Giving In

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

GIVING IN

2 Sam 11:1-5

11:1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. 2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home. 5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant."

NIV

This is not the best time in the life of David, who was a man after God’s own heart, but David was still just a man and fell to the weakness of men. However, there is a difference in that David was the king and had the power to do as he pleased, and the temptation did not have to remain just a temptation, for he was able to fulfill his desire for Bathsheba. David should have been out with Joab and the fighting men of Israel, but for whatever reason, the king stayed home, and that was the beginning of an awful event. Was Bathsheba complicit in bathing on her roof in view of the king’s palace? We are not told, but it was still David's problem, for he was the one who sent for her so that he might be with her. The story will unfold further and become a deeper problem for David, which we know results in the murder of Uriah, but the story is about temptations. We all are subject to one form or another of temptation, and as men or women, because we are in this corruptible flesh, not that we should make excuses for our flesh, we will yield from time to time to some temptation. How do we justify our yielding to our flesh? We all have yielded to many different kinds of wrongdoing, or should we just say, sin. The fact is, there is no level of sin, as some might think. Jesus did not make any distinction between disobedience. We are told as far as the law was concerned, if a man was guilty of one law, he was guilty of the whole law. When Jesus said that he fulfilled the law, but that the two greatest commands are to love the Lord with our whole being, and to love others as ourselves, that carried a whole meaning apart from the law. However, God did not leave us alone, for he knew we needed a Savior, and because of Jesus, we will not have to be dead in our sin, but have life. Yet, that is no excuse to continue to sin, yet we do. Can we not help ourselves? Can we not live upright without yielding to a temptation? It is sad, but it seems to be true that no matter how we try, we are not going to be sinless, yet at the same time, God has declared us innocent because of Jesus. David was not innocent, and in the reality of our lives, we are not innocent, yet we are in the truth of God. Thank you, Lord, for you have set us free. David had to pay a price for his actions in the present, and we might have to pay for our actions in the present, but Jesus paid the price for ours for eternity. But how can we still fail? We just cannot attain perfection. Why are we still giving in? 

Victory

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

VICTORY

2 Sam 10:15-19

15 After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they regrouped. 16 Hadadezer had Arameans brought from beyond the River; they went to Helam, with Shobach the commander of Hadadezer's army leading them. 17 When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan and went to Helam. The Arameans formed their battle lines to meet David and fought against him. 18 But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also struck down Shobach the commander of their army, and he died there. 19 When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with the Israelites and became subject to them. So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.

NIV

David made sure the Arameans would never want to come to the aid of the Ammonites again, because he so defeated them, killing so many, that what army they had wasn’t enough to fight anyone, and they were filled with fear of David and the Israelites. Sometimes we wonder why God included all these wars with all the killing of the enemies of Israel. Yet, they were his chosen people, and any nation that came against them, the LORD did what was right in his sight. Because we know that God does not show favoritism, we wonder why Israel was considered His chosen people, for that would seem to indicate that He favored them. However, we believe He chose Israel to reveal Himself to the world, showing His mighty power and sovereignty. We also know from what God inspired Paul to write that Israel, or his chosen people, is not Israel because of physical circumcision, but true Israel is the people whom God has circumcised their hearts. Therefore, there is no army or followers of the evil one who can stand against the power of God or the hand of God upon us. In fact, they already know he is defeated, and they are afraid to come to his aid in trying to draw up battle lines against us. The Lord will always do what is right in his sight, which includes destroying any forces of evil that attempt to fight against us. In fact, the Lord has dressed us, or given us his armor, and we must put it on, so that we can take our stand against all the forces of evil both in the world and in the heavenly or spiritual realms. In fact, the vassals of Satan have become subject to us, as they were to the disciples when they were able to drive out demons because Jesus gave them the authority. We have that authority through Jesus and his armor to stand our ground, to not be defeated, but to defeat evil, so that it will be afraid to fight us. The problem is that we forget we have God’s armor, and we allow the forces is evil to take its stand against us, and force its way into our lives, pushing us around, causing havoc and chaos in our lives, and then we become afraid, living defeated lives, without the available power of God. Will our bodies cause us some pain on occasion? Sure, we still live within a perishable form, and age will wear on it, but that does not mean our spirits will perish; but can stand strong, as we live with courageous endurance till we finish the race. When we stand with God, he stands with us, and no enemy can prevail against us, for we already have the victory. 

Right in His Sight

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

RIGHT IN HIS SIGHT

2 Sam 10:6-14

6 When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench in David's nostrils, they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth Rehob and Zobah, as well as the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and also twelve thousand men from Tob. 7 On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men. 8 The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country. 9 Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. 10 He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother and deployed them against the Ammonites. 11 Joab said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you. 12 Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The LORD will do what is good in his sight." 13 Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him. 14 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were fleeing, they fled before Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab returned from fighting the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.

