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Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 141

May21

Day 135.  Reading 2 Samuel 22 – 23, Psalm 57.

 
Read Today’s Scriptures.
 

(We are still in the book’s epilogue, and review of David’s past history, glory, and praise.)

2 Samuel 22.

This chapter contains a PSALM!  

The chapter begins by telling us this psalm was spoken to God on the day He delivered David from the hand of Saul.  So we know this was before he was King, before his sin, and before Absalom’s disastrous coup.

Look at all the things that David says God is like to him — “my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God, my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold, my refuge, my savior!”  In this way, David “called upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised.”

  • In my distress, I called upon the LORD; to my God, I called.   From His temple, He heard my voice, and my cry came to His ears.

Then comes an amazing picturesque description of God – showing in David’s imagination – the power and fury (as a mama bear?) as he comes to David’s defense. (Verses 8-16) Read it!!!

  • He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters. He rescued me from my strong enemy; from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.  They confronted me on the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; He rescued me because He delighted in me.”
  • This God – His way is perfect; the Word of the LORD proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in Him.  The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation!

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2 Samuel 23.

This chapter has the heading, “the last words of David.”  But it is not actually his LAST words.  This is the last literary “oracle” and final song-speech.  (We’ll read more of David in 1 Kings and 1 Chronicles.)

Note the ways he identifies himself and the honor he gives to God.

  • The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the “sweet psalmist of Israel.”  
  • The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me; His word is on my tongue.  The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: “When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, He dawns on them like the mourning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.“
  • For does not MY HOUSE stand so with God?  For He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will HE not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?

Then Samuel reviews the names of David’s mighty men and their deeds. (It is pretty much the same as 1 Chronicles 11:10-41.)  These are the men who helped David to become king.  Interestingly, the very last one mentioned is … Uriah the Hittite.

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Psalm 57.

As with 2 Samuel 22, this psalm was written when he fled from Saul in the cave.

  • Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in You my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge till the storms of destruction pass by. 
  • My soul is in the midst of lions, I lie down amid fiery beasts – the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way….. but……. they have fallen into it themselves!

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  • Awake my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn!  I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to You among the nations. For Your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds.  Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let You glory be over all the earth!

Amen, LORD!!

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Hey! Today is my 80th birthday. God has been so faithful to me. Praise Him!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 128

May8
Day 128.  Reading Psalms 25, 29, 33, 36, and 39.
 
 

Read Today’s Psalms.  PRAY them, SING them, PRAISE GOD with them.

Psalm 25.

A glorious PRAYER-psalm.  

  • To YOU, O LORD I lift up my soul. O my God, in You I trust.
  • Make me to know Your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
  • Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation.
  • Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, 
  • Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to Your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of Your goodness, O LORD.
  • Good and upright is the LORD; He instructs sinners in the way.
  • He leads the humble in what is right and teaches the humble His way.
  • For Your Name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
  • Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
  • Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!  Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in You.
  • May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You.

Psalm 29.

A wonderful psalm of God’s MAJESTY!

  • Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength
  • Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.

(To “ascribe” means to “give the credit due.”)

Read through this hymn and see all it says about the “voice of the LORD.”

Psalm 33.

Another psalm of many ways and reasons to praise the LORD.

  • Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.
  • Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him!
  • Our soul waits for the LORD;  He is our help and our shield. 
  • For our heart is glad in Him, because we trust in His holy Name … we hope in You.

Psalm 36.

A psalm in praise of God’s Steadfast Love (mercy).

David first describes the wicked person in verses 1-4

  • Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes.
  • He flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out …
  • The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit …
  • He plots trouble while in his bed …

Then his thoughts and eyes turn to the loving, faithful, and righteous God.

  • How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
  • Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who who know you, and your righteousness, to the upright of heart.

Psalm 39.

A personal psalm, a lament looking at David’s heart, and to his “end.”

  • I said, “I will guard my ways, that I may not sin with my tongue; 
  • O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am.
  • Behold you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!
  • And now, O LORD, for what do I wait?  My hope is in you.

Then comes a time when he turns, confesses sin, and hopes in God.

