None Like You

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

NONE LIKE YOU

2 Sam 7:22-24

22 "How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 23 And who is like your people Israel — the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?   24 You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God.

NIV

Once again, we look at the response of David to that revelation that was given to Nathan. These words of David put our Sovereign Lord right where he is, as a God where there is none like him. How could there ever be any god that would be anything like the Almighty God of heaven and earth? Any god that could exist would be one made by human hands, and that would be nothing more than an idol. A man-made god could be made of stone, metal, gems, gold, silver, or even printed paper. Anything like that cannot hear, see, or speak, but we can hear with our ears when God speaks to us, and He can hear when we speak to him, and we can see the works of his mighty hand every day. The Lord God has redeemed the one nation of Israel as his chosen people so that he can reveal himself to the whole world. However, we also know that God has redeemed us to make a name for Himself. Yes, if we are going to boast, it will not be about us, but about how awesome the Lord is, and we will testify of all the mighty acts you perform. We know Israel is a nation, yet you have also told us the true Israel is the people who have had their hearts circumcised by your mighty, yet gentle hand. Your O Sovereign Lord has established us, your people, whom you have redeemed, as your very own forever. O Lord, you have become and will forever be our God, for there is none like you. 

This Far

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

THIS  FAR

2 Sam 7:17-29

17 Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation. 18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said:

"Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD? 20 "What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Sovereign LORD. 21 For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant. 22 "How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 23 And who is like your people Israel — the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?   24 You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God. 25 "And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, 26 so that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, 'The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!' And the house of your servant David will be established before you. 27 "O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, 'I will build a house for you.' So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer. 28 O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29 Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever."

NIV

We should stay on this response of David for days, if not weeks. To begin, we surely should be able to identify with those words of David, “Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family that you have brought me this far?” We are not a king over all Israel, but we are a child of the Sovereign Lord God Almighty, the creator of all of heaven and all the earth. We have been brought from the poorest of circumstances, doomed to death, to be given life and life abundantly, eternal life, through the gracious act of you, O Sovereign Lord. But who am I, but from the poorest of families, the least of people, living in the darkness that you brought us into your wonderful light, and lifted us up so that we might serve you and your people. And then, if that is not enough, you have spoken about the future of our house, your dwelling place. By your will, you have done this great thing and have made it known to your servants. We can be assured that our future rests in your divine presence because of your Son, Jesus, who paid that price for our sins. Although David wanted to build a house, a temple for the LORD, we cannot build this temple for the LORD; however, through the power of the Holy Spirit, you, O Sovereign Lord, are building your own temple within us. How far have you taken us, O Sovereign Lord? How awesome is your power that you have done this for your servants, yet it is for the sake of your own name, and we will praise you as long as we have breath. Thank you, Lord, for taking this far, for your Name’s sake. Thank you, Lord, for saving our souls and making us whole. Thank you for taking us this far. 

A Temple for God

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

A TEMPLE FOR GOD

2 Sam 7:1-16

7:1 After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent." 3 Nathan replied to the king, "Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you." 4 That night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying: 5 "Go and tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?" '  8 "Now then, tell my servant David, 'This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. 10 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. "'The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.'"

NIV

There is much to find in this revelation the LORD gave to Nathan, and he will report this to King David, and he will give a response, but first, we want to focus for a moment on that first truth we find in the conversation between Nathan and David. Even before that, we see the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies. We can take that truth to the bank, so to speak. The Lord has given us rest from all of our enemies. Of course, we really don't have the type of enemies David or Israel did, yet that old enemy of our souls is still out there trying to ensnare us or entangle us with one of his schemes. However, because of Jesus, who has given us his peace, we can say that we have peace in our hearts and the LORD has given us peace with any and all enemies. David showed humility once again, thinking how he lived in such a great cedar palace, but the LORD was in a tent. Now, it is not that the LORD can be confined to a tent, but the idea that Israel saw that the ark of God represented the presence of the LORD. When David mentioned what he wanted to do, Nathan made this great statement. “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you.” However, the LORD spoke a revelation to Nathan, and that David would not be the one to build a place for the LORD, but his son Solomon would. Nevertheless, the truth of the LORD being with David is where we can enter the narrative. We know the LORD is with us, because first, he sent Jesus to show us the way, teach us, so that we can learn from him, for he is gentle and humble of heart. Then, because he went to the cross and took all our sins upon himself and took that penalty of death, we no longer have that penalty of death. Still, he gave us life as he was resurrected, and when he ascended back to the right hand of the Father, he sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, a temple not built by human hands, or by the will of man, but by the hand of God, as he gave us a new birth, born from above. This new creation is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we can say with confidence, the Lord is with us, for he is within us. Solomon may have built a wonderful temple for the ark of the LORD, which was destroyed, but the Lord has built a temple in us for himself, that will never be destroyed, even through death, for we will still live. So we can say, “We are a temple for God”. 

