Category: 2 Samuel

Counting Strength & Finding Mercy

2 Samuel 23-24

Psalm 58

1 Corinthians 6

-Devotion by Melissa New (AR)

Here we are near the end of David’s life. He fought many battles, brought in a lot of wealth to Israel, united the nation and all twelve tribes, and made Jerusalem the capital city. We know David had troubling times, but he could also look back on his life and find many things to be proud of. In chapter 23, we are reminded of how much David had been given by God.

In the oracle of David, he calls himself a “man exalted by the Most High.” He says he was “anointed by the God of Jacob.” He recognizes that God made him “Israel’s singer of songs.” He says “The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me.” And he even asks, “Is not my house right with God? Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part? Will he not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire?” Of course, there is a lot of truth in David’s words. God has been very good to him.

Next, we see the great and awesome deeds of his mighty men. They really are something to be proud of and there is a list of his valiant men and some of their heroic exploits. But chapter 24 starts with the LORD’s anger. It says, “Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, ‘Go, and take a census of Israel and Judah.’” The anger seems to come out of the blue, but Scripture is not always chronological and it doesn’t always explain everything for us. To make matters worse, the other account of David’s census words this differently. 1 Chronicles 21:1 says, “Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.”

What are we to make of this? First of all, I think two things can be true at the same time. The LORD was angry with the Israelites and it seems logical to think that Satan would tempt David’s weakness regarding his pride in his army. But who originated the census situation? Ultimately, God is always in control and He enacts judgment when He deems it appropriate and for the purpose of leading His people to repentance and mercy. So, it stands to reason that God allowed Satan to tempt David who was probably already leaning toward the desire to count his army.

David still had a choice. Remarkably, Joab advises David against the census. However, David’s checkered past with Joab may have made him the worst person to have tried to talk David out of it. If you are like me, you wonder why was God angry? Well, let’s think about the Israelites for a minute. Scripture shows us that the Israelites were constantly frustrating God and usually for the same reasons over and over again. It was invariably lack of trust and/or idolatry that was the issue.

Some suggest that God was angry because the Israelites showed a lack of trust in God’s appointment of David as king when so many of them followed Absalom. Right after Absalom’s rebellion is put down, many Israelites joined Sheba’s rebellion until it was put down as well.

Some point to Exodus 30:12 where the LORD says, “When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the LORD a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them.” They say the census wasn’t done properly. Those who were counted were supposed to give a half shekel for the Tent of Meeting.

Another theory is that David had become too proud of the strength of Israel and wanted to number the army to show how strong his kingdom was. But the kingdom belonged to the LORD. God never liked them counting on how many men they had to fight with. He wanted them to trust in Him to take care of them. He wanted to be their king. Again, I think more than one thing can be true at the same time. It’s likely that the LORD’s anger points to the Israelites’ sin, but David himself sins by ordering the census.

Psalm 58 ends by reminding us that “there is a God who judges the earth.” That is exactly what David and Israel had to face here. God judges nations. God judges kings. God judges His own people. But 2 Samuel 24 also shows us that the God who judges is the same God who shows mercy when His people humble themselves before Him.

This is important because we cannot view this as all David’s fault. He was so good about admitting when he did wrong and repenting when he messed up. But “the anger of the LORD burned against Israel,” not just David. Joab came back from counting with a massive number of 1.3 million soldiers. (I looked this up online and the United States military has about 1.3 million active-duty soldiers right now!) David doesn’t feel joy at hearing the number, though, because he immediately realized that he should not have counted the fighting men.

He confessed to the LORD and asked for forgiveness, but the consequences resulted in the LORD sending a plague in which seventy thousand men were killed. David said to the LORD, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall upon me and my family.” 2 Samuel 24:17 This is a beautiful thing. David wanted to intercede on behalf of the people.

The prophet Gad told David to build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David went and Araunah offered to give David the land and oxen and everything needed for the sacrifice. David said, “I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” And the last verse of chapter 24 says, “Then the LORD answered prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.” God let David intercede for the nation of Israel.

Can God receive one man’s intercession and sacrifice as the place where mercy is shown to many? We see something like that happen in 2 Samuel 24. The angel of the LORD was going around striking people down. God’s judgment was not random or unfair, but the Scripture also says that “the LORD was grieved because of the calamity.” Our God is holy and righteous and when He judges, He judges rightly. We don’t really want to stand before God on what we deserve, though. We want mercy. God gives mercy to those who turn to Him as David did.

Araunah’s threshing floor became a special place where all God’s people could find mercy when Solomon built the Temple on that spot several years later.

Reflection Questions

Is it possible for us to get prideful about the things God has done for us or given us?

Are we in rebellion against what God is doing as the Israelites seemed to be?

When we give to the LORD do we recognize that it should cost us something?

When we sin, do we confess and beg the LORD for forgiveness as David did? Or do we just expect it and make excuses for our failures?

Do we trust the LORD in all things even when it’s hard to understand?

Will we humble ourselves before the God who judges, and come to the place where mercy can be found?

Prayer

Dear Lord God, You are right and all your ways are right. Thank you for Your right judgments and Your mercy again and again. Thank you for David’s example: his praise of You, his confession, repentance, sacrifice, and interceding for his people. I want to always remember that my strength comes from You. And when Your anger burns, I want to respond correctly. Forgive me for the times my pride has caused me to do or say foolish things. Help me to praise You always.

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Still Fighting Giants

and David grew weary 2 Sam 21 15 ESV

2 Samuel 21–22

Psalm 57

1 Corinthians 5

-Devotion by Melissa New (AR)

This passage surprised me the last time I read it. We all know the account of young David fighting the giant, Goliath. But we don’t always notice that David was still fighting giants late in life. There were other giants in Gath besides Goliath, and it’s not hard to imagine that some of them remembered what David had done.

David is older and has been king a long time. He has fought many battles. And he’s seen so many things; victory, failure, betrayal, grief, and mercy. But even near the end of his life, the giants are still coming.

In 2 Samuel 21, David and his servants are fighting the Philistines “once again.” One of the descendants of the giants, Ishbi-Benob, sees his chance and thinks he can kill the king. We know he is a giant because he’s a descendant of Rapha, and the Scripture tells us his bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels (quite heavy for just a spearhead). He is also armed with a new sword. Ishbi-Benob appears battle-ready and dangerous.

During the battle, David became exhausted. But Abishai comes to David’s aid and strikes the giant down. Abishai is the brother of Joab and also one of David’s nephews. David is still David, but he’s not as strong as he once was. The man who once stood alone before Goliath now needs someone else to step in and help him.

