2 Samuel 5:1-3 Jesus as King!

 ”Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’ ” Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel.“

‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Then all the tribes of Israel came to David: Prior to this, only one of the tribes of Israel recognized David as king. The other tribes recognized the pretender-king, Ishbosheth, a son of Saul. Ishbosheth was murdered as recorded in 2 Samuel 4 – so now the tribes turned to David.

i. It’s sad that the tribes only turned to David when their previous choice was taken away. On the same principle, it’s sad when Christians only finally recognize Jesus as King when their other choices fail. We should choose Jesus outright, not just when other options fail.

b. We are your bone and your flesh: The elders of Israel received David’s leadership because he was an Israelite himself. This was significant because for a period of time David lived as a Philistine among the Philistines. The elders of Israel put that away and embraced David as one of their own.

c. You were the one who led Israel out and brought them in: The elders of Israel received David’s leadership because he had already displayed his ability to lead.

d. The LORD said to you, “You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel”: The elders of Israel received David’s leadership because it was evident God had called him to lead.

i. These three characteristics should mark anyone who leads God’s people.

· A leader must belong to God’s people in heritage and heart.

· A leader must demonstrate the capability to lead.

· A leader must have an evident call from God.

ii. The elders of Israel received David’s leadership when they saw these things in David. When we see these same things in leaders, we should also receive their leadership.

e. And they anointed David king over Israel: 1 Chronicles 12:23-40 describes the great assembly that gathered in Hebron to recognize David as king over all Israel. Chronicles describes the impressive army that came to Hebron and numbers the soldiers at over 340,000 men. It then describes the scene: All these men of war, who could keep ranks, came to Hebron with a loyal heart, to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel were of one mind to make David king. And they were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them…. for there was joy in Israel (1 Chronicles 12:38-40). (Guzik)

Jesus as King!

“The Word of the Lord is the life of my soul. In the words of King Jesus there is power to save you, to renew you, to pardon you, to preserve you, to sanctify you, and to perfect you. If you have hold on the promises, they will hold you for time and eternity too.” (Charles Spurgeon)

“Do you expect soon to die? Are you somewhat distressed because sickness is undermining your constitution? Be not afraid, for his Spirit teaches you to sing, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Go and tell the Lord of his own word, and you will look forward to death without fear, singing—  

“Knowing as I am known word,
And oft repeat before the throne,
‘For ever with the Lord!’
“That resurrection word,
That shout of victory,
Once more, ‘For ever with the Lord!”

Amen— so let it be!” (Charles Spurgeon)

Jesus is my King, is He yours?

Blessings 

The-word-of-a-king

2 Samuel 4:9-12 Redeemed My Life!

 ”But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity, when someone told me, saying, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag—the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news. How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed? Therefore, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and remove you from the earth?” So David commanded his young men, and they executed them, cut off their hands and feet, and hanged them by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron.“ II Samuel‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬-‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Shall I not now require his blood at your hand and remove you from the earth: Rechab and Baanah thought David would be pleased to see the severed head of Ishbosheth. They underestimated David’s loyalty to God and the house of Saul. David was loyal to his pledge to honor and preserve Saul’s family and descendants (1 Samuel 24:20-22).

i. David was used to seeing severed heads – he carried the head of Goliath around as a trophy for some period of time. But David knew that Saul and his descendants were not his enemies in the same way that Goliath was his enemy.

ii. Even though Ishbosheth was not the LORD’s anointed in the same sense as Saul was, David had thoroughly learned to let God take vengeance.

iii. David would not accept their evil deed, even though it seemed to serve a good purpose – unifying Israel under David’s reign as king. “While it is true that God overrules all the doings of men, and compels them ultimately to serve His high purposes, it is equally true that no servant of His can ever consent to do evil that good may come. It is an arresting truth that our Lord in the days of his earthly life would not accept the testimony of demons.” (Morgan)

b. David commanded his young men, and they executed them: David swiftly made an example of these murderous men. They were not soldiers fighting together with him; they were murderers who deserved just punishment.

i. “By this act of justice, David showed to all Israel that he was a decided enemy to the destruction of Saul’s family; and that none could lift up their hands against any of them without meeting with condign [appropriate] punishment.” (Clarke)

ii. “Thus David acted with strict justice in this case also, not only to prove to the people that he had neither commanded nor approved of the murder, but from heartfelt abhorrence of such crimes, and to keep his conscience void of offense towards God and towards man.” (Keil and Delitzsch)

(Guzik)

Redeemed My Life!

David said, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity”. 

Our lives have been redeemed also but you need to take action on your behalf to be redeemed!

For it is written:

”In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace“ ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

”that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.“ Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭9‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Have you claimed your redemption through Jesus Christ?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 4:8 Presuming!

 ”And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life; and the Lord has avenged my Lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants.”“ II Samuel‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. And the LORD has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants: When they brought Ishbosheth’s severed head to David they said, “We are God’s servants, defeating your enemies as instruments of God.”

i. “Their claim, The Lord has avenged my lord the king, was presuming on God’s approval of their deed, as though they had acted on the Lord’s express orders.” (Baldwin)

b. The son of Saul your enemy: David couldn’t relate to this because he didn’t think of Saul as his enemy. The beautiful song David composed at the death of Saul and Jonathan proved that though Saul set himself as an enemy of David, David did not regard him as an enemy.

