170th Week, II Samuel Chapters 17-20 Click on Title for Video introduction)

 

Click on Title for Video Introduction

Monday, II Samuel Chapter 17

II Samuel 17

Verse 8 & 10

Matt Strayer

Verse 8:  “You know your father and his men; they are fighters, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Besides, your father is an experienced fighter; he will not spend the night with the troops.”

Verse 10: ”...for all Israel knows that your father is a fighter and that those with him are brave.”

THOUGHT

The above verses describe how feared David was throughout the land of Israel. Everyone knew that he was a great fighter and someone who was very brave.

I could only think of the Psalms that I’ve read that David has written. He himself cried out to God in fear and despair many times, yet everyone else feared him. It is obvious that if it had not been for God’s strength and guidance, David would not have this reputation. God gave him the strength to be brave and bold, the strength to fight hard until the end. 

Let’s not forget to call on God often so that He can take us to this level as well.

PRAYER

Dear God, King David was feared throughout the land of Israel. In many instances he was scared and feared things, but You came to his side when he called in time of need. God, give us the strength and wisdom to call upon You in our time of need.  In Jesus Name. AMEN

Tuesday, Chapter 18

II Samuel 18

Verse 5

Matt Strayer

Verse 5:  The king commanded Joab, Abishai and Ittai, “Be gentle with the young man Absalom for my sake.”  And all the troops heard the king giving orders concerning Absalom to each of the commanders.

THOUGHT

David commands his troops not to hurt his son even though his son is out to kill him. This is such a great example of how much a parent loves their child. Absalom was out to kill David, and yet David did not want him harmed. I’ve not had the opportunity to be a parent yet, but I’m sure those of you that have can relate to this kind of love.

Also, I think we can draw a parallel from this to the way God loves each and every one of us. It has been said that His grace is unimaginably large. We can sin and go against Him, yet He welcomes us back with open arms.  The above story is a human picture of the parent-child relationship.

Can you imagine how much God loves each of us? I am so thankful for His forgiveness and grace.

PRAYER

Dear God, David loved his son dearly, as was made evident in this part of Second Samuel. We know that You love us and are accepting of our wrong doings just as David was.  Thank You so much for Your grace and forgiveness.  In Jesus Name, AMEN 

Wednesday, II Samuel Chapter 19

II Samuel 19

Verse 5

Matt Strayer

Verse 5:  Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines.”

THOUGHT

I just couldn’t believe Joab was able to confront David like this. As I was reading, I couldn’t believe it, but it was what Joab felt that he had to do to save David’s reputation. He must have known there would be severe consequences but went ahead with it anyway.

Can any of you think of times when you needed to confront someone? Were you able to do it? Did you say the right things, and what were the consequences?

This is something that I am just terrible at. It is something that is not easy for anyone. Joab shows us that sometimes it must be done to help the other person. This is a great example and should inspire us to confront others when needed.

PRAYER

Dear God, confrontation is hard for all of us. Confrontation seems almost un-Christ-like. However, Your Word has shown us an example of where confrontation is needed. We ask that You give us the courage the next time we need to confront someone, Lord. Give us the words to say. We hope the end result will ultimately help. AMEN

Thursday, II Samuel Chapter 20

II Samuel 20

Verse 17

Mindy Strayer

Verse 17:  He went toward her, and she asked, “Are you Joab?” “I am,” he answered.  She said, “Listen to what your servant has to say.” “I’m listening,” he said.

THOUGHT

This dialogue is so simple yet it is of vital importance. Much death and destruction were avoided because two people agreed to listen to each other’s cause. I love this part because it is a woman who in her wisdom stands up when turmoil is in the midst.  She seeks to find the sin that is in the middle of it all. In her wisdom she knew that problems are more easily avoided if we first try to open up communication and attempt to understand each other’s sides. 

When we listen to each other, and both parties present the truth, it makes it hard to be deceived. Sin is the culprit that easily hides in the conflicts of our lives. When both parties listen to one another, the sin can more easily be exposed and then dealt with. 

Just as in the story at Abel Beth Maacah, had the woman not recognized the need for communication between the two parties, the city and many people living there would have perished because of the hidden sin (Sheba).

PRAYER

Thank You for showing us the story that unfolded at Abel Beth Maacah so many years ago.  Lord God, we just thank You for the wisdom that You give to us as we grow in knowledge of You. We pray that when crisis comes into our lives You would be with us, giving us strength and emboldening us with wisdom that is not of ourselves but of You. We thank You for the Word of God given to us so that we may know You and Your Ways. AMEN

Thursday, II Samuel Chapter 21

II Samuel 2l

Verse 1

Mindy Strayer

Verse 1:  During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the Lord. The Lord said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood—stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.”

THOUGHT   

There are two parts that I found interesting in this verse. First we see the importance of keeping your word. Numbers 30:1—2 says, Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel, “This is what the Lord commands. When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.”

According to the Bible commentary there were no written contracts in ancient times. A person’s word was like a binding signature. To make a vow was even more binding because an offering was given with it. Breaking a vow meant that one had broken trust and broken a relationship not only to

the person you made the contract with but also to God Himself.

There was an oath made to the Gibeonites by Joshua and Israel.  King Saul knew about it, but he chose not to keep this oath.  He had tried to kill off the Gibeonites. When God told David that the famine was occurring because Saul broke this vow, David asked the Gibeonites how he could make amends. David needed to restore the vow that Israel had made with these Gibeonite people. He needed to right the wrong. As soon as he restored the vow and the trust, God began to answer the prayers of Israel again.

The following two things came from this: l. We should not make promises that we cannot keep.  2. We cannot expect God to turn His head when we break His commands. We must ask for forgiveness, and we must combine this with action to correct the sin.

Secondly it is interesting that the Bible states that David sought the face of the Lord. It does not say that David sought out the work of God’s hands. He did not go to God and simply ask God to solve the problem, to fix things by stopping the famine. David wanted to meet God personally. He wanted to see His face.

How many times in our lives do we just want God to change our situation, to fix our problem? Could it be that the problem exists because of our sin, and God is allowing it to exist until we humble ourselves, get down on our knees, and pray for forgiveness? Maybe the problem exists because God is calling us to a deeper intimacy with Him where it is not enough for God to just be our problem solver. To search for God’s face is to search for God Himself, the person of God. It is a search that requires us to humble ourselves and pray for God to meet us.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, please help us see the sin in our lives and give us the strength to rid ourselves of it. Help us to be keepers of our word so that people know that we can be trusted and counted on.  May each Salt Shaker seek Your face today, so that You would meet them there in that very moment. AMEN 

Friday, Reread the above 4 Chapters 17-20

The above 4-chapter read is quite involved.  You may want to do some further study especially if you are a David fan or one who enjoys history and the struggle for power as we have studied in the past 4 chapters.  Today is a time for review and a time to dive deeper.  

We will finish up II Samuel next week.