II Samuel 4:1-5:16

Remember the Amalekite that delivered the news of Saul’s death to David in II Samuel 1, which we looked at two days ago? It should not take much insight to see the parallels between that Amalekite and the two sons of Rimmon who assassinate Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son. Like the Amalekite, these two assassins misjudge David, thinking they can curry favor with him by handing him Ish-bosheth’s head. David himself even spells it out for us:

But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, when one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?”

2 Samuel 4:9–11

We can, of course, simply read these stories as basic history, a chronicle of the events leading up to David’s ascension to the throne of Israel. But we are meant to see more. We should see the difference between vice and virtue, between wickedness and righteousness, between disgrace and honor. We should see that David does not come to the throne by grasping for it or scheming for it. He ascends to the throne because the LORD brings him to it, even when the path is paved by wicked actors.

And, indeed, that is what we read:

And David became greater and greater, for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him. … And David knew that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

2 Samuel 5:10,12

Let’s learn from David here. Let’s not seek our own advantage by dishonorable means. Let’s trust the Lord to fulfill His purposes in His time and in His way. He is, after all, God Almighty. And He is good.

II Samuel 2-3

I don’t know about you, but I tend to think of Israel’s “United Monarchy” as passing from Saul to David and on to Solomon fairly smoothly, and that it is only with Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, that the kingdom divides. I tend to forget this relatively brief period after Saul’s death when David rules over Judah but not yet over the whole house of Israel. Here also we have a divided kingdom, with the tribe of Judah by itself under David and the rest of Israel under Saul’s son, Ish-bosheth. The real power behind Ish-bosheth, though, is the military leader, Abner, who remains loyal to Saul’s house — until a rift develops between Abner and Ish-bosheth. But you don’t need me to retell the details; you have them all right there in Scripture. Let’s just say it isn’t all pretty.

Yet David is the LORD’s anointed king, right? (See I Samuel 16:1-13.) David, aware of his anointing (of course), has already been waiting to step into the fullness of that position as King of Israel for years and years, most of that time hounded by Saul. And now that Saul is out of the way, one might easily think that the throne would simply be handed to David straightaway. But it isn’t. It’s a mess. There’s conflict. It’s bloody. It’s brutal. And in the process a very capable and honorable leader, Abner, is murdered by David’s nephew, Joab.

Where is God in all of that? That’s a bit hard to say as we are not explicitly told. Yet — somehow — God is working out His purposes, not just for David, but for everyone.

And so it is for us today. We may face circumstances that are confusing, disappointing, painful, or otherwise difficult, but that does not mean that God’s plans are failing or going awry. God is still on His “Plan A.” There is no “Plan B.” He does not need one.

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See also: April 2 (2023) / II Samuel 2-4.

II Samuel 1

Today we return to our march through Old Testament history, picking up where we left off before we diverted into Job. Recall the history up to this point:

• The stories of the Patriarchs (Genesis)
• The Exodus, the giving of the Law through Moses, the Tabernacle, and the Wandering in the Wilderness (Exodus-Deuteronomy)
• The period of the Judges (Judges-Ruth), culminating in the last judge, Samuel (I Samuel 1-7)
• The initiation of the Monarchy under King Saul, but then the rejection of Saul, the anointing of David, and Saul’s chasing of David (I Samuel 8-27)
• Saul’s demise (I Samuel 28-31)

That is where we left off on June 25. So Saul is dead, along with his son, Jonathan, and David receives the news from an Amalekite, who expects David to consider all this to be good news. After all, Saul, the man responsible for making David’s life miserable for years is now permanently out of the way and no longer a threat to David’s life. The Amalekite is so confident of David’s positive response that he falsely claims to have killed Saul himself, probably hoping for a hefty reward. Well, he gets a reward, all right!

