Tag: David

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1 Samuel Devotionals

A warrior, not a wimp

Warrior

But David found strength in the Lord his God. (1 Samuel 30:6)

It occurred to me this morning that David did what the apostle Paul would talk about hundreds of years later.

Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. (Ephesians 6:10)

When hard times come, I want to be a warrior, not a wimp.

I don’t want to throw pity parties, feeling sorry for myself.

Nor do I want to give into bitterness, frustration, or anger at my situation.

Honestly, though, that’s how I act sometimes.

No longer.

I want to be like David, strengthened by God’s might, strapping on his armor, and fighting back against the Enemy.

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Swept away

Prayer

Throughout your life, may evil not be found in you.

When the Lord does for my lord all the good he promised you and appoints you ruler over Israel, there will not be remorse or a troubled conscience for my lord because of needless bloodshed or my lord’s revenge. (1 Samuel 25:28, 30-31)

Abigail’s words struck me today.

“Throughout your life, may evil not be found in you.”

That’s my prayer.

I don’t want to have remorse or a troubled conscience because of bad choices I made.

But that can easily happen when I get swept away by my emotions. Especially anger.

That nearly happened to David.

I’ve never gotten close to killing anyone as David did. But I can think of stupid things I’ve said or done because of anger.

I don’t want to be that way.

Father, guard my heart, especially against anger. It’s so easy to get swept away by it. But anger doesn’t bring about the kind of righteous life you desire of me.

Throughout my life, may evil not be found in me. Instead, let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock, my Redeemer, and my good God.

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1 Samuel Devotionals

A beacon of hope

Lighthouse

In addition, every man who was desperate, in debt, or discontented rallied around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him. (1 Samuel 22:2)

I was thinking today about why all these people without hope gravitated to David.

David had as many problems, if not more, than they did. They were in more danger with him than living on their own.

But there was something in David that gave them hope.

He certainly wasn’t a perfect leader. His decision to lie cost the lives of 85 priests plus their families.

Yet these people saw in David a faith and hope that they didn’t have. And I think it inspired faith and hope in them.

I want to be such a man. To my daughter, my wife, my coworkers, my friends, to everyone around me.

Honestly, I don’t feel like I’ve done such a good job with that this week, but that’s what I desire to be.

Father, let me be a beacon of hope to everyone around me. Draw them to you through me.

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1 Samuel Devotionals Bible Original

Memory Monday: Stop fighting

Memory Monday

A blog article I wrote several years ago.

It was a good reminder to me of the joy of submitting to our good King.

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Faith injector

Faith

Then all the world will know that Israel has a God, and this whole assembly will know that it is not by sword or by spear that the Lord saves, for the battle is the Lord’s. He will hand you over to us.”　(1 Samuel 17:46-47)

David’s words really hit me this morning.

His heart was that all nations would know the God he served. That as they saw God work through him, they would know how awesome he is.

But he also wanted to inject his own people with faith. They had lost their courage when faced with Goliath and the Philistines. And he wanted to help restore their faith.

That’s what I want. That’s my prayer.

I pray that those around me who don’t know God would see him working in me, and know that I have a God. A God who is powerful. And more importantly, a God who is good.

I pray that as they see God for who he is, that they would want to know him too.

But I also pray that I can inject the Christians around me with faith. That when they’re discouraged, they can see God working in me, and realize “God really is here. There is hope.”

Father, use me to inject faith and hope into those around me.

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Psalms Devotionals 2

When God seems slow to answer

Prayer

I cry aloud to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain. (Psalm 3:4)

This past Sunday, I heard a message on Luke 18 and the parable of the unjust judge.

I wonder how much confidence the widow had that the judge would respond to her cries. She had to know that he really didn’t care about her. Yet she had no alternative but to keep crying out to him.

But David had confidence that God cared. That when he cried out, God would answer.

And so though God may have seemed slow at times to answer, he kept praying and didn’t give up.

