Month: June 2018

1 Kings 8 records Solomon bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the Temple, his praising God, his dedication of the Temple and his benediction. The sheer numbers of animals sacrificed in the process of bringing the Ark into the Temple and the dedication service was most likely never rivaled either before or after in any religious service in Israel. Solomon made it quite clear the LORD’s Temple was to be the place for the Israelites to pray, whether it was to thank the LORD for His goodness or to call out to the LORD for his mercy during times when the people had turned away from him either individually or corporately. Take time to note the details of the dedication process. King Solomon took it quite seriously, and made sure the people understood both the importance of the Temple to Israel’s worship, and the connection of David and his line of descendants to the Temple and to the leadership of Israel.

1 Kings 9 tells us the LORD appeared to Solomon a second time in a dream. This time He came to affirm Solomon’s action in building the Temple, and to warn him if he turned away from the LORD he would experience grave consequences. The LORD renewed His covenant with David through Solomon, but He also told Solomon if any of his descendants abandoned the LORD, the LORD would abandon them. After the account of the dream, we are given a list of Solomon’s actions as king. Most of twenty years was devoted to the construction of the Temple and his palace. We’re told Solomon conscripted slaves from the conquered people of the land, but he didn’t enslave Israelites. We’re also told Solomon built a fleet of ships and sent them various places to trade with other nations. Through King Solomon’s efforts, Solomon became one of the great world leaders of his day.

1 Kings 10 tells us of the famous visit of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon. While she was there, she realized that Solomon was even greater and wiser than she had been told. Solomon was extremely wise, and the remainder of the chapter tells us about his wealth. Again, Solomon’s wealth was incredible. We’re told during Solomon’s time was considered nothing, because it was so plentiful. Most everyday utensils were made of gold and even his drinking cups were made of gold.

Today we turn to Matthew’s gospel for the first time. Matthew is the longest of the synoptic gospels. It was written from a Jewish perspective, which isn’t surprising given that Matthew was a Jewish tax collector. Matthew offers many Old Testament references in his gospel to demonstrate Jesus’ fulfillment of them. Matthew starts his gospel with a genealogy of Jesus’ line. Luke’s gospel also starts with a genealogy but they are quite different in their layout. Matthew’s genealogy starts with Abraham, the “father” of the Jewish people and proceeds forward to Jesus. Luke’s genealogy starts with Jesus and proceeds backward all the way to Adam. Luke was a gentile, so his genealogy didn’t stop with Abraham, the “father” of the Jews, but with Adam the “father” of all people.

After the genealogy, Matthew gives us a brief account of how Jesus’ birth came about. Matthew tells us that Mary conceived Jesus, before she and Joseph, her espoused husband had “come together.” As a result, Joseph was going to divorce Mary quietly, but an angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream and assured Joseph that the child within Mary was holy. Luke offers an extensive explanation for how the birth of Jesus came about by comparison, but Matthew provides us enough information to make it clear Jesus’ birth was anything but “normal.” That is as we would expect given that He is the Son of the living God!

1 Kings 4 offers us a list of Solomon’s leaders in virtually every area of life. Then it tells us of his wisdom and expertise in many different areas of life. While the chapter contains a great deal of detail, this written explanation is short, because it doesn’t contain many principles or points of significant application for us.

1 Kings 5-7 tells us of Solomon’s construction of the Temple and of his own palace. He used Hiram of Lebanon to oversee the cutting of the cedar lumber for the project. He conscripted Israelites to do the work. The number of workers is prodigious. He conscripted 30,000 workers, who worked in shifts of 10,000 at a time, so they worked one month and were off for two months during the project. He also had 70,000 men who carried the wood, along with thousands of others who undertook various aspects of the project. We’re given the details of the project, both the exterior and interior construction, and the furnishing of the Temple. King David had set aside supplies for the project, and we’re told the wood and the stones were cut and made to size before they were brought to the Temple for its construction. This meant that no stone or hammer was heard on the construction site itself. Solomon’s palace was bigger than the Temple, and was opulently furnished. As we read the details of the Temple and palaces construction, we see not only had David planned ahead by providing the materials, but Solomon planned ahead so that every detail of the project was thought through and completed in a timely and effective manner. We can learn a great deal from reading through these three chapters, and one of the most important truth it contains is the importance of effective planning and execution of our plans.

