2 Samuel 7:1-8:18, John 14:15-31, Psalms 119:33-48, Proverbs 15:33
Today is the 25th day of May welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you together around the Global Campfire as we gather from all points all over the earth and take the next step forward together in the Scriptures. And our next day leads us back into the book of second Samuel, where we are learning all about King David. And he is King David now, King of all Israel. And, so, were settling into his reign, and how he governed. Let’s pick up the story. Second Samuel chapters 7 and 8 today.
Commentary:
Okay. A couple of things that we should look at today from what we’ve read today in second Samuel. We see David is firmly on the throne of Israel. He is the King of all united Israel, and he has a palace now. Like the first time there’s a palace. And, so, there’s a national identity forming among the Israeli among Hebrew…Hebrew people. So, this is creating a sort of national interest, national pride and David’s looking around thinking, I live in a great place and yet though the…the Lord most high, the covenant, the chest, the ark of the covenant is still in this tent. Like…like that should be in a greater place than the King. So, he has in his mind to build a temple and he talks to the prophet Nathan about it. The prophet Nathan tells him to go ahead and do it. But then God comes to Nathan with a message for David and the message for David is essentially, when have I ever asked anybody to build me a house to live in? Like, haven’t I been in this tent? And the point isn’t that God likes tents and He likes camping. The point is that the tent was in the middle of the congregation, of the community, of…of the Hebrew people. It was in the middle. And, so, wherever they went this tent was in the middle of them. God moved around with them. He was mobile. He wasn’t stationary. There wasn’t a place that they had to go. He was with them. And, so, that is being established, that God is with them. So, David’s instructed that he’s not the one to build this monumental temple, that that day will come but it won’t be by his hands. He…he can prepare for it, but it will be his son. And, so, once again we see God showing us He’s not going to be boxed up. We’re not to build the box and say that’s the God box and God stays in that box and then I have the rest of my life and then I go to this God box. There’s not going to be that. God is establishing He is with us, among us, as He has always been.
And we flip over into the gospel of John and Jesus is giving the final…like He’s saying the final things He wants to say to His friends. In such a very short time He will be taken from them. And, so, this is when He is saying what He needs to say. And He’s saying so much of what Nathan was telling David, that God is with us, among us. And, so, Jesus told them and through them tell…tells us, if you love me obey me, Obey my commandments and I will ask the Father and He will give you a Helper an Advocate. He will give you the Holy Spirit, who will never leave you, the Holy Spirit, who will lead you into all truth. And, so, this advocate, the Holy Spirit that Jesus speaks of, this is an ambassador, a representative, a defender. Jesus is saying, I am giving you what you need. The Spirit will come and lead you and lead you on the pathway of truth. You will know what you are to do. So, isn’t it a little interesting if you take a step back that we are continually seeking after something that Jesus is saying He gave us, that we have it, that it’s available. So, let’s think about how often we ignore or don't…not necessarily specifically ignore, but don’t pay attention to this category at all. We don’t slow down and ask to be led into the truth, that we might see the way that we should go in the decisions that we should make when it’s available to us. Jesus equipped His disciples, and we are equipped in the same way. And then as far as like being with us and among us, Jesus said, look when I am raised to life again you will know that I am in the Father, and you are in Me and I am in you. Let let’s think about that. I am in my Father and you, which is us, are in me, which is Jesus. And I, which is Jesus, am in you, which is us. I’ve pondered that verse many many times, written about that verse because when I read what Jesus is saying I’m like, where does one begin and the other one end? Like where’s the distinction. And when I read what Jesus is saying I am in My Father. You are in me. I am in you. The best word I have ever come up to describe, at least the way I understand this, is intertwined. We are intertwined with one another. We are intertwined things with God. He is within us, which…that’s as intimate as it gets, right? That’s as intimate as it gets. And this is what is being described about our relationship with God through Jesus. He’s within us. What would it do if we constantly knew the reality that we are intertwined with God, that…that we aren’t abandoned, that we can’t be, that we are enveloped in an embrace that is going to go on forever and cannot be shaken or broken, that we cannot be separated because He’s in us. He’s become a part of who we are as we’ve relinquished control of who we think we are. How beautiful! How beautiful what Jesus is saying to His friends. How beautiful this reality that has been offered to us. Jesus isn’t done comforting His friends. My peace I give to you He says, peace that the world cannot give. So, don’t be troubled. Don’t be afraid. I’m pausing to let it sink into my own life. Why is this the thing that we so often lose sight of? Or maybe…maybe better put it, why are we always looking in places that cannot give us what we’re looking for. Jesus is saying, my peace I give to you not as the world can give. Why are we always looking for this peace that passes understanding in the things that we can manage and control when the peace that Jesus is talking about is beyond our control and beyond our grasp. It’s something given to us. So, Jesus is giving to His disciples what they’re going to need in the days that are to follow because He will be taken from them and they’re gonna need to learn to navigate in the message that He taught them and live the way that He modeled for them and we’re in the same situation. So, Jesus words at this last meal in this last gospel the last time we will pass by this territory this year, they seem to contain what we’re looking for in our lives. But we have to understand that to access what Jesus is offering us is to lay down our lives and be resurrected anew, where Christ is within, where we are intertwined with God, where we are in that space where peace passes understanding. It’s what were looking for but so often we look to Jesus to come be an add-on, the frosting to our cake, to make everything great when we’re just simply invited to be a part of His story. And, so, going back through this territory, the 14th chapter of John what Jesus has to say to his disciples is so comforting because they are words given to us to comfort us when we don’t know what’s happening just like they did not.
Prayer:
So, Jesus, we love you and we thank you so profoundly. We are so humbled by what you…what you so lovingly bestowed on your disciples and so lovingly have given to us as words to live by. And we confess that they’re challenging because you’ve given us what we’re looking for and we still look for it in all the wrong places. And we ask your forgiveness and we run to you, and take comfort in you and say Holy Spirit, come be our comfort, be our helper, be our advocate. Lead us into all truth we pray. In the name of Jesus we ask. Amen.
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And that is it for today. I am Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.
Community Prayer and Praise:
Coming soon…