365 Reflections

2 Samuel 24:10 (ESV) But David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” David's heart is convicted of his sin of counting the military. He is given choices of punishment and he chooses to fall "into the hands of the Lord for (David knew) His mercy is great" (Verse 14). And so 3 days of pestilence captures the land and 70,000 men die. It should be noted that this number is 5% of the previously counted army. Modern people struggle with God's judgment but consider that only 1 in 20 members of the army perished while 19 in 20 remained. God's mercy FAR outweighs His judgment. When the Lord brings judgment upon the nation, He stops the destroying angel over Jerusalem and the future site of the Temple. This is significant. Scripture is speaking to something far larger than this current ...

2 Samuel 24:1–2 (ESV) Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.”  The first sentence in this passage understandably troubles Bible readers. But we have to understand Biblical narrative and let the scriptures interpret one another. First, the text wants us to understand the Lord's displeasure with Israel. Perhaps this is due to how they treated David upon his return after abandoning him. Perhaps this is due to inner spiritual rot. We can guess any number of reasons. We also have to turn to the Chronicles account of this same moment for clarity: 1 Chronicles 21:1 (ESV) Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. The Chronicles account makes clear that Satan was th...

Boldness is next to Godliness. Benaiah is exhibit "A." Why do we get the idea that the safer we play it, the more "Christian" we are? Where does this vision of faithfulness come from? When I read scripture, it is not those who play it safe that get mentioned but rather those who take the chances and seek to accomplish great things with God as their strength. One of those lesser-known bold men of God is mentioned among David's mighty friends: 2 Samuel 23:20–21 (ESV)   And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two ariels of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. 21 And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. Benaiah is perhaps the Bible's best risk-taker. He never passed up an...

2 Samuel 23:14–17 (ESV)   David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 15 And David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 16 Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it. He poured it out to the Lord 17 and said, “Far be it from me, O Lord , that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did. This passage seems to be a contradiction in terms. David at war with the enemies of Israel longs for water from his hometown. His three best men get through to get the water and David pours it on the ground. What gives? If I was one of those men I'd be pretty upset. But of course, there's more to t...

I think we wall want to be remembered for having lived well. I think we all want to live well. But I also think most of us have no clue how to get there and mismanage our path along the way. David lived well. He had his bad moments, but he ended well and brought Isreal to unprecedented heights. His last words are a testimony to his secret to living well. For David, it was his complete heartfelt devotion to the Lord. 2 Samuel 23:1–4 (ESV)  Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel: 2 “The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me; his word is on my tongue. 3 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, 4 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. David knew the Lor...

David's song of thanksgiving for God's deliverance continues here in 2 Samuel 22.  Here in verses 26-28, he makes a statement that illustrates God's dealings with men. 2 Samuel 22:26–28 (ESV)   “With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; 27 with the purified you deal purely, and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous. 28 You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down. Please take note, God does NOT respond the same way to all people. He reveals different sides of His nature to different kinds of people.  I consider that many people get exactly what they expect from God. If they expect Him to be tortuous, He will be. Yet if they expect Him to be merciful and good, He will be. Notice that David ends with the humble person. God's salvation power works for those who remain reliant on Him. The interesting thing here for David is that he sees God's goodness work for hi...

2 Samuel 22 is another version of Psalm 18 but this time, the song is placed in the historical setting at which it was uttered. David has lived a blessed and sustained life from the Lord. He acknowledges freely and joyfully that without the Lord he would have been doomed. One thing that jumps off the page for me is that the mighty king and warrior is also a worshipper. So often we think worship is for the weak or maybe even the feminine. It is not just for them! It is also for the strong, the mighty, the one who knows the Lord is strong FOR them and THROUGH them. 2 Samuel 22:2–4 (ESV)   He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, 3 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. 4 I call upon the Lord , who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. Notice the personal relationship David maintained with the Lord. Ten times in...