As we return to Mark 16, which recounts the resurrection of Jesus, we’re reminded once again that the “shorter” ending of Mark, which most biblical scholars agree was the original ending to it, doesn’t contain many details about Jesus resurrection, except that it happened and Jesus promised to appear to His disciples. The longer ending tells us Jesus rebuked His disciples for not believing the women’s account that He had risen. It also includes detail about His commission to preach the gospel in the nations we don’t find in the other gospels. It speaks about signs accompanying their preaching which would include casting out demons, tongues, handling poisonous snakes without harm, and laying hands on sick people and healing them. The details are consistent with events recorded in the Book of Acts, so we need not doubt them just because they don’t occur in the other gospels, nor in the shorter ending of Mark itself. As we live out Jesus’ commission in the power of the Holy Spirit, He will provide was is necessary for us to fulfill it near and far.

Today we move to 1 Kings. In this book we start with David’s death. He “bequeathed” the monarchy to his son, Solomon, who would become the wisest and wealthiest king in the history of Israel. As we will see, though, Solomon did not finish well. By the time we move to David’s grandson, Rehoboam, the monarchy fractures into two separate kingdoms: Israel and Judah. While those distinctions were around in David’s time, in Rehoboam’s time those devisions become clear and pronounced. The LORD kept His promise to have one of David’s sons sit on the throne “forever,” but the influence of those sons after Solomon would never be close to the level of David or Solomon’s.

1 Kings 1 starts with the account of David being an old man, who was so frail he couldn’t keep warm. A young woman, named Abishag, was brought to sleep with him, and literally all she did was sleep with him, to keep him warm.  Obviously, David’s reign as king was nearing an end. The only question that remained was which of his sons would be king. As they say, “Nature abhors a vacuum,” and because David had not announced his successor, his son Adonijah, his second-born after Absalom, talked with Joab, and Abiathar the priest, and they sided with him and proclaimed him king. Nathan the prophet heard about it. He remained loyal to David, as did Zadok the priest, and Benaiah his bodyguard. Nathan knew David had said Solomon would be his successor, so he called Bathsheba and told her to go to David and tell him that Adonijah had pronounced himself king. Nathan’s plan was to come in shortly after Bathsheba spoke to David, and confirm Bathsheba’s report and ask David what his wishes were. The plan went as expected and David proclaimed Solomon his successor. David’s leaders made a public display of Solomon as the new king, and Adonijah realized he was doomed. His supporters left him, so he went to the tabernacle and grabbed the horns of the altar, symbolic of his putting himself at King Solomon’s mercy. Mercy showed himself a son after his father’s heart, by announcing that if Adonijah proved true, his life would be spared.

In 1 Kings 2, we read David’s last words to Solomon. While some of the words simply reminded Solomon of the LORD’s promise to have one of his descendants remain on the throne of Israel, and some advice about ruling, David also showed revenge toward those who had not been faithful to him at the end of his life. He charged Solomon to see they were killed. To solidify his grip on the kingdom after David died, Solomon had his and David’s enemies killed. They included Adonijah, Joab, and Shimei. He didn’t kill Abiathar, because he was a priest, but he did exile him from his presence. In Solomon’s actions, we see his obedience to his father, and his own willingness to do what was necessary to establish his reign over Israel.

In 1 Kings 3, Solomon had a dream, and in it the LORD asked him what he wanted the LORD to give him. Solomon’s answer was he wanted wisdom to rule the people of Israel well. The answer pleased the LORD. Because it was an unselfish answer, the LORD promised to give Solomon wisdom, and to give him wealth and victory over his enemies, as well. We see Solomon had a great start to his leadership as king, the closing section of chapter 3 shows us the LORD’s answer to the dream was real. Two prostitutes came to Solomon, and one claimed the other had taken her child. She did it because she had suffocated her own child as she slept, by rolling over on him. Then she took the other prostitute’s baby and placed the dead one in her arms. As they argued about whose child the living baby was, Solomon called for a sword. He said, “Let the child be divided in two and half given to each.” Immediately, the one prostitute said, “Yes, do that.” The other prostitute said, “No, give the child to her (the other prostitute.). Solomon then said, “Give the child to the one who said not to kill him, but to give him to the other. She is the mother.” Everyone realized how much wisdom it took to come up with such a plan. They praised Solomon, and recognized God’s hand on his life.

