May 2023 – Page 4 – A Walk Through The Word

May 17, 2023

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Wednesday May 17, 2023 (NIV)

1 Samuel 20-21

Jonathan Warns David

20 Then David fled from Naioth ^(A)in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?” ²And he said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so.” ³But David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that ^(B)I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, ^(C)as the Lord lives and ^(D)as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.” ⁴Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.” ⁵David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is ^(E)the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go, ^(F)that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening. ⁶^(G)If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run ^(H)to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly ^(I)sacrifice there for all the clan.’ ⁷If he says, ‘Good!’ it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry, then know that ^(J)harm is determined by him. ⁸Therefore deal kindly with your servant, ^(K)for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. ^(L)But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?” ⁹And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that ^(M)it was determined by my father that harm should come to you, would I not tell you?” ¹⁰Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly?” ¹¹And Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field.

¹²And Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness!^[a] When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? ¹³But should it please my father to do you harm, ^(N)the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. ^(O)May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father. ¹⁴If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the Lord, that I may not die; ¹⁵^(P)and do not cut off^[b] your steadfast love from my house forever, when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” ¹⁶And Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, ^(Q)“May^[c] the Lord take vengeance on David's enemies.” ¹⁷And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, ^(R)for he loved him as he loved his own soul.

¹⁸Then Jonathan said to him, ^(S)“Tomorrow is the new moon, and ^(T)you will be missed, because ^(U)your seat will be empty. ¹⁹On the third day go down quickly to the place where you hid yourself when the matter was in hand, and remain beside the stone heap.^[d] ²⁰And I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark. ²¹And behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then you are to come, for, ^(V)as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger. ²²But if I say to the youth, ^(W)‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the Lord has sent you away. ²³^(X)And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, ^(Y)the Lord is between you and me forever.”

²⁴So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. ²⁵The king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite,^[e] and Abner sat by Saul's side, ^(Z)but David's place was empty.

²⁶Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. ^(AA)He is not clean; surely he is not clean.” ²⁷But on ^(AB)the second day, the day after the new moon, ^(AC)David's place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” ²⁸Jonathan answered Saul, ^(AD)“David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. ²⁹He said, ‘Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king's table.”

³⁰Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? ³¹For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” ³²Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, ^(AE)“Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” ³³^(AF)But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew ^(AG)that his father was determined to put David to death. ³⁴And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had disgraced him.

³⁵In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him a little boy. ³⁶And he said to his boy, “Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. ³⁷And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, ^(AH)“Is not the arrow beyond you?” ³⁸And Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” So Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master. ³⁹But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter. ⁴⁰And Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.” ⁴¹And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap^[f] and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. ⁴²Then Jonathan said to David, ^(AI)“Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, ^(AJ)‘The Lord shall be between me and you, ^(AK)and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.^[g]

David and the Holy Bread

21 ^[h] Then David came to ^(AL)Nob, to ^(AM)Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech ^(AN)came to meet David, trembling, and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” ²And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. ³Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” ⁴And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is ^(AO)holy bread—^(AP)if the young men have kept themselves from women.” ⁵And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” ⁶So the priest gave him ^(AQ)the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, ^(AR)which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.

⁷Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was ^(AS)Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen.

⁸Then David said to Ahimelech, “Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.” ⁹And the priest said, ^(AT)“The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in ^(AU)the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.”

David Flees to Gath

¹⁰And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to ^(AV)Achish the king of Gath. ¹¹And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? ^(AW)Did they not sing to one another of him in dances,

‘Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”

¹²And David ^(AX)took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. ¹³So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. ¹⁴Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? ¹⁵Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”

Footnotes:

1 Samuel 20:12 Hebrew lacks be witness
1 Samuel 20:15 Or but if I die, do not cut off
1 Samuel 20:16 Septuagint earth, ¹⁶let not the name of Jonathan be cut off from the house of David. And may
1 Samuel 20:19 Septuagint; Hebrew the stone Ezel
1 Samuel 20:25 Compare Septuagint; Hebrew stood up
1 Samuel 20:41 Septuagint; Hebrew from beside the south
1 Samuel 20:42 This sentence is 21:1 in Hebrew
1 Samuel 21:1 Ch 21:2 in Hebrew

Cross references:

English Standard Version (ESV)

John 9

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

9 As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. ²And his disciples asked him, ^(A)“Rabbi, ^(B)who sinned, ^(C)this man or ^(D)his parents, that he was born blind?” ³Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but ^(E)that the works of God might be displayed in him. ⁴We must ^(F)work the works of him who sent me ^(G)while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵As long as I am in the world, ^(H)I am the light of the world.” ⁶Having said these things, ^(I)he spit on the ground and made mud with the saliva. ^(J)Then he anointed the man's eyes with the mud ⁷and said to him, “Go, wash in ^(K)the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and ^(L)came back seeing.

⁸The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar were saying, ^(M)“Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” ⁹Some said, “It is he.” Others said, “No, but he is like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” ¹⁰So they said to him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” ¹¹He answered, ^(N)“The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” ¹²They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

¹³They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. ¹⁴^(O)Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. ¹⁵^(P)So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” ¹⁶Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not ^(Q)from God, ^(R)for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, ^(S)“How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And ^(T)there was a division among them. ¹⁷So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him, since he has opened your eyes?” He said, ^(U)“He is a prophet.”

¹⁸^(V)The Jews^[a] did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight, until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight ¹⁹and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” ²⁰His parents answered, “We know that this is our son and that he was born blind. ²¹But how he now sees we do not know, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” ²²(His parents said these things ^(W)because they feared the Jews, for ^(X)the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should ^(Y)confess Jesus^[b] to be Christ, ^(Z)he was to be put out of the synagogue.) ²³Therefore his parents said, ^(AA)“He is of age; ask him.”

²⁴So for the second time they called the man who had been blind and said to him, ^(AB)“Give glory to God. We know that ^(AC)this man is a sinner.” ²⁵He answered, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I ^(AD)was blind, now I see.” ²⁶They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” ²⁷He answered them, ^(AE)“I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” ²⁸And they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but ^(AF)we are disciples of Moses. ²⁹We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, ^(AG)we do not know where he comes from.” ³⁰The man answered, “Why, this is ^(AH)an amazing thing! ^(AI)You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. ³¹We know that ^(AJ)God does not listen to sinners, but ^(AK)if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. ³²Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. ³³^(AL)If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” ³⁴They answered him, ^(AM)“You were born in utter sin, and would you teach us?” And they ^(AN)cast him out.

³⁵Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in ^(AO)the Son of Man?”^[c] ³⁶He answered, ^(AP)“And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” ³⁷Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and ^(AQ)it is he who is speaking to you.” ³⁸He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. ³⁹Jesus said, ^(AR)“For judgment I came into this world, ^(AS)that those who do not see may see, and ^(AT)those who see may become blind.” ⁴⁰Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, ^(AU)“Are we also blind?” ⁴¹Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, ^(AV)you would have no guilt;^[d] but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains.

Footnotes:

John 9:18 Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time; also verse 22
John 9:22 Greek him
John 9:35 Some manuscripts the Son of God
John 9:41 Greek you would not have sin

Cross references:

John 9:2 : See ch. 1:38
John 9:2 : [Luke 13:2, 4]
John 9:2 : [ver. 34]
John 9:2 : Ex. 20:5
John 9:3 : [ch. 11:4]
John 9:4 : See ch. 4:34
John 9:4 : ch. 11:9; 12:35; [Rom. 13:12; Gal. 6:10]
John 9:5 : See ch. 1:4, 5, 9; 8:12
John 9:6 : Mark 7:33; 8:23
John 9:6 : See Matt. 9:29
John 9:7 : Luke 13:4
John 9:7 : ch. 11:37
John 9:8 : [Acts 3:2, 10]
John 9:11 : ver. 6, 7
John 9:14 : ch. 5:9
John 9:15 : ver. 10
John 9:16 : See ch. 7:29
John 9:16 : See Matt. 12:2
John 9:16 : ver. 33
John 9:16 : ch. 7:43; 10:19
John 9:17 : See ch. 4:19; 6:14
John 9:18 : ver. 22; [ver. 13]
John 9:22 : See ch. 7:13
John 9:22 : [ch. 7:45-52]
John 9:22 : [Rom. 10:9]
John 9:22 : ch. 12:42; 16:2
John 9:23 : ver. 21
John 9:24 : Josh. 7:19; Jer. 13:16; [1 Sam. 6:5; Isa. 42:12; Acts 12:23]
John 9:24 : ver. 16
John 9:25 : ver. 18, 24
John 9:27 : ver. 15
John 9:28 : [ch. 5:45]
John 9:29 : See ch. 8:14
John 9:30 : [ch. 12:37]
John 9:30 : [ch. 3:10]
John 9:31 : Job 27:9; Ps. 66:18; Prov. 28:9
John 9:31 : Ps. 34:15, 16; 145:19; Prov. 15:20; [James 5:16]
John 9:33 : ver. 16; [ch. 1:21; 3:2]
John 9:34 : [ver. 2]
John 9:34 : [ver. 22]
John 9:35 : ch. 10:36
John 9:36 : [Rom. 10:14]
John 9:37 : ch. 4:26
John 9:39 : See ch. 5:22
John 9:39 : [Matt. 11:25; Luke 4:18]
John 9:39 : [Matt. 9:13; 13:13; Mark 4:12; 2 Cor. 2:16]
John 9:40 : Rom. 2:19
John 9:41 : ch. 15:22, 24; [ch. 19:11; 1 John 1:8]

English Standard Version (ESV)

Psalm 113-114

Who Is like the Lord Our God?

113 ^(A)Praise the Lord!
^(B)Praise, O ^(C)servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord!

²^(D)Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore!
³^(E)From the rising of the sun to its setting,
^(F)the name of the Lord is ^(G)to be praised!

⁴The Lord is ^(H)high above all nations,
and his ^(I)glory above the heavens!
⁵^(J)Who is like the Lord our God,
who is seated on high,
⁶who ^(K)looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
⁷He ^(L)raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
⁸to make them ^(M)sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.
⁹He ^(N)gives the barren woman a home,
making her the joyous mother of children.
^(O)Praise the Lord!

Tremble at the Presence of the Lord

114 When ^(P)Israel went out from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from ^(Q)a people of strange language,
²Judah became his ^(R)sanctuary,
Israel his dominion.

³^(S)The sea looked and fled;
^(T)Jordan turned back.
⁴^(U)The mountains skipped like rams,
the hills like lambs.

⁵What ^(V)ails you, O sea, that you flee?
O Jordan, that you turn back?
⁶O mountains, that you skip like rams?
O hills, like lambs?

⁷^(W)Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord,
at the presence of the God of Jacob,
⁸who turns ^(X)the rock into ^(Y)a pool of water,
^(Z)the flint into a spring of water.

Cross references:

English Standard Version (ESV)

Proverbs 15:15-17

¹⁵All the days of the afflicted are evil,
but ^(A)the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.
¹⁶^(B)Better is a little with the fear of the Lord
than great treasure and trouble with it.
¹⁷^(C)Better is a dinner of herbs where love is
than ^(D)a fattened ox and hatred with it.

Cross references:

English Standard Version (ESV)

May 17, 2023

05/17/2023 DAB Transcript

1 Samuel 17:1-18:4, John 8:21-30, Psalms 111:1-10, Proverbs 15:11

Today is the 17^th day of May welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it’s great to be here with you today as we continue our journey forward. And the next step on our journey leads us back into the book of first Samuel. We have gotten to know Israel’s first King Saul and we have also gotten to know this shepherd boy who’s become a celebrity for killing a giant whose name is David. We’re learning that Saul wants David dead and David doesn’t want to be dead. And, so, he cries out and trusts in the Lord in all that he does because it’s his hope of survival. And, so, let’s pick up the story. Today, first Samuel chapters 20 and 21.

