II Samuel 21

Remember the Gibeonites? They are the people who escaped the violent conquest of the Promised Land by dressing up in old rags and claiming to be from a far off country, tricking Joshua and the people of Israel into agreeing to spare them. (If you need a refresher, see Joshua 9 and the March 6 post.) Joshua entered into that covenant with the Gibeonites under their false pretenses and without consulting the LORD. I am guessing that Saul took that as sufficient grounds to nullify the covenant and to start killing off the Gibeonites (II Sam. 21:2), but the LORD evidently disagreed and instead affirmed the covenant, bringing judgment in the form of a three-year famine upon Israel for their bloodguilt in violating the covenant. David makes atonement to the Gibeonites by handing over seven descendants of Saul for execution. (II Sam. 21:6) Then he subsequently gathers the bones of Saul, Jonathan, and those seven men and gives them a proper, honorable burial, after which the LORD lifts the famine. (II Sam. 21:14)

Before we get all bent out of shape regarding the fates of Saul’s descendants, let me redraw the scene in more contemporary terms. Saul is guilty of a war crime. All his family members are coconspirators, supporters of his brutal pogrom against the Gibeonites. Now consider the Nuremburg trials and the subsequent executions of the Nazi leadership. Is our (relatively) modern sense of justice really all that different from what David and the Gibeonites do? (If we are still howling in protest, perhaps we should take a moment and go brew ourselves a cup of humility and drink it down. And then maybe go brew another and prayerfully consider that maybe, just maybe, the Judge of all the earth and God of all righteousness knows better than we.)

So how about the famine? How do you really think about the weather, or climate change, or natural disasters in general (e.g., earthquakes)? Are all these things mere physics, with God standing aloof, thoroughly detached? Or is our natural environment available for God to use as He sees fit? Is He in control or not? If God is not in control or stands aloof, then nature is morally neutral and whatever happens just happens. But the Bible clearly teaches otherwise.

We all know climate change is currently a major political issue. Some deny that there is any such thing. Others acknowledge that the climate is changing but that humans have little or nothing to do with it. And still others say that human use of fossil fuels is entirely to blame and that we have only a few years before the whole world literally goes up in smoke. I am not here to stake out a position on that. But let’s suppose, for the sake of argument, that climate change is in God’s hands and that it is His instrument of judgment. Perhaps, then, the real solution to the problem has less to do with finding ways to reduce our carbon footprint and more to do with repentance. Maybe we need to stop thumbing our national (or worldwide) nose at God. Maybe we need to turn away from immorality. Maybe we need to heed His voice. Maybe we need to bow before Him. Maybe we need to repent.

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 men and wisely counsels David to speak encouragingly to his men in order to retain their support. But Joab is also a murderer. Having murdered Abner at the beginning of David’s reign, he now also murders Amasa, his own cousin. In both cases, his motive is to eliminate a rival to his own position of power.

And that makes me question Joab’s motives for all his loyalty to David. Is he truly serving David? Or is he really just serving himself, knowing that David is his “ticket” to power that he could not attain (or keep) on his own? I am somewhat reluctant to make that charge, seeing as how Joab has fought valiantly on David’s behalf, putting his own life very much on the line out on the battlefield amidst the blood, sweat, and gore. He has indeed been instrumental in David’s military victories. And he himself has never attempted to rise up against David to seize the throne for himself. But I still wonder: Maybe Joab is just looking out for number one…

Of course it is easy for me to speculate about Joab’s motives, especially since he is not standing in front of me, sword in hand! More difficult — and more important — is the task of examining my own motives. How devoted to the Lord am I really? Am I seeking Him or just His blessings? How much am I looking out for myself, rather than dying to self? Who, in fact, is “number one”?

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One more thing…

In case you missed it, Absalom’s activity with David’s concubines (II Samuel 16:22) is a direct fulfilment of what the LORD told David through Nathan the prophet as a consequence for David’s sin with Bathsheba: And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. (II Samuel 12:11b) And that should be a reminder to us of what David is already keenly aware: that this entire mess with Absalom is a consequence of David’s sin.