As we return to Mark 15, we find Jesus before Pilate. Pilate finds no fault with Jesus–because there was no fault to be found. Yet, because of his fear of the crowds, and for his position, he condemns Jesus to die. Jesus is crucified, and endures the physical pain, but much more the spiritual anguish of taking the sins of the world upon Himself. At his death, Jesus is taken to the tomb of Joseph, and the stage is set for the greatest reversal in all of human history–the resurrection!

 

2 Samuel 22 offers us an example of David’s poetry. We know David wrote many of the Psalms included in the Bible. The poem in chapter 22 gives God the credit and glory for all of David’s victories in battle and for protecting him throughout his life. We find parts of this poem in several of the psalms. David calls God his “rock.” He tells us he called out to God in his distress and God answered. We see the personal nature of the relationship David had with God, and we are reminded of God’s desire for us to be in relationship with Him. As we examine the various religions of the world, we find most of them point to an impersonal god or gods, but the God of Israel, the true and living God, always looks for people, and upholds the righteous. That was certainly the case in David’s life. David was imperfect as all of us are, but God loved him and blessed him throughout his life.

As we move to 2 Samuel 23, we are told we are reading the last words of David. They aren’t the “last” words of David, but they do point us to the end of David’s reign as king. David recalls that God promised to have one of his descendants rule on Israel’s throne for all generations after him. The second half o f the chapter lists David’s thirty mighty men. In reality, the list includes “the three,” who were mightier than the thirty. As we read the men’s names, along with their exploits in David’s service it is striking the loyalty these men showed to David. Every leader knows loyalty is a vital component of being an effective and successful leader. After all, as John Maxwell once put it, “If you think you are leading, but no one is following, then you’re only taking a walk.” David was never simply taking a walk. He had people who were willing to die for him, to kill for him, and to go wherever he led them. That loyalty was earned by David’s own loyalty to the LORD, and to his men.

In 2 Samuel 24, we read about one of David’s last actions as king. It was an ill-advised command to take a census of Israel and Judah. The reason the action was ill-advised was it resulted in God’s judgment. We’re told God incited David to command the census, but the command was a test from God, which David failed. To count one’s people or troops in that day showed a desire to demonstrate one’s power or influence. David ought to have trusted in the LORD and not the number of his people or troops. Joab realized as much and attempted to dissuade David from having the census carried out. The the census was completed, the LORD sent Gad, the prophet, to David and gave him three options for how the judgment would be carried out. David chose a plague, because it would put the final death toll in the LORD’s hands, rather than in the hands of David’s enemies. 70,000 people died through the plague, which was finally ended when David bought the threshing floor of Aruanah, and offered sacrifices to the LORD there. When Aruanah offered to give David the threshing floor and the oxen needed to offer the sacrifice, David said he would not offer to the LORD that which cost him nothing. That is a powerful principle we ought to keep in mind as we live our lives. God offers His salvation to us freely through the blood of Jesus, and yet Jesus told us if we want to be His followers we must deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily and follow Him. Our salvation was free to us, but it cost Jesus everything. As we live out our faith, it will have a cost for us as well.