Presuming!

Notice their claim, “was presuming on God’s approval of their deed”!

They evidently forgot one of the Ten Commandments was, thou shall not murder!

But they also made an assumption that David would approve!

Presumptions concerning God’s approval is never good! 

If we are seeking His guidance, we should continue praying until we receive a decisive answer from the Lord.

Blessings 

2 Samuel 4:5-7 Murder Death Kill!

 ”So the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, left and came to the house of Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day while he was taking his midday rest. They came into the interior of the house as if to get wheat [for the soldiers], and they struck him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped [unnoticed]. Now when they entered the house he was lying on his bed in his bedroom. They [not only] struck and killed him, [but] they also beheaded him. Then they took his head and traveled all night by way of the Arabah.“

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭4‬:‭5‬-‭7‬ ‭AMP‬‬

a. They stabbed him in the stomach: Ishbosheth didn’t gain any real loyalty among his troops; they were only loyal to him when they thought he was strong and had a chance to keep the throne of Saul. When the weakness of Ishbosheth was exposed, Rechab and Baanah murdered him.

i. 2 Samuel 4:2 reminds us that Rechab and Baanah were of the children of Benjamin. This was the tribe that Saul’s family came from. This means that it was fellow Benjaminites who murdered Ishbosheth.

ii. Who was lying on his bed at noon: The mid-day siesta wasn’t unusual in that part of the world, but the absence of guards points to carelessness on the part of Ishbosheth. “To sleep at noon, and without a guard, speaketh him both sluggish and secure. He dieth therefore in his sloth, who had lived slothfully all his days.” (Trapp)

b. Beheaded him and took his head: This was an important part of their plan because they wanted to prove to David that they murdered his rival to the throne.

Murder Death Kill!

My wife enjoys watching television series about solving murders. Like a detective, she tries solving who, what, when and where committed the deadly crime. 

I believe she missed her calling and she claims she’s still looking for the perfect crime! 😳

”Cain talked with Abel his brother [about what God had said]. And when they were [alone, working] in the field, Cain attacked Abel his brother and killed him. [1 John 3:12]“ ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Unfortunately since the fall and sin entered the world some people are just evil like Cain, Rechab and Baanah!

The Lord gave Cain a warning but he murdered his brother anyway!

”If you do well [believing Me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to Me], will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well [but ignore My instruction], sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master it.”“ ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭AMP‬‬

Good advice for all of us, when sin crouches at our door we must master it! 

What will king David do to Rechab and Baanah?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 4:1-4 Trusted in man!

 ”When Saul’s son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost heart, and all Israel was troubled. Now Saul’s son had two men who were captains of troops. The name of one was Baanah and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin. (For Beeroth also was part of Benjamin, because the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been sojourners there until this day.) Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.“ ‭‭II Samuel‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. He lost heart: When Ishbosheth heard that the man who put and propped him on the throne was dead, he knew that his day was almost over. He trusted in man to gain his position, so when the man was gone, he knew his position would be soon gone. Ishbosheth was weak because he trusted in man.

b. His name was Mephibosheth: This was the son of Jonathan, David’s good friend who died with his father on the field of battle. Mephibosheth was the last male descendant of Saul with a strong legal claim to the throne of Saul. At this time he was only 12 years old – and he was lame.

i. As she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame: Mephibosheth was weak because of circumstances beyond his control. He was weak because of his age and because of an injury that came from the hand of another. (Guzik)

Trusted in man!

I believe this is the condition of anyone that doesn’t put their trust in the Lord Jesus! 

For the Bible says:

”It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man.“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭118‬:‭8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

And,

”Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.“

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭146‬:‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

So what are we supposed to do?

”Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;“

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Where do you put your trust in?

Blessings 

2 Samuel 3:31-39 A Mess!

 ”Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes, gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn for Abner.” And King David followed the coffin. So they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. And the king sang a lament over Abner and said: “Should Abner die as a fool dies? Your hands were not bound Nor your feet put into fetters; As a man falls before wicked men, so you fell.” Then all the people wept over him again. And when all the people came to persuade David to eat food while it was still day, David took an oath, saying, “God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down!” Now all the people took note of it, and it pleased them, since whatever the king did pleased all the people. For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king’s intent to kill Abner the son of Ner. Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? And I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too harsh for me. The Lord shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness.”“ II Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭31‬-‭39‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. The king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner: David did not want his kingdom established by violence. He wanted God to establish his kingdom and to punish his enemies. David still believed that vengeance belongs to the Lord.

b. For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king’s intent to kill Abner: This whole affair was a mess, but it would not be the first or the last mess of David’s kingdom.

i. In some regard, “messes” like this are inevitable. Proverbs 14:4 states an important principle: Where no oxen are, the trough is clean; but much increase comes by the strength of an ox.

A Mess!

Since the fall of Adam and Eve life became hard because of sin and a fallen world. Life in general is a mess but it’s how we deal with the messes in our lives that makes a difference! 

”And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.“

‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭35‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

I am no biblical scholar but it’s writing the daily devotional that helps me put on the full armor of God which in turn helps me get through the day with the messes of life!

I thank you for allowing me to share them with you.

Who carries you through the messes of life?

Blessings