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 have no pleasure in you,’ behold, here I am, let Him do to me what seems good to Him.”

II Samuel 15:25-27

David presents an excellent model for us. First, he is not full of superstition; he does not treat the Ark of the Covenant as his own personal “magic box” by which he can coerce God into being on his side. But more than that, he walks in humility and trusts in the righteous judgment of the LORD. David knows the LORD is sovereign. He knows that he is in God’s hands. He accepts the LORD’s will — whatever that might be.

That does not mean that David sits idly by waiting for Absalom to kill him. No, he takes prudent defensive action. He flees Jerusalem with his armed forces, but leaves spies and informers in place — with one, Hushai, particularly well placed as an active agent. And in Psalm 3 David directly seeks the LORD’s help: Arise, O LORD! Save me, O my God! (Ps. 3:7a) In all these actions, David is protecting not only himself, but the entire kingdom of Israel.

Through it all David exhibits humility and a profound acceptance of God’s will: let Him do to me what seems good to Him. That, I think, is worth meditating on today. In the midst of whatever situation I might be facing, in crisis or in calm, can I say the same thing? Hmm… I should, of course, be fully surrendered to God and completely accepting of whatever He has for me, but am I? Hmm… Are you?

See also:

• January 3 (2022) / Psalm 3
• January 7 (2022) / Psalm 7

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 his son Amnon; the murder of Amnon by son Absalom in revenge; and David’s subsequent estrangement from Absalom.

I am sure there are numerous lessons in (failed) leadership and (poor) parenting that we could learn from these scenarios. We could see that although David gets angry, he nevertheless fails to impose any kind of sentence on Amnon for the rape of Tamar (II Sam. 13:21), which only fuels Absalom’s hatred of Amnon, a hatred that festers for two years. We might note that when Absalom kills Amnon, David again fails to deal with the situation, neither seeking to bring Absalom to justice for the murder of Amnon, nor seeking reconciliation, but rather again letting the situation fester for three years while Absalom resides with his maternal grandfather. We could note that when Joab takes the initiative to bring Absalom back to Jerusalem, David still refuses to see him for another two years, further poisoning the relationship between David and Absalom.

There may indeed be plenty to learn in all those observations, but I don’t think that’s the point. Rather, it seems to me that we are supposed to understand that this entire mess is the result of David’s sin with Bathsheba and against Uriah. It is all God’s judgment: Thus says the LORD, “Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house…” (II Sam. 12:11) But note how God is using human actors, in their own sinfulness, to bring about His judgment. Amnon’s sinful actions against Tamar provoke Absalom, who sinfully takes matters into his own hands and murders Amnon. God is using these evil actions to accomplish His purposes of disciplining David and continuing to shape his character.

God is sovereign over everything. We must, of course, always stand against evil and never be partners with it. But we must also humbly accept the Lord’s discipline, even when that discipline comes by the hand of evildoers.

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. We see David ruling marvelously, with military victories all around. (II Sam. 8,10) He shows compassion and honor to Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, treating him kindly for the sake of Jonathan. (II Sam. 9) David administers justice and equity to all his people (II Sam 8:15), until…Bathsheba.

David sees this beautiful woman bathing. He desires her, takes her, commits adultery — at exactly the wrong time of the month (II Sam. 11:4) — and she becomes pregnant. In an effort to cover up his sin, he invites Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah the Hittite — David’s loyal friend and one of his elite mighty men (II Sam. 23:29; I Ch. 11:41) — to come home and sleep with his wife. But Uriah honorably and humbly does not indulge himself. So David murders Uriah by proxy in order to take Bathsheba as his own wife.

But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.

II Samuel 11:27

The prophet Nathan — the same man through whom the LORD had promised to establish David’s kingdom forever — confronts David with a parable of a rich man treating a poor man unjustly. David, whose heart normally aligns with the LORD’s, immediately and rightly condemns the rich man. But Nathan says, “You are the man!” That cuts David to the quick, and he realizes his sin. He repents and writes Psalm 51 in response. The LORD forgives David (II Sam. 12:13), but David’s sin is not without consequences. We shall see those consequences in the days ahead.