There are seasons when God gives us strength to stand and fight. There are also seasons when God sends someone else to stand beside us because our strength is almost gone. David had once been the young man delivering Israel from a giant. Now another man is delivering David.

After this, David’s men tell him that he should no longer go out with them to battle, “so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished.” They aren’t dishonoring him. They are protecting him. The king of Israel would be a target for any enemy, but you wouldn’t want to see the king who came to prominence by defeating a giant meet his end at the hands of a giant either.

It can be hard for us as we get older to realize that we aren’t as strong as we once were. There is wisdom in seeing where others are more able. Sometimes faithfulness means letting others help. The battles will still come up, but our role in the battle changes.

The chapter tells us that “in the course of time” another giant needed to be defeated.  Sibbecai the Hushathite killed the next giant, Saph. Sibbecai is named as one of David’s commanders who led 24,000 Israelite men in 1 Chronicles 27:11.

Then there is another battle at Gob. In this battle, Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod. This was an unusually large and heavy weapon. (In 1 Chronicles 20:5 the giant fought here is described as being Goliath’s brother, Lahmi.) Elhanan was probably another of David’s elite fighting men, very likely one of the Thirty mentioned in 2 Samuel 23.

Then there is another battle in Gath where a giant with “six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot” is fought. Jonathan, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, killed this unnamed giant who was also a descendant of Rapha in Gath.

In seven short verses we see four more giant encounters! David went out with his men to fight Ishbi-Benob and the Philistines, but his men convinced him that they can handle the giants now.

What a legacy that David is able to see for himself! David showed his men how to have the courage and faith to defeat Israel’s enemies. He had men under him who were also capable of killing giants. Some were part of his mighty men and some were his very own nephews.

This is definitely a victory in David’s life. He did not just defeat a giant. He helped raise up men who could keep fighting when more giants came. We often think that one great victory will settle everything. We think if we defeat one giant, we should be done with giants. But life does not usually work that way.

Life is full of battles, unfortunately. Jesus told us we would have trouble. (John 16:33) There are battles we thought we had already settled and won, but they come back up. There are battles that come when we are tired. There are battles that come when we are wounded. There are battles that come when we may need others around us to step up and help us get through it. (It is good to have “mighty men” and faithful family nearby. And they don’t have to be blood-related. Our church family is so important!)

David’s story reminds us that faith is not proven only in one dramatic moment. Faith must keep trusting God after the famous victory is over and when we don’t feel as strong as we want to feel.

In 2 Samuel 22, David sings.

“The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer.” He ends the song with, “The LORD lives! Praise be to my rock! Exalted be God, the Rock, my Savior!” (2 Samuel 22:47)

Let’s not forget to sing and praise God for what He does for us either!  All the “giants” or “battles” we find ourselves up against are another opportunity for God to show how very faithful and good He is.

We want to be like David; a leader who surrounded himself with faithful men who could help and advise him in times of need. But we want to be like David’s mighty men and nephews too. Do you know of someone who could use help in their battle? Maybe God has placed us near them for that very reason.

Reflection Questions

Do we acknowledge that we will face many battles and also prepare ourselves for them?

Do we let others help us when don’t feel strong enough to get through it on our own?

Are we training our children and younger family members to walk with God, so that one day they can help strengthen us and others when battles come?

Do we pay attention to the needs of others and help them with their battles too?

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father – I praise You for Your goodness and faithfulness. I am thankful that You are a God of strength and might and You do not grow tired and weary. Show me where and when I would be wise and faithful to offer and give aid and also where and when I ought to accept or ask for help. Help me be strong and wise for every task You are preparing for me to do, and also know what is the job for another. Help me intentionally and effectively raise up workers for Your kingdom. In Your Son’s name I pray.

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Forgiven and Grieving, but Still Moving

2 Samuel 19–20

Psalm 57

1 Corinthians 4

-Devotion by Melissa New (AR)

Absalom is dead, but David is not celebrating.

The rebellion has been stopped. The army has won. David’s throne has been preserved. But the king is weeping over the son who tried to take his kingdom from him.

“O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!” (2 Samuel 19:4)

To Joab and the army, Absalom was a traitor. He had stolen the hearts of the people, taken Jerusalem, and forced David to flee for his life. He was dangerous and his rebellion had to be stopped. But David did not see Absalom only as a rebel. He saw him as his son.

We cannot say exactly what was in David’s mind, but we do know what was in David’s past. In 2 Samuel 12, Nathan had told David that his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah would bring consequences into his house. The sword would not depart from his house, calamity would come out of his own household, his wives would be given to someone close to him in broad daylight, and the child born to Bathsheba would die.

David repented and was forgiven. Nathan told him plainly, “The LORD has taken away your sin.” But forgiveness didn’t mean that every consequence disappeared.

By 2 Samuel 19, David is mourning the death of another son. The child born to Bathsheba had died. Amnon had been murdered by his brother, Absalom. Now Absalom has been killed by Joab. (Later, Adonijah would also die during the struggle surrounding Solomon’s throne.) The calamity in David’s household was no longer a warning. It had become a painful reality.

David had replied to the prophet Nathan’s parable that the guilty man should pay “four times over.” Whether we count the consequences by Nathan’s words or by the sons David lost, the shadow over David’s house is hard to miss. This is what makes David’s grief so complicated. He was not just grieving a son. He was grieving as a father, as a king, and as a man who knew that his own sin helped bring sorrow into his house.

David had already shown a humbled spirit when he fled Jerusalem. When Zadok brought the ark of God, David sent it back. He would not presume that God would go with him. Then Shimei came out cursing him and throwing stones. Abishai wanted to kill him, but David stopped him. David wondered if perhaps the Lord had allowed even that humiliation.

This is not the attitude of a man who thinks he has done nothing wrong. David knows he has been forgiven, but he also knows he is living in the wreckage of his own failure. Can we relate to this struggle?

We believe God forgives sin. We believe the blood of Christ is enough. We believe God removes guilt from the repentant heart. But what happens when the consequences remain?

What happens when the relationship is still damaged?
What happens when the trust is still broken?
What happens when the family still feels the effects?
What happens when we are forgiven before God, but still have to walk through the results of what we did?

Sometimes guilt and grief can make us passive. We do not know when to speak, when to act, when to defend ourselves, or when to accept the humiliation. David seems almost frozen at times. He wants Absalom spared. He mourns so deeply that the men who saved him feel ashamed. He forgives Shimei. He appoints Amasa, the commander of Absalom’s army, over his own army. He is trying to heal the kingdom, but everything is still unstable and such a mess.

There is humility and mercy in David, but there is also hesitation.