As we return to Mark 14, we return to the painful last night of Jesus’ life. The chapter starts with Jesus having a meal in Bethany and being anointed with expensive perfume. Some in the group were upset the money was “wasted,” as the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. But Jesus affirmed the action, and pointed out the woman was preparing his body for burial, and that she would be remembered for her good deed. Then we read about the Last Supper, Jesus’ prediction of Peter’s denial, Jesus’ time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, His arrest and finally of Peter’s denying three times he had ever known Jesus. When it came to the last moments before Jesus was crucified, He was alone. Those closest to Him either betrayed Him,  denied Him or abandoned Him. This had to be one of the darkest moments in Jesus life. We know from His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane that He asked God to remove what  was coming ahead of Him. Jesus knew He was going to take the sin of the world on His shoulders on the cross, and it shook Him to the core. Yet, in the end He told His heavenly Father, “Not My will, but Your will be done.” That attitude shows us Jesus is both Lord and Savior for us. While as Lord He owns us and gets to tell us what dot do, He was first willing to die for us to purchase our lives out of sin, so He can lead us. That kind of Lord is worthy of being served!

In 2 Samuel 19 Joab rebukes David for mourning so forcefully for Absalom, and David realizes he must affirm the troops, or lose them. When David returns to Jerusalem, he shows his character once again, by pardoning those who spoke against him when he left the city. He also reinstates Mephibosheth, who Ziba had deceived and left in the city.  Because David couldn’t tell for sure whether it was Ziba or Mephibosheth who was telling the truth, he divided Mephibosheth’s property between them. Even so, Mephibosheth was grateful that his relationship with David was reestablished, because that meant more to him than the property. David also appointed Amasa as his commander over the army.

In 2 Samuel 20 Sheba, an Israelite (as opposed to a citizen from Judah) rebelled against David. When David sent his troops out against Sheba under Amasa’s command, Joab once again showed his treachery by murdering Amasa. Joab and Abishai then led Judah’s troops to victory and reestablished David’s leadership over all of Israel.

2 Samuel 21 records God’s judgment against the Israelites, because Saul had broken their pledge with the Gibeonites and killed some of them during their reign. The judgment came in the form of three years of famine. When David realized what was happening, he went to the Gibeonites and asked what could be done to satisfy this wrong. They didn’t ask for money, but for seven sons of Saul to be hanged. While the request seems so inhumane from our perspective, when David provided the men, and they were hanged the famine stopped. In addition, to this account, the chapter tells us about a couple of additional battles with the Philistines. David was nearly killed during the first battle, and his commanders told him that he must no longer go into battle. We see David is aging, and literally his reign is going down hill at this point. In all of our lives, we grow and mature, and at some point while our mental and spiritual abilities may continue to grow, our physical capacity diminishes. When that happens, we are wise to do as David did and realize our limitations.

As we return to Mark 13, we read Jesus’ record of what will take place in the future at the time of the end. Many signs and evidences of the end are noted, but Jesus made it clear no one would know the exact time of His return. He made one point extremely clear: Be ready.  While many folks in our day spend their time attempting to determine when Jesus will come back, we must invest our time attempting to help as many people as possible to know Him as Savior and Lord. That way when He returns we will be found ready!

In 2 Samuel 16-18, we read the record of David’s continuing retreat from Jerusalem, of Absalom’s arrival there, and of Absalom’s defeat and death. The high points of the chapters are: 1) David was cursed by Shimei a Benjamite as he was leaving Jerusalem. One of David’s men wanted to kill him, but David’s response was that his own son had rebelled against him, how much more this Benjamite. 2) When Absalom entered Jerusalem, Ahithophel, his advisor, told Absalom to go in to David’s concubines as a sign that he was taking over the palace. Then he told Absalom to go after David with 20,000 men at that time and destroy him, before he made it across the Jordan. Hushai, one of David’s trusted advisors, who had stayed behind in Jerusalem to confound Absalom’s plans, told Absalom to wait until the next day, and to amass all of Israel against David. This plan saved David’s life and set into motion Absalom’s defeat. Ahithophel was so upset that his plan was not received that he left the group, went home, and hanged himself. 3) Absalom and his army went after David the next David. David had told his commanders and all his troops to deal gently with Absalom, but when the time came, and Absalom was literally caught in a tree, Joab killed him. When the troops returned from battle they returned to David sobbing in remorse for Absalom’s death. That is how chapter 18 ends. A day that was a great victory for David appeared to be more like a defeat.  All these events are the living out of the consequence of David’s sin with Bathsheba. While David repented of the sin, the consequence remained. What an important lesson for us to remember: God will always forgive our sins when we repent, but the consequence of our sins may remain with us. We can escape from sin and eternal death, but the consequences of our actions often remain.

