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In the Book of 2 Samuel the story of the Kings of the Jews continues. We move from King Saul as the central character, to King David, a man according to God's heart. Though David was a man according to God's heart, the Bible presents him as man subject to like passions as we are. The story of David will teach us a lot about the grace of God.
Good reading.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 21 – 2 Samuel 1 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
“Daughters of Israel,
weep for Saul,
who clothed you in scarlet and finery,
who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.
25 “How the mighty have fallen in battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your heights.
26 I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;
you were very dear to me.
Your love for me was wonderful,
more wonderful than that of women.
27 “How the mighty have fallen!
The weapons of war have perished!” (2 Samuel 1:24-27)
David’s song of mourning for Saul and Jonathan shows what kind of person he was. A true leader who recognized the contributions of Saul to the nation of Israel. During his two decades as King, Saul started the process that unified the different tribes of Israel into a nation. David would build on Saul achievement. This is a good example for religious leaders, political leader, and even family leaders. Don’t destroy your predecessor’s legacy, build on it.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 22 – 2 Samuel 2 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.
The Lord said, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go?” “To Hebron,” the Lord answered.
2 So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. 4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah.
When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, 5 he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. 6 May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. 7 Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah. (2 Samuel 2:1-7)
We start to see a pattern in David’s life and his leadership skills. David combined deep spirituality with shrewd diplomatic instinct. David inquired of the LORD is a statement that we have already seen on multiple occasions in the story of his life. When faced with some difficult decision, David inquired of the Lord. He doesn’t rush to any decision, he wait on the Lord.
Contrary to what a smaller leader would have done, David lost no occasion to show his respect for Saul both during his life and after his death. He complimented the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul (v. 5). The people responded positively to David’s attitude toward his enemy, King Saul.
His generous behavior toward Saul demonstrates his understanding of the interplay between authority and power. King Saul had lost his authority, but had kept his power. David had gained authority (anointed by God), he is now in the process of consolidating his power, and the surest way to reach that goal was through the cooperation of the people.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 23 – 2 Samuel 3 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
35 Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!”
36 All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them. 37 So on that day all the people there and all Israel knew that the king had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner.
38 Then the king said to his men, “Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? 39 And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!” (2 Samuel 2:1-7)
The murder of Abner by Joab almost doomed the reunification of the nation under David as king. But David skillfully avoided guilt by association on the death of Abner, his public mourning of Abner endeared him to the people. We read that “All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them (v. 36).”
A second quality of leadership showed by David was humility. Leaders must know their limitation in order to keep their ego from pushing them to make unwise decisions. He was the king, but he knew that for the moment the real power was in the hands of Joab and his brother, so David bided his time. He called on the name of the LORD, and waited.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 24 – 2 Samuel 4 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
9 David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 10 when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! 11 How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!”
12 So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb at Hebron. (2 Samuel 4:9-12)
David was way ahead of his time regarding his politics. He had no place for revenge in his heart, but as King he applied the law promptly on all evil doers. A great leader, David was fair, but at the same time firm in his decisions.
We give thanks to the Lord for the political system of the United States of America. In some countries a government transition can be a bloody affairs, but here in the US we have the opportunity to vote for the candidate of our choice without fear of persecution.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 24– 2 Samuel 5 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
9 David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terraces inward. 10 And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.
11 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. 12 Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. (2 Samuel 4:9-12)
David recognized that the reason for his success was the presence of the Lord in his life. He became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him (v. 10). God’s manifested presence is what brings success to a person’s life. David also understood that God had blessed him for the sake of his people Israel. In the same way a pastor is blessed for the sake of the members of his church.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Pasteur Etzer
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 26 2 Samuel 6 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand. 2 He and all his men went to Baalah[a] in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name,[b] the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. 3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart 4 with the ark of God on it,[c] and Ahio was walking in front of it. 5 David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets,[d] harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.
