Psalm 29
Read Psalm 29 again and pay close attention to the word "voice". What is the voice of God? The psalmist says the voice of the Lord is powerful, majestic, strikes with flashes of lightning, shakes the desert, twists the oaks and strips the mountains bare. And then Psalm 33 says:

Psalm 33
“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.” “For he spoke and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.”
No doubt in our minds. Nothing happened by chance!

The voice of the Lord is heard in all creation. Everywhere we look we can hear the voice of the Lord, every time we take a breath, we hear the voice of the Lord. The language of God, his voice is the math and science of creation. His voice is heard from the intergalactic to the sub-atomic levels.

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord," 
If we reflect on this verse and apply it to the United States, can we say that God is the Lord?  Can we say that He is blessing us now?  Would we be more blessed if we proclaimed from our government offices and our pulpits and pews that God is our Lord?

"No king is saved by the size of his army;"
Remember Gideon's small victorious army?  God wanted there to be no doubt that it wasn't the size and strength of the army that brought about the victory.  It was God who did it!

Psalm 65
As we reread this psalm, we thought about the words bounty and abundance.  When we contemplate streams of water, we think about Jesus as the Living Water.  When we contemplate grasslands and crops and grain, we think about Jesus as the Bread of Life.  So the words bounty and abundance don't necessarily have anything to do with material blessings, our spiritual blessings far exceed all material blessings!

Psalm 66
 "Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf!"
This language of God, His voice is for our benefit??? He invites us to speak back in praise to Him!

“For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver. You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.
How does He refine us? He turns up the heat. How does He turn up the heat? He puts burdens on our backs. He puts trials in our lives. Why? To make us purer. Easier to take the trials of life knowing this isn't it?

“If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”
We can cry out to Him, but if we harbor sin, will he listen??? Good reason to confess our sins when we go to Him in prayer.

Psalm 67
So often in the psalms praising Him is directly related to the blessings. God offers this promise attached to our praise. If we praise Him, He will bless us.

Psalm 68
"but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land."
As we read this verse, we couldn't help but contrast it to the verses in Psalm 65.  We as Believers in Jesus partake of the Living Water and Bread of Life in a land of bounty and abundance.  The rebellious live in famine and drought. Literally, the mid-eastern countries of Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, etc. all live in a sun-scorched land.  They don't have Jesus, even though His voice is speaking loud and clear.

Let's listen to His voice today. And praise Him that He is the Living Water and the Bread of Life and He provides us every spiritual blessing in abundance.

Psalm 8
This is a wonderful psalm for meditation on the majesty of God’s works and the insignificance of man. When we consider the majesty of God’s awesome works in the universe, we cannot but wonder that He should notice such an insignificant creature as man, and yet He made us but a little lower than angels.
"What is man that you are mindful of him.."
"You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings..."

"You made him ruler over the works of your hands, you put everything under his feet...:
God has given us tremendous authority and responsibility over the whole earth. He holds us accountable for our stewardship of it. He wants us to take care of it. But He doesn't want us to worship the creation. He wants us to worship the creator.

 “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise.”
Now, that puts things in perspective. Does it give us a clue as to how we should interact with our children? Even infants can feel His presence and often they feel God’s presence through us big people! How are all of us doing with that one?
Children trust and praise God without doubt or reservations. Shouldn't we do the same?

Psalm 9
In the midst of all distresses, we may by faith find a refuge in God and when victory comes, we should not forget that He expects returns of praise.

Psalm 16
We should forever meditate on the goodness of God.
“Lord you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.”
What great assurance in this passage. He has placed us exactly where He wants us to be. Our salvation is secure. His laws, statutes, precepts, and commands are our boundary lines. Our delightful inheritance awaits us...
David refers to Jesus in this psalm with "nor will you let your Holy One see decay."

Psalm 19
Oh, so very much to ponder in this psalm.
God makes Himself known through His handiwork.  He makes Himself known through nature, which every single person on the face of the planet MUST recognize!   He makes Himself known through the law which is the guiding force.  He makes Himself known through people - you and me. Jesus is the Sun of Righteousness, the Bridegroom who rejoices to reveal Himself to men.
After reading Psalm 19, surrounded by this fantastic display, how can anyone say that it happened by chance?

Psalm 21
The psalm looks forward to Jesus, who is God over all; once crowned with thorns but now wearing the  crown of glory.

Psalm 24
David asks the question, "Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?  Who may stand in his holy place?"
And then answers with, "He who has clean hands and a pure heart, (those who are living a godly life operating with pure motives), who does not lift us his soul to an idol...
We are being told in this psalm to live a godly life with pure motives, giving ourselves only to Him, with no thoughts to anything false or to any idol.  The words in the last few verses are symbolic of opening up our hearts to have God dwell within.  We are told in this psalm to lift up our heads that the "King of glory may come in."  Imagine, this King of glory living within each Believer!

Psalm 76
This psalm expresses the advantages the believer in Jesus enjoys and the disadvantages for nonbelievers.

Psalm 82
God (the Son) judges among the "gods".  This is the condemnation judgment.

Psalm 84
This psalm is a testimony to God’s goodness and the happiness of those who put their confidence in Him.  Blessed indeed are those who are constantly engaged in His service, who find their strength in Him, and who know Him by the life of real faith.

"...the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
 We may not always see the favor and honor He bestows on us.  What we need to do is to start looking for them.

Psalm 90
In case you didn't notice, this psalm was written by Moses.
"For a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night."
Time has meaning only for us humans.  And because time has meaning for us, He gives us the following verse.
“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
What does it mean to number our days aright? How do we gain a heart of wisdom? Does it have anything to do with using our time wisely?
"May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us..."
God establishes the work of our hands through the use of our spiritual gifts given to us by the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 92
“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, and they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;”
Even wonder why Scriptures refer to such things as palm and cedar trees? We know it’s there for a reason, but what reason?
Palm trees are noted for their longevity and cedars are noted for being solid, strong, and immovable. The righteous will flourish and bear fruit in their old age, like a long-living tree. The righteous are unmoved by the winds of circumstance.

