Week 16

2 Samuel 1-4; 2 Chronicles 1-6

When reading 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 &2 Chronicles we have to remember that they overlap the same time period, but for different purposes. The Chronicles are the records of the kings. As stated last week, 1 Samuel tells Saul’s story and 2 Samuel tells David’s. Woven into our reading this week are several Psalms that David wrote during this time when he was rising as king. Therefore, because much of what we are reading is strictly a historical recording, I want to focus on some of these Psalms so that we can get a glimpse into the relationship that David had with God. Hopefully, we will begin to see the kind of relationship that God desires to have with us. First, notice that David holds nothing back from God. He pours his heart out to Him. Even if how he feels isn’t actually true, he gives it to God. He is simply honest about what’s going on inside his heart and mind. Take a look at Psalm 6 and you will see David dumping his heart out to God. How was he able to have that kind of freedom and intimacy with God?  There are three recurring themes throughout David’s psalms that answer this question for us. While we cannot reduce our relationship with God to three easy steps, we would be wise to learn from the “man after God’s own heart.”

The Center of his life
In Psalm 16, David says, “I keep the Lord in my mind always. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” This is not some unrealistic call to only think about God 24 hours a day. We have laundry and dishes and jobs and so forth that we must give thought to. What David was saying was that he allowed God to frame his thoughts; his frame of mind was on God. His perspective, the way he thought about things, the way he approached situations and relationships were from a God-centered standpoint. As women, we have the opportunity to have many differing “frames.” We tend to live in this comparison trap, but think about how different our lives would be if we simply centered our very existence on God, as a woman, as a wife or girlfriend, an employee, a friend, a wife, a mom, a daughter.

The Confidence of his life
Move on over to Psalm 21, “For the king relies on the Lord; through the faithful love of the Most High he is not shaken.” David, King David, is referring to himself here, declaring that his confidence is not in himself or his position of absolute authority. His is confident in God and God alone. You know, often as women, we struggle with confidence and we grasp as finding the feeling of safety. We search in relationships, things, careers. Oh how I long to exist in that place of the heart where I am not shaken. When life goes wrong and all the things I’ve tried to make perfect so that I can feel safe and secure go crashing down, I realize that there can be no confidence in anything but God. David had many battles to fight but his heart was at rest, not because he was a great warrior (and he was), but because of his God. Women, we are surrounded by battles; battles in our minds, hearts and homes. Put yourself here and begin to truly know God in this way; “I rely on the Lord; through the faithful love of the Most High I am not shaken.”

The Credit of his life
David takes his devotion to the next level. He claims no glory for himself. In Psalm 44:6-8, he says, “For I do not trust in my bow, and my sword does not bring me victory. But You give us victory over our foes…we boast in God all day long; we will praise your name forever.” As humans, we naturally seek credit for the things we accomplish. David, as a victorious king, had even earned the right to seek praise. Not even in his armor did he find strength. You see, we can have all the right tools, but if our heart is not right, victory will never be ours. We must never think of ourselves or things in this life too highly. David may have had the best armor of his day, but without his God, he would have suffered complete defeat. David recognized that reality. He rested in God’s faithful presence. Every victory we have is from God and God alone.


The Result of this Relationship
How I wish I could count the times I’ve heard the phrase, “I just want to be happy.” Well, I hate to break it to the women who are searching, but you probably won’t find it; not unless you are looking where David looked. Most seek happiness through relationships or status or approval or outward beauty. Sadly, when one thing fails we go to the next only to be let down time and time again. How about we stop searching? It really is simple. This is why it is so important for us to fall in love with God’s Word; it tells us what we need to know and keeps us from wasting precious time and energy. Look at Psalm 84. In this short, twelve verse Psalm, happy is said 3 times; “How happy is the one.” If we were to summarize this psalm, what you would find that the secret to happiness is to make God the center of your life, “How happya re those who reside in Your house;” the confidence of your life and the credit of your life, Happy are those whose strength is in You, whose hearts are set…;” and the credit of your life, “Happy is the person who trusts in You.”We must stop falling for so many lies about happiness and realize this one simple truth: Life is absolutely nothing without Him. Our hearts cry should be as David’s; “Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand anywhere else. I would rather be at the door of the house of my God, than to live in the tents of wicked people.” The wicked people being referred to here are those who have wealth but have rejected God; those who have put their confidence and centered their lives around their fortune and sought the glory for themselves. Sound familiar? The question is, have you let go of that false happiness of having everything that everyone else has and come to a place where you can honestly say that it truly better to be a servant of God rather than “somebody” among people? You won’t be  happy until you do.  