  • Deliver me from all my transgressions.
  • Remove Your “stroke” from me; I am spent by the hostility of Your hand.
  • When You discipline a man with rebukes for sin, you consume like a moth what is dear to him; surely all mankind is a mere breath!
  • Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; hold not Your peace at my tears! 
  • Look away from me, that I may smile again before I depart and am no more!

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  • LORD, if You remembered the sins of my youth (and old age), if You marked down and kept track of all my iniquity, I could not stand! I would be consumed like that moth in a fire.  But there is forgiveness with You. I may endure a time of discipline, but I can smile again.  My HOPE is in You. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 127

May7
Day 127.  Reading 2 Samuel 6-7 and 1 Chronicles 17.
 
 
 
Read Today’s Scriptures.  How did they challenge you?
 

2 Samuel 6.

This chapter reviews the bringing of the Ark of God into Jerusalem (1 Chron 13:1-14), with some added details.

First, he tries to bring to Jerusalem “the Ark of God, which is called by the Name of the LORD of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim” (if you want the full name). Remember how he put it on a new ox cart, then one of the beasts stumbled, and Uzzah put out his hand to steady it. ZAP!!  He’s dead.

Procession halted, the Ark stored in the house of Obed-Edom, because “David was afraid of the LORD that day.”  Then David hears how the LORD is blessing Obed-Edom and all that he has because of the Ark of God. So his desire is stirred again to bring it to Jerusalem.  THIS TIME, THE CORRECT WAY.

David danced before the LORD with all his might, wearing a linen robe and ephod. And all the House of Israel were shouting and blowing the ram’s horn.

  • And Michal, Saul’s daughter (and David’s first wife) looked out the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the lord, and she despised him in her heart.

After the Ark of the LORD was in its place, David offered burnt and peace offerings, blessed the people, and gave each of them a sack of party food.  Then they, and he went home. 

Joyful and full of blessing, David walked into his house only to meet the dour-faced Michel.

  • “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”

Wow. Shock.  A big downer on the glorious & holy celebration parade.

(Because the verse identifies Michel as “the daughter of Saul” and not the king’s wife, she might still have been longing for the courts of her father, Saul, where royal decorum was observed. She probably expected King David to be wearing royal robes, a crown, and perhaps being brought through Jerusalem on a royal chariot.  Regardless, she was disgusted with him.)

This absolutely put off David for his wife forever (she would never have children).  He answered her (before leaving her forever) in a calm but intense voice,

  • “It was before the LORD, who chose ME above your father, and above all his house, to appoint ME as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord — I WILL make merry before the LORD.  I will make myself yet MORE contemptible than THIS, and I will be abased in your eyes.”

Okay, then.

 

2 Samuel 7.

With the Ark of God in Jerusalem, all his enemies at rest, and enjoying his own cedar house, David’s thoughts turned to building a House (Temple) for the LORD. He got excited and told Nathan, the prophet about his idea.

  • Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.” answered Nathan.

But later that night, the LORD told Nathan something else, which he retold to David in the morning.

  • So you want to build Me a house to dwell in?  I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel out of Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. Did I ask any of the judges shepherding My people to build me a house of cedar?

Then God told David what HE would build FOR DAVID.

  • I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies. And I WILL MAKE FOR YOU A GREAT NAME. And moreover, I WILL MAKE FOR YOU A HOUSE.

Then God told who would build the Temple.

  • When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body and I will establish his kingdom. HE SHALL BUILD A HOUSE FOR MY NAME and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.  

Of course, God knew the weaknesses and faults of Solomon, but He promised David…..

  • When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, BUT MY STEADFAST LOVE WILL NOT DEPART FROM HIM, as I took it form Saul, whom I put away before you.
  • YOUR THRONE WILL BE ESTABLISHED … FOREVER.

Oh, my gosh, was David flabbergasted. 

  • Who am I, O LORD GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me thus far?
  • Because of Your promise, and according to Your own heart, You have brought about all this greatness, to make Your servant know it.  
  • Therefore You are great, O LORD God, For there is none like You, and there is NO God beside You.

