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.

(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.)

• 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,