Psalm 112
On May 5, 2005 we received the phone call that no parent ever wants to get. A stranger called us to say that our son had taken a 30 foot fall from a tree. She assured us that he was conscious and was being loaded onto an ambulance. God gave us the following verse from Psalm 112,
“He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”

We knew that our son and daughter-in-law trusted in the Lord and we certainly knew that we trusted in the Lord, so it was much easier to take the news about all his injuries (broken back, broken wrist, multiple bruises and scratches) as the chaplain related them to us at the hospital. We praise the Lord that our son has recovered from the injuries with a heart more steadfast than ever. (He also survived renal cell carcinoma within the same year.) And so we can claim the following verse, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.”AMEN and AMEN!

Psalm 40
“Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord”
How many people may be watching us, see what we are doing and how we react to adversity and then because of something we have said or done, put their trust in the Lord? We may never know how we have affected others for eternity.

Psalm 40:4

Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.
We are being told in this verse to stay away from false gods and from those people who worship false gods.  Buddah, Allah, etc are all false gods.  The test to determine whether a religion or theology is true or not is to ask the question, "Does that religion or theology worship a god who has a son named Jesus who died on the cross for the redemption of mankind?"  If the answer is "No",  then that religion or theology is false and  is born in the heart and mind of Satan himself.  There is NO other way to come to salvation except through Jesus!

John 14:6  

Jesus said to him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father but by Me.

John 10:1  

Truly, truly, I say to you, He who does not enter into the sheepfold by the door, but going up by another way, that one is a thief and a robber.
 

We are also warned in Ephesians 5:11 to stay away from false gods and also the people who worship them.  The Amplified Bible Version makes this very clear.

Ephesians 5:11

Take no part in and have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds and enterprises of darkness, but instead let your lives be so in contrast as to expose and reprove and convict them. 

We are to have no fellowship with them.  The way we witness to them and the way we evangelism them is to live a righteous life before them, not have fellowship with them.  Our lives should be so in contrast with the darkness that we expose, reprove, and convict.


"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire but my ears you have pierced."
The piercing of the ear was the mark of a slave. It illustrates ownership.
God doesn’t want our meaningless rituals! He wants an attitude of devotion, praise, worship, and thankfulness to Him. He wants us to speak of His faithfulness and salvation. He wants us to tell it to “the great assembly.”

Psalm 49
Psalm 49 tells us to check our investments. Have we invested in earthly things that do not last or in heavenly things that last for eternity?  There is no security in the possession and enjoyment of wealth because that has nothing to do with salvation. Believers in Jesus are truly happy above the most prosperous of this world because they are guarded against the terrors of death and judgment to come.  Jesus has done something for us that all the wealth of the world cannot do.

Psalm 50
The first few verses in this psalm speak of the year long Day of the Lord when He comes to bring fire on the earth and destroy the ungodly. "Gather to me my consecrated ones." speak of the saved ones who will be gathered to Him in the millennium.  This also foreshadows eternity.
"...for God himself is judge."
John 5:22
For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son,
"He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me."
This seems to be a bit of a contradiction from the previous verses that tell us that God does not need our sacrifices and burnt offerings. However, burnt offerings and sacrifices were required. Thank offerings are the willing ones. God doesn't want our offerings and sacrifices out of obligation. He wants our willing giving.  God doesn't want an outward show of sacrifices of animals, He wants an inward change.

Psalm 73
“…my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold. For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”
To envy others for their “stuff” puts us on a slippery slope.  The wicked may get their reward here on earth.  We get our reward in heaven.  God, however, often blesses the righteous here on earth.  But for us our possessions are not our "gods".

“Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.”
AMEN!

Oh…so very much to ponder in today’s reading!

Psalm 1
The two ways of man are contrasted in this psalm and the characters are the righteous man and the ungodly man.  A summary of the psalm might read, blessed is the man whose footsteps are ordered by the Word of God for he will find both peace and prosperity. Those who are without God are being hurried to a terrible doom.  We should order our lives after Jesus because he was the typical “blessed man” who delighted to do the Father’s will.
Blessed is the man whose “…delight is in the law of the Lord…”
The “law of the Lord’ means all Scripture. The more we know of the whole scope of God’s Word, the more resources we will have to guide our daily lives.
“He is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season…”
Just as a tree soaks up water and produces luscious fruit, if we soak up God’s Word we’ll bear fruit. The more we soak up His Word, the more fruitful we will be.

Psalm 14
This psalm is all about the corruption and foolishness of man. The only perfect goodness is to be found in Jesus. All of us have have sinned and come short of God’s standard.
“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”
We should all be careful taking Scripture out of context!

Psalm 15
Only those whose walk is blameless may live on His holy hill.  Not that any of us are sinless but if we are believers in Jesus, we are blameless.  Until we are “in Christ,” conformed to His image, there is no abiding place for us in His tabernacle.

Psalm 36
“They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.”
Ponce de Leon searched for the “fountain of youth”. God offers the "fountain of life"!

Psalm 37
The riddle of the prosperity of the wicked and the affliction of the righteous is brought out in this psalm. We, as believers in Jesus should never waste a second of our time worrying about the wicked, but should be fully satisfied with Him.

Psalm 39
Again we are reminded through this psalm the significance of our insignificance!

Psalm 37 contains this most wonderful of verses. “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
To delight in someone means to take great pleasure in their presence. This happens only when we know that person well. To delight in the Lord means we must know Him well.

As we begin to know Him well, we will know what He desires for us and then His desires become our desires. What a great plan!

But even better than that…“If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm;”
As we delight in the Lord, know that He delights in us. That means He takes great pleasure in our presence! Wow! Ponder that today!

Psalm 120
We may be greatly distressed by lying lips and deceitful tongues, but we will find sufficient grace to endure if we only look to Him.

Psalm 121
"He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber;"
God can be compared to our night light. It's always burning and never needs batteries or electricity.

Check out the 1965 Bible in Basic English Version for these two verses in Psalm 121.
Psa 121:7-8
The Lord will keep you safe from all evil; he will take care of your soul. The Lord will keep watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time and for ever.
This is the assurance that all believers have. No matter where we are or what we do, our eternal security is assured. No evil will endanger our salvation. Nothing happens to us in this life that does not pass through the hand of God first. Of course in the heavenly realm we will be safe forever from every kind of evil. How comforting is it that the Lord watches over us at all times and forever!

