OT: The Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 13

2 Samuel 13:1-39

13:1-4 A brief recapitulation: David has eight wives and tons of children, 1 Chronicles 3. David's firstborn, Amnon, falls in lust with his half-sister Tamar. He desires her so much that he stops eating regularly, too consumed by his want of her.

13:5 Amnon's friend Jonadab devises a cunning way for Amnon to get Tamar alone with him.

13:6 Amnon follows Jonadab's advice: he pretends to be sick and requests that his sister Tamar come to cook and feed him (presumably back to health).

13:7 Concerned about his son (and not catching on to the ruse) David sends Tamar to help Amnon.

13:8-9 Tamar begins to cook for Amnon and when she tries to feed him, he sends everyone else out away.

13:10-11 When Amnon has Tamar alone, he calls her into the bedroom and asks her to lie with him.

13:12-14 Although Tamar protests and refuses, Amnon takes her anyway and rapes her.

13:15 Afterward, Amnon directs his anger (shame, guilt and fear) on Tamar and tells her to get away from him.

13:16 Tamar is stunned. She confronts Amnon again and tells him that his actions are evil. To her, it's even worse that he's being cruel to her after he raped her.

13:17 Amnon calls for his servants and has Tamar removed.

13:18-19 In her culture especially, her virginity was a thing of honor and Amnon stole it through incestuous relations. Tamar is distraught and tears her gown apart (colored to signify her virginity). Amnon's door is bolted behind her as she is forced outside. She begins to weep.

13:20 Tamar's brother, Absalom, figures out what happened to Tamar and tries (but fails) to soothe her.

13:21 David learns about Amnon's rape of Tamar and becomes very angry. Unfortunately, that's all David does. Perhaps David's own indiscretion against Uriah stopped him from feeling he could enact justice. Or perhaps he did not know how to severely discipline a son and simultaneously soothe his daughter.

13:22 Absalom continues to mask his anger but his hatred for Amnon is fierce.

13:23-25 Two years later, Absalom is still planning revenge against Amnon. He plans a family outing with David's permission. He wants all of David's sons to gather for the sheepshearering (a festive time).

13:26-29 Absalom specifically requests Amnon's attendance. But when all of the brothers are gathered, Absalom commands his servants to kill Amnon on his signal. He tells them not to be afraid because the command comes from him and therefore lies with him, not them. The servants do as he says and they kill Amnon. All of David's other sons flee immediately.

13:30-33 The news reaches David... except that he hears that all of his sons were killed. Jonadab corrects the information and informs David that all of his sons are alive except for Amnon, who was killed by the command of Absalom. Jonadab explains that Absalom has been plotting the murder since the day of the rape.

13:34-36 David's sons return weeping and David mourns as well.

13:37-39 Absalom flees to Geshur for three years. After three years, David is yearns to be reunited with his son.

OT: The Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 12

2 Samuel 12:1-31

12:1 God sends Nathan (a prophet) to David with a message. God will admonish David through parable. David has been unwilling to confront his transgressions, hiding his actions from nearly everyone around him, but he cannot hide anything from God. As a father, God's love is persistent, even in times of discipline. David has built walls around himself to protect him from his shame and guilt but through this parable, God is going to tear them down. Exposed, David will have to deal with the mess he has made. He will be forced to finally see his situation for what it actually is, rather than a successful cover-up.

12:2-4 Nathan's Parable:

“1 There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds. 3 But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. 4 And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”

In the metaphor, David is the rich man and Uriah is the poor man. Uriah did not have much compared to the king of Israel, but he did have a wife who was precious to him. David took all that Uriah had: his honor, his wife and his life.

Through alternate perspectives, God gives us a clearer picture of ourselves.

12:5-6 David does not yet understand that the parable relates to him. Hearing his own horrible actions portrayed in a parable, David is incensed by the injustice; he thinks that the man who stole should be put to death. Inadvertently, David accuses himself of having no pity. Moreover he believes that "the rich man" owes fourfold what he took. 

12:7 Nathan reveals that David is the man in the parable. The veil is dropped. David is face to face with his actions and with God now. The ruse is over, God has seen everything and will not allow David to continue living a lie.

12:8 Nathan continues and tells David the message God has delivered. Essentially God has a heart to heart with David: God reminds David that they have been on a journey together his entire life. God has provided David will all that his heart has wanted. If David had only asked, God says, He would have given him even more. Instead, David neglected righteousness and his faith. Instead, David followed temptation and used deception and manipulation to claim what did not belong to him.

12:9 God states each wrong that David committed: murder, adultery, deception. David might lie to himself, we might lie to ourselves and to others, but we cannot lie to God. David might have thought he was acting cleverly but each detail was known by God. And God's question is: Why? 

At some point, David began to have a crisis of spirit. He began to succumb to temptation. The straying from his faith culminated in actions that were totally against his own values and principles. He did not bring his troubles to God. He started pacing at night, trying to figure out ways to satisfy his desires. Once, he would have reached out to God. Once, he would have been focused, purposeful, tirelessly working the will of God rather than remaining at home while his army fought. 

12:10 David welcomed God's discipline into his life as a young child. For most of his life, he did not need it. But he does now, and God is ready and willing to deal it out. The purpose being that God needs to allow the repercussions of his actions. There is always love and a safety net underneath God's discipline, but David will soon experience the consequences of hurting others. 

David has a family, his actions greatly influence the manner in which they live their lives. He has an entire body of people who look up to him and rely on his sense of justice. 

12:11-12 The way we choose to life sends a message to the people around us, to humanity and to God. By behaving in such a corrupt way, David basically proclaims that he is in support of such corruption. God therefore tells David that what he has done to Uriah will be done to him. David will have to personally experience the betrayal and injustice he committed against Uriah.

David hid his actions but God tells David that the betrayal against him will happen in broad daylight. It will be public knowledge. For some time, David wanted to pretend that what he did was acceptable. Well, if it's acceptable, why cloak it? This is a tough-love lesson and God implements it sharply.

We are told in scripture that our actions are an echo. We reap what we sow, Galatians 6:7. Life delivers back to us what we gave to it. This life is a hands-on classroom: we harvest what we plant and produce. 

12:13-14 David finally confesses. All of the walls he put up shatter and he realizes the weight of what he has done. Nathan tells David that God has chosen to spare his life (our merciful God), but the discipline will not die either. David is to begin a journey of learning and redemption.

12:15-16 David and Bathsheba's child becomes ill. The lesson is that the product of deception and injustice is ailment. David himself spoke in 1 Samuel 24:13 that out of wicked comes wicked. We cannot live corruptly and expect it to yield goodness. God understands better than we do that life is the soul, not the body. Though it might seem cruel to us that the child is sick merely to teach David a lesson, God understands that the child's soul is unharmed. 

12:17-18 On the ground and fasting, David pleads for his son's life but the child dies.

12:19 David did not properly mourn Uriah. He never confronted what it meant to have taken an innocent life. The death of David and Bathsheba's son forced David to realize the value of an innocent life. The unfairness of having taken one.

12:20 David reaches a point where he is ready to return to his faith. He washes himself, puts on clothes for prayer and worships in the house of the Lord. He is ready to spiritually cleanse himself.