Being Foolish

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

BEING FOOLISH

2 Sam 6:12-23

12 Now King David was told, "The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God." So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets. 16 As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart. 17 They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD. 18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes. 20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!" 21 David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD's people Israel — I will celebrate before the LORD. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor." 23 And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

NIV

There is only one lesson we see in this portion of Scripture, and it is about the humbling of himself that David did before the Ark of the Lord. His own wife thought he was acting like a fool, dancing in only a linen Ephod, simple and plain piece of cloth that barely covered his body. He humbled himself before the LORD, and that is where our story breaks into this narrative. Yes, this is all about bringing the ark of the LORD into the City of David, Jerusalem, and that is where it will remain and be placed in the Holy of Holies, in the temple that Solomon will build. But our truth is about making a fool of ourselves before the Lord. We do not understand how we have become so sophisticated that we do not look foolish in front of others. No, Lord, we will dance before you, raise our hearts and our hands in worship of you and your Holy Name. We know that we are to present ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is our spiritual act of worship. When we think of how you offered yourself, Jesus, on that cross as a sacrifice for our sins, and how you were humiliated, stripped bare of all covering, naked, and bloodied from the whipping you endured, it makes us wonder if we worship in the holy way we should. If we are sacrificing ourselves before you as worship, then we think we should humble ourselves, even make a fool of ourselves. We should strip off all that hinders us from true worship. We need to throw off anything that hinders us and the sin that so easily entangles us.  Then we can run that race that is marked out for us, and we can worship the Lord God Almighty in a way that He so rightly deserves, even if we look foolish, as Michal thought David was. Let us be foolish, Lord, if that is what it takes to fully worship you. 

No Stumbling

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

NO STUMBLING

2 Sam 6:1-11

6:1 David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. 2 He and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark. 3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart 4 with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. 5 David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals. 6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7 The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God. 8 Then David was angry because the LORD's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.   9 David was afraid of the LORD that day and said, "How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?" 10 He was not willing to take the ark of the LORD to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11 The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household.

NIV

We wonder why David did not call upon the tribe of Levi to carry the Ark of God in the traditional manner it had always been carried. It seems to us that David was being disrespectful of God by putting the ark on a cart pulled by oxen. At least it was a new cart, but still a cart pulled by oxen would have been subject to the topography of the land, as when they reach the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled which must have caused to cart to wobble and that is why Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark of God, but that was a big mistake, for God struck him dead. Who and how did someone put the ark of God on the cart without touching it? Why did they live, and Uzzah did not? Who was going to be able to take the Ark of God off the cart without touching it? Maybe it was more about a man trying to save God rather than a man respecting the power of God. Uzzah did not respect the power of the Almighty God to watch over the very Ark of God that he instructed Moses to build, and now held within it, the tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments, the jar of manna, and Arron’s staff. This Ark represented the very presence of God, and a man reached out his hand to steady God. That is our lesson. There is nothing we can do to steady God, or to hold him up. Yes, we should give witness to the power of the Almighty God to save people through the work of Jesus on the cross. Yes, we are to give witness to the power of the Almighty God and what he has done in our lives. But we cannot lift our hand out to help or steady God because we might think he will stumble, as Uzzah thought. God is the all-powerful, ever-powerful supreme and divine power and authority over all of heaven and earth. He will never stumble; in fact, he keeps out feet from stumbling. The Psalmist wrote, “If the LORD delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not  fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.” Jesus made it clear that if we walk in the light, we will not stumble, but anyone who walks in the dark will stumble.  Let us not mistake thinking we have any power or put out our hand to secure the Lord God Almighty. It is his hand that has reached out to secure us from stumbling. Yet, we are not pulled by oxen, but we are yoked with Jesus, just as a pair of oxen were yoked as they pulled that cart with the ark of God. Jesus takes us by the hand and leads us on level paths, so we will not stumble. We give God all the honor and respect he is due. We are weak, but He is strong. He will keep us from stumbling.

