1 Chronicles 16:1-43, Psalm 96, 105, 106, 39, 62, 50, 73 - 83, 88

As we continue to read chronologically through David's reign, we will be flipping between Samuel, Kings and Chronicles.  These books provide historical accounts of the kings of Israel; however, Samuel and Kings emphasize the spiritual history of Israel while Chronicles is a court history.  These books overlap in history, but just like the Gospels, they were written with different intentions.

1 Chronicles 16:1-43 expands the narrative found in 2 Samuel 6.  After the Ark was placed in a tent, David assigned Levites to worship daily before the ark.  The song chronicled here emphasizes the summons to seek the Lord and His strength and to seek His presence daily.  The Chronicler also records the names of the Levites and their duties.  You will note that David took the law and his relationship with the Lord seriously.  By moving the ark to the capital city, he was showing his people that the nation of Israel was dependent on God, not man, for their success.  We are the same - if we don't put God first, we will struggle.  Time spent in prayer and praise is essential for our daily life.  Think back on your own life to times when you made God a priority and times when you got too busy.  How did those times work out for you?

As for the psalms, yes there are a lot of them to read - 18 to be exact.  These are a sample of the worship and prayers that took place before the ark.  Break these psalms up over the next three days, read a few at a time & reflect on the intention of each one.  Many times, we face triumphs and struggles in our lives and these psalms capture our emotions, our longing, our inability to put into words what we need.  Read them, prayer them, sing them.  

Psalm 8, 19, 29, 32, 65, 68, 108, 138,

Psalms are difficult to tie to a specific historical context, unless the author gives a specific superscription.  To place psalms, a criterion is to place them during the life of the person that wrote them.  These songs are attributed to David and are appropriate for the context of David's entry into Jerusalem before the Ark.

We are given eight psalms of worship here.  I think it is a wonderful idea to take a moment to read these & remember they were written by a king who loved the Lord and was never ashamed to worship, praise, sing, and dance before Him.  We have all heard "dance like no one is watching."  Well, David took that adage to heart & you can too.

2 Samuel 6:1-23

The Ark of the Covenant was originally kept in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle.  The Ark was the focal point of God's physical presence among his people.  In 1 Samuel 3-7, the Israelites decided to take the Ark into battle, hoping that it would give them victory over their enemies, the Philistines.  The Philistines captured the Ark and took it to one of their cities, but the people began breaking out in tumors, so the ark was returned to the Israelites.  The return did not strengthen the Israelite army, which disbanded.  The Ark was then placed in Kiriath-jearim, where it remained for 20 years.  By David's time, the city had changed it's name to Baale-judah.  Lesson:  You cannot make God do what you want, not through prayer, not through objects.  When we forget that God is God and He will make the correct choice no matter what, we force Him into a box.  We try to force or appease him and end up dropping our relationship.  No longer do we know and trust the Lord, instead we simply try to control Him.  And that will never work in our favor.  The Lord wants a relationship with us. It's the relationship of a parent and child.  The child asks for what he wants, and the parent makes a choice based on what is best for that child.  When that child tries to manipulate or force a parent to give them what they want, the child usually ends up with some pretty unfortunate consequences.  

David decided to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, the new capital of Israel.  This was done with much fan fair, as the very presence of the Lord was manifest in the ark.  Music accompanied the procession, including instruments such as lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.  During this processional, a man named Uzzah reaches out to stabilize the ark & is struck dead.  The ark was to be treated with great respect.  In Exodus, the Lord gave very important instructions regarding the ark & its transportation, it was to be placed on poles and carried by men.  David and his people put the ark on a cart, which caused this unfortunate event to happen.  David was terrified, so he left the ark in the house of Obed-edom.  When it was shown that Obed-edom was blessed because of the ark, David went back for it.  This time the ark was carried correctly, sacrifices were made and the people worshiped, rejoiced, and danced.  Lesson - Once again, God knows what is best.  In order for you to know what is best - His Will - you need to talk to Him and listen.  You need to read His word and meditate on it.  Had David consulted the Lord on his decision to move the ark, he would have been given the correct instructions on how to proceed, saving himself a lot of hardship, stress, fear, and grief.  It's the same for us.