Commentary:

Okay. So, both in the Old and the New Testament passages that we read today we see something that is true and true for all of us. We just don’t want to admit it very much. And that is we watched people see things and interpret them differently. And once that interpretation becomes a conviction then it also becomes actionable, and actions are taken and when the interpretation is wrong the actions are wrong and they perpetuate further problems. So, let’s go into first Samuel for a second and just read a couple of verses from our reading today. And I quote from the Bible from the lips of Saul. “You son of a perverted, unfaithful woman.” That…let me just stop there for a second because we can reconfigure those words into a…a…a modern saying and it would be offensive, right? So, Saul is saying this to his son. “You son of a perverted unfaithful woman. Don’t I know you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness. For as long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, you will not be established, nor will your kingship. So, send for him and bring them to me because he surely must die.” This is Saul’s interpretation of David not showing up for dinner. He is not correct about what he is assuming. David isn’t trying to be a threat to Saul. David is too busy trying to stay alive at this point. And yet David’s inside Saul’s head and Saul is making up all kinds of stories and scenarios about David and David has become Saul’s enemy in his head. And this takes action. So, let me just read a couple more verses. “Jonathan answered his father. Why should he be put to death? What has he done? Saul through his spear at him to hit him so Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.” Right? So, Jonathan’s saying dad, why do you want David dead? What has…what has he done that’s disloyal or unfaithful to you or our country? Why do you want him to be dead? And Saul then picks up his spear and throws it to kill his son. That’s how far these incorrect assumptions when they’re lived into, when they become convictions, when they become beliefs, and they become actions, that’s how far this can go. This is what the Bible is revealing to us. This is how far it can go. And this is how far misinterpretation and assumption about God can go.

Because now we flip the page and go into the gospel of John, and in response to Jesus, restoring the sight of a man who had never seen before we have assumption and action. And, so, let me read a verse from John. “Then some of the Pharisees said, this man is not from God because he does not keep the Sabbath.” Or let me read another verse. “They told him, give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner. He answered, I do not know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know, I was blind and now I see.” So, Jesus healed a blind man, restored his site. For the first time in his life, he could see. This happened on the Sabbath day. This broke the tradition. Or maybe a better way to say it is, this broke the interpretation of the tradition. The religious leaders were seeing a miraculous move of God in restoring what had been broken and lost, and in this case that’s the blindness of the man, but because this broke the interpretation of their tradition, they couldn’t see God at work in their midst. They were blinded by their incorrect assumptions. And, so, the Bible is helping us to take a step back, look at our own lives, look at the examples that were given today and realize that we can misinterpret things, create convictions about things believe those things, take action around those things and still be wrong. We are not as powerful as we think, not as wise as we think. And where this should lead us is to a place of humility and away from a place of pride and arrogance. And once we find that place for ourselves, we need to understand that that needs to be extended to everybody. The examples of a king misinterpreting circumstances and the religious trained and educated leaders missing God standing in front of them shows us that everyone is included here. And without humility, without open hands, without open hearts, we can be fighting in the wrong direction for a very long time, causing all kinds of destruction. We saw two examples of people seeing things incorrectly and acting on those incorrect assumptions today. We are all guilty of this. But now we are aware of it, which means now we are responsible for it. And we will not be able to carry the weight of that responsibility without an enormous amount of humility and open heart and open hands to the leadership and the mastery of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Prayer:

Father, we invite You into that. We try to take all of the sensory data and input that comes into our lives and run it through our minds and make connections and connect the dots so that we can have some sort of reality that we understand. And yet we confess that we’ve thought things were moving in a certain direction when reality was different and we missed it. And we can continue to miss it even when You are standing right in front of us as we’ve seen in the Scriptures today. And, so, we could throw up our hands and go, well then, I guess it just can’t be done, or we could throw up her hands in surrender and say yeah, it just can’t be done without God. Come Holy Spirit. Lead us into all truth. Open our blind eyes. Show us our blind spots that we might walk the narrow path that leads to life and that we might be true. We ask this in Your precious name. Amen.

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Community Prayer and Praise:

Coming soon…

May 16, 2023

5/16/2023 DAB Transcript

1 Samuel 18:5-19:24, John 8:31-59, Psalm 112:1-10, Proverbs 15:12-14

Today is the 16th day of May, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is wonderful to be here with you today as we gather and take the next step forward together, and that next step forward will lead us back into the book of First Samuel, where we are very much about to get to know David, and the intertwining of David and Saul’s lives, now that David has killed the giant in the Ellah Valley, a giant named Goliath. And now, David is famous overnight, celebrity, and he has a lot that he has to learn to deal with. And so, let’s pick up the story. First Samuel chapter 18 verse 5 through 19 verse 24 today.

Commentary:

Okay so, by this point now, in First Samuel we do see the intertwining of David’s life and Israel’s first king, King Saul’s life, and we see why David killed a giant. So, when they were going back through their celebration like, I mean anytime the king comes to a village, anytime a king comes through a town, everybody’s gonna assemble to get a glimpse of the king and it’ll be festive and jumping up and down like that that kind of pageantry still happens in this very day and age. If royalty from somewhere is visiting a village or a town, making an appearance, then there’s gonna be a throng of people. And so, this would’ve been true in ancient Israel. And so, Saul’s on this victory tour and people, the women are saying you know, Saul has killed his thousands and David has killed is tens of thousands. And Saul is…is put off by this, to say the least. He wants the glory to be upon himself, the spotlight to be upon himself. As insecure of a person that he is, doesn’t want anybody else getting this glory. And so, he’s jealous, he’s envious, he’s paranoid. So, we’ve been able to see what that looks like. Saul has tried to kill David with a spear, to pin him to the wall of the palace. And David, who’s not a skilled mercenary or soldier, has had to learn to be very, very quick footed and he was able to avoid that. And Saul then things okay, okay I’m just gonna keep sending him into battle, then I don’t have to touch him. Like, we’ll just, I’ll kill him by the Philistines. I’ll send him into situations where he is going to end up getting killed and then we can celebrate him as a dead hero, and then I can be the kind again. But David goes into battle and he’s successful everywhere that he goes. And so then, it’s like, the king has to be thinking, well maybe I need my enemies closer. And so, he invites David to marry his daughter. Of course, David’s poor from a poor family, he can’t meet the bride price but then he offers his second daughter, Michael and Michael loves David, but then David’s again like who am, you guys think this is a big deal to become the son-in-law of a king, but I have nothing and I’m from no family. Like I have no standing. And that’s when Saul’s like okay, well just bring me the foreskins of 100 Philistines. So, what he’s basically saying is, David you got a go kill 100 Philistines and bring back proof, proof that, that you got rid of them. And David’s probably not going to circumcise all these people, he’s just, you know, he’s coming back with a basket of…of…of things from the Philistine men, that will display that they’re no longer living and that their foreskins are there. And Saul’s thinking that David won’t make it, he’ll die. But David is doubly successful and comes back with 200 foreskins. So, David is successful and marries Michael. And then Saul wants to assassinate David and he wants Jonathan, who’s David’s best friend, in on it. Of course, we’ve already met Jonathan, and we know that his father, King Saul, was going to have him killed for eating honey when he was in battle and didn’t know he wasn’t supposed to. So, we know the story there. Jonathan won’t assassinate David. So, Saul attempts to assassinate him again by pinning him with the spear to the wall. And once again, David escapes and then the king sends his troops to David and Michael’s home, so that they can drag David out of the house and assassinate him. So, we are watching an enormous amount of envious paranoia and enormous amount of insecurity. We’re watching things, we are seeing and observing that things have gotten out of hand inside of Saul’s head. But then, when we look at David, and really David has every reason for his life to be coming apart at the seams. He’s got people all over the place watching him, he’s got people waiting to kill him. Like, he’s being thrown into these treacherous situations constantly. He has every reason to be mad about it. And in so many ways, it mimics some of the themes that we learned when we were moving through the story of Joseph. David has the world against him, it seems. He has really no hope to survive. He has one place to put his hope, utter and complete dependence upon God to stay alive. And David thrived, everywhere he was sent, into every situation that he was sent into, he thrived, and he was not trying to taunt back at the king. He wasn’t trying to get any sort of visibility. He wasn’t trying to climb any rungs of any ladders. He was trying to exist and be a good servant to the king and he was successful, even though all of the planning was to get him killed. We can look at both of these stories, Saul and David, and we can find ourselves in both of those men’s lives. We can probably find examples where we’ve been erratic enough to be both of those kinds of people on the same day. Sometimes we do shine, sometimes we do bring the truth and speak it, sometimes we do it in love. And then there’s other times that it looks like we’re not even who we are, we don’t even see the person in the mirror, it doesn’t even look familiar. Like, Saul and David both knew God, they both worshiped the same God. It’s just that the pathways that they we’re on with God were leading in different directions. Saul’s insecurity, his envy, his paranoia, his jealousy, was pulling him away from God and all of his focus and obsession was on this one person, David, that he thought, that he thought was a threat. David, on the other hand, had everyone against him, everything was a threat to him. If he could live through the day, it would be the grace of God, and David knew it. He knew that God was his only hope for survival, even though he didn’t understand why he was swirling around in all of these circumstances. He knew his only hope for survival was God. And we see that being poured out, as we read through the Psalms. So right now, we are watching two men, who both know God, who were on very different paths in their lives. And may we pay very close attention to where those pathways lead, because we need to know. Because those pathways still go to the same places.

Prayer:

And so, Heavenly Father, come into this, we pray as we continue this journey and observing Saul, and observing David, and learning much about ourselves and learning much about Your heart. We need to know where these roads go, and we need to know the road that we’re on and where it’s going. And so, we confess that we, we can make the best laid plans and we just don’t know the twists and turns. We must depend upon You, and we do. Lead us into all truth, lead us on the narrow path that leads to life, we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Prayer and Encouragements:

Hello, Daily Audio Bible, it’s ___. I wish to simply pray for us. I pray God that You bless the Daily Audio Bible community. I pray that You give us strength to continue to live. Help us through our personal problems. I pray that You lead us, strengthen us through our individual challenges. That You help us to pray, that You bless us with great stillness and even greater faith in You. I pray that You give us faith. I pray that You give us to do Your will. Thank You God. I pray in the name of Jesus that You bless us. Amen.

Good evening, Daily Audio Bible Family, this is Blessed Assurance, calling at 652 on May, I think it’s the 11th, Friday. And I just wanted to call. I was sitting here praising God. I live in the Midwest, and we have a drought, and we have a beautiful thunderstorm rolling through. And the rain is glorious, I praise His holy name. We have been meeting as a community, praying for rain. We’ve just been praying that God would break this drought and tonight it’s such a beautiful blessing to see his provision over the land. And I just, I was sitting here praying and I thought, my DAB Family needs to hear this praise. Amen. Hallelujah. I love you all. Thank you very much. Love you. Bye Bye.