I was just thinking: When God is “slow” to answer my prayers, how confident am I that he will answer?

I want to have David’s faith.

I cry aloud to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain. (Psalm 3:4)

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Judges Devotionals Psalms Devotionals 2

Living with integrity

Prayer

Every morning, I read the psalms along with my daily Bible readings.

By chance, Psalm 26 was my psalm for the day. And I couldn’t help but notice the difference between King David’s attitude and Samson’s in Judges 14.

Imagine how different Samson’s life would have been had he prayed and lived David’s words.

Vindicate me, LORD,
because I have lived with integrity
and have trusted in the LORD without wavering.

Test me, LORD, and try me;
examine my heart and mind.

For your faithful love guides me,
and I live by your truth.

I do not sit with the worthless
or associate with hypocrites.
I hate a crowd of evildoers,
and I do not sit with the wicked.

I wash my hands in innocence
and go around your altar, LORD,
raising my voice in thanksgiving
and telling about your wondrous works. (Psalm 26:1-7)

I want to pray and live David’s words.

How about you?

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1 Kings Devotionals

Responding to God’s discipline

When you look at Asa’s story in 1 Kings, it seems like he was a really good king.

But we do see hints that there were spiritual issues in his life, with him taking gold and silver from the Lord’s temple in order to make a treaty with Ben-Hadad.

Asa’s spiritual issues are made much more explicit in 2 Chronicles 16.

God rebuked Asa for his actions through the prophet Hanani, and Asa threw him in prison. And when Asa suffered from his illness later, we find out that he refused to seek out God for help, but only doctors.

It made me think, “Was Asa saved? Will we see him in heaven?”

I’m going to guess yes. Why? Well, the writer of Kings does say of his overall reign that he did what was right in God’s eyes and was committed to the Lord his whole life. (1 Kings 15:11, 14)

That seems strange, considering what we see in Chronicles.

But I think it’s consistent with what God said of David. He said that David “kept my commands and followed me with all his heart, doing only what was right in my eyes.” (1 Kings 14:8)

The writer of Kings echoes that thought in chapter 15, but adds a caveat: “except in the matter of Uriah the Hethite.” (1 Kings 15:5; 2 Samuel 11)

God impressed two things on my heart as I thought about David and Asa.

First, we do live by grace. And when he sees us, he sees us as righteous in his sight. Not because we are perfect. But ultimately because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.

We are clothed in his righteousness, and despite our failures, on judgment day, God can say of us, “You kept my commands, followed me with all your heart, doing only what is right in my eyes.”

That’s pretty amazing to think about.

But the other thing that God impressed on my heart is that our actions can affect the quality of our relationship with God here on earth. And one aspect of that is how we receive God’s discipline.

David responded well and maintained a strong relationship with God to the end of his life.

Asa didn’t, and his relationship with God deteriorated as a result.

How are your actions affecting the quality of your relationship with God?

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2 Samuel Devotionals

When Satan accuses us

2 Samuel

“Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!” he shouted at David. “The Lord is paying you back for all the bloodshed…

At last you will taste some of your own medicine, for you are a murderer!” (2 Samuel 16:7-8, NLT)

It struck me today that those words probably stung David deeply. Obviously, he wasn’t responsible for Saul’s death or for Ish-bosheth’s. Nor had he stolen the throne.

But he was a murderer. And Nathan had told him that disaster would rise up from his own family as a result (2 Samuel 12:11).

So while Shimei’s accusations were not completely true, there was truth in them.

Perhaps that is why David said, “He curses me this way because the Lord told him, ‘Curse David!’” (10)

But while David was reaping the consequences of his sin, God was not accusing him. God had already forgiven him (2 Samuel 12:12).

More, he was on David’s side (2 Samuel 17:14).

Sometimes here on earth, we suffer the consequences for our sins. And Satan’s accusations against us sting, because there is truth behind them.

