Month: May 2018

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Day 139 — Psalms 95, 97 – 99

More exuberant praise to God. Hopefully it doesn’t get boring for you, but rather gets you going on a track to offer your own praise to God. I’m ashamed to confess that in the days when I didn’t appreciate Scripture, this was dull reading for me. If that is you, please take that confession and concern to God, and ask Him to change you so that these become a treasured starting point for your own genuine and joyful praise to God. He wants to share the kind of intimacy with you that such praise will bring, so you can expect Him to do it.

As I have done in past posts, let us use these psalms as lists of ways in which we can praise God and things for which we can praise God. As starting points, they give us the freedom to expand any of the ideas that speak to us, so please keep an eye open for any of these items that do speak to you.

  • Singing praise to God is one way to praise Him.
  • Giving thanks to God is another way to praise Him.
  • When the psalmist says that God is great above all gods, is he implying that there exist other gods above which God can rule as King? Let’s face it: we still worship other gods today – not in the form of deities and statues as they did in their day, but in the form of things that we treasure above the one true God. Do you value God above anything or anyone you value? If not, then you don’t value Him enough, and as a seeker you should be asking Him to transform your values. Even when we confess the shameful truth and seek His help to be transformed, we are offering Him our worship. One way you participate in that is to be deliberate and lavish in your worship of Him.
  • If you lack appreciation for God’s greatness, contemplate the idea that He holds the depths of the earth and the highest mountains in His hands, while you shovel earth.
  • The clouds and thick darkness that are all around Him speak of how unfathomable He is to us, unless He reveals Himself to us. He is holy, He is so other to us.
  • Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. How blessed we are that such a powerful ruler rules in righteousness and justice.
  • All people see His glory: it is evident to all. We can’t miss it, if we will only take the time and make the effort to contemplate it.
  • We should expect to have new reasons to sing about God’s marvelous works. That implies that He should always be doing those marvelous works in our lives. If that is what He wants to do, we should be seeking and expecting those marvelous works – not for the sake of the works themselves, but for the sake of His glory, for the display of His glory. Seeking His marvelous works in our lives, choosing to exercise faith in Him to do marvelous works, is an act of worship. Recall that since His ways are higher than our ways, His ideas of marvelous works might not be consistent with ours. Choosing to trust Him to know what works are most marvelous is another act of worship.
  • One of the marvelous things He has done is working out His plan for our salvation. Do you see His salvation as a marvelous work? Notice that the psalm says He worked salvation for Him. Does He need saved? That salvation is actually for us. He sees our salvation as a benefit to Him. Why do you suppose that is?
  • Joyful noises to God are so apt that the psalmist sees nature as singing for joy. Exuberant joy should be natural for us, and is an act of worship. He gives one reason why all the earth should sing for joy, that of His judging the world with righteousness. This, of course, is only one of the many reasons to sing for joy to God. But that one reason is enough; Scripture teaches us that all of nature groans under the curse brought about by sin, implying that when the curse is banished all creation will be relieved.

Again, these are starting points for our worship of God. Can you take just one of them as a starting point today and spend some time lavishing your worship on Him in prayer or song or testimony or silent contemplation?

Psalm 95 says that God loathed the generation of His people who put Him to the test, because they went astray in their hearts and did not know His way. I don’t believe that this means that loathing was His actual feeling for those people, because His word speaks much about His love for all of us. Rather, that is the poet’s way of describing God’s attitude toward them based on His actions toward them. His actions would indicate loathing; He acted loathingly toward them, but I don’t believe He felt loathing. Isn’t it awful to think that God was compelled to act against His people as if He loathed them? He refused them entrance into the rest of the Promised Land; that tells us that He will refuse us entrance into His Promised Land of Heaven also, if He says He will. How important it is for us to know Him and love Him! Worship is a vital part of that, and thus is vitally important for us to be doing. Today’s reading is our reminder and our opportunity to choose to do it.