Joab saw the danger in David sitting too long in his grief and hesitation. He was a man of action who saw a threat and dealt with it quickly. He killed Absalom even though David didn’t want this to happen. He murdered his cousin Amasa after Amasa delayed in gathering the army against Sheba’s rebellion. Then he took charge of David’s army and pursued Sheba until the rebellion was crushed. Joab may have helped preserve David’s kingdom, but he did it with blood on his hands. And because he was David’s nephew, Joab’s violence was another painful reminder that this trouble, too, was coming from close to home.

David and Joab show two different dangers. David’s guilt and grief made it hard for him to act decisively.
Joab had no such hesitation, but his boldness was not always righteous. One man hesitated under the weight of sorrow. The other pushed forward without enough fear of God.

Forgiveness does not mean we will always know exactly how to act when consequences stand in front of us. Sometimes we will feel humbled. Sometimes ashamed. Sometimes unsure whether to speak or stay silent. Sometimes we will want to fix everything quickly, but the damage will take longer than we hoped.

When the consequences of sin remain, we still have to do the next right thing. We humble ourselves. We accept what God allows. We make peace where peace can be made. We lead where we are called to lead. We refuse revenge. We refuse despair. We refuse to believe that because the storm is still blowing, God is no longer with us. And even while we are grieving, we keep moving.

David had once prayed in Psalm 57:1, “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” That psalm came from another season of trouble, but the words fit David’s life here too. He needed mercy while the storm was still raging. He needed God while the consequences were still unfolding.

And so do we.

Reflection Questions

Do shame and guilt sometimes grip your heart and make it hard for you to know what to do?

Do you feel lost to the consequences of sin and like an outsider watching your life with no power to control it?

Does grief keep you frozen and feeling unable to act as a faithful follower of God?

If so, these are all feelings that David probably experienced too. Most likely, many Christians feel this way at times. David is a great example for us because no matter how bad things got for him, he always put his trust in God. He shows us how to turn our focus from ourselves back to the God who loves us. David said, “Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.” Psalm 57:11

Prayer

Dear Great & Mighty God of Mercy and Justice – help me to fear You, and love and adore You to keep me from evil and serve You well. When I fail You, thank You for Your forgiveness. In humility, help me seek to do the next right thing and trust You more and more.

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The Spirit of a Man

*2 Samuel 15-16

*Psalm 56

*1 Corinthians 2

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            In our 2 Samuel 15-16 reading today, we see the prophecies of Nathan (2 Sam 12)  in response to David’s worst sin back a few chapters (in 2 Sam 11) being fulfilled.  David’s own son rebels and David and his household have to flee.  If you read closely in the scriptures here, you can pick out the intrigue and political strategies of the day, and then Absalom moves in to Jerusalem, and takes his father’s own concubines on the roof of his house, in the sight of all Israel (2 Sam 16:22).  This is in direct fulfillment of the prophecy in 2 Sam 12:11-12, when God promises “Indeed, you have done this thing secretly, but I will do it before all of Israel…“. 

            As David is fleeing, a fellow named Shimei comes out “cursing continuously” and throwing stones at the group.  This sounds quirky and odd until you read on and understand that David’s Mighty Men were with him, the elite group of fighters who were the ancient equivalent of the special forces, and then it starts to sound almost suicidal.  These guys were “the best of the best”, and many of them attained their position specifically by performing insanely brave and heroic acts against overwhelming odds (and surviving).  Tired of life, much?  This sounds like a great idea to fix that.

            Some of his mighty men predictably ask to go take Shimei’s head (2 Sam 16:9), but David replies “Hey, maybe God told him to curse me and if He did, who could say differently?  Let him curse me, maybe God will have mercy” (Paraphrased, but accurately represented from 2 Sam 16:10-12).  I really think that this humble acceptance of God’s sovereignty is what sets David apart, and why God favored him so much.  He acknowledged his sin, acknowledged that almighty God had authority, and accepted that God’s punishment to him would be just. 

            This humble acceptance of God’s sovereignty is also beautifully echoed in our reading of Psalms 56 particularly in v3 and 4 where it states: “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.  What can mere man do to me?“.  There’s a great song called “You Are My Hiding Place” written by Michael J. Ledner and later sung by a group named “Selah” that this Psalm evokes in my mind, and I’ve sung it before when I was feeling alone and scared, you should take a moment to look it up if you’re not familiar.  It actually combined verses from Ps 32, Ps 56, and 2 Cor 12 and is a hauntingly beautiful song.

            In our reading in 1 Corinthians 2 today there’s a concept that’s pretty important, and understanding it fully helps us to understand and interpret scripture better.  The word for “spirit” in Hebrew is “ruach” (roo-ah-ck, with the k being a glottal “kh”) and this term carries a broad range of meanings, primarily translating to wind, breath, or spirit depending on the context, and is used about 400 times in the Old Testament.   In Greek, the word for spirit is “pneuma”, and much like in the Hebrew, this term carries a broad range of meanings including wind, breath, and the vital principle that animates the body. 

            Interestingly, in Greek the word for spirit is inherently neutral gender (so if you read He in the New Testament when speaking of the spirit, that is a biased translation: it could also read she or it, and more accurately, it).  In Hebrew, the word for spirit is inherently female, but you shouldn’t get too caught up in that because the grammatical gender is distinct from personal or essential gender, so it doesn’t really imply femininity, it’s like in America when we say “She’s a grand old flag” we’re not implying that our flags are women.

            Any time you see spirit capitalized in your bible, that’s also an interpretational bias because Hebrew doesn’t have capital (or lowercase) letters and the New Testament (in Greek) was WRITTENINALLCAPITALLETTERSWITHOUTSPACESORPUNCTUATION (like that, which made translation into English a hoot, I have no doubt).  This is information that’s important if you want to do an accurate job of being a textual critic which is “a scholar who examines ancient manuscripts, translations, and citations to reconstruct the original wording of a text” and not just somebody who’s critical of books like it sounds.  English was NOT the original language that our scriptures were written in and as a result of some inherent bias on the part of  translators through the centuries, sometimes liberties have been taken.

            Very late in the 4th century, it became habitual to start capitilizing spirit in certain contexts when translating, and even assigning an autonomous personality to it.  We can see pretty plainly in our reading today that this is most likely inaccurate.  In 1 Cor 2:11 it says “For who among men knows the depths of a man except the spirit of a man which is in him?  Even so the depths of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.” (LSB).  By the way, do you see the capital S in spirit right there?  That is a translationally inaccurate bias in my version.

