Category: 1 Chronicles

1 Kings 10-11, 2 chron 9

~ Patricia ~ 7 Comments

CHAPTER 10 VISUALS:

Yemen….I can’t say it in my head without hearing Chandler’s voice:

Joey: "And Yemen, that actually sounds like a real country ...

 

The site of Sheba was about 1,200 miles southeast of Israel (present Yemen and or Oman). A traditional site of the Queen of Sheba’s castle is Salalah, in southern Oman.

Location of Yemen (red)

countries around saudi arabia - Google Search (With images ...

The queen’s primary purpose in visiting Solomon seems to have been to make a treaty with him. “Testing” or “Questioning” was a typical activity among ancient Near Eastern monarchs. Solomon served as an international broker. He capitalized on Israel’s geographic location as the land bridge that connected three continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. Everyone passed through Israel with their merchandise and Solomon charged custom taxes as goods entered and left his country.

The weight of the gold that Solomon received yearly was 666 talents,  not including the revenues from merchants and traders and from all the Arabian kings and the governors of the territories.

Hmmm  666.

500

and of course…the Throne

 

העבודות של חנוך כהן | פרוג - דף הבית של היוצרים החרדים

Time to get serious.  Chapter 11:

 Lord had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, because they will surely turn your hearts after their gods.” Nevertheless, Solomon held fast to them in love. 3 He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray.

 

7 On a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable god of Moab, and for Molek the detestable god of the Ammonites. 8 He did the same for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and offered sacrifices to their gods

.Solomon quit serving the True God,Jehovah and began to worship the false god's and idols if his pagan wives. | Bible images, Bible pictures, Bible art

What do demons eat? - Catholic Fundamentalism

Pagan worship looked different for each god.  Many of the practices were sexual with each other or with animals 🤢, but the Molech often required child sacrifice to their god.

11 So the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this is your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees, which I commanded you, I will most certainly tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your subordinates.

Ready??  BIG MOMENT:

26 Also, Jeroboam son of Nebat rebelled against the king. He was one of Solomon’s officials, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah.

A prophet named Ahijah took a cloak and tore it into pieces giving a visual of what he was going to do to the kingdom:

FreeBibleimages :: Rehoboam and Jeroboam: The Kingdom divides ...

I will take the kingdom from his son’s hands and give you ten tribes. (Talking to Jeroboam Solomon’s Servant)

41 As for the other events of Solomon’s reign—all he did and the wisdom he displayed—are they not written in the book of the annals of Solomon? 42 Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years. 43 Then he rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam his son succeeded him as king.

Either tonight or tomorrow I am going to recap what is happening and supply you with handouts because we are on the brink of a MAJOR turn in the Bible!!  We started as a Theocracy (God is King), then to Monorachy (Saul, David then Solomon as KIng), NEXT…A Divided Monarchy!  (we will call it the Divided Kingdom)

Get out a scrap piece of paper and write the words:

  • Jeroboam:
  • Rehaboam:

If you have studied with me before who can remember what I say the J and R represent?

1 Chonicles 26-29, Psalm 127

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

Summary:  In chapters 26 and 27, David appointed:

  • Gatekeepers,
  • Treasurers,
  • Army Officials,
  • Leaders of the Tribes, and
  • Overseers.

God is a God of order BUT also the Temple is about to be built…Security is tight!!

The other day we read about David “counting” his men and he was given a choice of consequence.  When you read this it was referring to that past incident:

23 David did not take the number of the men twenty years old or less, because the Lord had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky. 24 Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men but did not finish. God’s wrath came on Israel on account of this numbering, and the number was not entered in the book of the annals of King David.

The book of the annals (better than the book of anals  🤭) was the royal archive that was kept with the King.  We do not have David’s.  I think Indiana Jones has it to help him look for that missing Ark.  😂

Deconstructing the Scene: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Chapter 29- read it word for word-no skimming here!