The return of the ark was once again a time of great joy - offerings, worship, dancing.  However, David's wife, Michael, looked upon it with disdain.  She lacked spiritual discernment.  Instead, she was caught up in vanity.  She missed the big picture because she was so focused on what her husband was wearing.  This caused her to respond with bitterness and sarcasm.  Because of this she had no children.  Was this a punishment from the Lord?  Or does this indicate that David no longer sought her out as a bed mate?  The Bible doesn't tell us.  However, either way, her lack of depth and relationship caused her to suffer for the rest of her days.  Lesson - Do you sometimes get caught up in the small things and miss the big picture?  Do you allow the little things to ruin your day?  Do you allow the actions of others to define your attitude?  I certainly hope not.  We are called to work on relationships, called to focus on God, called to put others first.  In these things we find joy and peace.

2 Samuel 4 & 5

To make up for my lack of post yesterday, we will read two chapters.

In chapter 4, David once again punishes those who would seek to gain favor through murder.  Notice, David never wishes death on his enemies.  He even offers respect towards those attempting to harm him.  So, when someone takes it into his own hands to remedy a problem through violence, David doles out the same punishment.

In chapter 5, we see David becoming king over all of Israel.  He captured Jerusalem by sending his men up a water shaft.  Jerusalem was a long fortified city that better served as a capitol for Israel.  The term, "deaf and blind" used by the Jebusite king suggests that he thought Jerusalem was so well fortified, that it could be defended solely by the lame.  The Jebusites were Canaanites.  The Philistines, another enemy of Israel, attempted to attack Israel.  Notice that David turned to the Lord, asking how he should respond to this attack.  In both instances, David followed God's instructions and the Philistines were defeated.

We may not face armies, but we do face people and circumstances that seem determined to harm us.  What should we do?  Well, respond like David did - pray, listen, follow the instructions of the Lord, honor & respect your enemies.  When we do these things, we will become victors just like David.

2 Samuel 3:2-39

So lots going on here.  Abner is the commander of Saul's army, but he is offended by Ishboseth's accusation that he took one of Saul's wives for his own.  Now, concubines were part of the culture in the ancient Near East.  These woman were taken into a household and accepted as family members.  For one to take another man's concubine was considered usurping the husband's authority.  So, Ishboseth's accusation questioned Abner's loyalty to the king.  Abner was so offended, he defected to David's camp.  When Joab found out, he determined to seek his revenge for his brother's death.  David was not happy about this.  In fact, he mourned Abner.

So, what should we take from this?  A man (or woman) of God is to honor God in all things.  When we repent, God accepts us in with open arms.  He no longer holds our sins against us.  Since we were treated this way, we MUST treat others that way.  David understood this and we should follow his example.

2 Samuel 2:1-3:1

David's ascesion to the throne of Israel was still a slow one.  David didn't just assume, rather, he asked the Lord what he should do.  And then he listened.  This is a good principal to live by - talk to God & then listen.  While David ruled over the house of Judah, the commander of Saul's army anointed Saul's son king over Israel.  Thus a civil war broke out. During this war, David's armies grew stronger, while Abner's armies grew weaker.

So what can we learn from this other than to listen to God?  There will always be people who seek power & are willing to attain it through force.  However, when you are willing to listen to God & follow his plan, God will show you favor.  So, once again - talk to God & then listen & do.

2 Samuel 1:1-27; Psalm 18

We have finished with our reading of Acts & I was left to ponder, "where should I go from here?"  I've blogged the Gospels, Acts, and the Epistles.  So, I thought it was time to go back to the Old Testament.  I think we need a full understanding of Biblical history before we jump into Revelations.

Now, many of us are very, let me emphasize that - VERY - familiar with the Pentateuch, which is the first five books of the Bible written by Moses.  Genesis - the creation of everything & the establishment of a Patriarchal lineage; Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy - the history of the establishment of the Jewish nation of Israel.  We also know the Bible stories of Saul and a young David.  These events have been taught to us over & over again in Sunday School.  Then it gets a little muddy.  We know snippets of Solomon, the division of the kingdoms, and the downfall of Israel.  We have heard the stories of Jonah, Daniel, and Esther.  However, these books - 2 Kings through Malachi - provide us not only with a rich history, but a dire warning.  A warning regarding the downfall of civilizations and the downfall of the heart. Given the current events in our global society, I think reading these books will prepare us to face our future. Hopefully through our study, we will also learn to avoid the mistakes of the past.