NIV

We have the battle plan that was set up between Joab and his brother Abishai, with each to look out for the other, in case the forces they are faced with become too strong for them. But the idea here is that although they were to be strong and fight bravely, it is the LORD who will do what is good in his sight. Here is where we have this idea that we might make our plans, but the Lord orders our footsteps. It might be good to make plans or to have a plan for how we are going to win, or be successful, or become what we want to be, or do what we think is the best method to achieve our goals, but whatever we think is best, it will be the Lord who will do what is good in his sight. We are to be strong and live with courageous endurance, but that is under the direction of our supreme commander in chief, the Lord of all, who will always do what is good in his sight, and that will be for our best. The Lord always has our best interests when he orders our footsteps. He leads us to the greenest pastures, he causes us to lie down beside still waters, and he is the one who restored and continues to restore our souls. How can we want anything that does not come from the hand of God? How can we even think that our plan is the best for us? Robert Burns’s poem about the best laid plans of mice and men shows us the unpredictability of life and that even the most carefully crafted plans can go awry. However, if we are walking with the Lord, that is taking his yoke upon us and learning from him, we will know his plans will not go awry, but will happen in accordance with his good pleasure. Let us always consult with our Lord as to how we should proceed in life, remembering we are told that we should not say that our plans to go here and make this much, or go there for a year and do this or that, but we should always be aware of making sure it is the Lord’s will that we do anything, for he will do what is right in his sight. 

Disrespectful

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

DISRESPECTFUL

2 Sam 10:1-5

10:1 In the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him as king. 2 David thought, "I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me." So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father. When David's men came to the land of the Ammonites, 3 the Ammonite nobles said to Hanun their lord, "Do you think David is honoring your father by sending men to you to express sympathy? Hasn't David sent them to you to explore the city and spy it out and overthrow it?" 4 So Hanun seized David's men, shaved off half of each man's beard, cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away. 5 When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, "Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back."

NIV

Why was an act or an expression of kindness met with an act or expression of disrespect? Once again, we see David responding to kindness with kindness, but the son of Nahash did not care about that; but listened to his advisors and acted in a manner that was rude, cruel, and disrespectful to David, but even more so to the delegation David sent to express sympathy. We would think that would never happen in the community of faith today, because we all live in harmony and peace with one another. We would never act in any manner of disrespect toward each other, but then we think about how gossip might be a form of disrespect. Then we think about how being prideful can be disrespectful or how jealousy or envy could be signs of disrespect. Anything that would lead us to think more highly of ourselves than others brings us right into the expression of disrespect. It might be possible that we may even cause someone to become humiliated when we correct them, even with truth, but have no grace. No one enjoys being told they had acted or thought wrongly just for the sake of proving we are right, even with the motive of helping them, for to be humiliated, such as the men of David’s delegation were, is simply unkind or unthinking. David had the men hide themselves until they could face others with mutual respect. This is the truth of the gospel, mutual respect and love, as all are equal in the eyes of the Lord. He does not show favoritism and therefore, if we are being transformed into his likeness, as we are told, we should make every effort to live in peace with everyone. In Addition, because we are filled with the Spirit, we should be showing the signs of his fruit within us, which include kindness, gentleness, goodness, patience, love, joy, peace, and self-control, so that we would never be disrespectful. 

Eat at the Table

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

EAT AT THE TABLE

2 Sam 9

9:1 David asked, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?" 2 Now there was a servant of Saul's household named Ziba. They called him to appear before David, and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" "Your servant," he replied. 3 The king asked, "Is there no one still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?" Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in both feet." 4 "Where is he?" the king asked. Ziba answered, "He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar." 5 So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel. 6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, "Mephibosheth!" "Your servant," he replied. 7 "Don't be afraid," David said to him, "for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table." 8 Mephibosheth bowed down and said, "What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?" 9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master's grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table." (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.) 11 Then Ziba said to the king, "Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do." So Mephibosheth ate at David's table like one of the king's sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all the members of Ziba's household were servants of Mephibosheth. 13 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king's table, and he was crippled in both feet.

NIV

We are not sure why we are told twice that Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was cripped in both feet. There is no clue from the Hebrew that he could still walk, as the only and direct meaning is lame. How did he get to the table to eat? Was he carried by servants wherever he went? However, what we see in the narrative that we could apply to our lives is the great compassion David had regarding the son of his dearest and closest friend, Jonathan, who was the son of Saul, the first king of Israel, and now both of them are dead. So David brings the last remaining member of the household of Saul to live in Jerusalem and always has a place at King David’s table. David also restored all the land that belonged to Saul to his grandson and had the servant Ziba ensure it was farmed, harvested, and the proceeds were in the hands of Mephibosheth. He may have gone from a cripped man with nothing to a wealthy man cripped in both feet and having the honor of eating at the king’s table. Can we not see that we were once poorly crippled, not lame in our feet, but in our spirits? However, maybe we were also lame in our feet, as if we were blind and could not find our way in the dark, so we stumbled around. But now we have the honor to eat at the King of Kings’ table. We have been brought to live in the kingdom of our Lord, as Mephibosheth was brought into Jerusalem. Of course, we will be brought into the new city of Jerusalem when He brings it down out of heaven onto the new earth. Because we have bowed low to the Lord, accepting His lordship over us, we have the right to eat at the table, which we see in two ways. First, we have been blessed to be a part of the Lord’s blessings. As David blessed the son of Jonathan with all the land and servants to farm it, taking him from poverty to wealth, the Lord has taken us from the poverty, or deadness of our spirits, to live and live abundantly. In Fact, the Lord has done more for us than David did for the son of Jonathan, because we have gone from being dead to being alive. Secondly, we now have the right to eat at the Lord’s table, taking the bread, his body that was broken for us, and the wine, his blood that was shed for us, because not only have we been brought into the Lord’s kingdom, but we have also been adopted as His children. What a wonderful blessing that we can eat at the table. 