The people donated a freewill offering (remember God was content in the tent, he didn’t require a temple; it was David’s heart that required it) of more gold, silver, bronze, and other materials to make The Lord’s house reflects the glory of His greatness. David was responsible for providing 3,860 tons of gold and 37,760 tons of silver. But the king continued to urge his leaders to give generously to the ‘building fund’, and they contributed another 190 tons of gold, plus another 185 pounds, 375 tons of silver, 675 tons of bronze, and 3,750 tons of iron, as well as precious stones.

I don’t know who said this but it’s worth repeating:

“Often the extent to which we are prepared to put at risk our material well-being is a measure of the seriousness with which we take our discipleship”

David’s Prayer  ❤❤❤

These were some of David’s last official words to his nation and his son Solomon. Ancient Near Easterners regarded such statements as extremely important, as indeed they were.  It was so perfect I wanted to cut and paste each line so instead, I put it on a separate piece of paper.  Please feel free to print it, read it often, read it to your kids, hang it on the fridge, use it as a bookmark, or memorize it (if you have that brain capacity.  I can remember every word to every Eagles song but man I struggle on memorizing scripture! Click here.

We end 1 Chronicles with the anointing of Solomon and the death of David.

Psalm 127- Fun Fact: During President Eisenhower’s inauguration he had 2 Bibles: 1 of them was opened to Psalm 127  during it.

Unless the Lord builds the house,
    the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
    the guards stand watch in vain.

I read this Psalm in several versions: click here to read it in the Message.  It was pretty cool.

1 Chronicles 23-25

~ Patricia ~ 16 Comments

The year is 937 B.C.  (Question of the day:  what year will it be when we finish the Old Testament)

Verses 1 and 2 provide an outline for what follows in chapters 23—27, but in reverse order.

1:When David was old and full of years, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.

 2:He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites

I am betting even if you have been marinating in church all your life you may not have read this part of the Bible (Chapters 23-25)  So I will be honest, do I physically read EVERY name, I intend to…but my eyes take over and they skim a lot!!!  Ohhhh I can’t stop them!!  BUT be better than me…read your Bee Eye Bee  Ell Eeee. Because I skimmed, I threw in a load of laundry and listened to it after.

Here is why: these chapters give a connected view or a visual of the condition of the Levites towards the end of David’s life. UNITY.  (I am sure this view will not stay the same, especially by the time we get to the New Testament).

  • To recap, the Levites (from the tribe of Levi, one of Jacob’s sons) were set apart to take care of the Tabernacle.
  • A Tabernacle: (called a Mishkan in Hebrew)  is a portable sanctuary that the presence of the Lord would dwell as they traveled (or wandered) on the Ark of the Covenant.

BUT now we are building the Temple!  (Well, it is a 20-year project) So, “lots are cast” (remember the rocks called Urim and Thummin: they would use to make decisions because God would use the rocks to answer)Were Joseph Smith's Translation Instruments Like the Israelite Urim and Thummim? | Book of Mormon Central

Anyway, I can chase some of these rabbits all day!    There are three branches of Levi’s family:

  1. Gershonites,
  2. Kohathites, and,
  3. Merarites.

IF you skimmed just make sure you read the summary statement: 23:24 says: 24 These were the descendants of Levi by their families—the heads of families as they were registered under their names and counted individually, that is, the workers twenty years old or more who served in the temple of the Lord. 25 For David had said, “Since the Lord, the God of Israel, has granted rest to his people and has come to dwell in Jerusalem forever, 26 the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service.” 27 According to the last instructions of David, the Levites were counted from those twenty years old or more.

Then the duties for the Levites are explained. When the Israelites left Egypt, the Levites numbered 8,580 (you ask how do I know that….there is a book called Numbers, it is where I find the numbers) 😂 (sorry feeling frisky, it’s my birthday). In David’s day, the Levites numbered 38,000 (which says a lot about the success of the nation under David’s reign)

  • The high priest supervised the priests in their temple service
  • High Priests were descendants of Aaron (Moses’ brother) and constituted only one branch of the Levitical family
  • The priests continued to offer sacrifices and offerings
  • David organized the priests into 24 groups, each of which served for one week at a time (sounds appealing but I would struggle greatly sacrificing an animal…husband maybe, animal….no). Ha!!

