2 Samuel Chapters 22-24

Chapter 22 - 2 Samuel basically begins and ends with songs of David. One song is a lament over the death of Saul and Jonathan...the final song we read here is a praise song about the sovereign nature of God. This song was also written after Saul's defeat. These songs bookend the story of David's kingship and highlight his character. He is a loyal man of honor, and he always relies on God. Those things sum up the life of David and the book of 2 Samuel. Even after his great sin he accepts the punishment that God doles out and never doubts his master.

22:28 - Something for all of us to remember...humility is loved by God. Humility is so hard for people to live out in this day and age, but it is an important aspect of being a follower of the Most High God. Pride and arrogance are the things that fuel sin and push us away from God. If we choose to live to honor ourselves and lift ourselves up...eventually we will be thrown down.

22:31 - I love this verse...this is the God we serve: Perfect, true, just - our shield. Amen.

23:11-12 - The tales of David's mighty men are some of my favorite "fun" passages in the bible, and I cannot read these scriptures without thinking about the teaching that Mark Moore did on the mighty men so many years ago at CIY. Shammah is willing to stand in a field of lentils (beans) and defend God's territory, even when all his Israelite brothers have run away. The challenge for us: are you willing to stand and fight for God - even when you are standing alone?

23:15-17 - These men hear a request from their king and they are willing to do anything to honor him. Three men break through the enemy lines, fight off the Philistines while filling up a water pouch, and fight their way back through the line to bring David a drink. Challenge to you: What the king wants, the king gets - have you offered yourself fully to Jesus?

23:20 - Benaiah see a lion trapped in a pit...probably starving and ready to kill. He could have killed the beast with a spear throw from above, but instead he jumps into the pit to make it a far fight. It is snowy...the footing is terrible...he is in a dark pit with a half-starved animal with feline reflexes, better vision in the dark and a body created to kill. Challenge: Benaiah was willing to leap into the pit and trust God - are you?

24:1 - Why is God angry with the Israelites? We don't know, the scripture doesn't tell us. I would assume, knowing the history of the Isrealite people, that they turned away from God and towards foreign idols. Why does is say that God incites David to sin - doesn't the bible say elsewhere that God doesn't tempt us more than we can handle? Again, the scripture here is not very clear on the matter. What we can do to answer the question though, is to think about the context. This was written by ancient Isrealites who had a very different understanding of God than we do today. Theologically, they believed that everything that happened was completely and totally controlled by God. So when somebody sinned - God incited it. When good things came - God brought those. When bad things happened - God caused those things. We read from our own modern Christian lens and we want to see God as good and get confused by passages like this. They were only interested in painting God as sovereign (in control of everything). In I Chronicles 21:1 there is a passage that sounbds exactly like this, except it says that Satan incited the sin to happen. What I believe, is that the writer of 2 Samuel is just referring to the fact that God allows David to be incited by Satan as God inciting it. And God, as He does, is using something bad that happens by the sinful choices of men to bring about His will (The judgement of Isreal). I hope that isn't too confusing...what do you think?

24:10 - David immediately realizes his guilt and begs forgiveness. Why is it wrong to do a census? Well, the ancient kings around the Isrealites would always take a census of their people to bolster their egos. They believed they had power because of the money they could make off taxes and the number of sword-wielding men they had. The Israelite king is supposed to understand that none of that matters when you have God on your side.

24:14 - David is offered a chance to pick his poison and once again he chooses something that shows how much trust he puts in God. Instead of allowing his people to be ravaged by an opposing army (Who would rape and kill and destroy with reckless abandon)...David chooses to have his people face pestilence because their lives will be solely in the hands of a merciful God.

24:18 - Interesting factoid - this is eventually where Solomon will build the temple. On a site that David has bought with his own money and made sacred by his offering to God...the temple of the Lord will be constructed.

24:24 - Great verse! God is worthy of offereings that cost us something. Never forget that - don't give God your scraps...give Him an offering in your life that costs you something!