Day #113 | "When the King is On His Throne"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 2 Samuel 19-20, and Psalms 6 and 9

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Jesus will take his seat on the throne like David did. Here we see that David, the true king of Israel, having won his victory over Absalom (the anti-David, whose name means "father of peace," and who was described as the most handsome man in the kingdom in 2 Samuel 14:25, and yet was deceitfully wicked and who divided the kingdom), this King David took his place upon the throne, and put on the royal crown, and returned to lead his people as their King, to judge the people of God according to his righteous judgments. Though they were shedding tears of mourning, "The king arose and took his seat in the gate... and all the people came before the king" (2 Samuel 19:8). Though the people were ashamed of their sins against him, he spoke to them and said that if they trusted in him, then they would have a place in his kingdom (2 Samuel 19:12). As he was lifted up in royal power and splendor, many of those who had acted faithfully or unfaithfully were brought before his throne and bowed themselves to him, and he decided their case: for Shimei the son of Gera (2 Samuel 19:16-23), for Mephibosheth and Ziba (2 Samuel 19:24-30), for Barzillai the Gileadite (2 Samuel 19:31-40) and for Amasa the general (2 Samuel 19:13) and Zadok and Abiathar the priests (2 Samuel 19:11-12)--all those who had either accepted or rejected David during the reign of Absalom. Some surprising decisions were made as those who had seemed to be in good favor with the king were taken down from their lofty positions, and those who did not seem to be in good standing were lifted up (2 Samuel 19:13). Rewards were given, and the king came down and honored the one who had been faithful and kissed him on the forehead in the sight of all the people (2 Samuel 19:31). When the king is seated on his throne, then all will come to light, judgments will be made, righteousness will prevail, and the people will be blessed. That was true when David was seated on his throne. And it will be true when Jesus descends on his throne from heaven, to judge the peoples of the earth. That will be a day of celebration.

Jesus is the true and greater David. There are some ways where David showed that someone greater than him was needed. Joab was right in confronting him, because on the day of his victory he made the people weep and mourn. But when Jesus returns victorious, there will be only joy. When David returned, the unity of his kingdom was not truly completed--but when Jesus returns, every tribe and tongue will confess his name together. When David returned, he still had to contend with political wrangling in his kingdom from Joab and Abishai--but when Jesus returns, he will make straight every crooked path, reveal hidden things in plain sight, judge the secret thoughts of men's hearts, and reign unopposed to do mercy and justice upon the face of the earth. 

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR WORSHIP we can trust in Jesus to extend mercy, and to rule with righteousness in our lives. We can trust that he will one day be victorious over the brokenness of this world, and that he will restore all things. And we can lay ourselves out before him and declare that we are his willing servants.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Day #112 | "No Outsiders in God's Kingdom"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 2 Samuel 17-18 and Psalm 17

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Ethnic diversity in the kingdom of God. While this is certainly not the main theme of today's reading -a gripping account of double-agency, espionage, and counter-intelligence, one man's loss of a son, the war-time decision of a general to defy his king, the loyalty of a people to their monarch, complete with a big action scene where "The battle spread over the face of all the country, and the forest devoured more people than the sword" (2 Samuel 18:8), and two more personal stories of a lonely, post-battlefield execution (2 Samuel 18:9-15) and a shamed advisor who takes his own life out of grief (2 Samuel 17:23)- what stood out to me was the names of non-Israelites who take on major roles here. Hushai the Archite is depicted here as one of David's close friends who is a major asset in David's counter-intelligence efforts (2 Samuel 17:14); he is also an "Archite" meaning he is a Canaanite from the territory of Ephraim (see Joshua 6:2,10). We also see that the commander of Israel's armies is a son of Ithra the Ishmaelite--a non-Jew who was able to move up very high in Israel's social circle, even marrying King David's own sister (see 1 Chronicles 2:13-17).* Ittai the Gittite, a foreigner from the Philistines (see 2 Samuel 15:19) also appears here as the commander of one-third of David's forces, seemingly equal with David's own nephews Joab and Abishai (2 Samuel 18:2). When it is time to tell King David about the death of his son, we also see that Joab entrusts this task to the Cushite, meaning a person of African descent (2 Samuel 18:21). This is an important role, because it involves being trustworthy enough to relay information, capable to carry out the task quickly, and the ability to enter into the royal palace and speak to the king. The Kingdom of Israel was incredibly multi-ethnic, and prominent roles were frequently given to non-Israelites. This is not a common feature in ancient societies, except for in far-reaching empires where local populations were taken from their conquered homelands and re-educated for service in the palace, like Daniel was. But that's not what's happening here. The Archites were part of the "cursed" Canaanites who God arranged to endure in the land and even enter into prominent positions. The Ishmaelites and Gittites (from Gath, in Philistia) were representatives of enemy peoples, but they were welcomed in and given big roles. And the Cushites were from a place far away from Israel, though Cushites and Egyptians had ties. And yet representatives of all these peoples, along with Moabites like Ruth and Hittites like Uriah, and others, all found their home and prominence among God's people in Israel. This is a picture, I think, of the ethnic diversity that God values. He loves all the people of the earth. He wants to admit them into his kingdom. And he modeled that all the way back in the history of the people of Israel.

