And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice.
Humble thoughts, reflections, and/or summaries from readings of God's word. "For if any one is desirous simply to know those things which it has pleased God to reveal, that is the man who accurately knows what it is to be truly wise. " Calvin
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
1 Kings3
Monday, November 12, 2012
1Kings 2
I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn
Saturday, November 10, 2012
1Kings 1
So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, "Go to your house."
Friday, November 9, 2012
2 Samuel 24
Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man."
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
2 Samuel 23
"The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me;
his word is on my tongue.
The God of Israel has spoken;
the Rock of Israel has said to me:
When one rules justly over men,
ruling in the fear of God,
he dawns on them like the morning light,
like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning,
like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
2 Samuel 22
"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold and my refuge,
my savior; you save me from violence.
I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Friday, November 2, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
2 Samuel 17
For the Lord had determined to frustrate the good advice of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
2 Samuel 16
Then Hushai the Arkite, David's confidant, went to Absalom and said to him, "Long live the king! Long live the king!" Hushai said to Absalom, "No, the one chosen by the Lord, by these people, and by all the men of Israel—his I will be, and I will remain with him.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
2 Samuel 15
Then David said to Zadok, "Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord's eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. But if he says, 'I am not pleased with you,' then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him." David acknowledged God and both His goodness and sovereignty and expressed his trust in God's will as the best outcome.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Amnon, son of David, was in love with his sister Tamar and one day forced her to come to bed with him. After he disgraced her, he sent her away. She was devastated and went away weeping and mourning until her brother Absalom found her and comforted her and took her to live in his house. Later, Absalom ordered his men to "strike Amnon down" and kill him. Absalon fled and went away to live in Geshur as David mourned for Amnon. Although David was upset about what had happened, he soon longed for Absalom, since "he was consoled now concerning Amnon's death".
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The prophet Nathan was sent by the Lord to rebuke David for his wicked behavior ( adultery and murder). Nathan told David a story about an evil rich man who stole from a poor man. When David became upset and suggested that the rich man should be put to death, Nathan told David that he had behaved just like the rich man in the story when he took the wife of Uriah to be his own and murdered Uriah. Then Nathan told David that the Lord has taken away his sin, but " because by doing this David has made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to David will die." David pleaded with God for the child's life, but on the seventh day his son died just as the Lord had said. Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, who later had another son and they named him Solomon.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
King David became aware of a beautiful woman named Bathsheba. Though she was married, David sent messengers to bring her to his palace. He slept with her and she became pregnant. When David learned that she was pregnant, he ordered her husband , Uriah, to return from the battle field and to "go home and relax" with his wife. Later, David discovered that Uriah had not gone home since he wanted to return to the battlefield. David then planned to have Uriah killed by sending him to the front lines of the war, where the battle was the fiercest. He instructed his army commander, Joab, of his plans and later learned that Uriah had indeed been killed. After Bethsheba had mourned for her husband, David sent for her and brought her to the palace, and she became one his wives. Bethsheba gave birth to David's son, but "the Lord was displeased with what David had done".
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
David learned that the king of the Ammonites, Nahash, had died and he decided to show kindness to Nahash's son, Hanun, Nahash had been kind to David, so David sent a delegation of his men to express his sympathy to Hanun. However, the Ammonite nobles convinced Hanun that David was secretly sending his men to instead spy out the land so that he could overthrow them. Hanun seized David's men and humiliated them by shaving off half their beards and cut their garments, sending them back to David. The Ammonites hired twenty thousand soldiers from Beth Rehob and Zoba, twelve thousand from Tob, and a thousand men from Maacah, in order to defend themselves against David. When David learned about all this, he sent his commander Joab with his entire army. Joab said, let us "be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of God. The Lord will do what is good in His sight." After killing forty thousand of their men, all the armies against David made peace with David and became subject to him.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
King David inquires of whether there were any remaining relatives of Saul, so that he could show kindness towards them for the sake of his dear friend Jonathan, son of Saul. David discovers that a son of Jonathan , Mephiboseth, is the only survivor left from the house of Saul. David called for Mephiboseth and told him , "for I will surely show you kindness.. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather (Saul) and you will always eat at my table.... like one of the king's sons".
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
David fought and defeated the Philistines, the Moabites, and the Arameans, and "God gave victory to David wherever he marched". David plundered silver, gold, and bronze from his enemies and built a victory monument on his return. David ruled over all Israel, ruling "fair and even-handed in all his duties and relationships".
Saturday, June 18, 2011
King David regretfully realizes, "Here I am, living in a palace ... while the ark of God remains in a tent". But God says to him, "Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, 'Why have you not built me a house of cedar?' ... I have been with you wherever you have gone.. I will make your name like the names of the greatest men of the earth.. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own.. The Lord himself will establish a house for you. " It seems that God is making at least one thing clear here-- He reminds David that He is the source of protection and safety and is the provider and establisher of his home. David embraces God's message humbly, "O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer. O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever." This seems to be a prayer that we also can embrace and offer to our God in thanksgiving and praise for His faithfulness in providing for us each day.