A Nasty Web

Daily Reading

2Samuel 13-15

Daily Thought

There is irony in Absalom’s name; it means peaceful. It was not to be. When David committed adultery and murder, Nathan pronounced God’s judgment, “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife” (2Samuel 12:10). Chapters 13-15 tell of torrid events that wreak havoc in David’s household. At the center of the storm is Absalom.

David had many wives, and with many wives came many children, each with the same father, not necessarily the same mother. Amnon thought his half-sister Tamar beautiful and desired her until he took her by force, then disposed of her in disgrace. Absalom, Tamar’s full-brother, brooded revenge for two years before killing his half-brother Amnon. The other brothers fled Absalom, fearing they were next, and Absalom fled the city of David, fearing his father’s displeasure.

It took some convincing, but David eventually invited Absalom back to Jerusalem. David, however, refused to see Absalom for two more years, and during that time, the handsome Absalom stole the hearts and loyalty of many of the people, including Ahithophel, a trusted advisor to the king. Turns out Bathsheba, the woman of David’s adultery, whose husband David murdered, was the daughter of Eliam (2Samuel 11:3), the son of Ahithophel (2Samuel 23:34). Ahithophel, David’s counselor, was Bathsheba’s grandfather. Sin weaves a nasty web. At chapter’s end, David fled his throne, fearing Absalom.

The reason David ends up exiled from his city and kingdom traces to choices, bad choices. David’s murder of Uriah and adultery with Bathsheba are glaringly bad, but not the beginning. “It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful” (2Samuel 11:2). Wrong place to be, but still not the beginning of bad choices. Turn back one more verse, “In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle,  …David remained at Jerusalem” (2Samuel 11:1). 

As a teenager, I was told “nothing good happens after midnight.” Every teenager hears this because every mother says it. What’s wrong with 1am? Nothing necessarily, but after midnight is the wrong time to be in the wrong place. David was supposed to be at war. War is where the men were, leaving all their wives at home in Jerusalem. Where David was. On the palace roof. At bathing time. Wrong time, wrong place. David did not fall into sin, as if by chance. Temptation only seeks opportunity and David provided it. 

Daily Prayer

Wonderful God, You made this world and called everything in it good. You gave this world to the people You created and told us to take care of it. You said everything is yours except one thing, and we then wanted the one thing.

God, shape my heart to desire nothing more than You and Your kingdom. Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, may I think about these things. Strengthen my resolve, keep me from evil, and do not let me give sin a foothold into my life.

May my eyes at all times be focused on You.

Amen

How to Treat an Enemy

Daily Reading

2Samuel 8-12

Daily Thought

Saul learned early on that the first rule of being king is protect the throne. Remove the competition. When Saul was king, David was the competition. Many times Saul tried to  kill David, but he did not succeed, and now David is king. And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2Samuel 9:1). Are you kidding? Kindness? If there is anyone left of the house of Saul, that person has claim to the throne. The first rule of king: Remove the competition. Protect the throne.

Mephibosheth was the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul. Heir to the throne. Mephibosheth was the competition. And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always” (2Samuel 9:7). David changed the rules.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:43-45). If you treat your enemy as your enemy treats you, you will become like your enemy. If you treat your enemy as Jesus treats you, you will become like Jesus.

Daily Prayer

Father in Heaven, You are love – all that love is or can be or can do. My love is soft, convenient. I am careful with my love, lest I be hurt. Your love walks into hurtful places and does what is difficult, risking it all. Your Son died because You love us.

God, may I walk in that kind of love, confident love, passionate love, active love, love that risks. Love where no love is returned. Loving even my enemies. In a world where love has lost its meaning, may I be a definition of Your love. May I change the rules.  May I display Godly love toward all people all the time.

Amen

Bad Beginnings

Daily Reading

2Samuel 4-7

Daily Thought

David determined to bring the ark of God to the city of David, to Jerusalem. It began badly. After loading the ark of God on a new cart, the oxen stumbled, the ark thrust sideways, and “Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God” (2Samuel 6:6-7). The celebration turned to grief. What happened?