Chapter 24

Every detail of the temple service was important to David. This shows his heart for God.  David lowered the priest age from 30 to 20, I am assuming some muscle might have been needed…a lot of work ahead of them!

Chapter 25

David also organized some of the Levitical families as temple musicians: One from each branch

  • Asaph was a Gershonite (6:39-43),  (he’s my favorite Psalmist…says it like it is, no filter)
  • Heman a Kohathite (6:33),
  • Jeduthun (Ethan) a Merarite (6:44-47).

One verse made me laugh:  8 Young and old alike, teacher as well as student, cast lots for their duties.

I just had this visual of them casting lots and saying “awww man, I hate the harp, can we do best out of 3 or rock, paper scissors for the cymbals??”   OR some guy in the corner saying “what are you playing, craps….papa needs a new pair of sandals.”   I am a hot mess today!!

2 Samuel 24, 1 Chronicles 21-22, and Psalm 30

~ Patricia ~ 5 Comments

Today we end 2 Samuel.  Can you believe it!  You have been reading for 144 days.  That’s crazy!

This can be confusing if you just read 2 Samuel and not 1 Chronicles with it at the same time.  1 Chronicles starts with:

“Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.”

There are many reasons to take a census: organizing a battle, taxing the people, BUT David’s motives were neither.  I am not sure if Satan incited a lack of trust in David that the Lord would win his battles for him regardless of his military size or pride in David’s accumulation.   Either way,  God allowed Satan to test him and he failed.   Even ruthless Joab said “What??” But David ordered him anyway.  As a leader, David’s actions brought a consequence to Israel.  God gave David an option for the consequence:

‘Take your choice:

  1. three years of famine, 
  2. three months of being swept away before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you,
  3. or three days of the sword of the Lord—days of plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord ravaging every part of Israel.

Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.

  • Option 1 would put David/Israelites’ survival in the hands of men, merchants, and farmers to survive
  • Option 2 would put David/Israelites’ survival in the hands of his enemies
  • Option 3 would put David/Israelites’ survival in the hands of God

Who is more merciful: men or God?

David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands.” (He chose Option 3)

God took the very thing that David put his confidence in his “70 units” of military strength.  God is a God of mercy and He relented.

David said to God, “Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I, the shepherd, have sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Lord my God, let your hand fall on me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people.” There it is!  David is back.  The man after God’s own heart! ❤️

OK, are you ready for this??   

BIG MOMENT!! 

The Temple Location is Chosen.

  • Back in Deuteronomy 12:5 (Before the Hebrews even entered the Promised Land), God said “But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go”
  • Wait it gets better!  I am a bit unglued already with excitement.  God always knew where His Temple would be built…Go back even further to Genesis 22.  Abraham’s testing.  He was told to sacrifice his son (his one and only son), but a substitute was provided.  Where was that incident??2 Gen 22: Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
    • If you do not remember this OR jumped in late.  PLEASE go back and read it.  God was giving a complete foreshadow of the Cross.  Click here for that reading.  Even if you remember it…revisit it!
    • The region of Mt. Moriah is the region of Mt. Zion (Zion means “marked”).  God always marked the spot!
  • In 2 Samuel 7 (The Davidic Covenant) David was told by God- “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.”

I digress!  Back to today’s reading:  2 Sam 24:18: “On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad.”  King David bought that land, under the instruction of God, and it was on that site the first temple was built. The threshing floor of arauna

This is where the Temple will be built:

The Dome of the Rock stands in its place today, see picture below.  The rock inside the dome is where Islamic people believe Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac….but it is also the same rock where Islamic people believe Muhammad transcended to Heaven to hang out with prophets like Moses and Jesus, so they built a Mosque there until he, Muhammad,  returns).  Anyway, back to facts…😉, the Bible…not fiction 😂)

Western Wall with the Dome of the Rock in background | Flickr

God chose a Threshing Floor.  Threshing is essentially dividing – separating the wheat from the chaff. Threshing is weaved throughout the whole Bible.  Even in the Psalms, we read about the contrast between the wicked and the righteous.  But my favorite is in the Gospel when John the Baptist is baptizing believers he says:

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

1 Chronicles 22- David begins collecting an enormous amount of material to build the Temple so the Ark of the Covenant could dwell there.  But we call it Solomon’s Temple (not David’s Temple) for a reason.

