Tag Archives: Samuel

Are you unique like everyone else? November 6, 2017

Today’s Podcast

Bible Reading Plan – www.Bible-Reading.com; The Story, Chapter 10; You Version Bible app Engaging God’s Story Reading Plan Days 64 through 70

Samuel is recognized as the last of Israel’s great judges and the first of it’s great prophets. Eli, failed in his responsibilities to carry on the priestly duties required by God. He, like Aaron before him, didn’t keep a reign on the training and discipline of his sons, Hophni and Phinehas. They didn’t act like the representatives of His holiness He expected of His priests and were killed in battle. When Eli heard the news, he fell backward off his chair and broke his neck. Samuel became the priest and prophet for the nation in his stead.

There was a problem in Israel, though, that plagues many of us today, though. Israel, like Hophni and Phinehas, like all of those teens that wore the straight black hair and black clothes and black fingernail polish and black lipstick during the “Goth” fad. In trying to be “unique” we end up trying to be like all those “unique” people, so we end up being like everyone else.

Israel did that too.

They left a kingdom that suppressed and enslaved them and God defeated 31 other kings over a period of seven years to take over the land He promised to them. Those kingdoms were stronger with bigger armies, but God intervened and fought their battles and the land flowing with milk and honey became their possession just as He promised Abraham 600 years before.

For all that time, they listened to the priests God put in place to share His message and remind them of who He was and what He wanted from them, sort of. You see, time and time again, they would look around at the kingdoms around them and want what they had. They would see the shiny idols and would begin to worship them instead of the invisible invincible God who brought them there in the first place. They forgot the One who saved them from their trouble and wanted to be like the kingdoms around them.

In their desire to be unique as a nation, the Israelites would like around and say to their priests, “We want to be different…like Moab! We want to be different…like Midian! We want to be different…like Edom!”

Just like our kids, and us when we were teenagers when you think back honestly about it, we want to be unique just like those around us. Let me be like the popular guys or girls around me, I’ll dress like them and talk like them and act like them so I fit in, so I’ll be liked, so I can be popular, so I will be accepted. You probably remember the pressure of being a teenager and young adult and getting through those awkward stages. The problem is, we really never grow out of those awkward stages. We keep doing it all through life, it just isn’t quite as obvious as we figure out that “Goth” won’t get us a job. So we dress and act like the people who get the best jobs. We act like our neighbor and try to keep up with the “Jones” so to speak. We ape those around us because we don’t really want to be different after all.

Israel asked for a king. They got one. Saul. He was handsome, the Bible tells us. He stood a head taller than everyone else. The was the photogenic type that the politicos would look for today if they were trying to pick their poster child for the campaign. And Saul started out pretty well. He didn’t want the job and hid in the luggage when they tried to crown him. But like many at the top, power corrupted him.

Samuel warned the Israelites what kings would do to them. He told them kings would levy taxes against them. Draft their sons into his army. Take their lands. Make demands on them that would put them into slavery every bit as cruel and harsh as what they experienced in Egypt. Saul didn’t. In fact, interestingly, Saul was the only king that didn’t raise a standing army. He fought against Israel’s enemies, but the army was volunteers who then went home after defeating their foes.

Saul never raised taxes. He didn’t take any of their lands or build a palace or declare a capital city or establish a throne. He led the country, but he kind of led the nation from his house and just showed up for battles when necessary. Except of course, when he was after David. David was the first to really levy taxes and keep a standing army and build a palace and capital city in Jerusalem. David started building projects and put in place a government that would later lay some fairly heavy burdens on the people and would ultimately cause the split of the kingdom into two nations because of his grandson’s poor decisions.

But the problem for Israel all started with one little problem that we all have and it runs counter to what God wants of us. God wanted Eli and Hophni and Phinehas to be representatives of His holiness. They weren’t and they died. God wanted Israel to be different from the nations around them and demonstrate His holiness by living according to His laws. They didn’t and they ultimately fell into captivity because of their apostasy.

And God’s wants you and me to be different from the world around us. We live in evil times. Many will tell you that it’s okay to do things or live certain ways. But it’s not. God hasn’t changed. There is still right and wrong. Good and bad. Holy and evil. God wants us to do what He says. It’s that simple. It’s not always easy in a world that has turned everything upside down and hijacked words and symbols and definitions and tried to confuse us with all of it.

Gay meant happy and light hearted at one time. Marriage meant a solemn and holy union between only a man and a women at one time. The rainbow was a symbol of God’s promise to never destroy all the world by a flood again at one time. Evil has turned bad into good and good into bad and blinded people just as God’s word said it would so that many follow down that broad road to destruction and few find that narrow path that leads to life everlasting.

We try far too hard to different like everyone around us and so look just like the world. We try far too hard to fit in and be noticed and accepted instead of remembering that Jesus said if we really want to follow Him, the world will hate us just like they hated Him because of His message of righteous living. You see, God won’t let us live any way we want if we follow Him. He wants to have an intimate face-to-face relationship with us, but He is a holy God and will not walk in the presence of evil. It’s a problem He has set a plan in place to deal with, but we must accept that plan. And that plan includes stepping out of the mold the world puts us in and living according to His precepts.

So, the sixty-four dollar question for today: Are you different like Hophni and Phinehas and Eli and Saul, patterning yourself after those who are successful in the world? Or are you different like Samuel listening to the voice of God and following in the path He lays out, even though it may not be popular or appealing from the world’s perspective? The answer makes a huge difference as to what happens when you wake up on the other side of this life and open your eyes in eternity.