As always, we will read these books chronologically.  I have never understood why our Bible is organized in such an odd matter.  I know how the Bible is organized - by genre - but it has always seemed like such a harsh division.  How can you understand the richness of the events of our history when you read them out of order?  How can you understand the roles of the prophets when they have been chopped out of the narrative and placed at the end of the Old Testament?  Did you know that these books are organized by the Major prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel and then by the Minor prophets - Hosea through Malachi?  From there they are placed in our Bible according to length.  Hmmmm. Also, were you aware that Kings and Chronicles provide information on the same time period written from two different perspectives? So, to help us understand the BIG PICTURE, we are going to read these books in chronological order.  Get ready to jump around your Old Testament.

Today we start in 2 Samuel with the death of Saul, Israel's first king.  This will set the stage for David's reign and will also help to establish an understanding of the upcoming division and downfall of Israel.  To lay a quick foundation, Saul was the king that the people demanded, disregarding the wise words of the Lord. Saul turned from God, so God anointed a new king, the adolescent David.  Saul then began to really lose it & he determined in his heart to kill David.  During this time, Israel came under attack by other countries who took advantage of the distracted king.

Saul and his sons were defeated.  His sons dead, Saul decides to end his own life & falls on his spear (he commits suicide.)  An Amalekite wanderer brings the news of Saul's death to David, claiming that he killed Saul.  The Amalekite has stated this because he is hoping to gain favor with David.  He knows that David has been on the run for many years & thinks he'll receive a favored place with David.  Unfortunately, this man does not know David's heart.  David listens to the Lord, he follows the laws, in all the time he was being pursued by Saul, he did not raise his hand against Saul.  Instead, he honored Saul as the king of Israel.  So, David follows the law & has the man executed for his crimes (killing the king).  David then writes a lament for Saul.  David was a musician, he wrote many of the psalms as we will read throughout this study.  This lament honors Saul as the fallen king and speaks of the close friendship of David and Jonathan.

The psalm given for today is presumed to have been written after the death of Saul.  In this song, David praises & thanks God for delivering him from his enemies and making him a favored king.  Now don't confuse the issue here.  Yes, David obeyed the laws and honored his king.  However, he was also grateful that he had been saved from his enemies.  No longer did he need to hide out, his time as king had come.

To apply this lesson to our own lives, think of our government.  You may not like the president or your state congressman, maybe even your counties congressman.  However, the Bible makes it very clear that we are to honor those in authority over us.  We are to pray for them and respect them.  We take our problems and issues to the Lord and then we trust Him to do the right thing.  God has a big picture - a great and perfect plan - so trust Him to accomplish it in His good and perfect timing.  If you have a problem with our government & its officials, take it to the Lord & leave it off Facebook.  In that way, we are not only honoring those in authority over us, we are honoring and obeying our Lord.

Acts 28:1-31

Paul and his shipmates stay on the island of Malta for three months.  While they are there, Paul is bitten by a serpent, but he suffers no ill-effects.  He also heals many people.  Once again, the power of God performed through His miracles presents a doorway to presenting the Good News.

Once in Rome, Paul speaks to the Jewish people.  Some listen, most do not.  This fulfills prophecy found in Isaiah.  The people will refuse to listen and repent.  However, God's offer of spiritual healing is always available to anyone who repents and believes.

So, what can we learn from this?  Always, always keep your faith.  Always, always rely on God.  The storms in life will come, but with God we can overcome.

Acts 27:1-44

Paul is sailing to Rome to have his day with Caesar.  Notice that even though Paul is a prisoner, he is given favor.  **Note:  Your attitude in live often determines how others treat you.  If you're always complaining, whining, arguing, or pessimistic - you will have a harder time in life than those that roll with the punches and find the joy in every situation.  **  **Side note - an example from my own life.  My good friend and I went on a 5 day vacation to Puerto Rico.  This was her first official get-away.  AND IT RAINED - A LOT.  So, what did we do?  Did we sit in the hotel and complain?  Nope - we went hiking in the rain forest, we zip lined, we walked through Old San Juan.  Occasionally we got wet, a few times we got soaked.  But we had a great time - every single day - simply because we had the right attitude. **

Now, Paul is an educated man.  He also listens to God.  Paul advised the captain to stay in port.  Winter was coming & it was not a good time to sail.  However, those in authority decided to continue on.  **Note:  Paul didn't argue or pitch a fit. He listened to those in authority over him.  Yikes, do I have a lot to learn from Paul. **  When the storm came up, as Paul predicted, he continued to be a positive leader for the people by encouraging them and giving them hope.  When the ship finally ran aground, the prisoners were saved because of Paul's example and good attitude.

