Idleness Breeds Sin
More springtime fun in the snow!
2 Samuel 11
Everyone, Christian and non-Christian, knows David for two things. David and a Goliath and David and Bathsheba. His greatest triumph and his greatest act of sin and wickedness. If I were reading this book for the first time and I didn't know anything about David, chapter 11 would come without warning. I wouldn't see it coming. Read more
Springtime
Snow in late March in Great Fall, VA
2 Samuel 10
I've read this chapter a couple of times and I'm not sure I really get the main point or the reason God included it in his Bible. How’s that for an intro? While going through OT books, this happens to me sometimes. It's a story of David, his armies and the neighboring countries. One of the neighboring kings had shown kindness to David during the days that David was being hunted by Saul. Read more
Forgiven to Forgive
This pic was taken on my iPhone from atop Diamond Head, Honolulu, Hawaii
I Samuel 9
Jesus tells a parable of a slave who is deeply indebted to the king. He can never repay him. The king determined to sell the slave and his family to cover some of the debt. But the man pleads for his life and the master forgives all his debt. The slave left forgiven but went out and found another slave who owed him a small amount. He grabbed him by the throat and threatens to throw him in prison. This slave also pleads for his life, but the previously forgiven slave refuses to forgive and throws the slave in prison. The king heard of the situation and called the forgiven slave back in. He said to him, "You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your follow slave in the same way I had mercy on you?" The king then sent him to prison. Jesus summarizes the parable by saying, "My Heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart." Yikes, that's harsh. I guess this forgiveness stuff is pretty important to God.Read more
Who is Worse?
If you tell Nate and Ryker to look "tough", this is what you get!
2 Samuel 9ff
The next 10 chapters are going to expose the extreme humanness of David. David is chosen of God, blessed by God and appointed to a lofty position in God's plan through the Davidic Covenant. But he is so human; emotionally volatile, undisciplined and morally weak. For many of us, David gives us hope. If God can love and use David, then He can love and use us. In some ways, David is going to act with greater evil than Saul. However, be reminded that in 7:15 God made a promise about David's son when He said, "but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him (Solomon) as I took it away from Saul."Read more
The Lord Helps
Here's a pic with my ministry colleagues, Tim and Jacob, in 2016 in a remote village in Malawi, Africa
2 Samuel 8
The Davidic Covenant in chapter 7 is a monumental passage in the Bible. David arose from this revelation from God with a humble confidence. Seemingly contradictory words but in fact describe very well the appropriate response we should have to the grace and blessings of God in our lives. God made big promises to David. He knew he didn't deserve them (humility) but he believed and accepted these promises because they were from God (confidence). And he went out and acted with confidence. Lord, help me respond the same way.
Humble Confidence
Nate and Ryker are coming to visit us in 9 days during their spring break. We can't wait!!!
2 Samuel 7:18-29
The revelation of David's future (the Davidic Covenant) and that of his nation must have blown his mind with wonder and awe. We all wonder about the future. We hope for the best but deep down we struggle with uncertainty and fear that good things in our lives may take a turn for the worst. David was one of very few in biblical history who was told in detail of his future and of his descendants and ultimately the blessings of his nation forever. This is stunning. Verses 18-29 provides David's prayerful response to God. His initial response was overwhelming humility (good job David) and then merged into a humble confidence.Read more
Why David?
My best friend throughout Jr. High, High School and College was Jeff Moorehead. We did almost everything together during those days including a lot of basketball. His son, Bobby, now plays and starts for the Montana Grizzlies. In dramatic fashion, Montana won the Big Sky Conference and they are going to the big dance; March Madness, the NCAA Tournament. Every year there is a Cinderella story so maybe this year it will be Montana. They play tonight in the first round against Michigan. This is a pic of Bobby, #24.Read more
Obligation
This pic makes me want to go visit North Carolina again!
2 Samuel 7
David is feeling guilty. Here’s the context: about a decade into his reign, he was in a place of relative rest. Verse 1 says, "Now it came about when the king lived in his house (a palace), and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies...". Things were good for David. David had time to reflect. God had been good to him so He wanted to do something for God. We can relate to that, right? When things are good for us, we are thankful and grateful. So, he told Nathan, the prophet, I live in a beautiful house and God dwells in a tent (the ark of the covenant). Maybe I should build Him a beautiful house like mine?Read more
God and Man
This pic was taken in 1970. I'm with my older brother Brian, younger sister Julie and baby brother, David.
2 Samuel 7
This is a monumental chapter in scripture. I may take a few days to soak in it. The Lord speaks to David through the prophet Nathan and outlines the irrevocable Davidic Covenant; a promise from God. As a reminder, decades before, Israel was at a low point; the glory of God had departed. David was anointed privately as the king of Israel. A multitude of events followed that God perfectly orchestrated. Some of the diverse events included the selfish motives of men, warfare, killing, deceit and revenge. Alongside such negatives motives were acts of love, kindness and devotion. There was a symphony of human activity both good and bad that was guided by God's Sovereignty to bring about the reign of a David over Israel. Why was this result so important to God? Placing David on the throne, restoring the glory of Israel and blessing David's 80-year reign was important at the time in and of itself but it was more important as a means to an ultimate end: the reign of David's descendent, the Messiah. The Davidic Covenant is all about Jesus. Not just His work someday on earth but His reign for all of eternity.Read more