Devotionals
The Unrighteous Righteous
Throughout Kings we have seen David described as righteous over and over again. We are told that he obeyed all the laws and regulations of the Lord and — if you’re like me — the justice side of your brain is hollering, “WHAT!?” Is this the same David who married foreign women? The same David who... Read More →
What Does Omniscience Mean?
Psalm 139 has David talking about how God sees everything he does (sitting, standing, laying, speaking!) and even knows his motives. This is exactly what omniscience means (“Omni” being “all” and “science” being “knowledge”); God has all knowledge. There are two things we can take away from the fact that God knows everything. So then,... Read More →
Emotions Can Make Us Inconsistent
Reading through the Psalms, it’s hard to NOT notice that David swings wildly between God being faithful and just and wonderful and gracious to abandoning him in the dirt. Psalm 109 is MOSTLY David talking about his enemies plans and prayer to do him in. 108 has David asking the Lord if He has abandoned... Read More →
Prophecy or Poem?
Psalm 68 has some interesting features. The earth shakes before God (v8). God rescues from death (v20). And the good news is delivered by women (v11). Note the similarities with the death and resurrection of Jesus. Some commenters point out that women celebrating the victory of the king is commonplace (Ex 15:20, 1 Sa 18:6,... Read More →
Jealous of Evil?
Sometimes — as I have discussed before — we ask the question, why do good things happen to bad people? Here David addresses that. I can’t help but wonder if this was written shortly after David was being persecuted by Saul, who remained king of Israel while David hid in caves and was exiled from... Read More →
A Call to Action
David’s simple psalm carries a straightforward message. That the one who is not held accountable for his misdeeds is blessed. But when we try to hide our sins away, God allows their consequences to do us harm. It is only once we confess that we are freed from the (spiritual) consequences of sin. So don’t... Read More →
Chariots, Censuses, and Sins
I love this triumphant line from David: Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. Psalm 20:7, NIV Israel fought many foes under David and won because the Lord was with them, which was the point of what Moses recorded: The king, moreover, must not acquire great... Read More →
Are Our Prayers Results-Oriented?
While going through today’s reading, one verse hit me in the face with the force of a heavyweight boxer. David is praying for his son, Solomon, who will become king. David says, Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this... Read More →
Sola Scriptura
This phrase was the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation and comes from the Latin: sola meaning “alone” and the word scriptura meaning “writings” (the Scriptures, the Holy BIble). Sola scriptura declares that Scripture alone is authoritative in the life of the Christian as it pertains to matters of faith and truth. The Bible is complete, authoritative, and true. Today I... Read More →
(Not) Having All The Answers
I’ll just say it… 2 Samuel says that God told David to take a census (then punished him for it), whereas 1 Chronicles says that Satan led David to take a census and then God punished him for it. I find the theories online quite unsatisfying and I find it frustrating that I don’t have... Read More →
Recognition & Hope
Today’s reading featured two copies of a song David wrote. Despite all that’s gone on in David’s life to this point, he still lifts the name of God and recognizes all that the Lord has done for him and to deliver him. I made a non-exhaustive list who David says God is, and what David... Read More →
Fickle Friends
Absalom is dead and his coup with him. David returns to Jerusalem, his victory undercut by the death of his son. God’s promise that David’s sin would lead to his family living (and dying) by the sword is coming to pass. And during his return to Jerusalem several men from all the tribes of Israel... Read More →