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Day 138 — II Samuel 22 – 23 & Psalm 57

Consider what David wrote in these psalms and appreciate how he felt. We experience the same human feelings he did, but few of us suffer the same level of desperation in our circumstances as he did. So he has something to say to us, don’t you think?

Can you imagine what the people were like who inspired a comparison of ravenous beasts whose tongues are sharp swords? Can you imagine being in the midst of such people when they were always trying to set deadly traps for you and hotly pursue you, when they were much stronger than you?

David saw God’s response to his cry for help as earth-shaking. That requires a power far superior to that of David’s enemies who were too strong for David. But notice how God did it: He was a shield, but He also armed David with strength, gave him a sure foot for climbing, trained his hand for battle, broadened David’s path, and made his enemies turn tail and run from him. David worked hard to see his enemies defeated, and he gave God the credit for being a rescuing hero. Do you see God as a strong hero? Or do you rely on your own feeble strength to fight your battles?

Can you imagine David’s relief when his enemies fell – into their own trap? Imagine how good it felt to see God bring them low, under his own victorious hand.

Our enemy prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour; he is a beast. We are as outmatched by his power as David felt by the strength of his enemies. God is our hero and deserves to be worshiped as such, for the salvation He offers us, rescuing us from the deadly clutches of this fierce enemy. Offer Him your unrestrained hero worship today!

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Day 137 — Psalms 5, 38, 41, &42

These psalms speak of David’s longing for God’s salvation. A good study technique is to write down your observations from the text, consider the full meaning of what is being said, and then apply that to your life. Although that is too much for this post, I can offer some observations about David’s expectation for salvation:

  • Salvation comes through the abundance of God’s steadfast love. The fuller meaning of that includes David’s understanding that he wasn’t going to do anything to earn his salvation.
  • David worshiped in anticipation of God’s salvation, not for the benefits he was to receive, but because God is worthy of his worship. Do you love God for who He is, or for the benefits you can get from Him? If it’s the latter, perhaps you need to be intentional in your worship, and worship more frequently and with greater thoughtfulness in order to know God better.
  • David understood his vulnerability to his enemies, and asked God to lead him in His righteousness as a way of protecting himself. One who requests leading implies that he will follow. Are you willing to follow God’s leading, even when it takes you to some unexpected or frightening places?
  • The one who is truly taking refuge in God will able to rejoice in Him. Rejoicing sets that one in contrast with others because of what comes out of his mouth: others speak lies, flattery, their own counsel, and rebellion against God. Notice that one who takes refuge in God doesn’t exult in his salvation, but in God Himself. Do you rejoice in God?
  • David longed for God’s salvation, experienced physical effects of intense longing. It’s possible that some of these psalms are conveying a double meaning, that David was suffering a physical ailment that he believed was a result of his sin, as well as the feelings of being spiritually fouled by sin. He said that his longing for God was so intense that it was like panting in thirst. He wept for God, and couldn’t eat. Can you feel his longing? Do you long for God? If not, ask Him to fill you with longing for Him, and cultivate it.
  • David confessed that he was a sinner and asked for God’s graciousness in healing him. Note in Psalm 41 that confessing his sin didn’t keep him from believing that God upheld him because of his integrity. Why do you suppose that is?
  • Salvation to David meant being in God’s presence forever. It was about relationship, not enjoying the delights of a great place to live.
  • Regardless of rough circumstances that caused him to feel like God had forgotten him, David knew the reality was that God’s love was always with him. The way his ideas bounced around, it is possible that he had to discipline his thoughts repeatedly in order to keep his grasp on the truth. Can you make the sacrifice to discipline your thoughts to conform to the truth you know in your head, when your feelings might be telling you otherwise?

With these psalms I have demonstrated a brief version of an inductive Bible study method. I encourage you to make observations from the text as you read, no matter how obvious those observations seem, and then contemplate their deeper meaning. Then seek God’s help in applying to your life what the text says.