Psalm 140
Read this psalm again and see how these words apply to us today both literally and figuratively and physically and spiritually.
David asks in this psalm for the Lord to protect him from men who plan to trip his feet.  Many people today want to catch Christians doing something wrong so they can say, "Gotcha".
David suffered before his reign and was humbled before he was exalted. As there were many who valued him, so there were many who hated him.

Psalm 143
"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground."
He leads us on level ground. He will not let our foot slip. He watches over us.

"O Lord, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him?"
We are significant in our insignificance! This creator of the vast universe and beyond, the entire cosmos, cares enough about us to be our night light? AMAZING!

Psalm 88
This psalm is full of lamentation over trouble and tribulation and the writer is pleading with God for mercy. Sometimes as Believers we are severely tested with the worst of inward troubles and are distracted with dispair.  Praise God we can approach the Throne of grace for mercy and strength.

Psalm 91
Oh, what wonderful promises in this psalm. There is the promise of preservation of those whose confidence is in the Lord. Those who live a life of communion with God are constantly safe under His protecting wing. He will be their rest and refuge forever.  The writer records in Psalm 91 a prophecy of the wrath of God and what will happen to believers. They understood this promise from the Lord concerning believers during the wrath of God.
"He will cover you with his feathers."
Jesus promised the same thing.
Mat 23:37
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the prophets and stone to death those sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings! But you were not willing!

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands...
He has promised us that He will take care of us in the matter of spiritual things but often in the matter of physical things too. 

Psalm 95
We should sing His praises out of the abundance of a heart filled with love, joy and thankfulness.  There are many references in the book of Hebrews to this passage.

Psalm 108
We should praise God publicly as those who are not ashamed of  Him and desire that others also may be affected with a realization of His goodness and the value of leaning upon His promises.

Psalm 109
David offers this admonition.
“He wore cursing as his garment; it entered into his body like water, into his bones like oil.”
Cursing and related sins come easily and freely. Cursing becomes familiar the more we use it. It slips out at inappropriate times. It’s “usage familiarity”.

Compare “cursing as his garment” with our “garments of salvation”. (Isa 61:10)

May we be reminded of our “garments of salvation” when “usage familiarity” causes cursing to slip out. Remember we can't "unsay" anything.

Psalm 70
Evil is seeking to devour us.  We should seek God with the same intensity that evil seeks us. Verse 4 says, "But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you."
We are blessed just in the act of seeking Him! Seeking Him means we are craving His presence as if we were starving for food.

Psalm 71
Attention Cradle Christians! These are our verses!
Psalm 71:5-6
For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb. I will ever praise you.
Both of us (Phil and Patti) were brought up in a Christian home. We knew Jesus first as a friend before we even knew we needed a Savior! Praise God for Christian homes!
It is very clear in this psalm as well as many other Scriptures that we are admonished to teach our children and grandchildren.

Lots of questions in Psalm 77;
Will the Lord reject forever? Will he never show favor? Has His love vanished? Has His promise failed? Has God forgotten? Has He withheld His compassion?

Whenever we have these same questions, we need only take to heart the following verse found in the same psalm. “I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.”When we consider His mighty deeds, we won’t question very long!

“…though your footprints were not seen.”
How often does God work in our lives even when we can’t see what He is doing?

Psalm 83
Numerous prophecies from this psalm that are being fulfilled in our lifetime.
Verse 4
Come, they say, let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more.
The same people that are listed in this psalm; the Edomites, Ishmaelites, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, etc. are all enemies of Israel today.

Psalm 86
“Teach me your way O Lord, and I will walk in your truth.”
Yes, Lord, teach us your way! So that we may walk in your truth.

Psalm 62 
David professes his confidence in God and encourages himself to wait on God.
These words are applied to God; rock, hope, shelter, refuge, strength, salvation, strong tower, fortress, help, deliverer.
These words are applied to man; leaning wall, tottering fence, nothing, a breath.
Quite a contrast!

 “Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.”

These are not the rewards we take to the earthly bank. These are deposited in the heavenly treasury.

1 Cor 3:11-14
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man  builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
Made a deposit in the heavenly treasury today?

Psalm 64

Even though our enemies may conspire and scheme against us, we need not worry about the arts of self defense, but may leave the future of our enemies in His hands. 

Psalm 69
This is another prophetic psalm, lived by David, but a prophecy of the Messiah.  Psalm 69:14-20 describe His Gethsemane experience (Matthew 26:36-45). Psalm 69:21 describes the cross (Matthew 27:34-48.  David says, "zeal for your house consumes me."  Does our zeal for the Lord consume us? 
David mentions putting on sackcloth.  Do we figuratively "put on sackcloth" and ask God to reveal our sins to us so that we can repent?   The last few verses of this psalm are layered prophecies, yet to be fulfilled in our future. 

In verses 30 and 31 of Psalm 69 David says that praising Him in song and thanksgiving pleases Him more than our sacrifices.  It has been our experience (Phil and Patti) that whenever a person may experience "sinking in the miry depths where there is no foothold" is when God is looking for us to praise Him.  It is then that He does His best work in us!

David continues in the psalms to cry out to the Lord for vindication and relief from his enemies.   

Psalm 35:1-2  

Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid.

God has promised that He will fight our spiritual battles for us.  We need to stand firm, trust Him and defer to His authority.  Our enemies may not always be defeated in exactly the way we want them to be.  Before David died, God took revenge on David's enemies.

The safest place to leave a righteous cause is with the righteous God who is able to give judgment on it in the right way and at the right time. If God is our friend, what does it matter who our enemies are? 

Psalm 41

David wrote about the betrayal of friends. He could also have written about the betrayal of his family as well. The words of this psalm tell of things that literally happened to David but they are also prophetic concerning Jesus as well.  In effect David lived the prophecies of Jesus. 

David cries for those who suffer betrayal from friends.“Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”Does this sound like Jesus speaking of Judas?

Psalm 43

Light and truth guide us to eternity in heaven.
David cries out for insight in the face of opposition. He asks for the defeat of his enemies. And then he admonishes himself in the following:

Psa 43:5  

Why are you discouraged, my soul? Why are you so restless? Put your hope in God, because I will still praise him. He is my savior and my God. 

