2 Samuel 12:1-14

1 The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

4 “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”

5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’

11 “This is what the LORD says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’”

13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.”

Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the LORD, the son born to you will die.”

Points of Interest

• ‘The LORD sent Nathan to David’--David has gone to truly terrible lengths to keep his affair hidden, but he can’t hide it from God. And God is unwilling to simply let it pass.
• ‘There were two men in a certain town’--rather than directly accuse David, Nathan uses a metaphorical story. It’s probably safer this way for Nathan. In David’s current mood, who knows how he would respond to a direct accusation? Using a metaphor also gives David a better chance of getting to the truth of the matter; even a moment’s freedom from thinking of the immediate personal implications might help. The implied question at the end, ‘What would you do with a situation like this?’ gives David that space to think, and it forces him to give an answer.
• ‘David burned with anger against the man’--David doesn’t immediately piece together that they’re speaking metaphorically, and he is genuinely shocked by the situation: ‘Could someone really do such a thing?’ he wonders. He, of course, has just done much worse himself. I don’t think David is being hypocritical here. His reaction comes from a genuine, strong concern for justice. He simply hasn’t noticed how very far he has currently fallen from his own principles. He is not living up to being the kind of man he wants to be, and the kind of man that he’s shown in the past, with God’s help, he is actually pretty capable of being.
• ‘the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over’--David is so outraged upon hearing of this situation that he needs to talk himself down a little: ‘Okay, okay, the death penalty may be a little extreme here. How about quadruple damages?’ Ironically, in the actual situation, death might indeed be the fairest punishment for David. Far more than a lamb, David owes Uriah a life. In fact, by David’s own reckoning, he owes Uriah four lives. He has taken far more from Uriah than he could ever pay back.
• ‘your master’s wives into your arms’--apparently, some of those many wives he has accumulated used to be Saul’s. And that would make sense in light of these political marriages being like the signature to a treaty. Other nations would simply re-establish the same treaty with David they used to have with Saul, and they’d seal the deal with the very same wife. It would at the very least keep the moving costs down.
• ‘I would have given you even more’--not only has David been wicked toward Uriah, but he’s also been ungrateful toward God. God has given him everything he could ever possibly want and more. As David was strolling on his roof, practically everything he could see whichever direction he turned was his, given as a gift from God--everything except Bathsheba, that is. During the hard times, David trusted God to provide everything he needed; and God came through. Perversely, now that times are good, he doesn’t have that same reliance on God’s goodness.
• ‘Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house’--David resorted to violence to take care of his problem. As they say, though, a sword has two edges. Now that he has taken the sword out of its sheath, he’ll feel its bite as well.
• ‘I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you’--what goes around comes around. David will experience the same pain, betrayal, and indignity to which he subjected Uriah.
• ‘The LORD has taken away your sin’--this reminds me of what God says about the covenant with David’s descendants: "When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by human beings, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him." God still loves David, forgives him, and lets him keep his kingdom. But God does not wink away the consequences of the serious wrong David has done. And apparently it’s a good thing. Imagine what trouble David and his children could get into if their actions were completely unchecked.
• ‘the son born to you will die’--it makes sense to me that David and Bathsheba would be punished for what they’ve done. But their child is just an innocent bystander, another victim even. When it is David who might very well deserve death, why is it his baby who actually dies? We’ll talk more about this one tomorrow.

Taking it home

• For you: Part of what gets David into trouble is losing his sense of gratitude toward God. Thanking and admiring God, even in the hard times, used to be a hallmark of David’s songs to God. What’s your relationship with praising God like? Does it come naturally? Or does it feel challenging? How has it been lately: better, the same, or harder than usual? Today do whatever you can to thank God, as often as possible. If praising God feels really difficult here are some ways you could start: 1) Thank God for the all the people and things in your life for which you are grateful. 2) Thank God for the good things that have happened this past week or month. 3) Praise God for the qualities he has that you really like. In the midst of all that thanking and praising, if you do feel like God is somehow holding back on you, ask for the thing that you want. God seems to remind David that he is generous, and willing to give even more if asked.

• For your six: While it’s a little hard to understand exactly how and why it works, David needs God to take away his sins. It seems that without that forgiveness, David would get stuck in this moment in his life. God is incredibly quick and willing to remove David’s sin once David confesses it. Ask God that your six would turn to God to take away their sin. Pray that that offer would make sense and be compelling, and that your six would find incredible benefits in taking God up on this offer.
• For our church: Nathan uses a story to get David’s attention. Ask God to make us good storytellers. Pray that God would give us wisdom, creativity and understanding, so that we could communicate God’s promises in captivating stories that make sense to people.
• For families: Have you ever felt like God or someone else truly forgave you for something? What was that like? Is there any area of your life where you could ask God or another person for forgiveness? Is there any area where you could extend forgiveness to someone else? Try it and share how it goes. Forgiveness is like dropping the charges against someone, letting God be the one to deal with the person, and giving up the right to do that yourself.