As we return to Mark 12, we read one of the longest sections of teaching in Mark’s gospel. Jesus has entered Jerusalem. Holy Week has begun. He has cleansed the Temple, and now He takes on the religious leaders. First, He tells the Parable of the Tenants, an obvious illustration of how the religious leaders were going to kill Him. Then He faced several tests from the religious leaders, passing each one easily. In the first test the religious leaders asked whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar. They saw this as a “lose-lose” question for Jesus. If He said, “Yes,” they would say He was disloyal to Israel. If He said, “No,” they would turn Him into the Romans. Jesus didn’t answer either yes or no, but told them to render to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar and to God the things that belong to God. Next, the Sadducees who didn’t believe in the resurrection (That’s why the were sad, you see!) came to him with a story about a woman who was married to seven different men, and asked whose wife she would be in the resurrection, because she was married to each? Jesus answered that in heaven we are neither married or given in marriage, but we are like angels. Then He pointed out that in the time of Moses when God appeared to Moses, He told Moses, I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob…. At that time, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been dead for a long time, but Jesus’ point was God said they were alive, proving the resurrection is a reality. Finally, Jesus was asked which commandment in the Law is the greatest. The test here was Jesus could answer in a way that the religious leaders could argue was “wrong.” Once again Jesus demonstrated His command of the Law by stating the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and another commandment is like it: to love our neighbors as ourselves. No one could argue with that answer. Jesus closed out His time with the religious leaders by pointing out that the Messiah is both the Son of David and the Lord of David, which astounded the crowd. He warned the crowd about the hypocrisy of the Scribes. Then chapter 12 ends with Jesus pointing out the faithfulness and generosity of a poor widow, who gave her last two coins as an offering to God. Jesus pointed out this was a greater gift than the “generous” gifts of those who gave a great quantity of offering, but only out of their surplus. Jesus’ interactions in chapter 12 show us no one is wiser than He, and no one is more faithful than He. As some political leaders have been described as “presidential,” we would have to describe Jesus as “Messiah-like,” because He was, indeed, the Messiah!

In 2 Samuel 13 the prophecy of Nathan regarding David and his household starts to come to pass. First, David’s son Amnon raped his half sister Tamar. Tamar’s brother, Absalom, retaliated by killing Amnon. The report that came to David said Absalom had killed all of his brothers, but it was only Amnon. Absalom ran away, but eventually came back to Jerusalem, and David was “comforted” by this return. While every family has its dysfunctions, King David’s family shows us how far a family’s dysfunction can go when its leader sets a poor example.

In 2 Samuel 14, Joab conspires to have King David bring Absalom back to Jerusalem by having a woman of Tekoa, tell a story about her son who had killed another, and seeking David’s help in the situation. When David told her he would help her, she asked why the kind put his own son in the same situation. David asked the woman if Joab had put her up to it, and she confessed he had. David permitted Absalom to come back to Jerusalem, but he was not permitted to live with David, and David did not see him for two years. Absalom then convinced Joab to get David to permit him to see his father. It seemed that all was well, but in 2 Samuel 15, Absalom turned the hearts of the people against his father, by showing them favor, and judging their disputes. It took four years, but eventually Absalom staged an attempted overthrow, and had himself pronounced king at Hebron. David didn’t attack Absalom, or go to Hebron to defend himself. He simply packed up and left. He made a few strategic moves, such as having the Ark of the Covenant stay in the city, so it would be protected, and because it would be there if the LORD saw fit to have David retain his throne. In addition, he had some trusted advisors pretend to have rebelled against him, so they could thwart Absalom’s planning. The situation was dire, but as we will see, God was not yet finished with David.