You can find me at richardagee.com. I also invite you to join us at San Antonio First Church of the Nazarene on West Avenue in San Antonio to hear more about The Story and our part in it. You can find out more about my church at SAF.church. Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed it, tell a friend. If you didn’t, send me an email and let me know how better to reach out to those around you. Until next week, may God richly bless you as you venture into His story each day.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved. In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Count your blessings (2 Samuel 22), May 12, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Samuel 22
Set – 2 Samuel 22; 1 Thessalonians 1
Go! – 2 Samuel 21-23; 1 Thessalonians 1

2 Samuel 22
¹ David composed the following song of praise to the Eternal because He delivered him from all of his enemies and especially from Saul.
² David: The Eternal is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;
³ He is my True God, my stronghold in whom I take refuge,
My strong shield, my horn that calls forth rescue,
my tall-walled tower and strong refuge,
My savior from violence.
⁴ I call on the Eternal, who is worthy to be praised,
and I have been rescued from my enemies.
⁵ The waves of death surrounded me;
the torrents of terror tugged at me.
⁶ The sorrows of the grave tightly tangled me;
the snares of death met me.
⁷ In my time of need I called upon the Eternal One;
I called to my True God for help.
He heard my voice from His temple,
and my cry came to His ears.
⁸ Because of His great anger,
the earth shook and staggered;
the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked.
⁹ Smoke billowed out from His nostrils
and devouring fire from His mouth;
glowing coals flamed from Him.
¹⁰ He bent the heavens and descended;
darkness is beneath His feet.
¹¹ He rode upon a heavenly creature, flying;
He soared swiftly on the wings of the wind.
¹² He placed darkness around Him like a canopy
and made His home in dark watery clouds of the sky.
¹³ Out from His brightness,
hailstones and burning coals flared forth.
¹⁴ The Eternal thundered in the heavens,
the voice of the Most High speaking.
¹⁵ He shot forth His arrows and scattered the wicked;
He flung forth His lightning and struck them.
¹⁶ Then the deepest channels of the seas were revealed;
and the foundations of the world were uncovered
At Your rebuke, O Eternal One,
at the blast of wind breathed from Your nostrils.
¹⁷ He reached down from above me, He held me;
He pulled me from the raging waters.
¹⁸ He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from all those who hated me,
for they would have overwhelmed me.
¹⁹ When my enemies came for me on the day of my destruction,
the Eternal stepped in to support me.
²⁰ He led me out onto a broad plain;
He delivered me because of His delight in me.
²¹ The Eternal One rewarded me because I sought righteousness;
He rewarded me because I kept my hands clean.
²² He rewarded me because I kept the ways of the Eternal
and have not walked away from my True God in wickedness.
²³ For all His laws were there before me,
and I did not push His statutes away.
²⁴ I made myself blameless before Him;
I kept myself from guilt and shame.
²⁵ That’s why the Eternal has rewarded me for seeking righteousness;
He’s rewarded me because He sees I have remained pure.
²⁶ To the good, You show Your goodness;
to the blameless, You prove to be blameless;
²⁷ To the pure, You show Your purity;
to the crooked, You make Yourself twisted.
²⁸ For You rescue weak people,
but the proud You bring low.
²⁹ You are the lamp who lights my way, O Eternal One,
the Eternal, who lights up my darkness.
³⁰ With Your help, I can conquer an army;
with Your help, I can vault over walls.
³¹ God has made an upright way;
the promise of the Eternal rings true;
He stands and shields all who hide in Him.
³² Who is the True God except the Eternal One?
Who stands like a rock except our God?
³³ The True God who circled me with strength
puts the upright on His way.
³⁴ He made me sure-footed as a deer
and placed me high up and safe.
³⁵ He teaches me to fight
so that my arms can bend a bronze bow.
³⁶ You have given me the shield of Your salvation,
and Your support has made me strong.
³⁷ You taught me how to walk with care
so my feet would not slip.
³⁸ I pursued my enemies and defeated them
and did not stop until all were destroyed.
³⁹ When I eliminated them, they fell down beneath my feet
so they could not rise again.
⁴⁰ For You equipped me with strength for battle,
and You made my enemies fall beneath me.
⁴¹ You made my enemies turn and run,
and all who hated me, I destroyed.
⁴² They looked everywhere, but no one came to save them;
they asked the Eternal for help, but He did not answer them.
⁴³ I beat them until they were as small as the dust of the earth;
I flung them away and beat them down like mud in the gutters.
⁴⁴ You delivered me from conflict with the peoples;
you raised me up to rule over nations;
people whom I did not know came to serve me.
⁴⁵ Strangers came to me, cringing and afraid;
as soon as they heard about me, they obeyed me.
⁴⁶ Strangers had their courage shrivel before them
and came fearfully to me from behind their high walls.
⁴⁷ The Eternal One is alive! May my Rock be blessed;
and the True God, the Rock of my deliverance be exalted,
⁴⁸ The God who avenged me
and tamed the peoples under me,
⁴⁹ Who rescued me from all my foes.
You raised me up above my enemies;
You saved me from the violent ones.
⁵⁰ For this, I will praise You, O Eternal One, among the nations
and sing praises to Your name.
⁵¹ He is a tower of salvation for His king
and shows His loyal love to His anointed,
to David and his descendants, continually.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