But if we have repented, let us remember, God is not accusing us. He has already forgiven us. And he is on our side.

So if you’re feeling weighed down by your guilt, remember Paul’s words:  

Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? [Not God!] God is the one who justifies.

Who is the one who condemns? [Not Jesus!] Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us. (Romans 8:33-34)

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2 Samuel Devotionals

Wherever my king is

2 Samuel

But in response, Ittai vowed to the king, “As the Lord lives and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king is, whether it means life or death, your servant will be there!” (2 Samuel 15:21)

Those words resonated with me today.

Ittai was a foreigner, probably a Philistine who had started following David when he was fleeing from Saul.

Why he left Philistia, we don’t know, but after years of being on the run with David, when David became king, Ittai had found a new home.

But now David was on the run again, this time from his son Absalom..

Ittai could have just stayed in his comfortable home in Jerusalem. But instead, he chose to follow David.

David tried to convince him to stay in Jerusalem, but Ittai was determined to follow, no matter the cost.

It made me think of another man in the New Testament who had said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

Jesus told him something similar to what David told Ittai.

Foxes have dens, and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. (Matthew 8:20)

How the man responded, we don’t know. Did he like Ittai say, “Wherever my Lord is, whether it means life or death, your servant will be there”?

Lord, you didn’t promise an easy life. But you love me. You saved me. You are my home. So wherever you are, my King, wherever you go, your servant will be there.

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2 Samuel Devotionals

The message we give our children

2 Samuel

What message do we give our kids when they blow it? Do we distance ourselves from them? Do we ever give them the impression that what they’ve done is unforgivable?

That’s the message David gave Absalom.

How much better would it have been if David had embraced his son. If he had reaffirmed his love for him.

Imagine if he had told Absalom, “I’ve been there. I murdered a man too. And for a lot worse reason than you did. But God gave me a path back. He can give you one too.”

Would Absalom’s path been different? Would he have repented?

I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not.

But God’s kindness led us to our repentance (Romans 2:4).

So may we show that same grace to our kids when they fall, showing them the way back home.

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2 Samuel Devotionals

Loved by the Lord

2 Samuel

She gave birth to a son and named him Solomon. The Lord loved him, and he sent a message through the prophet Nathan, who named him Jedidiah (meaning, “beloved of the Lord”), because of the Lord (2 Samuel 12:24–25).

David had seriously messed up. By his sin, he had treated the Lord with contempt. And the consequences of his sin would affect he and his family for a long time.

And yet.

With David’s repentance came forgiveness. David would write later,

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12)

Honestly, if I had been God, I probably would have thought, “Well, I’ll forgive David and Bathsheba. But there’s no way I’m blessing this marriage.”

But God didn’t think that way.

In naming Solomon “beloved of the Lord,” I think God was passing a message on to David and Bathsheba.

“I still love you. And though there will be hard times ahead of you because of your sin, whenever you look at this child, remember that I have not taken my love away from you. Solomon is my beloved child. And so are you.”

And ultimately, it was through David, Bathsheba, and Solomon that Jesus came. (Matthew 1:6-16)

That’s grace. That’s God’s faithful love.

What regrets do you have? Are you still struggling because of the consequences of your past sin?

Know that like David, Bathsheba, and Solomon, you are beloved of God.

And in Jesus, there is forgiveness and a way forward. So let’s take that next step together with him.

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2 Samuel Devotionals

What God thinks

2 Samuel

However, the Lord considered what David had done to be evil. (2 Samuel 11:27)

Sometimes I think the Bible, especially the Old Testament history books (Joshua-Chronicles) would be so much easier to read if we saw more words like the above.

So many times, we see questionable or downright wrong decisions made by the “good” Biblical characters and no comment is made on what God thought.

Even though we might see the negative consequences of their actions, there’s no actual direct rebuke from God.

So we think, “If God disapproved, why didn’t he say something?”