 

His Plan

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

HIS PLAN

2 Sam 5:11-25

11 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. 12 And David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. 13 After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. 14 These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet. 17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. 18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; 19 so David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?" The LORD answered him, "Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you." 20 So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, "As waters break out, the LORD has broken out against my enemies before me." So that place was called Baal Perazim.   21 The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off. 22 Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; 23 so David inquired of the LORD, and he answered, "Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. 24 As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army." 25 So David did as the LORD commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

NIV

Once again, we are faced with the truth about seeking the Lord's direction for everything we do. David inquired of the LORD, and the LORD answered him. This was a constant battle between Israel and the Philistines, and David had been at the center of this conflict since he was a young lad, having killed the Philistine giant Goliath. The LORD even gave David specific instructions about how to attack, to watch for the sign that the LORD God Almighty would be rushing through the top of the trees before him. As wonderful as this truth is, we should learn that lesson and continue to inquire of the Lord regarding all things in our lives, what we are to do, where we are to go, and how we are to do that which he directs us to do. There is another truth sort of hidden in this passage. We are given the names of some of the sons of David; two of them are of great importance. Solomon and Nathan both have descendants from whom the Savior of the world came in the form of man. Joseph, the husband of Mary, was a descendant of Solomon and thus David. Mary was a descendant of Nathan and thus David. Here is where the throne of David will be forever, for Jesus, as the Son of Man, came directly through the line of David. This is the pure hand of God at work, choosing David through the prophet Samuel, anointing him king over all Israel. David was in the line of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. These men were all used by the hand of God to be part of the coming of the Son of God, the Son of Man, the Messiah, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Savior of the world, Jesus, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit within Mary, whose husband was Joseph. God brings about his sovereign will to save his creation from death and give them, which includes us, life and life abundantly, meaning eternal life. When we see how God worked through all those generations to have two specific people live at His specified time, to have Jesus come as a man, we have to know that our lives are in the here and now are for a specific purpose of the Almighty Sovereign God of heaven and earth. All we need to do is inquire of the Lord, what, where, and how we do what he has designed us to do, for God has a plan for us. Lord, show us your plan. 

The Lord God Almighty is With us

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY IS WITH US

2 Sam 5:1-10

5:1 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "We are your own flesh and blood. 2 In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.'" 3 When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a compact with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. 6 The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, "You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off." They thought, "David cannot get in here." 7 Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David. 8 On that day, David said, "Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those 'lame and blind' who are David's enemies." That is why they say, "The 'blind and lame' will not enter the palace." 9 David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the supporting terraces inward. 10 And he became more and more powerful, because the LORD God Almighty was with him.

NIV

This story is all about David becoming or being anointed king over all of Israel, but the most important part of his story, or his life, is the fact that he became more and more powerful because the LORD God Almighty was with him. The Hebrew puts it that Yahweh Elohyim of hosts caused David to grow and grow great. Could this not also be our story? There are many people who put their trust in themselves and become great in our society or in the world, including amassing great wealth and power. But all their wealth and power, as long as their trust is in their own abilities, will gain them nothing in the eternal realm of God; in fact, they will lose everything, including their lives. God testified about David that He had found a man after his own heart and that he would do everything He wanted him to do. That is the truth we need to see for our lives. First, we have done that one act of faith the Lord wanted us to do, and that was to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. That is the Lord’s will for all people; however, some will refuse, but we did not, and so we can say that we have done at least one major act the Lord wants us to do. We have also accepted the baptism of the Holy Spirit; that is, we have opened our hearts to him, allowing him to influence our lives. As he fills us, he brings his gifts and fruit into our lives, giving us power to live in accordance with the will of God. We can say with confidence, the Lord God Almighty is with us. Because He is, we will grow and grow greater, reflecting his glory in ever-increasing glory. This was the work or the hand of God upon David that made him king over all of Israel. This is the hand of God who has made us a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who belong to Him. It is the work of God within us, through the power of the Holy Spirit, who brings about this change in us, and gives us the power to be an overcomer. It is the very word of God, His testimony regarding us, that we are holy and blameless in his sight. We have the very power of God upon and within us, because the Lord God Almighty is with us.