2 Samuel 11

1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.

2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. 5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”

6 So David sent this word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent him to David. 7 When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him.9 But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master’s servants and did not go down to his house.

10 David was told, “Uriah did not go home.” So he asked Uriah, “Haven’t you just come from a military campaign? Why didn’t you go home?”

11 Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my commander Joab and my lord’s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!”

12 Then David said to him, “Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 At David’s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants; he did not go home.

14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15 In it he wrote, “Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.”

16 So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. 17When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David’s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.

18 Joab sent David a full account of the battle. 19 He instructed the messenger: “When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, 20 the king’s anger may flare up, and he may ask you, ‘Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelek son of Jerub-Besheth? Didn’t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?’ If he asks you this, then say to him, ‘Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.’”

22 The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. 23 The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate. 24 Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.”

25 David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.’ Say this to encourage Joab.”

26 When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27 After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.

Points of Interest

• ‘when kings go off to war, David sent Joab’--we skipped a few chapters in which David himself leads the army in a stunning series of victories over pretty much all of the surrounding nations. It’s getting to the point where other armies are wondering why they should even bother trying to resist David, since he’ll clearly come out on top anyway. Constant success is becoming humdrum for David as well. While all of the other kings go off to war as usual, David plays hooky, sending Joab in his place.
• ‘walked around on the roof of the palace’--in a warm climate, at the top of a hill where there might be a nice breeze, the roof would be a good place to get some fresh air.
• ‘From the roof he saw a woman bathing’--like not pulling down the shades in an apartment, Bathsheba bathing in full view of David could be a purposely seductive act, or it could just as likely be simple absent-mindedness. She might not be aware that anyone else is around or can see her or is even awake. Then again, if it’s an accident, they do end up sleeping together rather quickly.
• ‘the wife of Uriah the Hittite’--Uriah is another of David’s famous Thirty. He’s not just a soldier in David’s army, but part of David’s elite unit, and most likely someone who lived in close quarters with David during the difficult times when they were on the run from Saul. I don’t know whether or not it’s at all relevant, but Uriah is one of David’s non-Israelite men.
• ‘She came to him, and he slept with her’--it’s hard to believe David would do such a thing. The same man who twice refused to save his own life, saying, ‘Far be it from me to touch the LORD’s anointed,’ without giving it a second thought sleeps with the wife of another man--and not just any other man, but an old army buddy. David reminds me of rock stars who, upon finally hitting the big time, go into a self-indulgent phase. They suddenly think it’s their right to trash hotel room after hotel room, abandon their wives and children, drive their fancy cars through other peoples’ backyards, stage Bed-Ins, and release drivel like Revolution 9 and Zooropa. Not only can they afford it; they think they deserve it. Even more, they often think they deserve people applauding them for it. David seems to have that same sense of entitlement here: ‘I’ve worked hard and been good my entire life. Why shouldn’t I enjoy just one night with this beautiful woman?’
• ‘Go down to your house’--they have a bit of a timing problem. Uriah has been away at war long enough that the baby could not be his. So, David, hoping to cover his tracks, finds an excuse to bring Uriah home, hoping to get Uriah and Bathsheba in bed together.
• ‘Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master’s servants’--even drunk, Uriah is an honorable man. As a soldier on duty, he sleeps in the barracks with the rest of the men, instead of taking advantage of his privileges by spending a night at home.
• ‘Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down’--David out-Sauls Saul. Saul tried to kill David, and now David is trying to kill Uriah, for being too good a soldier. Even worse, David is punishing Uriah for David’s own mistake. And, chillingly, he’s making Uriah carry his own death warrant; he knows that Uriah is too reliable and honorable to fail to deliver it or to read it himself.
• ‘Why did you get so close to the wall?’--David’s order to get Uriah killed in battle necessitates what would usually be bad strategy on Joab’s part. He has to put the whole battle and many other men at risk in order to make sure Uriah dies. This is, to say the least, a significant breach of military ethics. Joab is reminding David that he’s following David’s own direct orders. It’s David’s fault that the battle went badly.
• ‘But the thing David had done displeased the LORD’--Only David, Bathsheba, and Joab know what has happened. A scandal has been averted. Everything looks okay on the outside, but that most definitely does not mean that everything is okay.

Taking It Home

• For you: So maybe it goes without saying that impregnating your friend’s wife probably isn’t the best idea; and in case you were thinking of also killing your friend, that mostly likely will only complicate matters and not get you what you’re looking for. While David’s outer indulgent, adulterous, murderous act is terrible in its own right, it even more makes me wonder what’s going on in his heart that could lead to such things. If only he could have been aware of and do something to address his heart’s state before joining the list of baby daddies and murderers! Take some time today examining your heart. What might your actions and behavior lately be telling you about your internal state? Have you been indulging yourself, like David did? Are you saying and thinking and doing things that just don’t seem like you, in a bad way? Spend some time focusing not on the acts themselves, but on what’s happening for you beneath the surface. Pray some of David’s prayer:

Psalm 139: 23-24

Search me, God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting

Psalm 51: 10-12; 17

Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,

and make me willing to obey you...