Even great heroes need a team. 2 Samuel 21:15 (ESV) There was war again between the Philistines and Israel, and David went down together with his servants, and they fought against the Philistines. And David grew weary. For the first time in the scriptures, we read that David was tired. Great heroes eventually grow old and inevitably die. David has been through some serious stuff as well in recent years. He's faced family turmoil, betrayal and undermining staff. He's got a reason to be tired. When we read how the battle advances, something very important happens: 2 Samuel 21:16–17 (ESV)   And Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants of the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze, and who was armed with a new sword, thought to kill David. 17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.” ...

We don't live in a culture of covenants. We should. They are all over the Bible and they were serious. They were also intended to save and bless people. We turn to another troubled moment for David to see how. David's troubles with rebels turn into troubles with the Lord. In 2 Samuel 21, there's a three-year famine n the land and the Lord tells David why: 2 Samuel 21:1–2 (ESV) And the LORD said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” 2 So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah. It should be eye-opening to modern people that the Lord would hold Israel accountable for the mistreatment of a people group from a generation ago. But the Lord is not LIKE US. He is perfect in justice and will r...

2 Samuel 20:1 (ESV)   Now there happened to be there a worthless man, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said, “We have no portion in David, and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; every man to his tents, O Israel!” No sooner is the rebellion of Absalom put down when David's kingdom faces another rebellion from a man named Sheba. It is a different sort of rebellion however albeit an effective one. This time the rebel calls out to the people and retreats. He never comes after David, he never attacks or fights, he only runs to Abel and eventually meets his demise. If Absalom represented the fall of Satan's kingdom at the cross, Sheba represents Satan's kingdom after. For he has no authority to fight God's people or attack Jesus. He is disarmed (See Colossians 2:15) and can only howl his lies. Sadly, many people listen to and follow Sheba just as many people listen to and follow the devil. 2 Samuel 20:2 (ESV)  ...

NOTE : If you are new to this blog, it started on blogger and is duplicated on Tumblr. The Tumblr page may not have all the posts from the beginning. Therefore, this is #1000 on the blogger page:  https://365reflect.blogspot.com/ POST : It is appropriate that this is my 1000th post on the Bible. We come to an important story surrounding David's return with an aged man named Barzillai offering a place in David's house to his son. 2 Samuel 19:37–38 (ESV)   Please let your servant return, that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. But here is your servant Chimham. Let him go over with my lord the king, and do for him whatever seems good to you.” 38 And the king answered, “Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do for him whatever seems good to you, and all that you desire of me I will do for you.” The story tells us as David returned he met Barzillai, an aged wealthy man who cared for David and his men while they were in exile during A...

David is saved from his son's rebellion and now is about to return to Jerusalem to assume the throne. But we must remember how much damage has been done to the kingdom and to David during this whole ordeal. He was cursed and betrayed. He was abandoned by the very people he led to the pinnacle of glory! And yet, when David returns, he models for us a compassion and grace we will only see more perfected in the true David, Jesus Christ. First, we see hesitancy in bringing David back. So much hesitancy that he has to instigate the reconciliation himself. 2 Samuel 19:11–13 (ESV) And King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar the priests: “Say to the elders of Judah , ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his house, when the word of all Israel has come to the king? 12 You are my brothers; you are my bone and my flesh. Why then should you be the last to bring back the king?’ 13 And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me and more also, ...

One of the questions we have to ask about the end of Absalom's rebellion concerns the actions of Joab toward the young rebel. He violently strikes him down and buries his body in a heap of rocks. Mind you, this is after Joab received clear instructions from David to deal gently with the boy for his sake. 2 Samuel 18:16–17 (ESV) Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained them. 17 And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled every one to his own home. When news of Absalom's death comes to David, he falls to pieces as any father would over a dead child. But Joab once again seems emotionally detached from the entire experience. He reprimands David for disrespecting his men and showing more love for the one who hated him than those devoted to him. 2 Samuel 19:5–6 (ESV)  Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “You have tod...