Read Psalm 46 again and pause for reflection every time you see the word Selah. It sounds as if David has been given a keyhole view of the Day of the Lord. Notice what is says about the earth melting. Kind of matches what Peter told us about.

2Pe 3:7  

But the present heavens and the earth being kept in store by the same Word, are being kept for fire until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. 

Psalm 55

David again bemoans his disloyal companions. His suffering at the hands of false friends is prophetic of Jesus' sufferings. 

There is a spiritual connection we can make with this verse.

"...my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship..." David was most likely referring to one of his once loyal friends.  Unlike our friends here on earth who may betray us or abandon us,  Jesus is our constant companion, our close friend.  We enjoy sweet fellowship with Him.  

David ends the reading for today with a great verse to pause and contemplate.

Psa 55:22  

Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you: he will never let the righteous fall. 

Though we may stumble, He will never let us fall!

Cast burdens to Him, He can handle it!

In the psalms for today, we see a theme woven throughout.  David cries out to the Lord and pleads his case, then asks for vindication from his enemies. In order to understand the psalms better, try putting them in your own words, maybe even with some specific details of your life at the moment.  

Psalm 13
In this psalm David prays for deliverance from his enemies. Just because God's face seems to be hidden from us and we feel overwhelmed because of our enemies, it doesn't mean that God has forgotten us.  We need to trust Him and rejoice in our salvation, no matter what Satan may throw our way.

Psalm 17
David prays for relief from the pressure of enemies. He gives us an answer to why the wicked prosper. 
"O Lord, by your hand save me from such men, from men of this world whose reward is in this life."
They receive their reward in this life and not in eternity. 
David clings to the prospect of sleeping in death and awakening in His presence. This enables David to cheerfully waive the discomforts, trials, tribulations of this life and suffer with patience keeping eternity in mind.  
 
Psalm 23 (in our words)

The Lord takes care of me. I have everything I need.

He takes me to peaceful surroundings. He encourages me.

He disciplines and protects me.

He makes me feel safe. I have no fear of death.

I am anointed. I belong to HIM.

His goodness and love follow me wherever I go.

He has made a room in His house just for me.

I will live with HIM forever!

Psalm 26 
David cries out to the Lord to vindicate him from his enemies, stating that he has led a blameless life - not sinless but blameless because he's forgiven. Same thing applies to Believers.  We certainly are not sinless, but praise God, He forgives us.

Psalm 28
David contrasts "the pit" to the "Most Holy Place".  Can't get much farther apart than that!  The heart that truly believes in Him will praise Him!

Psalm 31
There is a prophetic nature to some of the verses of this psalm.
"Into your hands I commit my spirit;" 
These words were spoken by Jesus on the cross.  
"anguish of soul"
Jesus suffered the ultimate anguish of soul when He took all our sins upon Himself on the cross.

Through Psalm 31 and may of his others, David teaches us that our lives are safe in God's hands and we should yield ourselves to Him, to be sanctified by His grace, devoted to His honor, employed in His service and fitted for His Kingdom.  Believers are already sanctified by His grace, if we use our spiritual gifts for His service in His Kingdom, being devoted to His honor just naturally follows. 

 

Ponder this verse for today.  
Psalm 5:3
In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. 

What would happen if we just laid our requests before Him each morning?  What would happen if we didn't pick up our "baggage" and carry it with us during the day?  What would happen if we just let Him handle things?  What would happen if we just LET GO and LET GOD handle things?  Maybe we should try that!!!
  
The psalms listed in today's reading truly are psalms of the troubled soul.  David was quick to call out to the Lord when he was troubled but most always ended with thanksgiving or praise.

Psalm 5
Prayer should be at the beginning of the morning and the end of the evening and all during the day. Don't you think He delights in our little conversations with Him?  David says He wants us to take sides with Him against the things He hates. 

Psalm 6
Sometimes during the day we may find ourselves down in the valley weeping as we go, overcome with sorrow and pain.  If we look up to Him, we can see that He is just waiting for us to trust Him enough to take those tears and put them in His "tear bottle".  He will dry our cheeks and take care of our pain.

Psalm 7
When our enemies, our accusers come against us and slander us, we must remember that we have a righteous judge in the court of heaven, a defense attorney, and one who pays the penalty for all our sins.

Psalm 10
Psalm 10:1
Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?  Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
Hmmm...ever feel that way?  Why do we always assume God is the one who left?  If God seems far away...guess who moved???
Read verses 2-11 and see if that doesn't sound like characteristics of Satan.  We just need to remember that at the throne of the King, all wrongs will be redressed.

Psalm 11
There is One who pleads His precious blood in our behalf  and is an Intercessor at the right hand of the throne who is never deaf to the cries of those who put their trust in Him.

Bottom line for today's reading?  Reread Psalm 5:3!

Psalm 5:3
In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. 

Lay requests before Him each morning.  Don't pick up the"baggage" and carry it during the day.  Let Him handle things.  For heaven's sake, LET GO and LET GOD!

The preparations for Solomon’s building of the temple is a foreshadow of the Millennial Kingdom temple. 

The divisions of the gatekeepers and their placement around the temple are recorded.  There are more gatekeepers required for the Eastern Gate than the others, possibly because it was the most frequented gate.  It was the chief gate at the temple. 

There is much significance to the keeping of the genealogical records as recorded in 1 Chronicles 26:29-32.  That's how David knew about the Hebronites, who were put in charge of some of the tribes of Israel.  

Twelve military commanders are listed.  These were not one from each of the 12 tribes.  The officers of each tribe are listed as well.  The tribe of Gad is left out.  

The plans for the temple were not David’s plans, they were God’s plans.
“I have in writing from the hand of the Lord upon me, and he gave me understanding in all the details of the plan.”
Same thing happened to Moses concerning the tabernacle. 

David gave his resources for the building of the temple, including his personal treasures. He, in effect, gave away Solomon’s inheritance. But that’s okay, God had plans to financially take care of Solomon. 

At the end of David’s address to the assembly, he spoke these words.
“Now who is willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?”
What a great admonition to us today! Indeed, who IS willing to consecrate himself today to the Lord?