            The spirit here is not a seperate entity, but an integral part of the person.  You can’t really separate the two, the one just is part of the other.  It’s…life, or breath, or wind, or “the Force”, or whatever you want to call it: not an autonomous creepy thing that lives inside you, but a description of the part of YOU that isn’t quite physical.  It states in the above scripture that the spirit of God is the same, it’s not a seperate entity from God, it’s an inseparable part of Him.  We are told in John 4:24 that God is spirit.  Do we understand it completely?  Probably not, but not understanding something doesn’t give license to start assigning roles to it.  I don’t get quantum physics, but I don’t start calling it Susan either, that’s just silly.  I’ve been told that the “spirit of God” is just “God in action”, and that may be.  Regardless of your understanding though, it shows clearly in 1 Cor 2:11 that God’s spirit is not a separate individual but His own spirit, just like a man’s spirit is his.

             It is the spirit of God that animates and sustains all life, according to Job 34:14-15. The very breath that we have, the ruach that gives us life, God breathed in to the first man upon creation.  When the spirit of God comes upon a man in power, that man can then do miraculous things;  prophecies, speaking in tongues, healing.  To attain a deeper immersion in the spirit of God should be the goal of every one who seeks to please God, and we know that it is one of the requirements to be a believer according to Acts 2: 38.  It should be our goal, second only to the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, because when we receive the spirit of God we are aligned with God, and alignment with God brings LIFE and citizenship in the Kingdom.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. When you are afraid, do you trust in God or allow your fear to direct you?
  2. How many times in your recollection has God been not only just but merciful towards you?
  3. What instances of the holy spirit have you personally experienced? (these can range from simple to miraculous, but try to remember all of them that you’ve experienced)
  4. How can we align our spirit with God’s spirit, how can we receive the gift of the holy spirit in more fullness?

PRAYER

Father God, Lord God Most High, please lead us.  Grant us Your spirit to teach us, to whisper in our ears when we should take a certain path, to warn us when we are in error, and to lead us to You.  Father fogive us when we fall short, and lift us up again with Your mighty hand, and bring us to You.  Have mercy, Father.  Thank you for all of the blessings that You have given, for life, breath, and all things.  I am alive today because of the breath You breathed in to me.  Thank you, in Jesus name, Amen.

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Who is Your God?

*2 Samuel 11-12

Psalm 55

*Romans 16

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            Have you ever focused so much on yourself that, whether accidentally or on purpose, you excluded God?  I have, and I say that to my shame.  Even now, as I’m trying to seek God with my whole heart, I find that I’m disturbingly easily distracted.  It’s embarrassing and concerning to me.  I have to maintain a constant vigil and firmly correct myself when I’m looking off to the side because I know from my own personal and painful experiences that “bad things” happen when I don’t let God rule my life (See 2/5 devotion).  In our reading in Romans 16 today, there’s a short little blurb in v18 that says “For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own stomach…“(LSB).  Ouch.

            The verse above is strikingly reminiscent of Phil 3:19 which states “whose end is destruction, whose God is their stomach…who set their thoughts on earthly things.” (LSB).  The (many) creature comforts that we have been given are nice, but if they are distracting us from proper service to and worship of our God then they have become a juicy, tasty looking worm on the end of a very sharp, barbed, and deadly hook to us.  We see from the above verse that the end of (exclusive) self gratification is destruction, and Paul clearly tells us it’s a bad idea.  Just think of what you could do with 30 pieces of silver though…but was it worth it? It wasn’t, it never is.  We were bought at a (very high) price, and to act solely in our own self interests is to dishonor the one who paid it for us.  Don’t set your thoughts on earthly things.

            In our 2 Samuel reading today, it’s not his stomach that has become his God but another anatomical bit, and David sets his thoughts on earthly things.  He sees from the roof of his house a woman bathing: she’s beautiful and he makes inquiries about her, finding out that she’s Eliam’s daughter and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.  Despite this, David sends for her, sleeps with her, and she becomes pregnant (2 Sam 11: 1-5).  This is not only a violation of God’s law, but one of the basest social human betrayals that you could possibly imagine once you understand who Uriah was.

            To understand better, King David had a mixed army of about 288,000 men, these were organized into 12 divisions of around 24,000 men each.  This consisted of a paid standing army (regular troops whose job it was to fight), a militia designated by tribe (armed citizens who fought under veteran commanders) who took turns by month serving unless there was a special need and all of the people where called, and then his “Mighty Men” or “The 30“; a small but elite group of about 37 men (later expanded to 80) that were very much the equivalent of the Special Forces of the time, the ancient Jewish equivalent of Navy Seals, or probably more accurately, “Mossad”.  (external sources include: chabad.org, biblicalwarfare.com, and it aligns logically with what we know from scripture).  Uriah was one of the Mighty Men.

            The Mighty Men of David were generally thought to have been the fierce and loyal followers who stayed with him when he was fleeing King Saul (or at times exceptional fighters who joined later and gained their position from extraordinary feats of bravery). At the very least, they fought side by side with him. Uriah’s closeness to David is illustrated by how closely he lived to the palace, you could see his house clearly from the roof of David’s house.  There is a special bond formed when men fight beside each other, when their lives are in danger, and when they are forced to rely on each other for survival.  David considered all of this, and then chose to betray his close friend in order to feed his earthly appetite.           

            Then, as sin often does, it got worse.  David tried to conceal his crime (2 Sam 11: 6-13) by trying to get Uriah to go sleep with his wife (and failing because of Uriah’s fierce loyalty and code of honor), and then resorts to having Uriah killed (2 Sam 11: 14-27).  Understanding how fiercely loyal his friend Uriah was and how David repaid that loyalty is truly cringe-worthy.  I can’t think of a deeper betrayal that one human could do to another, it’s definitely the low point of David’s life.

            This is all starkly shocking considering the favor that God has shown David, but it should highlight the painful fact that we are all subject to the lusts of our own flesh and must constantly discipline ourselves to remain true.  David was a man after God’s own heart, but he was still a man, and all men have fallen short.  In this case he broke a number of commandments, killed one of his closest friends, and betrayed the trust of a nation and his God.

            When Nathan shows up to speak to David in 2 Sam 12: 1-14, he tells David a parable of a rich man who took advantage of a poor man and took his one beloved ewe, and David reacts in outrage and says that the man should be killed, after which Nathan explains that it is David himself who was that rich man, and offers a bit of punitive prophecy in v10-12 and v14 (war, betrayal of David, his wives taken publicly, and the baby will die).  He is also told at this time that God will forgive him (v13), but all of these dark prophecies against him will still take place as a result of his sin.  This shows us yet again that our God is indeed a God of justice, but also of mercy.

