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 …
Author Archives: John S.
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 …
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April 5 / I Chronicles 12-15
I Chronicles 12-15 Today we may begin to appreciate a bit better the added value that Chronicles brings to Israel’s historical narrative. In II Samuel, we have only a few verses about David becoming king of all Israel, II Samuel 5:1-3, which is largely echoed in I Ch. 11:1-3. Today we get more detail. We …
April 4 / I Chronicles 9:35-11:46
I Chronicles 9:35-11:46 Fast-forward, rewind, and replay. Reading through the Scriptures chronologically means that we are now skipping forward in the text to I Chronicles so that we can go back and review some history we’ve already been through, but from a somewhat different perspective. Sometimes Chronicles quotes almost verbatim from Samuel and Kings. (For …
April 3 / II Samuel 5-7
II Samuel 5-7 II Samuel 7 may not be the ultimate pinnacle of all of Scripture, but I’d say it’s the highest ground on which we’ve stood lately. If you have fallen behind in your reading and are either skimming or skipping some text to catch up, be sure not to skim or skip this …
April 2 / II Samuel 2-4
II Samuel 2-4 Life is messy, even for the LORD’s anointed. One might think that with Samuel’s endorsement years earlier, and with his proven track record as a warrior, David’s path to the throne of Israel would be an easy one now that Saul is gone. But no. We see political intrigue, personal rivalries, vendettas, …
April 1 / I Samuel 31; II Samuel 1; Psalm 18
I Samuel 31; II Samuel 1; Psalm 18 How the mighty have fallen! II Samuel 1:19b, 25a, 27a David thus laments the passing of Saul and Jonathan. We should note that the grief expressed in David’s song is not only for Jonathan, his closest friend, but also for Saul. David is well aware of Saul’s …
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April 2023 Readings
Date Reading(s) Verses 01-Apr I Samuel 31; II Samuel 1; Psalm 18 90 02-Apr II Samuel 2-4 83 03-Apr II Samuel 5-7 77 04-Apr I Chronicles 9:35-11:46 71 05-Apr I Chronicles 12-15 100 06-Apr Psalms 8, 19, 29, 32, 65, 68, 103, 108, 138 136 07-Apr I Chronicles 16 43 08-Apr Psalms 96, 105-106 106 …
March 31 / Psalm 54; I Samuel 26-30
Psalm 54; I Samuel 26-30 In Saul we see the desperation of a man who is quick to accept the LORD’s help when it suits his own ambitions, but who steadfastly refuses to surrender to the LORD otherwise. We see that refusal in his persistence in hunting David, despite David’s proofs of innocence and despite …