David asked for WILLING givers. The leaders stepped up to the plate and set the example for the people. The people then willingly followed their example.

Look what David did next…he praised God…not the people for their generosity…he praised God! Read 1 Chronicles 29:10-20 and count all the times that the words either “you” or “yours” (in reference to God) appear. Pretty clear David was quick to give God the credit for everything.

Another foreshadowing:
1 Chr 29:22
They ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the LORD that day. Then they acknowledged Solomon son of David as king a second time, anointing him before the LORD to be ruler and Zadok to be priest.

Zadok is to be priest. His descendants will hold a high position in the Millennial Kingdom temple. Details in the book THESE LAST DAYS.

David certainly lays the groundwork for his son Solomon to build the temple in Jerusalem, including the national convention to establish the importance for unity and support.

Did you get a good grip on how many people will be supervising the work on the building of the temple?

David believed that the glory and honor of God should be extolled in the music at the temple whether vocal or instrumental.  And what a choir…4,000 voices praising the Lord. Imagine that!

There is a seemingly rather obscure, insignificant verse hidden away in today’s reading concerning the twenty four divisions of the priests and their appointed order of service in 1Chronicles 24:10

the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,

The priest Zechariah, father of John the Baptist was in the order of Abijah.  The date on which he served in the temple sets the timeframe of John’s conception and sets the timeframe of the birth of Jesus.
Obscure verse?  Hidden away?  Seemingly insignificant?  Don't think so!

Part of the duties of the Levites were to serve the Lord by standing every morning and evening to praise and thank the Lord, in addition to other prescribed times. Should we behave any differently? Shouldn’t we be praising and thanking God morning and night? Do we praise Him in all things and for all things?

1Thes 5:16-18
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Eph 5:19-20
Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

So even when we don’t feel like praising and thanking Him, even when we don’t like our circumstances, even when the world seems to be against us, even when we are suffering and experiencing trying times, even then….we should pray and praise! Chances are…when we do that; things won’t seem so gloomy anymore!

A famine spread throughout the land of Israel because of Saul's destruction of the Gibeonites.  Earlier, Joshua had made a covenant with the Gibeonites, which was in direct violation of God's orders not to make a treaty with the inhabitants of the land.  Even though it was proven that the Gibeonites tricked Joshua into making the treaty, Joshua still honored the covenant made with man and not the covenant made with God. (Joshua 9)

In many cases today, people come, falsely claiming to be seeking Jesus or Christianity in order to get the material "goodies" offered by churches.

Quite an overcorrection on the part of the Gibeonites and David, killing so many innocent descendants of Saul.  When Rizpah protected the fallen bodies of the men, she did so for a period of about six or seven months - from the beginning of the barley harvest in late spring to the rainy season in late fall. She did this to protect the bodies from desecration.  The bodies decayed naturally and David ordered that their bones be buried with the bones of Saul and Jonathan, at the tomb of Saul's father Kish.

David succumbed to the temptation of Satan to take a census. Was David feeling pride in his own strength? Pride…something Satan is very familiar with. And something that we should always be on our guard against!

Prov 16:18
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.

David captured the land that Abraham walked.  It seems as if he wanted more land.  He wanted to count the fighting men in anticipation of taking more land - something contrary to God's plan.  

 
Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering. Joab knew it was wrong. Once David realized that God was going to punish Israel, he cried out to God. Instead of speaking to David directly, God spoke to him through David’s seer, Gad. 

The angel of the Lord stood at the threshing floor with a drawn sword in his hand. David and the elders fell facedown. A similar thing happened with Joshua (Joshua 5:13) and Balaam (Numbers 22:23).  When the four sons of Araunah saw the angel, they hid. Quite a commanding presence this angel of the Lord!

David redeemed himself when he bought the threshing site and built an altar there (very prophetic). This is the place where the temple will be built, but not by David. He shed too much blood. His son Solomon will have that honor.

It seems as if the readings for today have a theme of lies, betrayal, painful truth, and repentance.  

Soon after the messengers had brought the news of the defeat and death of Absalom to the court of Mahanaim, Joab and his victorious army followed expecting King David to meet them joyfully with thanksgiving for their military success.  Instead they found the king in tears for Absalom's death, which they construed as a token of displeasure against them for what they had done.

Pretty gutsy of Joab to call David to task. David had dishonored the fighting men by mourning over Absalom. Joab told David to go out and encourage the men. Does David know that it was Joab who struck the three javelins in Absalom’s heart?

Shemei was a Benjamite, of the family of Saul who met David at Bahurim as he was fleeing from Absalom.  He shouted curses at King David and threw stones at him.  But when David's faithful companions would cross the ravine to make quick work of Shimei, King David granted Shemei mercy.  

Ziba the steward of Saul's grandson Mephibosheth earlier lied to David about Mephibosheth's intentions. Mephibosheth stayed in Jerusalem after David left and Absalom came in. Ziba told David that Mephibosheth  had defected to Absalom, because he thought that Saul's kingdom would be returned to him. However, Mephibosheth sets the record straight, showing David that he had been in mourning for him (David) by not taking care of his feet, or trimming his mustache or washing this clothes (all tokens of mourning) since the day King David left the city.

What a great illustration we have in Barzillia. He remained faithful and waited for the king’s return.  
Wow! Can we say that about ourselves? Are we faithful as we wait for THE King’s return?

Earlier God rebuked David with the following words:
 2Samuel 12:9-12
Why have you despised the Word of Jehovah, to do evil in His sight? You have stricken Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. And therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.  So says Jehovah, Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor. And he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun. 

And then, strangely, Ahithophel gives this advice to Absalom, which he is quick to follow.  

2Samuel 16:21-22 
And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Go in to your father's concubines, that he left to keep the house. And all Israel shall hear that you are abhorred by your father. And the hands of all who are with you will be strong. And they spread Absalom a tent on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. 
 
The exact thing that God told David earlier came to pass. 

Ahithophel was the grandfather of Bathsheba,and one of David's counselors, who joined Absalom in revolt against David, and later committed suicide when Absalom did not heed his counsel.

Interesting thing happens with Absalom. He was left hanging in midair after his hair got caught in the tree. In 2   Samuel 14:11 a woman from Takoa tells King David a story about her sons. David says to her, “not one hair of your son’s head will fall to the ground.”
Seems prophetic on the part of David. Not one hair of David’s son Absalom falls to the ground.