            David’s actions at this point should be a template to us when we sin: he weeps, he prostrates himself before God, and fasts intensely.  He begs and pleads with God.  We can presume that he tore his robes and put ashes on his head (although it doesn’t specifically say that) as was customarily done in those days to express regret.  He does his absolute very best to humble himself and to, if possible, avert the catastrophe that Yahweh has promised in return for his sin.  In this instance, God did not revoke his judgment and the baby dies, but later when Solomon was born it says (in 2 Sam 12:24) that “God loved him”.

            As a side note, in 2 Sam 12:26-30 there is a “war event” that requires a mustering of all of the forces (probably around 288,000 men, as noted above).  This is usually noted by the phrase “all the people”, or sometimes “all of Israel”, as in v29.  There’s a bit of disturbing information towards the end of this chapter in v31 that describes the practices of the conquering armies to their enemies that just highlights how brutal war was (and is).  I recommend you don’t read it if you don’t have a strong stomach, but if you do read this please note that these were the practices of men and not the commandments of God, and make that clear distinction in your mind.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Each of us is very different, but we are also much the same.  Reflect for a moment on David’s greatest sin, what was the worst sin that you have ever committed?
  2. When you repented of that sin, how specifically did you ask God to forgive you?
  3. Is that sin still poignantly fresh in your mind?  Whatever your answer is, why?
  4. What steps did you take in order to never commit that same sin again, and were you successful?
  5. How can we be successful against temptation to sin?  What are your specific weaknesses and what measures can you personally take that will help you to overcome them?

PRAYER

Father God, please forgive me of all of my sin, whether intentional or unthinking.  Please show me the way into Your kingdom, and cleanse me of all my wrongdoing and many shortcomings.  Help me to listen and to obey Your word, and to honor the price that was paid for my salvation.  Thank you Lord God for sending us Your son to teach us, and to be an example of obedience.  Discipline us God, not in Your wrath lest we be destroyed, but according to Your mercies.  Thank you Father, in Jesus name, Amen.

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Prophecies of the Messiah

*2 Samuel 7-8

Psalm 54

Romans 14

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            Today’s reading in 2 Sam 7 is one of the most critical prophecies in scripture to understand, if you want to understand about the nature of Jesus, and also get a glimpse into the character of God.  This is one of the clearest passages of scripture that is written about the requirements of The Messiah (מָשִׁיחַ or “Ha Meshiach” in Hebrew, which is where we get the term).  When the ancient Jews were told about The Messiah, this is one of the “go to” scriptures that lists and explains what the expectations should be.  Always go to the “original sources” when you are trying to understand something, and this is one of the best original sources about the Messiah that there are in scripture.  Victor Gluckin has an amazing series on Restitutio.org in the form of podcasts on this that’s better than anything that I could ever do, search for “Victor Gluckin, Restitutio, Son of David” and listen.

            As we start to read in 2 Sam 7:1-11, a lot of the character of David and then God is revealed.  David says to Nathan (a prophet), “Hey I live in a nice house here, but God’s in a tent.  I should build Him a nice house too”.  Nathan replies, “Sure, do it.”, but then God talks to Nathan and tells him to go back to David and tell him “Oh, you think you’re going to build ME a house?  Nah man, I’m going to build YOU a house.” (this is all obviously and painfully paraphrased, but read the scripture, the gist is true).  What we see from this is that God is a rewarder of those who seek to please Him, and that David was trying to please Him.  This is important background to know going in to the next section of scripture, where the meat of the prophecy is.  This is a direct response by God to his servant, David

            First though, know that each one of the gospels (and really the rest of the NT as well) was written for the express purpose of explaining that Jesus (יֵשׁוּעַ )  of Nazareth was this prophesied Messiah(Or, Christ.  Messiah=Christ=”Anointed One”, they all mean the same thing: Christ is not a last name, it is a title of authority).  This is detailed in each of their thesis statements (Matt 1:1, Mark 1:1, Luke 1:30-32, John 20:31).  Jesus himself explains to the samaritan woman that he is, in fact, the Messiah that has been foretold (John 4:25), and commends Peter for getting the correct answer in Matt 16:15 when he asks “but who do you say that I am?”.  He is the Christ, the Messiah.  Every time you see “Christ” in the new testament, it is a confirmation that Jesus of Nazareth is The Christ (Greek for “anointed one”),  or, The Messiah (Hebrew for “anointed one”): they mean the same thing: the man anointed to be king.  What does that mean, though?

THE CRITERIA OF THE MESSIAH (or, Christ).  These are requirements, these MUST all be fullfilled in order to claim the title of The Christ

  • REQUIREMENT 1– (2 Sam 7:12-13)- “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, ***I will raise up one of your seed after you, who will come forth from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.  He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kindgom forever.”(LSB).  The Messiah MUST BE a human descendant of David, there is not an option for a different understanding because this is the promise God made to David (and God always, always, always keeps His promises). 
  • REQUIREMENT 2– (2 Sam 7:14-15)- “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will reprove him…but My lovingkindness shall not be removed from him…” (LSB)  The Messiah MUST BE the son of God.  Keep in mind that scripturally, the “sons of God” could refer to heavenly beings (Gen 6:2, Job 1:6, Ps 89:6) and that the term is also used metaphorically to refer to humans or groups that have a special relationship with God (as in Ex 4:22 , Ps 82:6, or Mal 2:10).  In the instance of Jesus of Nazareth, both the literal and metaphoric explanations could be fully applied (because of his miraculous conception, but either would have been sufficient to fulfill this prophecy).
  • REQUIREMENT 3– 2 Sam 7:16: “And your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”  To be The Christ you MUST establish a kingdom that will endure forever.  We as Christians believe that when Jesus returns, this requirement will be fulfilled.  In Jesus’ day, his disciples asked “So, uh, is this when you’re going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6, paraphrased).  He explains to them “I don’t get to pick that, only God knows when that’s going to happen” (Acts 1:7, also paraphrased: See also Matt 24:36).  We believe that when Jesus ascended and was sat at the right hand of God, this was our clear indication that our King had been chosen by God for this future kingdom,  which we all strive to enter and be a citizen of as our core desire and primary reward.  We know that even though this hasn’t been completely fulfilled yet that God always, always, always keeps his promises, and we see many clear prophecies and sermons about this kingdom which will be established on the earth.