It’s easy to grumble about life and belly-ache about the way life treats you. But life David, every once in a while it’s important to just stop and count your blessings. Then remember where they come from. Remember all good things come from Me. I like to pour our good gifts on My children. I also like you to stop and give thanks for them every once in a while.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

David teaches about rewards (2 Samuel 19:24-40), May 11, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Samuel 19:24-40
Set – 2 Samuel 19; Matthew 28
Go! – 2 Samuel 19-20; Psalms 55; Matthew 28

2 Samuel 19:24-40
²⁴ Mephibosheth, the lame grandson of Saul and son of David’s dear friend Jonathan, also made his way to meet the king. His feet had not been cared for—no, and his beard had grown long, and he had not had his clothes washed—since the king went into exile and returned in peace. ²⁵ When he met the king in Jerusalem, the king received him.

David: Why didn’t you go into exile with me, Mephibosheth?

Mephibosheth: ²⁶ My lord, my servant Ziba tricked me. I asked him to saddle a donkey so that I could go with you—for you know I cannot walk. ²⁷ He has told you lies about me, but my lord is like a heavenly messenger of God. So do what seems right to you, and I will accept it. ²⁸ You had the right to kill everyone in my family when you became king, yet you took me to sit at your table. So it would be wrong for me to bicker over anything with you.

David: 29 Let’s not talk any more about this. I have decided that you and Ziba will share the land.

Mephibosheth: ³⁰ My king, let him take it all. I’m just grateful you are back safely in your own palace and kingdom.

³¹ Barzillai from Gilead, who had fed the king’s forces, had come down from Rogelim to escort the king across the Jordan. ³² He was 80 years old and very wealthy, which is how he had been able to provide for the king while he was at Mahanaim.

David (to Barzillai): ³³ Cross over with me, and come to Jerusalem. I’ll take care of you and give you a place of honor at my side.

Barzillai: ³⁴ My king, how many years do I have left, that I should leave my home and relocate with the king to Jerusalem? I am too old for court life. ³⁵ I am 80 years old today. My judgment is not as good as it used to be. I can’t taste my food, enjoy my drink, or even hear the pleasant singing of men and women. So why should you burden yourself with me, my lord and king? ³⁶ I will travel a little farther with you across the Jordan, but you don’t owe me anything more for my hospitality. Why should you, my king, offer me such a handsome reward? ³⁷ Please grant me your favor to return home, to die among my own people near the resting places of my parents. But do consider your servant Chimham. Let him come with you, and may you honor Chimham as you see fit.

David: ³⁸ Chimham will cross the river with me, and I will treat him as seems good to you. Anything you want from me, I will do for you.

³⁹ Then the king and all the people crossed over the Jordan. David kissed Barzillai and wished him well, and Barzillai returned home. ⁴⁰ The king, along with Chimham, went on to Gilgal, accompanied by all the people of Judah and half the people of Israel.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

David reaped the harvest of his sins. Two of his sons are dead. He returns to the throne from exile with questions from half the people of Israel as to whether he is fit to rule. Absalom won them over and they reluctantly put David back on the throne because their champion, Absalom, has been killed in battle. David almost loses his army because of his grief over his son. Had it not been for Joab’s advice, he would have lost his army and his throne.

But now, David makes his journey back toward Jerusalem. Mixed emotions flooded his mind. Much of what happened over the last several years he could see as a direct result of his actions. He served Me, but he made some significant blunders that cost him dearly. He came back repentantly, but he failed to relay to his children the importance of keeping My commands and the costs of not doing so.

David saw the dominoes falling in his family where he strayed from My commands. Don’t take foreign wives, they will lead you and your children astray. David stayed loyal to Me, but not his children. Remember, David ran the kingdom, but didn’t run his household. He married many women, had many children and let his wives and servants raise them.

What David does as he returns to Jerusalem, though, is worth noting. He remembers his friends. All those who helped him in his time of need, he rewards their kindness. They risked their lives for him and he didn’t forget. Some of the help was minor. Some major and dangerous. David remembered it all, however, and rewarded each one appropriately.

What am I trying to tell you through David’s difficulties and this glimpse into his life? First, don’t get yourself into his predicament. Live in line with My Spirit’s guidance and you won’t have the problem. Second, remember those who help you along the way. Third, and of utmost importance, don’t forget your children as you move through life. Teach them My ways. There’s a lot to learn from My word. Pick it up a read it. It’s good.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Consequences (2 Samuel 15:1-14), May 8, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Samuel 15:1-14
Set – 2 Samuel 15; Matthew 25
Go! – 2 Samuel 15-16; Psalms 32; Matthew 25

2 Samuel 15:1-14
¹ After this, Absalom acquired a chariot and horses, and he hired 50 men to run ahead of him. ² Now Absalom made it a practice to rise early and stand beside the road leading into one of Jerusalem’s gates. When someone came along who wanted to petition the king, he would ask, “What is your city?” The person would answer, “Your servant is from a certain tribe of Israel.”

Absalom: ³ I’m sure your claims are truthful and have merit, but the king has not appointed anyone to hear your case. ⁴ If only I were appointed the authority in the land! Then anyone with a petition could come before me, and I would give him justice!