Hi, this is Pure Heart, from Tennessee. And I was calling to pray for James the Teacher. First thing I want to say to you, James, is that the Lord loves you immensely. And despite of, you feeling not your best because an error that you made. The word of God says we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All, so that, that means you’re no different than any of the rest of us. But just to show His love for you, the prison of hope, I just thought it was amazing minister to what you had said, the very next call. And I want to say to you, James, that I am convinced neither death, nor life, nor angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height, depth, or anything in all creation was able to separation from the love of God, that’s in Christ, Jesus. So, no matter what you are feeling about yourself, Jesus loves you. So, I’m gonna pray for you right now. Father God, I just pray for James. We bind that spirit of depression. And I pray that You would give him grace, concerning his job, Father God. That You would go before him and lose angels of God to just to minister to those that are speaking on his behalf. And I pray for his finances, during this time that he’s waiting and anticipating what’s gonna happen for his future. And I pray for his self-esteem to be lifted high above all, because …

Good morning, Daily Audio Bible Family. This is Ripka in Adda Sabbaba, Ethiopia. It’s May 13th. Yesterday I heard so many members of our community calling out in prayer for Junk to Treasure. And my heart is also breaking for you my sister and for your son and his family. It’s horrible, horrible loss. I also just cannot stop thinking about the man who shattered your family because of a moment of carelessness, being on his cellphone. I just think, if I were him, I would not be able to bear my life. And I pray that the Lord would have mercy on him and go and seek him out and find him. Lord, we pray for this perpetrator of tragedy of, as he feels Your, Your wrath heavy on him, that Lord, You would also remember mercy. Lord, I pray for any of us who may have been in a similar situation. In a moment of selfishness, carelessness, been on a cellphone, almost caused great harm, almost shattered someone else’s life. And just by Your grace, we were spared from being that kind of perpetrator. Lord, help us to be mindful of every action and the love and care we need to have for others. Lord, we pray for Your mercy. In Jesus name. Amen.

Hello Daily Audio Bible Family. This is a Fire calling from Central California. God bless each one of you in this community. Today, I’m calling specifically to wish all mothers, those who are seeking to be mothers, those who are already mothers, those who are grandmothers, those who are stepmothers, every kind. God bless each one of you. Happy Mother’s Day. God has given you a unique calling to be a mother. Because in you, you bring life into the world. Because of you, you are the first one who provide guidance, wisdom, and because of you, the world can be or is a better place. Mothers have been called to nurture and we, all of us, have gone through the hands of our mothers or grandmothers or whichever type of influence we have had from every mother figure. So, know that you have been given the greatest ministry on earth: to be a mother. We appreciate you; we love you. May God bless each one of you today. Happy Mother’s Day. Daily Audio Bible Family, there’s a Fire Calling from Central California. Make it a great day. Bye.

May 16, 2023

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday May 16, 2023 (NIV)

1 Samuel 18:5-19:24

⁵And David went out ^(A)and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants.

Saul's Jealousy of David

⁶As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, ^(B)the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments.^[a] ⁷And the women ^(C)sang to one another as they celebrated,

^(D)“Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands.”

⁸And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but ^(E)the kingdom?” ⁹And Saul eyed David from that day on.

¹⁰The next day ^(F)a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and ^(G)he raved within his house while David was ^(H)playing the lyre, as he did day by day. ^(I)Saul had his spear in his hand. ¹¹And Saul ^(J)hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice.

¹²^(K)Saul was afraid of David because ^(L)the Lord was with him ^(M)but had departed from Saul. ¹³So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. ^(N)And he went out and came in before the people. ¹⁴And David ^(O)had success in all his undertakings, ^(P)for the Lord was with him. ¹⁵And when Saul saw that ^(Q)he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. ¹⁶^(R)But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.

David Marries Michal

¹⁷Then Saul said to David, “Here is ^(S)my elder daughter Merab. ^(T)I will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me ^(U)and fight the Lord's battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, ^(V)but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” ¹⁸And David said to Saul, ^(W)“Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father's clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” ¹⁹But at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to ^(X)Adriel the ^(Y)Meholathite for a wife.

²⁰Now ^(Z)Saul's daughter Michal ^(AA)loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. ²¹Saul thought, “Let me give her to him, that she may ^(AB)be a snare for him ^(AC)and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time,^[b] ^(AD)“You shall now be my son-in-law.” ²²And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in private and say, ‘Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now then become the king's son-in-law.’” ²³And Saul's servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, ^(AE)“Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king's son-in-law, since I am a poor man and have no reputation?” ²⁴And the servants of Saul told him, “Thus and so did David speak.” ²⁵Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no ^(AF)bride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, ^(AG)that he may be avenged of the king's enemies.’” ^(AH)Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. ²⁶And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law. ^(AI)Before the time had expired, ²⁷David arose and went, ^(AJ)along with his men, and killed two hundred of the Philistines. ^(AK)And David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. ²⁸But when Saul saw and knew that ^(AL)the Lord was with David, ^(AM)and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him, ²⁹Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David's enemy continually.

³⁰^(AN)Then the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out ^(AO)David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.

Saul Tries to Kill David

19 And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. ^(AP)But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David. ²And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself. ³And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything I will tell you.” ⁴And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king ^(AQ)sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. ⁵For ^(AR)he took his life in his hand ^(AS)and he struck down the Philistine, ^(AT)and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against ^(AU)innocent blood by killing David without cause?” ⁶And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, ^(AV)“As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” ⁷And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence ^(AW)as before.

⁸And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. ⁹^(AX)Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. ^(AY)And David was playing the lyre. ¹⁰^(AZ)And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

¹¹^(BA)Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” ¹²^(BB)So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped. ¹³Michal took ^(BC)an image^[c] and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats' hair at its head and covered it with the clothes. ¹⁴And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” ¹⁵Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” ¹⁶And when the messengers came in, behold, ^(BD)the image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' hair at its head. ¹⁷Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. ^(BE)Why should I kill you?’”

¹⁸Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at ^(BF)Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth. ¹⁹And it was told Saul, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” ²⁰Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, ^(BG)the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, ^(BH)and they also prophesied. ²¹When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, ^(BI)and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, ^(BJ)and they also prophesied. ²²Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in ^(BK)Ramah.” ²³And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. ^(BL)And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. ²⁴^(BM)And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, ^(BN)“Is Saul also among the prophets?”

Footnotes:

1 Samuel 18:6 Or triangles, or three-stringed instruments
1 Samuel 18:21 Hebrew by two
1 Samuel 19:13 Or a household god

Cross references:

English Standard Version (ESV)

John 8:31-59

The Truth Will Set You Free

³¹So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ^(A)“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, ³²and you will ^(B)know the truth, and the truth ^(C)will set you free.” ³³They answered him, ^(D)“We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

³⁴Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, ^(E)everyone who practices sin is a slave^[a] to sin. ³⁵^(F)The slave does not remain in the house forever; ^(G)the son remains forever. ³⁶So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. ³⁷I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet ^(H)you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. ³⁸^(I)I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard ^(J)from your father.”

You Are of Your Father the Devil

³⁹They answered him, ^(K)“Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, ^(L)“If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, ⁴⁰but now ^(M)you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth ^(N)that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. ⁴¹You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, ^(O)“We were not born of sexual immorality. We have ^(P)one Father—even God.” ⁴²Jesus said to them, ^(Q)“If God were your Father, you would love me, for ^(R)I came from God and ^(S)I am here. ^(T)I came not of my own accord, but ^(U)he sent me. ⁴³^(V)Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot ^(W)bear to hear my word. ⁴⁴^(X)You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. ^(Y)He was a murderer from the beginning, and ^(Z)does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. ^(AA)When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. ⁴⁶Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? ⁴⁷^(AB)Whoever is of God hears the words of God. ^(AC)The reason why you do not hear them is that ^(AD)you are not of God.”

Before Abraham Was, I Am

⁴⁸The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and ^(AE)have a demon?” ⁴⁹Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but ^(AF)I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. ⁵⁰Yet ^(AG)I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. ⁵¹Truly, truly, ^(AH)I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never ^(AI)see death.” ⁵²The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon! ^(AJ)Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet ^(AK)you say, ‘If anyone keeps my word, he will never ^(AL)taste death.’ ⁵³^(AM)Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” ⁵⁴Jesus answered, ^(AN)“If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. ^(AO)It is my Father who glorifies me, ^(AP)of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’^[b] ⁵⁵But ^(AQ)you have not known him. ^(AR)I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be ^(AS)a liar ^(AT)like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. ⁵⁶^(AU)Your father Abraham ^(AV)rejoiced ^(AW)that he would see my day. ^(AX)He saw it and was glad.” ⁵⁷So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”^[c] ⁵⁸Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, ^(AY)I am.” ⁵⁹So ^(AZ)they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

Footnotes:

John 8:34 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; also verse 35
John 8:54 Some manuscripts your God
John 8:57 Some manuscripts has Abraham seen you?

Cross references:

John 8:31 : ch. 15:7, 8; 2 John 9
John 8:32 : 2 John 1
John 8:32 : ver. 36; Rom. 6:18, 22; 8:2; 1 Cor. 7:22; 2 Cor. 3:17; Gal. 5:1, 13; James 1:25; 2:12; 1 Pet. 2:16
John 8:33 : ver. 37, 39; Matt. 3:9; [Luke 19:9; Rom. 9:7]
John 8:34 : Rom. 6:16-20; Titus 3:3; 2 Pet. 2:19
John 8:35 : Gen. 21:10; Gal. 4:30
John 8:35 : Luke 15:31
John 8:37 : ver. 40; See ch. 7:1
John 8:38 : ch. 3:32; 5:19; 6:46
John 8:38 : ver. 41, 44
John 8:39 : ver. 33, 56
John 8:39 : [Gal. 3:7, 9]
John 8:40 : ver. 37
John 8:40 : ver. 26
John 8:41 : [Hos. 2:4]
John 8:41 : Deut. 32:6; Isa. 63:16; 64:8; [ver. 47]
John 8:42 : [1 John 5:1]
John 8:42 : 1 John 5:20; [Heb. 10:9]
John 8:42 : ch. 16:28; 17:8
John 8:42 : ch. 7:28
John 8:42 : See ch. 3:17
John 8:43 : ch. 7:17
John 8:43 : Jer. 6:10; [1 Cor. 2:14]
John 8:44 : 1 John 3:8, 12; [ver. 23]; See Matt. 13:38
John 8:44 : Gen. 4:8, 9; 1 John 3:12, 15; [Rom. 5:12]
John 8:44 : [1 John 2:4]
John 8:44 : Gen. 3:4; 2 Cor. 11:3; Rev. 12:9
John 8:47 : [ch. 18:37; 1 John 4:6]
John 8:47 : [ch. 10:26]
John 8:47 : [ver. 41]
John 8:48 : See ch. 7:20
John 8:49 : ch. 5:23; [ch. 7:18]
John 8:50 : ver. 54; ch. 5:41
John 8:51 : ch. 5:24; 11:26
John 8:51 : See Luke 2:26
John 8:52 : [Zech. 1:5]
John 8:52 : ver. 51
John 8:52 : Matt. 16:28; Heb. 2:9
John 8:53 : [ch. 4:12]
John 8:54 : ver. 50
John 8:54 : ch. 13:32; 17:1; Acts 3:13; Heb. 5:5; 2 Pet. 1:17
John 8:54 : ver. 41
John 8:55 : ver. 19; ch. 7:28
John 8:55 : ch. 7:29; See Matt. 11:27
John 8:55 : 1 John 1:6
John 8:55 : ver. 44
John 8:56 : ver. 39
John 8:56 : See Matt. 13:17
John 8:56 : Luke 17:22
John 8:56 : [Heb. 11:13]
John 8:58 : See Ex. 3:14
John 8:59 : ch. 10:31

English Standard Version (ESV)

Psalm 112

The Righteous Will Never Be Moved

112 ^[a] ^(A)Praise the Lord!
^(B)Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,
who ^(C)greatly delights in his commandments!
²His ^(D)offspring will be mighty in the land;
^(E)the generation of the upright will be blessed.
³^(F)Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his ^(G)righteousness endures forever.
⁴Light dawns in the darkness ^(H)for the upright;
he is gracious, merciful, and ^(I)righteous.
⁵It is well with the man who ^(J)deals generously and lends;
who conducts his affairs with justice.
⁶For the righteous will ^(K)never be moved;
^(L)he will be remembered forever.
⁷He is not ^(M)afraid of bad news;
his ^(N)heart is firm, ^(O)trusting in the Lord.
⁸His heart is steady;^[b] he will not be afraid,
until he looks in triumph on his adversaries.
⁹He has ^(P)distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever;
his ^(Q)horn is exalted in honor.
¹⁰The wicked man sees it and is angry;
he ^(R)gnashes his teeth and ^(S)melts away;
^(T)the desire of the wicked will perish!