This the most important moment we have in life. The moment when we confront the worst of ourselves and place it at the feet of God. The moment when we trust him with our truest, rawest, ugliest self. The moment when we have known the downward path of unrighteousness and choose to turn away from it. The journey away from corruption is an uphill effort; it can only be done with sincerity and persistence.

12:21-23 So exposed, God is able to enter and heal those wounds. David begins to eat again and the people around him are confused. David fasted while the child was alive because he was sacrificing himself to God on behalf of the child. Now that the child is gone, it is time for David to start ingesting the word of God again. 

12:24-25 David and Bathsheba conceive another child. This child lives and is loved by God (this gives us an indication that this child has a naturally righteous heart). David and Bathsheba name their second son Solomon. But God names the baby boy Jedidiah, meaning: beloved of the Lord.

12:26-31 Finally, David returns to his God-given life purpose: he returns to the battlefield. He fights alongside his armies, the people of Israel. God placed David as a king to demolish the evil surrounding them, not to sit at home and acquire wives. God gives us life-work, rewarding and meaningful purpose while we are here. When we work hard for righteousness, righteousness works had for us. David begins rebuilding himself and his life and he did so by returning to the will and work of God.

OT: The Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 11

2 Samuel 11:1-27

11:1 It is springtime and David decides to send Joab and the armies out against their enemies. But David remains behind. Normally, David travels with the armies, serving as valiantly as the rest of the men. Until this chapter, David has been the perfect role model for a life of faith; in this chapter however, we see that David battled temptations and torments like we all do. 

11:2 David's lapse in righteousness began fairly early in his life. He has a tendency to accumulate wives, even though scripture warns against it in Deuteronomy 17:17. And yet, none among us are perfect, John 8:7; Jesus therefore asks us to acknowledge our own foibles and character flaws before pointing out another's, Matthew 7:3. Furthermore, our flaws and weaknesses are places for God to do great work and strengthening, Hebrews 12:11. David's private life is written here in scripture for us to learn from not to judge. 

We can reasonably assume that David is feeling some level of internal struggle. He does not travel with his army, he's not sleeping through the night, and he's pacing back and forth on the roof of his house. While he's up there, he sees a beautiful woman bathing. 

11:3 Captivated, David inquires about the woman and she is identified as Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. 

11:4-5 Unable (or unwilling) to resist his temptation, David sends for the woman. Even though she is married, David sleeps with her and she conceives his child. 

11:6 Knowing that Bathsheba is pregnant with his child, David tries to cover up his transgression rather than face it (or himself, or God). He sends for Uriah; he has a (corrupt and deceptive) plan to cover up his mistake.

11:7 David pretends that he called Uriah to him to ask how the armies were doing. After all, Uriah has been randomly pulled from battle and summoned by the king; he's likely wondering why.

11:8 David then tells Uriah to go and enjoy a night at home with his wife before returning to battle. David likely hopes that Uriah will go home and sleep with his wife (covering up her pregnancy by David).

11:9-11 But it does not seem fair to Uriah to go home to his wife when his fellow soldiers cannot. He's an honorable and dedicated soldier. Instead of going home, Uriah decides to sleep on the floor outside of the kings house. 

11:12-13 David does not yet release Uriah. Instead, he plans again: this time to get Uriah drunk enough that he might go home after all in drunken lust for his wife. But Uriah does not. David's planning will not work because God will not allow it; David will eventually have to face his decisions. He cannot hide from them and remain a righteous servant of God.

When we unite with God, if there is a problem, He's going to make us confront it and heal it. 

11:14-16 Instead of confronting his problem at the beginning, David makes it worse. Much worse. Because his first attempts failed, David devises to have Uriah placed on the front lines of battle (nearly ensuring that he will be killed while fighting). He sends Uriah to battle with the note that will command Joab to essentially have Uriah killed. By hiding from his own shame, David is punishing an innocent and honorable man. 

11:17 Uriah indeed dies in battle.

11:18-21 Joab sends word to David that Uriah has been killed. Joab fears that David might be angry; the military strategy was unwise and unsafe and resulted in death. But it is what David ordered. 

11:22-24 A messenger informs David of the death.

11:25 David's response is a glib one, not at all respectful of Uriah's life. David is lost. 

11:26-27 Bathsheba mourns her husband and after that period of grief, David brings her to his house. She becomes another of David's wives and gives birth to a son. "But" this verse tells us, "the thing that David had done displeased the Lord." David perhaps thinks that he successfully covered up his problem. But if he was tormented before, he's really going to crumble now. His actions have repercussions, both internal and external.

When does does eventual confront his actions, he pours himself out to God in Psalm 51. The psalm is a special psalm in that David is able to verbalize the keening of a contrite and shame-ridden heart. 

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

David prays for mercy. He understands the blessing that it is to have a God who is empathetic and forgiving. David asks for a clean canvas. He acknowledges that he has made his own life dirty. He knows that the only entity who can restore peace in his soul is God. For God is a patient listener and gentle teacher. He is able to lead us out of the quagmire. He is willing to shed light on darkness: He knows how to intricately guide our hearts and minds out of gutters of shame and corruption. He is able to make us see life as an instructive and magnanimous journey.

3 For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight;

so you are right in your verdict

and justified when you judge.

5 Surely I was sinful at birth,

sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;

you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

David absolutely claims his sin. No more deception. No more hiding. We can only begin journeys of healing when we acknowledge our broken parts. In this eleventh chapter of II Samuel, David refuses to acknowledge his sin... and it will impact his life with destruction. Chaos. Grief.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

David wants to feel joy again; his soul is troubled, hurting. His scheming, adultery and betrayal has insidiously infiltrated his soul. God wants us to realize that evil and corruption corrode our hearts, disable us from having joy.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

David seeks restoration; he wants to get rid of his tainted heart and replace it with a righteous one. He seeks a restoration of faith: for faith has helped David throughout his life. Against enemy and isolation, hopelessness and fear, faith propelled David through. Temptation tore David aware from his faith and realizing that, David now seeks salvation. More than that, he prays for a spirit that will be willing to learn and grow. He no longer wishes to be sustained by his wants. He wishes to be sustained by God.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

David asks God to rescue him. He is drowning in his own guilt. David is sincere in his quest for God's help; he's willing to put in the work and effort required to become better. We are so fortunate that God views our contrite hearts with mercy and compassion. God does not turn away a child with a broken heart... even if they are responsible for it. 

18 May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Finally David returns to the program: God's mission is to build up His righteous family on the earth. David wants to refocus his efforts on strengthening the relationship of God and humanity, the mutual effort of creating peace and respect. David recognizes that the balance is off: God's generosity is so much greater than our gratitude for it.

We all make mistakes, big and small. We make selfish decisions sometimes. We try to cover up our wrongdoing because it's painful and embarrassing to expose. But God wants us to be real with Him, no matter how raw our hearts. He wants us to confront the best and worst of ourselves... in order to allow Him to make all of it better.

David was troubled at the beginning of this chapter. And as far as women were concerned, he had given into temptation for the majority of his life. He let it fester. He never dealt with it. But God does not disown David. He will discipline him, though. A child of God has welcomed God into their lives to do great and constructive work. Construction will be done. This corrupt part of David is ripped apart to become a demolition site. A place needing rebuilding.