6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7 The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God. (2 Samuel 6:1-7)
One lesson that we can get from this incident is that we must worship the Lord the way that he wants us to worship him. Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. And the Lord struck him down. Good intention is not good enough to serve God. The Lord explicitly had told his people how to transport the Ark, it must be carried on the shoulders of the Levites (1 Chronicles 15:15).
Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). People are trying many diverse ways to come to God, but there is only one way pleasing to God, Jesus.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 27 2 Samuel 7 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:
“Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human![c]
20 “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. 21 For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant. (2 Samuel (7:18-21)
Only the grace of God will get us to a place of great blessings. Our own goodness will never be good enough. How did David understand “grace” while he was living under the law? The Holy Spirit revealed it to him. David knew that God knew him inside out, yet in spite of his shortcomings God made a covenant with him, “For the sake of your word and according to your will (v. 21).” That is grace [unmerited favor] in action.
Grace is the sole guarantee of our blessings. “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 28 – 2 Samuel 8 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them. 6 He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought tribute. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.
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13 And David became famous after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites[g] in the Valley of Salt. 14 He put garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went. (2 Samuel 8:5-14)
“The LORD gave David victory wherever he went” is like the chorus line in this passage of Scriptures. Why? Because God wants us to understand that our success depends on his presence in our lives. David understood that truth very well. Psalms 33 is a testimony of that truth:
6 No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 29 – 2 Samuel 9 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
2 Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”“At your service,” he replied.3 The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.”
4 “Where is he?” the king asked.Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar. (2 Samuel 9:1-4)
The story as told here is a picture of “grace.” King David went out his way to show kindness to someone who doesn’t deserve it, someone who is not qualified for it. All of this because of his love for a cherished friend, Jonathan. This is a picture of God condescending toward us, sinners spiritually impotent, lame in both feet, to show us kindness.
God invites us, as David invited Mephibosheth to the king’s table, “to come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). One word of the Lord is all we need. We receive great blessings from God, our Father and our King, because of what Jesus did for us at the cross.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 30 – 2 Samuel 10 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
In the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him as king. 2 David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.
When David’s men came to the land of the Ammonites, 3 the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Hasn’t David sent them to you only to explore the city and spy it out and overthrow it?” 4 So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away. (2 Samuel 10:1-4)
We all can find ourselves in a situation when our good intention is misunderstood even by our closest associates. David thought he was acting in a friendly manner by sending a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun after the death of his father, but his intention was misunderstood. His delegation was humiliated, and consequently war broke out between the two kings.
We should pray to the Lord to open our hearts to the true value of friendship. Friends are very important for our spiritual and intellectual development. We need friends, but fear of being hurt can keep us from developing deep friendship with those that the Lord puts on our path. Again, we need to listen to the Lord telling us, “do not be afraid; just trust me” (Mark 5:36).
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 1 – 2 Samuel 11 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
Then it happened in the spring, [a]at the time when the kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all [the fighting men of] Israel, and they destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.
2 One evening David got up from his couch and was walking on the [flat] [b]roof of the king’s palace, and from there he saw a woman bathing; and she was very beautiful in appearance. 3 David sent word and inquired about the woman. Someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” 4 David sent messengers and took her. When she came to him, he lay with her. And [c]when she was purified from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. 5 The woman conceived; and she sent word and told David, “I am pregnant.” (2 Samuel 11:1-5)
We need to be doing what we are called to do. David’s first mistake in falling into sin was that “at the time when the kings go out to battle,” David remained in Jerusalem, but sent other people to do battle for him (v. 1). When a pastor or a church leadership is called to engage in spiritual warfare not to do so is to leave an open door for the enemy. Had David been on the battlefield, he would have avoided the temptation of seeing a woman bathing.
Christians should flee temptation (1 Cor. 6:18), not to inquire about the object of a temptation. David’s second mistake was to inquire about the woman, “David sent word and inquired about the woman. (v. 3).” Maybe he just wanted to have a talk with her. What happened next will create a chain of events that will have very painful repercussions on David and his children from generation to generation.