Week 13-15; The Character of the Characters Part 2

Saul and David: The War between Two Warriors
Israel would not relent in asking for a king, so Samuel takes their case to God and God says, “Ok, I’ll give them what they want.” God leads Samuel to their first king, Saul. Saul began good and finished bad. His jealousy took control of his thoughts and he became a fool. He was his own worst enemy. When I read this story, what comes to mind is how often I tell God what He needs to do in my life rather than simply trusting that His way is better. The Israelites didn’t not want God as their King, they wanted what all the other nations had. They told God what they wanted rather than ask God what they needed. May we be wise enough to seek God rather than demand God. God’s grace reigned even though Israel ignored Him. Even though this King that they asked for went horrible wrong, He was gracious enough to give them a new King. The throne is taken from Saul and given to David. King David would be the greatest King they ever knew. While he made his share of mistakes that caused many tragedies, he loved God. He leaves us a legacy of what it means to pour our hearts out to God, to humbly repent, to have an honest and intimate relationship with God. Both of these men were warriors. Saul’s quest for power causes him to abandon God. David’s quest for God allows him to become king. Isn’t almost always pride that causes us to abandon God? We become more concerned with what other people think or what other people have. We, in our pride, take our eyes off of God. We put our eyes on self and become consumed. That thing or approval or person will never be what we think. Saul did not provide what they thought a king would and power did not provide anything but cost him everything; his kingdom and his life. What I love about our Read the Bible for Life Plan is that is allows us to read the Psalms that David wrote intertwined with his story. What we see is that in every victory and in every trial, in every step, David stops to praise his God. He keeps God at the forefront. Just imagine him cutting the hem of Saul’s robe in the cave then walking away singing a Psalm. He does not allow for the opportunity to become prideful or self-sufficient or self-promoting.

Jonathon: A Faithful Friend
 A bond instantly forms between these two young men; David and Jonathon. And even though Jonathon’s own father, King Saul, sees David as his worst enemy, Jonathon recognizes that God is with David and not his father. I cannot imagine how hard it would have been in Jonathon’s situation to choose his friend over his father, but ultimately, Jonathon had to do what was right. He chose to be faithful to the man who was faithful to God. Two truths we learn from Jonathon. First, our earthly relationships cannot interfere with our relationship with God. Our love for God should always be our first and greatest devotion. Second, Jonathon is the perfect example of being a devoted friend. Their friendship continues and we will see that Jonathon continues to play a crucial role in David’s life. We all need that kind of friend; a friend who is faithful at all cost, a friend who is wise, a friend who is discerning, a friend who is fully devoted to God. I do not believe that David would have been the king that he was if it had not been the role that Jonathon played in his life. I challenge you to evaluate your friendships and ask God to bless you with a Jonathon. Then evaluate the kind of friend that you are. You see, Jonathon was not David’s friend because he was going to be king but because David loved God.

Abigail: A Wise Woman
We have seen the lives of some amazing women over these few weeks of reading. Ruth and Hannah both displayed great sacrifice, submission and humbleness. They were truly devoted women. We come across, yet another woman who can teach us a few things if we are willing to learn. Abigail acted wisely even though her husband was a fool. She bravely approached King David and interceded for her husband. She didn’t overlook or justify the stupidity of her man. Now, do not hear me say that we can just go to God and gripe about our man and He will give us a new one. This story is about our wisdom as women. This is a tough one to write about because I see so many young women disrespect their husbands. There is a difference that I want to make clear. Abigail’s husband was an ungodly, foolish man and she chose to stand up for herself and those in her house. She was not willing to ignore his pride and arrogance. This was the king we are talking about! Let me just say that I tend to see two camps of women; those who don’t have a good man but are blind to it and those who do have a good man but are blind to it. The lesson from Abigail is that she acted with discernment in the middle of a very difficult situation. Please don’t misconstrue the lesson here to justify some false thinking.  Whether our husbands are right or wrong, how do we react to him? Do we also act like a fool? Or do we simply take the matter to God, our King. Did you notice that? She did not go blow up at her husband. She went directly to King David. What I’ve learned after a short, thirteen years of marriage, is that God is much better about making the changes that need to be made in my husband than I am. Often times, He calls me to my own heart examination. Often times, He shows me where I am just simply wrong. However, if we have a man that seeks God, God will do the work in his life that needs to be done. Abigail did not have that blessing but she still responded in a worthy manner despite her husband. I pray that I’m a woman who carries a calm grace when situations arise. I pray that I am filled with such wisdom that I allow the King to work on my behalf. I pray that I am thankful for my Godly husband. I pray that if you are married, you are honest about your husband; good or bad. And that you give him to God. I pray that if you are not married, you seek a man who loves God and has more wisdom than Abigail’s husband. Most importantly, I pray that as a woman you seek God and allow Him to fill your heart with wisdom and truth that will pour from your lips when you speak.

