Devotionary

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Ep 653 – 2 Samuel 13:1-19 Sep 30, 2018

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Great leaders don't always make great parents. And David is a prime example. He may have been a tremendous military leader, but as we'll see in 2 Samuel 13:1-19, he wasn't exactly adept at leading his sizeable clan of children birthed to him by his many wives. And many of the problems David would find himself facing as a parent were the direct byproduct of his own personal sins. There is an old adage that states, "What parents do in moderation, children do to excess." And David family was going to prove that statement to be painfully true. Some of his kids were going to be chips off the old block, emulating some of David's most egregious sins and bringing his moral failings right under his own roof. And one of the most telling proofs of David's poor parenting skills will be his tendency to avoid rather than confront, to dismiss rather than discipline. David would turn a blind eye to the sins of his children and the results would be deadly.

Ep 652 – 2 Samuel 12:15-23 Sep 29, 2018

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In 2 Samuel 12:15-23, we're faced with a difficult story involving the death of the baby born to Bathsheba and King David. The passage makes it painfully clear that the baby's death was the direct result of God discipline on David for his sin. But this kind of justice seems alien to us. It contradicts our sense of justice. After all, what had the baby done to deserve death? It had committed no sin. It was guilty of no transgression against God. And yet, the text tells us that the Lord afflicted the child…and he became sick. In time, the child died. And David mourned his loss, but also worshiped his God. He didn't cast blame or shake his fist in the face of God. He knew he was guilty and that the child's death was just punishment for his crime against God. While this story rocks our modern-day concepts of justice, we must be careful in passing judgment on God. He is not the one who sinned. He had not been unfaithful. But He was just.

Ep 651 – 2 Samuel 12:1-14 Sep 28, 2018

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Sin has consequences, whether we want to admit it or not. And, so often, those consequences impact those around us. Our personal sins have corporate consequences. And while our sin may have been committed in secret, it rarely remains that way. As it states in Numbers 32:23, "be sure your sin will find you out." And the ramifications of our sins usually spread out, touching the lives of the innocent and undeserving. Such was the case concerning David's sin with Bathsheba. David had let his personal passions get the best of him. He had given in to his own lusts and taken what was not his. And while he tried to cover up and minimize the impact of his sin, God was not pleased. And God, being holy and just, could not allow David's sin to go unpunished. In 2 Samuel 12:1-14, God used His prophet, Nathan, to convict David of what he had done, exposing the true condition of David's heart and revealing the true victim of David's sin: Himself.

Ep 650 – 2 Samuel 11:14-27 Sep 27, 2018

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The temptation to sin is always accompanied by the misguided belief that our sin will do no harm. We somehow rationalize our decision to sin by convincing ourselves that no damage will be done, no long-term impact will be felt. It will all turn out okay. But those are nothing more than the lies of the enemy. In the heat of the moment, when the temptation to sin is at its strongest, he whispers in our ear and assures us that our actions are perfectly just and reasonable. We have needs. Our desires are meant to be met. It's unhealthy to deny yourself that which you want and deserve. And in 2 Samuel 11:14-27, we are going to watch as David continues to deal with his sin, not with confession, but with rationalization and self-preservation. While David would survive the ordeal, his sin would leave a trail of dead bodies in its wake. His transgression would have drastic ramifications.

Ep 649 – 2 Samuel 11:1-13 Sep 26, 2018

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We all have a sin nature. And David was no different. As a man, he struggled with many of the same temptations that all men face. One in particular was his love for women. And in 2 Samuel 11:1-13, this monster within was going to raise its ugly head and do some serious damage to David's integrity and moral reputation. As revealed in chapter 10, David had developed a bad habit of delegating some of his responsibilities as commander in chief and, rather than leading his troops into battle, he was choosing to remain in Jerusalem. His decision to forego his God-given responsibilities as the leader of Israel's armies was going to set him up for a moral failure of epic proportions. And like any other sin, this one was going to have long-lasting and, ultimately, deadly consequences. David would learn the painful lesson that obeying your passions was never a good alternative to obeying God.

