May 31, Day 151

Today's Reading

1 Kings. I took a moment to ponder the "golden years" under Solomon, during his early reign.  Most of David's rule had been during war years.  The people dealt with hardship from war and hardship from treachery.  You can see that they were hardened by their difficulties; consequently, their kingdom was strong.

It all changed under Solomon.  The people were living off the fat of previous victories.  Their nation was rich and seemingly secure.  They would grow soft in the years of Solomon and the nation would become weak.  It's a tragic lesson to see.   Perhaps it's an import lesson for us today.

May 30, Day 150

Today's Reading

Psalms 119. This is the longest chapter in the Bible It is divided into sections of 8 verses each.  The 22 sections are corresponding to the 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet.

I like to think of this passage  as similar to traveling a long highway.  The first time down the highway, everything is new and different.  I'm sure that some of you can think of highways (like the ones between Yuma and Phoenix or Yuma and San Diego) that are so familiar you know almost every mile marker.  You know the terrain.  You know the view off in the distance.  If this is your first time to read this Psalm, travel through each verse as if it were a mile marker and take note of the ones which jump out at you.

Today I noticed that the Psalm 119 journey begins with, "Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the LORD." Psalm 119:1 (NLT) and ends with, "I have wandered away like a lost sheep; come and find me, for I have not forgotten your commands." Psalm 119:176 (NLT). In other words, "I aspire to be a person of integrity who consistently follows Your ways, but I mess up and lose my way sometimes.  I haven't forgotten You, but I need to be called back when I stray.

May 29, Day 149

Today's Reading

1 Kings.  It's amazing that some of the same people who loyally followed David in Absalom's rebellion turned against David in Adonijah's rebellion. It could be that they didn't trust the king to handle the transition definitively and they wanted to assure their spot in the new administration.  Because we live in a day and a place in which bloodshed is abhorred, it's hard to comprehend what Solomon did as he took control of the kingdom. I believe he had to take strong action or the nation was susceptible to anarchy.

May 28, Day 148

Today's Reading

Psalms. Great reflective reading for me today.  I love to simply ponder my way through chapters like these.  Verses speak to my soul and I spend some time to savor them.  Which verses speak to you?

May 27, Day 147

Today's Reading

“And now, because of my devotion to the Temple of my God, I am giving all of my own private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction. This is in addition to the building materials I have already collected for his holy Temple. 1 Chronicles 29:3 (NLT) That verse says a lot, in a day when many Christians only think of wealth transfer to their children and grandchildren.  All of us know stories about squandered riches that were handed down to those who didn't work for them.  David's generous gift says much about the placement of his heart.  I love my family and have plans to bless them when I'm gone (if any is left).  But I want my heart to be like David's!

May 26, Day 146

Today's Reading

Psalms. I am grateful for the days when a passage speaks to something deep in my soul.  Such was the case today when I read, "1 LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. 2 Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself, like a weaned child who no longer cries for its mother’s milk. Yes, like a weaned child is my soul within me. 3 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD— now and always." Psalm 131:1-3 (NLT)

"Calmed and quieted myself..."  "...put your hope in the LORD -- now and always." I sure needed that!  Sometimes the "matters too great...for me..." are in areas for which I have human responsibility.  They are matters which, when I see something wrong, I can't fix.  I have seen a great difference in the things I CAN fix and those I can't.  I can't change the attitude of another person, for instance.  I can't force people I love to follow God's ways.  In short, I can lead, but I can't manipulate.  I am learning that lesson.

And I am learning to calm and quiet myself.  Sometimes.

May 25, Day 145

Today's Reading

1 Chronicles 25:1: "David and the army commanders then appointed men from the families of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to proclaim God’s messages to the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals. Here is a list of their names and their work.."  Reading this makes me think of military chaplains.  May God strengthen them for their difficult jobs!

May 24, Day 144

Today's Reading

Psalms. Three more Davidic poems today...worth a lifetime of meditation!

5 The Lord stands at your right hand to protect you. He will strike down many kings when his anger erupts. 6 He will punish the nations and fill their lands with corpses; he will shatter heads over the whole earth. Psalm 110:5-6 (NLT) I write this on the morning of May 22, the day after the predicted Rapture of the church.  A tiny few believed a false teacher and the world scoffs.  Many have hardened their hearts even further, adding to the lie that it's all baloney.  That day WILL come, however!  It may be soon; it may not.  But it will come.

 

May 23, Day 143

Today's Reading

2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, Psalms. "Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel." 1 Chronicles 21:1 (NLT) Somehow, David KNEW that he wasn't supposed to do this.  Early in his reign, God had told him to take a census, but now David wasn't supposed to do it.  James 4:17 (New Testament) said, "He who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin." David knew this was the wrong thing to do and did it anyway.  It's dangerous for spiritual leaders to place their hope or their identity in a head count.  That doesn't mean that it's wrong to count, but it is wrong to use them as a comparison to others.

