Tag Archive | bible-study

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.

.

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!

 
 
 

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!

.

  • 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, Days 124 & 125 — Part A.

May5
PART A – Day 124.  Reading 1 Chronicles 13-16.
 
Day 125. Reading Psalms 1, 2, 15, 22, 23, 24, 47, and 68.
 
(Sundays and Mondays studies are posted together on Mondays,
but since these two are long posts, I will put them into Part A and Part B. )
 
 
 
Read Today’s Scriptures.
 

PART A. 

1 Chronicles 13.

Today we read of a good plan, approved “in the eyes of all the people.” David’s heart was in the right place.  He wanted the Ark of the Covenant near him in Jerusalem in the Tent (Tabernacle) he’d set up.  He called all the people of Israel from the land and all the Levites from their cities to celebrate this wonderful plan.

But, David had forgotten to consult with the LORD. Yes, the Ark of God WOULD DWELL in Jerusalem and David’s desire was a good thing.  However, the HOLINESS of the Ark and of God had not been considered in his plans.

The Ark of God had resided about 10 miles west of Jerusalem in Kiriath-Jearim, ever since the Philistines had sent it back after they’d captured it, because the LORD had afflicted them horribly.

It’d been twenty years, so maybe the people had forgotten that small incident that happened when the Ark was returned. (David had been only ten years old.)  When the people of Beth-Shemesh first saw the milk cows bringing the Ark home on a cart, 70 of them came in from the fields to look at (look into?) it?  God had zapped them all dead. (See 1 Samuel 7:19-21) They’d been terrified and sent the Ark from Beth-Shemesh to Kiriath-Jearim to stay. 

Now, David wanted it in Jerusalem.  Seems an ox-cart (a new one) would be a good travel method again.

 NOT!!  

As the joyful procession danced and sang around the symbol of their God, the oxen stumbled.  So, naturally, Uzzah, walking next to the cart … put out his hand to steady the Ark.  (As if God couldn’t protect his own “throne on earth”!) 

The second he touched it, Uzzah was DEAD! 

It was quite a dampener on the celebration.   

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1 Chronicles 14.

This chapter is a repeat of parts of 1 Samuel 5 and 1 Chronicles 3. These happened BEFORE 1 Chronicles 13.  It mentions David’s growing family of wives and daughters, and the two attacks by the Philistines which God had helped David overwhelmingly win.

The end of verse 17 says, “The fame of David went out into all lands, and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations.”

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1 Chronicles 15.

After King Hiram of Tyre supplied David with materials, and he’d built himself (and his wives) a nice place to live …. David prepared a place for the Ark, a new Tabernacle. (See Deuteronomy 12:5-7)  Then, after obviously studying, or requesting the Levites to tell him HOW to transport the Ark to Jerusalem. (Good boy, David!) He began again. (It had been three months since that “incident.”)

He learned that NO ONE except the Levites could transport the Ark of God and that it would be suspended between them by poles resting on their shoulders.  So, along with all the people of Israel, David gathered the Levites, particularly the “sons of Aaron” and the sons of Kohath. He sent for Zadok and Abiathar, the priests “to bring up the Ark of the LORD, the God of Israel to the place he had prepared for it.

Confession by David:  “It was because you did not carry it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not seek Him according to the rule.”

So the priests consecrated themselves (as per the law) and carried the Ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD. 

There were musical instruments played, harps, lyres, cymbals, all to raise a joyful sound. Heman, Asaph and Ethan composed psalms and sounded the bronze symbols. 

So, David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of thousands went to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from the home of Obed-Edom … with rejoicing.  And they sacrificed 7 bulls and 7 rams “because God helped them.”  

David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and along with the crowd was shouting to the sound of the horn, trumpets, and cymbals and the loud music on the harps and lyres,

“And as the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul (David’s first wife) looked out the window and saw King David dancing and rejoicing ….

….. and she despised him in her heart.”

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1 Chronicles 16.

After the Ark of God was placed inside the tent, they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.   Then David blessed the people in the name of the LORD and distributed to each (men and women) a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a raisin cake.

He instructed the Levites to invoke, thank, and praise the LORD, God of Israel.  He appointed that THANKSGIVING be sung to the LORD by Asaph and his brothers.. His song follows. (It echoes Psalms 86, 105, and 106.)