Footnotes:

Psalm 112:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, each line beginning with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet
Psalm 112:8 Or established (compare 111:8)

English Standard Version (ESV)

Proverbs 15:12-14

¹²^(A)A scoffer ^(B)does not like to be reproved;
he will not go to the wise.
¹³^(C)A glad heart makes a cheerful face,
but by ^(D)sorrow of heart the spirit is ^(E)crushed.
¹⁴^(F)The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
but the mouths of fools feed on folly.

Cross references:

English Standard Version (ESV)

May 15, 2023

5/14/2023 DAB Transcript

1 Samuel 15:1-16:23, John 8:1-20, Psalm 110:1-7, Proverbs 15:8-10

Today is the 14th day of May, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian, it is wonderful to be here with you today, around the Global Campfire, as we reach the threshold and stepping into a brand-new week together. And as we so often say, we just mark the time, this is the beginning of the week, and the week is a vista out in front of us that we must walk through and what it’s gonna look like and how are going to experience it, will be made up of all of the decisions that we make, and all of the words that we say, and all of the actions that we take, that is how we will write the story of our lives upon this week. So, coming around the Global Campfire each and every day and allowing the Scriptures to be a part of that decision-making process, a part of the things that were gonna form and say, a part of the actions that we’re going to take, what a gift and what a gift it is to be here together. Today, is also Mother’s Day here in the United States. I know, celebrating mothers is a tradition throughout the world and that happens on different days in different regions. But here, today, we celebrate mothers and so, I certainly have a great amount of gratitude to my mom, who has departed and gone on to heaven. But I appreciate my…my wife is the mother of our children and I look at my daughter-in-law, my daughter who are also mothers and so mothers are in our lives, and we wouldn’t be here without a mother. So, we thank you, mom’s, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts with deep gratitude and celebrate you today as we take the next step forward into this brand-new week. And of course, regardless of which week or day it is we pick up where we left off and so that’s going to lead us back into the book of First Samuel, as we center ourselves there in First Samuel around the life of Israel’s first king, King Saul. We’ll read from the Evangelical Heritage Version this week. Today, first Samuel chapters 15 and 16.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for this brand-new week offered to us as a gift and dispensed to us, moment by moment. And as we move into this week and into the obligations and responsibilities of our lives come, Holy Spirit, lead us into all truth, lead us deeper into Jesus, lead us on the narrow path that leads to life and all of our thoughts, words and deeds, may we acknowledge You and all that we are. And may we be with You this week, acknowledging, becoming aware of Your presence in our lives, moment by moment, that there will not be a moment of this week that You are not present, that You are invited into everything about this week and everything about who we are, as You transform us into your likeness. Come Jesus, we love You and we are eager to share companionship as we navigate through this week. We pray all this in Your name. Amen.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Hi, I’m Judy from Wilton, California. I just heard it is May 6th and I just listened to Brian and the first caller after that was From Junk to Treasure. Her daughter-in-law and newborn baby was killed in a car wreck and her son ran down to see about the wreck and it was her. Lord Jesus, I don’t know what to say, I have no words to make things any better except please be with Junk to Treasure and her son. They need you now, more than anything in the world. Lord Jesus again may there be nothing deeper in the valley than this kind of a pain. Walk with them, Lord Jesus, be with them, let them know that the whole DAB family, the whole fire campfire is around them and calling out for God for them. See that they get through it, Lord Jesus. Be with them. We all be on our knees praying for Junk to Treasure and her son. We love you girl, and we love your son. And God will be there to take in that baby and her mama, with open arms He welcomes them home. Please, Lord Jesus, have mercy on these two people and their whole family. Oh, I just wish I didn’t have to hear those kinds of news and I’m quite sure they didn’t have to go through this kind of mess. But God will bring you through, God will bring you through. Taking our junk and making it treasure that is drawing in our lives. We love you girl, and we are so sorry. Amen

Hi, this is Julia, I’m calling to pray for Byron from Florida. I’m a little bit behind on the DABs, so I just heard your phone call today about your wife having panic attacks. I wanted to call because I went through a similar situation when I had just gotten married. And I went through very severe anxiety and panic attacks, multiple times a day, for like three months straight. And it was probably the hardest season of my entire life. But what I wanted to say was that in retrospect it was actually the most beautiful season of my life also because it helped me understand who I was in Christ. It made me hold onto the Lord, like I’d never held onto Him before. And because of that I understood what it was to rest in His love. And so, finding my identity in Christ and resting in His love became like my foundation for peace. And it completely transformed my family, my husband. You know, I noticed that you said you were calling because you needed wisdom as a husband and you know, we were newlyweds, me and my husband, when we started going through this. But the Lord even sustained my husband in this. You know, my husband, I remember he was fasting, and he was praying and as we were taking it day by day. But the one thing that we knew was that the Lord was faithful. Right, that He was gonna get us out of this. And because of that really rough season, nothing else that we have gone through has compared to that season. Like, it felt like we were married for ten years after only being married for about three months. And so, I just wanted to encourage you and let you know that. The Lord is with you. I am praying for you and your family. You are gonna see His faithfulness you know, expand in this season.

Hi, my name is Ross. I live in Raleigh, North Carolina. I’m calling because I’m tired. Honestly, family, I’ve been in ministry for quite some time and I’m tired. I need prayer for encouragement, direction, clarity and hearing God’s voice, rejuvenation of my spirit. Thank you, family.

Good morning, Daily Audio Bible family, this is Dawn of a New Day. Father God, I just lift up From Junk to Treasure, her heart, her soul, her mind, right now God, in the lost off her daughter-in-law and her granddaughter, God. I lift up the pain and the trauma of the heart of her son, God, of discovering his wife’s car, God, and losing his child all in the same day. God, this mother needs you right now, she needs You for her soul, she needs You for her spirit, she needs You for her faith and her sight and her fire, oh God. We need a fire God to seep down into her belly to help her son, to help her granddaughter whose birthday is the day of the funeral God. For all the layers of this tragedy God, You hand is strong enough to heal Your family, long enough to hold. I thank You for Your strength and Your power and the incredible, awesome nature, of your eternal comfort God. That there is nothing like in the whole wide world. If my heart healed from the death of my father a few weeks ago, the breakdown of my son, the day after God, the breakdown of my mother, God. I’m praying right now, God, that the same fire for this family as I pray for my own. I’m praying for the mom of my sister the way that I pray for my own mom, my own heart and my own gift. I thank You that You are a God who hears us, who answers us and responds to our prayers. We love You in the name of Jesus. Amen.

This is Brandon from Texas. And Junk to Treasure, I just can assure you this entire community is mourning with you and your family. And I really don’t have words, I’m sorry for this tragic accident. And Lord, I just ask that Your hand to be on Junk to Treasure and her son and the entire family, Lord. And that You just work Your wonders Lord, and Your miracles and somehow bring…bring good to this family from this tragic, from this tragedy and just ask that Your hand of comfort and peace and love be upon them. And it’s in the precious name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

I don’t have a good name yet but didn’t want to let that keep me from calling any longer. I’ve listened for a few years and never called in. Was thinking the other day how amazing it would be if some of you could pray for my husband and it hit me, they can you silly if you would just call. So, after God’s Smile encouragement that played on May the 8th, I decided here we go. I’ll go by Anonymous in Arkansas for now. If you would please pray with me. Lord, be with my husband, You know his heart. He has multiple health issues that have kept him working, from working for over the last 8 years. I first and foremost pray for his soul. Lord, I hope that he can come to realize that that nudge, that little voice that he feels talking with him, is You. That he needs You to help fill that void that he feels. Lord, I pray for him physically. If it’s Your will to heal him, I know that You can do that. But if not, please help us figure out how to manage his symptoms to keep them tolerable. Dear Lord, I also pray for his emotional health. Not being able to work and contribute makes him feel very worthless. So, I’m not worried financially, you always provide, Lord. I don’t know how You do that, but I do thank You. I thank You in advance for answering our prayers. I thank You for the DAB family and the Hardin Family for following Your lead. In Jesus name, Amen.

May 15, 2023

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday May 15, 2023 (NIV)

1 Samuel 17:1-18:4

17 Now the Philistines had gathered an army for battle at Socoh, which is in the land of Judah, and they pitched their tents in Ephes-dammim between Socoh and Azekah. ²Unwilling to allow another Philistine invasion of their nation, Saul and the forces of Israel went out against them. They camped in the valley of Elah and formed ranks against the Philistines. ³The Philistines stood on one mountain and the Israelites on another, with the valley between them.

⁴Then a champion emerged from the Philistine camp, Goliath of Gath (one of the five capital cities in the Philistine confederation), who was over nine feet tall.^[a] ⁵He wore a bronze helmet and a chain-mail coat that weighed more than 100 pounds of bronze. ⁶His legs were protected by bronze shin guards, and he had a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders, ready to throw. ⁷The shaft of his spear was as thick as a weaver’s beam, the iron head of his spear weighed 20 pounds, and his shield-bearer went ahead of him. He was a fearsome sight.

⁸Goliath stood and shouted to the watching Israelites.

Goliath: Why have you come to fight us? Am I not a Philistine, a warrior for a powerful empire? And don’t you serve Saul, your so-called king? Choose yourselves a champion, and send him out to me. ⁹If he kills me when we fight, then we will serve you; but if I defeat him and kill him, then you will serve us. ¹⁰Today I challenge the entire army of Israel: send me someone to fight!

¹¹When Saul and his army heard the Philistine’s words, they were shocked and frightened.

No one compares physically to Goliath. A hand-to-hand battle would be a slaughter, and the Philistines would conquer Israel anyway. Who can save them?

¹²David was the son of Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah who had eight sons. At this time, Jesse was already an old man. ¹³Jesse’s three oldest sons, Eliab (the firstborn), Abinadab (the second), and Shammah (the third) had gone with Saul to the battlefield. ¹⁴David was the youngest son; and while the three oldest went with Saul, ¹⁵he went back and forth between Saul’s battle and his father’s sheep in Bethlehem taking provisions to the troops and bringing word from the front line.

¹⁶For 40 days this Philistine giant, Goliath of Gath, stepped forward, challenging the men of Israel every morning and evening. But no one was brave enough to accept the challenge.

Jesse (to his son David): ¹⁷Take ⅗ of a bushel of roasted grain and these 10 loaves of bread to your brothers in the camp. ¹⁸Also take these 10 blocks of cheese to the commander of their company. See how your brothers are doing, and bring me some word from them. ¹⁹Saul, your brothers, and all the men of Israel are arrayed in the valley of Elah fighting against the Philistines.

The story of David and Goliath is one that has grown in popular attention, and many people who have never read the Bible know it as a simple story of the underdog defeating the favored warrior. Although there is another story of how David is noticed by the king (when he was brought to Saul’s court to play his music), in this story, David comes to the king’s attention as God’s warrior, contrasting Saul in almost every way. A mere boy, David doesn’t trust in his own strength or in armor or in fancy weapons. David places his trust in God, and his courage comes from belief that God can use him, as small as he is compared to his opponent, because God is all-powerful.

