Archive | May 2025

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 140

May20

Day 135.  Reading Psalm 5, 38, 41, 42.

 
 
Read Today’s Scriptures.
 
Psalm 5.

King David is back home, but he’s been through a lot. His sin, his being found out, and the drastic consequences of that sin, including losing another beloved son still weigh him down.  His kingship was threatened, and people forsook him and showed their displeasure with him. He felt cast off; set adrift. 

  • “Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to You do I pray. O LORD, in the morning, hear my voice…  Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; make Your way straight before me. 

Psalm 38.

David is still reeling under the dire results of his sin.  He talks about his sin, his iniquities, and his foolishness. He writes about God’s indignation like a heavy burden, like wounds festering, like a tumult in his heart.

Then David turns to the horrible treatment he’s received from his friends and companions. They seek his harm and his very life. 

  • I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin.  Do not forsake me, O LORD!  O, my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord of my salvation.

Psalm 41.

  • As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!”  My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die, and his name perish?”
  • But YOU, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up….  Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.

Psalm 42.

David here writes from a place of sadness because he feels far from God. He remembers the sweet times of joy and praise and longs for them to return.  He feels God has abandoned him.  Then, it’s like he sits up straight, straightens his clothes and asks himself, his soul a question….. Then reprimands his soul…

  • As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?  My tears have been my food day and night….
  • These things I remember, as I pour out my soul…..  how I would go with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God with glad shouts and songs of praise, a multitude keeping festival…..  My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan… and of Hermon… from Mount Mizar….
  • I say to God, my rock; “Why have you forgotten me?  Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
  • Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?  HOPE IN GOD; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 138 &139

May19

Sundays and Mondays studies are posted together on Mondays

Day 138. Reading Psalms 26, 40, 58, 61, 62, 64.

Day 139.  Reading 2 Samuel 19 – 21.

 
Read Today’s Scriptures.
 
Day 138.

(Look for all the trials and triumphs in David’s life in these psalms.  Look for his lows and his times of faith and worship. Here are a few snippets, but read them all.)

Psalm 26.
  • 1-2. Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and have trusted in the LORD without wavering.  Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.

Psalm  40.

  • 1-3. I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.
  • 13-16. Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me! Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt! Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, aha!” BUT, may all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; may those who love Your salvation say continually, “Great is the LORD!”

Psalm 58.

  • 10-11. The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.  Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

Psalm 61.

  • 1-3. Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth, I call to You when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.
  • 6a. Prolong the life of the king …..

Psalm 62.

  • 1-4. For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.  How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?  They only plan to thrust him down from his high position. They take pleasure in falsehood. 
  • 5-6. For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

Psalm 64.

  • 1-2. Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy. Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the throng of evildoers.
  • 10. Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in Him!  Let the upright in heart exult!

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Day 139.

2 Samuel 19.

Remember how David is devastated by Absalom’s death.  He’s upstairs wailing his heart out.  The people don’t know what to make of it.  Didn’t they just win the battle against the interlopers?  Wasn’t the one who was stealing the throne and seeking to kill King David, gone?  Why was he acting this way? The people started slinking home with their “tails between their legs.”

Joab would have NONE of that.  He goes to David and rips him royally!

  • “YOU have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day SAVED YOUR LIFE and the lives of your sons and daughters and wives and concubines because you love those who HATE YOU and hate those who love you.
  • “You have made it clear today that COMMANDERS AND SERVANTS ARE NOTHING TO YOU!  For today — I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead — then you would be pleased!!!
  • “NOW, THEREFORE ARISE, GO OUT AND SPEAK KINDLYTO YOUR SERVANTS, for I swear by the LORD, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now!”

(Way to go, Joab!)

Then the king arose and took his seat in the gate, (presumably with a nice face), “and all the people came before the king.

Meanwhile, the country is in chaos. 

  • King David had delivered them from all their enemies and saved them from the Philistines.
  • But he has fled because of Absalom.
  • And now, Absalom – whom they anointed over themselves – is dead.
  • Should they bring the king back?

David sent a message to Zadok and Abiathar and told them to speak to the elders of Judah about reinstating him as king.   He also told them to tell Amasa (Commander of Absalom’s army) that the king wants HIM to be HIS commander “in place of Joab.”  Whoa, what???  (David has a lot of grudges against Joab and the chewing-out didn’t help.)

So the king came back to Judah.

On his way back, Shimei (the rock thrower), along with a thousand Benjamite men, Ziba with his 15 sons and 20 servants rushed to help David and his household. Shimei fell on his face and begged forgiveness. Abishai wanted to kill him, but David forgave him.

Mephibosheth came too to meet the king.

DAVID: “Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?”

MEPH.: “My servant Ziba deceived me, took my donkey, and left.”

DAVID (who had given all of Mephibosheth’s stuff to Ziba, now decided to split everything in two between them.)  “I have decided.”

MEPH.: “Oh, let him take it all since my lord the king has come home safely.”

DAVID to Barzillai (who had brought all the food and supplies to him when he was in hiding) “Come with me and I will provide for you in Jerusalem.”

BARZILLA: “Nah. I’m old (80) and have enough money. I’ll stay here, but you can take Chimham (his son?) and do good to him.”

David agreed and possibly gave Chimham a part of his personal estate in Bethlehem. (Jeremiah 41:17)

(David also retired his ten concubines whom Absalom had desecrated. He gave them a special house, and they lived there as widows for the rest of their lives.)

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2 Samuel 20.

Sheba, a Benjamite continued to war against David and gathered an army.  The men of Judah pursued them to Jerusalem.  David called his new Army Commander. Amasa, and said to gather all the men of Judah and be back there IN THREE DAYS.