So - what can we learn?  A positive attitude helps not only yourself, but others around you.  It's not all about you.  You are not the only human on this earth.  Your actions affect you and others.  So, when times get you down, pray, pray, pray & keep your attitude positive.

Acts 25:13-26:32

Interesting that no one in authority can seem to find a crime in which to charge Paul.  Not Felix, Festus, or King Aggripa.  However, Paul has appealed to Caesar, so to Caesar he must go.

Our worldly minds cry out in anguish over this.  Paul would have been able to be free had he not made this appeal.  He would have been able to walk about and continue to preach the Gospel.  Why is God allowing this to happen?  And yet, as we read these verses, we are able to see the big picture.  Because of these trials, Paul is able to preach the Gospel to many more people.  He was held in prison, yet he still preached.  He is now going to Rome where countless people with hear him preach.  He is walking the path to which he was called AND he is peaceful about it.

Very often in our own lives we walk through trials and tribulations.  We shake our fist at God, we ask why, sometimes we even lose faith.  However, we must remember that in our own lives we don't have the luxury of reading ahead.  We don't get to see the big picture until it has been fully drawn.  Faith is trusting that you are walking on the path to which God has called you.  Faith is trusting that God is doing what is right.  Faith is walking through the trials and tribulations of life in constant contact with God knowing that He will work it all for His good purpose.  Faith is finding joy and peace in the storm.

Acts 24:1-25:12

Paul has been arrested because of trumped up charges from the Jewish Council.  He has been sent to the Governor Felix for his protection.  There he stayed under house arrest for two years.  Paul knew his rights as a citizen and he called for those rights; yet, he did not work the system.  He didn't flatter or bribe officials, he didn't attempt to curry their favor.  He simply continued to speak the truth and present the Gospel.  There is a fine line between knowing your rights as a citizen and using those rights to play the game.  We can learn much from Paul as he walked the line on this issue.  Notice how he respects those in authority.  Notice how he continues to follow the plan and purpose God has set before him regardless of his circumstances.  As you continue to walk through your life, remember these lessons of Paul and apply them to your own life.

Acts 22:30-23:35

Paul speaks to the Jewish counsel & rioting ensues.  Typical - these Jewish leaders cannot agree on their theology & spend a good time fighting about it.  Sound like the church today?  What they are able to agree on is that Paul must die.  A plot is then hatched to lie to the Tribune & kill Paul when he appears before them.  However, Paul's nephew hears about the plot & warns the tribune.  Notice the tribune is intent on following the law - he sends Paul to the governor.

So, what can we learn from this?  Well, as I read today I am reminded to stand up for what is right.  It's that simple.  When someone is being mistreated, stand up for them. It all comes back to love and the golden rule to treat others the way you want to be treated.  There may be times when someone offends us by their actions or words.  Paul offended the Jewish council, yet they had no reason other than their pride to persecute him.  If someone offends you, stop & figure out why you are offended.  Is it because they revealed a fault in your personality?  Did they expose a sin?  If so, you need to focus on yourself rather than on the offense. Don't allow yourself to fall further into sin.

Acts 21:37-22:29

Paul has been arrested.  Paul asks to speak to the crowd.  The tribune, the commander, thinks that he is an Egyptian who has been stirring up trouble recently.  Josephus, a Jewish historian, also mentions this Egyptian.  I mention this to show that the Bible accurately records history.  There are other non-biblical sources that mention the same events and people.  Pretty awesome.

Paul is given permission to speak, so he gives his testimony.  The people listen, but they continue to reject him because he is preaching to the Gentiles.  The tribune decides to appease the people and have Paul flogged, but Paul reveals that he is a Roman citizen.  Therefore, he cannot be flogged without a trial.

We are going to stop here for today, but I want us to examine our hearts.  Do we ever treat people unfairly before we know the facts?  Do we listen to gossip and rumor?  Do we judge people by their appearance or by there actions?  Do we give people a chance to explain themselves?  People usually act with reason.  They all have a story.  Take the time to listen to their story and understand their motivations.