May 22, Day 142

 

Today's Reading

Psalms. I was struck again by the verse, "Sing a new song to the Lord,  for he has done wonderful deeds." (Psalm 98:1). A NEW song. This isn't just about music or the war between hymns and "7/11" choruses; It's about attitude. The older I get, the more I am impressed with people who keep stretching and growing every single day. They refuse to stop and rest upon the past. They refuse to criticize something just because they've never done it that way before. I never want to quit growing.  I want my life to be filled with new songs, as well as old.

 

May 21, Day 141

Today's Reading

2 Samuel. I imagined the media of today writing the story of King David after he died.  "Giant Slayer Dies!", the headlines would read.  Time magazine would include a tawdry sidebar story, "Affair Threatened Career."  We are almost to the Biblical account of David's death; look at what he wrote as he reflected on his life...2 “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; 3 my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence. 4 I called on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies. 5 “The waves of death overwhelmed me; floods of destruction swept over me. 6 The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path. 7 But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I cried to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears. 2 Samuel 22:2-7 (NLT)

To David, it was always about God's provision and not his own accomplishments.  I am grateful for the reminder!

May 20, Day 140

Today's Reading

Psalms. Spiritual battles are a part of reality for those who choose to walk with God.  I recently faced one.  For several days I was spiritually and emotionally shaken.  God brought me through to the victory, but these words describe a little of what I felt...15 For I am waiting for you, O LORD. You must answer for me, O Lord my God...17 I am on the verge of collapse...18 But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done. ...21 Do not abandon me, O LORD. Do not stand at a distance, my God. 22 Come quickly to help me, O Lord my savior. Psalm 38 (NLT)

May 19, Day 139

Today's Reading

2 Samuel.  David the king had been betrayed; David the dad had just lost his son. It's hard to imagine the dilemma he felt. Joab, for all his impetuous action (often bordering on rebellion) was right about his counsel. David needed to acknowledge those who fought bravely or he would lose his kingdom.

I don't claim to "understand" the whole situation with Saul's family being executed by the Gibeonites so God would let it rain. The only way it begins to make even a little sense to me is if this was God's chosen method of bringing promised judgment on Saul's family. Even then, it's hard for me to grasp why.

May 18, Day 138

Today's Reading

Psalms. A variety of these verses spoke to me.  Here is but one example: "And if your wealth increases, don’t make it the center of your life." Psalm 62:10 (NLT)

May 17, Day 137

Today's Reading

2 Samuel. Today we pick up where we left off in the account of Absalom's rebellion and ultimate death.  It's a story of deep pain for David.  As a leader who has tasted rebellion, I know the frustration David surely felt.  As a dad, I understand the pain of a child's rejection.

May 16, Day 136

Today's Reading

Psalms. What was it like to carry the burden of a king?  Read today's Psalms and see into David's heart.  Many of his verses today gave me comfort and courage.

May 15, Day 135

Today's Reading

2 Samuel.  David's love for his children made it difficult for him to discipline them. It seems that he ignored Amnon's rape of Tamar since surely he had heard about it. Then he ignored Absalom as he took matters into his own hands. It's a setup for what happens next.  God used David's own weakness regarding the people he loved to set up the promised judgment of David's sin with Bathsheba an Uriah.

Absalom decided to steal the kingdom from his dad. What pain and misery from the failure to make hard decisions. I often learn from this passage because I -- at one time -- also failed to take strong action with a rebellious staff member and our entire church suffered for it.

Blogger Problems

To my readers.  For the past couple of days, Blogger (the Google website which manages my blogs) has been having problems.  Blogs I had scheduled to arrive at a certain time didn't arrive.  Now I am having trouble posting a scheduled post.  Some posts have arrived early.  Please check the date of the reading and comments when you read.  Otherwise you may get out of order in your plan.  Sam

May 14, Day 134

Today's Reading

Psalms.  It's so easy to tear David down for his sin with Bathsheba; how could God have anything to do with such a man, let alone call David a "man after My own heart"?  It's easy to tear him down until I face my own sins, whatever they may be.  I would stand guilty before Holy God, if it weren't for His mercy.  As I recognize the awfulness of my own sins, these Psalms jump off the pages to me.

May 13, Day 133

Today's Reading

2 Samuel. As I read today's passage, it struck me that David's great victories -- accompanied by his magnanimous gestures to former enemies -- must have led him into pride. How else could he have given in to fleshly desires toward another man's wife, then have the other man killed? Said another way, I don't think he took a giant, instant leap into adultery and murder; I think he took a series a baby steps away from God. To me, that's much scarier.