Talk to Him. Tell Him what is keeping you up at night. Ask Him to advocate for you in the places and situations you feel inadequate. Ask Him to heal you in the places you feel broken. Ask Him for opportunities to stretch and strengthen the figurative muscles you need to make the complex movements life demands. We do not have to be ashamed of what we want... but sometimes we do shameful things to gain the things we want. Allow God to decide what comes into your life and when. God heals us and teaches us that there is great beauty and abundance in simplicity and moderation. 

OT: The Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 10

2 Samuel 10:1-19

10:1-2 David's motivation as king is to restore the children of Israel. At any opportunity, his intention is to restore relations between other regions as well. Though he is as adamant about the destruction of evil as evil is about being evil, he is willing to give new kings a chance. This is what he does when king of the people of Ammon dies and his son, Hanun takes his place.

As Matthew 6:33 tells us, but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. David tells Hanun that his father showed kindness to David, and David has been raised by God to reciprocate kindness. 

10:3 The princes of Ammon suspect malicious intent from David. To them, it is inconceivable that a king should send comfort to another king. In their minds, everything is competition and battle. They are successful in turning Hanun against David, telling him that David true intent is likely to spy.

10:4 In response to a crime David was innocent of, Hunan has all of David's servants shaved, their clothing torn. Ammon humiliates the children of Israel: in their time, a beard was a thing of honor to the culture. The torn garments exposed private areas of the men.

10:5 When David finds out about the torment, he allows his men to wait and remain in Jericho until their bears regrow. David's response is a compassionate one: it would have been embarrassing and degrading for the men to parade the evidence of people tormented by Ammon.

10:6 The people of Ammon realize that they have ruined relations between the people of Ammon and the children of Israel. Immediately they hire soldiers to help defend them, presuming that David would have a response to their cruelty.

10:7 When David hears that Ammon is preparing for a battle, David readies the army of the children of Israel (led by Joab).

10:8 The people of Ammon are poised for battle.

10:9-11 Faced on both sides by enemies, Joab and Abishai (and their respective armies) make a quick plan to separate and each fight an opposing enemy. If either of them becomes overwhelmed, they will receive the help of the other. Joab would face the Syrians and Abishai would face the people of Ammon. Rather than succumb to fear, they decide to work together and wisely against their opposition.

10:12 Joab's next words to his brother are words we can apply to our own lives as we face our own tribulation: 

• Be of good courage.
• Let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. 
• And may the Lord do what is good in His sight.

10:13-14 The armies of the children of Israel sufficiently defeat their enemies on both sides. Both the people of Ammon and the Syrians flee from Israel. They small and weak had been made strong by God; after all, they were innocent in the battle. They showed kindness to Ammon and in response, Ammon started a war. The children of Israel simply defended themselves.

10:15-19 The children of Israel and their king, David are a fierce force. David discovers the location of the Syrians, fights and defeats them and then turns them over to their side; Ammon therefore loses another ally.

OT: The Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 9

2 Samuel 9:1-13

9:1 David has always had deep respect for Saul and his friendship with Jonathan. David did not participate in the death of Saul or Jonathan; their end was tumultuous and unexpected. David was still pushed out of the region by Saul's hatred and jealously. Therefore David did not know of the state of the house of Saul. He did not know if anyone still lived. After spending time dedicated to the work and will of God, reestablishing the kingdom, David has the opportunity to inquire.

David's compassionate heart is again evident. He remembers his friends. Even more, he remembers the family of his enemy. It was crucial for David and Jonathan that their families would not be torn apart by contentment. True to his word, David's intent is to look after any possible remnants of that family line. 

9:2 A former servant of the house of Saul named Ziba meets with David and offers his service. 

9:3 David has widespread authority now as a king but he remains in service to God and to the people he loves. David asks Ziba if there is anyone left whom he can show the kindness of God. This is not some haughty attempt to make himself look good, David genuinely wants people to know the unlimited kindness of God. David's intention is not show people how kind he is... rather he wants people to understand how generous God is. He wants people to see that God remembers every single individual.

Ziba informs David of a son of Jonathan. In 2 Samuel 4:4 we read of Mephibosheth, a young son of the late Jonathan who fell and became disabled. 

9:4 Immediately David wants to know where Mephibosheth is. Ziba explains that he is in the house of Machir. 

9:5 David sends for Mephibosheth and brings him back to his own house. 

9:6 Mephibosheth bows before David. 

9:7 In previous scripture, people frequently expect David to treat the house of Saul harshly. But David never does. Mephibosheth has no reason to be anxious, as David explains his motives: Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually. 

9:8 This generous and compassionate gift is unexpected. Mephibosheth reveals his own humility: he is baffled by the kindness (God loves to overwhelm us with surprise and joy). Mephibosheth asks David, what am I to deserve such kindness? Funnily, David asked God the same question in a previous chapter.

The nature of God does not see kindness as something that must be earned. God sees the reception of compassion as a right. 

9:9-10 David extends God's kindness on Ziba and his family. Though many would have disregarded Mephibosheth (both for his disability and his father's infamous legacy), God and David restore his family and his home. God's abundance allows for David to offer land and opportunity to all of these people. 

David promises Mephibosheth that he and his family will always dine with David's family. Although Saul tried to force animosity between the families, for Jonathan's sake and his own gentle heart, David wishes to restore the amity between them. David sees Mephibosheth as a friend when most others in his position would have seen him as a threat at worst or insignificant at best. 

9:11 Ziba accepts the service.

9:12 Mephibosheth has a son named Micha, meaning: Who is like God? Indeed, and how fitting! God's generosity has no boundaries, no limitations. 

9:13 True to his word, Mephibosheth is able to dine at the king's table, a great honor. Undoubtedly, it gives David peace to be in the company of the son of his best friend Jonathan. Moreover, who is like God, who ties up the lose ends with bows? David is a man after God's own heart, continually awed at how vehemently God pursues his heart.

OT: The Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 8

2 Samuel 8:1-18

8:1 This chapter details David's conquests against the enemies of the children of Israel. God empowers us to subdue our enemies both through power and wisdom. David's success is a testament to his obedience to God's will; when we place ourselves in accordance with God's will, we find ourselves in positions of opportunity and achievement. It all begins with a full heart and sincere communication with God. As we become familiar with Him and His philosophy, we learn how to follow the course of righteousness.

8:2 David then defeated Moab. We know that in the past, God gave David orders to pull evil out by the roots.

8:3 David then defeated Zobah, recovering territory taken from the children of Israel.

8:4-8 David is able to defeat even the additional support his enemies received. No reinforcement matches the reinforcement of God. 

8:9-12 People who were persecuted by nations David subdued, like this king of Hamath, met with David in gratitude for his success against evil. But David dedicated all of the gifts he was given to God. For David understands that the true victor in these battles is God. It is God's effort and determination on our behalf which provides defense and protection into our lives. 

David's depth of humility is quite extraordinary. None of his victories have ever gone to his head. He is unimpressed by himself but awed by God. David knows his limitations; he also knows of God's unlimited ability and through his faith, he has access to it all. 

8:13-14 David's efforts built him a reputation throughout many regions. God and David were plowing through evil, depleting it of power, control and land. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went. God kept David in a sphere of protection as he went throughout the nations restoring all of the fragmented parts and lands of the tribes of Israel.

8:15 His life as king began to settle. He reigned as a faithful and focused leader. A tireless leader. A righteous leader. 