            ***NOTE: This is actually an example of “progressive revelation” about the Messiah: Gen 3:15 states the “seed of the woman” will crush the serpent (a human), Deut 18:18 says God will “raise up one of your brothers from among you” (speaking to the Israelites, so now we have an Israelite human), and then 2 Sam 7:12-13 clearly shows it will be a descendant of David so the progressive revelation reveals that the Messiah will be (in order): (1)Human, (2)Israelite Human, (3)Israelite Human of David’s genealogical line.  Note that in progressive revelation the base information never actually changes, it is simply clarified.  This is important, so pay close attention here: you can’t just make something up new and call it progressive revelation.  When you make up something new and add it to scripture, that’s called fabrication and it’s something else entirely.

            So why does this matter?  Firstly, we need to know that our gracious, merciful, and loving God is a rewarder of those who seek Him.  While God certainly didn’t need David to build Him a nicer house (See Psalms 24:1), He respected and reciprocated the intent to please Him.  We need to believe that there is a God, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him diligently (Heb 11:6).  Secondly, men are not only confusing but confused.  If someone is teaching you any doctrine that opposes what the scripture clearly says, this scripture, stop listening to them and go back to the original source; even if a majority of people say you’re wrong, because God is greater than man.  It’s important for you to understand the scriptures you read, just as it’s important for you to submit yourself to God and receive the holy spirit, because God seeks those who worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).  He will find you, if you seek in spirit and truth!

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Did you ever really give deep, serious thought to what “Jesus (the) Christ” actually meant?  Do you feel as if this scripture helped clarify some?
  2. Do you think a working knowledge of the Old Testament is relevant to you as a Christian? Why, or why not?
  3.  Are you trying your absolute hardest to please God, or are you more focused on pleasing yourself?  Why?  What is your expected outcome for either?
  4. What does is say of God’s character, that when we try to please Him he repays us a thousandfold, as seen in this scripture today?
  5. Why do you think God gives us such an abundance of prophecy in the scriptures? Discuss.

PRAYER

Father God, Creator of all things, thank you so much for telling us of the things which are to come.  Purify us so that we can be holy.  Please teach us your ways, grant us wisdom, and help our eyes to see and our ears to hear.  Help us to circumcise our hearts and walk humbly before you, and to do the things that please you.  Thank you Father, most of all, for sending us the Christ.  Please grant that we may listen to all that he has spoken, and obey in truth and spirit.  In Jesus’ name, Amen

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Dance with All Your Might

*2 Samuel 5-6

*Psalm 53

*Romans 13                                               

-Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)

            In our reading of Psalms today, we are reminded as the “sons of men” that we ALL have fallen short.  In Ps 53:2-3 we see that, “God looks down from heaven…to see if there is anyone who has insight, anyone who seeks after God.” and that “Every one of them has turned back: together they have become worthless; There is no one who does good, not even one.”  This is pretty harsh but if we are being completely honest, which one of us comes even close to accurately reflecting the merciful, loving character of our God?  David notes this communal shortcoming on our part and laments (and prophecises) in Ps 52:6 “oh that the salvation of Israel would come…!”.  At our very, very best we all don’t even hold a tiny sputtering candle to the blazing glory of God’s love and mercy. 

            Well, I say “all” but there was one son of man that did a pretty good job of it later.  Here’s just one more of those really, really cool bits of foreshadowing in scripture that you don’t even see unless you’re digging a little.  “The salvation” here in Ps 52:6 is literally יְשֻׁע֪וֹת (yeshuot), a variant of Yeshua.  There are all kinds of hidden subtleties in scripture just like this one.  David is lamenting that the salvation of God, Yeshua, hasn’t come yet; but when Jesus (Yeshua) came there was one son of man who did NOT fall short, the man whom God sent and would anoint as our King later in scripture, the Christ (Christ means simply “The Anointed One”, ie, anointed by God).   Our role model Jesus (who self-identified as the “son of man” 72+ times in the scriptures)  lived as an example to all of us other sons of men (ie, us human beings).

            When the son of man came, Yeshua (Jesus) of Nazareth, he completely submitted to the will of God.  When his will and God’s will differed (and they did at times, see Mt 26:39), he sacrificed his own desires and submitted to the Most High God.  As our role model and as our anointed King, it’s our job to strive to imitate that humility before God.  In our Romans reading today, it speaks at length of submitting to the governing authorities.  I suggest that additionally our governing authority should be our King, Jesus, who represents perfectly the will of God who sent him.  “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Mt 6:33), and “make no provision for the flesh in regards to it’s lusts” (Rom 13:14, one of my favorite self correction verses).

            In 2 Sam 5-6 today we see David is coming in to power and is made king, and eventually the split kingdoms of Judah and Israel are once again reunited (@1004 BC) under his monarchy.  In chapter 5 it details the elders coming to David and asking him to be king, his initial victories and accumulation of power, gathering more wives and concubines, and battling the Philistines.  Then in the beginning of chapter 6 we see David gathering up a large group of men and going to recover the Ark of the Covenant from Abinadab’s house, where it had been sitting for 40-60 years.  Wait a minute, why has the most precious relic of Israel been sitting at some guy’s house for the last half century-ish!?  Well, to find that answer we’ll have to dig a little, and flip back over to 1 Sam.  To really get the full flavor of the story I recommend starting about 1 Sam 2:12 and reading (slowly and carefully) through about 1 Sam 7:2 (this is a great story).

            In 1 Sam 2:12-17 it details some of the sins of Eli’s children (priests, sons of the High Priest) against God, and the High Priest fails to honor God over his sons.  This provokes a dire promise from Yahweh to Samuel in 1 Sam 3:11 that “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle“.  The only time this specific verbage was used later (2 Ki 21:12, Jer 19:3) was just before the temple was destroyed and the Babylonian exile commenced, so you know that this was going to be a really big deal, and really bad.  As a culmination of this particular warning, Eli and his sons die, and the Ark of the Covenant (the most holy relic) was captured by the Philistines (1 Sam 4).  This was bad.

            Speaking of bad, the Philistines soon learned to their dismay that taking the Ark of the Covenant and keeping it were two very different propositions.  God struck them with confusion, plagues, and tumors (*the afflictions seem to be in the form of confusion, desolation causing/crop eating mice, and tumors based on their proposed solution in 1 Sam 6:1-18).  They brought it initially to Ashdod and set it up in the temple of Dagon (a pagan ‘deity’, ie, idol), and it broke their “god” (repeatedly) and then “made them desolate and struck them with tumors, both Ashdod and it’s territories.” (1 Sam5:1-6).  So, in terror, they sent the Ark to Gath (where Goliath was from), and  they too were struck with confusion, tumors, and plagues (1 Sam 5:8-9).  The Gath lads had enough and sent it to Ekron, where the Ekronites cried out “They have brought the Ark of the God of Israel around to us to put us and our people to death!“,  were similarly afflicted, and then they all decided to get rid of it by sending it back off to Israel (1 Sam 5 10-12). 