The complexity of the lives of those in today's passage is worth a notice. Each person was walking through difficulties. David was grieving his son's death and broken over his own sin. Bathsheba was surely mourning the loss of Uriah and her complicity in the sin of adultery, as well as the death of her baby. Nathan was faithfully bringing the Word of the Lord to the king, regardless of the consequences. David's advisers were fretting over the king's demeanor. In the meantime, where was Joab? He was fighting Israel's battles on the battlefield. He was loyal to David...sort of.

May 12, Day 132

Today's Reading

Psalms. David was in his years of great expansion of kingdom and influence.  For a long, long time he seemed like a "kid in a candy store", amazed at God's provision and his success.  Picture him writing: "You quieted the raging oceans with their pounding waves and silenced the shouting of the nations." Psalm 65:7 (NLT) David knew what the "shouting of the nations" was about.  Then, as now, they wanted to destroy Israel.  Please understand that the shouting of the nations against Israel is a cry born from the mouth of Satan himself.  Israel is God's chosen people and the enemy wants them destroyed.  He has co-opted national politics to attempt that destruction all through the centuries.  The turmoil will conclude at the end of the age, when the King of Kings and Lord of Lords returns to set up His kingdom.  If you know Him, you will be part of it!

Psalm 69 includes several verses that were fulfilled in Christ.  You may recognize them.

May 11, Day 131

Today's Reading

Our reading in 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles today are, obviously, about the same historical events.  History is in the eye of the beholder and God used their observations to give us His Word.  "Men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." 2 Peter 1:21 (NASB) God spoke through their personalities, their vocabulary, and their observations of things happening around them.  It is a common misconception, when we say that the Bible is the Word of God and the WORDS of God, to believe that God dictated it through the equivalent of human robots.  How out of His character that would be!  He gave them intelligence and abilities, which along with their life experiences prepared them for God's purposes.

Why was David a great king?  The answer, in the midst of such widespread victory, is found in Psalm 20: Some nations boast of their chariots and horses, but we boast in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7 (NLT)

May 10, Day 130

Today's Reading

Psalms. I mentioned Psalm 50:3-4 in yesterday's post.  Throughout today's reading, I thought of these Psalms in the context of David's heart and Israel's victories over enemies.  Several verses took on new meaning in light of the history of when they were written...

Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! Psalm 53:1 (NLT)

9 Who will bring me into the fortified city? Who will bring me victory over Edom? 10 Have you rejected us, O God? Will you no longer march with our armies? 11 Oh, please help us against our enemies, for all human help is useless. 12 With God’s help we will do mighty things, for he will trample down our foes. Psalm 60:9-12 (NLT)

9 But as for me, I will always proclaim what God has done; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. 10 For God says, “I will break the strength of the wicked, but I will increase the power of the godly.” Psalm 75:9-10 (NLT)

May 9, Day 129

Today's Reading

2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles. I was flooded with thoughts this morning as I read these passages.  I will discuss a few of them here, but hope they may leave you with some questions or discussion yourself...

"David also conquered the land of Moab. He made the people lie down on the ground in a row, and he measured them off in groups with a length of rope. He measured off two groups to be executed for every one group to be spared. The Moabites who were spared became David’s subjects and paid him tribute money." 2 Samuel 8:2 (NLT)I can almost hear some readers decrying David's brutality here.  Our worldview is so tainted by "tolerance" that we can't imagine David's worldview.  Even though his great-grandmother Ruth was from Moab, she had distanced herself from her people and their gods (see Ruth 1:14-17).  The Moabites were pagan enemies of God and of His people Israel.  It was an act of mercy to allow 1/3 of them to live.  Tomorrow you will read Psalm 50, which includes "3 Our God approaches, and he is not silent. Fire devours everything in his way, and a great storm rages around him. 4 He calls on the heavens above and earth below to witness the judgment of his people." Psalm 50:3-4 (NLT) We often conveniently forget the judgment of God.

Today we read about victory over Gath, the home of the Philistine (modern-day Palestinian) giant Goliath,  Zobah and Hamath (modern-day Syria) and Edom (these descendants of Esau lost their identity as a people group by the time of Christ).

I can only imagine what was going through David's head when he found out that Mephibosheth was alive.  This was the son of his best friend Jonathan.  How many memories this must have brought to David!

Those of you with a critical eye will note the distinction between 2 Samuel 8:7 ("Tebah and Berothai") and 1 Chronicles 18:8 ("Tebah and Cun").  Why the difference, if these were the same towns?  I haven't found clarity on this one, with a brief amount of research.  However, we OFTEN call the same town by different names (think "NYC" and "Big Apple") so that's possibly what happened here.

