May 26, 2016
Chapter 12 is full of spiritual lessons. Today we are going to concentrate on two of them. The first is that even when we sin God loves us and will make a way for us to come back to him ! That is not to say that there are no consequences. David had committed murder and adultery and yet God made a way back for David through the prophet Nathan. Now the consequences that David would pay would last his whole life and cost him his son !!! Which leads us to the second spiritual truth in this chapter. The whole time David's son was alive , David fasted and wept and prayed. Then when the baby died he got up and ate and cleaned up. This is exactly the opposite that we would expect from a father. When David was asked about his behavior his reply was that as long as the child was alive, maybe God would save his life. After he died there was nothing he could do and besides he would be with him again !!What did David mean ? He meant that his child was in heaven and David would be with him again when he died and went to heaven. This is the spiritual truth ... You do not have to be baptized to go to heaven !!!
This chapter is a very sorted story of incest and murder in the King's family. David's son Amnon lures his half sister to his bed and rapes her. When his brother Absalom hears of this he sets a trap and murders Amnom. When I read this story it makes me wonder what kind of father David was ! He has raised a rapist and a murderer and the scripture says that David was very mad... but had no consequences for the murderer !! Now Absalom runs away and hides but David ends up accepting him back later on... again with no consequences !! It also makes me wonder about David being called a man after God's own heart when he was such a bad father. I know that the reason is the heart and I know that David was passionate for God, but what about the people David touched and his behavior towards them.?
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Chapter 10 and 11
May 12, 2016
In chapter 10 David continues to consolidate his power and to enlarge the territory for the Jews. He was trying to show kindness to one of his neighbors (Ammonites) but they mistook his gesture as one of aggression. They took the people David had sent and shaved half of their hair and beards and also cut their clothes to expose their buttocks !! David put Joab is charge of going to fight with the Ammonites. The Ammonites hired Syrians to fight with them to defeat the Jews. After the Jews had defeated both of them, the Syrians and the Ammonites were both made slaves and David disabled their military by killing horses and horsemen and also by disabling chariots.
The spiritual lesson here is simple and powerful !! No matter how bad things look if God is on your side you will always win !! Joab was up against two very large armies and he put the outcome of the entire battle on God.Not only did they win the battle but were given many slaves and tribute from both nations ! God is good all the time.
Chapter 11 is one of the most famous stories in the bible. This is the story of David and Bathsheba.The Kings of different nations would go off to fight in the spring of the year. This particular year David did not go but sent Joab instead. As he stayed home he saw Bathsheba bathing from his porch and summoned her to the castle. Bathsheba became pregnant and told David. David summoned her husband from the war and tried to manipulate him into sleeping with his wife to make it look like the baby was Uriah's. When this failed David had Joab put him in the heaviest fighting and Uriah was killed. Bathsheba then became David's wife.Up to this point, David has committed adultery and murder. The chapter ends by saying , " But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord."
This chapter could be summed up by saying that idle hands are the devil's workshop. If David had been doing what he should have been doing and where he should have been, none of this would have happen ! However, remember that God called David a man after my own heart. We should take comfort that a man of God can fall and stumble. Do not judge David because we all stumble and fall short in God's eyes every day ! The good news is that God will restore us if we repent of our sin and short comings. We will see in the next chapter that there are consequences to be paid but we can be put back in good standing with our God !!!
In chapter 10 David continues to consolidate his power and to enlarge the territory for the Jews. He was trying to show kindness to one of his neighbors (Ammonites) but they mistook his gesture as one of aggression. They took the people David had sent and shaved half of their hair and beards and also cut their clothes to expose their buttocks !! David put Joab is charge of going to fight with the Ammonites. The Ammonites hired Syrians to fight with them to defeat the Jews. After the Jews had defeated both of them, the Syrians and the Ammonites were both made slaves and David disabled their military by killing horses and horsemen and also by disabling chariots.
The spiritual lesson here is simple and powerful !! No matter how bad things look if God is on your side you will always win !! Joab was up against two very large armies and he put the outcome of the entire battle on God.Not only did they win the battle but were given many slaves and tribute from both nations ! God is good all the time.
Chapter 11 is one of the most famous stories in the bible. This is the story of David and Bathsheba.The Kings of different nations would go off to fight in the spring of the year. This particular year David did not go but sent Joab instead. As he stayed home he saw Bathsheba bathing from his porch and summoned her to the castle. Bathsheba became pregnant and told David. David summoned her husband from the war and tried to manipulate him into sleeping with his wife to make it look like the baby was Uriah's. When this failed David had Joab put him in the heaviest fighting and Uriah was killed. Bathsheba then became David's wife.Up to this point, David has committed adultery and murder. The chapter ends by saying , " But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord."
