Month: July 2020

2 Samuel 4:2 When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed.
Ish-Bosheth put his faith in Abner, so when Abner was killed, Ish-Bosheth lost hope in his ability to remain king. Then he got complacent and took a siesta without guards to protect him. Rekab and Baanah saw an opportunity to ingratiate themselves to David and killed Ish-Bosheth. David was not pleased nor impressed because he trusted God—God’s anointing, God’s protection, God’s timing.
2 Samuel 4:5 Now Rekab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth, and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest.
As a teacher, summers are hard for me because there is often so much change—retirements and folks taking positions in other districts or in different fields. I don’t love change. But like David, I am very sure that God has called me to the role of teacher. I do what I do because of Him. So even though all the change over the summer is incredibly painful and uncomfortable, like David, I am going to trust God—His calling to me to teach, His protection of me where He’s planted me, His timing for any next steps (or for staying put and keeping on—His will, not mine).
2 Samuel 4:6 They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Baanah slipped away.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for using Your word to draw me closer. Thank You for those things I count on as assurances from You and for the ability to trust You for all those things I am unsure of or don’t understand. Lead me, guard me, guide me, Lord. Help me to shine Your light. Amen.
2 Samuel 4:9 David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah…, “As surely as the LORD loves, who has delivered me out of every trouble…”
Have a blessed day.

2 Samuel 3:1 The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.
There is a lot of bad behavior in this chapter. We find out that David now has six wives, and he demands that Saul’s one living son—Ish-Bosheth—give Michal, daughter of Saul, back to him, even though it means taking her away from her husband Paltiel. Abner, who has known that David was the God-anointed king, vows to help him achieve the throne—not out of loyalty to God or David, but in a spirit of revenge against Ish-Bosheth.
2 Samuel 3:9 May God deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the LORD promised him on oath….
Additionally, Joab waylays Abner and kills him just outside of the gates of the city of refuge so that he can avenge his brother’s death, even though Abner had a right to safely seek refuge there. And David, while he does verbally censure Joab, does nothing to correct Joab, his chief military officer, for the underhanded way he murdered Abner. 
2 Samuel 3:27 …And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed [Abner] in the stomach and he died.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the realization that we are all human, fallible, flawed, but that You can, will, and do use us in Your service if we will only give ourselves to You. Forgive me for the many, many times that I, too, have behaved badly in Your sight. Help me to focus my eyes on You only and to seek always to do Your will. Draw me closer. Amen.
2 Samuel 3:28 Later, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the LORD concerning the blood of Abner….”
Have a blessed day.

1 Samuel 31:2 The Philistines were in hot pursuit of Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua.
The book of 1 Samuel ends spectacularly poorly for Saul. Samuel told Saul in the last chapter that Saul’s death was coming, yet Saul did nothing to get right with God, a definite and final missed opportunity for sure. He ends up dead, beheaded, stripped of his armor and fastened to the wall of Beth Shan. A horrible end, no doubt.
1 Samuel 31:3 The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically.
But I was struck by a line in commentary that posited: “Saul’s sin, hardened rebellion, and eventual ruin affected far more than himself and even his immediate family. It literally endangered the entire nation of Israel.” Saul’s disobedience and rebellion affected him, obviously, but the effects of his sin went so much farther than just himself. The reaches of the effects of his sin are incredibly sobering.
1 Samuel 31:8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the perspective that when we are disobedient to you, the consequences can affect those we love deeply. Help us to listen, to seek Your will, and to obey, not out of fear, but out of a deep love and respect for You and Your authority and out of a deep love for others. Draw us closer. Amen,
1 Samuel 31:9 They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news….
Have a blessed day.

1 Samuel 30:3 When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.
You may have heard the expression: “You know you’ve hit bottom when there is no where to go but up.” David is there. He conquered a giant, was anointed as (future) king, was relentlessly pursued by the current, crazed king who wanted to kill him, lost all hope and let despair whisper to his heart, defected to the enemy and served as a loyal servant for a year, was rejected by the rulers of the enemy as not being trustworthy because of the enemy status, was sent home, dejected, from the battlefront, and returned to said home only to find it had been burned to the ground and all his property and both his wives had been taken. That’s pretty far down. And then his men talk of stoning him because they blame him for their situation. Further down still.
1 Samuel 30:4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep.
For some, this might have proved to be the final straw. For a lesser man, it might have pushed him over the edge. And David definitely feels despair at his present circumstances, but some how, some way, God uses all of this to bring David to the end of himself, his strength, and when David gets there, squarely at the end of his own resources, he finally turns back to God and finds strength where it’s always been—in God. When he returns to God’s strength, finally things start to look up for him.
1 Samuel 30:6a David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters….
Lord, Thank You for this day and for this scripture. Being at the bottom of that pit of despair, staring at the ruins of your life is an incredibly difficult place to be. Thank You for Your loving compassion, which can take our ashes and turn them into Your beauty. Help us never forget that You are the source of our strength. Draw us closer. Amen.
1 Samuel 30:6b …But David found strength in the LORD his God.
Have a blessed day

1 Samuel 29:6a So Achish called David and said to him, “As surely as the LORD lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army….”
When we first met David, he was getting ready to defeat Goliath, the Philistine, enemy of Israel. Now he has been loyal servant to the Philistines for a year. Let that sink in a minute. How did David go from champion of the Israelites to lackey of the enemy?
1 Samuel 29:6b “…From the day you came to me until today, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don’t approve of you.”
It would be pretty easy to pin it all on Saul, and Saul’s behavior definitely plays a role in the situation, but David is fully responsible for where he is right now. He took his eyes off of God. He told lies in his heart that led to despair, that led to his turning inward instead of to the LORD, that led him to flee, that led him to be a servant for the enemy. Now what?
1 Samuel 29:7 “Now turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for showing us how easily and quickly we can fall when we take our eyes off of You. Thank You for not giving up on David and not giving up on us. Help us to seek You, to trust You, to cling to You always. And when we do get distracted by the world and lose sight of You, bring us back to You quickly and safely. You are our refuge. Amen.
1 Samuel 29:8 “But what have I done?” asked David. “What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why can’t I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
Have a blessed day.

1 Samuel 28:5-6 When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid. Terror filled his heart. He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets.
Way back in 1 Samuel 12:14-15, when God told the Israelites that He would give them the king they insisted on, He told them that if they and the king they so desperately wanted would fear, serve, and obey Him, all would still be well, BUT if they (and their king) rebelled against Him, “then the hand of the LORD will be against you and your king.”
1 Samuel 28:15a Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?…” 
We are seeing the fulfillment of that in this chapter. Saul, who started out with great promise, has moved so far away from God that God no longer answers Him because Saul has utterly ignored all God has told him to this point. Saul reaches out to Samuel from beyond the grave because he wants assurance about the upcoming battle with the Philistines, but the hand of the Lord is already against Saul, and he learns from Samuel that he and his sons will die in the battle and “…the LORD will give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines” (v19).
1 Samuel 28:15b “I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me….”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the reminder that when we seek You earnestly and wholeheartedly, we will find You. Help us to come to You seeking Your will and not our own. Soften our hearts. Make them fertile ground for Your love. Amen.
1 Samuel 28:16-17 Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has departed from you and become your enemy? The LORD has done what He predicted through me….”
Have a blessed day.