8:16 A glimpse at David's administration: Joab over the army; Jehoshaphat the recorder; Zadok and Ahimelech the priests; Seraiah the scribe; Benaiah over the Cheresthites and Pelethites (hired soldiers); and David's sons the chief administrators. 

OT: The Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 7

2 Samuel 7:1-29

7:1 Perhaps the most inspiring component of David's faith is that he takes time to reflect, in gratitude, on what God has done in his life. David is no longer a child, no longer a young man. He's an adult and has seen trial and tribulation, fear and anxiety, isolation and desperation. His journey of learning and growing has been long and bumpy. David's perseverance through it all is a testament to God's ability to protect His children, guiding and leading them across the deserts, up the mountains and through the storms of life.

For David is taking stock of all that he now has in his life. David marvels at having a home, rest and protection. As a child of God and king appointed by Him, David could have been marveling at people the most powerful king on the planet. Instead, what overwhelms him is having a home and rest. God is our spiritual home and our spiritual rest; because of that we always have shelter, we always have peace. When we accept His rest and His shelter, God builds a home within and around us. 

7:2 David is described as a man after God's own heart, Acts 13:22. In this time of home and rest, there is only one thing David is discontented about: God has done so much for him, he feels he has not done enough for God. What a servant of the Lord! For in David's heart, God has done all of the work, and yet it is David and the children of Israel who are reaping the benefits. 

In thinking of a way to give back to God, David decides that it is not suitable for him to live in a solid home while the ark of God lives in a tent. God's response to this is so affectionate and selfless. 

7:3 David tells his plans to Nathan the prophet. Nathan's response to David is one we can all receive as if he were speaking directly to us: Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you. Righteous hearts have free reign and full authority here on earth. 

7:4-6 God reaches out to Nathan in response to David. God asks Nathan to explain that though the effort is appreciated, He cannot be contained by a home. He does not need one. He is home. Indeed, He is home. In all the time God has been with the children of Israel, He has never required a permanent residence. Tent and tabernacle have always been enough to house the representation of Him as he travels with His children.

7:7 God reminds David that He has never asked any of His children to built him a house. Realize that God has never asked us for a selfish thing. God only encourages us to do things that are for our own benefit. His commandments are His effort to advocate for us; to set us up in the world to succeed and have joy. From the first verse of Genesis to the last of Revelation, God is building a home. Not for Himself, but for us.

7:8-9 God knows the intricacies of David's journey because He has been in every moment: And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name. David is evidence of the sincerity of God in 1 Peter 5:10. He is strengthening us through the journey; He is catching every tear. 

As a shepherd, David exemplified God's spiritual shepherding. And now as a king, David shepherds God's children toward His provision, protection and love. To God, His reward is having well-rested, well-protected, joyful children. God loves to provide for His family, Luke 12:32, Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

It's just like God to turn to situation around the shine light on His child rather than himself. David has these grand plans to build a home for the ark of God but instead, God starts explaining His plans not to receive more but to do more.

7:10 No, instead of having something built for Him, God's plans are to continue building for the children of Israel, our ancestors. For us. For His family. Temporary and makeshift residences are unacceptable to God: His plan is to plant us, root us in permanent safety and love. 

7:11 Oh and by the way, God says, I will make you a house. Although He has already built so much, God has plans to further extend the sphere of safety, the boundaries of home. He has plans of provision and prophets to position within our lives. There are so many phases in this project. And with the mutual effort of His co-workers, 1 Corinthians 3:9, he continues to implement them.

7:12 We can imagine that it is with great love and joy that God reveals to David that one of his own children will succeed him as king. Like Hannah, mother of Samuel the prophet, it is so fulfilling to create another faithful servant of God. 

7:13 In 1 Kings 1:29-30 we learn who that king will be: Solomon. God tells David that he will allow that son, that king to build a house for His name. When David has fulfilled his days, his purpose on earth and rests with his ancestors, God explains, his son will continue the kingdom he started. With God's help, the kingdom will proliferate in a way that it never has before.

7:14 God promises David that He will deeply love and yet also discipline Solomon when he needs it. The greatest gift any soul could ever receive is the parentage of God. He is so generous but refuses to spoil. He creates strong, sincere and wise children. His blessings come with instruction so that we will know how to wield them, keep them, enjoy them, share them.

David began this communication with God wanting to build something for Him... but we can observe that God has turned that around completely. God is promising blessing after blessing to David. For when we pursue God with our whole heart, God pursues every joy that will make our righteous heart whole, full and heavy with joy. God is a cheerful and generous giver. In 2 Corinthians 9:7 we are taught to be generous givers. We are taught to be what our God already is. 

Every time we serve God, God's response is to serve us. He's that selfless. If all we have is a tiny mustard seed, but we place it in His hands, He wraps a bow around a mountain. A massive blessing with our name on it. 

7:15 Saul abandoned God and thus deteriorated his faith. He flushed mercy out of his life when he flushed out his effort to be righteous. God promises to be merciful with Solomon; we can imagine that it would be a great relief to David to know that his son will have the cushion of God's compassion and instruction. Mercy is promised to all of God's children who remain righteous. We are fallible. We have shortcomings. As long as our intentions remain righteous, God forgives the mistakes. Helps us to correct the mistakes. 

Yes, we are disciplined. It is necessary and beneficial to us. But God promises not to discipline without mercy. Action and reaction, cause and effect... life is a classroom but not without padding, not without direction, when we live life for God.

7:16 God reveals to David: we have started something that will continue forever. Your life is permanent to God. Your impact is eternal. Your influence is infinite. He has plans for your imprint on the earth to matter, even after you've left it. Righteousness creates life of all kinds and keeps on living, growing and spreading.

7:17 Nathan the prophet delivers this heartfelt and selfless message and mission from God to David. Nathan receives the vision God has for David's life... for all life and it is beautiful. So beautiful that David is overcome by emotion. Overcome by God's generosity and love. Overcome by the sheer and massive extent of God's plans. 

David spends the rest of the chapter in awe and reverence, love and gratitude. 

7:18 David is humbled by God's work and promise in his life. He's baffled by God's generosity: Who am I that you have brought me this far? For God's children, the equation does not compute. We have difficulty understanding how we could possibly be worthy of Him.

Ironically, while God is doing so much to build us up... His love utterly and beautifully strips us... until we a reduced only to praise and worship of Him. Until we are just a soul come out of a body, pumping out love, exuding reverence. 

7:19 God's sense of humor is so overwhelmingly gentle... yet wry. He loves to surprise us. Shock us. Exceed our expectations. He loves to do the opposite of what we think we want... to show us that He knew better all along. 

In the beginning of the chapter David thought it could not possibly get any better than it was. In the previous chapter he lost himself in worship and celebration of God... overwhelmed by the scale of what God had accomplished (indeed the journey of the children of Israel had made incredible strides: from slavery and destitution to freedom and surplus). And yet in this chapter, God explained that He was just getting started. David's mind is blown. 

David is so humbled by God's work in his life that he tries to point out his modest size. David thinks God must have the wrong person... and there again is God's wry sense of humor. He has told us that the least shall be made great and He means it, Matthew 23:12. 