This chapter could be summed up by saying that idle hands are the devil's workshop. If David had been doing what he should have been doing and where he should have been, none of this would have happen ! However, remember that God called David a man after my own heart. We should take comfort that a man of God can fall and stumble. Do not judge David because we all stumble and fall short in God's eyes every day ! The good news is that God will restore us if we repent of our sin and short comings. We will see in the next chapter that there are consequences to be paid but we can be put back in good standing with our God !!!
Saturday, May 7, 2016
Chapter 8 And 9
May 5, 2016
Chapter 8 continues to tell us how God has consolidated David's power through military conquests ! David subdues the Philistines then he defeats Moab. Half of the Moabites he kills and the other half he makes slaves. As his servants, they bring tribute to their master. Then David defeats Hadadezer the King of Zobah, David took 1,700 horsemen and hamstrung all the chariot horses save 100. When the Syrian's came to help King Hadadezer, David killed 22,000 of the Syrian's.. The Syrians then became servant's to David and brought him tribute. David then put garrisons in Syria, Damascus, Moab, and Edom.
God was working through and for David ! He was defeating all the enemies of the Jews, enlarging their territory, and giving the new nation peace. In addition he was providing wealth and servants for the new nation. The spiritual lesson is the same for us as believers today !!! When we get saved and accept Jesus as our savior, God provides many things for us and takes care of us ! As an example He gives us the Holy Spirit, the Fruit of the Spirit, He forgives our sin, softens our hearts, gives us all at least one spiritual gift. This and so much more are we given by our creator when we get saved !
Chapter 9 is a short chapter but contains so many spiritual truths ! It is about the kindness that David shows to Jonathan's son Mephibosheth. As discussed earlier, it was customary in those days to kill the entire line when one took over a kingdom. David was going out of his way to find any survivor of Saul's family to show them kindness. When they found Mephibosheth, this is what David did for the crippled grandson of King Saul : Let him eat at the Kings table for life, restored all property, money, land, animals that used to belong to the family, and gave him servants to work all the land for him. Wow that is awesome !!!
This chapter continues the same spiritual lesson that we learned in the last. Jesus goes about looking for people to be kind to ( dying on the cross ), then when he finds them and they accept His sacrifices, He give eternal life and allows us to eat from His table for ever !! There are so many gits, and actions that we owe thanks and praise to Jesus for just as Mephibosheth owes to David ! Just as he owes his life and livelihood to King David, so do we owe our life and eternity to King Jesus !! Praise Jesus !!
Chapter 8 continues to tell us how God has consolidated David's power through military conquests ! David subdues the Philistines then he defeats Moab. Half of the Moabites he kills and the other half he makes slaves. As his servants, they bring tribute to their master. Then David defeats Hadadezer the King of Zobah, David took 1,700 horsemen and hamstrung all the chariot horses save 100. When the Syrian's came to help King Hadadezer, David killed 22,000 of the Syrian's.. The Syrians then became servant's to David and brought him tribute. David then put garrisons in Syria, Damascus, Moab, and Edom.
God was working through and for David ! He was defeating all the enemies of the Jews, enlarging their territory, and giving the new nation peace. In addition he was providing wealth and servants for the new nation. The spiritual lesson is the same for us as believers today !!! When we get saved and accept Jesus as our savior, God provides many things for us and takes care of us ! As an example He gives us the Holy Spirit, the Fruit of the Spirit, He forgives our sin, softens our hearts, gives us all at least one spiritual gift. This and so much more are we given by our creator when we get saved !
Chapter 9 is a short chapter but contains so many spiritual truths ! It is about the kindness that David shows to Jonathan's son Mephibosheth. As discussed earlier, it was customary in those days to kill the entire line when one took over a kingdom. David was going out of his way to find any survivor of Saul's family to show them kindness. When they found Mephibosheth, this is what David did for the crippled grandson of King Saul : Let him eat at the Kings table for life, restored all property, money, land, animals that used to belong to the family, and gave him servants to work all the land for him. Wow that is awesome !!!
This chapter continues the same spiritual lesson that we learned in the last. Jesus goes about looking for people to be kind to ( dying on the cross ), then when he finds them and they accept His sacrifices, He give eternal life and allows us to eat from His table for ever !! There are so many gits, and actions that we owe thanks and praise to Jesus for just as Mephibosheth owes to David ! Just as he owes his life and livelihood to King David, so do we owe our life and eternity to King Jesus !! Praise Jesus !!
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