And David continues to praise and exalt God for the extraordinary promises He made.  (Yes, David was a man after God’s heart.)

 

1 Chronicles 17.

This chapter reviews and expands on what is said in 2 Samuel 7. 

It tells of David’s desire, and Nathan telling him God’s different plans and His great promise to make David’s house be on the throne forever.  And that, David’s own son would build the House for the Ark of God.

Then comes David’s wonderful prayer of awe, wonder, thanksgiving, and praise for what God has promised.

(It’s glorious to read it a second time!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 126

May6
Day 126.  Reading Psalms 89, 96, 100, 101, 105, and 132.
 
 
 
Read Today’s Scriptures.
 
Psalm 89.

This Psalm is written by Ethan, the third official court songwriter/singer appointed by David (along with Asaph and Heman. see 1 Chron. 6:31-47)   He puts a lot into his song —  Praise to God, first and foremost, then the glory of David, chosen to be King and his enduring royal line. But then he talks of discipline for the disobedient kings, God hiding Himself, and Ethan’s own longing for the “days of old.”  Finally, he ends with a blessing to the LORD, almost as an afterthought. 

  • “I will sing of the mercy of the LORD forever; with my mouth, I will make known Your faithfulness to all generations!
  • Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O LORD, in the light of Your face, who exult in Your Name all day and in Your righteousness are exalted.

Then about the chosen David.

  • I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him so that My hand shall be established with him; My arm also shall strengthen him.
  • I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations. 
  • My faithfulness and My steadfast love shall be with him, and in My Name, shall his horn be exalted.
  • I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. 
  • If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my rules if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments, then I will punish THEIR transgression with the rod and THEIR iniquity with stripes, BUT, I WILL NOT REMOVE FROM HIM MY STEADFAST LOVE OR BE FALSE TO MY FAITHFULNESS.
  • I will not lie to David. His offspring shall endure forever, his throne as long as the sun before me.

WOW!

Psalm 96.

This psalm is one of praise and worship of the Lord and His holiness! (Notice all the imperatives!)

  • Oh, sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!
  • Sing to the LORD, bless His name; tell of His salvation from day to day.
  • Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples.
  • For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised.
  • Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
  • Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
  • Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His Name, bring an offering, and come into his courts!
  • Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness, tremble before him, all the earth.
  • Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns!”
  • Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice … for He comes, for He comes to judge the earth.
  • He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in His faithfulness.

Psalm 100.

Another psalm that you could probably recite right now.  (Note here all the imperatives again.)

  • Make a joyful noise (laugh?) to the LORD, all the earth!
  • Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into His presence with singing.
  • Know that the LORD, He is God!  It is He who made us and we are HIS; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
  • Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him, bless His name!
  • For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.

Psalm 101.

Notice David’s vows for integrity, both for himself and for all around him.  Sadly, wanting and doing are not always compatible.  (On our own, we can never accomplish this.  Praise God for His Holy Spirit and for His promise of forgiveness when we confess & repent.)

  • “I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to You, O LORD, I will make music.
  • I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh, when will you come to me?  I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless.
  • I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me. 
  • No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house: no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.”

Psalm 105.

Another psalm of praise, plus an account of Israel’s history, of how God worked wonders and miracles and judgments to bring them to and settle them in the Promised Land.  (Psalms 96 and 106 are very similar to this one.)

(Wouldn’t it be good for us Americans too, to list (and sing?) about the glorious things God did in bringing our own country into being and blessing us to this day?.  Why not sing our national anthem today! Look up all the verses and do it. Then THANK God.)

  • Oh, give thanks to the LORD; call upon His Name; Make known His deeds among the peoples!
  • Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; tell of all His wondrous works?
  • Glory in His holy Name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
  • Seek the LORD and His strength; seek his presence continually.
  • Remember the wondrous works that He has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered, O offspring of Abraham, His servant, children of Jacob, His chosen ones!

Then David recounts the glories of the LORD in fulfilling his “everlasting covenant” with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel, through Genesis, Joseph & Moses, Exodus, and Joshua.  All the “good” history of God’s salvation and provision (none of their sin). It ends in this way.