*Though Abigail is identified as the daughter of Nahash here, this is either another name for David's father Jesse (so says Rashi, the classic Jewish Rabbinic commentator). Specifying that Abigail is the sister of Joab and Abishai's mother, and cross-referencing with 1 Chronicles 2:13-17, makes the relation clear.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR ATTITUDES, I think that people who are very concerned about nationality should feel challenged by this reading. Many people from many different backgrounds -even still today- are overly concerned about diluting their own culture by mixing with people from outside, and yet David -the King of Israel, and the descendant of the Canaanite Rahab and the Moabite Ruth- had no issues with his sister marrying Ithra the Ishmaelite. Or, if nationality is not the issue, we sometimes form conscious circles around who the "in" group is, or who the "out" group is--I think here of an old church I was once part of, where someone was still identified as being "new" there after having already attended that church for seven years! But Ittai the Gittite was part of David's camp for only a few months before he was called into prominent leadership roles. For those who have joined their hearts to the Lord, there are no outsiders in the kingdom of God. There shouldn't be any outsiders in our circles either.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Day #111 | "Taking It On the Chin"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 2 Samuel 15-16 and Psalm 3

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

"Why is this happening to me?" (2 Samuel 15-16). There is a clear sense here that David is going through all of the things described in this chapter as a natural consequence of his failures as a king and father. It is true that David has been forgiven by God for his actions; he has been cleansed of sin and shame, and his throne has been eternally guaranteed by God. But God has still allowed him to experience the natural, earthly consequences of his wrongdoing. It might be the same with us: it is possible for us to repent, to be forgiven by God, and to experience forgiveness--and yet to still experience the earthly fallout of sins that we have committed. God may allow us to experience these kinds of natural consequences in order to teach us that our actions come at a cost, both to ourselves and to those around us. The best way to approach seasons where you are experiencing this is to do what David did: to take it on the chin, march through it, and learn from it (as he did with Shimei), and yet to handle the situation in the best strategic manner that you can (as he did with Absalom). And to trust God with the rest.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? In this case, the "action" step tied in so naturally with the "thought" step that the application is right there, above.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Day #110 | "When the Man Comes Around"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 2 Samuel 8-9, 1 Chronicles 18, and Psalm 60

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

A King who reigns in mercy (2 Samuel 8-9). From today's main reading, what stuck out to me is how David's conquests were marked with mercy. As a sort of picture of God's grace in election, we see how he measures out a full line of one-third of the Moabite soldiers to be spared after he has defeated them (2 Samuel 8:2). And then, when his kingdom was secure on every side, he didn't rule with cruelty or try to eliminate all of his rivals--instead he searched out a descendant of Saul's house so that he could show him kindness (2 Samuel 9:1). When David is on his throne, old offences are forgiven, and blessing is poured out on the many. Likewise, when Jesus returns from heaven once more in the last days, he will also be a king who reigns in mercy. He will accept the broken-hearted, the poor, the weary, and the hungry into his kingdom. He will wipe away the tears of the people. He will pardon sinners who have placed their trust in him, and he will count their transgressions no more. What David models here imperfectly, Jesus will one day model in absolute, undiluted, glorious fullness of measure. Where David is merely the shadow, Jesus will be the fulfillment, as he will reign as the true King of Mercy in reality.

A partial victory that points to a greater one (Psalm 60). The lines of Psalm 60, given its historical context, seem surprising. We are told that it was written after a string of great victories, and the psalm fits that context: it mentions Israel's victories over Moab, Edom, and Philistia (Psalm 60:8). And yet, at the same time, David says "O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; you have been angry... You have made your people see hard things" (Psalm 60:1-3)! And this is not just some setup for a big victory shout at the end, either: Some of the last lines of the psalm read "Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go forth, O God, with our armies" (Psalm 60:10). How do both of these things go together? It must be that the victory came at a high cost, or not as easily as it had before. And yet despite what David says, 2 Samuel 8:14 says that the Lord was with him and "gave victory to David wherever he went." While David saw partial victories and discouraging setbacks, God saw the overall picture which was much more encouraging. And just as David's discouragement in the midst of the battle was just one part of an overall incredibly successful campaign, his partial victory also points to the greater victory of Jesus. Though David became ruler over a few territories, Jesus will one day be declared Lord over all the earth, and every knee will bow to him, and every tongue (language) will confess Jesus as Lord. Though David fought hard battles and experienced losses, Jesus will one day defeat all the forces of Satan, the world, and evil with merely a word--with "a sharp sword from his mouth" (Revelation 19:15, 21) and with a one-sided victory marked by fire from heaven (Revelation 20:9). David's victory points us to Jesus' victory: what he does imperfectly, Jesus will one day do perfectly, as the Son of David--because as Jesus himself points out at the end of Revelation, in the closing lines of the very last book of the Bible, he is "the root and descendant of David, the bright morning star" (Revelation 22:16).