At the end of the battle between David and Absalom, we see David's experience, humility, and commitment to empowering leaders beyond himself proving to be the difference. The text wants us to see how David goes to work putting the right battle plan in place versus Absalom. He has established and experienced leaders to give charge of the men. These are men David has believed in and shaped. 2 Samuel 18:1–2 (ESV)  Then David mustered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 And David sent out the army, one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite . And the king said to the men, “I myself will also go out with you.” Notice Ittai the Gittite, who only recently joined David, in fact, the day before David fled the city! Now that same Ittai will command one-third of the entire army. That's called trust! Dav...

Ignoring those who came before us has become common the habit of this generation. Today we demonize people from the past because they fail our present-day "enlightened" character measurement. On top of this, we see rising dishonor for the aged, an obsession with youth, and a growing aversion to fathers. Absalom is the archetype of a young, proud man who refuses to heed wisdom from those who are regarded as wise and understanding. He has the elders of Israel, 10 tribes and a vast army on his side during his rebellion but his refusal to listen to them will be his undoing. His advisor is Ahithophel. Here's what the text says about him: 2 Samuel 16:23 (ESV) Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed, both by David and by Absalom. Ahithophel's advice for Absalom is that he himself will take a detachment of soldiers and snipe the king by catching him off-guard. Absalom n...

The Lord's greatest people are known for two things: trusted friends they develop and rely on AND vicious enemies that attack them. 2 Samuel 16:2–4 (ESV)   And the king said to Ziba, “Why have you brought these?” Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who faint in the wilderness to drink.” 3 And the king said, “And where is your master’s son?” Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father.’ ” 4 Then the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.” And Ziba said, “I pay homage; let me ever find favor in your sight, my lord the king.” Into the drama of David's exile arrives Ziba, the former servant of Saul. Commentators agree this exchange is terrible for David. He takes Ziba's word that Mephibosheth is thinking Absalom (of all people!) is...

David makes an interesting calculation in his flight from Absalom. While he also waited on the Lord's kindness and grace for his return (see 2 Samuel 15:25-26), he didn't simply let things happen naturally. On his way out of the city, he meets his friend Hushai. 2 Samuel 15:32–33 (ESV) While David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on his head. 33 David said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me. Hushai is broken up about the events in Jerusalem. He's sad for the king and his friend. Notice what David asks him to do: 2 Samuel 15:34 (ESV) But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father’s servant in time past, so now I will be your servant,’ then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel. Now Ahithophel posed the most trouble for David. Later the text informs us that Ahithophel's adv...

2 Samuel 15:14–16 (ESV) Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” 15 And the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides.” 16 So the king went out, and all his household after him. And the king left ten concubines to keep the house. David runs from Absalom's banana republic kingdom. This has to be one of the silliest exiles in the Bible. For what the narrative unpacks for us is how intimidation at the Absalom's taunt is completely unjustified. David's kingdom is strong behind him and deeply loves him. Yet fear has taken hold of his life and he impulsively flees thinking the end has come. The text lists the number of people who flee with David from the foreign lands where David had been so su...

We find in 2 Samuel 15 a step-by-step guide to a political revolution in a nation. Consider the effectiveness of Absalom's plan who turns God's people away from the greatest king they ever had: King David. We should note Absalom is a murderer. For this, he became an exile. Now he's going to work to undercut the nation led by King David. We should also understand that his story points to THE story, OUR story. The church has an enemy - satan himself - a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44) - who seeks to mislead and deceive Christians away from their great King, Jesus. 2 Samuel 15:2 (ESV)   And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And when he said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,” First, Absalom's commitment to his cause is firm. The text notes he "rises early." I think we for...

What happens to an undisciplined child? Absalom is a case study: 2 Samuel 14:25 (ESV) Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. We begin to see the character Absalom emerge in several features. First, the text teaches us of his appearance. The words, "there was no blemish in him" are striking particularly for an ancient audience. This was supreme natural beauty. His hair is also mentioned by its weight and also his habit of cutting it every year. Was this a country-wide event? We are drawn in by these details to imagine Absalom as supremely handsome and utterly self-absorbed. I mean, who weighs dead hair? Looks can carry weight for someone in the world. We live in a country enamored by beauty. Often times we let physical beauty mask other deficiencies in a person's character. This is the case for Absalom as the next passage will...