Some may object to David’s execution of the Amalekite, but it serves to illustrate the genuineness of David’s lament over Saul. David grieves over Saul. He does not rejoice over the death of this man who made himself David’s enemy, though David never treated Saul as such. As I said in my 2023 post on this passage, there is much to consider in David’s posture here, and much for us to think about in our own lives. How do we respond when our rivals or enemies fail? Or how do we present ourselves before others when their enemies fail? Are we like the Amalekite, seeking to win favor from the victor? Or do we follow David’s example?

Psalm 51

As the superscription for today’s psalm indicates, the backdrop for Psalm 51 is David’s adultery with Bathsheba, the murder of her husband, Uriah the Hittite, and the subsequent confrontation of David by Nathan the prophet. You can find that story in II Samuel 11-12. You might also want to see our commentary on it from 2023.

I expect this psalm is somewhat familiar to many or most of us, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t read it afresh. And read it afresh we must in order that we, too, might come before our Most Holy God in repentance, confessing our sin with a broken and contrite heart. No amount of sacrifice can substitute for repentance. So read Psalm 51 today in your own voice in true repentance, confessing your own sin, presenting your own contrite heart to the Lord, asking for His Holy Spirit and the cleansing that only He can provide.

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See also:

• April 12 (2023) / I Chronicles 17; II Samuel 8-12:15a; Psalm 51
• April 29 (2022) / Psalm 51:1-9
• April 30 (2022) / Psalm 51:10-19

Psalm 50

Dear RTB’ers,

God addressing the Israelis – first His people (vv. 7-15), then the wicked (vv. 16-22). To His people He talks of their sacrifices. Although not rejecting those sacrifices, He seems to be suggesting that their hearts may not be right, but that their devotion to Him would be more important to Him than their physical sacrifices (God speaking): Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. (vv. 14-15)

Then to the wicked His focus is on their speech (again, God speaking): What right have you to recite My statutes or take My covenant on your lips? You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son. (vv. 16b, 19-20) I posted yesterday that I did not readily consider myself one of the “fools” (or the “foolish”) to whom God was speaking – then quickly reasoned how foolish I truly am. Today, however, again I quickly denied my association with the wicked – I do not condone thievery or adultery (Ps. 50:18). But with God’s focus on the speech of the wicked, I am right there again! The tongue…!! At this point it’s worth reading James 3:1-12.

I particularly like one of God’s closing lines to the wicked: …you thought that I was one like yourself. (v. 21b) It sounds almost like God is being sarcastic, but I think there is a lot of truth in that line, that we all too often “humanize” God, make Him like us, in His behaviors and in His decisions. In Freedom Road we often have to remind ourselves that “God is God and I am not”. Thankfully, He is not like me!

Finally, I have often lightheartedly cited verse 10, suggesting no shortage of wealth in my family, but that, in fact, “My Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills.” Truly, I am quite wealthy!!

Blessings!

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See also:

• April 26 (2022) / Psalm 50:1-6
• April 27 (2022) / Psalm 50:7-15
• April 28 (2022) / Psalm 50:16-23

Psalms 49

Dear RTB’ers,

Today’s Psalm 49 reads more like a Proverb than a Psalm: Let’s not fret over the wealthy, the powerful and what they can do to us; death awaits them, just like anyone else. Even the wise and the foolish die and leave their wealth to others. Be not afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house increases. For when he dies he will carry nothing away… (vv. 16-17a)

I have a sad tendency that whenever I see the words “fool” and “foolish”, my immediate reaction is a mental image of “them”, whoever they may be. That is, I do not number myself alongside “them”. Then, almost as quickly, I catch myself and realize that I am certainly among the foolish – maybe not as foolish today as I have been in the past, but clearly foolish – all too often trusting in my own efforts and not seeking God enough. In the end, when it’s all said and done, I number myself with the apostle Paul and his own confession: So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. (Romans 7:21-25) Or, “Foolish man that I am…”! Sad.

Blessings!