You might be little but your faith makes you big. Your may be fractured but your faith will heal you, Mark 5:34. David is here, speaking to God, feeling small and fractured and not understanding why God is loving him as though he is not. We may not ever understand how or why God loves the way that He does; we may never see in ourselves the potential and beauty He sees in us. But whether or not we understand or see the how or why, it's true: He loves us emphatically.

7:20 David feels inadequate. And it's true, we cannot match His perfection. Our best efforts are only little sparks compared to the infinite burning suns of His best. But God has taught us how we can best reciprocate his love: serve others.

Matthew 25:35-40

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

David accurately views his kingship as a position of servitude under God. That uniquely faithful and selfless perspective allows us to give back to God in a substantial way. 

7:21 David understands his own personal journey to be an expression of God's intention and philosophy of life. God journeys with each of us to reveal His character and His vision for the earth and heaven. He works tirelessly in the details of our lives for us to understand the master plan of peace.

7:22 And at last David expresses the core of his thoughts: Therefore You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You. His ability, generosity, wisdom and compassion is inestimable.

7:23 David also expresses his love for God's people. David is a humanitarian first and king second. It is an honor and a duty to have the responsibility of leading God's people; David appreciates their, our journey of faith. David thinks beyond and before his present self: he appreciates the journey out of Egypt and every effort exerted by God and for God during and since.

7:24 God has indeed claimed us. All of us: the broken and corrupt parts as well as the whole and righteous. He has taken us under His wing of responsibility to love and fix and direct. David contemplates the magnanimity of that. It is wise - and also healing - for us to reflect on it as well.

7:25 David is so ready and willing to continue on this journey with God. Although the plans are massive and David feels inadequate, he knows the capability of God. David has poured his heart and soul out to God: the incredulity, the humility. And now he is ready to continue working, implementing God's will on the earth. Let's do it, he says, exactly as you have planned.

7:26-27 So let your name be magnified forever. God's promises of continued blessings inspire David to speak this one-on-one heart-to-heart prayer to God. David just unzips himself for his soul to step into pure faith. Raw, sincere, intimate communicate with God.

7:28 David makes three proclamations as he closes his prayer: You are God; Your words are true; and You have promised this goodness to your servant. This is a declaration, a mantra that should live in every breath, in and between every heartbeat. Somehow, incredibly, God uses our servitude as an opportunity to serve us.

The depth of mantra is this:

• God is the authority and power over and within your life: corruption and fear are inconsequential, powerless in the lives of God's children.
• God is the truth renouncing the way of the world: righteousness, humility and compassion reign, establish law and determine order.
• God has promised that His servants will be served as royalty: sincere work receives seemingly disproportionate blessings.

7:29 David prayers for God's presence to remain with this house of His servant. This soul. This life. The whole house and the individual, simultaneously. No separation, ever. David does not understand how he has deserved God's kindness but he prayers to keep it all his life.

OT: The Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 6

2 Samuel 6:1-23

6:1-2 David makes a massive effort to bring the ark of God to Jerusalem; 30,000 selected men join him in the move. He is intent on making this place a center for the children of Israel's faith. The ark of God has been a symbol of God's covenant with the group, with humanity. It was not God Himself but a representation of His holiness. 

6:3-4 They bring the ark of God on a cart, though it is supposed to be (and designed to be, Exodus 25) carried. This rule is symbolic: there are no shortcuts. We carry our faith. We hold it in our hands and our hearts. But as the ark is brought to the house of Abinadab, Uzzah and Ahio (his sons) drive the cart. If their mistake is not evidence of false faith, it is at least evidence of their disregard for God's word.

6:5 At the ark's arrival, David and all of the house of Israel (the many people of the 12 tribes) celebrate. David always enjoyed worshiping God through music; many and various instruments are played for the occasion of the placement of the ark. 

6:6-8 Uzzah touches the ark as it slips and is struck by God. David is horrified! He does not understand. Likely this moment is symbolic of the figurative stumbling we do that is caused by our unfaithfulness, unrighteousness. It causes us to err in detrimental ways. If the men of Israel were disregarding God's work in the beginning, in the presence of the ark, it would likely get much worse as time progressed. 

6:9-11 David reroutes the final destination of the ark; he decides to place it in the house of Obed-Edom (a descendant of the Levite family God entrusted with the care of the ark).  God, pleased with the arrangement, blesses the Obed-Edom and his family for hosting the ark. 

6:12-13 Once David is convinced that the ark has been placed where God planned, he relaxes and prepares to celebrate. It's important to David to keep God in the details of life. The foundation is sound when the placement of things is precise. The ark was not supposed to remain with David, who was king but not a god. 

6:14-15 So David worships. He pours his whole heart out to God: love and gratitude, trust and reverence, humility and servitude. David danced before the Lord with all his might. Wearing the appropriate clothing for being in the presence of the ark: white linen. Pure. Simple. Honest. 

Though he has faults and mistakes and fears, David loves God. It has been David's purpose in life to serve and love and follow our compassionate, strong, wise Creator. When we love God with all our heart, when our worship of Him obliterates everything else, the faults, mistakes and fears become an inconsequential wisp. In a moment of sincere, explosive worship it's just Him and us. Two souls entwined in love as the world falls away. 

6:16 As David leaps and whirls before God, Michal grows to loathe David. Immediately we learn that Michal does not love God. She does not understand David's response to God's presence in his life. Saul had arranged Michal to be David's wife but then took her away from David. Though David has since regained Michal through Abner, it is clear that the relationship was never meant to be.

6:17-18 Following custom, David makes sacrifices to God. Though even David knows what God truly wants, Psalm 51:16, he is truly delighted to give to God the best of everything he has... surely God has given no less than the best of everything He has. 

6:19 And David distributes to all of the people there worshiping what God has provided. This is symbolic of David's role as king. He is meant to bring God's will and provision into their lives. To share it equally and abundantly in service of God's will. 

6:20 Michal viciously mocks David for his worship behavior when he returns home. She does not get it, the love that causes a person to lose themselves in the world and find themselves wrapped in God's love. Michal does not like that David, even as king, is just his real self. There's no front or facade, David wants people to know he loves God and serves Him. And the influence of such a king is a blessing to any people. Michal prefers a husband, a king, who would rule with haughty authority... but that is not David, who is a child and servant of God before anything else.

6:21-22 David is unfazed and unashamed. He tells Michal exactly what must profess to the world: nothing will stop us from loving and revering and worshiping our God. David will not alter his behavior to please people, not even his wife. He will live righteously and sincerely in total alignment with God: 

“It was before the Lord, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the Lord. And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor.”

6:23 Michal and David have no children, which suggests that their relationship ended the day she revealed her unfaithful heart.

OT: The Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 5

2 Samuel 5:1-25

5:1 David began his life as an underdog in everyone's eyes except for God's. Through David's faith, God was able to build a humble, strong, compassionate and able person. David naturally followed the life advice we receive in the New Testament.

 1 Peter 5: 5-11

5 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” 6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

As each of the tribes of the children of Israel approach David to anoint him as king, we see God's orchestration come beautifully into place. God saw potential in David from the beginning. In the middle of crisis and defeat, God saw potential in David. When nobody, not even David, could envision a future in which he would be redeemed from his troubles, God saw potential in David. And now God hands David the opportunity at last to serve him not just as a soldier any longer but as a king: As a man who would implement the word of God on hundreds of thousands of people; As a man who would be an ancestor of the messiah. 