Notice when David sends out troops, he doesn’t inquire of the Lord. He only says to his men “I will do whatever seems best to you.”
He was listening to the advice of men and not asking the will of God. How often do we do that as well?

David’s Son Absalom Compared to the Antichrist

Absalom                                              Antichrist

Pretender to the throne of King David	Pretender to the throne of Jesus
Desires to overthrow King David	Desires to overthrow Jesus
Gathers his army against King David and takes     over the city of Jerusalem	Gathers his army against Jesus and takes over the city of Jerusalem
Commits adultery against King David	Commits adultery against the church, the bride of Jesus
Cast into a pit in the forest	Cast into the bottomless pit

Interestingly, David's son Absalom was praised for his physical appearance.  And he was evaluated by how he looked.  This is contrary to the way God looks at a person.  When speaking of Saul, God said:

1Sa 16:7
But Jehovah said to Samuel, Do not look on his face, nor on his height, because I have refused him. For He does not see as man sees. For man looks on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looks on the heart.

How easily the people fell for Absalom’s trickery. “If only I were appointed judge of the land!”
He ingratiated himself to the people. What he said and did sounded good. Sounds like some of our politicians and even some of our spiritual leaders today.

“They had been invited as guests and went quite innocently…” Isn’t that what Satan does? He works in the hearts of men. What he says sounds good and the “innocents” are led astray.  But as believers in Jesus, we should not be among the "innocents".

2 Cor 2:11
in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
How can we be aware of Satan’s schemes and not be like the “innocents” who are easily led astray?  If we participate in all the spiritual disciplines; prayer, Bible study, worship, and fellowship with other believers, we will become very well aware of Satan's schemes.

When David left Jerusalem for fear of Absalom, he crossed the Kidron Valley and “continued up the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went”.

This is the first mention of the Mount of Olives in the Bible.  This ascent was probably east of the City of David, near the village of Silwan. Portions of the mount are called the Mount of Corruption, named for the idol worship there begun by King Solomon who build altars to the gods of his Moabite and Ammonite wives.  This site continued to be infamous for idol worship through the reigns of many of the kings until Josiah, king of Judah finally destroyed the high places there.

At the foot of the Mount of Olives lies the Garden of Gethsemane.  The Mount of Olives is frequently mentioned in the New Testament. Jesus spent much time on the mount, teaching and prophesying to his disciples (Matthew 24–25) and resting and sleeping there.  This is also the place where Jesus was betrayed and arrested.And it is from the Mount of Olives where Jesus ascended into heaven and where He will return. (Zechariah 14:4).

A son is born to David and Bathsheba.  The Lord sent word through Nathan, the prophet that this son was to be named Jedidiah, and yet they named him Solomon.  Why?

In 2 Samuel 3:2-5 are listed sons born to David in Hebron. In 1 Chronicles 3:4-9 the sons of David born in Jerusalem are listed. Only one daughter is named but it doesn’t mean that David only had one daughter. In fact in the following Scripture, it says there were daughters (plural).
2 Sam 5:13
After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him.

With as many wives and concubines that David had, there surely were several daughters. Since Tamar is listed as the sister of Absalom, they must have had the same mother. Tamar was the half-sister of Amnon. Amnon raped Tamar which led to the murder of Amnon by Absalom's men.

Even though David had some bloodthirsty offspring, one was not bloodthirsty and was singled out for some great things...Solomon.

The wise woman sent to David from Joab utters some very profound words spiritually speaking in 2 Samuel 14:14 But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him.
How very true for all unbelievers.  God does not take away their eternal life.  He offers many, many opportunities for the unbeliever to know Him.  Some of those opportunities may come through believers. We may never know the impact we may have on others, through our witness to them, or the words we say, or the way we live.  After all, we are His ambassadors here on earth.

At hearing of the death of his son by Bathsheba, David spoke these words concerning his son:
2 Sam 12:23b
I will go to him, but he will not return to me."
David is making in this one little sentence a huge statement. He is acknowledging eternal life, not only for him but for his child. They cannot be together now but will be in eternity.

David laments the following at the cave of Adullam.
“Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”
Ponder this verse. When we think of Bethlehem, we automatically think of Jesus, born in Bethlehem. Remember what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well?

John 4:10
Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

So when David longed for a drink of water from Bethlehem, was he speaking prophetically?

Even though David was thirsty and his men risked lives to get him the water, David then poured the water on the ground without drinking any of it.  This may sound confusing to us.  What David was doing was pouring out the water as a sacrificial act of worship.

It is very clear that David's mighty men were really MIGHTY men.  David started with several hundred before he became king, then out of the several hundred were thirty special mighty men and then there were three extraordinary men.

David captures and/or defeats Rabbah, Moab, Hadadezer, Damascus, Edom.  
"The Lord gave David victory everywhere he went." 
(Remember, God had promised earlier in Genesis 13:17 and Exodus 32:13 that He would give His people every place they set their foot.  This applies in land procurement as well as military success.)

Even though David had victory over his enemies, he had to be constantly at war.  The Lord didn't do David's fighting for him, David had to do it himself.  He was given victory over the people living in all the lands that Abraham walked, which included the land known as Syria and Jordan and Lebanon today.  Great lesson for us today...in all our spiritual battles, the Lord is more than willing to do the fighting for us. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

When David went to fight against the Philistines “he became exhausted.” Was it because he was fighting in his own power and not depending on God?

In 2 Samuel 21:18-22 are listed several names and descriptions of battles with the Philistines.  There is mention of a Bethlehemite who killed Goliath. This man was David who was from Bethlehem.  Notice that Goliath had a least four brothers. This may be why David selected five stones for his slingshot when he fought the giant Goliath. (1Samuel 17:40)

There is an absence of David inquiring of the Lord before going into battle. His men suggested that he stay out of the battle. So in the spring “when kings go off to war” David stayed (KJV says “tarried”) in Jerusalem. Bad idea! It was because David “tarried” that he had time on his hands to give in to his wandering eye and to lust after Bathsheba. And if the lusting weren’t enough, he sent for her, slept with her and she conceived. After finding out that Bathsheba was pregnant, David sent for her husband Uriah in hopes that he would sleep with her and that the baby would be mistaken for Uriah’s. This would let David off the hook. However it didn’t work. David sunk to an unprecedented low when he ordered that Uriah be sent to the front line of battle. At the death of Uriah, David was then free to marry Bathsheba.