And so…. Amasa went out to gather Judah but he delayed beyond the time David had set. (On purpose??) So the king called Abishai, his second in command, and sent him to chase Sheba.  Joab heard of all this, and he and his men (and all David’s mighty men & bodyguards) followed Abishai (his brother) chasing Sheba.

Amasa came to meet them, and Joab pretended to greet the man nicely, even reaching out to kiss him. But Joab had a short sword hidden beneath his robe and gutted Amasa as they stood close.   Then Joab and Abishai pursued Sheba.  One of Joab’s men stood by the body of Amasa and directed whoever was “FOR THE KING” to follow Joab.  Finally, he dragged the body into a field and threw his garment over it. 

Sheba made it to a fortified city and Joab’s men surrounded it.  Then a “wise woman” came to meet Joab.

WW: “Are you Joab? Listen to me.”

JOAB: ” I am, and I’m listening.”

WW; “Why will you swallow up a peaceable city for one man?”

JOAB; “I won’t if you will give up the man.

WW: “Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.”

The wise woman went into the city, and in a short time, the head of Sheba came hurling over the city wall.

JOAB:  “Good enough.”  He blew the trumpet and dispersed from the city. 

And Joab (once more David’s Army Commander) returned to Jerusalem to the king.

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2 Samuel 21.

This chapter is a series of flashbacks.  It begins an epilogue.

First, the story of David making right a terrible wrong that Saul did to the Gibeonites, whom Joshua had made a special deal with, is told here.  When David sought revenge for them, the famine (sent by God) was eased. (This all happened before David initially found and showed kindness to Mephibosheth.) 

Next, Samuel reviews a series of the wars that David fought (and won) against the Philistines,

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 137

May17

Day 137.  Reading 2 Samuel 16 – 18

Read Today’s Scriptures.
  • Remember where we left off?   With a lot of conniving, Absalom, David’s son, who would naturally have assumed the throne when David died in “the normal order,” doesn’t want to wait.  He goes to Hebron to “pay a vow,” but really to perform a coup. (It’s where David was crowned king.) He takes 200 unsuspecting guests to the celebration, instructing them to say “Absalom is King” when the trumpet is blown.
  • Absalom even entices David’s chief counselor, Ahithophel, who happens to be Bathsheba’s grandfather, to come along. A messenger is sent to David saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom!“
  • Does David gather an army to fight the coup?  No!  And perhaps he feels it is simply a part of God’s discipline for his sin, and he accepts it.
  • Anyway, David quickly gathers his things (leaving his ten concubines behind to keep the house), and leaves town.  Many of his faithful leaders and men follow him, including Abiathar and Zadok, the priests, bringing the Ark of the Covenant. David tells them to take it back into the city, hoping he’ll one day return. Before they leave, he sets up a way for their sons to get messages to him about what Absalom is doing.
  • Hushai, David’s second counselor, and truly loyal, shows up to flee with David. But the King sends him back, saying to pretend to be with Absalom too, so he can “mess up” all Ahithophel’s advice. “Whatever you hear from the king’s house, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar, who will send it to me via their sons.
  • Just as Hushai came into the city …. Absalom was entering Jerusalem

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2 Samuel 16.

Okay, as if this is not enough bad news, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him along the road. (Remember, Mephibosheth is Jonathan’s crippled son, whom David is caring for like a son.)  Ziba brings saddled donkeys (for the king to ride), bread, raisin cakes, summer fruit, and wine for his followers to eat and drink.  HUH?

“Where is Mephibosheth?” David asks.

“Um, he’s staying in Jerusalem. He thinks it’s a good time for the house of Saul to give him back the kingdom.”

Shocked, David replies, “All that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.”

Ziba answers, “I pay homage; (grovel, grovel) let me ever find favor in your sight, m’lord, the king.”

Then, just east of Jerusalem, Shimei, a distant relative of Saul, comes out cursing continually at David, throwing stones at him as he passes, and calling, “Get out, you man of blood, you worthless man!  The LORD is avenging you for all the blood of the house of Saul. Your evil is upon you, you are a man of blood!!”

Joab’s brother, Abishai, offered to “take off his head,” but David would not allow it. “My own son seeks my life, how much more this Benjamite! Leave him alone. Let him curse.”

So Shimei cursed and threw stones and dirt at David all the way to the Jordan River.

Meanwhile…

Absalom and all the people of Israel came to Jerusalem and Ahithophel with him.  Hushai shuffles up to him and says, “Long live the king!  Long live the king!”  Absalom is suspicious, but Hushai convinces him that it’s Absalom he wants to serve.  “Who but the king’s son shall I serve!”  (He was convincing.)

“Give counsel. What shall we do?” Absalom askes Ahithophel.

“Go into your father’s concubines, and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father.  The hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.”  The creep advised. But this is what was done, to prove the new man was the conqueror.

So they pitched a tent on the roof, and that’s what Absalom did …in the sight of all Israel.

And so the fourth of the four consequences of David’s sin that God had spoken to him took place, (2 Samuel 12:11)

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2 Samuel 17.

Next comes the battle of Absalom’s counselors: Ahithophel vs Hushai. What is Absalom’s next step, they are asked?

AHITHOPHEL:  “Let me choose 12K men and I will arise and pursue David tonight, while he is weary and discouraged.  He’ll be in a panic, he’ll flee, and I can strike him down.”

(Actually, for a war aspect, this is sound advice.)

HUSHAI: “Your father and his men are mighty men, and they are enraged, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field.  He is an expert in war; he will not spend the night with the people but will hide himself somewhere. Then when the first soldiers fall, a sound will go out that there has been a slaughter among Absalom’s men, and your men’s hearts will melt.  EVERYONE knows that your father is a mighty man….

