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. 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. 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

In today's reading, we find this most wonderful of verses!
Ps 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 becomes king. For the first seven years he is king over only Judah and the remaining time over all Israel. There is a 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 Hebron. It’s located in the hills of Judea about 20 miles southwest of Bethlehem. 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. What did God say about that?

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? (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.

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.

Bad guy Doeg, on orders from King Saul kills 85 priests and the entire town of Nob. The people blamed David for the deaths of the 85 priests. However, it was because of a lie that David told that Saul ordered the deaths of the priests. David takes the high ground and accepts responsibility.

David compares himself to an olive tree, flourishing in the House of God. An olive tree is one of the longest living trees, but one that is flourishing lives even longer. Something that is flourishing is healthy, robust, strong, and growing. If we compare that to our lives as Believers, can we say that we are spiritually healthy, robust, strong, and growing in faith?

David has an opportunity to kill King Saul in the cave yet he doesn’t, calling Saul the Lord’s anointed. Again David takes the high ground.

Saul knows that David will be king and pleads for the safety of his family. It was customary for a new king to destroy the family of the former king. David gives his oath that he will not destroy Saul's descendants. And again, David takes the high ground.

Read Psalm 57 in light of current political and economic unrest and take heart with these words of David:

Ps 57:7a
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast;

Do we as Believers take the high ground? Is our heart steadfast as we trust in Him?

“Record my lament; list my tears on your scrolls…”
Kind of hidden away there isn’t it? An insignificant verse you say? Don’t think so!

A better translation of the Hebrew word–“no’d” for the word “scrolls” means a “skin or bag for fluids,” or more commonly known today in Israel as a “tear bottle”. Tears were (and are) very significant to the Hebrew and Jewish people. These people preserve their tears. The tears are kept in small bottles (three inches or so) as a memory of either joyful or sorrowful experiences. In this psalm David is asking God to preserve his tears, to put them in His tear bottle. Lots of bad things were happening to David. David turns things over to the Lord. He is asking God to take revenge on his enemies. David says at the end of the psalm, “What can man do to me? I “walk before God in the light of life.”

Do we ask God to put all the wrongful actions done against us in a tear bottle to keep? If we haven’t done that then we must be holding grudges. I believe God’s tear bottle is a bit bigger than the average Jewish tear bottle. He can take care of a multitude of tears.

And speaking of tears…a sea of tears flows throughout the Bible. One of the first instances of weeping is when Abraham buried Sarah in the cave near Hebron. Many others shed tears; Jacob, Moses, Hannah, Samuel, David, Hezekiah, Nehemiah…and of course Jesus shed tears over Jerusalem. The last recorded instance of the shedding of tears is this.
Rev 5:4
I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.

God Himself, takes care of all tears for all time!
Rev 21:4
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

You might want to read Psalm 34 again and just count all the great promises from God. Look especially at the last one. “The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.”
Wrap your mind around the meaning of that verse.

Jesus said from the cross. “It is finished.” The Lord has indeed redeemed us. Now there is no condemnation. (Rom 8:1)

Hallelujah! (Every day should be a Hallelujah day. It’s not just a word for Easter Sunday morning!)

Soul mates, Jonathan and David. Many people have a difficult time understanding the feelings between these two men. Is it because we are so busy with our lives that we don’t develop those kinds of friendships? Is it because we are connected by trivial pursuits only? Is it because we are so self-centered? Just what is it about the friendship between Jonathan and David that people don’t get?

“Saul was very angry…” He let pride creep in. What a contrast with Saul's feelings toward David and Jonathan’s feelings toward David.

Interesting that David was asked to bring Saul a gift of 100 and David brought 200. Sounds like David really wanted Michal in marriage.

Could it be that the evil spirit from the Lord that came upon Saul was so that David would be favored by the people? By the time David became king most of the people were already in David’s “camp”.

Even Saul began prophesying when he went to Ramah for David. He was speaking God’s words. Too bad he wasn’t thinking God’s thoughts.

How goes it with us as Believers? Do we think God's thoughts or are we giving "lip service"?