I don’t know about you, but that’s how I feel a lot of times.

But I think the thing to remember is that the writers of these books are assuming we already know what God thought about these people’s actions.

We know because we read the ten commandments and God’s other laws.

We know because we’ve seen before how God felt and responded to similar sins.

And so often times, the Biblical authors don’t go out of their way to specifically say, “By the way, what this person did was wrong.”

In this case, however, the author does go out of his way to say that the Lord considered David’s actions wrong.

Why? I don’t know.

But I do think it’s a warning to us. Like David, we can fool ourselves into thinking that what we’re doing is okay, even when God says it’s clearly wrong.

That especially can happen when we don’t immediately see any negative consequences or “sense” any rebuke from God.

But it doesn’t change the fact that what we’re doing is evil in God’s eyes. He sees. And sooner or later, he will hold us accountable.

It might be on this earth. It might be before his judgment seat in heaven. But he will hold us accountable.

So let us not fool ourselves. Let us instead, maintain soft hearts toward God, not letting our consciences get seared by ignoring God’s word.

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2 Samuel Devotionals

Because we’ve experienced God’s faithful love

2 Samuel

And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness (faithful love) of God to him?” (2 Samuel 9:3)

Those words struck me today, especially as I thought of chapter 7.

God showed his faithful love to David, and David was totally blown away by it.

But his response was not only thanksgiving toward God.

He wanted to be a channel of that love, and so he actively sought someone to whom he could show that faithful love to.

Because of his love for Jonathan and his promises to him (1 Samuel 20:14-15), Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth was a natural choice.

But David didn’t want to simply show his own faithful love to Mephibosheth. He wanted to show God’s faithful love to Mephibosheth. And so he did.

Lord, may I be a channel of your faithful love to those around me. Help me to actively look for people I can do that with, just as David did.

And together, may we be blown away by your faithful love, saying, “Who am I, that you would love me in this way?”

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2 Samuel Devotionals

Praying for our leaders

2 Samuel

Leaders will always disappoint us.

Whether government leaders or church leaders, they will disappoint us.

They disappoint us because they are human. And as humans, they have all their flaws and failings.

David may have been stronger been Ish-bosheth. But he was no better at dealing with Joab than Ish-bosheth was at dealing with Abner.

David also married many women despite God’s commands (Deuteronomy 17:17).

It seems he married at least one of them purely for political reasons. (2 Samuel 3:3)

In addition, he demanded to have Michal back, seemingly more for political reasons (she was a daughter of the former king, Saul) than actual love. This despite the fact that her new husband obviously loved her.

One also wonders how Michal felt. Certainly she had once loved David (1 Samuel 18:28).

But despite being treated badly by her father (1 Samuel 25:44), she did seem to have moved on.

Now she had to compete with multiple wives for David’s attention. And that may have led to her later attitude toward David. (2 Samuel 6:20)

And yet, God accomplished his purposes through David.

In the same way, he will accomplish his purposes through our political leaders and our church leaders, even though we can’t always see what those purposes are.

So let’s pray for our leaders. Pray that God will accomplish his purposes despite their flaws, despite their weaknesses.

For our leaders that don’t know God, pray that they will come to know him.

And for those who do know God, pray that God will continue to lead them and help them to become the leaders, more than that, the men and women calls them to be.

God shows them grace. Let us have that heart of grace as we pray for them.

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1 Samuel Devotionals

An honorable man?

1 Samuel

So Achish summoned David and told him, “As the Lord lives, you are an honorable man.” (1 Samuel 29:6)

Achish’s words are probably among the most ironic in the entire Bible.

He swears by the God that David serves that David is an honorable man.

This despite the fact that David has been lying to him for over a year.

And right after Achish says that, David lies to him again, speaking as if he is a faithful servant to Achish.

The Bible never comments on David’s inner thoughts at Achish’s words nor on God’s thoughts concerning David’s actions.

