Category: Samuel

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Day 140 — II Samuel 24, I Chronicles 21-22, & Psalm 30

When we read these two passages side by side, apparent discrepancies are highlighted. Let’s think through those briefly.

As to who incited David to take the census, there truly is no discrepancy if we recall how Satan accused Job before God, and received God’s permission to attack Job. Why would God let Satan incite Him against His people that way? In this case there apparently was a sin problem in Israel that God was ready to address, and the three options He gave David for punishment were ways He had warned them He would use if they did not follow Him. Satan’s accusations apparently worked into His plan for disciplining His people.

What was wrong with David’s taking a census of his people? Although it wasn’t evident to us, the sin in the matter was evident to Joab and apparently to other leaders over whom David’s superior position prevailed. Most importantly, it was evident to David. Bible scholars believe the objections and David’s confession point to an issue of pride in David’s heart, and his plan to rely on the strength of his military rather than on God for security. That the sin isn’t evident to us reinforces the reality that God is aware of the thoughts and intents of our hearts even when they are not evident to others.

The difference in the numbers counted in the census can be attributed to any number of factors. One is that accounting method they used back then (have I addressed that before?) that counted parts as wholes, making their accounting a lot less accurate than we make ours today. Their difference in rounding numbers, added to the possibility of the addition or omission of a single dot in copying the text in ancient times yielding different numbers in translation, added to the difference in reckoning who was Israel and who was Judah, explain the difference. Further, it seems to me that the numbers given are rather loose anyway, since Joab took it upon himself to fudge them by omitting two of the tribes. Which of these might be included in the numbers in I Chronicles?

From the incident on Araunah’s threshing floor, God finally indicated the place for a temple to be built to house the Ark of the Covenant. This would be the place in which the entire nation would gather to observe their required pilgrimage holy days, the place where God would place His name. Interestingly, it was the spot where Abraham had built an altar on which to sacrifice Isaac hundreds of years earlier. Now it was again a place where God showed mercy in accepting an alternate sacrifice. Why don’t you contemplate the significance of God’s choosing that site as the place in which He would be present among His people? What does that teach you about God?

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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 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 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 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 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.

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Day 128 — II Samuel 10; I Chronicles 19; Psalm 20

The Ammonite king must have been a fool to incite David’s anger as he did. You may recall that the Law forbade the Israelites from trimming their beards in the manner of the pagans around them; they took that seriously, and no one shaved. More importantly, the men of nations around them grew beards that they styled elaborately. Beards were a treasured mark of manhood to these people. That is why the men were so humiliated by having their beards cut off. It was an unmistakable insult to the ones who did the insulting as well as the ones who were insulted.

But it seems like the situation was from God, for it led to a great defeat of the Syrians and Ammonites in David’s defense against the aggressors. May God use the setbacks in our lives as He did in His Old Testament people’s lives!

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Day 126 — II Samuel 8 – 9 & I Chronicles 18

These accounts reveal that the values of people in David’s day were much different than our values. Might made right in that day, and as victor, David did whatever he wanted to the peoples he defeated with God’s help. He took their land and their riches, or he occupied their land while allowing them to remain and exacted tribute from them, basically making them his slaves – just as any other king of his day would do. We can’t judge him by the standards of our day; he was behaving rightly according to the standards of his day.

He was obviously not perfect, however, as demonstrated in his treatment of the Moabites. Power corrupted even this hero of our faith. In this way He highlights God’s perfection and man’s need for a Savior.

The man after God’s own heart administered justice and equity to all his people. Think about what that reveals about what we can hope for in Heaven. He was also more than faithful to his promise to his dead friend. When man behaves in a way that reflects the character of God, he is handsome, don’t you think?

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Day 124 — II Samuel 7 & I Chronicles 17

Notice when David wanted to honor God by building a temple to house the Ark of the Covenant, the idea seemed like a no-brainer even to Nathan the prophet. However, God had other ideas for reasons that only God can comprehend. We need to be careful that we don’t fail to consult God about our own good ideas for honoring Him.

God wasn’t interested in the honor David wanted to give Him; He wanted to tell David of His plans to honor him. God knew what would honor and thrill David, and He was pleased to give it all to him. If that is the kind of person God is, why don’t we all have our heart’s desire from Him? One of the reasons might be revealed in what God said about the son of David who would rule in his place one day: “When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him…, but my steadfast love will not depart from him.” Sometimes God disciplines us when we need correction; but He always acts out of love for us. A loving parent doesn’t give his children whatever they want, because sometimes they want what is not good for them.

David was thrilled beyond words. Note his response: he asked God to fulfill the promises He had made. Because God had made those promises, he had the boldness to ask for the very things God had promised. Why did he need to do that, if God had promised them? One reason might be that he valued the promises so much that he didn’t want to miss out on them. Should we honor God’s promises by doing the same? We need to ask Him to do what He promised us He would do for His New Covenant people; claiming His promises.

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Day 121 — II Samuel 5:11-25; II Chronicles 13 – 16

The evidence that God had established David’s kingdom as He had promised was in King Hiram’s sending messengers and cedar trees to David. Hiram would have been prestigious among Mediterranean kings because he ruled over the nation that was the commercial leader of its day, as the U.S. is today. That he had riches enough to send some of those valued cedar trees to another king showed his status and wealth. Isn’t it interesting that David needs no introduction today, while Hiram does?

David’s taking more concubines was one of the typically king-like actions the Law forbid. We see consequences of that disobedience throughout the rest of David’s life. One consequence is seen in Michal’s despising him. Remember how much she had loved him?

The Philistines’ leaving their idols behind as they fled before the Israelites in battle was another significant indicator that God was with them and was solidly establishing David’s kingdom. Remember another battle when the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines?

David made the relocation of the Ark of the Covenant a celebration of celebrations: musicians to play music to add joy to the occasion, everyone in the nation assembled. This experience was the beginning of his instituting music as part of their worship services. Note that the music wasn’t commanded by God, but who would know better what would please God than the man after God’s own heart? As a musician he would know good musicians, and offered the best of them prestigious positions “expressly… to give thanks to the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever.” If we want to delight God in our worship, music needs to be part of it, and so does giving thanks to Him for His steadfast and enduring love.

Another interesting story in today’s reading is the process David followed to move the Ark of the Covenant from where it had been housed since it was recovered from the Philistines. He consulted with his army commanders and every leader, and all the assembly of Israel – but not God. This warrior consulted God about whether he should confront the enemy, and followed God’s direction to win great battles, but he failed to consult God about moving the Ark, and didn’t even follow the directions given to the first people who ever carried the Ark. Everyone agreed it was a good idea, and likely they felt good about doing this good thing – yet God was not consulted. God obviously had ideas of His own. Whose ideas matter the most? Do you suppose we do the same in our endeavors to serve and honor God? Do we think our ideas are so great that we don’t need to consult God as we make our plans? The consequence in David’s case was deadly; what kind of consequences do we suffer, do others suffer, because we fail to consult God or follow the directions He has already given us? “These things happened to them as examples and are written down as warnings for us….”