2 Samuel 1:1-2:11, John 12:20-50, Psalms 118:19-29, Proverbs 15:27-28
Today is the 22nd day of May, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today and it’s wonderful to be with you any day. I’m glad that we can have this time together any of the days because we…because this is an everyday thing. So, it’s good to be here with you today. It’s a little bit of a special day, we’re going to begin a new book today, which like if you’ve been kind of tracking along with the books in the Old Testament you can be like, “wait a minute. All this drama that’s going on. How could that be the end of first Samuel?”
Introduction to second Samuel:
Well, we have reached the beginning of second Samuel, which, as we talked about when we began first Samuel. Like first Samuel, second Samuel, first Kings, second Kings, these were all grouped together as one writing. They’d been broken apart over time. Like there was a time that there was first Kings second Kings third Kings and forth Kings and that gets a little bit tedious and confusing because first and second Samuel were at one point first and second Kings. But that’s all shifted, and we have the common understanding now - first and second Samuel, first and second Kings. And this is the territory that we’re heading into. So, today, we’re heading into second Samuel, and that’s why…I mean…we’re just picking up where we left off. There’s just a delineation that has been made over time and that delineation that is made between first and second Samuel is that first Samuel deals primarily with King Saul. Even though David is much a part of that story in yesterday’s reading King Saul died in battle with the Philistines. Now we’re starting second Samuel. This is everything that happens after that, which now begins to focus on David’s life and how it is that this shepherd boy from the wrong tribe from the wrong place could ascend to the throne of Israel. We’re reading from the Christian Standard Bible this week. Second Samuel chapter 1 verse 1 through 2 verse 11.
Commentary:
Okay. So, we kinda recapped the…the fact that we are going into second Samuel and how kinda first and second Samuel, first and second Kings, how these are woven together and how second Samuel kind of begins to put David centerstage because Saul died in battle in the last chapter of first Samuel. So, in today’s reading as we begin second Samuel, David…David finds out…like he finds out that Saul and his beloved friend Jonathan, they’re dead and we see the way that he reacts and it’s really actually important that we see the way that he reacts now because we need to watch David’s posture going forward. So, David found out that the king of Israel, the very man who on numerous occasions tried to assassinate him and had hunted him down was dead and instead of jumping up and down rejoicing and throwing…you know…slaying the fattened calf and having this big celebration, David goes into mourning, tears his clothes and goes into morning and so do all of his men. They follow suit. They follow their leader. They follow David into mourning. And we remember that David had a number of opportunities actually to take his vengeance upon Saul. So, like even as Saul’s trying to kill David Saul fell into David’s hands on a couple of occasions and he could’ve killed him, he could’ve killed Saul. He wouldn’t touch God’s anointed. And so when an Amalekite shows up at Ziklag having come down from the battle and claims to be the one to put Saul out of his misery, as it were, that just does not sit well with David. And, so, this person, and as it was reported in first Samuel the story happened differently. So, all we can deduces that this Amalekite that came down to David with the crown and all that didn’t actually kill Saul, but confessed that he did and was bringing David, you know, the jewels and the crown and stuff, that Matt didn’t survive because he had the audacity to touch God’s anointed, something David wouldn’t do even though that very person was trying to kill him. So, what we see here is maybe a different kind of reaction then we would suspect. We would think this would be a great relief. And probably it was for David, at least in terms of being on the run, but his reverence for God’s anointed, the king, like his reverence for this office, for this position, and the way that this is supposed to work is intact. People are seeing this, right? Like, so if David and his men, they had thrown a great celebration, that would’ve spread, that news would’ve spread, but instead David goes into mourning and that’s what begins to get around. And pretty unfortunate for the guy to be an Amalekite that brings the crown, right? Because it was the Amalekites who raided Ziklag that they had to chase down. So, yeah, all around a bad day for that guy. So, David mourns and then he asks of God, “what do I do?” God sends him to Hebron where David is then anointed the king over the tribe of Judah. So, he is not the king of Israel, he’s been installed as the king over one of the tribes. Abner the commander of the Army takes Ishbosheth, which is Saul’s nearest remaining son, heir to the throne and installs him as the king of the rest of Israel. And as we learn from second Samuel today that went on for a couple of years. So, David didn’t just find out Saul was dead, you know, like, ride into town and go I’m the king. That’s not how it happened. This takes time. And actually, the ways that it begins to move in David’s favor has a lot to do with David’s posture, which we began to see today, and let’s keep watching that in the days ahead.