‘You have shed much blood and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight.  But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’

But….keep reading…a big IF is coming.  verse 13:
 so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged.

Well, what’s your prediction?  Will Solomon observe the decrees and laws??

Don’t forget to read Psalm 30!

Are you behind? You are not as far as you think!

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

I posted this the other day.   Take this weekend to get caught up.  Listen to it in the car.  Read a few chapters in-between loads of laundry.  Wake up early in the morning.  Turn your phone off.  Just some ideas. ❤️

OK, ARE YOU BEHIND???  Yup.  Most of you are slipping because it is a BUSY time of the year.

You have 2 options! 

  1. You can throw in the towel and you will regret it!
  2. Read the schedule below…..(Find where you left off).
    • If it was WAY before April 8, this is your JUMPING IN SPOT!!
Apr 8: 1Sam 1-3
Apr 9: 1Sam 4-8
Apr 10: 1Sam 9-12
Apr 11: 1Sam 13-14
Apr 12: 1Sam 15-17
Apr 13: 1Sam 18-20;
Apr 14: 1Sam 21-24
Apr 17: 1Sam 25-27
Apr 19: 1Sam 28-31;
Apr 21: 2Sam 1-4
May 1: 2Sam 5:1-10;		 May 4: 2Sam 5:11-6:23; 

May 7: 2Sam 7;
May 9: 2Sam 8-9;
May 11: 2Sam10;

This will keep you historically up to date.  THEN you will do 2 things:

  1.  When you are cleaning the house, folding laundry, pulling weeds….You will click here and listen to 1 Chronicle which is a REPEAT read so it will be a great recap.  It will be fun to do because you will be like “Oh my stars, I get it!!”
  2. Promise that you will sit outside one day and read the Psalms.

2 Samuel 11-12, 1 Chronicles 20

~ Patricia ~ 3 Comments

As much as I would love to make the application of this read I won’t.   As you read, let the Holy Spirit pull out the lesson YOU need today.

I was just doing research and it said “This is the 2nd most notorious sin in the Bible next to the Fall”.   I had a funny memory hit me: I was at a conference and the speaker: Kay Arthur,  was teaching on this scripture and I was sitting next to a “very marinated in Jesus” woman who heard this story all her life so she was talking to me and I hushed her and I said “I have got to hear how this ends!” and she said, “It’s David and Bathsheba!” I looked at her and said, “I have no idea who these people are!” (First time ever hearing this “notorious” story).  Then I said, “I just wish the woman in from of me didn’t have such big hair!”.  She laughed and did not tell me it was the next speaker:  Beth Moore.  😳

Disobedience to God’s will results in a lack of blessing.

Verse 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.”

David’s problems began when things were going too well for him! Our most difficult times are not when things are going bad. Hard times make us dependent on God. You don’t get proud when you’re dependent on God. Survival keeps you humble. Pride happens when everything is going your way!

Verse 2: Seeing Bathsheba was not a sin.  Sending someone to find out who she was: Sin.

Clearly, I want to break this down verse by verse but I think you would all kill me for that so let sum it up by saying:

SIN leads to SIN

For David, lust led to adultery.  Adultery led to deception.  Deception led to entrapment.  Entrapment led to Murder.  I want to say “all from inquiring about her”, but truly if he was at war where he was supposed to be, none of this would have happened.  (oh,  the life application I could make here!).

Do you remember back in 1 Samuel 8 when the Israelites said “We want a king”, and Samuel basically said, ” if you ask for a king…here are all the wrong things he will do and TAKE from your family”.  Well, he used his royal position to “Take” what wasn’t his just as predicted.

