2 Samuel 15:1-17:14.  “Quick to Forgive” We have all been there.  We are at our lowest moment and someone says or does something to make it even worse.  This must have been how David felt as he was fleeing Jerusalem and endured the insult from Shimei.  How tempting it must have been to let Abishai kill Shimei.  However, David exercises self-control and humility in not retaliating against Shimei.  ...  Read More

2 Samuel 12:26-14:33; 1Chronicles 20:2-3. “Real Consequences” “Don’t be deceived, God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7).David loved the Lord, but he also made his share of mistakes.  Even though he was quick to confess his sin, that did not remove the consequences for his sin (2 Samuel 12:14).Now, from this point on, David’s kingship takes a downhill turn especially wit...  Read More

2 Samuel 5:14-16; 11:1-12:25; 1 Chronicles 3:5-9; 14:3-7; 20:1; Psalm 51.  “Confession” “If we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong” (1 John 1:9).King David sinned.  It wasn’t just a simple sin, but a messy one of lust, sexual immorality, deception and murder.  It was the kind of thing that anyone would look at and agree was wrong.  How ...  Read More

2 Samuel 8:15-10:19; 1 Chronicles 6:16-48, 50-53; 18:14-19:19.  “Grace for All” The devotional from April 15th was about how David fulfilled his covenant promise to Jonathan by showing kindness to his son, Mephibosheth.  Today, we have been reminded of this act in the reading.  As we think about this today, we are going to consider David’s treatment of Mephibosheth in light of God’s treatment of u...  Read More

2 Samuel 7:1-8:14; 1 Chronicles 17:1-18:13; Psalm 60.  “Turtle Syndrome” “For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12).In writing Psalm 60, David is crying out to the Lord for help again...  Read More

2 Samuel 6:12-23; 1 Chronicles 15-16.  “Quick Judgments” The theme for this week is sin. I know it is not very glamorous and not so fun to think about, but it is a reality that we all live with.  This week’s readings have us right in the heart of David’s kingship. We will see him at his highest point and his lowest point during this week.  Some of the topics we will think about are judging, deprav...  Read More

The theme for this week is sin. I know it is not very glamorous and not so fun to think about, but it is a reality that we all live with.  This week’s readings have us right in the heart of David’s kingship. We will see him at his highest point and his lowest point during this week.            Some of the topics we will think about are judging, depravity, confession, forgiveness, consequences and death. Because of our broken nature, sin permeates our lives.  We live with the impact of sin all around us.  I hope that through the devotionals and Bible reading this week, you will have a better handle on how to manage the impact of sin in your life.  Read More

2 Samuel 5:1-13,17-25; 6:1-11; 1 Chronicles 3:4b; 11:1-9; 12:23-40; 13:1-14; 14:1-2,8-17.  “Resolute Leader” Four hundred years earlier the Israelites had been told to absolutely subjugate the Promised Land, yet it was never completely accomplished.  David has been working to remedy that fault.David knew God had a reason for asking the Israelites to carry out this task and he had seen the results ...  Read More

2 Samuel 3:6-4:12.  “Vindicate Vindictiveness” Instead of David being able to rely on Joab to pave the way to a unified kingdom he has to prevent a civil war due to Joab’s actions.King David had found himself in a unique position.  Multiple times now he has had men—in the name of loyalty—murder the innocent.  Had loyalty merely become an excuse for revenge and murder?David was dealing with some st...  Read More

2 Samuel 2:1-3:5; 23:8-39; 1 Chronicles 3:1-4a; 11:10-47. “Mighty Men “ Young Billy earned his blue belt in judo.  One day Billy gave the class bully a bloody nose.  When asked which judo technique Billy had used, he replied, “I stuck out my foot and tripped him.”  That’s probably more my style, and it would most definitely NOT earn me a spot with “David’s 30 mighty men.”  The weakest of these gu...  Read More

1 Samuel 30-31; 2 Samuel 1:1-27; 4:4; 1 Chronicles 9:40-44; 10:1-14; 12:20-22. “Painful Experiences” Years have passed since David was anointed king by Samuel.  Those years have been spent running from King Saul, the very one he would succeed.  So, when David gets the news Saul has died, is his response joy, excitement and relief?  No.  Quite the contrary.David mourned Saul’s death.  His sorrow w...  Read More

1 Samuel 26-29; 1 Chronicles 12:1-7,19; Psalm 56.  “Battle Lines” The Philistines, David, and Saul, had all geared up for war.  David was fighting guerrilla warfare style with the brutal tribes of Geshurites, Girzites and Amalekites.  The Philistines entered battle fiercely with enormous numbers (28:5).  Saul seemed uncertain and consulted a medium from Endor to offer consultation concerning the w...  Read More