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Day 136 — II Samuel 19 – 21

It’s not easy to understand the events recounted in today’s reading. I’ll just point out that Israel’s monarchy was in its early stages and still weak. The first dynasty lasted little more than the first king before David became king. That transition had been lengthy and somewhat violent, which made the next transition uncertain. The nation wasn’t firmly united, but still had more of a tribe mentality carrying over from the days of the judges. The people were not fully behind David. All of these factors combined to make David’s situation tricky. If he were too soft, his kingdom would be vulnerable to a coup attempt, as seen in Sheba’s actions. If he were too strong, he risked losing some of the tribes, as his grandson eventually would. Despite the tumult, David did rather well at finding a good balance and keeping the nation together at this very vulnerable time.

It couldn’t have been easy for him, suffering humiliation by the rebellion of his own son, the devastation of his son’s traitorous intentions, and uncertainty over whom he could trust after such an experience. Further, he was grieving the loss of his son. Over all of this would have been the understanding that his own actions had caused these awful events. We see in his resumption of leadership that his psalms were more than just words; he found in God the strength and other resources he needed.

The sad tale of the justice required of Saul’s family reminds us how God values keeping one’s word, and how harsh justice can be at times. As we have seen in other stories, our culture and our enemy may try to convince us from this account that God is mean and bloodthirsty; their viewpoints must not keep us from grasping the point of the story, that God expects us to keep our words even when it hurts, and He will see justice done not only on behalf of His people but also on the part of His people.

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Day 135 — Psalms 26, 40, 58, 61, 62, & 64

Did you notice the common themes of waiting on God and finding refuge in Him? They go together in the psalmist’s mind.

David waited for God. Note the conditions in which he was waiting: when people were attacking him, it couldn’t have been easy for him to wait, and yet, he waited on God. This king and soldier did not take matters into his own hands, but waited on God.  Observe what that looked like from David’s description of how he waited. Do you wait for God like that?

David’s enemies were the wicked. In these psalms, note all the things the wicked did that made them wicked. Some of the people who attacked David likely thought they were right to do so, because human beings are prone to serve self and see only their self-centered viewpoints. Do you find yourself doing any of those things? Does the Holy Spirit convict you about any of your own actions and ways?

David cried out to God to vindicate him. His request was founded on a relationship with God that he had cultivated by doing some things and not doing other things and demonstrating a certain kind of character. What distinguished him from his enemies so that he felt justified in asking for God’s vindication? How do you compare to David’s actions and character? Would God find any basis for vindicating you?

David asked for God to take vengeance on his enemies, and what he asked for sometimes was brutal vengeance. We’ve seen that before in the psalms and considered how to reconcile that brutality in the man after God’s own heart, with the better plan of God for His people revealed in Jesus’ teaching. Being designed in God’s image, we long for justice, and sometimes justice does call for vengeance to be taken against a wrongdoer. God understands that the righteous need to know that at the end of the wait on Him, there is reward for the righteous.

Note what happens to David’s wicked enemies, and what the result is. All of their exercise of power over their victims, the victim’s suffering under the injustice and persecution, and God’s salvation for the victims, serve the ends of strengthening the relationship of trust and love between God and those who take refuge in Him, and of glorifying God. Can you seek these ends as you wait on God, and thus allow Him to use your waiting for the good He wants to bring?

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Day 134 — II Samuel 16 – 19

Here are more of the consequences of David’s sin. It doesn’t seem to be just the consequence of his sin with Bathsheba and Uriah, but also his violating God’s plan for the king not to have too many wives. Twenty thousand lives were lost in the attempted coup, and many other lives were ruined with transferred loyalties or questionable loyalties. The choices a leader makes can have big consequences. That is why they are big targets of Satan, and why we need to be praying for our leaders.

We are reminded from David’s experience that the consequences for sin are ugly – because sin is ugly. He thought God had told that unpleasant Shimei to curse him. The esteemed and wise Ahithophel killed himself. David wished he had died instead of Absalom. Let us be reminded from David’s story that sin is not worth the consequences! The Deceiver will tell us that we know the consequences of our sin, and when we weigh them out, the sin is worth it; but let us remember David’s pain and not be deceived!