  • And He brought His people out with joy, His chosen ones with singing.
  • And He gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples’ toil, that they might keep His statutes and observe His laws. 
  • Praise the LORD!

Psalm 132.

This psalm contains the nation’s prayers for David’s royal descendants who look ahead, even to the Messiah.

  • Remember, O LORD, in David’s favor, all the hardships he endured, how he swore to the LORD and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, “I will not enter my house or get into my bed, I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
  • Arise, O LORD, and go to your resting place, You and the Ark of Your might. 
  • Let your priests be clothed with righteousness and let Your saints shout for joy.
  • For the sake of Your servant David, do not turn away the face of Your anointed One. 
  • The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which He will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne. If your sons keep My covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their sons also forever shall sit on your throne.”

God’s desire is for Zion always. And He tells of a promise of the Messiah from David’s line.

  • For the LORD has chosen Zion, He has desired it for His dwelling place.
  • “This is My resting place FOREVER; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.
  • I will abundantly bless her provisions; I will satisfy her poor with bread.
  • Her priests I will clothe with salvation, and her saints will shout for joy.
  • THERE I will make a HORN to sprout for David; I have prepared a LAMP for My Anointed.
  • His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on Him His crown will shine.

 

 

 

 
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 122

May2
Day 122.  Reading Psalm 133.
 
 
 
Read Today’s Scripture. 
 
Psalm 133.

Yes, here’s the whole psalm, written by David after he was crowned King of all Israel.

  • “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
  • It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!
  • It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion!
  • For there the LORD has commanded the blessing, life forevermore.“
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 107

Apr17
Day 107.  Reading 1 Samuel 25-27
 

Read today’s scripture.  See how God “keeps” David’s heart righteous.

Who has God used to help YOU in your Christian walk?

1 Samuel 25.

Now Samuel died. All Israel mourned him. (The prayed-for baby, the hearer of God’s voice, the anointer of kings, a prophet, judge, and prayer-warrior for Israel…dead.)

And life goes on.  David and his 600 men had been living in the wilderness of Paran. They had been passively protecting the many flocks of sheep (3K) and the shepherds of a wealthy man named Folly (Nabal), from marauders and wild animals.  At the end of the winter, when the flocks were being sheared, David sent men to Folly asking for a show of appreciation.

“Peace to you! We hear you are shearing now. Your shepherds have been with us. We protected them and allowed none of your sheep to go missing. (Ask them, they’ll tell you.)  And so, let us find favor in your eyes. It’s a celebration day. Please give whatever you have on hand to your servants and to your “son” David.”

But Folly showed his true selfish colors. “Who is David?  Many servants have run away from their masters and are begging for bread. Shall I take MINE and give it to men who come from I don’t know where???

Wrong response, dear Nabal.  David responds in anger, arming his men to take revenge.

BUT… the wise, caring, and beautiful wife of Folly hears what he’s done and hurries to remedy his grave mistake.  She packs up a remarkable amount of food and supplies on donkeys and goes to meet (and perhaps calm down) David.  She does so, humbly, presenting the food, and basically tells David that she KNOWS he will be king one day, and that the LORD is leading him. Does he want this foolish act of vengeance on Folly to be a black spot on his record (and conscience)?

David is wowed.  And calmed down.  He graciously accepts the food and blesses the lady.

Abigail returns to her husband in a fury.  He’s feasting and jolly (Jolly Folly), and drunk.  But, in the morning she lays it on heavy about how foolish a fool he was.

He had a stroke? Heart attack?  And ten days later he is struck dead by the LORD. So much for all that wealth he was so greedy and foolish to keep for himself.  (Doesn’t this remind you of Jesus’ parable of The Rich Fool in Luke 12:16-21? Perhaps Jesus had Nabal in mind…)

David was happy that the LORD had “taken care of” Nabal and kept him back from taking revenge.  Then he sent for his widow, Abigail, and made her his wife. She was more than pleased and hurried to him, with her five “ladies in waiting.”  WOW. What a contrast in the way she’d been living.  Wealthy but despising her foolish husband then. And now, she lived meagerly, dangerously, with a man pursued by the king and the armies of Israel, but whom she believed would one day be the king of Israel, by God’s hand.