Uriah was a man of honor.  He was devoted to his troops and would not indulge himself by going home to his wife when his men were not able to do so.  Even in a drunken stupor, Uriah maintained his integrity.

David was given authority and absolute power over everything possessed by Saul, even to Saul's wives and concubines.  Taking the whole harem of King Saul was sure proof that David was king.  Most of David's wives may have been from Saul's harem. This may be why God told Nathan the prophet that He (God) had given the master's wives into David's arms.

Through Psalm 51 David repents of his sin with Bathsheba.
"Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."
(see John 3:17-18)

Using the parable of the "one little ewe lamb," the prophet Nathan confronted David ("You are the man!")    with his double sin, the murder of Uriah the Hittite and his adultery with Bathsheba, Uriah's wife (2 Sam. 12:1-15) David in effect pronounced his own sentence when he responded to the prophet Nathan’s story about the poor man and his ewe lamb. David's reign was one of constant battle with his enemies.

And yet, David is known as a man after God’s own heart. What grace! I believe it’s called Amazing Grace.

David puts everything in place in anticipation of establishing regular worship once again, complete with music, singing, and presenting offerings before the Lord.  At this time the tabernacle of the Lord was located at a place called Gibeon.  Gibeon was one of the cities within the territory of Benjamin that was given to the Levites.  It is about five miles northwest of Jerusalem and the seat of an ancient sanctuary, called in 1Kings 3:4 “the great high place.”

David wants to build a proper temple for the Lord and speaks to Nathan the prophet. The Lord tells Nathan that David will NOT build a temple, but his son will.  God did not want a warrior to build His temple.
1Ch 28:3
But God said to me, You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.

David is told that his throne and kingdom will endure forever. Interesting word - forever.  Eternity and forever are not the same.  Forever is relative to time.  Time and forever began on Day 4 of creation when the sun, moon, and stars were created. (Genesis 1:14-15) Time and forever end when the heavens are no more. (2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 20:11, Revelation 21:23, Revelation 22:5, Revelation 21:1) Then time and forever cease to exist.  There is only eternity.  Eternity never begins and never ends.  The sun, moon, and stars were created to establish time and forever. In eternity there is no need of the sun, moon, and stars nor is there need for time and forever.  God says that David's kingdom will last forever and His commanded feast days will be observed forever.  It means that there will be an end to both because forever and eternity are not the same.

Fascinating story about Zadok the priest…the descendants of Zadok will serve in the Millennial Kingdom temple. Check out this prophecy from the prophet Ezekiel.

Ezek 40:46
and the room facing north is for the priests who have charge of the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who are the only Levites who may draw near to the LORD to minister before him."

Out of all the Levites, it will be the descendants of Zadok who will be chosen to minister before the Lord. What was so special that God would single them out specifically for this honored task? Is it because they were faithful to carry out God's instructions?

Ezek 44:15-16
"'But the priests, who are Levites and descendants of Zadok and who faithfully carried out the duties of my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat and blood, declares the Sovereign LORD.

What kind of job may the Lord have set aside for us because we were faithful in carrying out our duties?

David prepared a place for the Ark of God and then summoned the priests and the heads of the Levitical families to bring the Ark back. They brought the Ark back in the right way, according to God's way, not the way they did it earlier when Uzzah was killed. Think they learned a lesson?

The Levites were appointed to serve as singers and musicians.  They were given these responsibilities because they were skillful at those particular tasks.  God gives us talents that work well with our spiritual gifts.

David’s first wife, Michal, daughter of Saul despised David when she saw him dancing and celebrating at the return of the Ark. Why? Could it be because she was jealous? She later accuses David of disrobing in front of the slave girls. (2 Sam 6:20)

In this story of David bringing up the ark and sacrificing bulls and rams, the chronological Bible quoted from 1 Chronicles 15:25-28.  However, if you read 2 Samuel 6:12b-15 (where the same account is recorded) there is some additional information in verse 13 concerning six steps.  
When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.
Now, this may not seem to be a significant detail, but it is when we refer back to an earlier decree from God in Exodus 20:26
And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts may be exposed.
Is this why Michal was so upset?  Did she know it was wrong to go up steps to a sacrificial altar?   Were David's private parts exposed when he went up the six steps?  Was David even supposed to be wearing the linen ephod?  Those were for the Levites. 


In David’s Songs of Praise, Psalm 105 and 96, he reviews and summarizes the story from Joseph to Moses. This keeps a remembrance before the people of all that God had done for them. How are we doing? Do we review and summarize things God has done for us? Do we proclaim “his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.”

“…worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness…”When we gather before the Lord as a congregation, as a church, as a group of Believers, do we truly worship Him as He deserves? What would it look like to worship Him in the splendor of His holiness?

David captures the city of Jerusalem from the Jebusites, people who lived in Jebus.  Some historical documentation relates that Jebus was an earlier name for Jerusalem.

David arranges for the ark to be returned to the City of David. However, it didn't make it there. They moved the ark on an oxen cart with two men guiding it, Uzzah and Ahio. Because the lid of the ark of the covenant was pure gold (Exodus 25:17) it may have made the ark top heavy and difficult to manage without the poles.  Uzzah reaches up to steady the ark. Uzzah is killed. Sounds like pretty stiff punishment, doesn't it?

Well....we, humans always want to rationalize with statements such as this. "Uzzah was only trying to help. The oxen had stumbled. He was only trying to steady the ark. After all, it was top heavy.  He only touched the ark. Why was he killed?"

Well....Suppose it has anything to do with God's commandments about who was to carry the ark, how they were to carry the ark, etc.???
Num 4:15
And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, when the camp is to set forward, then after that the sons of Kohath shall come to carry it. But they shall not touch any holy thing lest they die. These are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.