The problem: David determined to bring the ark. He talked to his leaders, “David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader” (1Chronicles 13:1). He talked to the people, “All the assembly agreed to do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people” (1Chronicles 13:4). Of course he talked to God, right? He always talks to God. Look how often, “David inquired of the Lord, ‘Shall I…?'”–1Samuel 23:3; 1Samuel 30:8; 2Samuel 2:1; 2Samuel 5:19. Except not this time. He did not ask God if God wanted his ark in Jerusalem. And, tragically, he did not ask God how to carry the ark.

God’s word was clear, but forgotten. “You shall cast four rings of gold for it and put them on its four feet, two rings on the one side of it, and two rings on the other side of it. You shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark by them. The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it” (Exodus 25:12-15). The ark was to be carried on the shoulders by four Kohathite men, and “they must not touch the holy things, lest they die” (Numbers 4:15). And “Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it.”

It began badly, because it began without God.

Daily Prayer

Heavenly Father, I worship You and You alone. You are God and there is no other. May I worship You the way You want, the way You ask me to, the way that pleases You. God, too often I worship You to please myself and others.  May I be more concerned about Your pleasure than mine. I give You Sunday; may I worship You Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, as well, and may my worship be seen in my love for others. May my life be a living sacrifice.

God, help me be Your servant to the poor and the needy. Let me be one who reads Your Word and follows Your ways. To worship You, obedience comes before sacrifice. Keep me from becoming self-centered, world-centered. May I be heavenly minded and passionate about You. Mold my heart, so that it desires all things good and righteous.

Amen

The Fear of God

Daily Reading

2Samuel 1-3

Daily Thought

The second book of Samuel begins where the first ended, the death of Saul, but the stories disagree. In both accounts, the Philistine victory over Saul is imminent. Saul, wounded with arrows, instructs his armor-bearer to finish the job. “Kill me,” he says. But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it (1Samuel 31:4). However, turn the page and an Amalekite soldier tells it differently. When Saul said, “Kill me,” according to the Amalekite, “I stood beside 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 armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord” (2Samuel 1:10). Which is it? How did Saul die?

Here’s the situation: while Saul and his army were fighting the Philistines, the Amalekites had attacked the city where David lived. The Amalekites were a sworn enemy of Israel. They had plundered the city and taken the women and children. David and his men pursued them, caught them, and killed them. It was not a good day to be an Amalekite. The second story-teller is an Amalekite.

It is likely this Amalekite knew both David and Saul had claim to the throne and believed the death of Saul would be the delight of David. He did not, however, know David’s God. If he had, he would not have boasted of killing God’s anointed. He inserted himself into the story of Saul’s death anticipating a happy David and a possible reward. Instead, “David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword” (2Samuel 1:11-12). The surprised Amalekite was rewarded with execution because by his own mouth he claimed, “I have killed the Lord’s anointed.” He changed the story because he feared David. He should have feared David’s God.

Daily Prayer

Lord God Almighty, You are on the throne. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth, in my life, here and now, and forever. May Your Name be known, may every knee bow and confess You Lord. God, you are most terrifying to those who do not fear You.

God, I serve You and only You. May my love for You be seen in my obedience to Your ways, my allegiance to Your will. May I see sin as You do, and may it grieve me, as well. May I find no pleasure in it. Rather, when I serve You, I serve the highest good, so may I delight in Your pleasure. May I never lose sight of who truly is my God and my Savior. May I keep my eyes on You.

Amen

Enough

Daily Reading

1Samuel 28-31

Daily Thought

In those days the Philistines gathered their forces for war, to fight against Israel (1Samuel 28:1), marching by hundreds and by thousands according to chapter 29. Saul would lose all. By war’s end, he and his three sons were dead. He was afraid, so he turned where he seldom turned, to the Lord, but “the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets” (1Samuel 28:6).

Chapter 30, when David and his men came to Ziklag, the Amalekites had made a raid, and David found the city burned with fire, and the wives and sons and daughters taken captive, including David’s two wives. David had lost all. He was distressed, so he turned where he always turned, to the Lord, and “David strengthened himself in the Lord his God” (1Samuel 30:6).

Saul spoke of “your God”; David of “my God.” Each had lost all, but Saul had none left because he had not God to begin with and wallowed in empty silence. From David was taken his city, his family, his possessions, but none could take his God. “David strengthened himself in the Lord his God,” turning from earth’s ruin to the riches of heaven. Whatever else I might lose, as long as I have my God I have enough.