1 Samuel 23:13-25:44; Psalm 54.  “Providential Conclusions” The passage today describes three unfortunate encounters that had providential conclusions.  In the first situation the men of Ziph turned David and his men’s location over to Saul, yet God providentially sent Saul on another urgent task, which provided the opportunity for David and his men to escape.In the second incident, Saul and an ar...  Read More

1 Samuel 22:1-23:12; 1 Chronicles 12:8-18; Psalm 52, 57, 142. “Rough Start” The passages this week deal with David’s introduction as king.  Although David had been anointed by Samuel sometime earlier to be Israel’s next king, he never rushed God’s timing.  From David’s youth he knew God had a plan and purpose for everything.  David respected and protected God’s anointed—King Saul (although some h...  Read More

The passages this week deal with David’s introduction as king.  Although David had been anointed by Samuel sometime earlier to be Israel’s next king, he never rushed God’s timing.  From David’s youth he knew God had a plan and purpose for everything.  David respected and protected God’s anointed—King Saul (although some had hoped he would take the matter into his own hands and rush it).            David led well in spite of some very difficult times.  Knowing God had a plan helped David through the rough times, and it can do the same for us.  Read More

1 Samuel 20-21; Psalm 34. “Promises Kept” Jonathan and David had a special friendship.  Chapter 20 gives us a little insight into how close the two were.  Unlike his father, Jonathan was not jealous for the throne of Israel, but recognized that the Lord was with David.  Thus, as part of their covenant of friendship, Jonathan asked David to continue to show “faithful love” to his descendants even ...  Read More

1 Samuel 17:32-19:24; Psalm 59.  “Crying Out to the Lord” David never did wrong against Saul, but he was constantly the object of Saul’s jealousy.  Saul made multiple attempts to kill David or to have him killed by others.  However, we recognize that David was innocent in all of this and never lost his integrity.  So why the constant attacks?  Why did David have to call out to the Lord for help an...  Read More

1 Samuel 15:1-17:31.  “Blame-Shifting 101” Saul was caught red-handed.  He had again disobeyed the Lord and was confronted by Samuel for his actions.  His response to Samuel’s confrontation was worthy of an Academy Award.  In verses 15 and 21 Saul declares that ‘the people’ are the ones who spared the animals, and then he further justifies the sin by adding the spiritual benefit of sacrificing the...  Read More

1 Samuel 13-14; 1 Chronicles 9:35-39.  “Taking Matters Into Our Own Hands” Can you picture Saul in the situation described in 1 Samuel 13?  He had gathered Israel’s troops to battle the Philistines, but once they got a glimpse of the Philistine army, they were full of fear.  Sensing the fear in his army, Saul becomes anxious and comes to the conclusion that the offerings to the Lord must be offere...  Read More

1 Samuel 9-12.  “Integrity Restored” In 1 Samuel 8:6-9 the Lord reveals to Samuel that Israel was ultimately rejecting God Himself by asking for a king.  In 12:16-19 Samuel reminds the people of their wrongdoing in asking for a king and then uses a sign to reveal to them the level of God’s anger.Certainly, the people did wrong in asking for a king, but Samuel makes it clear that God had not abando...  Read More

1 Samuel 4:12-8:22. “Leadership Requires Integrity” Samuel was a man of God and a good leader for Israel.  However, for all that he did right, he failed in one area.  He did not learn from the mistake of his predecessor, Eli.  1 Samuel 8:1-3 reveals that Samuel’s sons were lacking in integrity, much the same way that Eli’s sons were.  We then see this lack of integrity result in Israel demanding ...  Read More

1 Samuel 1:9-4:11. “A Legacy of Integrity” The theme for this week is integrity.  This week’s readings will cover the last of the judges, Eli and Samuel.  Following those two leaders we will meet the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David.  All four of these men learned the importance of integrity through their experiences.         Integrity is something that we all can struggle with from time...  Read More

The theme for this week is integrity.  This week’s readings will cover the last of the judges, Eli and Samuel.  Following those two leaders we will meet the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David.  All four of these men learned the importance of integrity through their experiences.          Integrity is something that we all can struggle with from time to time.  Integrity is something that can be easily lost, but is not so easy to regain without God’s help.  As the four men we will read about, they learn it is absolutely essential to being a leader in God’s kingdom.  Read More

Ruth 4:13-22; 1 Samuel 1:1-8; 1 Chronicles 2:9-55; 4:1-23.  “Unfamiliar Names”          Professional golfer, Karen Permezel, hails from Yackandandah, Australia.  Finding that name to be a mouthful, writers sometimes ask Permezel where the town in located.  Permezel is happy to be of assistance.  “It’s near Mount Murramurrabong, not far from Tangambalanga,” she replies. (Sports Illustrated)        ...  Read More