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR WORSHIP we can trust in Jesus to extend mercy, and to rule with righteousness in our lives. We can trust that he will one day be victorious over the brokenness of this world, and that he will restore all things. And we can lay ourselves out before him and declare that we are his willing servants.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Day #109 | "The Son of David's Eternal Throne"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles 17, and Psalm 110

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

A Messiah from the House of David. Looked at a certain way, the entire narrative of the Old Testament is just Creation (Genesis 1-2) and the Fall (Genesis 3) followed by one long genealogy leading up to the Messiah. God tells the Serpent in Genesis 3 that the seed of the woman (but interestingly, not of the man) will crush his head, and that in that moment the Serpent will deal him a mortal death blow. Then humanity is removed from Paradise, and the question hanging over the Old Testament from that point on is how we will get back. From that point in Genesis 3 and onwards, we are on the lookout for who this "seed of the woman" will be. Genesis 4-5 shows us that this descendant will come through Adam and Seth; Genesis 6-11 begins with the Messianic expectations of Noah's father, and shows us that the Messiah will come from Noah and Shem; Genesis 12-16 shows us he will come from the line of Abraham; Genesis 17-26 shows us he will come from Isaac's line rather than Ishmael's; Genesis 27-48 shows us that God will bring his deliverer through Jacob rather than Esau; and in Genesis 49 we find that this figure, though he will be dealt a death blow, will reign forever and come from the kingly line of Judah rather than the line of Joseph. The descendants of Judah don't seem to do much throughout Exodus-Judges, and a Canaanite man named Caleb actually leads the tribe for a brief period, though the backstory of how that happened is now lost to history. But after a long stretch, we then see that God is still working in the line of Judah in the book of Ruth, as Boaz and Ruth are married. Years afterwards, 1 Samuel sees David -the great grandson of Boaz and Ruth- anointed as the future king over his brothers. Finally, here in 2 Samuel 7 we see that God will establish the throne of David forever, and that the Messiah will come from David's line.

Is this really about the Messiah? This passage is the first major development in God's rescue plan since almost the book of Genesis, or maybe Exodus. From those books we already saw that we should be waiting for a Promised Deliverer. Now, though we know that David is not this deliverer, we are told that his family line will be preserved after his death, and that his throne will be established forever (2 Samuel 7:13). Solomon is to be the first of this kingly line of David, and so this passage has him directly in view, but to focus too much on Solomon would be to bury the lead, here: God just told David that his throne would be eternal. In the words of Dale David, "death would not annul it [7:12-13], sin could not destroy it [7:14-15], and time would not exhaust it [7:16]" (quoted from Walter Kaiser Jr., "2 Samuel 7: The Davidic Covenant" in The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, which I am pointing out here because I recommend the book). Although our reading plan pairs this with Psalm 110, a relevant "commentary" on 2 Samuel 7 comes from Psalm 132, which says:

The LORD swore an oath to David,

a promise He will not abandon:

"I will set one of your descendants

on your throne." [...]

There I will make a horn grow for David;

I have prepared a lamp for My anointed one.

I will clothe his enemies with shame,

But the crown he wears will be glorious. (Psalm 132:11, 17-18). 

From this passage on, we are to watch and wait for God's chosen, anointed (this word translates as Messiah or Christ), future King who will come from the line of Adam, Seth, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah--and David. When the Gospel of Matthew opens up the New Testament, he will arrange his genealogy of Jesus into three neat groups of 14: the value of the name of David. It's Matthew's way of pointing at Jesus with three big arrows marked "David" as if to say, this is the one. And that is who he is.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR WORSHIP I think we can marvel at how God planned all of this out and brought it to fruition. IN OUR ATTITUDES we could take a page from those who watched and waited for the Messiah all the way from the time of Adam and Eve, and we can patiently wait for God to bring about what he has spoken--while paying attention to the ways that God is showing us that he is also active here and now.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Day #108 | "Reading the Bible Through the God Lens"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 1 Chronicles 16:4-43 and Psalms 96 and 29