I know the men will cringe, but underlining that she was “purifying” and that she just had her “monthly uncleanliness” is so important.  It proves that she was not already pregnant when David took her.

David compounded his sin by trying to cover it up rather than confessing it. He tried three cover-ups:

  1. a “clean” one (vv. 6-11), (go sleep with your wife…clearly you have missed her)
  2. a “dirty” one (vv.12-13), (let’s get him drunk…all drunk men want to sleep with their wives…keeping it real folks!) 😂

Uriah drunk proved to be a better man than David sober!  Ouch! David was setting up this soldier to cover his own sin. However, King David underestimated Uriah’s commitment to him.  Though Bathsheba’s husband was a Hittite, he appears to have been a godly believer in the Lord,  as well as a dedicated warrior. Uriah’s name means “Lord is my light”.

3. and a “criminal” one (vv. 14-17) (sadly the plan worked, and Uriah died, but so did a few other men along with him)

Chapter 12

As a prophet, Nathan was required to confront sin, even the sin of a king.  Nathan used a parable:

  • The Rich man-is David
  • The Poor man-is Uriah
  • The Ewe-is Bathsheba

Ohhh how easy it is to recognize the sin of others over our own!  (It’s like when I sit in church and I say in my head “Ohhhh I wish Karen (made up name) could hear this sermon…she needs it).  Yikes!  Am I the only one that does that??

Not only did David recognize the sin, but his emotional ungodly reaction to it was also ridiculous! Let’s look at the Law, shall we?

  • Exodus 22:1 ““Whoever steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.
  • Leviticus 20:10 “‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.”
  • Leviticus 24:17  “‘Anyone who takes the life of a human being is to be put to death”

What sentence did King David hand down…did he follow the Law?  On the contrary….He hands down the penalty HE should receive.  Ohhh the humanity!

David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die!”

 God’s response: (Notice the word “I”)

  • I anointed you king over Israel,
  • I delivered you from the hand of Saul
  • I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms.
  • I gave you all Israel and Judah.
  • And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more.

Now notice the word “You”

  • 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.
  • 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.

Verse 13:  “I have sinned against the Lord.”

Notice that God’s forgiveness followed immediately after David’s confession.

GRACE!!!!

The Lord removed the guilt of David’s sin (forgiveness) he did not remove the consequences of it (discipline). Someone told me once: you hammer a nail in a board you may remove the nail, but the hole remains.

“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.  You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.”

Shut up!!! Is this really going to happen??  Umm Hello….it is the Bible and God is speaking, so of course, it is going to happen.  You will have to wait for it but here are some clue words: 1.rooftop 2. orgy (and as much as I know the  many of you roll your eyes at my genealogy charts…you’re gonna need it when we get there.

As a result of David’s slope of sins, his firstborn will die.  David accepts the judgment of the Lord and takes responsibility for the result.  The heir to the throne is born: Solomon (his name comes from the Hebrew word shalom, peace, and means “Peaceable” or “Peaceful”), was a blessing from the Lord. It demonstrates that God’s grace is greater than all our sins.  Solomon had another name, “Jedidiah” (I will always picture Owen Wilson from Night of the Museum).  In spite of David’s sin, God’s covenant remains. 

The chapter ends circling back to the first verse we read today, with David going out to war with his warriors like he was supposed to in the first place (this all could have been avoided).  He took a crown weighing about 75 pounds and returned home to Jerusalem.

1 Chronicles 20.  (very different read) Remember the purpose of the Chronicles was to encourage the Hebrews returning after the captivity to rebuild Jerusalem.  Ezra, the writer,  wanted to write about the victories of their ancestors…soooo no point in retelling the transgressions. 😂  Sooooo, the author leaves out the whole Bathsheba incident on purpose., but highlights these enormous battles fighting giants with 12 fingers and 12 toes they were so big!

YOU KNOW THE PSALMS ARE GOING TO BE AMAZING FOLLOWING THIS.  FEEL FREE TO READ AHEAD!