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.

You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

• For your six: A few weeks ago, when David was helplessly fleeing through the hill country of Judea it was hard to picture him ever doing anything half as bad as what Saul was doing, and yet here we see him committing even worse versions of the very sins that were done to him. Ask God to protect your six from following David’s pattern of repeating sins that were done to them. It seems to be a pattern to which we are all so easily susceptible. Ask God to break in and transform any pain inflicted on them, and pray that they wouldn’t unconsciously transmit the pain they experienced to others.
• For our church: Ask God to protect us from the complacency that got David into such trouble. Ask God to increase our focus, passion and commitment to follow God.
• For families: Discuss any situation in which you’ve tried to cover up something that you weren’t particularly proud of. What happened as a result of trying to cover it up? Often, situations like these can result in more and more covering up, trapping us in layers of lies. Discuss the benefits of being honest about a situation up front, instead of hiding it or letting it get out of control. Pray that God would point out to you when you are trying to cover something up and give you courage to tell the truth.

2 Samuel 7

1 After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”

3 Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you.”

4 But that night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying:

5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’

8 “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. 10 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.

“‘The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: 12 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by human beings, with floggings inflicted by human hands. 15 But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’”

17 Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said:

“Who am I, Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19 And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant—and this decree, Sovereign LORD, is for a human being!

20 “What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign LORD. 21 For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

22 “How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 23 And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? 24 You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, LORD, have become their God.

25 “And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, 26 so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.

27 “LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 28 Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29 Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”

Points of Interest

• ‘Nathan the prophet’--it seems we finally have a replacement for Samuel as official court prophet.
• ‘while the ark of God remains in a tent’--it’s not necessarily a shameful thing that the ark is in a tent. As I mentioned yesterday, it’s always been that way. During the time of Moses, God custom-ordered a tent, called the tabernacle or the tent of meeting, from the Israelites; and the ark had been kept in that tabernacle ever since. No one had ever even thought of doing it differently. But as David reflects, he realizes that for the first time ever the Israelites are peacefully settled in the land, and the ark is safe and secure; and now he himself has a beautiful new home. Isn’t it now a little unseemly for God to live in a tent, while the rest of Israel, David very much included, have their own nice houses? Maybe it’s time for God to settle down.
• ‘Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it’--at first, Nathan gives God’s endorsement of this idea. As it turns out, though, God’s not entirely keen on the idea. Does God change his mind? Does Nathan hear wrong? Does Nathan simply assume at first that God would like the idea--why wouldn’t he?--without even asking?
• ‘Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in?’--David’s instinct reminds me of when someone wins the lottery or gets their first big contract as a professional athlete and decides to build their mom--who sacrificed all of those years, working two jobs to make ends meet--a dream house. It’s a really nice thought, and I’m sure quite a few of those mothers really appreciate both the new house and the thought behind it. I bet there are others that, in the end, prefer the old family home. God is in the second camp. God hasn’t been sitting around wondering, ‘When is someone going to build me a house?’ God likes the tent.
• ‘I have been moving from place to place’--one of the reasons God likes the tent is the impression it gives of constant movement. God doesn’t, of course, actually live in the tent; nor would God actually live in the temple David wants to build. But to whatever extent these dwellings represent the idea of God being present among us, God prefers the dynamic picture of the tent to the static temple. God doesn’t want to be pinned down to one particular place.
• ‘I took you from the pasture’--God reminds David of their relative importance. Without God, David would just be Jesse’s youngest boy, the butt of his brothers’ jokes, taking care of his father’s sheep. Without David, God would pretty much still be God.
• ‘the LORD himself will establish a house for you’--God is playing on multiple meanings of ‘house’ here. David is offering to give God a house, a temple. If David really understood how their relationship worked, he would instead be asking God for a house, a royal dynasty.
• ‘He is the one who will build a house for my Name’--someday, a descendant of David will indeed build a house for God, but now is not the time and David is not the person.
• ‘When he does wrong, I will punish him’--this can sound like something of a downer. But if you think about it, it’s probably a necessary safety check. God has just promised David and his descendants unconditional backing forever. This might be too much power for a person to handle responsibly, unless they know that there would indeed be consequences if that power were misused.
• ‘Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation’--having spoken prematurely the day before, Nathan is now conscientious to pass along to David only what he has heard from God, and all of what he has heard.
• ‘the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem’--like David, the entire nation of Israel was basically plucked from out of nowhere, with nothing very obvious to recommend them, and chosen as an object of special attention from God. The idea is that they serve as a sort of pilot project. God would practice with and demonstrate with Israel the kind of relationship God eventually wants with every nation. It’s not as if Israel is the only nation God really cares about; but they do have the honor of being picked first.
• ‘Your covenant is trustworthy’--a covenant is a strong and enduring alliance. I liken it to a blood brotherhood; David and God are bound together for the long haul.
• ‘who am I, Sovereign LORD, and what is my family’--David sees that God is, of course, right. David is not the big shot, giving God that big, new house God has always wanted. Rather, David is the humbly grateful recipient of overwhelming benefits from a powerful and good God.

