Devotionary

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Ep 633 – 2 Samuel 2:18-32 Sep 10, 2018

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Division in the family of God is not only dangerous, it can be deadly. Polarization and conflict fueled by pride and self-centeredness can destroy fellowship and dishonor the name of God. Not only that, it grieves God. And when Abner, the military commander for the late king, Saul, decided to anoint Saul's son, Ish-bosheth as the next king of Israel, it was motivated by self-interest. He was trying to maintain his position of power and prominence, and saw Ish-bosheth as the key to his future. But Abner's efforts ended up diving the kingdom. He was placing his will over that of God. He had no business anointing or appointing anybody king, but his ego got the best of him. He wasn't a big fan of David, and was willing to do just about anything to keep this former fugitive from justice from ascending to the throne of Israel. And for Abner, the will of God seemed to have meant nothing. He was going to do things his way, regardless the cost.

Ep 632 – 2 Samuel 2:8-17 Sep 09, 2018

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It just seems like David can't get a break. Everything came hard for this young man. Even with Saul out of the way, the path to the throne was still covered in land mines of all kinds. And while David may have thought that, with Saul's death, the throne was now vacant, he was in for a big surprise. Because it seems that Saul had yet another son who, unlike Jonathan, had not been killed in battle, but was alive and well. And Abner, Saul's military commander decided to anoint the surviving son of Saul as the heir to his father's throne. The next thing David knew, he had a competitor for the crown and a civil war to fight. Not only had the people of Israel been defeated by the Philistines, now they were fighting among themselves. Not exactly the way David wanted to begin his reign. But, in spite of the circumstances, God was still in control. He was fulfilling His plan according to His sovereign will. None of this caught God off guard. And David was learning to trust God in spite of the circumstances.

Ep 631 – 2 Samuel 2:1-7 Sep 08, 2018

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Saul was dead. And the path to the throne of Israel appeared to be free and clear for the first time. But David did not act rashly. He didn't respond impulsively, but instead, sought the will of God. He had waited a long time for this moment, but he was in no rush to make things happen. He had done that before and had lived to regret it. This time, he was going to seek God and wait on His will to be done. No short cuts. No work-arounds. And while David might have been anxious for the long wait to be over, he was in no hurry to get ahead of God. He had learned a lot during the years he had spent running from Saul and living in self-imposed exile in Philistia. His view of God had expanded and his trust in God had deepened. There was nothing better than God's will done God's way and on God's timeline. So David was willing to wait a while longer, allowing God to move the hearts of the people to accept David as their new king.

Ep 630 – 2 Samuel 1:17-27 Sep 07, 2018

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What's your normal response to anyone who tries to hurt you? Get even? Seek revenge? We seem wired from birth to respond to those who attempt to do us harm by giving them a bit of their own medicine. And when we read 2 Samuel 1:17-27, we're a bit surprised to see David crying over the news of Saul's death. And they were not tears of joy. He was legitimately upset that his former king and mentor was dead. Even after all Saul had done to him, David mourned his death and even composed a song about him. There's a great deal we can learn from the response of this young man. He had every right to be angry with Saul. And it would only seem natural if he had exhibited a bit of joyful relief at this man's death. But to the end, David showed Saul respect, continuing to view him as the Lord's anointed, even in death. Keep in mind, David was not the king – yet. He still remained a faithful Jew, even though he was currently residing in Philistine territory. And he saw the death of Saul as a blow to the kingdom and the sad loss of someone he had loved like a father.

Ep 629 – 2 Samuel 1:1-16 Sep 06, 2018

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As we open up the book of Second Samuel, the story of David continues. But the events surrounding his life are beginning to shift dramatically. Saul is dead. And while David is still living in the land of the Philistines, the path to the throne has been suddenly cleared of its greatest obstacle. But before David can become the next king of Israel, we are going to see how he reacts to the death of Saul. You would expect him to celebrate, rejoicing over the demise of his long-term adversary. But that's not what David does. In fact, 2 Samuel 1:1-16 presents a somewhat ironic tale of a misguided Amalekite coming into contact with the future king of the Israelites. And this encounter will not turn out how the young man expected. Rather than receiving a reward, he'll lose his life. His fictitious claim to have killed Saul will prompt David to kill him, not congratulate him. Because David still held Saul in high esteem.

