whole army the victory that day was turned into mourning, because on that day the troops heard it said, “The king is grieving for his son.” The men stole into the city that day as men steal in who are ashamed when they flee from battle. The king covered his face and cried aloud, “O my son ... [Continue Reading]
Finding the Truth (2 Samuel 16-18)
Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.” (2 Samuel 16:9) When David was confronted by the curses of Shimei he had a couple of choices. One option was to have his mighty warriors destroy Shimei right there on the spot. Another option was to listen to Shimei's words and to take ... [Continue Reading]
Fighting to Be King (2 Samuel 13-15)
Then the king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him.” (2 Samuel 15:25-26) David never fought to be king. That was true when Saul was ... [Continue Reading]
A Tale of Two Stories (2 Samuel 11-12; 1 Chronicles 20)
Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die.” (2 Samuel 12:13-14) Sin is serious, and it carries with it enormous consequences. A part of the human condition, however, is that ... [Continue Reading]
The Danger of An Assumption (2 Samuel 10; 1 Chronicles 19)
When David’s men came to the land of the Ammonites, the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Hasn’t David sent them to you only to explore the city and spy it out and overthrow it?” So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments ... [Continue Reading]
The Risk of Doing Right (2 Samuel 8-9; 1 Chronicles 18)
David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2 Samuel 9:1) Doing what's right can sometimes be risky. I was watching an episode of MasterChef a few months ago, and one of the contestants forgot to grab a certain ingredient. Due to the rules, she wasn't allowed back into the kitchen, so she began asking ... [Continue Reading]
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