2 Samuel 7:1-17; 1 Chronicles 17:1-15; 2 Samuel 7:18-29; 1 Chronicles 17:16-27; 2 Samuel 8:1-14; 1 Chronicles 18:1-13; Psalm 60 Forever is a long time! In today's reading God makes a promise to David that his family would have a forever kingdom. Compare this forever kingdom to the longest earthly kingdoms. The Empire of Japan lasted less than 2000 years, Rome lasted less than a 1000 years, and Ame...  Read More

2 Samuel 6:12; 1 Chronicles 15:1-28; 2 Samuel 6:12-16; 1 Chronicles 15:29; 2 Samuel 6:17-19; 1 Chronicles 16:1-43; 2 Samuel 6:19-23 David left the ark of God with Obed-Edom until he realized that God's presence was a blessing. After the death of Uzzah in yesterday's reading, he was scared that God's presence might mean judgment for God's people instead of blessing. We see throughout the Bible that...  Read More

2 Samuel 5:1-3; 1 Chronicles 11:1-3, 12:23-40; 2 Samuel 5:17-25; 1 Chronicles 14:8-17; 2 Samuel 5:6-10; 1 Chronicles 11:4-9, 3:4; 2 Samuel 5:13, 5:4-5, 5:11-12; 1 Chronicles 14:1-2, 13:1-5; 2 Samuel 6:1-11; 1 Chronicles 13:6-14 We may be shocked by the sudden turn of events in today's reading. David is placed as king over Israel, the Israelites are united in their decisions and as a nation, and th...  Read More

2 Samuel 3:6-4:3, 4:5-4:12 Injustice! In a broken, sinful world injustice surrounds us. 2 Samuel 3-4 is filled with unjust killings. Abner is killed as an act of revenge by Joab. Then Ish-Bosheth is murdered by Rekab and Baanah. Much of the Bible describes events rather than approves of what occurs. We see this same thing when David mandates the return of his wife Michal, despite already having at...  Read More

2 Samuel 2:1-3:5; 1 Chronicles 3:1-4; 2 Samuel 23:8-17; 1 Chronicles 11:10-19; 2 Samuel 23:18-39; 1 Chronicles 11:20-47 David’s Mighty Men! Our eyes might glaze over the listed names, but a closer look reveals some interesting facts. 1 Chronicles 11 lists David’s warriors at the beginning of his reign, and 2 Samuel 23 lists them at the end of his reign. When we look at these lists, there is a glar...  Read More

1 Samuel 30:1-31; 1 Chronicles 12:20-22; 1 Samuel 31: 1-13; 1 Chronicles 10:1-14, 9:40-44; 2 Samuel 4:4, 1:1-27 The book of 2 Samuel begins with a lament. Lamenting was a common practice in ancient near eastern culture but is foreign to us. We think of grief as something to be hidden, ignored, or rushed through. We value the appearance of happiness above everything; thus, we are not good at dealin...  Read More

1 Samuel 26:1-27:7; 1 Chronicles 12:1-7; 1 Samuel 27:8-29:11; 1 Chronicles 12:19; Psalm 56 Everyone has a longing for the transcendent—the pursuit of what they deem as meaningful and lasting. In today's reading we come across a bizarre story in Saul's pursuit of God. God has rejected Saul as king and refuses to communicate with him through the means which God had provided for Israel (sacrifices, p...  Read More

1 Samuel 23:13-29; Psalm 54; 1 Samuel 24:1-25:44 Treat others how you want to be treated. This is one of the most fundamental lessons that parents attempt to instill in their children. This attitude is so difficult, because our broken hearts long to lash out at those who have hurt us. The Bible teaches and Jesus models a radically different ethic than to treat others how you have been treated. We ...  Read More

1 Samuel 22:1-2; Psalm 57, 142; 1 Chronicles 12:8-18; 1 Samuel 22:3-23; Psalm 52; 1 Samuel 23:1-12 It is hard to wait. Whether we are waiting for an upcoming event, for a promised gift, or for a procedure, much of life is waiting. We have reached a point in David's life where he is learning to become a master of the waiting game. He has been anointed king but has been sitting around for years wait...  Read More

1 Samuel 20:1-21:15; Psalm 34 As David flees from Saul, he turns first to safety with Ahimelek, the priest at Nob, and then to Israel's enemies in Gath, the hometown of Goliath, who was killed by David. Both places of supposed safety are quickly shown to be anything but safe. As David writes in Psalm 34 his trust is in God who delivers and saves and is a place of refuge. Dr. Thomas Constable write...  Read More

1 Samuel 17:32-19:17; Psalm 59; 1 Samuel 19:18-24 What is the most common command in the Bible? Before you continue reading, take a minute to think about it.The most common command in the Bible is: Do not be afraid. We see people respond in fear to a myriad of situations— from something small to something overwhelming, to events that might happen today or things in the far future. So, God must rem...  Read More

1 Samuel 15:1-17:31 Saul seems like the perfect picture of a king—tall and handsome, but as we have seen, his internal disposition did not match his external beauty. Even Samuel was sucked into the idea that a true leader should be obvious in his appearance. When God rejected Saul and told Samuel to anoint a new king, he assumed that the tallest, oldest son of Jesse must be the one. God reminded S...  Read More