Taking it home

• For you: In this story, we get the picture of David being a little overeager to help and almost over-responsible, as if it’s up to David for good things to happen in the world. We live in a city full of very well-intentioned, successful, driven people; and it’s easy to follow suit without the slightest blink of an eye. What are the ways in which you feel driven? In what areas do you feel a lot of pressure and responsibility? Consider that if there are situations where you feel guilty, worried, and burdened that you’re carrying pressure God might not want you to have. Spend some time thinking about the important plans you have. Ask God to show you what, if anything, you should be doing about them. Maybe his response will be similar to the one he gave David, “Great idea, but not now.” Ask God to make it clear what you are responsible for and what you are not.
• For your six: Pick a few of your six and spend time trying to listen to God on their behalf. What Nathan heard from God for David was quite powerful and also quite different from what he came up with on his own. Like Nathan, if you think you hear something from God, find a way to run it by your six.
• For our church: David finally taking the throne as king brings about a season of rest, stability, and prosperity for the entire country. Ask God for our church to play a part in bringing rest to our city. Pray that our presence would help make our city a place of stability and prosperity for everyone in it.
• For families: Have you ever sensed that God thinks something is a good idea, but doesn’t want you to do it yet? Talk about some of these things with your family, find out what things they have heard are good ideas, but aren’t yet ready to do. These could be big dreams from God or things related to growing up that you might do when you’re older. Discuss how God is preparing you all to take the next step, and pray that each of you could wait well in the meantime.

2 Samuel 6

1 David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand. 2 He and all his men went to Baalah in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. 3 They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart4 with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. 5 David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.

6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7 The LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.

8 Then David was angry because the LORD’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.

9 David was afraid of the LORD that day and said, “How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?” 10 He was not willing to take the ark of the LORD to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11 The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household.

12 Now King David was told, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13 When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, 15 while he and the entire house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

16 As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, she despised him in her heart.

17 They brought the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the LORD. 18 After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.

20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”

21 David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the LORD’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the LORD. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”