⁵ When people came to Absalom to show their respects, he would embrace them and kiss them. ⁶ Absalom did this to everyone who sought justice from the king; and in this way, he made himself the favorite of the people of Israel.

⁷ When four years had passed, Absalom went to his father the king.

Absalom: My king, please let me go to Hebron and satisfy the vow I made to the Eternal One. ⁸ I made a promise when I lived at Geshur in Aram: “If ever the Eternal will bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will go and serve Him [in Hebron.]”

David: ⁹ Go in peace.

So he got up and traveled to Hebron. But this was all part of Absalom’s plan to come to power. ¹⁰ He had secretly planted messengers in all the tribes of Israel with these instructions: “As soon as you hear the trumpet play, then shout that Absalom has been crowned king in Hebron.”

¹¹ Two hundred men from Jerusalem who were ignorant of Absalom’s plan were his invited guests on the journey. ¹² While Absalom was offering sacrifices to God, he sent for David’s counselor Ahithophel of Giloh. The rebellion grew in power and number, ¹³ and at last a messenger came to David.

Messenger: Absalom has captured the loyalty of the people of Israel.

¹⁴ David could see now that he had been outmaneuvered, so he called for his advisors in Jerusalem and instructed them.

David: Gather your things, and let’s flee from the city right now, or we won’t escape Absalom’s revolt. Hurry, or he will catch us and kill us and anyone left in the city.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The consequences of David’s sins have matured. I forgave him, but he still suffered the consequences of his actions. David should have been out with the people, but his guilt shut him inside his palace. He feared the people saw his sins the way I did and so he hid in his palace. He should have know what his sons were doing. He should have punished Amnon for raping Tamar and Absalom for killing Amnon, but his own past haunted him and he instead he did nothing.

Word spread around the kingdom, and so, David could no longer face his subjects. He hid in the shadows of the courts. He still worshipped Me. He knew his sins were forgiven and he wrote songs about it. He led his army on occasion and met with his advisors, but grew further away from the people I called him to serve.

In fact, Absalom plotted for four years gathering the hearts of the people before launching his revolt. And David didn’t notice a thing. David lost his children. He lost the loyalty of his people. He almost lost his throne. All because of single night of indiscretion he tried to cover with more evil. The consequences of sin spread much wider than you think.

The rules haven’t changed. I gave you David’s story to teach you just how bad things can get. Look around, though, and you’ll find his example isn’t so extraordinary. The web sin weaves is always extensive. Today, the webs are just as complex and far reaching for each sin and each person as they were for David in his day. No sin goes unnoticed and no sin is executed without consequences. I forgive, but consequences can still follow. It pays to obey Me from the start and learn to walk in My ways always.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

You are the man! (2 Samuel 12:1-12) May 6, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Samuel 12:1-12
Set – 2 Samuel 12; Psalms 51
Go! – 2 Samuel 11-12; Psalms 51; Matthew 23

2 Samuel 12:1-12
¹The Eternal One sent the prophet Nathan to visit David. Nathan came to him and told him a story.

Nathan: Two men lived in the same city. One was quite rich and the other quite poor; ² the rich man’s wealth included livestock with many flocks and herds, ³ but the poor man owned only one little ewe lamb. He bought it and raised it in his family, with his children, like a pet. It used to eat what little food he had, drink from his meager cup, and snuggle against him. It was like a daughter to him.

⁴ Now a traveler came to the city to visit the rich man. To offer a proper welcome, the rich man knew he needed to fix a meal, but he did not want to take one of the animals from his flocks and herds. So instead he stole the poor man’s ewe lamb and had it killed and cooked for his guest.

Nathan stood back, waiting for the king’s verdict. ⁵ David grew very angry at the rich man. It was his royal duty to protect the poor and establish justice.

David: As the Eternal One lives, the rich man who did this deserves to die. ⁶ At the least, he will restore that lamb four times over because he acted without pity.

Nathan: ⁷ You are that man!

This is the message of the Eternal God of Israel: “I was the One who anointed you to rule over Israel, and I was the One who rescued you from the hand of Saul. ⁸ It was I who gave you Saul’s house, Saul’s wives, and dominion over both Israel and Judah; and if that were not enough, I would have given you as much again.

⁹ “So why have you despised the word of the Eternal and chosen to do evil in His sight? It was you who killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword and stole his wife, even though you used the Ammonites to do the dirty work. ¹⁰ Now because he was killed with the sword, the sword will be your constant companion. It will hang over your household, bringing death and violence to your family, since you have despised Me by showing no regard for My law, and you have taken Bathsheba, the lawful wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own wife.”

¹¹ This is the message of the Eternal: “I will bring trouble on you in your own household—right under your nose. I will take your wives and give them to another, and he will flaunt that he sleeps with them in the light of day. ¹² You did your evil in secret, but I will do this out in the open, in front of all Israel.”

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

“You are that man!”

When you get your eyes off of Me and look to satisfy your base desires in ways that violate My laws it’s easy for you to overlook your sins. It’s easy for you to point fingers at others and try to cover your own guilt, but it never works.

David thought he could cover the guilt he felt after his adulterous affair with Uriah’s wife by getting this mighty warrior killed in battle and then making the public think he was doing an honorable thing by taking her into his house as one of his wives. The public thought David was a truly compassionate king for his kind actions toward this poor widow of a fallen soldier. But he and Bathsheba knew better. Both of them and I knew better. They knew and I knew the real secret of their affair and the child they conceived together. They knew of David’s murderous plot. They knew of the treachery in David’s heart to hide his guilt from the people he served.