Click here for tomorrow’s reading

 

Are you behind? You are not as far as you think!

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

I just had the coolest night.  A small group in Arkansas just let me sit in their Bible Study via Facetime!.  They meet to discuss the reading.  How humbling that almost all the questions they asked me I didn’t know.  😂. Keeping it real.

OK, ARE YOU BEHIND???  Yup.  Most of you are slipping because it is a BUSY time of the year.

You have 2 options! 

  1. You can throw in the towel and you will regret it!
  2. Read the schedule below…..(Find where you left off).
    • If it was WAY before April 8, this is your JUMPING IN SPOT!!
Apr 8: 1Sam 1-3
Apr 9: 1Sam 4-8
Apr 10: 1Sam 9-12
Apr 11: 1Sam 13-14
Apr 12: 1Sam 15-17
Apr 13: 1Sam 18-20;
Apr 14: 1Sam 21-24
Apr 17: 1Sam 25-27
Apr 19: 1Sam 28-31;
Apr 21: 2Sam 1-4
May 1: 2Sam 5:1-10;		 May 4: 2Sam 5:11-6:23; 

May 7: 2Sam 7;
May 9: 2Sam 8-9;
May 11: 2Sam10;

This will keep you historically up to date.  THEN you will do 2 things:

  1.  When you are cleaning the house, folding laundry, pulling weeds….You will click here and listen to 1 Chronicle which is a REPEAT read so it will be a great recap.  It will be fun to do because you will be like “Oh my stars, I get it!!”
  2. Promise that you will sit outside one day and read the Psalms.

 

2 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 19, Psalm 20

~ Patricia ~ 2 Comments

Has anyone ever asked you something, and the best answer you can think of is: it’s complicated.  Well, that is my best answer on this one. 😂.

I had to read this several times because I kept getting confused.  Finally, I took a step back and looked at the bigger picture.  David…is he doing what he is supposed to be doing?  Why didn’t he go to Hanum himself? What was David doing?  Did David fight in these battles?   Should we be fighting the Ammonites?

Duet. 2:19 When you come to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them to war, for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.”

Go way back in your genealogy and look at the Abrahams’ family tree.  His nephew (Lot).  ☹️

Well, it’s complicated.  After all, a long time ago the Annonites (Moabites)  tried to hire Balaam (on the Donkey) to curse Israel.  They also made Israel slaves in Judges.  Then when Saul was king, they tried to take the Transjordan tribes…

King David managed to maintain friendly relations with Nahash but encountered renewed hostilities when his son Hanun became king of Ammon. Hanun enlisted military aid from Beth Rehob, Zobah, Maakah, and Tob.  David’s army under Abishai and Joab overpowered Ammon, took the capital city of Rabbah, and subjected the Ammonites to forced labor.

I will say this is a personal read for me this week.  😢. In an attempt to show kindness, Hanun took it wrong and it caused a major blow up.  And to make matters worse…I am not nice like David…I have a bitter root in my heart about it! 😞

In ancient times, shaving one’s own beard was done only during deep mourning from a national catastrophe.  They were sending quite the message.    The Israelites were humiliated by having their beards shaved, their garments cut and their body exposed.

FreeBibleimages :: David battles with the Ammonites :: When ...

David’s kingdom was thriving and it appeared nothing could stop the nation from growing.  Today’s read puts us at the turning point for Israel.

Psalm 20 is a wonderful prayer as David’s men prepare for battle.  Notice the words “you” and “we”:

1 May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
    may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
    and grant you support from Zion.
3 May he remember all your sacrifices
    and accept your burnt offerings.
4 May he give you the desire of your heart
    and make all your plans succeed.
5 May we shout for joy over your victory
    and lift up our banners in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your requests.

6 Now this I know:
    The Lord gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
    with the victorious power of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They are brought to their knees and fall,
    but we rise up and stand firm.
9 Lord, give victory to the king!
    Answer us when we call!