But I can’t help but think that looking back, David prayed, “Lord, I blew it. Forgive me. I haven’t been an honorable man. But I want to be.”

Lord, I, like David, do not always live honorably. Forgive me for the times I’ve stained your name by my actions.

Let my every word, every action, every thought be pleasing in your sight, O Lord.

Thank you for the grace by which I stand. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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1 Samuel Devotionals

I’ve got no other choice

1 Samuel

David said to himself, “One of these days I’ll be swept away by Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape immediately to the land of the Philistines.” (1 Samuel 27:1)

Essentially, David was saying there, “I’ve got no other choice. I have to run to Israel’s enemies for refuge.”

But I wonder. Was that really true?

Had he consulted God as he had in the past, would there have been a better option?

Sure, David got temporary relief from Saul’s murderous pursuit.  

But he had to deceive Achish to do so. And in deceiving Achish, David would nearly be forced to fight his own people in the next chapter. (28:1)

Sometimes we think we have no other option but to do something morally questionable. Sometimes doing that even gives us temporary relief from our problem.

But often times, as with David, our decision only leads to more problems and more morally questionable decisions.

Lord, let me never make decisions based on “I have no other choice.”

Instead, show me the right path. Show me the path that is most pleasing to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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1 Samuel Devotionals

When you’ve been abused

1 Samuel

This is the last time David and Saul ever talk. And while their parting was amicable, nevertheless, it’s clear that David did not trust Saul enough to return despite Saul’s promises.

Saul had proven far too many times that his promises could not be trusted.

That said, David treated Saul’s life as precious and forgave him.

When there is a pattern of abuse, I think it’s important to realize that while we are to forgive our abuser and not seek revenge, God does not require us to put ourselves in harm’s way.

It is all right to keep our distance until the other person proves that they have truly changed. And that takes time. Sadly, in many cases, that time never does come. It certainly didn’t for Saul.

So let us learn from David.

Forgive your abuser. But do not allow that person’s abuse.

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Keeping a clear conscience

1 Samuel

Afterward, David’s conscience bothered him… (1 Samuel 24:5)

What do we do when our conscience bothers us?

If we want to keep a soft heart before God, our conscience is our first line of defense against sin. 

But we can sear our consciences by ignoring it when we do something wrong. (1 Timothy 4:2)

How do we know our consciences are seared? When the sin that used to bother us no longer does so.

That would happen to David later, and only after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan did he repent and have his soft heart restored. (2 Samuel 11-12).

So let us always strive to keep a clear conscience and a soft heart, praying with David,

Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed from blatant rebellion.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:12-14)

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Bearing with others’ weaknesses

1 Samuel

It’s easy, I suppose, to criticize the people of Keilah. After all, David had just saved them from the Philistines, and now they were going to hand him over to Saul?

There is something to note, however.

We have no hint that the people of Keilah had been talking to Saul like the people of Ziph did.

It is possible, of course, but there was no way that David rescuing Keilah from the Philistines would have escaped Saul’s notice, even if the people of Keilah had said nothing.

More likely what happened is that word came to Keilah that Saul was coming, and that David started hearing people whispering around him.

“What do we do? We can’t just hand David over can we? He just saved us from the Philistines.”

“Yeah, but did you hear what Saul did at Nob? He slaughtered over 80 priests because they had helped David. Priests!!!”

“Yeah, and we couldn’t protect ourselves from the Philistines. How could we protect David from Saul? He’d just kill us like he killed the priests and kill David anyway.”

And it was probably those whispers that led to David asking God, “Will they hand me over to Saul?”

When God said yes, David could have gotten angry at the people. He could have demanded the people of Keilah at least try to help him.

But instead, he left quietly.

He understood their weakness, and so he forgave them.

People will let us down. They are weak.

But then again, so are we. And yet Jesus still shows us grace every day.

So let us remember the words of Paul:

Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another.

Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. (Colossians 3:12-13)

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1 Samuel Devotionals

No one cares?

None of you cares about me… (1 Samuel 22:8)

Such were the words of Saul who was convinced everyone was conspiring against him when no one was.

And then there are the words of David as he was hiding from Saul in a cave.

Look to the right and see: no one stands up for me; there is no refuge for me; no one cares about me. (Psalm 142:4)

David definitely had Saul conspiring against him, but his words weren’t entirely true either.

Jonathan had stood up for him very strongly.

Michal had risked her life to save him as well.

The king of Moab also took care of his family for a time. And that’s not even mentioning the 400 men who had joined him.

Still, being on the run as he was and hiding in a cave, you can understand the exaggeration.

But unlike Saul, David put his trust in the Lord. He poured out his heart to God, confessing his weakness. And all the while, he was saying things like,

Although my spirit is weak within me, you know my way. (Psalm 142:3)

I say, “You are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living.” (Psalm 142:5)

The righteous will gather around me because you deal generously with me. (Psalm 142:7)

Do you feel that no one cares about you?

Look a little more carefully. More people care about you than you think. And even if everyone does abandon you, God never will.

He knows our way. He is our shelter. And he will deal generously with us.

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1 Samuel Devotionals

The One who sees our hearts

1 Samuel

Humans do not see what the Lord sees, for humans see what is visible, but the Lord sees the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

That’s one of the more famous lines in 1 Samuel, perhaps in the whole Bible.

Nobody in his family truly appreciated David, not even his own father who didn’t even think to call David when Samuel asked to see Jesse’s sons.

But God doesn’t see what humans see. He sees our hearts.

What did he see in David? God doesn’t say, but I think we get some glimpses throughout David’s life.

A heart that trusted God.

A heart that loved God.

A heart that was soft toward God.

David certainly had his struggles with sin, and he blew it terribly at times. But he ultimately came back to God with a repentant heart, seeking to please him.

Lord help me have such a heart. A heart that trusts you. A heart that loves you. And a heart that remains soft towards you.

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2 Samuel Devotionals

God’s wisdom. Our wisdom.

2 Samuel

In this passage, we see both David’s good points and bad points.

His good point was that he sought God’s wisdom. So when he fought with the Philistines, he always asked, “God, what should I do?”

His bad point? Ironically, it was that at times, he didn’t seek God’s wisdom. Not only did he have multiple wives, but he had multiple concubines as well.

Now in those days, that was considered totally normal. Kings in surrounding countries often had multiple wives and concubines.

But that wasn’t God’s will for David.

Jesus said this concerning marriage.

Haven’t you read…that he who created them in the beginning made them male and female,” and he also said, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two (not three, four, or more) will become one flesh?

So they are no longer two, but one flesh.

Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate. (Matthew 19:4-6)

Not only that, God had commanded this concerning kings in Israel.

He must not acquire many wives for himself so that his heart won’t go astray. (Deuteronomy 17:17)

Why did David have all those wives and concubines then? I don’t know. But perhaps there were two reasons.

1. David just thought it was natural for kings to have multiple wives and concubines. As a result, he didn’t even think to pray, “God should I marry more women?”

2. Because he was influenced by his culture and those around him, when he read God’s command in Deuteronomy, he thought, “I’m not marrying that many women. Besides, I will stay faithful to God.”

But in the end, because of these multiple wives and concubines, David and his family experienced many troubles. (2 Samuel 13-18; 1 Kings 1-2)

How often, because we are influenced by our own culture, do we overlook what God has taught or misunderstand it?

Each day, let us seek God’s wisdom in all we do.

As Paul wrote,

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Working our own salvation

1 Samuel

I was reading this story in the ESV, and there’s a turn of phrase that quite’s different in it from the other translations.

In verses 26, 31, and 33, most translations have David and Abigail talking about how it would be wrong for David to avenge himself.