We should always pay attention to the Master’s warning, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Matthew 26:41).”
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 2 – 2 Samuel 12 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”
13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Nathan replied, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for[a] the Lord, the son born to you will die.” (2 Samuel 12:5, 6,13-14)
In the Sermon of the Mount, the Lord Jesus says, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:1-2). This a very profound advice. When we judge others, we are judging ourselves. If we cannot help to judge others, we should at least use the most lenient judgment possible.
David was too quick in pronouncing a harsh judgment on the hypothetical rich man of the history (v. 5). If it wasn’t for God’s mercy, David would have lost his life as a result of his judgement. A Jewish scholar commenting on the passage writes, “he shall repay fourfold: This [actually] happened to him, that he was smitten through four children; the child (born to Bathsheba See v. 18.), Amnon (below 13:29), Tamar (below 13:14), and Absalom (below 18:15).”
It seems that God had forgiven David even before he confessed, “I have sinned against the Lord.” But still he had to pay the consequences of his sin. It is different for us under the “New Covenant of Grace,” in Jesus not only we find the forgiveness of our sins, but in addition freedom from the consequences of such sins because Jesus paid the price on Calvary.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 3 – 2 Samuel 13 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David.2 Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.
11 But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed her and said, “Come to bed with me, my sister.”12 “No, my brother!” she said to him. “Don’t force me! Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Don’t do this wicked thing. 13 What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you.” 14 But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her. 15 Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!”
28 Absalom ordered his men, “Listen! When Amnon is in high spirits from drinking wine and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon down,’ then kill him. Don’t be afraid. Haven’t I given you this order? Be strong and brave.” 29 So Absalom’s men did to Amnon what Absalom had ordered. Then all the king’s sons got up, mounted their mules and fled. (2 Samuel 13:1-2, 11-15, 28-29)
In the Greek language there are different words to describe different kinds of love. The least of them is eros, the greatest is agape, God’s kind of love. Though there is nothing wrong with erotic love, Christians should recognize that the biblical way for that love to express itself is in the confine of marriage between a man and a woman.
Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity (1 Timothy 5:1-2)
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 4 – 2 Samuel 14 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
25 In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his foot there was no blemish in him. 26 Whenever he cut the hair of his head—he used to cut his hair once a year because it became too heavy for him—he would weigh it, and its weight was two hundred shekels[b] by the royal standard.
27 Three sons and a daughter were born to Absalom. His daughter’s name was Tamar, and she became a beautiful woman. (2 Samuel 1:25-27)
For the general population it is easier to serve God in adversity than to serve him in abundance. There is the always pressing danger of becoming conceited when one has great abundance of anything, may it be wealth, knowledge, or great beauty. In Proverbs 30:8, the Psalmist writes, “give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.”
Absalom’s situation was a very tempting one. Son of King David, he was de facto a wealthy individual, the writer added, “In all Israel there was not a man so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his foot there was no blemish in him (v. 25).” That was a big burden for Absalom to carry, unfortunately he became prideful and that cost him his life.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 6 – 2 Samuel 15-16 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
4 And Absalom would add, “If only I were appointed judge in the land! Then everyone who has a complaint or case could come to me and I would see that they receive justice.” 5 Also, whenever anyone approached him to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him and kiss him. 6 Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the people of Israel. (2 Samuel 15:4-6)
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20 Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?”21 Ahithophel answered, “Sleep with your father’s concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear that you have made yourself obnoxious to your father, and the hands of everyone with you will be more resolute.” 22 So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. (2 Samuel 16:20-22)
“A foolish son brings grief to his father … (Proverbs 17:25).” “A foolish son is ruin to his father … (Proverbs 19:13).” The story of Absalom is one of the worst family stories in the Bible. Absalom let himself destroyed by bitterness and pride, a dangerous combination in any human’s heart.