23 And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

Points of Interest

• ‘to bring up from there the ark of God’--having won peace like they haven’t had for a while, David musters the troops for a completely different reason: to worship God together. The ‘ark’ is basically a very ancient , very holy souvenir chest. The Israelites built it during Moses’ time, according to God’s specifications, and filled it with remembrances of the ways God rescued them and provided for them in their desert wanderings.
• ‘enthroned between the cherubim on the ark’--as we’ve mentioned a couple of times over the course of this guide, the surrounding nations made physical representations of their gods, called ‘idols.’ These idols weren’t thought of as mere pictures of the gods, but as local manifestations of the gods. The LORD God prohibited the Israelites from making this sort of physical representation, certainly of other gods, but even of the LORD himself. God wanted the Israelites to think of God being right in the midst of them, directly, without any physical proxy necessary. So, the ark, instead of being a representation of God, was fashioned to look like God’s throne, as if God was sitting right in the midst of them.
• ‘between the cherubim’--cherubim are angelic attendants. There were sculptures of cherubim on either side of the ark.
• ‘brought it from the house of Abinadab’--just like the Philistines would carry their idols into battle, the Israelites would bring the ark. About twenty years ago, just before Saul became king, the Philistines captured the ark from the Israelites, more or less in the same way as David just captured the Philistine idols in yesterday’s passage. But the temple and town in which the Philistines held the ark started to experience all sorts of misfortune; so they put it on a cart and sent it back to the Israelites. None of the Israelites who found it quite knew what to do with it; so Abinadab has been keeping it safe. David now wants to return it to its proper place in the worship life of the Israelites.
• ‘celebrating with all their might before the LORD’--they put as much effort into praising God as into battle.
• ‘The LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act’--this is meant to be a royal parade, a triumphal procession of God on his throne, celebrating his victory and entering in glory into his people’s new capital. The pageantry is ruined by the way in which they carry the ark, hauling it on the back of a bumpy oxcart. It’s like throwing Santa into the back of a U-Haul for the finale of the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade, but much, much worse. God didn’t ask for this parade, but he seems to think that if they’re going to do it, they should do it well. Uzzah is acting lazy, and casually disrepectful; the ark is a sacred item, meant to be touched only by the high priest, but Uzzah is treating it like so much luggage. Still, it’s a bit shocking that God strikes him dead for it.
• ‘Then David was angry because the LORD’s wrath had broken out’--now everyone is in a bad mood. God is angry that his throne is being mistreated. David is angry--whether at God or Uzzah or both is unclear--because his parade is ruined by someone being struck dead. And the big day quickly unravels.
• ‘ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite’--having only made it partway from Abinadab’s house to Jerusalem, the ark once again ends up in temporary storage in a random, nearby house. A Gittite is someone from Gath, the Philistine city in which David once sought refuge from Saul. Obed-Edom is a Philistine expatriot living in Israel.
• ‘the LORD blessed him and his entire household’--God suddenly and mercilessly cuts Uzzah down for throwing out a hand to steady the ark. Now, God casually brings a steady flow of goodness in Obed-Edom’s direction, apparently in gratitude for Obed-Edom’s hospitality. The overall impression I get from this set of interactions is that God wants the ark to be a source of blessing to people, but that doesn’t mean that God or the ark can be taken for granted. I’m still in awe that God would be willing to kill someone to make his point; but I can understand that God would want to make the point that God’s goodness toward us should not be taken as license for complacency. In any case, seeing the positive effect on Obed-Edom’s family encourages David to try again to bring the ark to Jerusalem.
• ‘those who were carrying the ark of the LORD’--this time around, they carry the ark by hand, by its carrying poles, as would be appropriate for a throne, and for the ark; and it works like a charm. God doesn’t actually seem to be asking all that much here. The consequences for not doing that little bit do still seem to be dismayingly severe, though.
• ‘Wearing a linen ephod’--David is dressed like a simple priest instead of like a king.
• ‘she despised him in her heart’--apparently, particularly when someone is dancing energetically, ephods can be a little revealing. Michal finds David’s actions and clothing to be embarrassingly uncouth.
• ‘inside the tent that David had pitched for it’--throughout the wandering in the desert, both the ark and the people stayed in tents. When they finally arrived in the promised land, the people, naturally, built more permanent homes. The ark, however, remained in a tent throughout the past 400 years, except, of course, for the past 20 years, when it was kept in Abinadab’s and Obed-Edom’s homes; but that was during a time when it was out of service, as it were. David now restores it to its proper setting.
• ‘he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins’--this is a big, fun, abundant feast. There’s plenty of meat for everyone to eat, with a new sacrifice being offered every six steps; and everyone gets their own little gift of more party food.
• ‘returned home to bless his household’--after the big, public ceremony, David returns home, hoping to continue the celebration with his family.
• ‘I will become even more undignified than this’--it’s not okay for the ark to be treated unceremoniously, but David has no scruples about looking foolish himself. This reminds me of our very first passage, when God tells Samuel, ‘People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’ It’s David’s very willingness to not behave like a king that makes him a good king, in God’s eyes, at least.
• ‘And Michal daughter of Saul had no children’--this is a sad end to David and Michal’s relationship. After all of this time, they finally realize that Michal doesn’t want David to be different from her father; she wants David to be a new and improved version of her father. So, they quietly part ways. David has plenty of other wives to spend time with and have children with. It would be easy enough for David and Michal to simply avoid one another. Politically speaking, this means the end of the House of Saul. If David were to have a son with Michal, that son, being descended from both Saul and David, would have the inside track on inheriting the crown. But it’s not to be.

Taking it home

• For you: David doesn’t let much, if anything, get in his way of following God. He portrays an attitude of being willing to do absolutely anything for God. Do you feel just as sure? Or do you feel some interest in God but have some hang-ups along the way? Tell God that you want him to be your number one priority, and that you are willing to do anything for him. If that seems like a stretch, say it out loud as if just to try it on for size, paying attention to ways you feel resistant; then talk with God about those areas of resistance.
• For your six: Michal drastically misunderstands and resents David’s decisions in following God. Are there ways you feel misunderstood or resented by your six for your decision to follow Jesus? Do you feel too weary to even talk about it? Ask God for help in communicating. Next time the opportunity presents itself, talk to your six about what God has recently been doing in your life.
• For our church: While God, being God, is supernatural, powerful, and bigger than we can quite comprehend, I wonder if there are ways in which God is somewhat like us, simply wanting to be appreciated and recognized. We all know how terrible it feels to do a lot of work, give a nice gift, or go out of the way to show someone love only to find that no one even notices or cares. Ask God to fill our church with a spirit of incredible gratitude. Ask God to give us a special awareness of the ways God has been working. Pray that our response would be to thank him.
• For families: Talk about what it means to you to worship God. What are ways you like to worship God? Do you like to dance, sing, raise your hands, sit quietly, or something else altogether? Put on one of your family’s favorite worship songs and worship in the best way you know how. Have fun!

2 Samuel 5

1 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. 2 In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the LORD said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’”

3 When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.

4 David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

6 The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.” They thought, “David cannot get in here.” 7 Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion—which is the City of David.

8 On that day David had said, “Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those ‘lame and blind’ who are David’s enemies.” That is why they say, “The ‘blind and lame’ will not enter the palace.”

9 David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terraces inward. 10 And he became more and more powerful, because the LORD God Almighty was with him.

11 Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. 12 And David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

13 After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. 14 These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.

17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. 18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; 19 so David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?”

The LORD answered him, “Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.”

20 So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, the LORD has broken out against my enemies before me.” So that place was called Baal Perazim. 21 The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.