And do not think that God will not crown you too. It is God's most favorite work to anoint the underdog, the broken one, the orphan. There are many ways to be kings and queens on this earth. And by following the advice of the scripture above, we are anointed by God to do great and important work while we are here on earth. 

5:2 Suddenly the people remember David's courageous work on their behalf against the Philistines. People are fickle. The children of Israel flit from leader to leader. They celebrate their leaders one day and curse them the next. The choose the wrong people to lead them and torment the right ones. But God is steadfast in His support of you. Through your growth, trial, error and accomplishment He is cheering for you. He is actively building the conditions you need to climb and achieve. And when nobody else can envision you in a place of position and influence, even perhaps yourself, in those precise moments God is fitting that place to your specifications.

5:3 In Hebron, David is anointed king of Israel. David understands what the position means even if everyone else does not. David understands that any position of influence given by God is a responsibility to do God's work. David is a servant, and happily. Neither Saul nor Ishbosheth understood their kingship as a responsibility to serve. This crowning was not an opportunity to serve themselves or the children of Israel but God. God who has all of their best interests at heart as well as the wisdom and means to make it reality. 

5:4-5 We learn that David was thirty years old when we began to reign and that he reigned for forty years. During his kingship, he reigned from Hebron for seven years and six months. From Jerusalem, he reigned thirty three years. 

5:6-7 So David began to work. It was decided that it was time to claim the land of Jerusalem from the Canaanites. The people of Jerusalem scoffed at David, believing the conquest of the city to be impossible. And perhaps it is, for a man. But David and God, you and God, make a majority than cannot be defeated or held back.

5:8 For David, there is no room in this life for people who are blind to God's word and lame, lazy, when it's time to do His work.

5:9-10 David made Jerusalem his city, his stronghold. And he was able to have it and retain it because God remained with him. God remained with David because David remained with God. We learn here that David became great. David became great because he became (and never stopped being) a student of God, an instrument of His will.

5:11-12 A home is built for David as king. David sees the construction of the house as approval from God of his work. David does not see it as something he is entitled to, or some piece of art of respect of beauty... he sees it as God approving of his servitude. For David understands that if he were not building up God's word among humanity, any house or position of his would be deconstructed rather than built.

But God's powerful and compassionate love is not only for David. It has been in God's heart to find a righteous and capable leader for the whole body of the children of Israel. He rescued them a long time ago and has been working tirelessly to keep them safe. The appointment, anointment, of David as king is God's way of providing something the children of Israel desperately needed: leadership. Leadership by a person who would not abuse their rights. Leadership by a person who knew where to lead because he knew Who to follow: God.

5:13 David vice, Deuteronomy 17:17, and temptation continued to be women and his family expanded significantly. Once again, we clearly see that God does not choose people who are perfect. He chooses people who need work, which makes all of us contenders. He chooses people who are willing to learn and work on their flaws (and David certainly will confront this vice of his).

 5:14-16 More of his children are named here: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

5:17-19 The Philistines learn of David's anointing as king and pursue him. True to his faithful nature, David looks to God for a defensive or offensive plan against the opposition. The children of Israel continue to be a target because the work sees them as small and weak. Without God, they are. But because of David's righteous reign, they are not without God.

We might be small but we are not insignificant when we are aligned with God. We might be weak but when we are weak, He blazes through us with strength, 2 Corinthians 12:10. God chose a tiny, weakened group in Deuteronomy 7:7, to show the work just how powerful humility and righteousness is... how it defies the powers of the world's ways.

Go up, God says, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand. Without doubt, you can expect that God will deliver you the victory over whatever opposition is in your life. Consult Him, as David did. Serve Him, as David did. When you ask Him: Lord will you help me?" He answers: "Of course I will. And doubtless, we will win."

5:20-21 David never forgets who delivers his victory. David does not claim any piece of the win, he rightly gives all due credit to God. God who breaks through our enemies like water. He remains humble. He remains awed by God's impressive and generous defense. David has a bond with God, a deep and strong relationship. It's personal. Intricate. Made strong by steadfast faith and gratitude. Love. On both sides. It's student, teacher. It's Father, son. It's spirit to Spirit. All in one. 

5:22 The Philistines continue their pursuit, as evil wastefully does. Evil is not wise. It pursues a force it cannot beat out of arrogance and foolishness and greed. 

5:23 David asks for and receives God's advice to soundly defeat the Philistines. 

How does God transfer that wisdom into us? Through the channel of our faith. The deeper, wider, more receptive our faith is to His will, the bigger and more clever are our blessings. Through our experiences, thoughts, feelings and circumstances God places wisdom we do not have into our hands. When we do not see a staircase, He makes one. When we do not see an exit, He creates one. When we do not have an ability He forms one. He is a creator through and through.

It's important the remember we are always in a classroom with Him. Each moment is a lesson, a heart to heart conversation, a sharing of reaction and emotion and thought. Because as long as we are sitting there before Him with a righteous heart and a humble enough disposition to actually learn, He is doing great work within us. And maybe you do not know how to skillfully defeat the "Philistines" in your life right now but you will. He's always going to make you smarter, faster, craftier than your enemy. 

5:24-25 God joins David and the army on the battlefield. He's not just the mastermind, He soldiers with them. With us. With you. He is working right alongside us. He is in deep, wholly committed. He's got callouses on His hands too. He is joined in this effort against injustice because He started it. He finishes it, too. We're the bow that shoots the arrow, He's the One who stretches out the effort; He's the One Who aims. And our God is precision itself.

OT: The Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 4

2 Samuel 4:1-12

4:1 Ishbosheth is informed of Abner's death and discouragement paralyzes him. The force behind his claim to power was made by Abner, the skillful politician that he was. Ishbosheth was afraid when Abner left, afraid that he would not return. But at the news that Abner could not return send him over the edge of defeat. 

Similar are we who hinge our happiness, contentment and achievement on another person or thing instead of God. Ishbosheth is an empty and broken shell. Therefore, there is no power or passion within him. He has not been strengthened or established by God. When we neglect God, we neglect the growth and strength of ourselves. The title, the fame and the wealth drew Ishbosheth to the thrown... not his heart. He had no internal desire to actually organize and lead the body of people under his kingship. Without purpose and meaning, we quickly deflate. This is why God encourages us to pursue Him with our whole heart. Because if heart is absent, so is life. So is meaning and purpose. 

4:2-3 Two of the late-Saul's captains, Rechab and Rimmon, decide to take matters into their own hands. They are disgusted with Ishbosheth's behavior. 

4:4 There is no one in the family after Ishbosheth to make a legitimate claim to the throne. With that in mind, Rechab and Rimmon devise a hasty and brutal plan.

4:5 Rechab and Rimmon find Ishbosheth still in bed at noon. This behavior, especially for a king, is unacceptable. Servants of God in the Bible are described as waking up with or before the sun. There is so much work to do and the laborers are few, Luke 10:2. The children of Israel were fragmented and broken by the defeat of the Philistines and the rule of an unfaithful king. Their king needed to be actively involved in restoration... not relaxation, not despair. 

4:6-7 Still, Rechab and Rimmon choose a brutal solution. They deceptively enter the king's quarters, kill Ishbosheth, and behead him. 