Ep 628 – 1 Samuel 31:8-13 Sep 05, 2018

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First Samuel 31:8-13 brings this portion of the life of David to a close. But it is far from the end. In fact, it represents a new beginning. Saul is dead and the path is now open for David to become king. God is implementing His divine will and setting in motion all the plans He has laid out for David's ascension to the throne. But the book of 1 Samuel ends with a stark portrayal of Saul's demise, and it is not a pretty picture. His body was mutilated and decapitated by the Philistines and hung on the wall of one of their cities. He was stripped of his armor, which was put on display in the temple of their god. The former king of Israel was ridiculed and mocked, his body hung as a public display of disdain for Israel's king and a sign of disrespect for their God. And had the residents of Jabesh-gilead not risked their lives to rescue the body of Saul and his three sons, there would have been no funeral for this former king of Israel.

Ep 627 – 1 Samuel 31:1-7 Sep 04, 2018

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The long ordeal between David and Saul was about to come to an abrupt and, for Saul, unpleasant end. His days were numbered and his reign as good as done. But Saul was going to lose far more than his kingdom. He was going to witness the deaths of his three sons and then be faced with the unenviable task of taking his own life. And in 1 Samuel 31:1-7, this sad end to the life of Saul stands in stark contrast to the recent victory God gave David over the Amalekites. While David and his men were busy celebrating the rescue of their wives and children, Saul was watching his sons die at the hands of the Philistines. Then, unable to convince his armor-bearer to take his life, Saul was relegated to falling on his own sword. He committed suicide rather than face mistreatment at the hands of the Philistines. His life had a far-from-ignoble end because he had chosen to live in disobedience to God. But David, in the midst of one of the worst moments in his life, had chosen to seek God. And was rescued.

Ep 626 – 1 Samuel 30:16-31 Sep 03, 2018

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We know from many of the psalms he wrote, that David often felt like he had been abandoned by God. There were days he felt alone and forgotten. And in 1 Samuel 30:16-31, David was in a particularly dark period of his life. He was living in the land of the Philistines and his hosts were at war with his own people: the Israelites. And while he and his man had been away from Ziklag, the city in which the lived, the Amalekites had raided and pillaged it, taking all the women and children captive. As a result, his own men threatened to stone him. But In the midst of all his suffering and sorrow, David was learning an invaluable lesson: He was learning to trust God. And it began when he sought the will of God. Not only would he defeat the Amalekites and rescue all the those who had been taken captive, he would find himself given a second chance by God.

Ep 625 – 1 Samuel 3-:7-15 Sep 02, 2018

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We all have had those moments in life when it feels like God has abandoned us. In the midst of difficult circumstances, we sense that He is nowhere to be found. He appears to be distant and disinterested in our predicament. And yet, in 1 Samuel 30:7-15, we are given an encouraging reminder from the life of David that God is always there. He never leaves us or forsakes us. He is simply waiting for us to cry out to Him. He is patiently biding His time, until we reach the end of our own resources and realize that our hope is in Him. And when we seek Him, we will find Him. When we turn to Him, we will find Him there – ready to assist us in our greatest times of need. But the challenge we all face is our proclivity to act as our own savior. We have the tendency to try to solve our problems in our own power. But we make lousy gods. Our solutions rarely produce the results for which we are looking. In fact, we tend to only make matters worse. But David was going to learn to trust God by learning to turn to Him in his times of need.

Ep 624 – 1 Samuel 30:1-6 Sep 01, 2018

Show notes

If we're honest, we all have to admit that there have been times in our lives when we made a royal mess of things. Through poor decision-making and, sometimes, pure disobedience to the will of God, we've found ourselves in less-than-pleasant circumstances, dealing with the aftermath of our choices. And in 1 Samuel 30:1-6, we find David faced with the task of having to clean up the mess left from one of his most disastrous decisions. He had returned to Ziklag, his base of operations in Philistia, only to find that it had been raided by the Amalekites. They had burned the city to the ground and taken all the women and children captive. And David's men were so upset by this turn of events, that they began making plans to stone him. David had made a real mess of things. He was stuck in Philistia, having deceived King Achish into believing he was on his side. But now the Israelites and Philistines were at war and David's little charade was blowing up in his face. But in spite of all his missteps, God was still there.

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