2 Samuel 2:12-3:39, John 13:1-30, Psalms 119:1-16, Proverbs 15:29-30
Today is the 23rd day of May. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you today. I hope that your week is doing well. And we’re gonna dive back in, picking up where we left off yesterday. And we’re just getting going in the book of 2 Samuel and continuing forward in the life of David. This week we’re reading from the New Living Translation and we’ll read 2 Samuel 2:12-3:39 today.
Commentary:
Alright. So, we have a good amount of political intrigue happening in 2 Samuel. And as we were talking about yesterday, once Saul died it wasn’t just David became the king. Because of all of the reasons of succession, right? So Ish-bosheth who was Saul’s son and the next in line because some of his brothers had been killed in the same battle that Saul had been killed in, was anointed the king and was protected by the army of Israel, with Abner being the first in command. Joab, on the other hand, was David’s first in command of his forces. And let’s just remember, these guys all served in one army at one time. They all knew each other. They were high ranking warriors. They all knew each other. But eventually, right? There can’t be two kings of one country. And so as time went on things heated up, a battle happened. David’s forces won that battle, which left Abner, who was Saul’s general, running for his life. And he happened to be being chased by Joab’s brother, Asahel, so the general of David’s army. So this is like a really really tight close thing going on. Asahel knows Abner. They’ve known each other. They’ve probably fought battles together, but Asahel is chasing Abner to try to kill him. And the battle is going on and Abner’s trying to tell Asahel to stop chasing him because he doesn’t want to kill him, right? Abner doesn’t wanna kill Asahel because Abner and Joab know each other very very well. But in the end, Asahel is killed in battle. And this isn’t murder on Abner’s part. That’s not the way it’s treated because it happened in battle. But later we see the intrigue happen. Ish-bosheth turns on Abner. Abner turns on Ish-bosheth, the king of Israel, and defects to David, bringing the entire country who wants David to be king, along with him. So these two generals, first in command of the military, these guys are highly revered among the people. When Joab realizes that Abner has come to the king even though he doesn’t know the whole situation, he can’t believe that David would have let him go. And so he and his one remaining brother have a plot and they assassinate Abner, the leader of the Israelite army. Which puts David in a very precarious political position. Here the entire nation is coming around him to anoint him king and oust Ish-bosheth and the family of Saul. But the one who had kind of rallied everyone together around David has been murdered by David’s military. That’s what it looks like. So even though Abner’s killing was a revenge killing, it thrust David into a really really weird predicament politically. So, David’s gotta make a move and what we learn, what we see in David, gives us some sage advice. When David finds himself in the wrong, he doesn’t bluster and basically stamp his feet and claim, I’m the king. I can do whatever I want. He humbles himself and that’s what he does in this situation. He humbles himself. He weeps and mourns for Abner. He knew Abner. He had fought alongside Abner. And it was Abner and Saul who were trying to chase David down. But David knew the life of a warrior and he knew Abner was and he respected that. And he felt as if Israel had lost a mighty military person that day. And he mourned. And he had everyone put on sackcloth and ashes and they mourned. And David sang a song at the funeral. So, all this stuff people are seeing this. And it’s helping them see that David didn’t kill Abner. Because had that rumor gotten out and had David been blamed for Abner’s death, it would have probably led to full blown civil war. But David, the king, the king of Judah, humbled himself, honored Abner. And it turned the people’s hearts to David because they knew he didn’t do it. That’s the story of how this shepherd boy David could become the king of Israel. And we will follow that story tomorrow, but when we move into the book of John, we see a very very similar posture. Here we have God Almighty wrapped in flesh in the person of Jesus enjoying his last meal with his friends when he chooses to do the very awkward thing that he did, which is to jump up in front of them and then disrobe, put a towel around his waist, get a basin of water and wash the filthy feet of his friends. Again, a very humble, gracious, kind thing to do. But this is God down on his knees before his friends, before his creation washing the grime off of their feet. So, in the life of David, we see this humility and it gives us an example in our own lives because what happened was David’s humility brought him, actually elevated him to the throne.
And we see God’s humility through Jesus in the same fashion. But with Jesus, He used the entire situation as a teaching moment that has vast implications, not only on His friends, His disciples, but on us. Because once He had washed everyone’s feet and stood up and wiped His hands off, He said, You call Me Teacher and you call Me Lord and you are right because that’s what I Am. So, since I, Your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you oughta wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you and God will bless you. So, let’s consider this humble posture today. Whose feet can we wash today? And this doesn’t have to be disrobing and putting a towel around your waist and getting a wash basin and getting down on your knees and washing someone’s literal feet. This posture of humility, especially when it’s unexpected, brings such calm to any situation. Jesus said, I have given you an example to follow. What does that look like for you today?
Prayer:
Father, we invite You into that question. What does that look like for us today? We don’t necessarily know what that looks like for us today because we don’t know the events of the day. But we do know that we must be aware for these opportunities to be Your hands and feet in the world and follow Your example. So, come Holy Spirit. Make us aware and alert of the situations going on around us. And show us how we can walk through this day in humility, knowing that in Your kingdom to be the servant of all is to be in a very high position. Come Holy Spirit, we pray. In Jesus name we ask. Amen.