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Reading the Psalm of Asaph through the God lens. Out of the three psalms in this reading, I've chosen the first one (in 1 Chronicles 16:8-36) to do a little exercise with. When I am preparing for a sermon, I will typically take the text and work through it three times, using what I call "the God lens," "the human lens," and "the Gospel lens." This is what happens when you go through the Psalm of Asaph in 1 Chronicles 16 with the God lens: (1) God has given good gifts to us, for which we should thank Him (16:8); (2) God is responsive to our call (16:8); (3) Even in the Old Testament, God's heart was for all the peoples of the earth that he had made (16:8); (4) God is worthy of praise (16:9); (5) God is holy (16:10); (6) God does not desire to press us into the dirt to establish his dominance, but in fact God desires that his people would be blessed, be happy, and rejoice (16:10); (7) God offers us his presence, and the strength that comes from him, continuously--he is both all-present and all-powerful, and both of those are attributes that he is willing to exercise on our behalf (16:11); (8) God is able to pass judgment because his wisdom is infinite, nothing is hidden from him, he knows the future, and because he is the designer of this world in which we live our lives: he knows how it is meant to function all together (16:12); (9) Though we are his servants, he treats us as friends (16:13); (10) God has chosen us as his people (16:13); (11) He is faithful to keep his promises, throughout all generations (16:14-18); (12) God protects his people, though we may not always see this on our own (16:19-22); (13) God saves us--but from what? In context, he protects Israel from the surrounding nations (the world). But he also saves us from ourselves, our own sin and brokenness and shame (the flesh). And he also protects us from Satan, who prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour (the devil). So God is the one who saves us from the world, the flesh, and the devil. And nothing else can, except him. (16:23); (14) The so-called gods of other religions can't compare to Yahweh, the one true Creator of heaven and earth. This is one reason why other religions lack the evidential basis of Judeo-Christian revelation, or the staying power, or the fruitfulness seen in societies that adopt its norms. Whether you choose evidentialism, pragmatism, or endurance as a measuring stick of truth, the God of the Bible passes each test (and all of them together in combination) better than any other religious claim--because the gods of the peoples are worthless idols (16:25-26); (15) Some of God's attributes: splendor, majesty, strength, joy, holiness (16:27,29); (16) God calls us to freely approach him, and yet we must do so with respect: this psalm simultaneously calls us to "come before him" in v. 29 and at the same time tells us "tremble" in his presence (16:30); (17) All of creation witnesses to the glory of God! The heavens are glad, the earth rejoices, the sea roars, the field exults, the trees of the forest sing for joy--what about you and me? (16:31-33) (18) Three things to know about God: he comes to judge the earth, he is good, and his steadfast love endures forever (16:33-34); (19) The final verses in 16:35-36 seem like they were added on during the exile, with a plea to gather Israel from among the nations, but they acknowledge an important truth in that God has no beginning and no end: from everlasting to everlasting he is God (16:36).

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR WORSHIP we can take some time to think about God: about who he is, what he is like, what he has done, and how we can know him. We can consider how he has treated us with graciousness and kindness, even though he doesn't need anything from us. We can seek him for his wisdom. We can place our hope on him. And, we can read the Bible through the God lens more often: asking first when we open God's Word, "what can this teach me about him?"

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Day #107 | "God Will Be Glorified"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 2 Samuel 6:1-23; 1 Chronicles 13:1-4, 15:1-16:3, and 16:31-53

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The readings for Day #107 in Steinmann's chronological plan are all centered around worship.

The holy presence of God among us. The Ark of the Covenant represents God's presence in the midst of his people, and is a reminder that God desires to be in relationship, among us, in our midst. But there is a danger there. There is a danger that we would begin to see the sacred as merely normal, and that we would begin to be too casual in our relationship with God, losing our sense of awe and wonder. It seems to be the case that we tend to do this rather quickly. Now the Ark had been given to the people as a reminder of God's presence in their midst, but it was also supposed to be carried with poles (Exodus 25:14) so that no one actually touched the Ark itself--a reminder that God is simultaneously in our midst, but that some reverential distance is still required (because of his holiness, otherness, infinite power, and glory). Between travels, the Ark was also supposed to remain inside the Tabernacle, in the Holy of Holies in the midst of the Tabernacle, where even the High Priest could only enter once per year on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:2ff). But in the years since, it seems like the Ark of the Covenant had become a sort of traveling good luck charm, taken into battles to ensure victory (1 Samuel 4:3-4)--which means that someone would have had to go in to the Tabernacle, against God's prescriptions, in order to take it out for a field trip. Now, here, we find the Ark taken out again without God commanding it to happen, and the priests are not carrying it by its poles on foot with reverence and awe, but instead they've thrown it onto the back of a cart and strapped it down to get it where they want to take it faster and with less effort. You see how this might already be a problem? And now, having already approached God with excessive casualness and gone against presecriptions, Uzzah reaches out his hand to touch the Ark--and so God chooses to use this moment to put an end to the overly casual approach to him that the people have taken, and glorifies himself in the midst of Israel.