            When it arrived in Beth-Shemesh over 50,000 men were “struck down” because they foolishly looked into the Ark (1 Sam 16-21).  They asked the folks at Kiriath-jearim to come take it please, and there it sat in Abinadab’s house (who took special precautions) for the next 40-60 years.  Please recall God’s warning (and the cautionary tale of Nadab and Abihu) in Lev 10:3; God will be treated as holy by those who come near Him.  Brian Froehlich did a great devotional on this on 5/3.

            So now back in 2 Samuel, David has become king, and sets out to retrieve this most holy relic for the nation of Israel.  So, he got a new cart to carry it on and set out with much pomp and celebration (2 Sam 6:1-5).  Then, the new cart almost tips over so Uzzah (Abinadab’s son) reaches out to steady it and is struck dead (2 Sam 6: 6-8) and “David was afraid of Yahweh that day” (2 Sam 6:9), and decides to leave the cart (and the Ark) there nearby along the route in the house of Obed-edom (2 Sam 6:9-11).  When David later hears that Obed-edom is being blessed, on account of the Ark, David decides maybe he should go get it after all (2 Sam 6:11-12).  Thus begins Operation Retrieve The Ark, take 2.

            The second attempt, they had the celebration music again as before, but this time whenever those who were carrying the Ark took six paces he sacrificed an ox and a fatling (2 Sam 6:13).  Think about that a moment: step, step, step, step, step, step: stop, sacrifice.  Repeat, all the way to Jerusalem.  How far was it from Obed-edom’s house to Jerusalem?  I’m not sure, but I’d wager “too far” if you were an ox or a fatling.  Do you think they’d learned their lesson, and began to treat God as holy?  It rather sounds like it to me, and the whole time this was going on, David was dancing with all his might in an ephod (his underwear) before Yahweh (2 Sam 14).  Almost manically as if his very life depended on it, you might say (and you would be correct).  Clearly David thought so, at the very least.  “…“It is what Yahweh spoke, saying, ‘By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be glorified.’”  (Lev 10:3).  Dance, with all your might!

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. We know that we have all fallen short.  How can we stand, and get closer to God? (list or think of 3 actions that will personally assist you in getting closer to God)
  2. At times, do you “make provision for the flesh”, and how can you instead make provision for heavenly matters? (list or think of a couple specific personal changes in behavior)
  3. When you come near God, do you treat Him as holy? How can you do better?      

PRAYER

Lord God, Most Holy God, I know that I have fallen short of your will for me so many times and I am so sorry.  Forgive me, Father.  Please help me to draw nearer to you, to humbly seek to do your will at all times, and to listen and obey when you speak to me.  Please guide me, instruct me, and discipline me when needed.  Help me to reflect your character to all of my brothers and sisters, to honor You, and to be a servant that pleases You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Wise & Unwise Counsel

2 Samuel 16-18

In these chapters we read about a struggle between a King and his son, Absalom. I know from being raised in a family with 8 children that there are struggles within the family as the children try to assert their independence. In this story Absalom asks for advice from 2 friends. Ahithophel encourages him to go into his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel, to show the disdain that he had for King David. He also told him to choose 12,000 men to pursue King David. Then Absalom calls Hushai to ask his advice. He tells him that the advice that Ahithophel had given him was bad advice. He reminds him that his father, King David, was surrounded by mighty and valiant men who were loyal to King David and would fight and die for him. Absalom decides to take Ahithopel’s advice, to his detriment. In Proverbs it says a lot about taking advice from others and to listen to wise counsel. I recently heard someone say that he could tell you what your future holds by the friends you surround yourself with. If they are foolish, we will make foolish decisions, as well. We need to make sure that we are listening to that Godly advice.

Hushai also shows his loyalty to King David by going and warning him of Absalom’s plans. King David was surrounded by people who were loyal to him, down to the servant girl who hid 2 of his friends in a well to keep them safe.

Even through all this, one of the things that stands out is the fact that King David loves Absalom and asks the people to treat him gently. This is his son that is trying to kill him.  In 2 Samuel 18:5, David says “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” The last verse of chapter 18 is King David mourning for his son, after he heard of his death.

This is the type of love that God shows to us. He is constantly wanting the best for us. He grieves when we turn against him. 2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” He is just waiting for us to turn back to him, like the father in the Prodigal Son parable.

-Sherry Alcumbrack

(originally posted October 23, 2016 for Grow16 which later changed names to SeekGrowLove)

Reflection Questions

  1. Who have you surrounded yourself with and have they helped you make wise or unwise decisions?
  2. Who are you loyal to? How do you show loyalty even in difficult times?
  3. What do you find admirable about David?
  4. How would you describe God’s love for you?
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Reconciliation

2 Samuel 13-15

Have you ever been in a conflict where you feel extremely wronged in a situation? Everyone is like yes and amen. The story of our lives. Haha. Now secretly, to a really close friend you may be able to admit that you also did some wrong stuff, too; but there ain’t no way that anyone else is finding out about that. In fact, to all your friends you portray yourself as something resembling Jesus in the situation. I hope that you aren’t so disillusioned that you actually believe this has never happened to you. We really enjoy this social feedback loop.

There are other situations that come up in life where you have a single incident and then everything spirals out of control and that one incident ends up messing up everything in that relationship. I have totally had one of those.

It seems that there is nothing new under the sun because that is exactly what has happened with Absalom and David. The worst and most ridiculous thing about this story is that the catalyst to this relational tension didn’t even involve them. As you’ve read, this caused years of tension and problems and separation between father and son.

I am not going to speculate on whether David was right in not sentencing Amnon to death after rapping Tamar or whether Absalom should have killed his brother. There comes a certain point at which what has happened in life has happened. There is nothing you can do to change it and now you just need to live your life with the future in mind. In most of these cases keeping the tension and the bad blood in the relationship isn’t profitable to our own spiritual health and doesn’t promote godliness.

The section of today’s reading that I would like to discuss is 2 Samuel 13.37-39 and 2 Samuel 14.21-24, 28.  After Absalom killed Amnon, in worry and anxiety he fled to Geshur. It says that David mourned for his son in 2 Samuel 13.37. I am not sure which son he was mourning for but I believe that given the context of the paragraph and the verses around it the verse is telling us that David mourned for Absalom. This is also supported by v.39 where David says he longed to go out to Absalom. So why didn’t he?