22 Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; 23 so David inquired of the LORD, and he answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. 24 As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.” 25 So David did as the LORD commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

Points of Interest

• ‘you were the one who led Israel’--it’s a little hard for me to tell whether this admission is freely given or forced upon them by circumstances. Are they finally able to tell the truth now that they’re no longer afraid of Saul and his family, or are they flattering David since he now holds all the power? Regardless, it’s the truth, and it’s been a long time coming. Ever since he defeated Goliath, many years ago now, David has done most of the work of defending the country; he’s finally getting the recognition to match his work.
• ‘The king and his men marched to Jerusalem’--I think this would again be the king’s company, which in David’s case would be his 600 companions from the desert, the Mighty Men. David doesn’t draft the whole national army for this one, but just uses his own personal forces. Because of this, the city belongs to him personally, and is often called City of David. This, by the way, is the first time David is referred to simply as ‘the king.’ Finally, Samuel’s anointing takes full effect.
• ‘You will not get in here’--Jerusalem is a hilltop fortress, famously difficult to attack for any army; and David has brought a relatively small number of men, too few to attack the walls or effectively besiege the city.
• ‘the fortress of Zion’--Jerusalem is the name of the city; Zion is the name of the mountain on which it is located.
• ‘use the water shaft’--David apparently figures out that the weak point in Jerusalem’s defenses is the water main, bringing fresh water up from the valley below. David and his men climb through the water shaft to get around the defenses and attack the Jebusites by surprise from inside the city.
• ‘David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David’--David is interested in Jerusalem as a new capital, for several reasons. First of all, it’s fairly well-protected (though he himself has just proven that it is not completely impregnable). Secondly, it’s fresh. Not having been in Israelite hands before, it has no associations with either Ish-Bosheth’s kingdom or David’s Judean kingdom; it’s a capital that belongs to everyone, rather like Washington, D.C., which was built on previously uninhabited land so that no state could claim the capital as its own. Thirdly, it’s central. It’s located on the border of Benjamin (Saul’s tribal land) and Judah (David’s tribal land). Fourthly, it’s at the intersection of two major highways (Walton et al). This makes its placement ideal both for trade and for efficient movement of armies.
• ‘from the terraces inward’--there not being much available land on mountaintops, the area of Jerusalem was expanded by a system of artificial terraces (Walton et al).
• ‘Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David’--Tyre is one of the major cities of the Phoenicians, a coastal civilization in what is now Lebanon. The Phoenicians are today most famous as the inventors of the first alphabet. They’re also the founders of Carthage, Rome’s main rival for dominance of the Mediterranean later on in history. At the time of David, they are already a powerful maritime merchant nation. They specialize in trading hardwood and purple dye.
• ‘cedar logs and carpenters’--it being a very dry climate, what we might call full-sized trees were quite rare in the entire region in which our story is set. Pretty much the only source of wood were the cedars of Lebanon, which Hiram controls. Having a monopoly is usually advantage enough; but it just so happens that as well as being the only wood around, cedar--as anyone with a cedar chest or a bureau with cedar drawers can attest--makes a very attractive, high quality wood. So, the cedars were in spectacularly high demand. In fact, they were so highly coveted over such a large area, for temples and palaces particularly, that already by David’s time the forests were quite depleted (Walton et al). So, this is quite a lavish gift from Hiram. It’s an offer of strong friendship between their two nations.
• ‘David took more concubines and wives’--the establishment of David’s rule over the entire nation would provoke a whole new round of diplomacy, probably on a larger stage and scale than ever before. All of these treaties would be sealed with yet more marriages between David’s house and the royal houses of the other parties. It makes political sense; but it sure does seem like David’s new palace is getting filled with new wives more quickly than it can be built.
• ‘When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel’--for many years now, the Philistines have been able to maintain the upper hand because of the division between Saul and David. If David is able to completely consolidate his power, he would be an uncomfortably formidable opponent. So, the Philistines try to attack him and destabilize him before he has the chance to really establish himself.
• ‘went down to the stronghold’--I think ‘down’ here simply means down the mountain from the site of the palace complex and main fortress. David uses an outlying, smaller fortress as a staging area. Rather than waiting to be besieged by the Philistines, he takes the fight down to them.
• ‘The Philistines abandoned their idols there’--rather like David would take the ephod with him (see March 23rd, 1 Samuel 23) for good luck and guidance, other armies would bring the images of their gods with them. The Philistines are in such headlong retreat that they can’t even stop to grab their gods before they run.
• ‘Do not go straight up, but circle’--this is much more sophisticated advice than the yes or no answers David has gotten in the past (like in the above-referenced 1 Samuel 23). Is God saying more to David, or has David somehow gotten better at hearing what God has to say?
• ‘the LORD has gone out in front of you’--it’s not just that David and his men are that good. David has supernatural help, the anointing--the favor of and power of God--we talked about in our first passage.
• ‘struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer’--this is a complete rout. The Philistines hoped to nip David’s power in the bud. It turns out rather the opposite. The Philistines never quite recover from this defeat, and we don’t hear from them again for quite a while.