But the ESV, as usual, is more literal here (although you also see it in the footnotes of the NASB).

In the ESV, they translate it “saving with your own hand,” “working salvation himself,” and “working salvation with my own hand.”

The NET Bible puts it, “Taking matters into one’s own hands.”

It’s pretty clear why most Bibles translate it “avenge.” Because that’s basically what it means in the context.

Often times we are hurt, and in our anger, we feel the need to take things into our own hands in order to deal with the situation.

But as I looked at the ESV, it just widened my view on the application these verses have to our own lives.

How often do we feel the need to take things into our own hands to save ourselves from whatever trouble we are in?

It might be in business. It might be a family situation. It might be our personal finances.

Whatever situation it might be, we are in a crisis, and we think, “I’ve got to do something NOW!”

But unfortunately, so often in those times, our judgment can get clouded. We fail to seek God. The thought to seek him never even crosses our mind.

As a result, we make terrible mistakes that compound the situation.

So often in David’s life, we see him seeking the Lord. “God what should I do? Where should I go?”

But in the midst of this situation with Nabal, the idea of seeking God never even passes through David’s mind. All he can think of is revenge. And because of it, he almost made a terrible mistake.

Mistake is not even the right word for it. He would have committed a horrible sin.

The same can happen to us if we get swept away by our circumstances or the crises we find ourselves in.

And when we look back, we suffer “grief or pangs of conscience” for what we did in trying to work salvation for ourselves.

So as we turned to God for the salvation of our souls, relying upon him and his grace to save us from our sins, let us turn to him when we face the different situations and crises we face in life.

If we do, we’ll find that the same God who saved us before by his grace, will save us again by that same grace.

And we’ll suffer none of the grief or pangs of conscience that come with trying to work out our own salvation.

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2 Samuel Devotionals

Right with God

2 Samuel

David’s words strike me here.

Is it not true my house is with God?
For he has established a permanent covenant with me,
ordered and secured in every detail.

Will he not bring about
my whole salvation and my every desire? (2 Samuel 23:5)

Obviously, David is talking about the specific covenant that God made with him, that God would establish a house for him, a dynasty that would last forever. (2 Samuel 7)

And God will ultimately fulfill that promise in Jesus.

But through Jesus, we also have a permanent covenant, ordered and secured in every detail. It brings about our whole salvation, and ultimately our every desire. Desires for righteousness, justice, peace, and love.

It is permanent, ordered, and secured because Jesus took care of everything for us on the cross, and is not dependent on our efforts to be righteous.

Our house, our lives, are right with God because God has clothed us with the perfect righteousness of Jesus.

As Paul wrote,

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses.

You are saved by grace! He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:4-9)

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Mercy and Grace

1 Samuel

As I look back on my older blogs, particularly on the Old Testament, I think I looked for a lot of practical, moral lessons.

I think to some degree that is fine. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that these things are written as examples for us and for our instruction. (I Corinthians 10:1-13)

But as I’ve noted before, Jesus said that all these things in the Old Testament also point to him. (Luke 24:25-27, 44-47).

And so as I look at the life of David, especially as the ancestor of Jesus, I see pictures of our Savior.

Here is David, who committed no sin or crime against Saul, who in no way was rebellious, and yet was persecuted by Saul. (1 Samuel 24:11)

He seemingly had every right to kill Saul, and yet instead he showed mercy. Though Saul committed evil against David, David repaid him with good, and so Saul told him,

Now I know for certain you will be king, and the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. (1 Samuel 24:20)

In so many ways, this is a picture of Jesus.

Jesus was sinless, and did no wrong. And yet we wronged him, rebelling against him. But unlike David, who in reality had no right to kill Saul, Jesus had every right to destroy us for our sin. And yet he showed us mercy.

Though we rebelled against him, though we sinned against him, he repaid us with good, taking our punishment on the cross.