Prayer:
Father, we thank You for Your word. And we think for this story, this story of the Kings coming to Israel after this long drought of Judges. Meeting Samuel, meeting Saul, meeting David, there’s so much about our own lives embedded into the stories that we can see. And, so, we ask Holy Spirit that You help us see ourselves in these stories, just figure out who we would be in these stories because we get to see the…where the roads lead. And that is so helpful because You are giving us advance knowledge of where a pathway in life will lead us and we’re thankful for that. So, come Holy Spirit and plant the words that we read into our hearts and into our lives and may we be fertile soil for a bountiful harvest of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives we pray. In the name of Jesus, 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:
My name is Mike from Redding California been a DAB listener for a couple years now first-time prayer request. My son Ben, he’s 14, ran away a few days ago. His mother and I have filed a police report and we’re just worried about our boy. We want him to come home safe. So, if you could please lift him up in prayer, we sure would appreciate it. Thank you.
Good morning this message is for Walta. Walta, I absolutely love hearing you call in and yesterday as I was working and listening to the Daily Audio Bible, I heard your call on the community prayer requests asking for prayer for your son who is experiencing some of these coronavirus symptoms. And I was praying along with you for that and was just…I just was so heartbroken when you mentioned that you were concerned about having to have someone go and make a well check because of the fact that he is a black young man and it breaks my heart. And, so, I just wanted to call…call today and just read this Scripture from Revelation. After this I looked and behold a great multitude that no one could number from every nation from all tribes and peoples and languages standing before the throne and before the Lamb clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands and crying out with a loud voice, “salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.” And I just want to say that I don’t know how we got to be in such a crazy broken place, but I look forward to the day when we will all stand together at the throne of God. I love you sister and am so sorry that you have to live with this. I have three boys and I just…I just can’t comprehend, but I just want you to know that I have…I hear you and…
Hello DAB family this is Byron out in Florida I wanted to pray for Reed in California’s son. I’m sorry, Ken in California’s son, Reed. Heavenly Father, we come before you for this father and for his son for this young man. I don’t really know what to say, but I know the heart of a father. He sees the pain inside of a young man but cannot reach it. He sees the struggle and is there to help to serve and to lift up and is being pushed away. So, Lord You know that feeling because You get it from us all the time, but You also know us and Reed better than anyone else in existence. You know how to reach his heart. Heal the heart of this aching father and reach into Reed’s heart and soften it and open up the door so that all that’s love that’s around read can rush in and overpower the bitterness, the anger. We come against any demonic forces. We come against any human being Lord that’s oppressing read. We break those things in the name of Jesus. We claim his heart. We give You all praise, all honor and all glory because You’ll never with the children of the righteous be forsaken and we are righteous by Your grace in Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Daily Audio Bible family it’s amazing to…to hear your prayers every day. And I was just this morning in awe about how you can care so much for people around the world. And this is Andrea from Momsburry just outside of Cape Town in South Africa. And my heart goes out to in the states, thank you Brian for everything that you do at Daily Audio Bible. You really bring the word of God to life for us and it so special in this time and we…we’re pretty much at the start of this pandemic on our side and we are still…we are feeling it on our side but our hearts go out to you guys in the states and all across the world where it’s touching your families and loved ones very closely. Know that we are praying for you and we just spend…send love to you. All right. Bye.
Hi, my name is Betty and I wanted to call and give a long overdue praise report. I called back in the fall in October for my son Nathan who, at the time, was going through some sort of a break…breakdown and through the next time period he had three hospitalizations and…and that the last hospitalization was a 98 day stay in the hospital, but praise God. Nate did come home at the end of March into our new COVID world and thankfully he is continuing to improve, and God is showing his faithfulness to us and our family. He’s restoring his life to him day by day and it’s just been a beautiful thing to watch. So, thank you so much to my Daily Audio Bible family and praise be to God for answered prayer. Be encouraged people, God does answer our prayers.
Good morning my sweet family it’s Susan from Canada calling. I just listened to our friend from Oklahoma who prays for our children every day and is Just so wonderful. She quoted one of my favorite verses Isaiah 33:2 about how God is always with us whether we’re walking through raging waters or fiery flames. And I want to encourage you people. It is so true. I have hit bottom so many times in my life. My friends are calling me Job and my sister even said, “who knew rock-bottom had a basement,” which we kind of chuckle over now. Right now, I’m struggling with my son with stage IV cancer, which is sort of my current rock-bottom. But I want you all to know that there is God with you always. He will never leave nor forsake you. He walks you through, He sees your pain. He is with you always and every time you need a…a…a…a hand He’s there for you to carry you through, be your strength, be your wisdom. Reach out to Him and He will bless you in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.