But let’s back up. What is David’s big problem here, and how might he do things differently? Of course, the obvious first answer is that he should immediately turn away from Bathsheba, not invite her over, never touch her, etc. — entire problem avoided. But failing that, then what? How about immediate repentance after his tryst? When he calls Uriah home for a little time with his wife, what if David instead confesses his sin to Uriah then and there? What prevents David from this proper course of action? I’m guessing David faces the same goblins that prevent us from promptly confessing our sins: pride and fear — pride in a good reputation and fear of losing that reputation. But those goblins are liars, and rather than protecting David’s reputation (or ours), they drive him (and us) to greater sin and even worse damage to the reputation.

I cannot count the number of times I have delayed confessing some sin or have compounded my sin by lying about it, trying to cover it up. I fear rejection. I fear that people whom I count as friends will turn away in disgust, and with people there are no guarantees that they will not do so. And so my fears of rejection persist, and I hide behind a mask of uprightness. But the other person’s reaction never justifies failure to repent on my part, so I eventually break down and take off the mask. And when I do, the imagined rejection almost never materializes. It is usually just the opposite. I find acceptance and forgiveness — and often even respect for having come clean. Better yet, with the Lord, we do have a guarantee:

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

I John 1:9

So don’t let fear hold you back. If you need to confess some sin, do not wait. Make that confession — not just the general confession that we all might pray in church as a group, but a real confession of that specific sin. In the process, difficult as it might be, you will find freedom.

See also:

• April 29 (2022) / Psalm 51:1-9
• April 30 (2022) / Psalm 51:10-19

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 totally abandoned. We each might also be able to relate at some level in whatever level of suffering we might go through from time to time, especially when such suffering is prolonged. Though Psalm 88 does not offer any explicit “solutions” to that suffering, it still expresses what we all need to express during such times.

Having just come through Holy Week, it strikes me that we could read Psalm 88 from another perspective as well: that of Jesus during His Passion. Try reading Psalm 88 one more time as though Jesus were the One praying this prayer. Meditate on that, and let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart.

In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to Him who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered.

Hebrews 5:7-8

See also:

• August 2 (2022) / Psalm 80
• August 3 (2022) / Psalm 81
• August 4 (2022) / Psalm 82
• August 5 (2022) / Psalm 83
• August 10 (2022) / Psalm 88

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 are odd creatures when it comes to memory. There are things I can remember clearly from my childhood, but I have a hard time recalling what I did last week. I can remember all sorts of facts and figures — lots of mostly useless information — but I apparently forget some big life lessons and need to learn them again and again. The LORD God Almighty is all around me, yet I forget all about Him a great deal of the time.

Like the psalmist, I must deliberately remember the deeds of the LORD, and so I am grateful for the opportunity to walk this journey through the Scriptures with you. Together we remember [His] wonders of old. Together we ponder all [His]work. Together we meditate on all [His] mighty deeds. And the psalmist helps us to do so.

But I am easily distracted. The cares and concerns of this life draw my attention. Yesterday I celebrated Christ’s Resurrection. How soon before I forget?

See also:

• July 28 (2022) / Psalm 77
• July 29 (2022) / Psalm 78:1-31
• July 30 (2022) / Psalm 78:32-55
• July 31 (2022) / Psalm 78:56-72
• August 1 (2022) / Psalm 79

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One more thing…

I am a little surprised at the chronological placement of some of these psalms. Presumably, the rationale for placing these psalms here is that the Chronicler just mentioned Asaph (I Ch. 16:5,7) so we are covering psalms where the header says something like “Of Asaph”. The problem, though, is that some lines in these psalms do not yet make much sense in the context of the history that we’ve covered. For example:

He rejected the tent of Joseph;
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
but he chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he loves.

Psalm 78:67-68

We have not yet seen any rejection of Ephraim so if you are puzzled by these lines, hold on. These lines will make very good sense after Israel splits into two kingdoms, the Northern Kingdom (called “Israel” and led mainly by Ephraim), and the Southern Kingdom (called Judah). And they will make even more sense when Israel is destroyed by Assyria — but before the Babylonians conquer Judah. But now? Not so much.