  • 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; see His presence continually!
  • Sing to the LORD, all the earth!
  • 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, and He is to be held in awe above all gods.
  • Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
  • Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his Name; bring an offering and come before Him!
  • Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth; 
  • Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; and let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!”
  • Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!

WOW!!

Then David left Asaph and his brothers to minister regularly before the Ark as each day required.

He left Zadok the priest and his brothers to offer burn offerings to the LORD on the alter of burnt offering regularly morning and evening, and to do all that is written in the Law of the LORD.

Then all the people departed, each to his house, and David went home to bless his household.

 

Such a glorious day. When we seek the LORD and obey His word, we are blessed with joy.

 
 
 
 
 

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 123

May3
Day 123.  Reading Psalm 106, 107.
 
 
 
Read Today’s Scriptures.
 
Psalm 106.

(This Psalm reviews God’s mercy on Israel despite their sinfulness. This history of Israel was most likely sung when David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. See 2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chron. 16.)

“Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for His steadfast love (mercy) endures forever!”

ONE

  • Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness.” 
  • “Yet He saved them for His name’s sake, that He might make known His mighty power.”  “He saved them from the land of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy.” 
  • “Then they believed His words; they sang his praise.”

TWO

  • “But they soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test.”  “They exchanged the GLORY OF GOD for the image of an ox that eats grass!”   “They forgot God their savior.
  • “He said He would destroy them — had not Moses stood in the breach before Him to turn Him away from His wrath.”

THREE

  • “They despised the pleasant land, had no faith in His promise. They murmured…. they did not obey…. Therefore He swore to them that He would make them fall in the wilderness.”
  • They yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor and ate sacrifices offered to the dead. They provoked the LORD to anger, and a plague broke out among them.
  • Then Phinehas stood up and intervened and the plague was stayed.  That was counted to him for righteousness.

FOUR

  • They angered Him at the waters of Meribah, and it WENT ILL WITH MOSES on their account, for they made His spirit bitter, and he spoke rashly with his lips.
  • They disobeyed and did not destroy the people as the LORD commanded. They mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did.  They served idols. They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.”  “Thus they became unclean by their acts and played the whore.
  • Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against His people and He abhorred His heritage. He gave them into the hands of the nations.  Their enemies oppressed them.
  • Nevertheless … He looked upon their distress, He heard their cry, He remembered His covenant, and relented according to the abundance of His steadfast love.

“BLESSED BE THE LORD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL, from everlasting to everlasting. “Amen. Praise the LORD.”

  • What mercy and forgiveness we see in our God. These verses remind me of 1 John 1:9. “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” How I thank and praise Him. 

.

Psalm 107.

“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, for his steadfast love (mercy) endures forever.”  “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from trouble and gathered in from the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north and from the west.

SOME wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to a city to dwell in; hungry and thirsty.

  • “But they cried to the LORD in their trouble and He delivered them from their distress.  He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.
  • “He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things.

SOME sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and in irons. 

  • “Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.
  • He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.

SOME were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities, suffered affliction. They loathed food and drew near to the gates of death.

  • “Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.
  • He sent out His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.

SOME went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep.

  • “He commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.
  • They mounted up to heaven; then went down to the depts; their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end.
  • Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
  • He made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed. He brought them to their desired haven.

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the LORD.

 

This is a great thing to consider and think on today!

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 121

May1
Day 121.  Reading 2 Samuel 5 and 1 Chronicles 11-12.

Beginning a new MONTH.

Read Today’s Scriptures about Israel’s new King.

(Did you know that David is the only king mentioned in Hebrew 11’s list of mighty men?

  • (As we study both 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles (and Kings), there will be overlaps.  Chronicles, written 500 years later, will contain things not included in the present-day text of 2 Samuel.)

2 Samuel 5.

Finally, all the northern tribes come together and take David as the King of all Israel.  They said, “When Saul was king over us, it was YOU who led out and brought in Israel. The LORD said to you, ‘You shall be Shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be Prince over Israel.'”

So all the elders came to the king at Hebron and King David made a covenant with them before the LORD, and they anointed him king.  David was 30 years old. (15 years after old Samuel had anointed him.)