²⁰David rose early the next morning, left the sheep in the care of another, took the provisions, and obeyed Jesse’s instructions. David reached the camp just as the army was lining up and shouting its war cries. ²¹Both Israel and the Philistines prepared to fight against each other. ²²David left the provisions with the person in charge of baggage; he ran to the front lines and shoved his way through the soldiers to greet his brothers. ²³As David talked with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, emerged again and shouted his challenge to the men of Israel. This time young David heard his words.

²⁴When they saw Goliath, all the Israelites were frightened and retreated from him.

Soldiers: ²⁵Have you seen this man who steps forward? He’s trying to taunt Israel. Our king will reward the man who kills him with wealth, a royal marriage, and freedom for his entire family from taxation and obligations in Israel.

David (asking those around him): ²⁶What is the reward for removing this insult from Israel by killing this man? No uncircumcised Philistine can get away with taunting the armies of the living God!

Soldiers: ²⁷You’ve heard what will be given to the man who kills him. We were just talking about it.

²⁸David’s oldest brother, Eliab, overheard this conversation and became angry with David.

Eliab: Why have you come down here? Who is watching your tiny flock in the wilderness? I’m your brother, and I know you—you’re arrogant, and your heart is evil. You’ve come to watch the battle as if it were just entertainment.

David: ²⁹What have I done now? I was just asking a question.

³⁰David ignored him and asked another soldier the same question, and the people gave him the same answer. ³¹When news of David’s valiant words reached the king, Saul sent for David.

David (to Saul): ³²Don’t let anyone be frightened because of that man. I am your servant, and I will go and fight with him.

Saul: ³³Don’t be ridiculous—you can’t fight the Philistine. You’re only a youth, and he has been a warrior since his childhood. You lack age and experience.

David: ³⁴I work as a shepherd for my father. Whenever a lion or a bear has come and attacked one of my lambs, ³⁵I have gone after it and struck it down to rescue the lamb from the predator’s mouth; if it turned to attack me, I would take it by the chin, beat it, and kill it. ³⁶I have killed both a lion and a bear; and as your servant I will kill this uncircumcised Philistine, too, since he has dared to taunt the armies of the living God.

³⁷The Eternal One, who saved me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.

Saul: Go then, and may the Eternal One be with you!

³⁸So Saul outfitted David in the king’s own armor: a bronze helmet to protect his head and a coat of mail to protect his chest. ³⁹David strapped on Saul’s sword outside the armor and then discovered he could not move because he was not used to the restrictions of the weighty armor.

David: I’m not used to these things. How can I attack an enemy when I can’t even walk? So he removed every bit of Saul’s armor. He would fight the Philistine as he had fought those lions and bears.

⁴⁰He took his staff in his hand and went to the stream to choose five smooth stones, which he kept in a pouch in his shepherd’s bag. He had his sling ready as he approached the Philistine.

⁴¹The Philistine, with his shield-bearer in front of him, came closer to David. ⁴²When he saw that David was only a healthy and handsome boy, Goliath’s eyes filled with contempt.

Goliath: ⁴³Am I a dog that you come to beat me with a stick?

And he cursed David, invoking the names of his Philistine gods.

Goliath: ⁴⁴Come here, and I will feed your flesh to the birds of the air and the wild animals of the fields.

David: ⁴⁵You come to me carrying a sword and spear and javelin as your weapons, but I come armed with the name of the Eternal One, the Commander of heavenly armies, the True God of the armies of Israel, the One you have insulted. ⁴⁶This very day, the Eternal One will give you into my hands. I will strike you down and cut off your head, and I will feed the birds of the air and the wild animals of the fields with the flesh of your Philistine warriors. Then all the land will know the True God is with Israel, ⁴⁷and all of those gathered here will know that the Eternal One does not save by sword and spear. The battle is the Eternal One’s, and He will give you into our hands.

⁴⁸When the Philistine stood up and approached, David ran toward the line of battle to meet him. ⁴⁹As quick as a flash, he reached into his bag, put a stone in his sling, and launched it at the Philistine, hitting him in the head. The stone sank deeply into his forehead, and the Philistine fell face-first onto the ground.

⁵⁰That was how David defeated the Philistine with only a sling and a single stone, striking him down, ending his life without a sword in his hand.

David’s victory over Goliath sets in motion the rest of the story. The army of Israel wins a great victory over the panicked Philistines after David strikes down their champion, and David is elevated in the eyes of all (and soon will become Saul’s leading general). But the seeds of the ongoing struggle between Saul and David are also sown on this day, as the people celebrate the good-looking boy’s valor and heroism, filling Saul with jealousy. Soon Saul is thinking that David has everything but the kingdom’s throne, and he turns on the boy who has saved his people. Their war destroys Saul and complicates David’s life and eventual rule.

⁵¹Then David ran to the Philistine and stood over his lifeless body. He pulled the man’s sword from its scabbard and finished him by cutting off his head.

When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they knew they would be next, so they ran away. ⁵²The people of Israel and Judah gave a great shout and chased the Philistines the length of the valley^[b] and back to the gates of Ekron; and Philistines wounded in the battle fell all along the five miles of the Shaaraim Way, which ran between the Philistine capital cities of Gath and Ekron. ⁵³Then the Israelites turned back from chasing the Philistines and plundered the Philistine camps.

⁵⁴As the sons of Israel were distributing the spoils from the battle, David took the Philistine’s head and went to Jerusalem, but he kept the man’s armor and other possessions back in his own tent.

⁵⁵Earlier in the day, as David was choosing his stones and bravely approaching the Philistine, Saul asked his cousin Abner, who was general of the army, where David came from.

Saul: Abner, who is that young man’s father?

Abner: I swear to you, my king, I don’t know.

Saul: ⁵⁶Well, find out who his father is.

⁵⁷When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner brought him in front of Saul holding the head of the Philistine.

Saul: ⁵⁸Who is your father, young man?

David: I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.

18 By the time David had finished speaking to Saul, Saul’s son Jonathan was bound to David in friendship, and Jonathan loved David as he loved himself. ²Saul took David into his service on that day and would not let him return to his father’s home. ³And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as he loved himself. ⁴He took off the robe he wore and gave it to David, and also his armor, sword, bow, and belt, symbolically transferring to David his right to ascend the throne.

Footnotes:

17:4 Greek manuscripts read, “over six feet tall.”
17:52 Some Greek manuscripts read, “to the entrance of Gath.”

The Voice (VOICE)

John 8:21-30

Jesus (to the crowds): ²¹I am leaving this place, and you will look for Me and die in your sin. For where I am going, you are unable to come.

Jews: ²²Is He suicidal? He keeps saying, “Where I am going, you are unable to come.”

Jesus: ²³You originate from the earth below, and I have come from the heavens above. You are from this world, and I am not. ²⁴That’s why I told you that you will die here as a result of your sins. Unless you believe I am who I have said I am, your sins will lead to your death.

Jews: ²⁵Who exactly are You?

Jesus: From the beginning of My mission, I have been telling you who I am. ²⁶I have so much to say about you, so many judgments to render; but if you hear one thing, hear that the One who sent Me is true, and all the things I have heard from Him I speak into the world.

²⁷The people had not understood that Jesus was teaching about the Father.

Jesus: ²⁸Whenever the day comes and you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He. It will be clear then that I am not acting alone, but that I am speaking the things I have learned directly from the Father. ²⁹The One who sent Me is with Me; He has not abandoned Me because I always do what pleases Him.

³⁰As Jesus was speaking, many in the crowd believed in Him.

The Voice (VOICE)

Psalm 111

Psalm 111^[a]

¹Praise the Eternal.
I will thank Him with all my heart
in the presence of the right-standing and with the assembly.
²The works of the Eternal are many and wondrous!
They are examined by all who delight in them.
³His work is marked with beauty and majesty;
His justice has no end.
⁴His wonders are reminders that
the Eternal is gracious and compassionate to all.
⁵He provides food to those who revere Him.
He will always remember His covenant.
⁶He has shown the mighty strength of His works to His people
by giving the land of foreign nations to them.
⁷All His accomplishments are truth and justice;
all His instructions are certain.
⁸His precepts will continue year in and year out,
performed by His people with honesty and truth.
⁹He has redeemed His people,
guaranteeing His covenant forever.
His name is holy and awe-inspiring.
¹⁰Reverence for the Eternal is the first step toward wisdom.
All those who worship Him have a good understanding.
His praise will echo through eternity!

Footnotes:

Psalm 111 A Hebrew acrostic poem

The Voice (VOICE)

Proverbs 15:11

¹¹The grave and destruction are fully exposed before the Eternal;
how much more does He know the thoughts of Adam’s children!

The Voice (VOICE)

May 15, 2023

5/14/2023 DAB Chronological Transcription

Psalm 32, 51, 86,122

Welcome to the Daily Audio bible chronological I’m China. Today is the 14th day of May. Welcome. So good to be here with you today. Today is Mother’s Day, and I just want to take a moment to recognize and honor and celebrate all the moms in the community. Whether you are a mom biologically or through adoption, you fostering through taking on a kiddo that’s maybe a family member or a friend or another situation. Maybe you’re pregnant and this is your first Mother’s Day. Maybe you are grieving. This day is really hard for you. Maybe this is your first Mother’s Day without your mom. Maybe you’ve never known your mom. Maybe you don’t have a great relationship with your mom. I know this day can be really difficult for some, and so we definitely want to be sensitive to those who do wrestle with this day, who kind of hate this day. I’ve had friends who’ve hated this day for years just for several different reasons. And so the Lord is with you. He is our great comfort, our very present help in time of need. And I just believe that Holy Spirit is the essence of mother so much. And so just recognizing both sides is kind of hard to just celebrate all the moms and not recognize the ones who are longing to be or just have those things, whatever it is. Fill in the blank with your story and just make today hard. So today is hard. I totally validate that. I’m praying that the peace of the Lord would be with you and sustain you for sure, and that the desires of your heart would be met. Whether that’s healing for your own body restoration and healing for a relationship just for God to intervene, as we know he does, and also just celebrating the super strength it takes to be a mom is something I didn’t really fully grasp until I became one. And I love being a mom. It’s one of my favorite things that I get to be. And so I hope you feel celebrated today, and I hope that you got to be able to communicate what you want from today. That’s something that I have learned. And there’s a saying, and I don’t remember who said it, but it was like, it’s not sexy to communicate what you want, but it’s also not fair to not have your expectations be voiced. And so I always thought that was really helpful. I told Ben, I told my husband, I was like, hey, Mother’s Day is coming up. This is what I would like, have your freedom within these things, but this is how I would like to be celebrated. That way Mother’s Day doesn’t come and go. And then I’m like, I do so, you know, like, all these things and all these feelings, and so I just encourage you sit down with your spouse or sit down with whoever and just say, this is what I would like these are my expectations and they may not meet all of them and that’s okay. You definitely have to have some grace and some wiggle room. But just to be like, this is what I would like, this is how I’d like to be celebrated and give them freedom to also be themselves and put their own personality touch on it. So anyways, that’s my relationship tip for the days. And it saves this is kind of a joke, but not really. It’s serious. It saves marriages and it saves arguments. So there you go. Anyways, welcome. So glad that you’re here today. Hope that you are having a great day. I’m excited that we get to read the word of the Lord together this week and yeah, it’s been a great month. It’s been so rainy, which I love. You ever just need a good rainy day to kind of be like, yeah, I’m going to bloom it on the rain. I’m not doing anything today or I’m not going to leave my house or I’m going to sit right here and finish this book or watch this TV series or whatever it is that has been this past weekend. And I’m like, thank the Lord. There’s just something about rainy weather that gives you permission to do nothing. I love it. Hallelujah for it. It’s my Sabbath. Rain is my Sabbath. That’s probably blasphemous. I take it back. Anyways, today we are bouncing around in the Psalms. We’re in Psalm 32, Psalm 51, Psalm 86, and Psalm 122. Since it’s a new week, we switch up the translation and this week we are in the Evangelical Heritage version.