His Presence

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

HIS PRESENCE

2 Sam 8:7-18

7 David took the gold shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 From Tebah and Berothai, towns that belonged to Hadadezer, King David took a great quantity of bronze. 9 When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, 10 he sent his son Joram to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Joram brought with him articles of silver and gold and bronze. 11 King David dedicated these articles to the LORD, as he had done with the silver and gold from all the nations he had subdued: 12 Edom and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek. He also dedicated the plunder taken from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah. 13 And David became famous after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 14 He put garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The LORD gave David victory wherever he went. 15 David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people. 16 Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; 17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was secretary; 18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David's sons were royal advisers.  

NIV

All of this plunder is being gathered so that Solomon can use all of it in the construction of the Temple, where the ark of God will be placed in the Holy of Holies. Although we could rehash the fact that the LORD gave David victory wherever he went, and how we could take that same victory because the Lord is with us, there are other stories. The first is that David did what was just and right for all his people. In Hebrew, a more literal meaning is that David served justice with righteousness. He acted correctly as the leader of the people, causing what is just in the land, judging fairly over disputes, and declaring decrees that served the welfare of the people because the presence of the LORD was with him. It would behoove all of us believers to serve others rightly and for their benefit. Still, it is especially incumbent for any who serves in some leadership, or rather servanthood position, to serve justly and rightly for all the people of God. The second story is about all the plunder being gathered that will be used to build a temple for the LORD. Interestingly, the LORD’s presence was represented by or through the ark of God; however, it was hidden away deep within the holy of holies, behind a thick, heavy curtain with only one priest to enter in once a year. How was it they could contain the presence of the LORD in such a secluded place? Did not the LORD God meet with Moses in the tent of meeting, and his presence filled the place, covering the tent with smoke, and the glory of the LORD filled that place? The rest of the story is where we can break in for it was God, himself, who when he came in the form of man and hung on that cross for us, the veil in the temple was torn down the middle giving us all full access to the Lord God Almighty and his presence now fills the new temple, our bodies, or as we offer ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice. No longer is God hidden away from us, nor do we have to wait to meet with him on Sunday in the sanctuary of the church. He is always with us, and He will be with us forever, and He will never forsake us. We live in His presence continually, and we respond to His presence with praise, worship, and obedience. 

Victory in Jesus

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

VICTORY IN JESUS

2 Sam 8:1-6

8:1 In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the control of the Philistines. 2 David also defeated the Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought tribute. 3 Moreover, David fought Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his control along the Euphrates River. 4 David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses. 5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them. 6 He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought tribute. The LORD gave David victory wherever he went.

NIV

It seems this is a lot of war with the killing of the enemies of Israel. To capture one thousand chariots, but perhaps the most interesting is that David subdued the Philistines. He had been fighting with them from the beginning, when he was still just a shepherd, and he killed Goliath in front of both the Philistine and Israeli armies. Yet our story is about the fact that the LORD gave victory wherever he went. Can we take that as a promise from the LORD for our lives? Certainly, the Lord would not want us to live a defeated life, but rather a life of victory over our adversaries. We know the enemy of our souls is roaming about seeking whom he can devour. We also know he has already devoured all those who live in the darkness of this world. Our culture is full of every kind of perversity as it’s under the devil’s hideous influence. But it is the children of God, us believers, that he is roaming about trying to devour. But, like David, we can have the victory over the dark powers of this world and the rulers and principalities and the forces of evil in the spiritual realm, because we know the Lord is with us. We do not fight alone; in fact, it is the Lord who fights the battle for us, yet we are to take our stand and stand firm, holding our ground, giving no ground to the enemy of our souls. We may not have won the war completely against sin, but someday we Jesus comes back to take us to where he is, we will have won the victory. Yet, at the same time, as we live out our lives, we know that we can have those daily victories, conquering our enemy, putting to death that old self, leaving only the life the Lord has given us through that rebirth, as he caused us to be a new creation, born from above.  Because the Lord does not want his people to walk in defeat, we can know, just as the LORD gave David victory wherever he went, the Lord gives us that victory wherever we go.