Week 13-15; The Character of the Characters Part 1

Week 13 ends with the book of Ruth, then weeks 14-15 cover the book of 1 Samuel. Several major Old Testament stories are covered in these few weeks of reading. The way I want to approach these two books is by examining and comparing the characters, which will allow us to do our own inward evaluation. It is wise for us to take an honest look at ourselves, see where we are with God and what it is that we need to allow Him to purge, to mold, to grow. So, let’s get started.

Ruth and Naomi: Two Women Worlds Apart
If you’ve not read the book of Ruth, I encourage you to take about 15 minutes to read these 4 short chapters that tell a beautiful story of faithful love; this is a story that gives us a glimpse into the redeeming love of Christ through the man of Boaz. You will also see the tragic story of a woman named Naomi and the faithfulness of a foreigner named Ruth. During a time of famine, Naomi and her husband leave Bethlehem to go to Moab. From our reading until now, you should know that the Moabite people were detested by the Israelites. This family’s decision to go to the Moabites would have been a disgrace. To make matters worse, their two sons marry Moabite women; Ruth and Orpah. Sadly, Naomi’s husband and both of her sons die while living in this foreign land. Naomi makes the decision to return to her home and her two daughter-in-laws begin the journey with her. However, she pleads with them to return to their home and people. Now, I’m sure there was good in her heart but I would also imagine that she didn’t really want to bring two Moabite women back to Bethlehem with her, either. After all, things would be hard enough as a widow. Orpah returns to her home, but Ruth displays one of the most gracious acts of love and devotions we find recorded in God’s Word. She refuses to leave Naomi. Now Ruth becomes the foreigner. Yet, through a series of submissive, vulnerable acts, she becomes adopted into this people; the Israelites. From her would come the line of David and ultimately the Messiah. Naomi is the weeping widow; her sorrow I cannot imagine but her faith is more than shaky. She assumes that she is destined for doom. Ruth, the submissive servant, brings hope and joy to Naomi’s sorrow. What’s interesting is Naomi is the one who knows God, but doubts Him. Ruth is the one who does not know God but trusts Him. I don’t want to be too hard on Naomi. She does wisely instruct Ruth, leading her to their Kinsmen Redeemer. But, it’s in the heartaches where our true faith is displayed. Naomi was able to move forward and muster up faith in God because of Ruth’s faithfulness to her. It is in the characters of God’s love story that we are able to honestly see ourselves.

Hannah: A Humble Heart
The book of 1 Samuel begins with the story of a precious woman named Hannah. What a picture of what it means to be a Godly woman. She brought her sorrow to God and poured it out at His feet. She pleaded with God and made a promise; but not just any promise, the most difficult promise. And when it came time for her to bail on that promise, she actually followed through. She gave up her son, a toddler, to a priest who had proven himself not to be the greatest father. Now he would raise her son. She was not afraid to give God her heart, her dream and her greatest treasure. The day she took her son to the temple was a day of joy, not sorrow. She rejoiced rather than recoiled. She praised rather than pouted. Her blessing would be that her son would grow to be the greatest judge Israel ever knew. How I long to have a heart like Hannah; a heart that holds nothing back from God.

Eli and Samuel: A Pitiful Priest and A Just Judge
Eli wasn’t all bad, but he failed in one primary roll; he didn’t pass down his faith to his sons and allowed them to disgrace the Temple. In fact, God tells Eli that he has honored his sons more than God. Remember, this is the priest with whom Hannah entrusted to raise her son, Samuel. She would have known the kind of priest he was. Sadly, he wasn’t necessarily a corrupt priest himself. He just overlooked the sins of his sons. He allowed disgrace in the temple. He didn’t pass down God’s instructions or teach his sons to fear God and revere their position as temple servants. Both of his sons and Eli experience tragic deaths. It doesn’t matter who we are, we must fully give everything to God. We don’t get to escape the consequences. Eli withheld his sons from God. Ironically, he raised the son that Hannah did not withhold from God. I pray that I’m a mother like Hannah rather than a parent like Eli. We see throughout the book of 1 Samuel that Samuel consistently and persistently follows God. He is a wise, honest and faithful judge. This Just Judge is simply not good enough for the Israelites, though. They want a king so God gives them what they want which proves to be more than they bargained for. Samuel is such an incredible example of simply following God. He doesn’t waver or doubt. He doesn’t pout or whine. He trusts and obeys. I pray that I raise my sons to be men like Samuel.