As we return to Mark 11, we look once again at Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The sequence of events included the people acknowledging Jesus as a descendant of David, and honoring Him in a way they had not done before. Jesus cursed a fig tree that wasn’t bearing figs, and overturned the moneychangers tables in the Temple, demonstrating His authority to protect His Father’s house. Jesus explained the lesson of the withered fig tree, and how faith in God can move mountains. At the end of the chapter the religious authorities challenged Jesus’ authority, but as always Jesus was ahead of them. He asked where John the Baptists authority originated. The leaders wouldn’t say, because they knew the people thought John was a prophet, so they didn’t want to offend the people by saying John’s authority was merely human, but if they said it was from God, Jesus would ask them why they hadn’t obeyed him. So, they said they didn’t know. Jesus responded He wouldn’t tell them from where His authority arose. We can never outwit Jesus, because He is both wiser than us, and He is always at least one step ahead of us. Our goal as Jesus’ followers is to give Him the credit he is due all the time, not just once as the folks did on the first Palm Sunday so long ago. Also, we must submit to Jesus’ authority daily, so our lives will be lived to His glory and praise.

2 Samuel 9 shows us David’s compassion. After becoming solidly in charge of Israel, he asked whether anyone was left of Saul’s household to whom he could show kindness, because of his friendship with Jonathan. Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, was living. He had become lame in both feet, because he had been dropped by his nurse, when he was a boy. David restored to Mephibosheth all of Saul’s land, and gave him a place at his own table for meals. In other words, Mephibosheth lived in David’s home.  David called on Ziba, Saul’s servant to take charge of all of Saul’s land, and to care for it for Mephibosheth. In a time when victorious kings generally slaughtered everyone who was left of their predecessor’s family, we see why David was called a man after God’s own heart.

In 2 Samuel 10 we read of another act of compassion shown by David, which ended up with Israel defeating two nations in battle. The king of the Ammonites died, but when David sent a delegation to Hanun, the king’s son, to pay David’s respects, the princes of the Ammonites convinced Hanun that David’s motives weren’t to console him, but to spy out their situation. Thus, the Ammonites humiliated David’s delegation by cutting off half of each of their beards, and cutting off their robes at the hips. As a result, David went to battle against the Ammonites. As was common in that day, when a nation saw they were likely to lose in battle, the Ammonites called on the Syrians to fight on their behalf. David’s leaders, Joab and Abishai, went against the two nations and defeated them, but the Syrians mounted a counter-offensive. This time David gathered the whole army of Israel and defeated the Syrians soundly. The result was the Syrians paid tribute to Israel and were unwilling to fight for the Ammonites again. David’s power was reaching its apex. Soon, no nation would dare fight against Israel. God’s favor was upon him, and we can see why the Israelites would later refer to David’s reign as the golden age of their nation.

2 Samuel 11 marks a great and sad turning point in David’s life. It starts off with the statement, “In the spring of the year, the time kings go out to war, David sent Joab…” It was David’s task to go to war, but he sent his army commander, and stayed in Jerusalem. David shirked his work as king. As a result he was idle. One afternoon, after he got up from a nap, he went out and saw a beautiful woman taking a bath on her roof. He called for the woman, even though he knew she was married. He had sex with her and she became pregnant. The woman was Bathsheba. She was the wife of one of David’s bravest soldiers, Uriah the Hittite. When David realized what he had done, he called Uriah home from the battlefront to have some time with his wife. David’s plan was for Uriah to have sex with his wife and then he would assume the child was his when it was born. The plan failed, because Uriah was too honorable to go home and be with his wife, while the rest of the army remained in battle. He slept outside David’s palace. This went on for several days, and when David realized he couldn’t convince Uriah to go home to be with Bathsheba, he sent Uriah back to the front with a sealed message for Joab. The message was for Joab to see that Uriah was killed in battle. David planned to cover up his adultery with murder. The plan “worked.”