“My advice is that you gather a multitude of men from “Dan to Beersheba” and go to battle IN PERSON and there will be no place for him to hide. You will easily catch him.”

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(***NOTE: ABSALOM WAS NOT A MILITARY MAN. We have seen NO INSTANCES where he has been in battle.  He was a PARTY MAN. See 2 Sam. 13:26-29 and 2 Sam. 15:10-12 and probably had no idea what happened in a war situation.)

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Absalom’s brain went back and forth. (“If I go with Ahithophel’s counsel, HE will get the credit. If I go with Hushai’s counsel, “I” will get the credit.“)

ABSALOM:  “The counsel of Hushai is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.

Quickly, after the meeting, Hushai goes to the priests and gives a message to be sent to David.  “Tell David not to stay the night this side of the River, but cross it.”  The priests’ sons were waiting at En-Rogel. A female servant was sent to tell them the message.

BUT!!!!  A young man saw them and quickly told Absalom.  The priests’ sons hurried off to Bahurim and hid in a well. The woman there covered the opening and spread some grain on it. (Doesn’t this remind you of Rahab hiding the Israeli spies in Jericho under some grain??)   When Absalom’s men came, she said they had gone on over the brook already.  They couldn’t find the two sons and went back.

David got the message and did what Hushai said.  At daybreak, not even one had not crossed.

Ahithophel saw “the writing on the wall.”  He went home, set his house in order, and hung himself.

And so… Absalom took the army with Amasa as commander (Joab had gone with David) and crossed over the Jordan River after David. They camped in Gilead.

Meanwhile, three faithful men – Shobi, Machir, and Barzillai – brought supplies: beds, basins, vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans, and lentils, honey and curds, sheep and cheese for David and his men to eat.   WHAT A BLESSING THESE MEN WERE!!

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2 Samuel 18.

The Deadly Battle

Refreshed, David gathered his army and then divided it into three companies.  Joab commanded one, his brother Abishai, commanded the second, and Ittai took the third. (Remember Ittai, who stayed faithful to David as he was leaving the city?  (1 Samuel 15:19-22)

David wanted to go out with them, but the men all said, “YOU SHALL NOT GO OUT!”  They feared for his safety, so he stayed back at the gate of the well-fortified town of Mahanaim.  His last words to the three commanders before sending them off was, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.”  And all the people heard him say it.

The battle mostly took place in the forest of Ephraim. Absalom’s men were defeated by David’s, 20K of them.

  • Then Absalom came riding his mule through the forest.
  • The mule went under a low-hanging branch, and Absalom’s massive head of hair was caught in it.
  • The mule continued on, leaving the king’s son, dangling.
  • A soldier saw him and told Joab.
  • Joab was furious. “Why didn’t you kill him?  I’d have given you 10 pieces of silver!”
  • The soldier said, “Even for a thousand pieces of silver, I would not kill the king’s son.”
  • Exasperated, Joab took three javelins and thrust them into Absalom’s heart.
  • (This would be “strike three” for Joab.)

Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back.  The men took Absalom’s body down, threw it in a pit, and covered it with a huge pile of stones.

The son of Zadok asked to carry the news to the King, that the LORD had delivered him from the hand of his enemies.  But Joab would not let him.  Instead, he sent the Cushite to tell the king what he had seen.

Zadok’s son asked to run too, but Joab said he would get no reward for bringing that news.  Nevertheless, the boy wanted to go.  So Joab let him.

And Zadok’s son outran the Cushite, coming to David first.

  • David waited at the gate for news.
  • The watchmen said he saw a man running alone.
  • “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.
  • Then the watchman saw another man running alone.
  • “He also brings news.”
  • The watchmen recognized the son of Zadok.
  • “He is a good man and comes with good news.”
  • ALL IS WELL! said the boy, panting. “Blessed be the LORD your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.”
  • “Is it well with the young man, Absalom?”
  • “When I left I saw a great commotion, but I don’t know what it was.”

Then the Cushite arrived and told him the good news that the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all who rose against him.

“Is it well with the young man, Absalom?”

May all your enemies be like that young man.

“And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would that I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son!”

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 136

May16

Day 136.  Psalms 3, 4, 12, 13, 28, 55.

Read Today’s Scriptures.
Psalm 3.

A psalm David wrote when he fled Absalom his son.

  • O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me:
  • Many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God.
  • But You, O LORD are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.
  • I cried aloud to the LORD, and He answered me from His holy hill.
  • I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
  • I will not be afraid of many thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.
  • Arise, O LORD. Save me, O my God!

Psalm 4.

  • Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
  • In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for You alone, O LORD make me to swell in safety. 

Psalm 12.

  • Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of men.
  • Everyone utters lies to his neighbor; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
  • The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.
  • You, O LORD, will keep them; You will guard us from this generation forever.

Psalm 13.

  • How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
  • Consider and answer me, O LORD my God; light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death, lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,” lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.
  • But I have trusted in You steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 28.

  • To You, O LORD, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest if You be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit. HEAR the voice of my pleas for mercy, when I cry to You for help, when I life up my hands toward Your most holy sanctuary.
  • Blessed be the LORD! For He has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy!

Psalm 55.

  • Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not Yourself from my plea for mercy! Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked.  For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
  • My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.   And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; Yes, I would wander far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; I would hurry to find a shelter from the raging wind and tempest.”
  • Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues, for I see violence and strife in the city; Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it; ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace.
  • For it is not an enemy who taunts me — then I could bear it;  it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me — then I could hide from him.  BUT IT WAS YOU, A MAN, MY EQUAL, MY COMPANION, MY FAMILIAR FRIEND.   We used to take sweet counsel together; within God’s house, we walked in the throng…..
  • My companion stretched out his hand against his friends; he violated his covenant. His speech was smooth as butter, yet WAR WAS IN HIS HEART; his words were softer than oil, yet they were DRAWN SWORDS. 
  • But You, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days.  But I will put trust in You. 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 135

May15

Day 135.  Reading 2 Samuel 13-15

 
Read Today’s Scriptures.  Consequences.
 

       And now the trouble begins. God forgave David of his gross sins because he truly repented and confessed. But remember how David raged at the rich man in Nathan’s story, and said he owed the poor man four-fold of what he’d stolen?  Now, God tells David FOUR consequences of his sin. (2 Samuel 12:5-6 and 10-14)

  1. The “sword will not depart from his house; death and division in his family.
  2. His wives will be taken away in a humiliating way.
  3. Enemies will rise against him in his own household.
  4. His baby with Bathsheba will die.

We’ve seen ONE of them fulfilled already. (the baby died)  And now the next one – death and division in his own family.

 

2 Samuel 13.

David’s FIRST son, Amnon inherited some bad traits of his father. (Perhaps he watched all that his father hand done, and saw that no punishment was meted out. He WAS king, after all.) 

Amnon lusted for a woman too, his 1/2 sister, Tamar. He called for his cousin Jonadab, who gave him evil advice on how to lure Tamar and take her. Amnon followed that, and although Tamar cried “NO!” he raped her, ruining any prospects she might have had. Then he cast her out.  

Now Tamar was a full sister to Absalom, David’s third-born (but second living) son. (His mother was the daughter of the Syrian king, Talmai.)  Tamar ran to her brother and stayed in his house for the rest of her life.

David heard about the incident and got angry, but it doesn’t seem he did anything about it.  (Was he seeing himself in his son, hating and feeling guilty for what his own sin had caused, and paralyzed to respond?)

Absalom hated his brother Amnon and would not talk to him. Instead, he plotted a slow-burning revenge that would end Amnon’s life at a party Absalom held two years later for all his half-brothers.  (Absalom had also invited his father. Did he plan to kill HIM as well?  But David declined.)

At first, David thought the gruesome news was that ALL his sons were dead, but his slimy nephew, Jonadab came to him and said “Let not m’lord suppose that they have killed ALL the king’s sons, for Amnon ALONE is dead.  Absalom determined this from the day he violated his sister Tamar. (A pause, perhaps?) Don’t take it to heart. Only Amnon is dead.”  (David had said a similar thing to Joab after Uriah’s death.)

Soon all the other sons of David who were at the party appeared, weeping and wailing for Amnon. (“See, I told you,” said Jonadab.)  And David also wept bitterly for Amnon.  REALLY!!

And Absalom fled to his grandfather, Talmai, in Geshur, in the territory of Syria.  Maybe Tamar went along since he was her grandfather as well. They stayed for three years.

Having committed pre-meditated MURDER, the “avenger of blood” (another son? the king?)  had the right to stalk and kill Absalom if he stayed in Israel. (Numbers 35:21).

 

2 Samuel 14.

(The spirit of King David longed to go to Absalom, but he did not.)

Action-man, Commander Joab thought it time to do something about the breach in the house of David.  He devised a plan (Boy, David’s nephews were always planning sneaky things!)  Joab paid a woman to tell a story to the king – much like Nathan had, but not a story from God.

She was to say SHE, a widow and had two sons. One had killed the other and now the first son was being chased by the avenger of blood.  She didn’t want to lose BOTH her sons. (She’d be a helpless widow.) “Please, let the king invoke the LORD your God, that the avenger of blood kill no more, and my son is not destroyed.”

David falls for the story. “As the LORD  lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.” (A king’s pardon.)

Then like Nathan, she tells the true story, about Absalom. “The king convicts himself since he does not bring his banished son home.”

Again David catches on. “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?”

“It was your servant Joab who commanded me. It was he who put all these words in my mouth.”

Then David told Joab to bring Absalom home. Thrilled, Joab went to Geshur and brought back Absalom, but….. David said, “Let him live in his own house. He is not to come into my presence.”

Absalom simmered at this treatment, and he began plotting (for two years again).  He sent for Joab TWO TIMES, but the Commander wouldn’t respond.  So he told his servant, “Go, set Joab’s barley field on fire.”  And of course, Joab now shows up, burning up himself.  “WHY???”

“Go ask the king why he brought me from Geshur if I am to be so treated.  I want an audience with him.  Make it happen!“

Joab did.

Absalom went.

David kissed Absalom.

(Another son NOT judged for his wrong. Did David blame himself?)

 

2 Samuel 15.

David did as he’d answered in the woman’s false story.  Not one hair** on Absalom’s head fell to the ground….he was not punished in any way for murdering Amnon!!!   There was now a murderer in the court. He’d done it once, he could do it again.

(** Whoa! did Absalom HAVE HAIR!!  He cut it every year, and it weighed TWO POUNDS! And Absalom was vain about his hair.)

Absalom now began the process to de-throne his father, King David. 

  1. He got himself a chariot, horses, and 50 men to run before him.
  2. He rose early and stood at the gate of the city diverting people who came with problems to solve, FROM going to the King, and TO himself, saying he was on THEIR side.
  3. Whenever a man would come near to pay homage to him, Absalom would raise him up and kiss him. And so he STOLE the hearts of the men of Israel.
  4. He asked permission and got it from David, to go pay a “vow to the LORD” in Hebron, meaning to stage a coup there. He even enlisted David’s prime advisor, Ahithophel.
  5. He enticed 200 men to go with him and sent messages to all Israel saying that when they heard the sound of the trumpet, they were to say, “Absalom is king at Hebron!  (Where David started out.)