Absalom plotted for two years the revenge killing of his half-brother Amnon (2 Samuel 12:23-29), and in the process his very soul got corrupted. He eventually lost all sense of love, respect, and decency for his own self and for his father, King David. “So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and he slept with his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel (v. 22).”
The Absalom’ spirit which says “Everything you do, I can do better” should be opposed at all cost, mostly in God’s family, the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a spirit that comes from a prideful heart. It blinds people of their own short comings, it causes division in the church and undermines the anointing of the Holy Spirit for service and for ministries.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 7 – 2 Samuel 17 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
14 Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom. (2 Samuel 17:14)
David recognized the sovereignty of God in deciding the course of history. He submitted himself completely to the will of the Lord, while actively seeking his favor. He had great success in prayer. Here is one of David’s prayers. “Now David had been told, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David prayed, “Lord, turn Ahithophel’s counsel into foolishness (2 Samuel 15:31).””
David’s prayer was a very short prayer but a very powerful one. We see the quick answer in 2 Samuel 17:14, “Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom (v. 17).
The Lord Jesus tells us to fear no one and nothing except God (Luke 12:5). We can live confident life knowing that God will frustrate the plan of the enemy. God is our healer, he is our savior, and he is our deliverer. All we need is to trust him.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 8 – 2 Samuel 18 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
32 The king asked the Cushite, “Is the young man Absalom safe?” The Cushite replied, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up to harm you be like that young man.”33 The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you—O Absalom, my son, my son!” (2 Samuel 18:32-33)
We look at David’s love for his son Absalom, after all that man has done to hurt his dad, we wonder where did David find the courage to still love him. In Psalms 103, the psalmist compares the love of a father to God’s love for his children, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him (Psalms 103:13).” David wished that he had died instead of Absalom, but God in the person of Jesus Christ did die instead of us because he loves us so much.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 9 – 2 Samuel 19 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
18 They crossed at the ford to take the king’s household over and to do whatever he wished. When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell prostrate before the king 19 and said to him, “May my lord not hold me guilty. Do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind. 20 For I your servant know that I have sinned, but today I have come here as the first from the tribes of Joseph to come down and meet my lord the king.”
21 Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this? He cursed the Lord’s anointed.”
22 David replied, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? What right do you have to interfere? Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don’t I know that today I am king over Israel?” 23 So the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king promised him on oath. (2 Samuel 19:18-23)
David shows us a very important quality of a good leader. A good leader doesn’t hold grudge. Shimei knew that cursing David, the Lord’s anointed during his flight from Absalom, deserved death, but he appealed to David for forgiveness and David forgave him (v. 20,22-23)
We, Christians, have no choice but to forgive because the Lord Jesus demands forgiveness of us. The Lord taught his disciples and us to pray saying, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” We should be very careful to practice what we profess daily.
Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:19-21).
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 9 – 2 Samuel 20 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
8 While they were at the great rock in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Joab was wearing his military tunic, and strapped over it at his waist was a belt with a dagger in its sheath. As he stepped forward, it dropped out of its sheath.
9 Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my brother?” Then Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. 10 Amasa was not on his guard against the dagger in Joab’s hand, and Joab plunged it into his belly, and his intestines spilled out on the ground. Without being stabbed again, Amasa died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bikri. (2 Samuel 20:8-10)
It is for the second time that Joab murdered someone that he felt was a threat to his position as general of David’s army. First, he killed Abner as a revenge for his brother’s death, and also because Abner had become a threat to his rank of general, since Abner had switched to the side of David and granted him control over the tribe of Benjamin (2 Samuel 3:27). Joab also killed Amasa.
Amasa was the son of Abigail (2 Sam 17:25), who was sister to King David (1 Chr 2:16,17) and Zeruiah, the mother of Joab. Therefore, Amasa was a nephew to David, a cousin to Joab, as well as a cousin to Absalom. Because David promised Amasa to replace Joab as general of the army (2 Samuel 19:13) Joab killed Amasa.