David had had his eye on Jerusalem for a long time, so now he fought against the Jebusites to take the city.  They laughed and said, “Oh, the blind and the lame could ward you off!”

HA!

They didn’t know that the LORD also had HIS eye on Jerusalem, that He had loved it from of old (Psalm 87:1-3).  It would be the place where He would set His NAME, and where He would dwell among His people.  It would be the place where the greater Son of David would walk and teach, and eventually be crucified outside its walls.  And then be resurrected.

Jerusalem, the City of God, the City of David. 

And so David sent his best soldiers up the water channel into the city and beat all those “blind and lame” Jebusites.

He lived in the stronghold (fortress) of the city and built it up all around.

“And David became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him.”  The king of Tyre, Hiram, sent cedar trees, carpenters, and masons to David so he could build his house in the “City of God.”

The philistines.

When the Philistines (who thought David was with THEM) heard that he’d become King of Israel, they spread out in the Valley of Rephaim, ready for war.

David inquired of the LORD. “Shall I fight? Will you give them into our hands?”  And the LORD said, “Yes” to both.”   And so it happened.

Then the Philistines come up again and spread themselves out for war in the same valley.

David inquired again of the LORD.  “Shall I fight? Will you give them into our hands?”  But this time the LORD said, “No. You shall go behind them. When I cause the leaves of the balsam trees to rustle, THEN, go from behind and strike them down.”  And so it happened.  The Philistines went running.

  • Here, I have to confess, that I WISH my prayers for direction would be answered as quickly and in such detail as David’s were in these verses.  But I know the Holy Spirit dwells in believers today, and that His voice is quiet. We have to ask in faith, and then listen, and search His word.

1 Chronicles 11.

(Chapter 10 ends with, “Therefore the LORD … turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.”)

In this passage, the people of all Israel who want David to be their king, say, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh,” aligning themselves as one to him. David made the covenant, and they anointed him king over Israel …. “according to the word of the LORD by Samuel.”

And then the taking of the City of Jerusalem.  The man who was David’s commander went up first, becoming chief of his men … Joab.

David’s Mighty Men

These men gave the new king, strong support in his kingdom. There were 300, thirty of which were super-duper mighty men. Three were the Most Mighty, two of them killing 300 at one time, each!

Another, named Benaiah, went down and killed a lion in a pit … on a day when the snow had fallen(???), and also killed a 7.5-foot Egyptian giant, yanking his beam-like spear out of the giant’s hand and killing him with it. (David set this mighty man as head of his bodyguard detail.)

One day, when David was still hiding in the cave of Adullam, with the Philistines below, he mentioned how sweet he remembered the cool water from a well in his hometown of Bethlehem.  Unbeknownst to him, three of the chief men in his army went down, through the Philistines, to the well at Bethlehem, got a flask of the water, and brought it back to their Commander-in-chief.  (Oh, wow!)

David was so astounded and humbled, that he would not drink it and poured out the water before the LORD.  “Far be it for me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the lifeblood of these men?  For at the risk of their own lives, they brought it.”  

This is why his army loved him so much.

The list of mighty men goes on.  One name should stand out to us, sadly.  In verse 41, Uriah the Hittite, is listed. He was the righteous man whom David had killed after committing adultery with his wife who turned up pregnant.  Ah, David! How could you fall so low with one of these faithful men?

1 Chronicles 12.

This chapter describes more about David’s mighty men, telling how they came with him when he was still being pursued by Saul.  They were bowmen who could shoot arrows and sling stones – either with their right or left hands from the tribe of Benjamin.

Men from the tribe of Gad also joined with David when he was in the wilderness.  They were experienced warriors, experts with the shield and spear, “swift as gazelles on the mountains”.  They became officers in the army.

Then the Spirit “clothed Amasai,” chief of the thirty who said this blessing, “We are yours, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers! For your God helps you.”

Some from the tribe of Manasseh came and helped David against the Philistine raiders.  Also, some came to David from other tribes after Saul died, Simeonites, Ephraimites, those from Issachar, Zebulun, Naphtali, Dan, Asher, and from the east side, Reuben, and Manasseh: 120,000 men armed with weapons of war.