1 Samuel 26.

Abagail soon gets a taste of that dangerous living with an exile. 

Word comes to King Saul that David is hiding in a certain spot near the Dead Sea. He takes 3K choice soldiers with him to find and kill David. They camp in a plain nearby. 

Stealthily David spies on the camp, and sure enough, Saul is right in the middle, surrounded by soldiers.  At night when all are asleep (actually a VERY deep sleep caused by the LORD), David and a volunteer creep down into the camp … carefully walk through the sleeping soldiers … and come to the king and his commander, Abner.  They are deeply asleep and “sawing logs.” 

“God has given your enemy into your hand this day,” said the volunteer, Abishai. “Please let me pin him to the earth. I can do it with one spear thrust.” 

But David held him back. “Do not destroy him, for who can kill the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?  As the LORD lives, 1) the LORD will strike him, or 2) his day will come to die, or 3) he will go into battle and perish.”

But like before with the corner cut from the king’s robe, David takes Saul’s spear and water bottle to prove HIS OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE KILLED THE KING was not taken.

Back up on the hill, David calls to and berates Abner for not protecting the king.  They are astonished. How could this have happened?

And again, Saul acknowledges David’s righteousness. “I have sinned. I have acted foolishly. I have made a great mistake.  I will no more do you harm because MY life was precious in YOUR eyes today.”

David gives the spear back to Saul’s servant who comes to collect it. 

“Blessed be you, my son, David,” Saul says. “You will do many things and will succeed in them.”  And they both return to their places.

1 Samuel 27.

But David did not trust the words of King Saul. (And the king did keep pursuing him.)

And so, David, his men, and their families went to Gath and talked to the Philistine king, Achish.  When Saul heard he was living with the enemy, he no longer pursued David.  David asked Achish for a town for himself and his men, “For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?”  King Achish gave him Ziklag, which would belong to the kings of Judah ever afterward.  David stayed there for 16 months.

He and his men would make raids on Israel’s enemies, like the Amalekites, kill all the people, and take the animals. He told King Achish that he was raiding places in southern Judah (true, but…).  Since there was no one alive to say differently, the king was satisfied.

“Ha! David has made himself a stench to his people Israel,” thought Achish. “So, he shall always be MY servant.”

Think again, O king of the Philistines at Gath!.

.

  • LORD, thank you for the people you put in my life to keep me accountable and help me not to be foolish or brash.  I think of the people in our Care Group, my family, and the women at our church. 

 

 

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 81

Mar22
Day 81.  Reading Deuteronomy 32 – 34, Psalm 91. 
 

Read today’s scripture.

What do you learn NEW about God’s goodness?

Who can you share that with today?

Deuteronomy 32.

Today, there is singing (psalms). 

The first is a history lesson in song that Moses wrote and taught to the assembly of Israel. He’s quite a songwriter. (see Exodus 15). I wonder how long it took them to memorize what is 43 verses in our Bibles. The melody must have been very catchy.  

The song he wrote is God’s words to Israel, telling them who He is, what He’s done for them, the ways they will fail Him, and how much He actually loves them. 

Moses tells them to praise God. “For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God!  The Rock, His work is perfect, all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, without iniquity, just and upright is He.”

But of Israel, “They have dealt corruptly with Him; they are no longer His children because they are blemished, a crooked and twisted generation.”

But the LORD’s portion is His people, Jacob, His allotted heritage.   He —

  • found him in a desert land and a howling waste of wilderness,
  • encircled him, cared for him
  • kept him as the apple of His eye.
  • made him ride on the high places of the land
  • suckled him with honey out of the rock, fed him curds and milk from the flock, fat of lambs, the finest of wheat, and wine from the blood of grapes.

But “Jeshurun” (a name for Israel meaning “upright” but said sarcastically) grew fat and kicked and forsook the God who made him. He scoffed at the Rock of his salvation, and stirred Him to jealousy with strange gods, abominations, and sacrificing to demons. 