Jesus warns us that, “The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). Joab said to Amasa, “How are you, my brother?” Then Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him (v. 9-10). The adversary is very clever, sometimes he behaves as if he was a friend. Any Christian who underestimates the goal of the adversary will surely come to regret it. Be on guard, watch and pray.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 11 – 2 Samuel 21 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
4 The Gibeonites answered him, “We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death.”
“What do you want me to do for you?” David asked.
5 They answered the king, “As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel, 6 let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and their bodies exposed before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul—the Lord’s chosen one.”
So the king said, “I will give them to you.”
7 The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the Lord between David and Jonathan son of Saul. 8 But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab,[a] whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. 9 He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed them and exposed their bodies on a hill before the Lord. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning (2 Samuel 21:4-9)
The Law explicitly said that you should not put the children to death because of their parents’ sin, “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin” (Deuteronomy 24:16). The Law also forbid human sacrifice.
Only Jesus, the perfect man, died for the sin of humanity. "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)"
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 12 – 2 Samuel 22 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; 3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield[a] and the horn[b] of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent people you save me.
4 “I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and have been saved from my enemies.
5 The waves of death swirled about me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
6 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.
7 “In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God from his temple he heard my voice; my cry came to his ears. (2 Samuel 22:1-7)
During Jesus’ earthly ministry, he repeatedly told his disciples not to be afraid because anyone who walks with the Lord has no reason to fear. He changed water into wine, he multiply a few loaves of bread and fish to feed a multitude; he healed the sick and raised the dead. So Jesus’ disciples had no reason to fear. We too have no reason to fear because the Lord is with us.
David understood that simple words cannot describe who God is, all he could do was to describe what he felt the Lord represented for him. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, this shows strength. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, this shows protection.
As much as possible Christians should restrained themselves from saying negative words. The word of God warns us, “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be” (James 3:10). David was a true worshiper, and the Lord greatly rewarded him for that quality.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 13– 2 Samuel 23 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
8 These are the names of David’s mighty warriors:
Josheb-Basshebeth,[a] a Tahkemonite,[b] was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed[c] in one encounter.
9 Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty warriors, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim[d] for battle. Then the Israelites retreated, 10 but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.
11 Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. 12 But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory. (2 Samuel 23:8-12)
One man defeated eight hundred men in close hand-to-hand combat, in one encounter (v. 8). Another one defeated a small army (v. 10). In French, we say “Incroyable mais vrai.” The stories are true, and we know why. Those guys were just instruments in the hand of the Lord. You can say that they did not do it, but the Lord did it through them. See the repeated sentence, “The Lord brought about a great victory.”
These extraordinary feats are not only for mighty warriors. God is willing to use every one of us in very extraordinary ways. We have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, all we need to do is to let God use us for his own glory. “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give (Matthew 10:8)”. Awesome!
I can do all things through Christ[a] who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).
May the Lord richy bless you!
Hello:
Book of 2 Samuel Challenge – Day 14 – 2 Samuel 24 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
22 Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 Your Majesty, Araunah gives all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the Lord your God accept you.”
24 But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels[e] of silver for them. 25 David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped. (2 Samuel 24:22-25)
David teaches us in this story that worship is not a cheap thing, to be offered thoughtlessly or carelessly, with no sense of the self-sacrifice involved. He protested when he was offered to do worship on the cheap, “Neither will I offer burnt sacrifices unto the Lord my God of that which dost cost me nothing” (v. 24).
The church has people of different means, whether someone is rich or poor God wants everyone to contribute for two reasons. First, for the experience of the joy of giving. Second, for the opportunity of sowing and reaping. And the law of the harvest is that you reap more than you sow (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).
The Christian worship is spoken of as a “sacrifice of praise” (Hebrews 13:15). Sacrifice connotes cost, and true worship will soon be discovered to be a costly thing. But again the reward is so much greater that the cost seems negligible. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:14).
May the Lord richly bless you!
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