Making an example of Uzzah. There is a question that many have here about Uzzah, and whether God was just in striking him down for what seemed like an unintentional accident. (1) Uzzah's reaching out may have been an accident, but everything that brought him up to that moment came out of excessive casualness and dismissal of God's commands regarding the Ark. (2) I still believe that God loved Uzzah. While God may have made an example of his earthly body by striking him down, I believe that Uzzah opened his eyes half a moment later in the Kingdom of Heaven.

David was undignified before men, and refined in the eyes of God. While David's wife Michal, the daughter of Saul, shared her dad's sense of the importance of appearances above all, David was different. He had been a shepherd, a military leader, an outlaw, a fugitive, and a rebel leader. He was rougher around the edges. And what brought him to his role as king was not that he could play the part of king the best and be the best politician, but that he loved God. (This was true even after his significant moral failure with Bathsheba.) So in this reading, we see David dancing among the people in his linen under-robe, celebrating and singing. He doesn't care if he looks dignified. He doesn't care that men in his day were to remain stoic, calm, unmoved, and in control--even more so in the case of the King. Instead he pushed all of that to one side, picked up the flag-sticks, struck up the band, and danced in public in a way that showed that his own honor was no important but that God's was. That's the kind of godly leadership that we need. And God blessed it.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR WORSHIP we should be emboldened to come near to God because he desires to be near to us. And yet, not to be flippant or casual in how we do this. God will be glorified in our midst--either because we will honor him above ourselves as David did, or because God will honor himself in our midst as he did with Uzzah.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Day #106 | "Promise Keepers"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 2 Samuel 21 and 13-14, 1 Chronicles 20:4-8, and Psalm 35

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

1. God wants us to keep our promises (2 Samuel 21).

If you think about it for any length of time, 2 Samuel 21 gets more and more complicated the more that you look at it. For starters, the Gibeonites that we encounter in this chapter were descendants of the Amorites, who God had commanded Israel to destroy when they first entered the land. But now, God declares guilt on the house of Saul because he had attempted to destroy them. What changed? Well, what changed was that Israel had made a promise to them: "the people of Israel had sworn to spare them" (2 Samuel 21:2). Even though this promise was made by deceitful means back in Joshua 9, God looked on the Gibeonites and saw a people of the land who recognized the power of God and who sought peace with his people. He loved them. And he recognized the promise made between them and Israel as binding. Though Saul sought to look impressive and God-fearing by attempting to wipe them out, he was actually doing something incredibly unjust by betraying his duty to protect these people. That rings true for what we know of Saul's character defects in general: that he was always trying to look good, that he was lazy and was always looking for an easy victory to celebrate, and that he was impulsive and unreflective. The truth is that when we have made a commitment to another person, God himself expects us to keep that commitment to the best of our ability. Duty and promise-keeping are incredibly important to God: for the sake of his promises to Adam, Noah, and Abraham, he has remained faithful to his commitment to restore humanity to Paradise, even at the cost of the crucifixion and death of Jesus on the cross. That's how seriously God takes promises. That's worth remembering the next time that we consider making a promise, or the next time we think about breaking one.

2. The many kinds of promises or duties for us to fulfill (all passages).

Throughout today's reading we see many different kinds of promises and duties that we are supposed to keep in mind as we go about our lives. (1) There are formal promises, like the agreements between in Israelites and Gibeonites in 2 Samuel 21:1-2, or between David and Jonathan's family in 2 Samuel 21:7. (2) There are general commitments to honor our family's memory/reputation which causes Rizpah to protect the bodies of her loved ones in 2 Samuel 21:10-11. (3) There is the commitment to honor the work of those who came before us as David did in 2 Samuel 21:12-14 when he collected the remains of King Saul's family and returned them to their family tomb (only after this did God "respond to the plea for the land"--i.e. he ended the famine that we read about in 2 Samuel 21:1). This is especially significant since Saul had tried repeatedly to murder David. Yet, David was still responsible to honor Saul's memory for the good that he had done. (4) There is the commitment to honor and care for those in positions of leadership, as David's men did when they cared for a now-aged King David in 2 Samuel 21:15-17 by protecting him and pleading with him not to endanger his life by going out into battle again. (5) There is the commitment of leaders to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of those who they lead, as David undoubtedly did for Abishai, Sibbecai, Elhanan, and Jonathan--which is why we know their names and the feats that they accomplished (2 Samuel 21:18-22). (6) There is also the responsibility to care for family members who are in need as Absalom did when he took his sister Tamar into his house after she had been humiliated by Amnon (2 Samuel 13:20). (7) There is the duty to advocate for one's friends when it is appropriate, as Joab did for Absalom in 2 Samuel 14. (8) And finally (for now) there is the duty to work for unity within our family, friends, and society, as Joab's efforts caused David and his son Absalom to be finally reunited and reconciled (though, stay tuned) in 2 Samuel 14.