4:8 The two men bring the head of Ishbosheth to David. Rechab and Rimmon are proud of their actions. They mistakenly believe David to be a vengeful and ruthless king. 

4:9-10 But David is not pleased to receive the head of an innocent man. In fact, he's incensed. Murder has never been David's solution to barriers (and for that very reason, a terrible decision in David's future will nearly destroy him).

David explains that he is angry about the murder of Ishbosheth... just as he was angry about the death of Saul, 2 Samuel 1. People continue to believe that David hates his enemies and wants them destroyed. Because they do not understand God, they do not understand how David follows the will of God. David knows that if and when God decides to make him king over all of Israel, he will not have to deceive and murder to make it happen. David is not greedy for more or for power. He is content to take responsibility for what God has provided, as He provides it. 

4:11-12 David was angry when a man tried to claim he killed a guilty king (for Saul indeed hated and tried to kill David). David is even more distressed that an innocent man lost his life... in a place where he should have been safe. David sentences Rechab and Rimmon to death and they are executed. David has his men bury Ishbosheth respectfully.

OT: The Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 3

2 Samuel 3:1-39

3:1 The civil war within Israel continues "but David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker." Our faith in God enables us to grow strong while are enemies become enfeebled. Our faith to trust Him to grow us for greater purposes allows us to inherit massive blessings and responsibilities. Through His instruction, and our perseverance of faith, we become figurative kings and queens on earth, equipped with strength and ability to change the lives around us. 

1 Peter 5:10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.

David spent much of his life in the wilderness. He spent a solid chunk of his life in the complete opposite place that God promised him; but he never lost faith. David never stopped serving God, even when conditions and circumstances made it difficult to do so. David was not tempted by greed or revenge; though he did compose much of the book of Psalms trying to persevere through his situation. He kept his communication open with God and it continued to save and deliver his life. David witnessed his trust in God continually turn the circumstances to his favor, even when it seemed impossible. David's life on the run taught him how to be a king... by learning through Saul exactly how not to be a king. David learned to trust God. To listen to His direction. David learned that continued service to God enabled one to be treated as royalty by Him.

We learned from David that when our faith in God is strong and our works are of His will, our enemies might as well be asleep when in battle with us, 1 Samuel 26:7-12. They have zero chance. But that is not obvious to an outsider. Outside of confident faith, the world is bleak; hope is lost. But a child of God trusts His instruction, walks the path He leads us on, and eventually arrives at the precise place and blessing He planned for us. 

In the process of the aforementioned verse from the book of First Peter, David is being strengthened. He is about to be settled as king. God has specific instruction for each of His children. He knows how to grow each of us. He knows how to develop and hone our abilities. He knows where establish us. His ultimate plan is to settle us in His love and blessing. 

Saul's house grows weaker because they refuse to undergo the process of apprenticeship and servitude to God. Jesus told us to let go of the way of the world - this world which teaches us to live selfishly for material and control, Romans 12:2. Jesus explains to us that without a commitment of servitude to righteousness, we have no salt, no flavor, no purpose. Without that commitment, we are just down here splashing around, muddying ourselves and everyone around us, Matthew 5:13. Saul had no salt. Saul's remaining house and army has no salt, no purpose toward righteousness. Without God, we are vulnerable and fallible. He makes up for our weaknesses, without Him, we subsequently weaken. Be wiser than to live independent of Him; we need Him and He so generously offers to fill those needs.

Draw strength from David's experience, even if you have to journey to Psalms to do so (he wrote his heart out to the Lord). The plan and progress God put into his life is obvious to us as we read... but David lived by faith rather than sight, as we are supposed to do, 2 Corinthians 5:7. David did not have a vision of himself as king. He did not have a vision of Saul's death. He did not have a vision of himself being free of enemies. Everything in life did not happen for him overnight. He just trusted God that those things would happen. He trusted God that he would be safe. But David experienced the same trials and emotions we all face; he was frequently distressed and sad, scared and hurt. He had personal shame and regret. But his faith pushed through all of it, all of those emotions that suppress us, and was delivered by God. David was not perfect, and we will see that as he ages. But God loved him anyway because God accepted him for exactly who he was. Flaws and all, God is all in. If we are in the middle of the puddle, the center of quagmire, He plunges right through it to rescue us. To clean us off. To show us a way around those puddles.

3:2-5 The landscape has changed, David is no longer hunted by Saul and this provides him an opportunity to grow a family:

• Ammon, firstborn son of David, mother: Ahinoam
• Chileab, second son of David, mother: Abigail 
• Absalom, third son of David, mother: Maacah
• Adonijah, fourth son of David, mother: Haggith 
• Shephatiah, fifth son of David, mother: Abital
• Isthream, sixth son of David, mother: Eglah 

Each of these sons would cause David grief, a few of them will outright challenge his God-given authority.

We have spoken before about the strength and beauty of David's faith, but nobody is perfect. We all fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23. David has a lot of wives; his love of women will cause a crisis in his life, a moment when he acts against reason by succumbing to temptation... and it tears him apart. His shame and regret tears him apart. That is a slight digression for this chapter but is examined in 2 Samuel 11 and Psalm 51.

3:6 Though the house of Saul was crumbling, Abner was strengthening his hold over it. His proficiency at organizing the fragmented kingdom painted him a capable and powerful man.

3:7 People, specifically Ishbosheth, begin to notice Abner's desire for power. Ishbosheth is considered an illegitimate son of Saul because he was born to a concubine. Still, Abner was able to establish him as king. But because Ishbosheth was chosen by Abner rather than God, he is an illegitimate king.

Ishbosheth begins to feel threatened by Abner and accuses him, perhaps falsely, of fornicating with Saul's former concubine, Rizpah. The accusation is fierce; if Abner had a relationship with Rizpah, it would be a declaration of his intention to manipulate the kingdom away from Ishbosheth.

3:8 The accusation makes Abner furious. He feels betrayed by it, after all, he has devoted his life to reestablishing Saul's kingdom. He is the reason Ishbosheth has any power or influence at all.

3:9-10 In his fury, Abner changes allegiance. He tells Ishbosheth that he will wholly focus his efforts on the establishment of David's kingdom rather than Saul's.

It is interesting when we are finally able to see what God sees from the beginning. Isbosheth would not make a good, successive king. The kingdom Saul left behind is corrupt, fickle and immature. It relies on manipulation, deceit and accusation.

3:11 The declaration stuns Ishbosheth. It scares him because his already weak grasp of the kingdom is sure to slip without the man who handed it to him in the first place. His ally has become his foe. Conversely, David's foe has become his ally... because David is faithful to God. And God expertly, stunningly,  turns our disadvantages into advantages.

3:12 Abner indeed defects from Ishbosheth; he send messengers to David explaining that he would like to create a covenant with him. Abner is a skillful politician; he knows how to create the conditions to raise a king. Like Saul/Paul in the New Testament, he worked for the wrong side at first. But his skill was undeniable. When he aligns his skill with the will of God, incredible achievements are made. Abner promises David that he will unite all of Israel under David's authority.

Notice how God compensates for the deficiency David has in certain areas. David does not have the natural desire or skill to be a politician or king. At best, he is uncomfortable with fame; at worst he hides from it. But he does posses the necessary faith and faith is God's only requirement. David's earnest willingness to follow God's will causes God to make up for the places where he is a little weak. God recruits others, turns foes into friends, to provide David with the best assistance that can be provided.

God works within Abner's life as well. The accusation which tore Abner's life apart created the conditions by which he would redeem himself and align himself with the will of God.

3:13-16 David agrees to make a covenant with Abner but requires that Abner restore David's wife Michal to him. And Abner does, much to the dismay of her husband.

3:17-20 Abner uses his aptitude for politics to unite the elders of Israel under David's authority. He reminds them that there was a time when David's name was cheered in the streets and people delighted in the prospect of David as their king. Abner's proficiency and eloquence encourage the elders to elect the man God has chosen. Do it, he tells them, crown the man God has chosen to rescue Israel from the Philistines. David has proved his military acuity; the children of Israel can therefore be confident in his ability to continue to protect and defend them.

2:21 David personally witnesses Abner's campaigning for David and approves. He makes a feast for Abner and his men as Abner prepares to bring the campaign to more of the children of Israel: I will arise and go, and gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires.

3:22-25 Joab returns from a raid and finds out that David has made a covenant with Abner. Immediately, Joab is distressed. He does not trust Abner, the man who killed his brother Asahel.

3:26-27 Joab works behind David's back to capture Abner and bring him back to Hebron. When he captures him, Joab covertly kills Abner. Abner only killed Joab's brother because he was provoked, he did not want to do it. Likely, Joab realizes that Abner might have a legitimate claim of innocence so he kills him without witnesses.

3:28-30 David hears about the murder. David and his kingdom are innocent because they did not know about it. He requests that Joab's guilt rest solely on his own head and his family's, if they were involved.

We know David to be a man who always consults God where matters of his leadership are involved. David would not have made a covenant with Abner if God had not supported the decision. If it were up to David, Abner would not have been killed. 

3:31-33 David is sincere in his grief over Abner's murder. He attends Abner's funeral. People could see that David was a kind and fair king; Abner had earnestly become a worker of God and David respected him for that, despite their history on opposite sides.

3:34 Should Abner die as a fool dies? David speaks. He feels that Abner's death was unjustified. Wickedness brought him down. Still, God turned Abner's life around before he left the earth. Abner left his life on earth as a respectable man despite the evil intentions of Ishbosheth, Joab and Abishai. He turned his life around; the blood was on their hands.

3:35-37 David fasts in respect for Abner. It becomes clear to the children of Israel that Abner's death was not perpetrated by any greed for power on David's behalf. Abner became a worker of God and David wanted the children of Israel to know.

3:38-39 Despite being king, a position of power, David revealed that the evil done to Abner made him feel weak. A powerful child of God has a compassionate heart, a heart sensitive to the consequences evil actions cause. We see that David's position has not stripped him of his beautiful, empathetic, righteous heart. The power is in the compassion, not the throne. A contrite heart, Psalm 51:17, is a place for God to do great work. Because of the injustice that breaks our hearts, we are propelled to be a strong force against evil.

OT: The Second Book of Samuel, Chapter 2

2 Samuel 2:1-32

2:1 After mourning Saul and Israel's consequent fragmentation, David has a question for God. He wants to know if it is now an appropriate time to return to the land of Israel. David was pushed out of that land by Saul's hatred and pursuit of him. The threat is gone but it is still a precarious time to return: David has been falsely accused of pursuing the throne before. With Saul gone, the population of Israel might make those same conjectures. 

We can remember that David was a keeper of his family's sheep, 1 Samuel 17:15. David did not ask or desire to be king, he was chosen by God to be king, Acts 13:22. Although it is an advantageous time to pursue the throne, and others will be, that is not David's intention. He wishes to return home but above that and all else, he wishes to follow God's will. If that means staying in Ziklag, David will stay. If that means returning to Israel, David will return. If that means becoming king, David will become king. 

God gives David permission to return to the cities of Judah (David's family are of the tribe of Judah, his great-grandparents are Ruth and Boaz, Ruth 4:18-21). If he were to be accepted by any tribe, it would be Judah first. 

What is extraordinary about David is not just that he consults God, it is that he consults God on the details. David asks: should I go and where in Judah? It is important to David to place himself precisely where God wants him to be. It is in David's character to want to defuse tension; he made multiple attempts to resolve the conflict between himself and Saul. David does not want his return to cause turmoil. God directs David to Hebron. 

2:2-3 David gathers his wives and the men who follow him; they travel to Hebron to dwell.

2:4 The tribes of Israel are not king-less; they have God, the ultimate King. But because they insisted on a man king, God changed formula, 1 Samuel 8. Thus the tribes are now reliant on a king and currently without one. The tribe of Judah anoints David as king, but there are eleven other tribes who do not recognize his authority. When God anoints David, his position as king will be official and complete.

2:5-6 Judah explains to David that the men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones to bury Saul. Out of respect for Saul and the kingdom, David sends messengers to thank them for their service to Saul. David tells them that they are blessed by God for their kindness; when Saul used to speak of God it was in-genuine, for he did not follow God. But David speaks of God sincerely; he truly thankful for their kindness and believes that it is recognized and appreciated by God.

2:7 David prepares them to be ready for the immediate future; it is time for a new king. Their brave and honorable service is welcomed into the kingdom under David, which is currently being constructed. 

2:8-10 Meanwhile, Abner, the commander of Saul's army plots his own future for the children of Israel. He chooses Ishbosheth, a previously unmentioned son of Saul as king over all of Israel. David blamed Abner for not protecting Saul in a previous chapter, 1 Samuel 26:15. Evidence supports that Abner is unconcerned by God's will; he does not protect it or pursue it. Abner's intentions are likely to establish power and position for himself. Ishbosheth only reigns for two years.

2:11 David rules the tribe of Judah from Hebron for two years; he will rule all of Israel from Hebron for five more years. He will continue to be king but from another location after that.

2:12-14 Abner and Ishbosheths men meet with Joab and the servants of David by the pool of Gibeon. Abner comes up with the idea that the two groups should compete against each other. Joab agrees. It would be king against king, but only of of them had been anointed by God.

2:15-17 Twenty four men compete, twelve from each side and they all die.

2:18-23 David's nephew Asahel, described as "as fleet of foot as a wild gazelle," is killed by Abner. Although Asahel was a quick fighter, he was not a wise man. He should not have confronted Abner so hastily. Moreover, Abner did not want to kill Joab's brother: it would cause further damage to an already precarious and lethal situation.

2:24-26 As the men on each side ready to begin another battle, Abner asks Joab if "the sword shall devour forever." The fighting and killing was not accomplishing anything.

2:27-29 Joab agrees to end the fighting but none of the issues are resolved. Israel is still fragmented and ruled by different kings. There are hostilities and casualties on both sides that a temporary cease-fire will not assuage or even reduce.

2:30-31 We can understand why Abner called for a break in the fighting: David lost nineteen men but Abner lost three hundred and sixty. Perhaps in that moment Abner realized he was facing more than a mortal army. God's protection and strength over His children is relentless and fierce. He tires out our enemies while He establishes our position.

2:32 Asahel is buried with his family in Bethlehem. Joab and his men return to Hebron, David's headquarters. The remnants of Saul's house and army continue to battle against David's authority. But God has already decided David's path, declared his purpose, and David's faith in God has already accepted it. Therefore, nothing could derail it. The same is true for each of God's children.