Commentary:

I love this last psalm that David is singing. It’s the song of the ascent, the peace of Jerusalem. And he’s talking about peace being within Jerusalem, but to read it in a place of peace being within us, that was something that I was actually recently bringing over. My daughter, she hit two and just developmentally her kids at this age, it’s very normal for them to have the call it sleep regression, but I’m like, you can’t really go backwards, you can only go forward. So I call it sleep regression. But there’s one night where she just wasn’t going to sleep and it had been like an hour and 45 minutes of trying to get her to lay down and Ben and I were both in there, we were just trying everything and I just was like, we just need to pray over her. We just need to pray for peace to come and reside because we are all getting cranky and she clearly is just feeling at unrest and we just need the peace of the Lord to come over her. And as soon as Ben was praying over her, she just calmed down and I felt like the Lord was like, just put her in your bed for tonight. And she slept for 12 hours that night. It was so great. And so I just think a lot of the times I’ll speak for myself. For me, I personally can just forget to pray for those things or to really just declare how we need peace right now. And I love what David is saying because, yes, he’s talking about Jerusalem in a very specific reason and purpose, but then also to kind of resonate it for our own homes and for our families and everyone that’s living in our home, typically families. And then sometimes there’s other people too, but then also just to be like for the sake of my brothers and my friends now I will say, peace be within you. And for the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek good for you. I just think that that’s a really sweet blessing. And I think sometimes I just forget like, hey, I can actually speak peace over this situation right now. I can speak peace over this, I can speak peace over you. We can call pause on this and just seek the Lord for a second because what we’ve been trying to do isn’t working in our own strength. We need the Lord. And so that’s kind of what that made me think of. But I just love we’ll get into it later this year, but I love a lot of Paul’s writings that start with, may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. What a beautiful way to start something. I feel like if someone started a conversation without with that to me I would just be like so chill leaning in so intently on what they were going to say. Because I believe that when we speak, that when we ask that from the Lord, he’s meeting us right in that. And so yeah, I just encourage you. Maybe there’s things like big things in your life that you really need peace over. Maybe there’s things that don’t feel as on the grander scale and you can also speak peace over it.

Prayer:

Father, I thank you for Your word and just for the really sweet reminder that we have Your peace with us. And God, I just thank you that we can be carriers of Your peace. Our homes can be resting places for Your spirit in Your presence and Your peace. And I just pray that we would be people who desire that to live in a place from it, not just from time to time when we can think of praying for it and asking for it, but that we would be people who are habitually seeking you out and seeking forth Your presence and Your peace. And so even right now, God, I pray that you would flood those who are feeling unrest with today. God, I pray that there would be peace in their hearts. They would just surpass understanding. They may not have to be answers that are given today or big conversations with you or from somebody else, but simply just peace to calm the raging waters in our hearts. And God, I just thank you that you meet us in that that’s in Your name we pray. Amen.

Community Prayer Line:

Hello, brothers and sisters. I would deeply appreciate if you would say a prayer for my daughter’s fiance who’s dealing with an addiction due to health problems. Please pray God would supernaturally intervene on his behalf to pull him from the grasp of the enemy. Thank you so much. God bless you all.

Hi, this is Scottish Tom calling in from the Cleveland, Ohio area. Just want to let you all know that I am praying for you all and I’m new to this channel. I have been listening to Brian probably for ten years or more, but this is the first year listening to Gel in China and I must say I am really enjoying it. Hope you’re all well and I continue to pray for you all.

Hi DABC family, this is Tabby from Nairobi, Kenya. First, honestly, I’m so grateful. I’ve just listened to the reading on May 9 and I’m just so grateful to God in my heart to have you all as part of our community. There was a gentleman who called. We had his call yesterday and I don’t remember your name, but you prayed for Whitney because the Holy Spirit put it in your heart. And I want to say thank you so much for that obedience because as Christians we should never take it for granted when the Lord brings a thought about someone our way. Because at that point there’s probably a need, there’s something that you need to raise before the Lord about that person. So thank you and also because you’ve prompted me to remember that for a while now. Cody of Utah, who also used to call a lot last year, has been on my mind and I haven’t heard from him, so I want to pray for Cody. Lord. Thank you for Cody. I know that last year was pretty tough and then at some point there were good things happening to him, but we haven’t heard from him in a while.And pray, Lord, that wherever he is that Lord, you would watch over him and perfect your plan over his life for God, perfect everything that concerns Him as you have promised and keeping wealth and safe. May you turn to his concerns. May you raise his spirit and his hope and faith in you. May you strengthen Him and bless him and his family. In Jesus name, amen. Cody from Utah. If you…

Hi, this is Pure Heart from Tennessee. I was calling to pray for a couple of our sisters. One didn’t give her name. She called May the 9th and she had a lot of requests that she was wanting to be brought before the throne of God on her behalf. A prayer for her mom with dementia, her son that’s having false beliefs about his walk with Jesus, the husband who’s not at home anymore and his salvation, the daughter who’s struggling with mental issues and my sister needing a job. And also prayer for first time caller Donna, whose granddaughter is 26. Her name is Shay, and she’s left home and hadn’t contacted her family. Father God, you know all of these prayer requests. You already know the beginning and the end. And you said, Lord God, that even before we ask, you’ve answered. So, Lord God, I pray that you would make ways for that mom to be cared for and that son’s heart, that the heart of stone would become a heart of flesh once again. That that daughter struggling by the God, that she would do well in school even more exceptionally than others, and that there’ll be a job provided for my sister, that she can work remotely, and it’ll be more than enough income and great benefits. And I pray for Shane, a hedge of protection around her, Father God, that you will keep her safe and sound while she’s out there and give her the heart to want to call her family, to let them know that she’s doing well. In the mighty name of Jesus. We love you, Lord.

May 15, 2023

05/15/2023 DAB Transcript

1 Samuel 17:1-18:4, John 8:21-30, Psalms 111:1-10, Proverbs 15:11

Today is the 15^th day of May welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it’s great to be here with you today. Here we are in the middle of the month just kind of passing through the middle of another one of our months together. And obviously we’ll be picking up where we left off, which will lead us back into the book of first Samuel. And we have had the opportunity to observe Israel’s first king, Saul. Today we’re going to start seeing the intertwining of another person’s life. His name is David, and he will be king David at some point, but at this point he's…he’s a musician who plays for the king when the king is disturbed. He carries the king’s armor. He’s known by the king, but he’s also about to become an international celebrity even though that’s not what his goal was. And, so, let’s pick up the story. First Samuel chapter 17 verse 1 through 18 verse 4 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we read one of the…the most famous stories in the Bible today, the story of David and Goliath. And if we remember, Goliath was a giant nine and half feet tall, a big, big, big guy. And we remember that we’ve see giants along the way, all the way from the beginning of the Bible. Remember when the spies came into the land, and they were looking it over and they came back with a report. They said that’s a great land, it’s awesome, we just can’t take it. There are giants there, right? And, so, here’s David now facing a giant, which makes it a bit of a mythic battle as well as a physical battle. So, we find ourselves in the Valley of Ela, the Ela Valley. It’s a place. I can think of it in my mind. We were just through there a couple of months ago. It’s a fertile valley in the lowlands, in the lowlands coming off the Judean hills and going out to the sea. It’s a very fertile area very, very good for agriculture. This is a valley. And there are ancient cities along the valley, like Ezeka and Soco, and Edulim, and Sha-Ariam and these settlements settlements are mentioned in the Bible and they kind of go all along the valley. This is like an ancient borderland. And, so, they’re kind of out, lined up at their border. The two armies opposing one another. It’s just like…it’s like a standoff that’s ongoing and each day Goliath the giant comes out from the army of the Philistines to defy the armies of Israel, and to defy Israel’s God and to taunt, right, to intimidate in any way that he can the Israelite army. And he’s offering terms of war basically going I am, you know, I’m the hero of the Philistines. Send out whoever the Israelite hero is. Send him out. We’ll have man on man conflict. We will represent each other’s armies. Lots of people don’t have to die, just one. If I kill your hero, then you’re our servants. We win. If your hero kills me we’ll be your servants. You win. It’s only that there is no Israelite hero willing to go and face Goliath one on one. Meanwhile, we have the shepherd boy David who’s tending sheep and his father sends him to check on his brothers who are in the army at the front. And he goes. He goes, because he’s bringing…supplying them. He’s…he’s bringing goods and gifts for their leaders, their direct commanders. So, he comes into the camp about the time that the giant is spouting off and he’s asking what’s going on and they’re like, come look at the giant. And…and then the word spreads to David’s ears. Like there is a reward for the person brave enough to go and try to kill this giant. The person that kills this giant, his family will be free of taxes. He will become a prince in Israel. He will get to marry the daughter of the king. And David in his youth is just looking at the situation going, okay, can you…can you repeat that one more time? Because he’s ready to go. And his enthusiasm eventually reaches the king and the King interviews David about going down and facing the giant. And David’s like look, I’ve faced a lion before and I’ve faced a bear before and that God delivered me from them both and I rescued the sheep that they were trying to cart off. Like I've…like this giant Goliath is no more of a threat to me than they were. God will deliver us. And, so, King Saul dresses David in his own armor to send him into the battle. It’s just that David can’t really maneuver in Saul’s armor, which really does give us a picture here. You can’t really fight your battles with somebody else’s defenses. For David to go into battle with Goliath wearing the king’s armor that he is not used to, does not know how to navigate, doesn’t even know how to really maneuver in is to say I’m going into battle, and I am not equipped for this battle because I am essentially pretending to be somebody else. I can’t go into battle like this. I need to go as I am, as I’m used to with what I have, how I understand how I’m supposed to maneuver. I have to go. God will save me. And that’s what we end up seeing happen. David goes into battle as himself as a shepherd as a shepherd boy. And when Goliath does see David coming to him without armor and his slingshot he’s like, am I a dog? Are we here to play fetch? S that…did you come down here to play fetch with me? Am I a dog that you’ve come to me with sticks? I’m going to…I’m going to destroy you, little man. And that’s when David rises up and we see this moment where David’s like, no you won’t. There is a God in Israel and you have defied the God of Israel. You made a colossal mistake. You are going down today. The battle is the Lord’s. And David slays the giant Goliath. And there’s so much there just for us to consider in our own trials and our own adversities and the things that we have to face and are we trying to face them as ourselves even though we feel ill-equipped. Is the battle the Lords or are we trying to suit up this somebody else’s defenses and take matters into our own hands? There’s plenty for us there. But as the story goes though, this is the end of life as David knew it. His life in this moment is irreversibly changed. His life is irreversibly entangled with the Kings life, King Saul’s life now. David, like the word of this. this victory in the routing of the Philistines is spreading faster than the Army can move and just like that, like in a moment David is now a national hero and is gaining international fame. He won’t be able to just be a shepherd boy anymore. And, so, David has to grow up. And we will watch this in these next days. David has to grow up very, very, very quickly and had to get very wise and accomplished very fast as we will see in the coming days.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for the story and…and just how much is embedded in it for our own lives as we face the obstacles of any given day, the giants of any given week or month that have to be faced. And how it is that we go about that, whether we truly believe the battle is yours and we must be who we are in the moment, or whether we feel like we’ve got to somehow pretend to be stronger than we are and…and…and go into battle pretending to be something different. So much for us. And, so, come Holy Spirit in…into these issues of life. But we are also watching the story of David emerge in the Scriptures. And, so, Holy Spirit come teach us what we need to know from Saul. Teach us what we need to know from David. Guide our steps. Illuminate our path we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, if this mission to keep bringing the spoken word of God read fresh every day and offered freely to anybody anywhere anytime and to build community around the rhythm of just showing up for each other here around the Global Campfire, knowing that we’re not alone as we take this journey, if that is life-giving then thank you for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

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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:

Coming soon…

May 14, 2023

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday May 14, 2023 (NIV)

1 Samuel 15-16

15 Samuel (to Saul): ^1-2Because the Eternal One sent me to anoint you as ruler over His people Israel, listen to what the Eternal One, the Commander of heavenly armies, has to say: “I will punish Amalek because they waylaid Israel in her path out of Egypt. ³I want you to go down against Amalek and destroy them, everything they have. Do not allow anything to survive; destroy them all—man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”

Although Saul is given great victories, God rejects him, regretting that Saul was ever chosen as king. Several reasons are given for why Saul was judged for listening to his own counsel rather than trusting in God’s. First he takes the priest’s role as his own and carries out a ritual sacrifice. Later his hungry soldiers break the dietary regulations from the law of Moses by devouring meat and blood together. Finally Saul does not destroy every aspect of the Amalekite kingdom as God commanded.