“You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.”

And so the LORD saw it and spurned them and hid His face from them.  And God vowed —

  • I will make them jealous of those who are no people; 
  • I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
  • I will heap disasters upon them
  • I will spend my arrows on them
  • They will be wasted with hunger, devoured by plague and poisonous pestilence
  • I will send the teeth of beasts against them with the venom of snakes.

And God said he would have done more against his people, but the enemies would misunderstand and think that THEIR hand had been triumphant and not the LORD at all. 

But – and thank You, LORD – He vows, “I will vindicate my people and have compassion on my servants, when I see that their power is gone. and there is none remaining, bond or free.”     

“Rejoice with Him O heavens; bow down to Him, all gods, for He avenges the blood of his children and takes vengeance on His adversaries. He repays those who hate him, and cleanses His people’s land.”

And so Moses ended the song in the hearing of the people, he and Joshua.  He told them to “take all the words to heart and teach them to your children.

And THAT VERY DAY, God told Moses, “It’s time.”  “Go up this mountain, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho and VIEW the land I’m giving to Israel.  And die on the mountain, as your brother died on Mount Hor.  You shall SEE the land before you, but you shall NOT GO THERE.”

Deuteronomy 33.

Then, before Moses went up to die, he blessed the tribes of Israel, much like Jacob/Israel had done before he died.

  • Reuben, shall not die, but will be few.
  • Judah,  LORD bring him in, with Your hands contend for him, be a help against his adversaries.
  • Levi, LORD, give to Levi your Thummin and Urim, who denied his father and mother and brothers and children, but observed YOUR Word and kept YOUR covenant. They will teach Jacob Your rules and law, and worship and sacrifice to You.  Bless, O LORD, his substance and accept the work of his hands. Crush his adversaries.
  • Benjamin. The beloved of the LORD dwells in safety. The High God surrounds him all day long.
  • Joseph, Blessed by the LORD be his land, with the choicest gifts of heaven, with the choicest fruits of the sun and the rich yield of the months, etc. A first-born bull — he has majesty. They are the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh.
  • Zebulun & Issachar, rejoice in your going out and in your tents. They draw from the abundance of the seas and the hidden treasures of the sand.
  • Gad, Blessed be he who enlarges him. He crouches like a vicious lion. He chose the best of the land for himself, for THERE, a commander’s portion was reserved. With Israel he executed the justice of the LORD and his judgments for Israel.
  • Dan, is a lion’s cub.
  • Naphtali, sated with favor and full of the blessing of the LORD, posses the lake and the south.
  • Asher, Most blessed be sons of Asher, the favorite of his brothers. Let him dip his foot in oil. As your days, so shall your strength be.

There is none like God, O Israel, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in His majesty. The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people save by the LORD!

Deuteronomy 34.

Then Moses climbed up Mount Nebo. And the LORD showed him all the land; Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western sea, the Negev, and the Plain, the Valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees.

“This is the land I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.  I will let your see it, but your shall not go over.” 

So Moses died there. He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, but no one knows the place.  Moses was 120 years old. His eye was undimmed and his vigor unabated. 

And Joshua was full of the spirit of wisdom, so the people obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses. 

“An there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, to all his servants, and to the land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of Israel.” 

(A postscript by Joshua)

.

Psalm 91.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
 will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD, My refuge and my fortress, 
my God in whom I trust. (vss. 1-2)

"Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation." (vss.14-16)

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 80

Mar21
Day 80.  Reading Deuteronomy 30 – 31. 
 

Read today’s scripture.

What do you learn NEW about God’s goodness?

Who can you share that with today?

Deuteronomy 30.

This chapter brings good news. 

IF Israel sins against the LORD by not loving and obeying Him, and afterwards returns to Him and obeys Him with all their heart and soul, THEN the LORD will restore their fortunes, and have compassion on them and again gather them from the people where the LORD scattered them.

The LORD will also “circumcise their hearts” so they will love him totally. He will make them prosperous and delight in them again. And He will put all the curses on their enemies.