May 8, Day 128

Today's Reading

Happy Mother's Day!

Psalms. Each of today's Psalms spoke to me on a very personal level.  God truly cares for those whose heart is His.  He is the source and provider of their lives.  He protects them from the enemy.  Hallelujah!

 

May 7, Day 127

Today's Reading

2 Samuel. If Chapter 6 sounds familiar, that's because we read the same story three days ago in 1 Chronicles.  2 Samuel 7 and 1 Chronicles 17 are also about the same historical event.  Even though it was David's son Solomon who would build the Temple David had on his heart, it was Jesus, Son of David, who established God's Temple in our hearts.  (See 1 Corinthians 3:16-19)

 

May 6, Day 126

Today's Reading

Psalms. I found refreshment in the verses of these chapters today.  In a way, it's like trying to get a drink out of a fire hose, so I found certain paragraphs that particularly spoke to me.  The one that most stands out is...

16 He called for a famine on the land of Canaan, cutting off its food supply. 17 Then he sent someone to Egypt ahead of them— Joseph, who was sold as a slave. 18 They bruised his feet with fetters and placed his neck in an iron collar. 19 Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph’s character. 20 Then Pharaoh sent for him and set him free; the ruler of the nation opened his prison door. 21 Joseph was put in charge of all the king’s household; he became ruler over all the king’s possessions. 22 He could instruct the king’s aides as he pleased and teach the king’s advisers. Psalm 105:16-22 (NLT)

I want to remember that passage when I feel as if my feet are in fetters and I have an iron collar around my neck.  God is always at work!

May 5, Day 125

Today's Reading

Psalms. I am writing this on the day after we received news that Osama Bin Laden has been killed.  The Psalms in today's reading are full of references to God's judgment upon those who oppose His people, Israel.  Bin Laden and those like him oppose the U.S., but don't forget that their main hatred is toward the Jews.  I hope you can read the chapters today in that light.

May 4, Day 124

Today's Reading

1 Chronicles. The joy of moving the ark to Jerusalem was washed out by the harsh reality of God's holiness.  God is holy.  It's who He is.  To turn it on and off like a light switch would make His less than God.  To be holy is to be set apart.  God had given specific instructions on moving the ark just so that the tragedy with Uzzah could be avoided.  However, in the same way that Israel failed to seek God before the battle at Ai (in Joshua) and were soundly defeated, they failed to seek God about moving the ark.

Three months later they repented and got it right: "Because you Levites did not carry the Ark the first time, the anger of the LORD our God burst out against us. We failed to ask God how to move it properly.” 1 Chronicles 15:13 (NLT)

What do I need to pray about before I rashly move forward?

May 3, Day 123

Today's Reading

Psalms. Both of today's Psalms begin with the same words: "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!  His faithful love endures forever." I often dwell on these words.  As I grow older and see the tiny facets of sin and rebellion still in my heart, I am in wonder that the God who knows all could still love me.

In my heart of hearts, I often find myself reflecting or quietly singing...

"Great is Thy faithfulness," O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be."

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/19#ixzz1L18pn1Gw

May 2, Day 122

Today's Reading

Psalms. Given yesterdays description of the vast armies who came to stand as one people and make David their king, this simple Psalm took on a whole new meaning for me.  Even with that earthly picture, it is but a blurry reflection of what eternity will be for God's people.

May 1, Day 121

Today's Reading

Since we are reading through the Bible chronologically, I wanted to help you see why 1, 2 Chronicles will cover much of the same history as 1, 2 Samuel and 1, 2 Kings.  I wanted to bone up on this myself, since it has been many years since I read the Bible through in chronological order.  That's when I found this wonderful explanation by "Through The Bible's" Dr. J. Vernon McGee: "Chronicles is another instance of the law of recurrence or recapitulation. The policy of the Holy Spirit in giving the Word of God is to give a great expanse of truth, to cover a great deal of territory, then come back and select certain sections which He wants to enlarge upon. It is as if the Spirit of God takes up a telescope, looks out over the landscape for us, then takes a particular portion of it and puts it under the microscope and lets us look at it in detail. This is what is happening in 1 and 2 Chronicles."

1 Chronicles 12 jumped off the page at me today (and I was reminded of it by tomorrow's reading).  I could imagine the building excitement of the people to have a king with a heart for God.  The descriptions of warriors, their prowess and their large numbers, is the stuff of epic movies.  Like an interlude is the powerful description of the 200 "sons of Issachar", whose weapons were not swords or spears, but godly wisdom.  As they gathered by the tens of thousands, I thought about the shepherd boy, who had often spent the night alone with the sheep and how humbled he must have been to see it all.