⁴So Saul gathered his forces, and at Telaim he counted them: 200,000 foot soldiers with 10,000 men from Judah. ⁵He approached the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the valley there. ⁶From there he sent a message to the Kenite people.

Message from Saul: Get out! Be gone! You showed kindness to the people of Israel when they came out of Egypt. Get away from among the Amalekites, or I will be forced to destroy you with them.

So the Kenites left their homes among the Amalekites. ⁷Then Saul attacked the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt. ⁸He cut down the entire population with the sword, as God had told him to do, except he captured King Agag of the Amalekites and kept him alive. ⁹Saul and the army spared Agag, and they saved the best of the livestock: the sheep, the oxen, the lambs, and the best of all the stock. They kept what was valuable instead of destroying it, and they only destroyed those things they considered worthless.

¹⁰Then Samuel heard the voice of the Eternal.

Eternal One: ¹¹I regret that I made Saul king over Israel because he has turned away from Me and from executing My commands.

What do we make of this idea that God has changed His mind? Classical theologians (Augustine and Aquinas, particularly) believed that God is unchangeable, above all such petty things as regret, anger, and sorrow, although His actions sometimes seem as though God feels such things. More contemporary theologians suggest that God can change His mind as His purpose is being worked out through the actions of human beings. In either case, what we see here is God seeking someone who will act as His regent and do exactly as He says—and clearly, Saul is no longer capable of being that person.

Samuel was distressed when he heard this, and he cried out to the Eternal One all night long.

Samuel feels terrible about what is going to happen, and he spends the night weeping. This reaction makes Samuel’s conversation with Saul that much more powerful—what sorrow and anger Samuel must be feeling as he is laying down the law to this young king he anointed with his own hands. This tragic twist in the story of Saul develops because he has failed to live up to God’s requirements, so God decides that His chosen king will not remain on the throne.

¹²Then he rose early in the morning to go and find Saul, only to hear that Saul had gone on to Carmel, where he had erected a monument to himself, and returned to Gilgal. ¹³At last Samuel caught up with Saul. When Saul saw him, he greeted him as if nothing was wrong.

Saul (to Samuel): May you be blessed by the Eternal One. I have carried out His commands.

Samuel: ¹⁴Then why do I hear the sounds of sheep and cattle?

Saul: ¹⁵They brought the best of the Amalekites’ sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Eternal One your God. But we destroyed all the rest as we were told.

Samuel: ¹⁶That’s enough. Stop talking, and let me tell you what the Eternal told me last night.

Saul: Go ahead, I’m listening.

Samuel: ¹⁷Don’t you remember when you didn’t amount to much in your own sight, but you were made the leader of the tribes of Israel? Wasn’t it the Eternal One who anointed you king over them? ¹⁸The Eternal One sent you on a mission, commanding you, “Go and destroy the Amalekites, who are sinners. Fight them until they are completely destroyed.”

¹⁹Why didn’t you obey the voice of the Eternal One? Why did you grab the spoils of battle, doing what the Eternal considers evil?

Saul (defending himself): ²⁰I did what the Eternal One instructed. As He commanded, I went on the mission and decimated all the Amalekites, and I have brought back Agag, their king. ²¹It was the people who took the sheep and cattle from the spoil that would have been devoted to destruction and brought them back to sacrifice to the Eternal One, your True God, in Gilgal.

²²Samuel: Does the Eternal One delight in sacrifices and burnt offerings
as much as in perfect obedience to His voice?
Be certain of this: that obedience is better than sacrifice;
to heed His voice is better than offering the fat of rams.
²³Rebellion is as much a sin as fortune-telling,
and willfulness is as wicked as worshiping strange gods.
Because you have rejected His commands,
He has rejected you as king.

Saul: ²⁴I have sinned. I disobeyed the voice of the Eternal One and your instructions because I was afraid of the people. I listened to their counsel instead of yours. ²⁵So now, please pardon my sin, and return with me so that I can worship the Eternal.

Samuel: ²⁶I will not return with you. Because you have rejected the voice of the Eternal One, He has rejected your claims to rule Israel. He is through with you.

²⁷As Samuel turned to go, Saul knelt to the ground, caught the prophet’s robe, and held on so tight that it tore.

Samuel: ²⁸Today the Eternal One has torn the kingdom of Israel from you to give to your neighbor, who is a better man than you. ²⁹The One who is the Glory of Israel will not recant or change His mind, for He is not like some mortal being who changes his mind.

Saul: ³⁰I have sinned. But please, do me this honor in front of the elders of Israel and all the people. Come back with me so that I may worship the Eternal One, your True God.

³¹So Samuel returned with Saul, and Saul worshiped the Eternal One. Samuel then completed what Saul had begun.

Samuel: ³²Bring me Agag, king of the Amalekites.

Agag was led to him, being cautiously optimistic that the worst was surely past.

Samuel: ³³Just as your sword has taken children from women, so will this sword make your mother a childless woman.

So Samuel chopped Agag into pieces before the Eternal One at Gilgal. ³⁴Then Samuel went back to Ramah, and Saul returned to his house in Gibeah of Saul.

³⁵Samuel never saw Saul again until the day he died. The prophet grieved over the hapless king. And the Eternal grieved, too, regretting that He had ever anointed Saul king over Israel.

16 Eternal One (to Samuel): How long will you mourn over Saul? I have rejected him as king over My people Israel. Now take your horn, fill it with oil, and depart. I have selected a new king for Me from among the sons of Jesse of Bethlehem.

The Lord has yet another mission for Samuel.

Samuel: ²How can I do that? If Saul hears I am anointing a new king, he will kill me!

Eternal One: Take a heifer with you, and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the Eternal One.” ³Invite Jesse to that sacrifice, and when he arrives, I will show you what to do. You will anoint for Me the one I show to you.

⁴Samuel did as the Eternal One had told him, and he went to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came out to him, unsure of what business he had there.

Elders (trembling): Do you come in peace?

Samuel: ⁵Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the Eternal One. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.

And Samuel consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice as well. ⁶When they came, he noticed the eldest son, Eliab.

Samuel (to himself): Surely this is the one the Eternal One will anoint.

Eternal One (to Samuel): ⁷Take no notice of his looks or his height. He is not the one, for the Eternal One does not pay attention to what humans value. Humans only care about the external appearance, but the Eternal considers the inner character.

⁸Jesse called his son Abinadab and brought him to Samuel. Samuel looked at him.

Samuel: The Eternal has not chosen him either.

⁹Then Jesse brought his son Shammah in front of Samuel.

Samuel: The Eternal has not chosen him either.

¹⁰Jesse walked seven of his sons in front of Samuel, and each time, Samuel refused them because the Eternal One had chosen none of them.

Samuel (to Jesse): ¹¹Are all your sons here?

Jesse: All but the youngest. He is off keeping the sheep.

Samuel: Send for him, and bring him here. We will not sit down until he arrives.

¹²Jesse sent for the youngest son, David, and he came in front of Samuel. He was a handsome boy, with a healthy complexion and bright eyes.

Eternal One: Rise and anoint him, because this is the one.

¹³Then Samuel took the horn filled with olive oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Eternal fell strongly on David and remained from that day on. Samuel then left for Ramah.

¹⁴The Spirit of the Eternal left Saul, and an evil spirit sent from the Eternal One tormented him. ¹⁵Saul’s servants saw this.

Servants (to Saul): Look, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you. ¹⁶Let our lord command that his servants find someone skillful on the harp, so that when this evil spirit from God is bothering you, he will play and ease your mind.

Saul (to his servants): ¹⁷I agree. Find someone who can play well, and bring him here to me.

One of the younger men there spoke up.

A Young Servant: ¹⁸I know someone, one of the sons of Jesse of Bethlehem, who plays skillfully and who is a man of courage, a warrior, sensible in what he says, and handsome; and the Eternal One is surely with him.

¹⁹So Saul dispatched messengers to Jesse.

Saul’s Message: Send your son David, who is watching your flocks, to me. Your king needs his service.

²⁰So Jesse did as his king commanded. He sent Saul a young goat and a donkey loaded down with bread and a skin of wine by his son David. ²¹David came to Saul and served him. The king loved him greatly and made David his armor-bearer. ²²Then he sent a message to Jesse.

Saul’s Message: David has impressed me. Please allow him to remain here in my service.

²³Whenever God allowed the evil spirit to afflict Saul, David would play the harp, Saul would be relieved of his torment, and the evil spirit would depart.

The Voice (VOICE)

John 8:1-20

8 Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ²He awoke early in the morning to return to the temple. When He arrived, the people surrounded Him, so He sat down and began to teach them. ³While He was teaching, the scribes and Pharisees brought in a woman who was caught in the act of adultery; and they stood her before Jesus.

Pharisees: ⁴Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵Moses says in the law that we are to kill such women by stoning. What do You say about it?

⁶This was all set up as a test for Jesus; His answers would give them grounds to accuse Him of crimes against Moses’ law. Jesus bent over and wrote something in the dirt with His finger. ⁷They persisted in badgering Jesus, so He stood up straight.

Jesus: Let the first stone be thrown by the one among you who has not sinned.

⁸Once again Jesus bent down to the ground and resumed writing with His finger. ⁹The Pharisees who heard Him stood still for a few moments and then began to leave slowly, one by one, beginning with the older men. Eventually only Jesus and the woman remained, ¹⁰and Jesus looked up.

Jesus: Dear woman, where is everyone? Are we alone? Did no one step forward to condemn you?

Woman Caught in Adultery: ¹¹Lord, no one has condemned me.

Jesus: Well, I do not condemn you either; all I ask is that you go and from now on avoid the sins that plague you.]^[a]

¹²On another occasion, Jesus spoke to the crowds again.

Jesus: I am the light that shines through the cosmos; if you walk with Me, you will thrive in the nourishing light that gives life and will not know darkness.

Pharisees: ¹³Jesus, what You are claiming about Yourself cannot possibly be true. The only person bearing witness is You.