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See also:

• April 24 (2022) / Psalm 49:1-9
• April 25 (2022) / Psalm 49:10-20

Psalms 46-48

Dear RTB’ers,

No doubt, thousand of scholars (possibly hundreds of thousands) have studied the Psalms through the years. I am not one of them. The Psalms are difficult for me. Maybe it’s poetry, in general? Maybe it’s an unknown context for which a particular psalm was written? Maybe it’s a metaphorical tool used by many psalms to speak of the God whom they can never fully know? For whatever reason, I find the Psalms to be difficult. It’s why John and I focused on the Psalms and the Wisdom literature back in 2022, to help us (me!) get a better grip on this more difficult literature. However, returning a few years later, I am not much wiser and the Psalms remain difficult for me.

So, what of today’s reading? Both STS and my Study Bible suggest that these three psalms form a trilogy, with the praise of Psalm 47 in the middle connecting the other two psalms. Psalm 46 and Psalm 48 both speak of the city of (our) God … the city of the great King … the city of the Lord of Hosts … (Ps. 46:1,4; 48:1,2,8), presumably Jerusalem. Or possibly a later heavenly Jerusalem? A bulwark against all enemies! God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved. … Within her citadels. God has made Himself known as a fortress. (vv. 46:5a, 48:3) But Jerusalem was destroyed – in Jeremiah’s time (the Exile) by the Babylonians and again in A.D. 70 by the Romans. So, these two psalms must be speaking of the future heavenly Jerusalem? Yes, I am not a Psalms scholar!

There is one verse, however, that I can read and understand more clearly: Be still, and know that I am God .. I will be exalted in the earth. (v. 46:10) Yes, that I understand. Be still…

Blessings!

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See also:

• April 21 (2022) / Psalm 46
• April 22 (2022) / Psalm 47
• April 23 (2022) / Psalm 48

Psalm 45

Dear RTB’ers,

Psalm 45 is … confusing. Not “strange”, but certainly confusing. Is this Psalm about a royal marriage or is it Messianic? Go online and type “Is Psalm 45 Messianic?” and see for yourself. Many scholars, both Christian and Jewish read this Psalm as Messianic.

For me that was quickly an issue because my primary Bible translation, my first reading daily is the New American Standard Bible (NASB), which capitalizes deific pronouns (You, Him, His, etc.). For me this Psalm was Messianic from the beginning. The English Standard Version (ESV), the translation that we use at St. Andrew’s does not capitalize deific pronouns. So if you read Psalm 45 in the ESV, until you get to verses 6 and 7 you can read it as a royal wedding, complete with the bride beginning in verse 10. [NOTE: Verses 6 and 7 are quoted in Hebrews 1:8-9 as referring to Jesus.]

However, if you read Psalm 45 in the NASB, you will see the King in the first verse as referring to Jesus, then you can see Jesus is all the first nine verses. Then beginning in verse 10 you can read the bride as the church, Jesus’ bride. If you read Psalm 45 in the NASB, the Psalm becomes very Messianic throughout! [NOTE: Verse 16 in the NASB is confusing – the pronouns are not capitalized, so who is the psalmist addressing in this verse?]

Yes, Psalm 45 is, to me, confusing, but only because I read two very different translations!  

Blessings!

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See also:

• April 19 (2022) / Psalm 45:1-9
• April 20 (2022) / Psalm 45:10-17

Psalm 44

Folks,

Today’s Psalm 44 is strange – to me. In the first eight verses the psalmist praises God and thanks Him for His deliverance of Israel in the days of old (v. 1) and current distresses (v. 5). It’s all about Him, summed up in verses 6 and 7: For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me. But You have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us.

Then the psalmist continues his focus on God in the next eight verses, but now he blames God for their current difficulties. In six continuous verses we have the words “You have…” repeated, seemingly blaming God for what is happening – or at a minimum, faulting Him for His failure to deliver them. Then in next six verses, in the midst of their misfortune the writer proclaims his/their innocence. Finally, in the final four verses the psalmist cries out to God for help.

So, God has delivered us in the past, but He is failing us now – even though we are innocent. Please help.

Am I missing something?

Blessings!

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See also:

• April 16 (2022) / Psalm 44:1-8
• April 17 (2022) / Psalm 44:9-16
• April 18 (2022) / Psalm 44:17-26