3. We also see some betrayals of these duties (2 Samuel 13-14).

The core reading for today is one that is mostly about deep, significant betrayals of duty and trust. Jonadab plans, and Amnon acts on, an intention to horrifically abuse and "humiliate" their relative (and Absalom's full sister) Tamar. Absalom uses a feast of peace to execute his brother Amnon. David abandons relationship with his son Absalom. Joab "ghosts" Absalom for a long time leaving him secluded and alone on his property with no answer about whether a meeting with King David might be forthcoming. Absalom, for his part, burns down his friend Joab's field to get attention--which, though he was stuck in a difficult situation, seems at least a little bit extreme. 

4. God demonstrates the ultimate commitment.

Like I mentioned above, duty and promise keeping are incredibly important to God. He keeps his commitments and he sees them as something that is binding--even for himself. God committed to save humanity and to restore us, and he is doing so, even though that involved the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, who is God in human flesh. He cleans us up unilaterally. He chases after us, even when we are not chasing after him, and even though he needs nothing from us. This is true for all the peoples of the earth. And for Israel specifically, though they are not (as a people) following God in modern times, it is still clear today that God has taken seriously and kept his commitment to preserve Israel's name and to bless them regardless of their response to him--though specifically in an earthly sense, as Jewish people along with everyone else must still come to trust in Jesus the Messiah for salvation. God is the ultimate promise keeper. That is who he is.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR ACTIONS we should imitate God by keeping our own promises and commitments to others, many of which are listed in point #2 above. IN OUR WORSHIP we can glorify and praise God, who has not abandoned his promises to us. And IN OUR ATTITUDES we should resolve to be people of character who do not make commitments lightly, and who are wholeheartedly set to do what we say.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Day #105 | "The Goodness of Guilt"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 2 Samuel 11-12 and Psalm 51

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

1. The Devil finds work for idle hands (2 Samuel 11).

2 Samuel 11 is literally the worst chapter in David's entire kingship. The sin that he commits against God and others is incredibly serious. But, look at how it all started: "In... the time when kings go out to battle... David remained at Jerusalem" (2 Samuel 11:1). Here we see David relaxing, with nothing to do, and all his soldiers are off at war, and he is putting his feet up at home. And then he is looking around because he's curious. And then he sees something he shouldn't and doesn't look away. And then he leans in, and goes after what he's set his eyes on. And then he's arranging a meeting. And then he's covering it up. And then he's committing crimes to preserve his own reputation: the man who would not kill Saul, though Saul hunted for his life, now has no problems with endangering his own soldiers in order to have Uriah -the husband of the woman that he lay with- killed and made to look like an accident. You see, David illustrated what former generations recognized quite well: that bad things happen when we don't have enough to do. 

2. The source of sin is lust and pride (2 Samuel 11).

One verse that is often used to categorize the temptations that we face is 1 John 2:15-17, which describes "the desires of the flesh, and the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life" as a basic categorization of worldly desires that lead us astray. These categories actually work pretty well. David fell for all three: first he let his eyes wander. Then he indulged in the desires of the flesh. Then, in order to cover up and maintain his image as the "man after God's own heart," David had a man killed so that he could maintain his outward appearance of righteousness and his pride of life. Interestingly, David didn't kill because of his lust: he had already had that satisfied. David killed because of his desire to look like a good, moral person. He needed others to recognize that he was righteous. And, ironically, in order to do that, he became the most immoral that he had ever been. Sometimes if you want to find out how evil a person is, all you need to do is let them know that you're aware of some actions of theirs which go against their self-image. This will work even if you don't exactly confront them on it. All they have to do is know that you are aware, and you will see what is inside them bubble up to the surface--just don't deliver any mail for them at that point, or you might get Uriah'd.

3. Becoming afraid of yourself (2 Samuel 12).

"You are that man," spoken from Nathan's lips, must have rung in David's ears for the rest of his life (2 Samuel 12:7). In that moment David's objections and justifications melted away, and he was allowed to finally become a little bit afraid of himself. What had he done? It would be hard to know where to start. He was a liar, and an abductor of men's wives, and a murderer, and an adulterer, and likely a breaker of every other one of the ten commandments all at one point in time. And now he knew it, and I believe he became a little bit afraid of who he'd become. I think the people that I enjoy best are those who have learned to be a little bit afraid of themselves. They are aware that certain things take their objectivity away, so they learn to trust themselves a little less. They know that they are prone to anger, and that this hurts those around them emotionally, so they have learned to go for a walk when they need it. They see the reality of hurt that they've caused, and so they have become gentle, humble people, ready to receive the Lord's guidance. Becoming afraid of yourself is not a bad thing. In this case fear of self is what brought David to repentance.

