Exploring the Scriptures Together
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”
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 …
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 …
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 …
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, …
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 …
Continue reading “April 1 / I Samuel 31; II Samuel 1; Psalm 18”
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 …
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 …
I Samuel 24; Psalms 57, 142; I Samuel 25 David has the perfect opportunity. With one blow he can eliminate the greatest threat to his own life, Saul. He can step into the kingship that he knows is his. His friends all see the LORD’s hand in providing this opportunity. (I Sam. 24:4) David does …
Continue reading “March 30 / I Samuel 24-25; Psalms 57, 142”
I Samuel 22; Psalm 52; I Samuel 23; Psalm 63 Saul lives in an imaginary world. He imagines that no one cares about him. He imagines that [Jonathan] has stirred up [David] against [him], to lie in wait. (I Sam. 22:8) He imagines that David is actively seeking the throne. He imagines that David wants …