Similarly, Psalm 79 would make much more sense after the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and the temple (which we haven’t seen built yet).

It is possible, of course, that Asaph is indeed the author of these psalms and that he writes these lines prophetically. But a simpler explanation would be that “Of Asaph” refers not just to Asaph himself, but to his descendants, the entire clan of musicians extending for generations — just as “Aaron” could refer to the man himself or to the priesthood, depending on context. So, if I were editing The Chronological Study Bible, I think I’d push these psalms a few hundred years into the historical context future…

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 10 (2022) / Psalm 39
• June 11 (2022) / Psalm 62
• April 26 (2022) / Psalm 50:1-6
• April 27 (2022) / Psalm 50:7-15
• April 28 (2022) / Psalm 50:16-23
• June 26 (2022) / Psalm 73:1-17
• June 27 (2022) / Psalm 73:18-28
• June 28 (2022) / Psalm 74:1-11
• June 29 (2022) / Psalm 74:12-23
• June 30 (2022) / Psalm 75
• July 27 (2022) / Psalm 76

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 the words of eternal life (John 6:68) Himself be dead? Where is God in all of this?

As we meditate on the difficult reality of Holy Saturday, last year’s commentary on Psalm 105:16-36 seems particularly relevant. So give that a read. I’ll wait…

We of course know that Holy Saturday is followed by Resurrection Sunday. It is in Christ’s Resurrection that we find our hope. And that is what we need to remember as we encounter our own personal miniature versions of Holy Saturday throughout the year. Even in all those dark times, when God seems lightyears away, He is still at work for our good. So let us thank Him for His steadfast love, which we may very well experience, for the time being, as a dark and gloomy Holy Saturday.

See also:

• August 22 (2022) / Psalm 96
• September 24 (2022) / Psalm 105:1-15
• September 25 (2022) / Psalm 105:16-36
• September 26 (2022) / Psalm 105:37-45
• September 27 (2022) / Psalm 106:1-12
• September 28 (2022) / Psalm 106:13-23
• September 29 (2022) / Psalm 106:24-33
• September 30 (2022) / Psalm 106:34-48

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 celebration even includes a distribution of food to everyone, which indicates a significant level of national peace and prosperity.

But bringing the Ark is only the first step. One thing that is clearly stated, but which I’ve never particularly noticed before, is that the Ark is placed in a tent that David pitches for it (I Ch. 16:1), a tent that is not the Tabernacle, which remains at Gibeon. David ensures that priests and Levites tend to the Tabernacle as well as the Ark, but he otherwise leaves the Tabernacle where it is. (I Ch. 16:39)

So let’s step back and consider the historical context. It is unclear exactly how much time has elapsed from Moses to David, but we can safely say it has been at least a couple of centuries. During that time, Torah has largely been forgotten, as Israel repeatedly lost its way. (Remember the Judges?) The Ark was brought out of the Tabernacle to go with the army, but it was captured by the Philistines in the days of Eli, only to be too “hot” for them to handle and so subsequently returned. (I Sam. 4-6) The Ark continued to go about with the army during Saul’s tenure (I Sam. 14:18) but otherwise generally resided in Kiriath-jearim — away from the Tabernacle — for decades. (I Sam. 7:2) It appears that virtually everyone (including David) has forgotten that the Ark belongs in the Holy of Holies within the Tabernacle. That is the scenario that David inherits.

Getting Israel back on track in its worship of the LORD is clearly going to take major effort and a lot of time, but David needs to start somewhere. Bringing the Ark to Jerusalem is that first big step. Organizing the Levites to help with praise and worship is another. The Chronicler knows that there is still much to be done, but he nonetheless celebrates David’s moving in the right direction, step by step, one step at a time.

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One more thing…

Paying attention to the cross-references, we see that virtually all of the song included in today’s reading is reflected in the psalms that we’ll read tomorrow. I Ch. 16:8-22 is in Ps. 105:1-15, I Ch. 16:23-33 is in Ps. 96:1-13 (with some variation), and I Ch. 16:35-36 is in Ps. 106:47-48 (almost).