Sin cannot be kept secret. It will always find its way into the light no matter how hard the perpetrators work to keep it hidden the darkness. And sin will always affect more than just the one who commits the atrocity. David’s sin affected his whole family and ultimately the entire kingdom of Israel as his son slept with David’s concubines in view of the people and then tried to overthrow his father from the throne. David’s family from the point of his sin became filled with incest, rape, hatred, plots to gain control of the throne, violence, and murder. David found forgiveness for his sin, but lived through the unrelenting consequences throughout the rest of his life.

Sin cannot be kept secret. Someone will find out. Just like the leaks you hear in the press about some sordid affair, some secret indiscretion, some unjust action, some shady deal, sin breaks out into the light and the consequences of those actions reap a harvest. I forgive when men and women come to Me in repentance and with a contrite heart. But the consequences of actions may still follow. The harvest comes.

Nathan reported to David the story that uncovered his sins and drove him back to Me repentantly. Listen to My voice early in life. Listen to Me often. Listen to Me every day to avoid the traps that Satan throws in front of you. Don’t let him trick you into thinking you can hide your actions or satisfy your desires without consequences. The harvest always follows the sowing. Don’t make Me send a prophet to you to declare, “You are the man!”

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Mephibosheth, a story of forgiveness (2 Samuel 9), May 4, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Samuel 9
Set – 2 Samuel 9; Matthew 21
Go! – 2 Samuel 8-9; 1 Chronicles 18; Matthew 21

2 Samuel 9
David: ¹ Is anyone from Saul’s family still around that I could honor for the sake of my friend Jonathan?

² One servant from Saul’s household, Ziba, was still alive, and they brought him to King David.

David: Are you Ziba?

Ziba: At your service, Majesty.

David: ³ Is anyone from Saul’s family still alive to whom I could show the kindness of God?

Ziba: Jonathan has a son who is still alive; he is crippled, unable to use his feet.

David: ⁴ Where is he?

Ziba: He lives with Machir, son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.

^5-6 David sent for Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth and had him brought to Jerusalem from the house of Machir, son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar. When he arrived, Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, grandson of Saul, laid facedown on the floor and honored the king.

David: Mephibosheth!

Mephibosheth: At your service, my king.

David: ⁷ There’s no need to be frightened. I intend to treat you kindly for the sake of your father, Jonathan, who was my loyal friend. I will return to you all the territory that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always be welcome at my table.

⁸ Mephibosheth again prostrated himself before the king.

Mephibosheth: What am I to you that the king should look with favor on a dead dog like me? I am as one of your servants.

⁹ Then the king summoned Ziba, who had been Saul’s servant.

^David: Everything that belonged to his grandfather Saul and his family I have returned to your master’s descendant. ¹⁰ You, your sons, and your servants will work on his farms and bring in his produce, so that he and his household will have food. But Mephibosheth will always eat at my table.

Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants.

Ziba: ¹¹ I am your servant, and you are my lord and king. Whatever you command I will do.

From then on, Mephibosheth ate at the king’s table as though he were one of David’s own sons. ¹² Mephibosheth had a young son, Mica; and all who lived in the house of Ziba became Mephibosheth’s servants and worked for him. ¹³ Mephibosheth remained in Jerusalem, where he always ate at the king’s table. He was lame and could not walk on either foot.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The verses you just heard about David’s care of Mephibosheth are important. They tell an important story that partly depicts the reason I chose David as king to succeed Saul. It’s part of the reason I called him a man after My own heart.

David had every reason to despise the descendants of Saul. As king, Saul did everything he could to search David out and kill him. He put him in the hardest parts of the battlefield. He gave him impossible tasks that he felt sure would cause David’s death. Saul chased him across the countryside to put an end to him. And in the ancient world, sons carried on the feuds of their fathers, especially among royalty when thrones were threatened.

Instead, David forgave Saul’s descendants. He found Mephibosheth and brought him into his home. David not only forgave him, but treated Mephibosheth like one of his own sons. That’s forgiveness. That’s reflective of My forgiveness of you when you come to Me in repentance. You can come to Me with a repentant heart and know that I will forgive your sins.

It also reflects how I want you to treat your enemies. Mephibosheth was in no position to cause harm to David any longer. He couldn’t walk. He had no kingdom. His grandfather’s servants had taken over the property when Mephibosheth’s nurse fled with him to save his life at the news of Saul’s death. He had nothing. David did what I do for you when you come to Me. David restored his life. He gave him his property. He treated him like a son.

Not so with Ziba. Later in David’s life you’ll remember he fled from Absalom and Mephibosheth was left on his own. Because he was crippled he couldn’t care for himself. Ziba and his family had the responsibility to care for him, but assuming David would never return, saw instead an opportunity to seize Saul’s property for himself again.

David returned to his throne. Ziba paid the price for his wrongs. Mephibosheth found his place at the king’s table again. Be careful how you treat your enemies when they are defeated. Remember the story of David and Mephibosheth. Remember how he treated the son of his the one who wanted him dead. Forgiveness ran through David’s veins. He understood mercy and grace. He received it and shared it generously. I do, too.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

God keeps His promises (2 Samuel 6:1-15), Apr 30, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Samuel 6:1-15
Set – 2 Samuel 6; 1 Chronicles 13; Psalms 139
Go! – 2 Samuel 6; 1 Chronicles 13; Psalms 68; Matthew 17

2 Samuel 6:1-15
¹ Once again David gathered the elite soldiers of Israel, some 30,000, ² and they went down to Baale-judah to bring back the covenant chest of the True God, called by the Name: the Eternal One, Commander of heavenly armies, who sits enthroned above the winged creatures who protect the chest.