Taking it home

• For you: At one point David was shepherding herds of sheep in the hill country of Judea and leading smaller bands of men into random battles. Now he is shepherding an entire nation and leading battles to capture treasured cities. God doesn’t seem to let anything go to waste, but instead uses every aspect of David’s life to prepare for this next leg of the journey. In what ways has God been using your past circumstances to prepare you for what you are facing today? How does knowing that God is going to use everything you are experiencing now as a way to prepare you for what’s next change how you view your current circumstances? Are there particular seasons of your life over which you feel a lot of regret? Ask God to redeem these experiences.
• For your six: Ask God to send his favor out in front of your six. Pray that God would go before your six this week, giving them supernatural help along the way.
• For our church: David captures a city that was deemed impossible to overcome. Pray that God would give our church the same boldness to go after things that most would consider impossible.
• For families: Talk about ways that God has grown each of you throughout your life. Particularly take time to look at your family’s Lent poster, and praise God for all of the ways that He’s been answering your family’s prayers in the past few weeks. Ask God to help you grow in hearing his voice and following his direction for your life. Take time now to practice hearing God’s voice; it might be through journaling, sitting quietly, going for a prayer walk, or talking though your dreams.

2 Samuel 4

1 When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed. 2 Now Saul’s son had two leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Rekab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin, 3 because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and have resided there as foreigners to this day.

4 (Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled. His name was Mephibosheth.)

5 Now Rekab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth, and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest. 6 They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

7 They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah. 8 They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to take your life. This day the LORD has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.”

9 David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 10 when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! 11 How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!”

12 So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb at Hebron.

Points of Interest

• ‘When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died’--interestingly, it’s Abner’s death, far more than his defection, that alarms Ish-Bosheth. Maybe Ish-Bosheth doesn’t care so much about being king, but he does still care very much about staying alive. And, despite his accusations of Abner, Ish-bosheth trusted Abner to get him a good deal in the transition of authority. Now, all bets are off.
• ‘the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim’--apparently Beeroth isn’t technically within Benjaminite territory, but having been abandoned by its original population, it was re-settled by the tribe of Benjamin (Walton et al). I don’t know why the author finds it necessary to explain these intricacies to us.
• ‘Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet’--I think the author is letting us know, just before telling us what is sure to be a tragic story about Ish-Bosheth, that there is still a remnant of Saul’s family. It’s a sad remnant, though: one young man, disabled when he was dropped as his family fled from Saul’s final defeat.
• ‘they stabbed him in the stomach’--Ish-Bosheth’s court is a sinking ship. With Abner and the leaders of the tribes already having defected to David, these two raiding captains are about all who remain with Ish-Bosheth. And they, his soldiers and members of his own tribe, turn on him most treacherously of all.
• ‘They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David’--once again, as with the unknown Amalekite bringing him Saul’s crown, someone is trying to gain favor with David by bringing him proof of the death of his enemy. David wonders, ‘Didn’t you hear what happened last time?’ And this time, it’s even worse: first of all, Ish-Bosheth was harmless, already completely de-fanged by Abner’s change of loyalty; and secondly, rather than dying in battle, Ish-Bosheth is assassinated while asleep in his own bed.
• 'they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb’--it’s perhaps not the most dignified of burials to have one’s head stuck into someone else’s tomb, but David is doing what he can to show Ish-Bosheth proper respect. I suppose there’s something fitting about Ish-Bosheth and Abner finding their final rest together.

Taking it home

• For you: Families and their legacies seem to be pretty important. And, as Saul’s family dramatically shows, it seems like there’s often so much working against families staying together and fulfilling their destinies. Pray today that your family would endure and prosper, asking God to help your family leave its legacy.
• For your six: The key contrast between David and the raiding band leaders Baanah and Rekab is that David had learned not to take matters into his own hands, even when it seemed like something was right there for the taking. That distinction makes all the difference in the world. When Baanah and Rekab grab for something, instead of waiting for it to be given to them, they end up getting themselves killed. Ask God to give your six a propensity to turn towards God in their state of need, as we read of David doing below, instead of taking things into their own hands.

Psalm 88: 1-13 excerpts

LORD, you are the God who saves me;

day and night I cry out to you.

May my prayer come before you;

turn your ear to my cry.

I am overwhelmed with troubles

and my life draws near to death. ...

I call to you, LORD, every day;

I spread out my hands to you....

In the morning my prayer comes before you.

• For our church: Things weren’t easy between David and Saul, Abner, and Ish-Bosheth. Each of them caused David much trouble in one way or another. And he had sharp disagreements with all of them. Yet, David possessed a remarkable ability to show them all respect all along the way. Pray that our church as a whole and each member of it would have a similar ability to honor any detractors or opponents we might have.
• For families: Are there any situations in your family that feel really hard right now? Talk together about these situations. Listen to how they affect each person in your family. Pray that God would be with you as a family as you work through hard things, and that God would help you grow closer together. Pray that God would help you love and honor your family members even when it is hard.