Well, finally a messenger comes to David saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.”

Did David, call for Joab?

Did he raise an army to quell this uprising?

Did he even enquire of the LORD??

No.  He gathered all his servants and said, “Arise and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom.  Go quickly!”

BUT THE KING LEFT TEN CONCUBINES TO KEEP THE HOUSE. (These were considered his wives … remember the #2 consequence (above) that God spoke of because of his sin? The fulfillment is coming.)

The king’s bodyguard filed out with him (the Cherethites and Pelethites, led by Benaiah). Also, came 600 armed Gittites from Gath (Philistines) led by Ittai, who had sworn allegiance to David. For his faithful service, David later made Ittai commander of a third of his army. And the king passed the brook Kidron towards the wilderness.

  • (Can you picture this? David is in Jerusalem, the capital city, where the Tent and the Ark of God are. He and the crowd in front and following him leave through the Eastern Gate, and cross the Kidron Brook and Valley and up the Mount of Olives. This is where Jesus entered on Palm Sunday, from Bethany, riding on a donkey. David might have passed a young olive orchard and olive press (Gethsemane) on his way.)

Abiathar and Zadok the priest, and the Levites came after, bearing the Ark of God on their shoulders!  But David told them to take the Ark back into the city.  “If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, He will bring me back and let me see both it and His dwelling place.  But, if not, behold here I am, let Him do to me what seems good to Him.”

David is remembering and accepting the consequences of his great sin, weeping as he goes.

  • David also sets up a spy link with Zadok and his two sons to send him news of what is happening in the city. 
  • Then he hears about his chief counselor going over to Absalom!  He prays that God would “turn his counsel into foolishness.” 
  • Then David sends Hushai, his second counselor back to the city,  pretending to be another helper to Absalom, to “defeat the counsel of Ahithophel.”  Hushai is to send any news to David, via Zadok’s sons.  

So Hushai, David’s friend, came into Jerusalem, just as Absalom was entering……..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 134

May14

Day 134.  Reading Psalms 32, 51, 86, 122

 
 
Read Today’s Scriptures.

Psalm 51.

This is the psalm that David wrote after Nathan came to him to confront him about his sins of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah.  (Can you imagine his praying this in anguish as he lay on the floor in the horror of his sin before God?)

  • Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
  • Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
  • For I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me.
  • Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight… 
  • Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
  • Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
  • Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
  • Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me,
  • Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing Spirit.
  • Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of Your righteousness.
  • For You will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; You will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
  • The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

.

Psalm 32.

(Perhaps this is what David prayed when he went to the House of the Lord after the baby died.

  • Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered
  • Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
  • for when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all the day.
  • For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
  • I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity.
  • I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You forgave the iniquity of my sin.
  • Therefore, let everyone who is godly offer prayer to You at a time when You may be found;
  • You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with shouts of deliverance.

God answers.

  • I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. 

And in His presence, David’s heart rises.

  • Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
  • Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

How glorious it is to be forgiven and cleansed by God after true repentance and confession! (1 John 1:9)

.

Psalm 86,

  • Gladden the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
  • For you, O Lord are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon You.
  • There is none like You among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.
  • For You are great and do wondrous things; You alone are God.
  • Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name.
  • I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your neighbor forever.
  • For great is Your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
  • You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
  • Turn to me and be gracious to me; give Your strength to your servant,
  • Show me a sign of your favor; that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me.

###

Psalm 122.

This is totally a praise for the LORD because of the House of the Lord, and because of Jerusalem, the City of God.  (It seems like it should have been placed after David brought the Ark of the Covenant into the city!)

However, this part is true TODAY, as then. David asks all to —

  • “PRAY for the peace of Jerusalem!  May they be secure who love You! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers.
  • For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, “Peace be within You!”
  • For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.”

 

 
 
 
 
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 133

May13

Day 133. Reading 2 Samuel 11-12, and 1 Chronicles 20

Read Today’s Scriptures. A sad day for King David

2 Samuel 11.

(Well, I’ve dallied long enough. I need to read this disheartening story of my favorite character in the Bible, after Jesus.  He sinned – grossly – as I have.  Oh, why do we take our eyes off God and His Word and indulge our sinful flesh?  God is so merciful and forgiving, but, the consequences of sin must come!)

David’s steps down:

In the springtime of the year…

When KINGS go out to battle…

David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel.

(1.) But David remained in Jerusalem.

Bored and restless, the king got up from his couch (while all Israel was fighting!), and went up to the rooftop to look at his “golden” city in the late afternoon light. His eyes fell upon a woman bathing on  HER rooftop. (This was her ritual cleansing after her monthly period, so she was very fertile.)

(2.) As David’s eyes lingered, he saw that she was very beautiful. 

(3.) Continuing to watch her, David called one of his servants. “Who is that woman?”

“She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the WIFE of Uriah, the Hittite (one of YOUR mighty men).”

(4.) He decides. “Bring her here.”

(5.) Regardless of David’s many wives, he committed adultery and lay with Bathsheba, knowing she was the wife of another man. Then he sent her home.

A couple months later David gets a message from the lovely lady. “I’m pregnant.” (All her neighbors and family knew that Uriah was away in the army. If they saw she was pregnant, they would accuse her (rightly) of adultery.  She could be stoned.) It was now David’s problem.