And that is the biggest contrast between Jesus and David. David pleaded to God to judge between himself and Saul. And God eventually repaid Saul for his sin.

But when God judged between Jesus and us, he placed the judgment we deserved on Jesus.

As Paul put it,

But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

And because of what Jesus did, Jesus is king, and all will be established in his hand. For as Paul also said,

For this reason God highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
and every tongue will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

Categories
1 Samuel Devotionals Psalms Devotionals

Stop fighting!

Be still

As I was looking at these two passages today, I saw a connection there.

Here is David running for his life from Saul. But as he did, he found what the author of Psalm 46 discovered.

God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who is always found
in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

What do we make of what happened to Saul at the end of 1 Samuel 19? Perhaps it was God’s way of saying to him,

“Stop your fighting, and know that I am God,
exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

God humbled Saul that day. Yet Saul never stopped fighting God.

Had Saul ever stopped struggling against God, he would have found peace. He would have found that God is our refuge and strength. Instead, he constantly lived in fear, sinned greatly because of it, and eventually perished.

As I think back to my last blog, I can’t help but draw parallels between Jacob and Saul.

Like Saul, Jacob struggled to say, “My God.”

Like Saul, Jacob struggled against God.

But unlike Saul, Jacob learned to stop fighting God, and to follow after him. As a result, he ultimately found peace.

How about you? Are you still fighting God, doing things your own way, living only for yourself?

Or do you look at him and say, “You are my God. You are the one I trust”?

If we will do so, we too will find that,

The Lord of Armies is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold. (Psalm 46:11)

Categories
Hebrews

When we trust God

Hebrews

Have you ever noticed the people that the writer of Hebrews mentions as “paragons” of faith in verse 32? Most of them were hardly paragons.

Samuel, though he was a great judge and prophet, failed greatly when it came to raising his sons.

And while David was the greatest king in Israel’s history, he stumbled badly twice, once in his sin with Bathsheba, and once in counting his fighting men out of his pride.

Yet at least for the most part, these were good and faithful men.

The rest?

Most people when they think about Gideon only think about his triumph over the Midianites. But after that, his actions were hardly stellar.

He took vengeance on two cities that refused to help him in his fight against the Midianites.

Then, although he refused kingship, he nevertheless started to act like one taking multiple wives, and even naming his son Abimelech which means, “My father is king.”

More, he made a golden ephod which was usually a garment that priests used for consulting God. So it almost looks like he was trying to take on that duty as well.

Worse, the people started to worship that ephod and it became a snare to him and his family.

Barak? He refused to go to war against Israel’s oppressors unless Deborah the prophetess went with him.

Samson? Sure he brought a measure of deliverance to the Israelites from the Philistines. But he broke all his Nazirite vows in the process, drinking wine, touching dead carcasses, and allowing his hair to be cut.

More, he was sexually immoral and vindictive. The fact that he delivered the Israelites seemed more incidental than intentional on his part.

Jephthah? By a foolish vow he made, he either unintentionally was forced to put his daughter into the service of the Lord, never to marry or have children, or he actually sacrificed his daughter on an altar, completely contrary to the commands of God.

Why in the world, are these latter 4 mentioned as paragons of faith?

Maybe for the simple reason that they are not paragons.

They were ordinary sinners just like us. They did many awful things. But when they actually did put their trust in God, they did awesome things.

What can we learn from them? God can use you to do great things if you’ll just trust in him day to day.

But when you fail to do so, you are also capable of doing horrific things.

How people will look at you at the end of your life will greatly depend on how you live.

Will you consistently, day in and day out, put your trust in God? Then people will look at you as they do with Daniel and his friends. As men that shut the mouths of lions and quenched the fury of the flames.

But if you are one day trusting him, and one day living for yourself, you’ll find yourself with the legacy of a Samson or Gideon. People who accomplished great things when trusting God but making an utter of mess of things when they didn’t.

Which will you choose?