(Also, the relatives of the soldiers came from the tribes, bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen, for a big celebration, “for there was joy in Israel.“)

  • I love this portion of scripture, when David is at his height, honoring and seeking God with all his might, loyal to a fault to his men, with a heart to please and serve the LORD.  I’ll “savor” these chapters because I know David falls, and, though forgiven by God, his life and his kingdom are ruined.
  • Maybe I dislike it so much because I see how we, ourselves, sin and ruin our lives, although our God loves and forgives us.
Read today’s scriptures.  How are you challenged by these passages today?

2 Samuel 5.

Journaling through the Bible Chronologically in 2025, Day 120

Apr30
Day 120.  Reading Psalms 102, 103, 104.
 

Read today’s scripture.

  • Don’t you LOVE these Psalms? 
  • What verses will YOU memorize and remember?
  • Or make into a song? 
  • Or pray back to the LORD?

Psalm 102.

(This psalm is “a prayer of one afflicted when he is faint. He pours out his complaint before the LORD”.)

It reminds me of the songwriter/singer that David chose, named Heman, with His dark Psalm 88. But this psalm has sections of praise and joy too. 

  • “Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you!  Don’t hide Your face from me in the day of my distress!  Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call! 

(Wow, he seems desperate!)

  • (He is in really bad shape.) His days pass like smoke. His heart is struck down.  He forgets to eat. He feels lonely and persecuted. He “eats ashes like bread.”  (Contrition and repentance.) 
  • He says God’s indignation and anger have thrown him down, crushed him

Perhaps he’s feeling God’s discipline and is repenting. (Boy, do I ever know THAT feeling.)

  • THEN, he spends a bit of space praising the LORD, eternal, compassionate, strong, and glorious. And he speaks of God, reminding/preaching to himself, “The LORD … regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer.  From heaven the LORD looked at the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die….“
  • “O my God,” I say, “take me not away in the midst of my days –You whose years endure throughout all generations.”

Psalm 103.

Here David is praising the LORD in glorious and familiar words!

  • Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name!
  • Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not His benefits,
  • Who forgives all your iniquity,
  • Who heals all your diseases,
  • Who redeems your life from the pit,
  • Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
  • Who satisfies you with good, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles!”

Wow! Praise God!  But there’s more! (He quotes Exodus 34:6-7)

  • The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
  • He will not always chide, nor will He keep his anger forever.
  • He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repays us according to our iniquities.
  • For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him;
  • As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 
  • As a father shows compassion to His children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.

And his mighty conclusion. (This reminds me of the choirs in heaven praising God.)

  • Bless the LORD, O you his angels, his mighty ones who do His word, obeying the voice of His word!
  • Bless the LORD all His hosts, His ministers, who do His will!
  • Bless the LORD, all His works, in all places of His dominion.
  • Bless the LORD, O MY SOUL!

Psalm 104.

Another fantastic Psalm of praise.  Look for all the “creation” references too.

  • O LORD my God, You are very great!
  • YOU are clothed with splendor and majesty …covering yourself with light as a garment … stretching out the heavens like a tent.
  • He makes clouds His chariot; He rides on the wings of the wind; He makes His messengers winds, His ministers a flaming fire.
  • He set the earth on its foundations … He covered it with the deep as with a garment … the mountains rose, the valleys sank down … You set a boundary that they may not pass.
  • You make springs gush forth … they give drink to every beast of the field. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.
  • You cause the grass to grow for the livestock … and plants for man to cultivate … food … wine … oil … bread.
  • He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.  YOU make darkness, and it is night when the wild beasts creep out.  When the sun rises, they lie down in their dens. Man goes out to his work, and to his labor until evening. 
  • O LORD, HOW MANIFOLD ARE YOUR WORKS!  IN WISDOM YOU HAVE MADE THEM ALL, THE EARTH IS FULL OF YOUR CREATURES!
  • Here is the sea, great in wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great.
  • There go ships … and Leviathan, which You formed to play in it.
  • These all look to You to give them their food in due season.
  • MAY THE GLORY OF THE LORD ENDURE FOREVER.

I will sing to the LORD, as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to Him, for I rejoice in the LORD.  Bless the LORD, O my soul!  Praise the LORD!