Quite often in the readings lately, David inquires of the Lord. Things go much better for David when he does this. We can learn from David how to fight our "battles" too.
1. Ask God's will
2. Ask advice from other godly people
3. Search God's word
4. Give God the glory

The Philistines abandoned their gods when David and his army defeated them, "and David gave orders to burn them in the fire."  This is just another example of David's obedience to the first two commandments and another "jewel" in David's crown, part of what made David "a man after God's heart".

When the Philistines raided again, David once more inquired of the Lord.  This time instead of giving direct answers of yes and no to David's questions, God responded with some rather specific details, seemingly not something that was determined by the urim and thummim. Did David meet face to face with God?  Or did God audibly speak to David?

Anytime we feel depressed, we should contemplate this verse.
2 Samuel 22:17
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he rescued me out of deep waters. 
No matter what our "deep waters" may be, He will rescue us!  Why?  Well, we find out the answer to that question in the following verse.  

2 Samuel 22:20
He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
He rescues us and brings us into a spacious place.  Interesting word, spacious...the Hebrew word means "a wide and open space" but figuratively, the word means "liberty"!  When we put verses 17 and 20 together we get a beautiful picture of being brought out of the deep waters of trouble, affliction, despair, depression, etc into freedom... freedom that can only be found in Jesus!  And why does He do this?  Because he delights in us! And why does He delight in us?

And then in today's reading, we find this most wonderful of verses!
Psalm 18:35b
you stoop down to make me great.

Think about the significance of that verse. You (God) stoop down to make me (put your name there) great. God certainly did stoop down when He came to earth to die for our sins so that we could be made great. Wow!

David was a godly role model in many ways.  However, he was human so there were times when he stumbled and fell into sin.  Even great spiritual people who try to follow God are susceptible to temptation and sin.

David's sins were mostly against his fellow man (commandments 5-10).  His sins (at least those that are recorded in the Bible) are not sins against God (commandments 1-4).

Finally we read about David actually taking the throne as king. For the first seven years he is king over only Judah and the remaining time over all Israel. The civil war between the tribes to establish David's kingdom was a long, hard process. The people saw the sincerity of David as he honored his earlier promise to Saul to spare the lives of Saul's sons.  This is one of the reasons the tribes became united after being split between Israel and Judah. Solomon, David’s son will also rule over all Israel. After that, Israel and Judah split again and are split still today. They won’t come back together until the millennium.

We read a lot about a place called Hebron. It’s located in the hills of Judea about 20 miles southwest of Bethlehem. At the present time, Hebron is a hotbed of anti-Jew, anti-Israel, and pro Arab sentiments.  Seems as if Satan has a stronghold there. Hebron was one of the cities of refuge. Not even the avenger of death could slay a murderer without a trial.

Interesting thing in 2 Samuel 3:22-27. Abner was killed by Joab to avenge his brother Asahel’s death…but Hebron was a city of refuge. Oops.

Oh my…David had – count them – seven wives. This is not God's plan for marriage.  That plan was established between Adam and Eve - one man, one woman, becoming one flesh.  We can think of marriage as being a triangle.  God is at the top, husband and wife at the other two points of the triangle.  As husband and wife move up the sides of the triangle and become closer to God, they naturally come closer together to each other.  Great lesson for all of us.  If we get closer to God, all our other relationships will be better!

Oh boy! What was Saul thinking??? Consulting a medium…how does God feel about that?

Deut 18:10-12
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.

If the above mentioned things are detestable to God, how does He feel about some of the things we as Christians are doing? (TV shows, movies, books, video games, etc.)

Notice when the medium calls up Samuel, she is the only one who “sees” him. Saul only hears his voice. The medium has to describe him to Saul.

Saul and his sons were killed and their bodies were displayed on the walls of a place called Beth Shean.
When the Philistines pinned their headless bodies to the wall at Beth Shean, they made a strategic choice. Situated at the junction of the Jezreel and Jordan Valleys, Beth Shean controlled the crossroads of major highways. With Galilee and Damascus to the north, the Mediterranean to the west, and Jerusalem to the south, travelers from many nations passed through this prominent city. Here in this public place, Saul’s fallen form was a silent witness to the triumph of the pagan powers.

Beth Shean was a great crossroad.  We face crossroads every day.  We make decisions every day.  What choice will we make?  Will we choose to be obedient, even in small matters?

There are so many references in Scripture to the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience.  "Heroic spiritual lives are built by stacking days of obedience one on top of the other.  Like a brick each obedient act is small in itself, but in time the acts will pile up and a wall of character will be built - a great defense against temptation.  Strive for consistent obedience each day."
(commentary from NIV Study Bible)

Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. What does Rom 6:23 say about the wages of sin?

Rom 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But praise God...the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

There is a reference in today's reading of a place called Carmel. This can be confusing. There were two places named Carmel. One was located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in northern Israel and the other was in the mountains on the western side of the Dead Sea in the southern part of Israel. It was here in the south that the following takes place.

Abigail's husband, Nabal, was an ill-tempered, drunken man. When David was hiding from the jealous King Saul, he asked Nabal for food for himself and his men. Nabal blatantly refused. Angered, David threatened to plunder Nabal's possessions and kill Nabal himself. Abigail, in her wisdom, gathered enough food for David's men, rode out to meet David, and bowed before him to show her respect. By agreeing with David that Nabal had acted with great disrespect, she stemmed David's anger. To Abigail's credit, she did not leave her godless husband. When Nabal died, apparently from shock at discovering his near brush with death, David married Abigail.  Just because David had multiple wives doesn’t mean that God condones it.

David is given yet another opportunity to kill Saul. All the men in Saul’s camp were sleeping “because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep.” Was this a test for David?

David knew he would be king at the death of Saul. He still did the Lord’s will and still insists that the Lord’s anointed is not to be killed. David's kingship was in God's hands and in God's time.

Our lives are in God's hands and He operates according to His time. Not so easy for us to accept at times, is it?

Many times we read about David inquiring of the Lord before he made any decisions. But in today's reading, right before David becomes part of the Philistine army, he did not inquire of the Lord. Scripture says, "But David thought to himself."

Great lesson for us to learn from David here, always inquire of the Lord!

Later on, after the Amalekites had taken David's people captive, David asked for the ephod from the priest, in order to inquire of the Lord. Guess he learned his lesson.