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Day 133 — Psalms 3, 4, 12, 13, 28, & 55

Any of us should be able to understand the feeling of anguish that made David wish he could run away and hide, that made him wonder where God was and if He would ever relieve his suffering. The man after God’s own heart may be able to teach by his example how best to handle that kind of hurt. I’m leaving you on your own to make a list of your observations of the ways he handled the situation.

One note, however, about some of his comments. If they seem to jump around, one minute praising God for giving him relief and the next crying out, “How long?”, that’s because they do jump around. Have you ever experienced the kind of distress that one moment you were in control of, and the next moment your control slipped? That’s what David experienced, too. He was a human being with human feelings, just like us. He handled his anguish in a way that obviously pleased God, so we can learn from his experience.

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Day 132 — II Samuel 13 – 15

None of this account is in Chronicles, interestingly. That’s good news for us, though; we don’t have to read this sad story twice!

David was a great leader: under his reign Israel enjoyed a golden age. Also, remember how he had kept order among the band of malcontents he had led in his early days, how many people had been drawn to him, and how many impressive men were devoted to his service. He was also truly devoted to God, and worshiping God was an important part of his life and reign as king. So how did he raise such a bunch of selfish brats for sons?

It was common in ancient times for kings and princes to marry their sisters, as a means to keep royal blood pure. In those days human DNA was in good enough shape, being so much closer to creation than we are, that such marriages didn’t result in children with birth defects like they do today. So a marriage between Amnon and Tamar would have been not only socially acceptable, but celebrated. Tamar protested against his having sex with her outside of marriage. With that selfish act on his part, her life transformed from one of great promise and excitement as a beautiful princess of a great king, to one of dreariness. For no one would want to marry her, and she was hopelessly doomed to life in her brother’s home, never to enjoy her own husband and children and the social acceptance they gave her. Her life transformed from socialite to social misfit. So it wasn’t the rape that upset her the most; understandably, it was his subsequent refusal to marry her that grieved her. Although Absalom gave her a home, he wasn’t very supportive, telling her, “Do not take this to heart.” David did nothing more than get very angry, and so the injustice brewed bad feelings. What should he have done? The Law required that Amnon take care of Tamar for the rest of her life; David should have enforced that. Can you imagine Tamar’s pain when her father did nothing about her situation?

The matter didn’t go away, but Absalom murdered his brother, David’s eldest son, whom he would likely have expected to succeed him as king. When Absalom fled to the foreign king of Geshur, he was seeking refuge in his grandfather, his mother’s father.

Regarding the plight of the wise woman, David was taking justice in his own hands, departing from the provisions of the Law. The woman concocted a situation that made justice appear to be the wrong course. David got drawn in to her way of thinking! Just the fact that he was willing to bypass justice and the provisions in God’s Law indicated flaws in his rule and in his character. Step by step David let Absalom steer the course toward his full and unjust restoration, rather than be the leader he was supposed to be. Absalom was obviously very headstrong; do you suppose David made excuses for him because he was so headstrong?

The chariot and horses and fifty men running ahead of Absalom were ridiculous, and should have made anyone see through his false humility so that his attempt to gain support were too transparent to succeed.

So David was forced to flee from his own son’s attempted coup. He obviously remembered God’s promise that he would suffer violence in his home.

What can we gain from this story? Some insights about ourselves. If a fine specimen of humanity such as David can blow it so badly, so can we. What warnings can you take from this story?

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Day 131 — Psalms 32, 51, 86 & 122

Reading these psalms in their historical context deepens their meaning, don’t you think?

I had long been disgusted by David’s audacity in asking all the things he asked for after the horrible sins he had committed, until I realized that the man after God’s own heart, where his concept of God’s forgiveness differs from mine, may be able to teach me something about the way God wants to forgive. Viewed in that context, these psalms are powerful. I am tempted to expound on them more than I should, because I treasure the truths taught in these psalms; however, I know that the Holy Spirit’s teaching is much more powerful than mine, and I want you to benefit from truly understanding the truths presented in these psalms as much as I have. So this post will attempt to guide you in seeking the truth from God. I pray that you will find it healing, and that it will draw you closer to God.