2 Samuel 12 shows us why I put “worked” in quotes. While David got away with murdering Uriah, and then took Bathsheba into his palace as his wife after her time of mourning was over, God sent the prophet Nathan to David to confront him over his sin. Nathan couched the confrontation in terms of a poor man who had a ewe lamb, who rich neighbor took it, killed it and served it for dinner when guests came rather than taking a lamb from his flock. Dave became so incensed at the story that he shouted, “That man deserves to die!” Nathan responded, “You are the man.” At once David recognized his sin. He repented, and God forgave him, but the consequences of his actions were grave. God told him there would always be internal conflict in his family, and one of his own sons would sleep with his concubines in broad daylight. The son born to Bathsheba would die.  This happened. We see once again no one is beyond God’s judgment, not even David the great king. Sin is sin. There’s always a consequence. Even if no one else knows about it God does. David’s story is a powerful reminder that we must live in God’s righteousness and the power of His Spirit. Otherwise, even the “best” among us will fall.

As we return to Mark 10, the chapter starts with Jesus affirming God’s plan for marriage as stated in Genesis 2: marriage between one man and one woman for life. He adds, “What God has joined let no one separate.” Then Jesus blesses children who have been brought to Him by their parents. The disciples protested that Jesus was too busy for this, but Jesus rebuked the disciples and reminded them the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like children.

Next, we read the account of the rich young man who wanted Jesus to tell hi how to gain eternal life. When Jesus told him to obey the commandments, and the man said he had, Jesus told him he lacked one thing: he needed to sell all he had and give it to the poor, and then to come follow Him. the man declined the offer, because His wealth was too important to him. How sad that the man put money before a relationship with Jesus!

Jesus then tells the disciples a third time He was going to be crucified and rise again. This time James and John seeing the opportunity Jesus’ enthronement would bring, ask to sit at the right and the left side of His throne when He came into His Kingdom.  Jesus told them it wasn’t for Him to give this honor, and that it wasn’t for those who follow Jesus to seek it. Our task is to serve first, and let the LORD decide our position.

Finally, as is Mark’s custom, Jesus heals someone. This time it’s blind Bartimaeus. Jesus tells Bartimaeus it was his faith that healed him. Once again we see the connection between faith and healing. This time the person needing the healing had faith. At other times it was a friend’s faith. At others it was Jesus own faith and power that healed. Faith is always a key component when it comes to receiving God’s wholeness in our lives.

In 2 Samuel 5, we read of David being made king over all of Israel at the city of Hebron. It took David seven years to overtake Jerusalem and make it his home and the capital of Israel. We’re told David “ruled” over Israel for forty years. We also read of David defeating the Philistines, and the LORD defeating them a second time. The LORD was with David as we have already seen, and will continue to see as we move through 2 Samuel.

in 2 Samuel 6, David has the Ark of the Covenant returned to Jerusalem, but not without difficulty. Uzzah, one of the men who transported the Ark was killed when he reached out to steady it, because the ox had stumbled. While it seems Uzzah was only trying to help, he was not a priest. This both frightened and angered David, so he left the Ark where it was at the  home of  Obed-edom. During the three months it was there, the family of Obed-edom was blessed, so David decided again to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. This time he offered a sacrifice to the LORD after every six steps. David danced before the LORD, and Michal, his wife, was offended by David’s display before the LORD. As a result, she never had children. Again, we see actions have consequences, and they were often more immediate than at times in our lives.

In 2 Samuel 7, David told Nathan the prophet he wanted to build a “house” for the LORD. Nathan told him to do what was in his heart, but then the LORD told Nathan David would not be the one to build the Temple, but David’s son. The LORD promised the leadership of Israel would never depart from one of his offspring. David’s response was gratitude and humility.

In 2 Samuel 8, we read of David’s conquests over the near neighbors of Israel. Often David gave the spoils of the victories to the LORD. While it’s fitting That David did so, we find David’s response was consistently right and good, unlike that of Saul who came before Him. Soon enough David will show his own weaknesses, but in the initial years of his reign, he followed the LORD faithfully.

