2 Samuel 12:5 - Righteous indignation

David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die!

Nathan told David a story of injustice. David was angry, but Nathan tells him, "You are the man!" (v.7) because of his affair with Bathsheba and murder of her husband. Sometimes we get so angry at something we think is wrong, when the truth is we have done so much worse. Righteous indignation is rarely right.

Lord, thank you for helping us to see our flaws. Please help us to remember our own sin before pointing out the sin of another. Amen.

2 Samuel 11:27 - Displeasing the Lord

After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.

The story of David and Bathsheba is an important one for us to hear. David seems almost perfect, always pleasing the Lord, but here he sins as we all do. In the first verse of the story, it seems as though David is not where he ought to be. From there it gets worse. He commits adultery and eventually has her husband killed. The phrase, "But the thing David had done displeased the Lord," really caught my attention. If I put my name in for David's, it is heartbreaking to me. I think of all of my sins and how I have displeased the Lord. If we are Christians, we are forgiven, but maybe this thought will help us to avoid future sin.

Lord, thank you for the example of your servant David. Please help us to not displease you. Amen.

2 Samuel 10:12 - The Lord's will

Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.”

In this chapter, David sent a group of men to express condolences to the son of an enemy who has died. The gesture is not well received and the group of men are humiliated. This started a battle. Before going into battle, the leader of the David's army makes the above statement. I think these men realized they were God's tools. They were not assured victory. They wanted the Lord's will to be done. We are expected to be strong and brave, but the outcome is up to the Lord.

Lord, thank you for giving us strength and bravery. Please help us to seek your will in every situation. Amen.

2 Samuel 9:3 - Showing kindness

The king asked, “Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God’s kindness?”  Ziba answered the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.”

Giving to a good cause or donating to an organization are great things to do, but have you ever sought out someone to show kindness to? David took the time to seek out a relative of his good friend Jonathan to whom he could show God's kindness. This may be something we think of doing at Christmas or Thanksgiving, but there are always those around us in need, we just have to open our eyes to see them.

Lord, thank you for your loving kindness to us. Please show us someone to whom we can show your kindness. Amen

2 Samuel 8:11 - Success

King David dedicated these articles to the Lord, as he had done with the silver and gold from all the nations he had subdued:

God was with David and helped him be successful in conquering many nations. David knew, without a doubt, God was the reason for his success and he gave the Lord the valuable thing he acquired. Do we attribute our successes to God? Do we dedicate to him the plunder, the results of the success?

Lord, thank you for allowing us to be successful. Please help us to give you the glory and return the plunder to you. Amen.

2 Samuel 7:21 - Sometimes we get a no

For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

In this chapter, David decides to build a permanent home for the Ark of  God. God speaks to David though the Nathan and says no, David's son will be the one to build a temple. David accepts this from God and praises Him. We (or someone close to us) may not hear an audible answer from God today, but he has his ways to make his will known. If we pray for an answer to be made clear, it will.

Lord, thank you for your guidance. Please help us to accept your answers. Amen.

2 Samuel 6:5 - Pray, then plan

David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.

David has a great plan. He wants to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem and make it a huge celebration for all the people. Everything starts out well, then Uzziah touched the ark and is instantly killed. David was doing all this for the Lord. Why did God bring this celebration to a halt? Why didn't God overlook this mistake?

A few weeks ago I heard a sermon by Paul Cartwright about Uzziah.. (This is the sermon where we were challenged to read 2 Samuel.) In this lesson, Paul talked about how there were several things wrong here, mostly, David did not make sure the Ark was being moved as God specifically required it to be moved. It should not have been on an cart, but carried by poles. David was usually so good at praying to God before doing things like going to battle, but in this case, maybe he planned this big celebration to move the Ark without going to God first.

Lord, than you for being clear with us about what you want from our lives. Please help us to always go to you before making plans. Amen.

From The Message - Romans 12 - Keep smiling

If you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.

My sisters and I have been reading Romans from The Message over the last several weeks. This passage spoke to me, the lines above (about verse 8) and the whole chapter (12). It is a snapshot of what being a Christian is meant to look like. This passage is especially meaningful to me because I work with people with dementia and it can be very challenging at times. It was so great to read this and think, "God gets this, he knows how hard this is and what the challenges are."

