168th Week, II Samuel Chapters 9-12, Psalms 51 & 32 (Click on Title for Video Intro)

 

Click on Title for Video Introduction

Monday, II Samuel Chapter 9

II Samuel 9

Verse 1

Delores Little

Verse 1:  David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

THOUGHT

Let’s go back to 1 Samuel 20:15&42.  “And do not ever cut off your kindness from my family, not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David’s enemies from the face of the earth.”  Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, "The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.” Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.

Now in II Samuel 9 after David became king, he remembers that promise he made back in I Samuel chapter 8.  David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”  They tell him about Ziba, a servant of Saul’s household.  He talks with David and informs him that there is a son of Jonathan who is still alive.  However, he is crippled in both feet.  His name is Mephibosheth.  

David wanted him and his family to be blessed so David restored him with land and gifts.  He was also informed that he would always have a place at David’s table. 

What do we see in this story?  We see that the vow  David and Jonathan made was kept. How many times have we said we would do something and never followed through? I know I’m sure guilty of it. David honored the friendship that he shared with Jonathan. David fulfilled his vow to his friend. Praise the Lord.

PRAYER

Father, forgive us if we have failed You in this way in our walk with You. Help us to be all You want of us. May we honor family and friendships and do our best to keep our promises and vows.  May we always speak the truth and may those who are close to us be able to rely on that.  We praise You for Your faithfulness and Your promises.  They never fail. AMEN

Tuesday, II Samuel Chapters 10

II Samuel 10

Verse 12

Bart Strayer

Verse 12:  Joab said, “Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The LORD will do what is good in his sight.”

THOUGHT

The concepts of this verse are preached to us so many times from our Bibles and from the pulpits of our churches. But yet, it is so difficult to offer COMPLETE submission to God so that He may do what is good in His sight. So many of us carry emotional ties to our finances, time, and personal ambitions when in reality we should be emotionally tied to God, because all else will fail us at some point. 

Joab’s words define our lives so elegantly. 1) Show up and submit to God  2) Give our work our 100% best  3) Let God do as He may. When you have done that, you have had a successful day, regardless of the bad and good that happens to us.

Let me finish with some words from my daily devotional on Saturday.  “Are we prepared for God to stamp out our personal ambitions? Are we prepared for God to destroy our individual decisions by supernaturally transforming them? It will mean not knowing why God is taking us that way, because knowing would make us spiritually proud. We never realize at the time what God is putting us through. We go through it more or less without understanding. Then suddenly we come to a place of enlightenment, and realize that “God has strengthened me, and I didn’t even know it!”

PRAYER

Dear God, help us to completely submit to You. We know You have such great plans for us. So many times we fall short of complete submission, or we forget to pray for even the small things in our lives. We ask that You help us become more like You through submission. Work in our lives for Your glory and honor. We pray in Jesus Name. AMEN

Wednesday, II Samuel Chapter 11

II Samuel 11

Bart Strayer

THOUGHT

I don’t have a particular verse in mind today. We all know that David’s actions were very bad. And like ourselves, David tried to cover up his sin with even more sin, giving us insights as to the perpetual effects that sin can have in our lives.

I think there is a very important lesson we can glean from this story.  David was not perfect, and yet, God could still use him and his imperfections to accomplish His plans. We can at times get down on ourselves for ‘falling off the wagon’ and doing things that are not pleasing to God. We think, because of these things, God will not be able to use us. This is something that the devil tries to whisper in my ear from time-to-time. 

Here is a fact, ‘you are never going to be perfect to God’.  We have seen throughout 1 and 2 Samuel that David has had some major errors yet God didn’t give up on David, and He won’t give up on us.

PRAYER

Dear God, we know that we do things that are unpleasing to You. Yet we continue to struggle. We ask that You give us the strength to resist the temptations. Help us to draw closer to You so we may draw strength from You. Praying in Jesus Name. AMEN

Thursday, II Samuel Chapter 12

II Samuel 12

Verse 20

Bart Strayer

Verse 20:  Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped.

THOUGHT

What is important to understand is that David lost his spiritual strength.  When we lose our strength, we will likely go running back to ‘home base’ to regain our vigor. David had not forgotten the source of his strength; he knew to go running back to God. Like David, the best thing we can do in times of weakness or uncertainty is worship. Even though David had sinned, he had not forgotten the value of worship.