4. There is no cure for guilt other than God (Psalm 51).

This Psalm appears to have been written soon after Nathan confronted David. It records David's repentance, his acknowledgment of his own sins, and his desire to be made clean by God ("Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow," Psalm 51:7). There is no cure for guilt other than this. God alone is the one that we can run to. God alone has the power to wash away our sins. Only God, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, can make us clean again.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR WORSHIP we should lift God up and acknowledge his goodness and righteousness in contrast to our own faulty righteousness. Through knowledge of our own sinfulness, we are pushed closer to God who draws us closer to him so that we can share in his goodness. IN OUR ATTITUDES this knowledge of our own guilt should make us gentler, humbler people, who are patient with the fault of others because we know the fault in our own selves.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Day #104 | "Learning About Loyalty"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 2 Samuel 10:1-11:1; 12:26-31; 1 Chronicles 19:1-20:3

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

It seems like a lot of this particular reading revolves around loyalty, or the lack thereof. David shows loyalty to Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, by sending a delegation to his son after he died. David shows loyalty to his own men by meeting with them personally and allowing them to wait until the beards have grown back, before they return home from their mistreatment. Joab also displays loyalty to David when he allows David to take a city and be named the victor rather than himself. On the other hand, Nahash's son Hanun shows disloyalty to David by capturing David's men and returning them back to their own land in a state of dishonor. And the Syrians show their disloyalty by abandoning the Ammonites. So what does it look like to be loyal? It looks like considering someone when they are going through a tough time, as David did for Hanun. It looks like making the other person look good, as David did when he met personally with his returned men and had them rest and regrow their beards before returning home--and like Joab did when he called to David before taking the city. It looks like returning kindness for a kindness, unlike Hanun who met David's show of loyalty with dishonor. And it looks like sticking with those who you have committed to, unlike the Syrians who turned on their Ammonite companions when the going got tough. We can be loyal to God first, our spouses second, to our kids third, and to others that God has brought into our lives after that.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR ACTIONS we can apply this reading by imitating the sort of actions that show loyalty, and by choosing not to imitate the actions that show disloyalty.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Day #103 | "God Goes First"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 2 Samuel 4-5, and 1 Chronicles 11:1-9, 12:23-40, and 14:1-17

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

1. God initiates, we respond (2 Samuel 4-5 and 1 Chronicles 11, 12, 14).

One of the basic truths of our relationship with God is that God goes first. We see this in the passages for today in the ESV chronological plan. When the united tribes came to David to name him king, they referenced the promise that was first made to David through the prophet Samuel (1 Chronicles 11:3), where he had been told "You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be ruler over Israel" (2 Samuel 5:2). However this promise came to be known amongst the people in general, they definitely responded to it. This was why so many people had come out to David and joined with him during his time of exile. This was also why Jonathan, the son of Saul, recognized David and not himself as the next king of Israel. God initiated this chain of events by choosing David from among the people to be his chosen king through whom he would bring his Promised Deliverer, and David in turn responded to "the Lord... who has redeemed my life out of every adversity" (2 Samuel 4:9). The people recognized that God had made a choice, initiated, and made his move in their midst. Then, once they recognized that, they decided to respond to God by uniting with David as their king. We can also respond to God as well: If he has given you an awareness of your need for him, then you can enter into (further?) relationship with him. If he gives you godly desires, then you can live your life outwards out of those new desires. If he has given you talents, you can use them for his glory. As we respond, God may then initiate in other ways. As God initiates, we are enabled to respond, almost like two peddles on a bike being pressed down in turn in order to sustain forward movement.

2. God commands, we obey (2 Samuel 4-5 and 1 Chronicles 11, 12, 14).

As followers of God, we do not simply do whatever we think is right in a given situation (in fact, the book of Judges can almost be seen as a sort of horror story about what happens when people who have no direction are always trying to do their best). Instead we first try to understand what God commands, and then we obey him. This is what David did in 2 Samuel 5, when he asked the Lord "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?" (2 Samuel 5:19). He did this a few times in this chapter, and always responded obediently to what God commanded him in response. The result was that God was able to bring blessing into his life. As God commands, we can obey him and walk with trust that God knows more than we do, and that he loves us, and that therefore what he says is in our best interest.