Lord, thank you for these words from The Message. Please help me to put these words in action every day. Amen

2 Samuel 5:19 - Guidance

so David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?”
  The Lord answered him, “Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.”

David sought after God's will. He did not trust in his own strength or mind. The Philistines were attacking David. Common sense would dictate fighting back, if not to conquer then at least to defend yourself. But David went to as secure place and prayed. How many times to we rush in to a new project or commitment without praying first? We may not hear an audible voice like David did, but if we ask for guidance, the answer will be made clear.

Lord, thank you for being with us and guiding us. Please help us to remember to pray before we act. Amen.

2 Samuel 4:9-11 - Motivation

David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!”

Rekab and Baanah were in the army of Saul, David's enemy. After Saul's death, they decided to kill Saul's son who was now king over Saul's people in order to pledge their allegiance to David. Bad idea. David was not one to reward senseless violence. David did not hate his enemy Saul or members of his family. The brothers were overzealous. They acted without knowing the whole story, with the ultimate motive of selfishness, in an effort to better their own position. They should have checked their PMS (Purpose, Motivation, Strategy).

Lord, thank you for delivering us out of every trouble. Please help us to carefully check our motivation before we take action. Amen.

Psalm 121:1-2 - Help

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
     where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
     the Maker of heaven and earth.

I always open Bible Gateway each morning to copy the scripture I plan to focus on in my blog. This morning the scripture above was the Verse of the Day and I felt it was so appropriate for the hurricanes and fires many have been dealing with.

Lord, thank you for your promise of help. Please guide us to come to you first when we need help. Amen.

2 Samuel 3:25 - Forgiveness

You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.”

From what we know of Abner, he was deceitful. He would play whichever side would benefit him. After pledging allegiance to Saul's son, he goes to David and pledges allegiance. David was openly willing to forgive Abner, but some of David's men were not so forgiving. They killed Abner and David publicly chastises them and honors Abner as a fallen warrior. Forgiveness is always the right thing to do. God forgives us of our sins time after time after time.

Lord, thank you for forgiving us. Please help us to forgive others. Amen.

2 Samuel 2:26 - Mercy

Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?”

After the death of Saul, the army of Saul continued to fight David's army. David's army was stronger and was defeating Saul's army, but Abner (from Saul's army) called out and asked for mercy. David's army backs down. This is not the end of the war, but it demonstrates the kind of army David lead. Are we the kind of person who takes every advantage offered to us, or are we merciful?

Lord, thank you for being merciful to us. Please help us to be merciful to others. Amen.

2 Samuel 1:23 - Mourning an enemy

Saul and Jonathan—
     in life they were loved and admired,
     and in death they were not parted.
They were swifter than eagles,
     they were stronger than lions.

When Saul and Jonathan died, we can understand David mourning and lamenting about Johnathan, his good friend, but what about Saul? He and Saul had been enemies many times. Maybe this was a sign that David really had forgiven Saul. He did not dwell on the problems of the past between the two of them. He forgave him and honored the good things about Saul. He did not allow this anger to fester in his heart.

Lord, thank you for the life of David and the things we can learn from him. Please help us to put away past arguments and hurts and move forward for your glory. Amen.

Matthew 6:3 - Seek first

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

This morning I am choosing a new book to begin reading and studying. It is always a difficult choice, but recently someone suggested reading 2nd Samuel, which is about King David, his rise to power and his mistakes. So unless I get a strong feeling from the Lord pointing me in a different direction, that is where I will start tomorrow.

Lord, thank you for waking me up this morning early enough to study your word. Please help me to continue to seek you first. Amen.

Lamentations 3:22-2 - New every morning

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
     for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
     great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
     therefore I will wait for him.”

You may or may not have noticed I have written very rarely the last month or so. I've been having a hard time getting up in the morning and chose to sleep in instead of do my bible study. I am praying for a renewal, for an extra bolt of energy in the morning to get out of bed early enough to do this short bible study.

Lord, thank you for your faithfulness. Please help me to renew my dedication to the study of your word. Amen.