As we return to Mark 9 once again, we’re reminded of the powerful moment when Jesus was transfigured with Moses and Elijah in front of Peter, James, and John. The moment shows us all Jesus is who He says He is. It only confirms what Peter had proclaimed in Mark 8. When the foursome travelled down the mountain, they found the other nine disciples struggling unsuccessfully to remove a demon from a boy. Jesus shows an unusual lack of patience, or a bit of consternation at the situation. He heals the boy, but not before a brief confrontation with the boy’s father. When the man said, “If you can do something…” Jesus corrected the  man, “If…All things are possible for those who believe.  What a helpful reminder to us as well. Jesus’ power to save, heal, deliver people from demons, and whatever else needs to be done in our lives is more than sufficient. We must sometimes ask Jesus to help us in our unbelief, and He will. Our task is to open ourselves to Jesus in every situation, so He can work in and through us to will and to work for His good pleasure!

Today, we turn to 2 Samuel. In the first chapter David learns of Saul’s death. The account of Saul’s death is slightly different than we read it in 1 Samuel. An Amalekite came and told David. He said he had killed Saul at Saul’s request, because Saul was mortally wounded, but hadn’t died. David responded to the report by mourning, having the Amalekite killed for killing Saul, and then pronouncing a poem of praise in memory of Saul and Jonathan. We see David’s honor once again. He didn’t gloat at the death of the man who had attempted to kill him on numerous occasions, and hunted him as if he were a wild animal. Instead, he carried out justice against Saul’s “killer,” and honored the memory of Saul and Jonathan.

In 2 Samuel 2, David was anointed King of Judah, but Abner, King Saul’s body guard proclaimed Ish-Bosheth one of Saul’s son as king over the remainder of Israel. The two armies went out against each other, and twelve men were selected from each side to battle in hand-to-hand combat. With one move each man killed his opponent, so all twelve were dead. This led to more fighting and at one point Asahel, one of three brothers who were David’s right hand men: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel, chased after Abner. Abner told him to turn aside from chasing him, but Asahel would not, so Abner killed him. Then Joab and Abishai chased after Joab. Finally, Joab called for a “cease fire,” and everyone went home. This would not be the end of the conflict, as God had Samuel anoint David as king over Israel many years before, and that anointing meant one day David would rule over the entire nation.

In 2 Samuel 3 Abner saw the LORD was with David and decided to go over to his side. David welcomed the gesture, but when Joab heard about it, he called Abner to a private meeting and killed him in retribution for killing Asahel. David made it clear to everyone that Joab had acted on his own, and mourned for Abner. This pleased all the people of Israel and made David’s positions King secure. In 2 Samuel 4 two men decided to do David a “favor,” and killed Ish-Bosheth. When they brought his dead body to David, David responded by pointing out he had avenged Saul’s death, and how much more would he avenge the death of an “innocent” man. So, he had his men kill Ish-Bosheth’s murderers. As we read through these chapters, we see much killing both in the battles with foreign nations, and through infighting among the Israelites themselves. Many see this as an indication that the “God” of the Old Testament is a different God than that of the New Testament, that we see through Jesus. It is not a different God. There is only one, true God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As we have pointed out on a number of occasions, thus far. God was establishing a nation. It was to be a holy nation. While some of the killing we see was not God’s justice, and some of it was and would be condemned by God, we cannot miss the truth that sometimes people died because of God’s judgment on their lives.

As we return again to Mark 8, remember this is the turning point in this gospel. It starts with the record of Jesus feeding the 4,000. Then it moves to a confrontation with the Pharisees–nothing  new there. This time it was over the Pharisees wanting Jesus to show them a sign. He had just fed thousands of people with a small amount of food. What was that? Then Jesus healed a blind man. The turning point comes when Jesus asks His disciples who the crowds said He was? After they responded to that question, Jesus asked, “But who do you say I am?” That is the question, isn’t it? Who do you and I say Jesus is? Peter got the right answer and immediately after that Jesus told the disciples He was going to be handed over to the religious leaders and be crucified, but He would rise again. Peter took Jesus on over that statement. He didn’t expect the Messiah to die. His plans didn’t include it, and undoubtedly he had grown used to Jesus’ supernatural powers and presence in his life. Jesus made it clear Peter’s plans were not from God, but from Satan. He then turned to the crowd and reminded them (and us!) of the cost of following Him. From this point forward in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus is heading toward Jerusalem and His appointment with His destiny-dying on the cross to pay the penalty for human sin, and rising again to show He had conquered sin and death.