II Samuel 16:15-20:26 So what are we to make of Joab? On the one hand, Joab supports David as king more strongly than David himself. After all, it is Joab who eliminates Absalom as a threat to David’s kingdom, and it is Joab who rebukes David’s mourning of Absalom as a devaluation of his loyal …
Author Archives: John S.
April 14 / II Samuel 15:1-16:14; Psalms 3, 7
II Samuel 15; Psalm 3; II Samuel 16:1-14; Psalm 7 Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, He will bring me back and let me see both it and His dwelling place. But if He says, ‘I …
Continue reading “April 14 / II Samuel 15:1-16:14; Psalms 3, 7”
April 13 / II Samuel 12:15b-14:33
II Samuel 12:15b-14:33 Today we begin to see the disastrous consequences of David’s sin with Bathsheba. The first immediate consequence is the death of the son that is the product of David’s adultery. The longer term consequences, which play out over years, are the troubles within his family: the rape of his daughter Tamar by …
April 12 / I Chronicles 17; II Samuel 8-12:15a; Psalm 51
I Chronicles 17; II Samuel 8-12:15a; Psalm 51 In case you missed II Samuel 7 (and the April 3 post), I Chronicles 17 offers the replay, nearly quoting the Samuel passage. (But not quite — I’ll let you find the differences.) We then move back to II Samuel to pick up where we left off. …
Continue reading “April 12 / I Chronicles 17; II Samuel 8-12:15a; Psalm 51”
April 11 / Psalms 80-83, 88
Psalms 80-83, 88 Following The Chronological Study Bible, we won’t read the Book of Job until August and September, so here is a very quick plot summary: a man named Job suffers — a lot. One might well read Psalm 88 from Job’s perspective, crying out to God in the midst of anguish while feeling …
April 10 / Psalms 77-79
Psalms 77-79 I will remember the deeds of the LORD;yes, I will remember Your wonders of old.I will ponder all Your work,and meditate on Your mighty deeds.Your way, O God, is holy.What god is great like our God?You are the God Who works wonders;You have made known Your might among the peoples. Psalm 77:11-14 We …
April 9 / Psalms 39, 62, 50, 73-76
Psalms 39, 62, 50, 73-76 All the cries of our hearts, voiced in the psalms, all our longings for deliverance and salvation, all our pleas for both justice and mercy are met in these words: He is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! May you have a blessed, glorious, and joyful Resurrection Sunday! See also:
April 8 / Psalms 96, 105-106
Psalms 96, 105-106 Holy Saturday. The day of darkness, fear, and despair. Jesus’ disciples have witnessed the horror of the Crucifixion. They know their own failings, how they denied and abandoned the One that they swore they would die for. They have lost themselves, and they have lost their Lord. How could the Man with …
April 7 / I Chronicles 16
I Chronicles 16 If we had not noticed in our prior readings, it should now be clear that bringing the Ark to Jerusalem is a really big deal. It is a tremendous first step in restoring proper worship of the LORD in Israel, enhanced by David’s appointment of Levites to serve as professional musicians. The …
April 6 / Psalms 8, 19, 29, 32, 65, 68, 103, 108, 138
Psalms 8, 19, 29, 32, 65, 68, 103, 108, 138 What with reading what feels like half the Psalter today, and with all Fred’s commentary from last year, I’m guessing you don’t want much more from me, so I’ll try to be uncharacteristically brief. Take advantage of your fresh knowledge of David’s story. Put yourself …
Continue reading “April 6 / Psalms 8, 19, 29, 32, 65, 68, 103, 108, 138”