(6.) David racked his brain for a solution and came up with a devious one. He sent a message to Commander Joab to send Uriah home. (Surely he will sleep with his wife, and everyone will think the baby is his.)

But David’s mighty (and loyal) man was more virtuous than the king.  While all his fellow soldiers were out fighting, he would NOT go and enjoy the pleasures of “hearth and home.” He slept down with David’s servants.  Even when David “wined and dined” him, getting him drunk, Uriah refused to go home.

(7.) So David devised murder in his heart.  He sent Uriah back to the front with a message to Joab. “Put Uriah in the forefront of the fighting, then draw back, so that he is killed.”

Joab, with barely a raised eyebrow, obeyed.  And so it happened that Uriah was murdered. Then Joab sent a message to the king about the war and added a PS, that Uriah was dead.

The messenger returned to Joab with David’s, “Sorry to hear that but don’t let it bother you. Soldier on!”

Ah, problem handled! 

After a short but “decent” time of mourning, David sent for the widow, Bathsheba and made her HIS wife. In time, she gave birth to a son.

“But the thing that David had done DISPLEASED the LORD.”

 

2 Samuel 12.

Sin has a way of finding you out.

God sent the prophet Nathan to David (the former shepherd boy) with a story about two men and a lamb.

  • “There was a rich man who had many flocks of sheep. And there was a poor man with but ONE little ewe lamb, which he’d raised much like a member of his family. The little lamb would drink from his cup, and lie in his arms, like a little daughter.
  • “Then someone came to visit the rich man. He wanted to be a good host, but he did NOT want to serve him a lamb from his own flock. So, he took the poor man’s only little pet, killed it, carved it up, and roasted and served the tender meat to his guest.”

DAVID:  “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die!! And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

Silence for a moment… then,

NATHAN:  “YOU are the man!

And David listened on in horror to what God said in accusation of HIM.

NATHAN:  Thus says the LORD, “I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more.  Why have you despised the WORD of the LORD to do what is evil in his sight?  

Then the indictment…

“You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have KILLED HIM with the sword of the Ammonites. 

And the consequences…

Now, therefore, the sword SHALL NEVER DEPART FROM YOUR HOUSE, because you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Behold, I will raise up evil against you OUT OF YOUR OWN HOUSE. I will take YOUR WIVES before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of the sun. For YOU did it secretly, but I WILL do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.”

(I can so picture David’s shocked face at his sin being discovered, and his body crumbling to the floor as the LORD his God questioned him and reminded him of all the LORD had done for him, and then, told him the horrible dark consequences of his sinful actions.)

DAVID;  I have sinned against the LORD!

(Can you imagine how David’s heart was breaking in anguish, sorrow, and repentance?  How could he have so sinned against the LORD his God, whom he loved with all his heart?)

I am totally amazed and blown away, at God’s GRACE, and the immediacy of His response to David’s admission of sin.

NATHAN:  “The LORD also has put away your sin; YOU shall not die.” (WHAT MERCY!!)  “Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child that is born to you SHALL die.”

And Nathan left.

Bathsheba’s baby got sick. Very sick.  David fasted and prayed for the boy, and laid on his face all night. For a week he did not rise nor eat.

On the seventh day, the baby died.

When he was told, David got up, washed himself, and changed his clothes. He went to the House of the LORD and worshipped God.  Then he went home and ate the food put before him.

The servants:  You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when he died, you arose and ate. What is this?

DAVID:  “While the child still lived, I fasted and wept, for I thought “Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child will live?”  But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? No. I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

In time, Bathsheba had another son and they named him, Solomon.  “And the LORD loved him and sent a message by Nathan the prophet to call him “Jedidiah,” or “beloved of the LORD.

(I think this was a comfort to David, who “could have” thought that any child of this union might have been cursed by God.)

###

The rest of 2 Samuel 12, tells about Joab fighting and coming near to defeating Rabbah, the capital city of the Ammonites.  He sent a message to David to gather some men and camp against the city to take it, so that KING DAVID and not JOAB would get the credit.

David does this, and when the huge golden crown (with a precious stone in it) was brought from the Ammonite king, it was placed on David’s head.  David also brought out the spoils and made the people slaves to work at the brick kilns. Then the king returned to Jerusalem.

Joab did a good job “covering” for David (who should have been fighting all along), and making him “look good for the people”.  But Joab KNEW about Uriah and surmised about Bathsheba. 

(Just another reason why David hated Joab, his nephew and commander of his army.)

 

1 Chronicles 20.

This chapter only briefly mentions “David staying in Jerusalem in the Spring, when kings went out to battle, and Joab defeating the Ammonites, then David getting the crown.“

But it tells also of successful wars with the Philistines where a bunch of giants (one with 6 fingers on his hands and 6 toes on his feet) were struck down by the hand of David’s men.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Days 131 & 132

May12

(Sundays and Mondays studies are both posted on Monday.)

Day 131. Reading 2 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 19, and Psalm 20

Day 132.  Reading Psalms 65, 66, 67, 69, 70

Read Today’s Scriptures.

Day 131.

2 Samuel 10 and 1 Chronicles 19  (These two chapters tell the same story with very few differences.)

It started with a good deed. The friendly king of the Ammonites died, and David wanted to show his loyalty to the new king, Hanun, so he sent a company of his servants to console him.  Like many young and pompous advisors to new youthful kings, Hanun’s guys filled his mind with suspicion about David’s servants. They whispered in Hanun’s ear that King David had sent them to search the city, spy on it, and overthrow it. 

Really?  With bouquets of lilies?