David’s description in Psalm 32 of what bearing the guilt for his sin was like for him reveals more than the historical accounts do; can you relate to his suffering? The opening verses in the psalm testify that he took God at His word when He offered him forgiveness. Do you remember what God had told him through Nathan? Can you feel his joy in those verses, the joy of being relieved of his guilt?

Think about the following questions:

  • What is he advising in verse 6?
  • How is that connected to verse 7?
  • What is his counsel to the godly in verses 8 through 10? How do you need to apply that to your own life?

Psalm 51 is the one that used to make me so angry with David; now I treasure it. Make a list of all that David asks for from God in the way of forgiveness and restoration. I will get you started:

  • Mercy according to His steadfast love
  • Blotting out of his transgressions (which God had already promised; why would he need to ask for that?)
  • Thorough cleansing from his sin – not just forgiveness, but cleansing from the enslavement that sin produces…
  • The last couple verses are David’s request for relief from the consequences of his sin. As the capital of the nation, Jerusalem was not only important, but symbolic; building it up meant stability for the nation. I wonder if he wasn’t aware that that would be the place God would choose to build a temple and thus the place where all the nation would gather for the celebration of their holy days forever after. He was asking God not to change His mind about establishing the nation by establishing this important city, as consequence of his sin. He didn’t want God removing His favor from Israel because of their leader’s sin.

If David asked for this kind of forgiveness, why shouldn’t we when we need to seek God’s forgiveness? Now that we understand the fullness of the forgiveness God wants us to seek, to fail to seek it is repudiating His good gift. Who doesn’t take such rejection of a treasured gift personally? Whether we would intend to or not, refusing to accept His precious gift is a slap in His face. Is there any part of this full forgiveness that you need to seek today? Be a ready confessor like David was, and experience the drawing near that God wants you to enjoy!

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Day 130 — II Samuel 11 – 12; I Chronicles 20

How could the man after God’s own heart, the one who worshiped God with joy and gladness, composing songs about His steadfast love, do what David did? It was senseless! Committing adultery with a woman at whom he was peeping (the king, no less!), covering it up by having a heroic (Uriah was one of the mighty men mentioned earlier in these accounts, in case you missed it) and devoted servant killed, and in the process recklessly wasting the lives of other soldiers. Can you believe how low he stooped?! I Corinthians 10:11-12 warns us, “These things happened to them as examples, and are written down as warnings for us…. So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.” But for the grace of God that could be any of us, and perhaps has been at least some of us. We need to take David’s example seriously and consider it our warning of what we ourselves are capable. That is doubtless why Jesus taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

So the man after God’s own heart blew it, right? How could he be a man after God’s own heart after such awful sin? God took the kingdom from Saul for much less; what awful thing do you suppose is going to happen to David? As Nathan said, God put away David’s sin and did not impose death, the punishment prescribed in the Law for the kind of sin David had committed. Incredibly, He set David up as the standard by which He later measured future kings regarding their dedication to Him. Was God unjust in not letting David have it? The answer is found in David’s simple confession, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Tomorrow we’ll read some psalms that tell more about David’s interaction with God regarding his confession and request for forgiveness. Although his simple confession may not sound abject enough to us to seem sincere, he obviously meant what he said, and his confession was obviously accepted by God, because the relationship seems to have been restored. Notice that when David and Bathsheba’s son died, David promptly worshiped God. He offered God lavish worship, having washed and anointed himself and gone to the house of the Lord to do so. The sacrifice required for such worship at such a time shows true and deep devotion.

II Samuel doesn’t cast David in a favorable light; isn’t it interesting that I Chronicles does? His humanness reminds us that man, as God-like as his heart may be, is still a sinner. David is a wonderful example to us in many good ways, but also in the bad: he reminds us of how helpless we are to save ourselves from our sin, and how desperately we need a Savior. He also serves as a foil for Jesus, shining a light on Jesus’ perfection by his own lack of perfection.