David didn’t go out to seek his son Absalom, even though, he wanted to. He left him out in Geshur for 3 years. In fact, it wasn’t even David’s prompting that brought him back. Joab had to step in as mediator and be the counselor in this situation for Absalom to return. I think the responsibility falls on David to take the initiative to mend the relationship with his son instead of just leaving the situation in the wind. David essentially stuck his head in the sand and ignored the problem. Ultimately, this just caused problems between David and Absalom later on.

Finally, after Joab’s prompting David brings Absalom back to Jerusalem but tells Joab that Absalom can’t enter his presence. Absalom spends 2 years in Jerusalem before any action is taken in this relationship and the initiative once again wasn’t taken by David. It took Absalom saying it would have been better if I hadn’t left Geshur than to live like this and I would rather just have David do to me what seems right to him. Absalom hit the point where he would rather die if he had any guilt in him than live with this relational separation.

Surveying this whole situation, we see problems on both sides but I think the judgement ultimately lies with David. He took none of the initiative to repair this relationship. There is a real danger to leaving things unsaid that should have been said. I believe David’s longing to see his son at Geshur should have moved him to take action and confront the problems in relationship instead of just waiting. David longed for his son but out of pride or anger or stubbornness didn’t take the initiative to reconcile with Absalom.

When you consider the intensity of distress Absalom must have felt at the tension and loss of relationship that he would be willing to die if he had any guilt it is obvious that this weighed heavily on him. The two men’s reconciliation is sweet but was so long overdue that I think irreversible damage was done to the relationship given what happens in Chapter 15.

So, what can we draw from this? Firstly, to not let our conflicts go on forever. Secondly, when it is on your heart to apologize or you are longing for someone who you are in conflict with, it may be God working on your heart to repair the relationship. Thirdly, get a mediator or a counselor involved if needed. Don’t wait until someone else feels like something needs to be done. Fourthly, you are responsible for taking the initiative to reconcile or apologize for what you have done. Fifthly, don’t be afraid to let someone have the ability to go second. In this final scene where Absalom goes to his father, his father embraced him and kissed him. I have a feeling that David had longed for this moment. I can remember a moment in my relationship with my wife where we were in conflict and I had my defenses up to keep myself from over apologizing or taking too much of the blame. I remember so vividly her apologizing first and immediately all the weight was lifted, my defenses dropped, and I was no longer looking out for myself but I was looking for the good of the relationship. It gave me the freedom to really say the things I wanted to say when, at first, I may have even been hostile.

Finally, our relationships will only be as good as our communication in them. Remember it is wise to address conflicts as soon as possible. Do not leave things unsaid or problems unaddressed. They don’t just go away.

Daniel Wall

(originally posted May 14, 2020 for SeekGrowLove)

Reflection Questions

  1. How do you typically deal with conflict with someone close to you? What are the advantages and disadvantages to this approach? What would be better?
  2. What is the best response to our own sin? What is the best response to someone else’s sin?
  3. What was Joab’s role? How did he do it? Do you think God was pleased with Joab?
  4. Is there a situation where you might be able to help work towards reconciliation? (first in your own life, and then perhaps in someone else’s)
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Wrong Place, Wrong Time

2 Samuel 11-12
1 Chronicles 20

And in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel, and they laid waste the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah, but David stayed at Jerusalem. – 2 Samuel 11:1 (REV)

                  In today’s reading, we see two realities. Both happened, but at different times and represent different things. In 2nd Samuel, we see David, king of Israel. Where do we see David? At home. Sitting on his keister and not doing what a king would normally be doing: overseeing his generals as they go out to battle.

                  David is not where he is supposed to be. He should be meeting with his generals. He should be motivating his armies. He should be praying and fasting and seeking out God’s direction for the safety and prosperity of Israel, but he’s back in Jerusalem. Twiddling his thumbs? Playing his harp? We don’t know what he was doing at all hours of the day when he held up in his palace.  We do, however, know what he was doing on one specific evening.

                  David is out walking on the roof, where he shouldn’t be, and he sees Bathsheba bathing. David does not turn away from seeing the nakedness of this woman whom he is not married to. He stares. He dwells. He obsesses. She’s beautiful. He needs to meet her. To be with her.

                  David ends up having her come into his home, and he has sex with her and gets her pregnant. We may have seen this story happen in the lives of some people we know, but this is high profile. This is a problem. A bunch of people are going to know what has happened, and this is going to be hard to explain to Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, who is out at war, where he is supposed to be: fighting for the armies of the people of Yahweh. While the king is out preying upon the wife of his soldier.

                  David finds himself in a sticky situation, so he sends for Uriah and does his best to get Uriah to go have sex with his wife and cover his… keister. Uriah, however, cannot fathom such a thing while his comrades are off fighting a war. He refuses to even go visit his wife. This poses a major problem. People are going to know that Bathsheba is expecting, and they are going to know that Uriah hasn’t been with her in months, maybe longer. David tries multiple times, but no dice. Uriah is a man of honor and conviction, and that is not going to fly in this situation. David needs an out. David essentially puts out a hit job on Uriah. David cannot control his urges, so a good man dies.

The story unfolds. Uriah is dead. David marries his baby mama, and then the baby dies. Nathan the prophet comes to confront David and gets David worked up with a parable. David wants vengeance for the perpetrator in the story, but then the tables are turned when David is revealed to be the bad guy in the tale. David grieves, David repents, but the baby does not survive. It’s rough.

In 1 Chronicles 20, we see that it is the time when kings go out to war. And David goes out to war. And his armies thrive. He gets an awesome new crown. God blesses the armies of a king who acts in good faith. David is more than capable of doing the right thing, but even a man after God’s own heart can allow himself to fall off the rails.

Here’s the rub: Sometimes we get complacent. Sometimes we get lazy. Sometimes we do things, go places, consume content that we know we shouldn’t, but we’ve allowed ourselves to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and we fall victim to the allure of the temptations of sin around us.

We’ve all allowed ourselves to be in bad situations that we could have avoided. Sometimes we may come out on top, but given enough opportunities to sin in the situations we create, we are bound to fall. We play with fire… and you know the cliché, but it’s true, we get burned.

-JJ Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. Can you recall some times you allowed yourself to be in a place you shouldn’t have been? What was the outcome? How could you have avoided putting yourself in that situation? What did you learn from it?
  2. What do you think of Nathan’s tactics of getting David to see the gravity of the wickedness that he had perpetrated?
  3. What does the story of David and Bathsheba teach us about grace, repentance, and forgiveness?
  4. If David can be forgiven for this travesty, who can you forgive that may have done much less harm in the way that they have wronged you?
  5. How does the contrast of 2 Samuel 11-12 and 1 Chronicles 20 sit with you? Does it give you any insight or change the way you perceive David’s sin?

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