The young (and foolish king – he reminds me of Solomon’s son Rehoboam & his foolish advisors – took David’s servants and humiliated them.  Half their beards (a symbol of manhood) were shaved off, and their robes were cut off at hip level, leaving them exposed.  They were greatly ashamed!

David heard about it, sent men to meet them (presumably with decent clothes), and told them to remain in Jericho until their beards grew out.

Young King Hanun, sensing he’d made a mistake and seeing how he now “stunk” in the eyes of Israel, got together an army, added some neighboring soldiers then fanned out for war. (second mistake)

David sent Joab and the host of his mighty men. (The empire strikes back!)

Joab and his co-commander brother Abishai spit up to fight the Syrians and Ammonites. Joab encouraged his brother and men with a great declaration.

  • Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what seems good to Him.

Way to go, Joab!

The Syrians fled.  When the Ammonites saw them running away, they fled too.  HA!  Joab and Abishai and their men returned to Jerusalem. 

Now the Syrians were embarrassed and returned with a new, powerful commander to fight again. (third mistake.)  This time DAVID himself, gathered all Israel together, led them across the Jordan River, and fought them.

The Syrians fled again. This time David and the company went after them, killing many thousands. And also, that great commander died too.  When the Syrians saw they were defeated they surrendered and became subject to Israel.

So the Syrians were not willing to save the Ammonites anymore.  (Let that be a lesson learned!)

Psalm 20.

This psalm is titled, “Trust in the Name of the LORD our God.” It’s a song most often sung before going out to battle.

That’s just what Joab and Abishai, and then King David did, and they won the day. All glory to God.

  • May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the Name of the God of Jacob protect you!
  • May He send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!
  • May He remember all your offerings, and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices!
  • May He grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!
  • May WE shout for joy over your salvation, and in the Name of our God set up our banners!
  • May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!
  • Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving might of His right hand. 
  • SOME trust in chariots and SOME in horses, but WE trust in the Name of the LORD our God!

###

 

Day 132. (5 more psalms)

Psalm 65.

This psalm is a PRAISE psalm (to the MAX).  It’s hopeful, confident, and enthusiastic in response to God’s goodness.  It’s a celebration at the Tabernacle, probably at one of Israel’s Feasts.

  • Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion
  • O YOU WHO HEAR PRAYER, to You shall all flesh come.
  • Blessed is the one You choose and bring near to dwell in your courts! We shall be satisfied with your goodness and holiness.
  • By awesome deeds You answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation.
  • You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
  • You crown the year with Your bounty; Your wagon tracks overflow with abundance!

Psalm 66.

Another psalm of praise titled “How Awesome Are Your Deeds”

  • Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of His Name; give to Him glorious praise!  Say to God, “How awesome are Your deeds!”  So great is Your power that Your enemies come cringing to You.
  • Come and see what God has done; He is awesome in His deeds toward the children of man.
  • Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of His praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip.

And then, a personal testimony;

  • Come and hear all you who fear God, and I will tell you what He has done for my soul.
  • I cried to Him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue.
  • If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the LORD would not have listened. 
  • But truly God HAS listened, He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
  • BLESSED be God, because He has not rejected my prayer or removed His steadfast love from me!

Psalm 67.

This psalm shows that God’s desire is to save and bless ALL nations of the earth as they come to Him and fear him! But first a “benediction.”

  • May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine on us.…..
  • that Your way may be known on the earth, Your saving power among all NATIONS.
  • Let the PEOPLES praise You, O God: let all the PEOPLES praise you!
  • Let the NATIONS  be glad and sing for joy; for You judge the PEOPLES with equity and guide the NATIONS upon the earth.
  • Let the PEOPLES praise You, O God; let all the PEOPLES praise you. 
  • …let all the ends of the earth fear Him!

Psalm 69.

This psalm is a prayer of desperation, titled “Save Me, O God.”   In it David realizes that he might be shortly killed. He begs for rescue.

This psalm also has inferences concerning the coming Messianic kingdom when God’s enemies are dealt with.  Much of it was applied to Christ in the New Testament – you will catch those parts as you read.  But any believer being ridiculed will identify too.

Read the whole thing.  It shows David’s intimacy with God that he can pray such personal prayers.  It shows US that we can cry out to God, no matter what our heartache or need.  No matter how desperate we are or what sin we have done.   

Psalm 70.

A short psalm, almost identical to Psalm 40.  David prays against his enemies, asking God to turn them back and be brought to shame.

But then he prays that ALL who WILL turn and seek God might be saved!

  • May ALL who seek You rejoice and be glad in You!  May those who LOVE YOUR SALVATION say evermore, “God is Great!”

.

Tomorrow, sadly, we will see the great king fall. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 130

May10

Day 130.  Reading Psalms 50, 53, 60, and 75

 
 
Read Today’s Scriptures. Psalms, songs, prayers to read and savor.
 

Psalm 50.

This psalm is quite different. It quotes God Himself throughout. And so, it’s like a prophetic writing or an oracle. It tells the difference between true and false worship. First, God is introduced, then the different kinds of false worship are shown, and finally, the very last verse reveals true worship

1-6 – Who God is.

  • The Mighty One, God the LORD, the perfection of beauty, before Him a devouring fire, around Him a mighty tempest …
  • The heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is judge.

7-15 – Ritualism as worship, no!

  • Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.
  • (But it’s for their attitude in sacrificing. As if they were giving to God what HE needs.) I will not accept your bulls … your goats.  EVERY BEAST of the forest (already) is MINE. 
  • I own the cattle on a thousand hills.  I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is MINE.
  • If I were hungry, I would not tell YOU, for the world and its fullness are MINE. 
  • NO!  Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, perform your vows, and call on Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.