^3-4 They carried the covenant chest of the True God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab on the hill where it had rested, and Abinadab’s sons Uzzah and Ahio directed the new cart, with Ahio walking in front of the chest. ⁵ David and all the Israelites were joyous before the Eternal; and they were accompanied by wooden lyres and harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

⁶ When they came alongside the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah put out his hand to steady the covenant chest. ⁷ The Eternal burned with anger against Uzzah, and the True God struck Uzzah dead on the spot for daring to touch the covenant chest.

⁸ David was angry that the Eternal One had broken through to strike Uzzah, so the place was named Perez-uzzah, meaning “Breech against Uzzah,” to remember that act. ⁹ David was also frightened of the Eternal that day.

David: How can I be responsible for the covenant chest of the Eternal One?

¹⁰ So he decided he did not want to take the chest of the Eternal into the city of David, and he left it there in the care of Obed-edom, a man from the Philistine city Gath. ¹¹ The covenant chest of the Eternal One remained there for three months; and in that time, the Eternal One blessed the household and farms of Obed-edom the Gittite.

¹² When news was taken to King David that the Eternal had blessed Obed-edom and all his household because of the covenant chest of God, the king went down and brought the chest from Obed-edom’s house up to the city of David, again accompanying it with rejoicing and ceremony. ¹³ When the people carrying the chest of the Eternal had gone six steps, David sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf; ¹⁴ and he danced before the Eternal One with all his might, clad in a priestly vest.

^15-16 So David and the house of Israel carried the covenant chest of the Eternal One up to the city of David with shouts and the sounding of the trumpet. When Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked out the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Eternal without thought for how he looked, she hated him.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

David was angry with Me for his failure to read the instructions. I didn’t mind that he wanted to move the covenant chest to Jerusalem. I wanted the ark near the king as a reminder that it was My power, not his that made Israel strong. I put the idea into his mind to bring the sacred chest into Jerusalem. The problem was David forgot that I also have very strict requirements about handling the sacred implements of My worship.

The ark of the covenant holds the most sacred of the treasures of the Israelite people. It holds the tables of stone on which I wrote the commands I gave Moses. It holds a jar of manna to remind the people I provide their needs. It represents My presence with them. And no one is to touch the chest. It is fitted with rings through which poles can slide to lift the lid and through which the chest can be lifted and carried. No one is to touch the chest, the seat of My presence. It is holy.

Many thought Uzzah did a good thing putting out his hand to steady the chest. The problem was, the chest should never have ridden on a cart in the first place. If David had read My word, he would know only My priests could carry the covenant chests. It didn’t belong on a cart carried by oxen. The symbol of My presence is too precious to entrust to a wooden cart on rugged roads.

But David didn’t take the time to confer with My priests. He didn’t read My words concerning the care of My tabernacle and My sacred implements of worship. He didn’t think about the dangers of mishandling the sacred symbol of My presence. Consequently, it cost one of his men his life. David could be angry with Me, but David could only find that I am just in My actions if he had only read My instructions.

Sometimes people pour their anger out on Me like David did. That’s okay. I can take it. But when you do, stop and read the instruction manual. Take a look at My word and see if the instruction manual explains things before you stay angry too long. You might find, like David did, I’m acting exactly like I said I would. I always keep My promises.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

God specializes in the impossible (2 Samuel 5:1-16), Apr 29, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 2 Samuel 5:1-16
Set – 2 Samuel 5; Psalms 139
Go! – 2 Samuel 4-5; Psalms 139; Matthew 16

2 Samuel 5:1-16
¹Then all the tribes that made up the people of Israel came to David at Hebron.

Leaders of Israel: We are all related: we are flesh of your flesh, bone of your bones. ² When Saul was king, you always led the army of Israel out and then brought it back safely. The Eternal said to you, “You will be the shepherd of My people Israel, the ruler over all of them.”

³ All the leaders of Israel came before the king there at Hebron. So King David made a covenant with the leaders there before the Eternal, and they anointed David king over all Israel. ⁴ David was 30 years old when he first became king, and he was king for 40 years; ⁵ he reigned in Hebron over Judah alone for 7½ years, and then he reigned over the united kingdom of Judah and Israel for 33 years.

⁶ At one point, David and his army marched to Jerusalem to fight the Jebusites who lived there. The Jebusites felt secure behind their walls and were sure David could not enter into the city. They jeered, “Even the blind and the lame could defend this city against you.” ⁷ Despite the taunts, David and his army managed to capture the fortress of Zion, which became the city of David.

David (to his army): ⁸ If you want to strike down the Jebusites—these blind and lame defenders whom I hate—then go through the water tunnel.

(From this exchange came the saying, “The blind and the lame cannot enter the house.”)

⁹ Once David captured the fortress, he stayed there and named it the city of David. He built it up all around, carefully terracing the hillside from the Millo inward. ¹⁰ And David continued to grow in power and reputation because the Eternal God, Commander of heavenly armies, was with him.