Ep 648 – 2 Samuel 10 Sep 25, 2018

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Even good men can develop bad habits. And, even as God's hand-picked candidate to lead the people of Israel, David was just as susceptible to this problem as anyone else in the kingdom. Chapter 10 of 2 Samuel reveals a particularly dangerous bad habit that David had developed that was going to cause serious issues in the not-so-distant future. While some leaders struggle with delegating responsibility, David seemed to have no problem doing so. In fact, we'll see him abdicating his God-given role as Israel's commander-in-chief of Israel's and leaving it all up to Joab, the commander of his armies. As King, David was responsible for protecting Israel from its enemies. He had a job to do and yet, it seems as if David was making a habit of staying home when he should have been at war. Bad habits don't just happen. They're developed over time and, in time, they can lead to seriously dangerous consequences.

Ep 647 – 2 Samuel 8:15-9:13 Sep 24, 2018

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You can crown a man and call him a king, but that doesn't guarantee that he'll rule with integrity, wisdom or righteousness. In fact, far too often, men who are placed in positions of power end up proving true the old adage: Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely. Yet, in 2 Samuel 8:15-9:13, we are shown a side of David that reflects his shepherd's heart and his approach towards leadership. As king, David enjoyed absolute power, but he did not allow himself to be corrupted by it. He was a man of integrity who refused to let his power go to his head and would not dream of using his God-given position in an ungodly manner. David was a man of his word, as we will see in his treatment of Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan. David was a gracious, merciful and compassionate king who, in spite of his faults, greatly desired to love and lead well.

Ep 646 – 2 Samuel 8:1-14 Sep 23, 2018

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What good is it to be king if you allow your nation to live in fear and subjection to the enemies who surround it? As the king of Israel, David knew that he had a God-given responsibility to defeat the enemies of Israel. And as he looked back on Israel's less-than-stellar track record, he knew that they had failed to obey God's command and cleanse the land of promise of all the pagan nations that occupied it. So, one of the first things David did was to lead his armies against the Philistines and other nations who remained in the land and posed a threat to Israel's physical and spiritual safety. In 2 Samuel 8:1-14, we see David doing what Joshua and the people of God should have done generations earlier. He performed a kind of radical surgery, cutting away the cancer of sin that had spread throughout the land. He was out to restore the spiritual integrity of the nation of Israel by removing the dangerous and deadly influences of wickedness that surrounded it.

Ep 645 – 2 Samuel 7:18-29 Sep 22, 2018

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Being king comes with a lot of perks. It is a prestigious position that carries with it certain rights and privileges. But David seemed to understand that his status as king was nothing compared to God's status as the Almighty. And in 2 Samuel 7:18-29, David prays a humble, God-focused prayer that reveals his great respect for the Lord and his understanding of his own undeserving qualifications to be the king of Israel. David didn't wear his new crown with a sense of pride and arrogance. He didn't flaunt his newfound power and prestige. He humbly acknowledged that all he had, he owed to God. And that there was no one else like God, including himself. But isn't it interesting how often we struggle with making ourselves the gods of our own lives. We can become easily persuaded to believe that we're somehow special. That we deserve recognition and honor. But David was blown away that God had promised to build him a house, a legacy that would last long after David was gone.

Ep 644 – 2 Samuel 7:1-17 Sep 21, 2018

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We all desire to accomplish great things with our lives. And as followers of Christ, we hope to make an impact on the world through the way we live our lives. David, the newly crowned king of Israel was no different. He wanted to leave his mark on the nation and do whatever he could to make the name of God great. And in 2 Samuel 7:1-17, David reveals his plans to build a great edifice in which the Ark of the Covenant could be kept and the glory of God could dwell. But God had other plans. He had not asked David to build Him a house. In fact, God let David know that He didn't need one. But He did promise to make David a great house, and he wasn't talking about a palace. God was referring to David's legacy. He would provide David an heir to his throne who would establish the Davidic dynasty forever. This covenant promise, partially fulfilled in Solomon, would be fully fulfilled in Jesus Christ. God was going to do for David and through David great things. When David said, "I will…," God said, "No, you won't, but I will."

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