16-21 – Rebellion as worship, no!  To the wicked —

  • What right have you to recite my statutes or take my covenant on your lips?
  • You hate discipline. You cast My Words behind you. You are pleased with thieves. You keep company with adulterers. 
  • You give your mouth free rein for evil. Your tongue frames deceit. You speak against your brother. You slander your own mother’s son. 
  • You’ve done these things, and I’ve been silent. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.

22-23 – Right approach to God.

  • The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly, I will show the salvation of God!”

 

Psalm 53.

This psalm is very much like Psalm 14, which we’ve already read. 

  • The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good.

 

Psalm 60.

Now this is unusual. David actually tells when he wrote this psalm. Remember yesterday, when we read of all the ways God helped him to defeat his enemies?  Zorbah, plus the thousands of Edom in the Valley of Salt? 

David here seems discouraged before God gives him victory in both the extreme North (Syria) and South (Edom) of Israel.  Then, David sees the victories.  

  • O God, You have rejected us, broken our defenses; You have been angry; oh, restore us!
  • God has spoken in his holiness, “Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom, I cast my shoe; over Philistia, I shout in triumph!”  (Talk about God getting into the fray enthusiastically!)
  • And David, “With God we shall do valiantly; it is He who will tread down our foes.”

Don’t you love reading these psalms in their proper places in Israel’s history?

 

Psalm 75.

Note, that the writer, Asaph, says this psalm is to be sung to the tune of “Do not destroy” as he wrote on Psalm 57.  Don’t you wonder what that tune sounded like?

  • “We give thanks to You, O God; we give thanks, for Your Name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds.

If you have read through the Book of The Revelation recently, much of this psalm sounds similar.

  • At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity.
  • When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars.
  • For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and He pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.

WOW!

  • But I will declare it forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
  • All the horns (power) of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns (strength) of the righteous shall be lifted up. 

Yea, and amen!

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 129

May9
Day 129.  Reading 2 Samuel 8-9 and 1 Chronicles 18
 
 
 
Read Today’s Scriptures. Rejoice in all God does for David and for us.
 
2 Samuel 8.

We are still in “the glory days of David’s rule” when he sought God and depended on Him alone.  (I dread next Tuesday – Day 133 – which tells of his great fall and the beginning of all the destruction that came later. Sigh.)

  • So… David defeated the Philistines and subdued them.
  • And he defeated Moab.

NOTE:  That business of measuring the captives, killing some, and setting some free, could have been one of two scenarios. 1) He killed 2 out of every 3 enemy soldiers, or 2) He saved 1/3 of the captives because they were young (coming up to just the first line), destroying only the adults. (Think of those signs with measuring lines on Disneyland rides, showing that only those taller can ride.)

  • David also defeated the king of Zobah, and many Syrian soldiers who tried to help him and set up a garrison at Damascus.  He brought back shields of gold and very much bronze.
  • A nearby king, glad to see the king of Zobah defeated, brought to David articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze.

NOTE:  Verse 11 says, “King David dedicated to the LORD the silver, gold, and bronze from the nations he subdued.”  Later, all this wealth in the LORD’s treasury would be used by Solomon to make the bronze vessels for the Temple. (1 Kings 7:15)

  • David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18K Edomites in the Valley of Salt. All of Edom became his servants.
  • And the LORD gave victory to David wherever he went.  
  • David reigned over all of Israel. He administered justice and equity to all his people. His officers are as follows:
  • Joab was the commander of the army.
  • Jehoshaphat was the recorder.
  • Zakok and Ahimelech were the priests.
  • Seraiah was the secretary.
  • Benaiah was in charge of his bodyguard, with the Cherethites and Pelethites. (Benaiah later became the commander of Solomon’s army after he killed Joab, at David’s request.)

1 Chronicles 18.

This chapter repeats 2 Samuel 8, with this addition from verse 8, read with 1 Kings 7:15, 23.

  • With the massive amounts of bronze that David collected and dedicated to the LORD, Solomon made 1) the two 27-foot (18 feet around) bronze pillars at the front of the Temple, 2) a huge bronze “sea” (compared to the Laver for the Tabernacle) which held 12,000 gallons of water to wash the priests and the sacrifices), and 3) the bronze vessels used in the Temple.

2 Samuel 9.

David and Mephibosheth:  How it all came about.

DAVID:  “Is there still any more left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

ZIBA, a servant of the house of Saul:  “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”

DAVID: “Where is he?”

ZIBA: “He is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.”

(The king sent and brought him. Mephibosheth fell on his face before David. He probably thought he would be killed off as the others in Saul’s family had died.)
DAVID:  “Mephibosheth!”

MEPHIBOSHETH: “Behold I am your servant.”

DAVID: “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”

MEPHIBOSHETH:  “What is your servant that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?” (Meaning, wow, I don’t deserve that, but thanks!)

DAVID (to Ziba):  “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. You and your sons (15) and your servants (20) shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have “bread to eat” (meaning his own wealth). But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.”

ZIBA: “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.”

And so, Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons. He lived in Jerusalem. Also, he had a young son named Mica.  He was lame in both feet.

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This is a glorious picture of what God has done for us. WE, deformed by sin, did not deserve to be His children, have all our needs taken care of, and one day to sit at His table in heaven.  WE deserved death, as Mephibosheth would have under any other ruling king.  But David had promised Jonathan, whom he loved, to be kind to all his descendants, and we, for Jesus’s sake (like Mephibosheth for Jonathan’s sake), are now granted this royal “kindness” of salvation and a position in God’s kingdom because we trust in God’s promise (John 3:16),  Praise God!