3. God creates opportunities, we take action (2 Samuel 4-5 and 1 Chronicles 11, 12, 14).

Another way that God goes first is by opening up opportunities. He often does this in his own timing: for example, although he told David early on that David would be king of Israel, he did not actually create the opportunity for that to happen for many years. David could have tried to make it happen on his own, but that would have resulted in failure and started his rulership off on a shaky path. Instead, God allowed in his own timing for Ish-bosheth to be slain, for his killers to run to David so that David could demonstrate his righteousness by executing them, for the people to come as a united group to crown David king, for Hiram king of Tyre to seek an alliance with him, for Jerusalem to be taken as the new capitol city of Israel, and for the Philistines to be defeated before him. In each of these cases, David responded to God's provision of opportunities. We see this very clearly in the final battle with the Philistines in today's reading: God told David not to go up against the Philistines, but to go around and wait by the balsam trees, and then to only go up for battle after he heard "the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees" (1 Chronicles 14:15)--a signal that the angelic army of God had gone out before him, assuring him that there would be victory.

4. God saves, and we trust Him (2 Samuel 4-5 and 1 Chronicles 11, 12, 14).

Ultimately we see how God initiates, commands, and creates opportunities--and in turn we respond, obey, and take action. Again, it's like a bike: God presses the pedal down on one side of our lives, and that enables us to press the pedal down on the other side, and on and on. But this goes deeper than just the choices that we make in a given situation. This pattern of God initiating goes right to the very bedrock of our relationship with him. Though we were stuck in our brokenness and sin and shame, God saved us. Though we were incapable of paying the debt for what we owe because of our own actions, God took our debt on himself. Though we were not searching for God, God sought us out and made us aware of our need for him. God went first. God loved first. Jesus, God in human flesh, came down and died a shameful and painful death on the cross, and then defeated death through the resurrection, in our place. He did this because we couldn't. And now, because he has done this, we can respond to him by placing our trust in who he is and what he has done. God saves, so that we can respond in trust, and together those things enable us to go forward in relationship with him.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR WORSHIP we can take a moment to marvel at how God is so good, gracious, and merciful, that he would initiate and seek us out when we were too stubborn to come to him. IN OUR ATTITUDE I think that this would create in us an attitude of responsiveness, humility, gratefulness, and trust. And IN OUR ACTIONS I think that this would look like choosing to respond to God, to look for where he is opening up opportunities for us to move forward in ways that line up with his word, and to spend time in Scripture so that we can respond to what he has said to us there.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

Day #102 | "The Way of Forgiveness"

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 2 Samuel 2-3, 1 Chronicles 3:1-9, and Psalms 25 and 26

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

1. When unforgiveness leads to wrongdoing on your own team (2 Samuel 2-3).

Joab and Abishai, the supporters (and nephews--see 1 Chronicles 2:13-16) of David, could not get past the death of their brother Asahel on the field of battle, and they held a personal hatred for Abner for killing him. We see the battle where that happened take place in 2 Samuel 2, and then we see Joab's retribution in 2 Samuel 3, after Abner had defected to David's side. While David was willing to forgive the death of his nephew at Abner's hands, Joab and Abishai could not forgive the bloodshed, and so they slew him by deception and treachery in the city gates. David could have covered this up. He could have protected his nephews. He could have excused their actions as regrettable, but understandable. But he did none of these things, because he wanted his kingdom to be founded on mercy and integrity. So he did something difficult: he publicized what his generals, who were his own family members, had done. And he denounced them. He held public mourning, and conducted a public funeral, and composed a song for Abner, and buried him in the (at that time) royal city of Hebron, and instituted public mourning, and fasted. David showed his people by his actions that it is not okay to excuse wrongdoing just because it was done by someone that you have a relationship with. And he showed that perpetuating the cycle of revenge is not the way.

2. David points to an even better forgiveness (2 Samuel 3).

David shows his integrity in his lack of favoritism here. He publicly mourns the man who killed his nephew, and he publicly rebukes his own family for taking revenge. His mercy was emblematic of the one who would later come from David's line -Jesus- who also counseled against taking revenge: "Then Jesus said to [Peter], 'Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword" (Matthew 26:52). Jesus also showed mercy to those who had been his enemies, as Romans 5:10 says "while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son." In these ways David's call for mercy points forward to the one who would show perfect mercy to us.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR ATTITUDES, we can practice forgiveness towards those who have done wrong to us--and even to be willing to reestablish a relationship, though with appropriate boundaries. This does not diminish the seriousness of the other person's actions, but it does give us a chance to bring healing. IN OUR WORSHIP, it can be an awe-inspiring thing to just dwell on the mercy of God. He did not hold our sins against us, even though it would take the death of his own Son to make things right on our behalf.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean