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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

1 Chronicles 9:35-39; 1 Samuel 13:1-5, 13:19-22, 13:6-18, 13:23-14:1-52 A great struggle in many of our lives is whether we are ultimately trying to please God or people. If we seek to please people, we will end up drifting along with the opinions and actions of our culture. If we are pleasing God, we will walk in obedience to him regardless of what others do. Saul is shown to constantly be moved ...

1 Samuel 9:1-12:25 Saul would have looked much like a modern-day politician. He was tall and good looking but, as we will see, his physical attributes could not hide his spiritual weaknesses. He was meant to lead the people but lacked the ability to even lead himself. He was placed in a position that only God should fill; thus, was an inferior king. This is the mistake Israel made. They thought th...

1 Samuel 4:12-8:22Eli discovers his sons are dead and the ark has been taken. As a result of their disobedience the people of God have been defeated and Eli dies heartbroken. His daughter-inlaw gives birth to a child, Ichabod, which means “the glory has departed” (1 Samuel 4:21). Things seem grim, but even during these terrible times there is hope. God has raised up Samuel who is listening and wil...

1 Samuel 1:9-4:11 One classic TV show was the Beverly Hillbillies. Upon striking it rich, this uncultured family moves among the rich and famous where they do not fit. There is a stark contrast between how they live and the families all around them. Today's reading provides a similar contrast between two families. The family of Eli and the family of Hannah. Despite Eli being a priest over Israel, ...

Ruth 4:13-22; 1 Chronicles 2:9-55, 4:1-23; 1 Samuel 1:1-8 Have you ever attended a successful surprise birthday party? One where the person walks in, hears surprise, and stands with their mouth agape at all the people surrounding them? The end of the book of Ruth has that kind of surprise. What initially seemed like a story about one Israelite family is a story that includes all of Israel and, ult...

Ruth 1:1-4:12 The book of Ruth begins with all sorts of seemingly disastrous decisions. A family from the tribe of Judah leaves the Promised Land. The Israelite men from this family marry non-Israelite women—what were they thinking? It seems like God is against them. Naomi voices this opinion as she heads back home leaving three dead men in Moab and apparently with no material possessions. Yet, Go...

Judges 19:1-21:25 If the Bible had parental advisories on each section, today's reading would get a heavy R rating. We have rape, war, sexual immorality, chopping up of a body, lots of death, civil war, and kidnapping. Throughout the book of Judges, the nation of Israel has slowly drifted spiritually and now finds a vast chasm between them and God. They have stepped right into idolatry and sin in ...

Judges 16:1-18:31 "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit." In the book of Judges, Israel has devolved to a point where they have no leadership and no sense of law. God was supposed to be their king, but they had long ago cast him to the side in order to place people, and ultimately themselves, on the throne. In fact, from Judges 17 to the end of the book, we see there are ...