¹¹ King Hiram of Tyre sent diplomats to David with cedars and carpenters and masons to build David a palace.

¹² David realized then that the Eternal One had established him as king over Israel and that He was increasing David’s kingdom in power and majesty for the sake of His people Israel.

^13-14 After the move from Hebron to Jerusalem, David married more women from Jerusalem, took more concubines, and fathered more sons and daughters: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

The Jebusites became comfortable in their fortress atop the mountain. Armies had tried for decades to take the city, but no one could penetrate the city. The sides of the mountain were too steep. The passages to the city were too narrow to launch any kind of massive siege against it. The Jebusite leaders maintained confidence in their ability to hold off any enemy as they had done for many years.

However, the Jebusites didn’t know David had Me on his side. Nothing is impossible for Me. I created that mountain. I knew how the Jebusites got their water. I knew about the springs that tunneled through the mountain and I knew they were big enough for a warrior to slip through them. The Jebusites didn’t know the tunnels were that large. They didn’t know enough of an army could slip through to open the gates for David’s mighty men.

They also let themselves get soft in their false security. Because they were sure no one could get through their defenses, the Jebusites didn’t prepare to fight. They thought even their lame and blind could defend their gates, so why spend time training to fight another army? But again, they forgot I was with David and his men.

They forgot David killed Goliath. They forgot David’s famous mighty men killed tens of thousands of Philistines before the nation crowned him king in Hebron. The Jebusites didn’t consider that if just a few of those men made it into their fortress, they would wreak havoc on the city and hundreds or thousands could die before those few could be silenced by their best warriors.

Mostly, the Jebusites failed to consider I fought for David and I never lose. I’m in the business of doing the impossible and if those opposed to Me think I can’t do something, I sometimes do it just to show them I can. I had a purpose in mind for that mountain top, though. I not too many years, I would let David’s son build a Temple there. David recognized the importance of the location as a political center and military stronghold. I saw it as a center for worship. I would show David many things from the top of that mountain.

So what fortress seems impossible for you to burst through? What enemy seems impossible to defeat? What mountain seems impossible to climb? Remember, I made the universe out of nothing. I make oak trees out of acorns. I made you. I’m in the business of doing the impossible. Your mountain fortress of problems is nothing to Me. Let Me help.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Saul lacked only one thing (1 Samuel 31), Apr 25, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 1 Samuel 31
Set – 1 Samuel 31; Matthew 12
Go! – 1 Samuel 30-31; 1 Chronicles 10; Matthew 12

1 Samuel 31
¹Meanwhile the Philistine and Israelite armies had clashed. The men of Israel ran away, but many of them were killed on the heights of Gilboa. ² The Philistines even followed Saul and his sons and closed in on them; there they killed his sons, Jonathan (the beloved friend of David), Abinadab, and Malchi-shua.

³ The battle closed in around Saul, and he was shot with arrows and badly wounded.

Saul (to his armor-bearer): ⁴ Please take out your sword and thrust it through me. Don’t let these uncircumcised dogs come and put their swords and spears into me for their sport.

But his armor-bearer was afraid and would not do it. Saul drew his own sword and fell upon it. ⁵ When the armor-bearer saw this, he also drew his sword and fell upon it and died. ⁶ So Saul, his three sons, his armor-bearer, and all his men died together on the same day.

⁷ When the people of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and even those beyond the Jordan River, learned that the Israelite army had been defeated and heard that Saul and his sons were dead, they left their cities and fled. Then the Philistines came and lived in them.

⁸ The next day, as the Philistine army was looting the bodies of the fallen Israelites, they found Saul and his three sons dead on the heights of Gilboa. ⁹ They cut off Saul’s head, stripped his body of his weapons, and sent messengers with the good news to the temples and to the people throughout Philistia. ¹⁰ They put Saul’s armor in the temple of Astarte and nailed his body to the wall at Beth-shan.

¹¹ But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard about this indignity done to Saul by the Philistines, ¹² the brave men among them rose up and traveled through the night. When they arrived, they took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall at Beth-shan. They returned to Jabesh and burned them there. ¹³ Then they took their bones and buried them in Jabesh beneath the tamarisk tree, like the one where Saul had held court in Gibeah, and for seven days they fasted and mourned.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Saul did a lot of things wrong and caused Me to reject him as king over Israel. But he also did a lot of things right. He remembered the rules I gave Moses about kings and what they should and should not do as leaders over My people. Saul didn’t want to be king, but I chose him over all the other Israelites to be the first king. I chose him for a reason.

If you look back through Saul’s reign, you’ll find he never taxed the people he served. All the other kings did. He never conscripted soldier to fill his army, he only asked for volunteers to fight with him to defeat the Philistines who invaded the country. All others except David conscripted young men to fill the ranks of a standing army. Saul came from a poor family and took care of the poor in many circumstances and with the way he targeted rewards for various activities.

Saul exercised his leadership well throughout his reign in almost every area only failing in the most important one. He failed to obey My commands. When I told him to destroy all evidence of the Ammonite inhabitants, leaving nothing behind to attract his soldiers or the rest of the Israelite people to any of their belongings or idols, he failed to do so. The idols and possessions his soldiers brought back with them began a downhill process from them in which they switched their loyalties to pagan gods instead of Me.