He restores my soul.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me. ~A Psalm of David 23:3, 4

Daily Prayer

Everlasting Father, all of hope rests in You. Away from You can only lead to despair and darkness. You are the light of the World. Your Word shines a light on my path and makes my way straight.

God, daily I will spend time in Your Word. I will put it in my mind and deep in my heart so that it stays with me throughout the day. Thank You for the truth. Your truth. I will build my house on solid ground.

Amen

Forgo the Fools

Daily Reading

1Samuel 25-27

Daily Thought

David showed kindness to the shepherds of Nabal and expected kindness in return. Instead, Nabal “was harsh and badly behaved” (1Samuel 25:3). He was stingy, rude, and insulting to David. Nabal, whose name means fool, was one. David decided a proper response would be to kill Nabal and every last man who belonged to him. 

God’s law of retribution was well known, “If there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe” (Exodus 21:23-25). An eye for an eye is just, it is due punishment, giving an offender what they deserve, but not more. When Jesus said, “Instead, turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:38-39), it was not because “an eye for an eye” was unjust or cruel. Jesus was teaching mercy, forgiving and forgoing a due punishment. David, angered and offended, was rashly ready to exceed just an eye.  

A man after God’s own heart must understand justice and mercy and David was due a lesson. God sent Abigail to instruct, “Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live” (1Samuel 25:28). David got distracted and Abigail refocused him. Forgo the fools like Nabal so you can fight the real battles, the battles of God.

Daily Prayer

Yahweh, “I Am That I Am,” the First and the Last, Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the End, God Almighty, King of kings and Lord of lords. Your Name declares Your glory. May we declare Your Name. God is good. God is just. God is love.

God, I am known as a Christian, a follower of Jesus. I wear Your Name. Because of this, my actions give Your Name meaning in a world that does not know You. I pray, God, that my actions are true to Your Name, that I fight Your battles, that I love the way You love, that I show mercy and kindness, that I stand for righteousness and justice. 

Amen

Every Reason But One

Daily Reading

1Samuel 21-24

Daily Thought

King Saul threw a spear at David, attempting to pin him against the wall. Twice he threw it according to 1Samuel 18:10-11. Once again in chapter 19, verse 10. David was well aware Saul wanted him dead. Jonathan thought better of his father, the king, until he challenged him, defending David, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” This time Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan, and Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death (1Samuel 20:33).

David was a better man than Saul; a better warrior, too. Saul tried to kill David three times. Saul was a disgrace as king. David should be king, and David will be king. There was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself, and the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you'” (1Samuel 24:3-4).

David could kill Saul and he had every reason to, every reason but one. “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed” (1Samuel 24:6). If David ignored God’s plan and gained the throne by blood, then he’d be like Saul. Israel did not need another king like Saul.

Daily Prayer

God, my Savior, I offer myself, body, soul, and spirit, as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to You. I love You, heart, soul, mind, and strength. Transform me God, to reflect Your glory, to resemble Your Son. Keep me humble and good.

You would rather I obey than play at religion. My obedience is not a demonstration of my righteousness, but a sign of my love. I want to know Your Word, follow Your ways, and live in Your love.

Amen

Who’s In Charge?

Daily Reading

1Samuel 18-20

Daily Thought

Jonathan and David had many reasons not to be friends. Jonathan’s loyalty to his father tops the list. Saul was on the throne, and as his oldest son, Jonathan was next in line, but David would be king. Sure, David had killed his ten thousands (1Samuel 18:7), but Jonathan was a fierce warrior in his own right, leader of a third of the army, and had his share of victories. He had claim to the throne. Jonathan had to make a choice: Who would be king?

A tract called “The Four Spiritual Laws” uses a simple drawing to illustrate a choice we each face, the choice between two kingdoms, God’s or our own. There is only one throne on which only one can sit. Two circles represent two ways to live: the self-directed versus the Christ-directed life. In the first, self is on the throne and the circle of life is filled with discord. The other circle, the Christ-on-the-throne life, is filled with order and harmony. The choice is yours.