2 Samuel 8-9, 1 Chronicles 18

~ Patricia ~ 1 Comment

This read is bittersweet only because I know what is on the horizon. These chapters sum up a series of battles that grow the land that was conquered from 6,000 sq. miles to 60,000 sq miles.  “The Lord gave David victory wherever he went”

10. David's Rise, Fall, and Punishment (2 Samuel 8-12). Life of David: Discipleship Lessons, by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson

I spent quite a bit of time in my research chasing rabbits and something new I learned is that conquering this land gave David’s kingdom many mines, specifically copper.  Mining will be instrumental to David’s vision of building a “House” for God instead of the current tent.

Chapter 9:   This chapter highlights the character and integrity of David.  Typically a new king seeks and kills any heirs from the former King.  In this case, David finds Saul’s grandson Mephiboshen and honors the covenant he made with Jonothan before he died.

1 Chronicles 18

14 David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people.”

Happy Mother’s Day. 😉

 

2 Samuel 7 and 1 Chronicles 17

~ Patricia ~ 2 Comments

The Davidic Covenant — The Unfolding of Biblical Eschatology

This is a VERY IMPORTANT READ.  It is not long so find a quiet place to hang on EVERY WORD.  We have talked about Covenant in the past.  There is conditional and unconditional.  The Covenants with Noah and Abraham were UNCONDITIONAL.  It did not matter what happened going forward God would NEVER break his Covenant.

Noahic Covenant:

  • He will preserve the Earth
  • He will preserve his creatures

Abrahamic Covenant:

  • The Promised Land of Canaan
  • The Promise of Numerous Offspring
  • The Promise of Blessings into the World

The Mosaic  (Moses) Covenant, however, was “Conditional”.  The Covenant given at Mt. Sinai was dependent on Israel’s obedience to following the Laws given.  Blessings were dependent on obedience.

Regardless of all the jaw-dropping moments, we have read, God has never broken the Covenant with Abraham and Noah.  Now we come to one of the most important chapters in the Bible: The Covenant was given to David: The Davidic Covenant.

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

David is living in a palace made of Cedar (Cedar was a big deal back in those days) and God was living in a tent.  I can picture David looking out his window and his heart breaks over this.   HOWEVER, is God really living in a tent?? NO.  The ark is the symbol of His Presence for the community. God,  however, is everywhere!

Skip to Verse 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?”’  Code for “I don’t need a house!!”

Verse 8-11  Go back and circle all the “I” commands in the speech.  David is not the “caretaker” for the Lord, the Lord is the caretaker for David.  Click here.

Ready: Let’s do this…I am unglued!  This Covenant has 2 layers: Near Fulfillment and Far Fulfillment. David/Messiah. Start at verse 11

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

This is an unconditional covenant made between God and David through which God promises David and Israel that the Messiah would come from the lineage of David and the tribe of Judah and would establish a kingdom that would endure forever. The Davidic Covenant is unconditional because God does not place any conditions of obedience upon its fulfillment. (thank heavens!)

Jesus Christ was called the ” Son of David” according to the Davidic covenant. The promise that David’s house and throne would be established eternally is important because it is a prophecy concerning the coming Messiah—specifically, that He would come from the house of David.

Let’s read a “begat” (fun word to say)

  • Click here to read The Gospel of Matthew 1: read the first verse (actually read the first 6)
  • Click here to read The Baptism Genealogy.  David is in both of them (but 2 different sons listed) (The WHY on that is mindblowing if you want to research it!) 🤓

David’s Prayer.  Picture David praying this in his lavish cedar palace surrounded by the warriors and “The Three” to protect him.  He is a King!  Yet this prayer….oh this prayer,  he has the perfect attitude about who he is and whose he is.

Ten times he referred to himself as “your servant” and eight times he called God his “Master”.  The flow of this prayer went:

  • thankfulness for his promise,
  • to praise for what God had done in the past,
  • to petition for the future fulfillment of God’s promises.

David’s prayer included humility, gratitude, praise, remembrance, and acknowledgment.  Truly a man after God’s own heart! ❤️❤️❤️

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