Then Moses encouraged them. “This commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither too far off. The word is very near you. It is in your mouth and your heart, so you can do it.”

Then Moses challenged them. “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. IF you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, by loving  Him, walking in His ways, and keeping his commandments and statutes and rules, THEN you shall live and multiply and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering.

“I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curs.  CHOOSE LIFE!  So you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying His voice and holding fast to Him, for HE is your life and length of days.

Deuteronomy 31.

Moses then reminded the people that he was now 120 years old and he could not enter the Land with them.  But that the LORD Himself will go in with them. “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.

Then Moses brought Joshua before them and commissioned him. “Be strong and courageous, for YOU shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.”

Then Moses gave the whole law, which he had written at God’s command, to the priests. He commanded them to read it every seven years at the Feast of Tabernacles when all Israel came to appear before the LORD. They were to read it before all Israel, men, women, children, and stranger in their towns… that all may hear and learn to fear the LORD they God and be careful to obey all the words.

Then God told Moses. “It’s time for you to die.  Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting that I may commission him.” 

God told Moses that after he died, the people would turn and whore after foreign gods in the land and that His anger would be kindled against them.  AND SO, Moses was to write a song and teach it to the people. He was to put it in their mouths, that it would be a witness for God against them..”

So Moses wrote the song the same day and taught it to the people. (We will read it tomorrow in chapter 32.)

Then the LORD commissioned Joshua, the son of Nun. “Be strong and courageous, for you SHALL bring the people of Israel into the land I swore to give them. I will be with you.”

Then Moses gave the entire book of the Law to the Levite priests, who were to put it beside the Ark of the Covenant. It was a witness against them. (For God knew how rebellious and stubborn they were.)

 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 77

Mar18
Day 77.  Reading Deuteronomy 21 – 23. 
 

Read today’s scripture.

What do you learn about God’s goodness?

Who can you share that with today?

Deuteronomy 21.

This chapter seems to point to having respect for all humanity. 

A dead body is found, and no one knows anything. Nevertheless his body is atoned for by the priest and nearest neighbors.  A female captive is allowed to grieve her parents and home for a month before consummating her marriage to an Israeli.  The firstborn son of an unloved wife still inherits the birthright. The parents of an recalcine rebellious son have a way out by bringing him before the elders who judge him.  And even a criminal hanged on a tree shall be taken down and buried the same day.

Deuteronomy 22.

Neighborliness seems prominent in this chapter, as well as sexual purity.

If you find a neighbor’s animal, return it.  If you don’t know whom it belongs to, keep it safe to you find out.  If you see your neighbor’s animal fallen into a ditch, help to get it out.  If you find a nest of eggs with a bird on it, you must let the mother go free. You should build a parapet (short wall) around your roof (where sleeping and dining often happened) so that no one would accidently fall off it.

Don’t plant two kinds of seeds together; don’t yoke an ox and a donkey together, and don’t wear clothes made of two fabrics. All these point to purity and fairness.  Also, women are not to wear men’s clothing, nor men, women’s.

A husband has the right to have his wife’s previous virginity proved.  Adultery is punished by death of them both. Rape is only considered a crime punishable by death, if the girl does not scream (in the city) or if she is taken in the country where no one can hear her scream. 

Deuteronomy 23.

This chapter covers who can and cannot worship with or become a citizen of Israel. Those who are castrated, born of a forbidden union, an Ammonite or Moabite, and children of an Edomite or Egyptian until after the third generation. 

Uncleanness here is normal but should be taken care of, such as having bowel movements “outside the camp and covering it up” and nocturnal emissions (wash up).

There are some miscellaneous laws about accepting and helping a slave who has run away from his master (one assumes a cruel one?), allowing none of their daughters or sons to become prostitutes, never charging interest on loans to their brothers (foreigners CAN be charged), and fulfilling vows made to God. 

You were allowed to pick grapes and grain from their neighbor’s fields IF YOU ATE IT THEN. But they could not carry a basket to COLLECT the produce to bring home.

All details to be sure, but Moses wanted the people to know and remember the little things too as they entered the Promised Land … without him.