It is important to recognize that we gain strength through worship.  Worship and intercession go hand in hand. You can’t have one without the other. Through worship and intercession we again understand that God is high and mighty and unfathomable in all His ways. When we worship, we gain the strength of the Almighty.

1 Chronicles 16:29 states to worship the LORD in the splendor of His Holiness?  

Closing question: Are we worshipping God in a way that will raise us up to where we can take hold of Him, having such intimate contact with Him that we know His mind about the ones we pray about? Are we worshipping Him with the same passion that we carry for the superficial things of life?

PRAYER

Dear Jesus, You are the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. We praise You for who You are and what You have done in our lives. Thank You for this time of fellowship and ask for Your heart in our worship. Help us to soften our hearts so we may fully participate in genuine worship. We pray in Jesus Name. AMEN

Friday, Psalm 51 & 32

David's plea for mercy, forgiveness, and cleansing.  

Psalm 51

Verse 10

Jeanie Boldt

Verse 10:  Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

THOUGHT

This chapter is a prayer of confession for David. It is a prayer to the Lord sharing with Him all David’s wrongdoing and asking for the Lord’s forgiving grace and mercy. There are times in our lives when we have really messed up and thought to ourselves that there is no way out. We are ashamed of our actions and feel so disappointed in ourselves because we have disappointed and hurt our Lord. I think it is so neat that David admits right out loud about his wrong doings. 

Rory and I learned about asking our mates for forgiveness in one of our couple’s classes. We learned to admit right out loud to the other, “I have hurt you by what I did___________. I can plainly see that it was wrong of me to do. Please forgive me for_____________. I will ask the Lord for forgiveness too. I will try very hard never to ____________ this again.”  After the admitting of the sin then our verse comes into action. Praise God for that!!! We can again ask for the Lord to give me a pure heart and renew my spirit as a strong and faithful one to the Lord.

PRAYER

Father, thank You for Your compassion that never fails. Thank You for continually accepting our forgiveness when we do wrong. Keep our hearts full of mercy so that we can admit when we fall short and so in return accept another’s forgiveness. Keep us always focused on You so that our heart’s desire is not to hurt You.  Help us keep our actions as pure as possible here on earth. Thank You for healing our hearts each time we injure the precious tissue. Keep us steadfast in spirit, rejoicing with others about Your love.  AMEN

Forgiveness brings us pure JOY!!  He will give  us pure happiness and relief from guilt.

Psalm 32

Verses 1, 7, 11

Delores Little

Verse 1:  Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

Verse 7:  You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Verse 11:  Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are up right in heart!

THOUGHT

The first few verses in this chapter deal with the word sins.  Sometimes the devil makes us feel self-condemnation, and we know Romans 1 tells us through Christ we don’t have that.  BUT being human we do go through that at times, and here are 7 questions to ask ourselves.

1. Why should I continue to condemn myself when God no longer condemns me?

2. Is my self-condemnation drawing me into a closer relationship with God, or is it driving me farther from Him?

3. What good am I doing by refusing to forgive myself?

4. Is my self-condemnation helping or hurting my relationships with other people?

5. Does my refusal to forgive myself impress God? Does He find me more devout because of my guilt and shame?

6. Is there any Biblical basis for with-holding self-forgiveness?

7. How long do I intend to condemn myself?  What will be the end result?

I find answers for all these questions in verses seven and eleven.  I have learned through the Word that praise breaks the yoke off of us through Christ, our Lord, and He is our hiding place.  He protects us from trouble and surrounds us with SONGS of DELIVERANCE.  Isn’t that just so great???

In verse eleven we are to rejoice in the Lord, You righteous.  Notice He doesn’t say “You are condemned.” Christ has made us righteous in Him, and we can sing and rejoice in that.  Let us start this week rejoicing in our Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”

PRAYER

Father, forgive us when we don’t forgive ourselves and turn all this over to You.  We praise and give You the Glory as You lift us up to go through this week.  By the power of Your blood and love we can do this.  Bless everyone today and all they do for You.  In Jesus Name we pray.  AMEN