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And that’s it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Hello Daily Audio Bible family. This is Sean 316. And I don’t know what in the world has taken me so long to call but, well, back in January I lost my job so I called and we’ve been praying ever since for a job or a new opportunity. And somehow, someway, even without a job the Lord has been providing for me and allowed me to take care of my mother without a job and we were able to live as comfortably as when I had a job even without a job. So, it’s like I just had this extra-long vacation. And then out of nowhere the Lord blessed me. When my resources were at their minimum, He decided to bless me a couple weeks ago with a great job. And for some reason I failed to call…just give the Lord praise. Well…Hallelujah. The Lord is worthy to be praised forever and ever. And if there is anyone out there, any brothers or sisters who, like me, failed to call or forgot to call after the Lord has provided you with the answers to your prayers, please call. Please give us an update because it is the word of our testimony that we’re able to overcome. And I just want to thank the Lord and I thank you all for your prayers. And God bless you all.
I’m Tonya. God has convicted me to call in with my testimony. For all of you out there who are dating, who are in relationships, I pray that this message comes across with love because I do not mean it to offend anyone but I just want to tell you my story, my testimony. I did not meet my husband until I was 39 years old and you know why? Because I stayed single for five years because I was done sinning, I was done having sex before marriage and it just convicted me. A Christian woman sat me down and talked with me and it convicted me. When I met my husband, the first thing I asked him on our first date was, was he a Christian. I know for some of you that may not be the path that you choose but this is again my testimony, my story. Met him. Asked if him if he was a Christian. He told me yes. I then, after I was dating a couple of months, and we were having sex, God convicted me after this woman sat me down and I then had to confront him and told him I was no longer willing to sin and I did not want to have a sex anymore until I was married with my husband, whether or not the him or someone else, that’s the decision that I had made. Five years of being by myself just with the Lord. And five months later he proposed. I got married at 40. I had child at 41. So, to all of you out there who are in relationships and you’re not sure, you’re not married yet, I know this is such a hard message for us to grasp because we live in a world with sin and wherever God is doing, and it just seems like a norm. But read these Bible verses. Corinthians 7:3-4, Hebrews 13:4, Mark 7:21-22, Proverbs 5:18-19, Corinthians 7:2, Matthew 5:28, Genesis 2:24. Read these verses. Meditate on the word. I am praying for you all. I am praying that all of us stop sinning. And something else I heard is that we repent. We repent enough to stop sinning. I love you guys. I pray these words come over you with…
Hi. My name is Brenda I’m from Main and I’ve listened to the Daily Audio Bible every day since January 1st of 2015. Thank you, Brian and Jill. I am asking if you could please say a prayer for my beautiful granddaughter, Madison Marie. She’s nine years old and had a terrible accident. Her hand got caught in a treadmill and she’s lost the skin in the nerves on her fingers. Although we haven’t seen a specialist yet the doctor told her mom it will take up to seven years to heal, but in the New Testament, the book of James chapter 5 verse 16, it says that the earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. In verse 50, it says such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick and the Lord will make you well. We call her Maddie. She just turned herself __ and she was doing so well. Will you please pray for her and ask our Lord to heal her precious little hand. And please pray for her mom and her dad, my daughter and my son-in-law, that they stay strong and they’re blessed with great doctors. I believe. I believe in earnest prayer. I believe in earnest prayer of righteous people and the power that has. I ask our Lord will heal our little Madison. So, I turn to you and ask for that prayer. Please pray with me. Thank you so much.
Hello friends. Calling from the southern Texas front here for a couple of dear friends who are also DABbers, I’m calling in for Burke who has recently been diagnosed with __ disease. __ pray Father. Father, we come to You and just ask Lord, just be here with us Lord as we humble ourselves to You Father. We ask Lord that Your kingdom would come Lord. We ask for healing over Burkes body Father. We ask that his thyroid would be renewed and restored. Lord we see Your hands right now healing him Father. We see Father the regeneration of cells and tissue Father as Your hand works miracles upon his body Father. We pray Lord for just You to continue to work in him Lord, that You would comfort him and console him Lord in the times when he’s feeling scared of the unknown Father. I ask Lord also that You would just begin to Father give him the confidence Lord to know that Your miraculous hand is at work Father. And I pray Lord that there would be forgiveness in all that he is Lord, that there would be nothing entering Your work. From our perspective, that You forgive our sins Father, that we would be working on a clean slate Lord and that Your work would continue to work, Your Holy Spirit would begin to move Lord in all of us Lord. We ask forgiveness for our sins and for anything that we’re holding onto. We release those things to You and we ask for Your whole armor to be upon us Father. Lord, the truth would be wrapped around her waist, righteousness upon our chest, the shoes of the gospel upon our feet, the shield of faith protecting us, the sword of Your word piercing our hearts, and the helmet of salvation protecting our thoughts, our mind, emotions, everything that we are in do the glory of Your kingdom. We love You and we honor You and we praise You in Jesus name. Thank You all family. This is Delta Alpha FoxTrot calling from the southern Texas front.