Saul appealed to man, he looked the part of king, handsomely standing head and shoulders above all others. David appealed to God. He had God’s heart. Jonathan could take the throne and continue the reign of Saul, of man, of me-on-the-throne. Instead, Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt (1Samuel 18:4). Like Jesus, he “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). God was on the throne of Jonathan’s life, therefore, David, the man after God’s heart, would be king.

Daily Prayer

God, as I wake up this morning, the first question I will answer is “Who is in charge of my life today?” You are. You are my King of kings and Lord of lords. There are all sorts of competitors to the throne, but none bring the peace, purity, righteousness, justice, and love of the one true God of heaven and earth. Thank You for putting my life in order, providing peace and contentment in a world of chaos.

May I follow Your ways closely and confidently, knowing they lead to a life of overflowing joy. My decisions in life reflect the one choice I have to make: who will be king? I choose to follow You, to give you my allegiance, my devotion, my worship. Each morning, I awake to a day that You have made and set before me. I shall live this day displaying the banner of my King.

Amen

Obedience

Daily Reading

1Samuel 15-17

Daily Thought

Chapter 15 is the turning point in the life and reign of Saul, as Samuel declares, “Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king” (v 23). The chapter ends with tears and regret, “Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel” (v 35).

Saul’s last chance hinged on his obedience to a clear command, a command Saul heard and understood and disregarded. Saul’s own words convict him, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal” (vv 20-21). Saul is passing the blame to the people, but Saul is king, and it was he who kept “the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good” (v 9).

When God devoted the Amalekites to destruction, God meant everything. The Amalekites were a particularly wicked people, avowed enemies of Israel (see Deuteronomy 25:17-19). God’s covenant with Abraham to make him a great nation included the promise, “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse” (Genesis 12:3). The command to Saul was God keeping his promise to Israel. It was a just God dealing with a wicked and evil enemy.

Saul turned God’s justice into plunder for profit. Saul would destroy what was not worth keeping and keep the best. He knew exactly what God commanded, but he thought better and did less. The nation of Israel is called to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). Saul bargained for a percentage, “I’ll give you 80%, God.” The 20% Saul kept was his way of showing who was really king. It exposed his heart, and Saul now spoke of the Lord as “your God” (1Samuel 15:21), not his.

Partial obedience is disobedience, and Saul served at God’s pleasure. God was no longer pleased, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice” (1Samuel 15:22).

Daily Prayer

Almighty God, You are awesome. I use that word too often for other things and diminish the word. It belongs to You. I am in awe of Your creation, Your mighty power, Your majesty, Your holiness, and in the midst of all that, Your patience with me.

You are powerful and loving, strength under control, gentle and mighty. You are amazing, and it is You and You alone I worship and follow, fully and always.

Amen

In His Time

Daily Reading

1Samuel 13-14

Daily Thought

Have you noticed how often God is late? God and I have this disagreement. I think “now” would be a good time, but God thinks later. Later is usually better, but that’s not how I calendared it. God has an agenda, and all too often it’s not the same as mine, and that’s my problem.

I’m not alone in this. Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus that their brother Lazarus was dying. Hurry, they urged him. He waited, instead, two days longer. Both sisters accused Jesus, “If you had been here…”; but Jesus had a better plan, “I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe” (see John 11:1-44).  Peter observes that the whole world thinks God is late, and scoffs, “Jesus said he would return. Where is he?” But God has a better plan, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (see 2Peter 3:1-9). The writer of Hebrews calls God’s people to be “imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:12).

King Saul had little patience, and thus showed less faith. Saul was anxious to fight the Philistines, but Samuel was yet to offer sacrifices to God before the battle. Seven days passed and Samuel, and therefore God, was late. It was time for war, so Saul wrongly offered the sacrifices himself. Then Samuel showed `up and said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart” (1Samuel 13:13-14).

Unless we learn to trust God and wait on his timing, we will never experience his better plan. Being obedient is more important than being on time. Saul failed to learn this, but a couple kings later, a wise King Solomon observed, “God makes everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Not ours.

Daily Prayer

God, Your ways are not man’s ways. By faith, I follow You. I trust You and I will jump when You call. I will also wait until You say to go. I know if it is according to my strength and my wisdom, then I am in danger of taking credit. Therefore, God, not by my strength, nor my wisdom, but I submit to You my heart and my soul, and I will follow You in faith.

And You get the glory.

Amen