2 Samuel 3:22-39

22 Just then David’s men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. 23 When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace.

24 So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! 25 You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.”

26 Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern at Sirah. But David did not know it. 27 Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into an inner chamber, as if to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died.

28 Later, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the LORD concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. 29 May his blood fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family! May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food.”

30 (Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)

31 Then David said to Joab and all of Joab’s men, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and walk in mourning in front of Abner.” King David himself walked behind the bier. 32 They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king wept aloud at Abner’s tomb. All of Joab’s men wept also.

33 The king sang this lament for Abner:

“Should Abner have died as the lawless die?

34 Your hands were not bound,

your feet were not fettered.

You fell as one falls before the wicked.”

And all of Joab’s men wept over him again.

35 Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!”

36 All of Joab’s men took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them. 37 So on that day all of Joab’s men and all Israel knew that the king had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner.

38 Then the king said to his men, “Don’t you realize that a great commander has fallen in Israel this day? 39 And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the LORD repay the evildoer acco rding to his evil deeds!”

Points of Interest

• ‘he came to deceive you’--it’s no surprise that Joab would have a hard time trusting Abner. They’ve been fighting one another for years.
• ‘May Joab’s family never be without someone who has a running sore’--David is fuming because Joab, in order to avenge his brother and maybe even to save his own job, puts in jeopardy the treaty that will finally bring peace and unity to the nation, under David’s rule--not to mention the fact that Joab has just murdered someone, someone with diplomatic immunity no less, in cold blood. I’m not certain how seriously we are to take David’s curses here. He may just be venting, the equivalent of yelling a few profanities, angrily swiping everything off the desk, and slamming the door.
• ‘The king sang this lament for Abner’--all told, Abner was a decent, honorable man. He was the enemy general, but he can hardly be blamed for siding with his family and the current dynasty. He was true to his word. He did his best, as a man of war, to keep the peace. And he even worked very hard to avoid killing Joab’s brother Asahel. Even Joab’s men grieve Abner’s death.
• ‘all of Joab’s men took note and were pleased’--it’s interesting that Joab’s men, not Abner’s, are carefully watching David here. Joab’s action has put David in danger of losing the trust of his entire army--not just the new, formerly Saulite forces, but even Joab’s own men. His soldiers want to know that David is honorable, and that his word and his commitment to his men can be trusted.
• ‘these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me’--David feels like he ended up with the wrong general out of the deal. Joab may be his man, but Abner was the better man. Unfortunately, he can’t figure out how to rid himself of Joab and Abishai. They’re too powerful, and he depends on them too much.
• ‘May the LORD repay the evildoer’--this must have been a humbling beginning to David’s reign. He now, finally, has authority over the whole country, but he can’t even control his own closest friends, associates, and relatives. He’s a king, but at the mercy of his own nephew. It’s a good thing he learned how to trust God to protect him and provide for him all of those years when he was on the run, because he needs to depend on God just as much--maybe even more--now that he is king.

Taking it home

• For you: David’s world keeps getting more complex in his ascent to the kingship: the political realities, interpersonal relationships, and job responsibilities only increase both in quantity and intricacy. What’s a complex and overwhelming situation in your life right now? Pray some of David’s prayers during this time in which he asserts God’s power and knowledge above whatever stressful situations he faces.

Psalm 103: 13-20

13 As a father has compassion on his children,

so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

14 for he knows how we are formed,

he remembers that we are dust.

15 The life of mortals is like grass,

they flourish like a flower of the field;

16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,

and its place remembers it no more.

17 But from everlasting to everlasting

the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,

and his righteousness with their children’s children—

18 with those who keep his covenant

and remember to obey his precepts.

19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven,

and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 104

1 Praise the LORD, my soul.

LORD my God, you are very great;

you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2 The LORD wraps himself in light as with a garment;

he stretches out the heavens like a tent

3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.

He makes the clouds his chariot

and rides on the wings of the wind.

4 He makes winds his messengers,

flames of fire his servants.

5 He set the earth on its foundations;

it can never be moved.

• For your six: David looks powerful and in control; he’s the king after all. But it turns out that the title of king doesn’t protect him from powerlessness in the middle of a sticky situation. Are any of your six in situations which it looks like they ought to have firmly under control, but they just don’t? Pray that God would give them peace in the middle of their powerlessness, and that he would give them the authority to match their responsibilities.
• For our church: David hits the nail on the head in how best to respond to Abner’s death. David’s wise decision gains the trust and respect of an unlikely group of people. Ask God to make our church one that would gain trust and respect, even from those who are suspiciously watching our every move.
• For families: Is there anyone in your life you want to trust or be friends with, but something keeps getting in the way and it is hard to trust them? Do you know what’s making you feel that way? Could it be that you only know part of that person? Pray together for God to show you more about this person and how God sees them. Ask God what you should do.