Had Saul kept his eyes focused on Me and kept the commands I gave him. There is little doubt he would have been regarded as one of Israel’s greatest kings. As the first king, he established many precedents in how the kingdom would run. How kings would operate on a daily basis. How they should be viewed by the populace and by other nations. Saul did many things right.

The intervention by the men of Jabesh-Gilead at his death provide an indication of how good a king Saul was. Those men risked their lives and the lives of their wives and children to retrieve the bodies of Saul and his sons after the Philistines hung their bodies on the wall of the city fortress of Beth-shan. They risked their lives, brought back their bodies and gave them heroes burials to honor them after the battle despite their defeat at the hands of the Philistines.

I rejected Saul because of his unfaithfulness to Me, but his faithfulness to his tasks as king should not go unnoticed. He served well, he lacked one thing to live well. He just needed to honor and obey Me.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

His name fit, Nabal was a fool (1 Samuel 25:23-44), Apr 22, 2015

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – 1 Samuel 25:23-44
Set – 1 Samuel 24; Matthew 8
Go! – 1 Samuel 25-26; Psalms 63; Matthew 9

1 Samuel 25:23-44
²³ When Abigail saw David, she dropped quickly from her donkey and fell to the ground in front of him, bowing.

Abigail (at David’s feet): ²⁴ My lord, any guilt here falls on me. Please let me, your servant, speak, and may you hear the words I speak. ²⁵ My lord, you must not take seriously the words of this worthless man, Nabal. His actions have proven that his name and his nature are the same: Nabal is a fool. Unfortunately I, your servant, did not see the young men you sent.

²⁶ Now, my lord, as the Eternal One lives and as you live, since the Eternal has kept you from senseless killing and from seizing vengeance yourself, may your enemies and all who seek to harm you, my lord, be like Nabal.

²⁷ Now, please, accept my gift and distribute it among the young men who are with you. ²⁸ Please forgive your servant’s shortcomings. The Eternal will certainly make my lord’s house into a lasting dynasty because you fight on behalf of Him, and no evil will be found in you as long as you live. ²⁹ If anyone dares to rise up against you and seek your life, then you will be protected by the Eternal One, your True God, who will launch the lives of your enemies like stones from a sling.

³⁰ When the Eternal has done for my lord all the good things He has promised and has installed you as ruler over all Israel, ³¹ you will never have to be grieved or conscience-stricken for having shed blood needlessly or for taking vengeance into your own hands. When He has dealt generously with my lord, I pray you will remember me, your servant.

David (to Abigail): ³² Blessed is the Eternal God of Israel, who sent you here today to intercept me. ³³ And blessed is your wisdom—blessed are you—for keeping me from shedding blood needlessly and from taking vengeance into my own hands. ³⁴ For as surely as the Eternal God of Israel lives and sent you to me, if you had not hurried out to meet me, tomorrow there would not have been a single male left alive in Nabal’s household.

³⁵ Then David accepted her gifts.

David: Arise, and return home in peace. I have listened to your words, and I have granted your request.

³⁶ Abigail returned to Nabal, who was holding a kingly feast in his house. Nabal’s heart was light because he was very drunk, so Abigail chose not to tell him anything until the next morning. ³⁷ The next morning, when he was sober, Abigail told him about her meeting with David and he went cold inside. ³⁸ About 10 days later, the Eternal One struck down Nabal, and he died.

³⁹ When David heard this news, he blessed God.

David: Blessed is the Eternal One, who protected my honor from Nabal’s insults and who kept me, His servant, from executing evil. Instead, the Eternal One turned Nabal’s evil back on him.

⁴⁰ Then David sent servants to Carmel asking Abigail to be his wife.

Servants: David has sent us to bring you to him so that you can be his wife.

⁴¹ She stood, and then bowed to the ground before David’s servants.

Abigail: I am your servant, willing to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.

⁴² Then Abigail quickly got up, mounted her donkey, and went with the messengers of David attended by her five handmaidens. Not long after, she married him.

⁴³ David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel; she and Abigail were both wives of David. ⁴⁴ By this time, Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s former wife, to Palti (the son of Laish) from Gallim.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Nabal was a fool. He lived up to his name. Parents should be careful what they name their children because that happens too many times. You know his story. David’s men camped on his property and so protected his land from thieves and bandits. No one who might do him harm dared come close to his property as long as David’s men were around. They knew David’s reputation and would never risk taking on the warriors under David’s control for the price of a few sheep. So Nabal, for all those months, had free security from David’s mighty men.

David in return asked for a few loaves of bread and a little meat to feed his troops one day. But Nabal, the fool, refused. In fact, Nabal humiliated the men David sent with the request. Not a smart move. Nadal once more proved himself the fool. David set out to kill every man in Nabal’s household and destroy everything he owned.

Fortunately for those in Nabal’s household, he had a much smarter wife than he. She raced to David when she heard about his plans and begged for forgiveness for her husband. She used his name’s meaning as the excuse for his stupidity and saved David from his vengeance and saved the lives of all under Nabal’s roof.

My warning to all from this story is simple. Treat your neighbors well. Understand that they might be doing things for you that you really aren’t aware. Turning them away in their time of need is not conducive to your continued good health. Second, forgiveness and kindness always works better than rude and crass behavior. Third, remember I work behind the scenes with My servants. Take care of them. You don’t know how I might intervene in your life to use you to help them. Be ready to do so, though. It’s always to your advantage also.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.