Jesus: ¹⁴Even if I am making bold claims about Myself—who I am, what I have come to do—I am speaking the truth. You see, I know where I came from and where I will go when I am done here. You know neither where I come from nor where I will go. ¹⁵You spend your time judging by the wrong criteria, by human standards; but I am not here to judge anyone. ¹⁶If I were to judge, then My judgment would be based on truth; but I would not judge anyone alone. I act in harmony with the One who sent Me. ¹⁷Your law states that if the testimonies of two witnesses agree, their testimony is true. ¹⁸Well, I testify about Myself, and so does the Father who sent Me here.

Pharisees: ¹⁹Where is the Father who testifies on Your behalf?

Jesus: You don’t know the Father or Me. If you knew Me, then you would also know the Father.

²⁰Jesus said all of these things in the treasury while He was teaching in the temple; followers and opponents alike gathered to hear Him, but none of His enemies tried to seize Him because His time had not yet come.

Footnotes:

7:53–8:11 Many early manuscripts omit these verses.

The Voice (VOICE)

Psalm 110

A song of David.

Psalm 110 may have been written to celebrate the coronation of one of David’s sons as king. The Eternal invites the royal son of David to take his rightful place at His right hand, the place of power and authority—not just over Jerusalem but over his enemies as well. But the royal son is to be more than a king, he is to be a priest according the order of that mysterious and enigmatic figure, Melchizedek (Genesis 14:17-24). God promises to give this royal priest-king victory over his enemies as he marches out to war.

This psalm is the psalm most quoted by early Christian writers in the New Testament. As they considered the significance of Jesus, they found that this psalm, more than any, expressed their conviction that the risen Jesus now occupies a unique place at God’s right hand and will be victorious over His enemies.

¹The Eternal said to my lord,
“Sit here at My right hand,
in the place of honor and power,
And I will gather your enemies together,
lead them in on hands and knees;
you will rest your feet on their backs.”

²The Eternal will extend your reach as you rule
from your throne on Zion.
You will be out in enemy lands, ruling.
³Your people will come as volunteers that day; they will be a sight to see:
on that day, you will lead your army, noble in their holiness.
As the new day dawns and dew settles on the grass,
your young volunteers will make their way to you.
⁴The Eternal has sworn an oath
and cannot change His mind:
“You are a priest forever—
in the honored order of Melchizedek.”

⁵The lord is at Your right hand;
on the day that his fury comes to its peak, he will crush kings.
⁶You will see the dead in heaps at the roadside,
corpses spread far and wide in valleys and on hillsides.
Rulers and military leaders will lie among them without distinction.
This will be his judgment on the nations.
⁷There is a brook along the way.
He will stop there and drink;
And when he is finished,
he will raise his head.

The Voice (VOICE)

Proverbs 15:8-10

⁸When the wicked offer sacrifices, they disgust the Eternal,
but the prayers of those who do right are a pleasure to Him.
⁹The lifestyle of the wicked is repulsive to Him,
while those who do right delight Him.
¹⁰Harsh punishment is waiting for those who reject the path of life,
and those who hate correction will die.

The Voice (VOICE)

May 13, 2023

5/13/2023 DAB Chronological Transcription

2 Samuel 11-12, 1 Chronicles 20

Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible Chronological. Today is the 13th day of May, and I’m Jill, and we are winding this week down together as my week with you is coming to a close. And then I will hand you over to China, but not until we center ourselves around the Scriptures, which is what we do here every day. It’s the reason that the Daily Audio Bible and Daily Audio Bible Chronological and all of the other channels exists. So you make the Bible a part of our daily life to make it as accessible and convenient as possible so that every believer wouldn’t that be incredible if every believer was in the Word and had a regular relationship with the Bible? That wouldn’t be just a wonderful thing. We’re going to jump right into our reading today. We’re back in the story of Second Samuel, and we’re reading Second Samuel, chapters eleven and twelve. And then we’ll jump over to First Chronicles and we’ll read chapter 20. Today’s the last day in the New English translation, Second Samuel, chapter 11

Commentary:

It’s kind of a difficult story to process through today because we left the story of David just a few days ago with this very noble deed that he does by taking care of Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth. And we also have been on this journey with David when he was just a shepherd boy attending sheep in the field. And then he comes on this scene by slaying the giant Goliath, and then he has to flee from Saul. We see him corner Saul several different occasions, has the opportunity to do away with Saul, and does the noble thing into all of the other things that lead up to this event. And then we see the effects of a moment of weakness when his desires were fulfilled by watching a beautiful woman who was married to another man bathe and send for her. I want to just read from the god of your story today and summarize this so that we don’t miss the things that happened here. David plunged into a sordid affair with another man’s wife. Bathsheba slept with King David, though it’s debatable whether she had a choice and became pregnant. Her husband, Uriah the Hittite, was one of David’s most elite and trusted warriors. David attempted to cover up what he had done by bringing Uriah home from the battlefield so that he might enjoy union with his wife. But the plan didn’t work. Uriah’s faithfulness would not allow him the comforts of home and spouse while his brethren were at war. The affair itself would have been a scandalous humiliation for the king, but the actions he took to cover it up were even worse. He had Uriah sent back to the front lines with instructions that he be put in the most dangerous positions so that he might be killed in battle. And this is what happened. David had Uriah killed. David was confronted by the prophet Nathan over killing Uriah and taking Bathsheba for his wife. Nathan told David a story that enraged the king, who didn’t realize that he was a camouflaged version of his own story. When Nathan revealed the truth, David collapsed in repentance as the full gravity of what he’d done washed over him. Here’s the last thing that I would like to say about reading through this story, as we did today. We can read it from front to end, as we did today, and we could say, this is a beautiful story of redemption. David and Bathsheba do end up married, and yes, they lose a child that David is absolutely physically, mentally, emotionally distraught over losing. And then David and Bathsheba do end up having another son together. So to some degree, we could look at this and go, what a story of redemption. Let’s not miss the severity of the consequences of David’s actions. That has to be a part of this story, because other people were greatly affected by David giving into his sinful desire. And it’s important to recognize it here in this story, so that we can recognize it in our story. Not everything we do is out front for the world to see our sit on display. I think if we’re going to be real honest with each other here in this safe place, we can get real good at hiding what we don’t want other people to see. And God chose to expose David for what he did in secret. I don’t say that as a warning. I don’t say that as a threat. I am stating it as a detail, as a part of this story here today. And man redemption is beautiful. It is always the heart of God to redeem everything that was broken. And when we allow him to redeem things that are broken, he can, and he does.That does not mean that sometimes there’s not consequences still to our actions. And a consequence isn’t just God getting vengeance. God is God. If we let him be who he is, he’ll do whatever he chooses to. But a consequence is a result or an effect of an action or a condition. There are good consequences for good actions and there are bad consequences for bad actions. And sometimes we get just unbelievably blessed or lucky or whatever you want to call it, and a good consequence cancels out a bad action. Point being, this is a really important story where we cannot glaze over the repercussions of David’s actions. And they don’t stop here. We’re going to continue to see them in the story as David’s story continues and unfolds. But we pause here today and give thanks.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for your word. Thank you for how your word reads us as we read it. We thank you for that long, difficult look that we take every day in the mirror. And sometimes we see some really painful things necessary things to change, to become the men and the woman, the young men, the young women that you desire for us to be that would bring us in closer relationship, closer intimacy with you. And I pray as we read and hear these words today, Father, we come face to face with the consequences of our own actions that we have either missed or ignored or been too prideful and arrogant to even think we could be capable of such things. And maybe even hearing this, there’s some amends that we need to make in the stories of our own lives, choices that we’ve made that have affected other people, that we have either just missed or glazed over or been too prideful and arrogant to go to them and ask forgiveness. I pray, Holy Spirit, that you would bring those things up to our conscience, to our awareness, even now, knowing that you meet us with conviction, not condemnation, and that you meet us with love and compassion and kindness that leads us to repentance, ultimately leads us to your redemption. We’re so grateful for that today. Thank you for this week that we’ve had together and we consecrate next week to you, giving you full access, full permission to do that which you long to do in our hearts, in our minds, in our lives. We pray this all now in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Announcements:

It’s been a complete joy to be able to be here with you this week. And I now leave you in the very gentle but strong and capable hands of my daughter, China as she leads you gracefully this week and I’ll see you as my now adult son, but little, little boy Christian used to say, I see it if I get back, I’m Jill. Until then, love one another.

Community Prayer Line:

Praise my soul the King of Heaven, to his feet thy tribute bring ransomed healed, restart forgiven who like Thee His praise shall sing praise Him, praise Him, praise Him, praise Him praise Thee everlasting. Hi dear DABC family, good morning. God bless you all. Hope you all having a blessed Sunday. This is Ronki calling from the UK. I called in last, was it Tuesday? To ask for prayers for my little sister who was due to have an operation to be the glory. Everything went well with the surgery. She was in ICU for one day. They discharged her to the ward. The following day she came out. She was discharged from the hospital on Thursday, so she only had two nights to stay in the hospital, which is only God’s doing. She’s in the hotel now and hopefully by next week she would return back home. So I thank you all for standing in the gap, for praying, for praising. And if I have a thousand tongues, it’s not enough to sing the praises of our God. Let’s hold on to his unfailing love. He is a good, good God and he would do exceedingly abundantly, far above all we can ever ask or think of. So for anybody standing, waiting, he is able to do more than we can think of and it would always come through for us all. In Jesus’s name, belated. Happy birthday to Regan. God bless you all. Bye.

Hello, everyone. This is CC from North Carolina. I’m just calling in because I have realized I’ve been getting more closer to God and I realized that the devil is really upset that he can’t get to me like he used to. So I feel like he’s been going after my husband the last two weeks. He has almost gotten ran over. He’s a postal worker and the people who have done it have been angry or just road rage. They’ve stopped and yelled. And I just feel that the enemy is just trying to get to me another way. So please everyone, pray for my husband while he is out work delivering the mail for everyone, because it’s just you never know in this world. Everything is so predictable and I would hate for something to happen to him on his route. So just give a little prayer for him that the enemy doesn’t try to manipulate others to get to him so he could get to me. And I hope to strengthen my relationship with the Lord even more, regardless of what the devil attempts to do. Thank you everyone, and I also pray for all of you in your time of blessing and in your time of need. God bless. Amen.

Hi everyone in the Chronological community, this is Joyfully Joe. I haven’t called in a while because I’ve just been sitting and resting in God’s grace and mercy and grieving over the loss of my pastor and I’ve just been being still and allowing God to minister to me. And I just thank you guys because you’ve been a part of that, all your prayers and your prayer request, jill and China, your Bible readings, and I just say thank you. But right now I want to pray. I had a little bump on my lip that turned out to be a four millimeter tumor and it’s cancer and I have to have another surgery and I just want to lift up everyone who is struggling with cancer right now. Lord Father God, first and foremost, Lord Father, we praise you, God, because you are the God who hears us, lord God, you care for us, Lord God, you listen. And even in our most lonely times, Lord God, you meet us, Lord God, when we search for you and when we seek you, Lord God. And I just pray for everyone struggling with cancer right now. Father. Give them peace and comfort and healing, Lord God, where healing is part of your will, Father, and, Lord God, I pray peace over them, Lord God, and as we walk this journey, Father, may we keep our eyes on you, Jesus, because you are worthy of all of our praise.In Jesus name, Amen.

Hello. My name is Freddie from California. I’m just calling to ask for prayer for me. Doctors discovered liquid around my heart recently, and I have other complications. I’ve been suffering for over 35 years. My breathing problem, my lungs are no good. My liver and my kidneys are just hanging in there. But just recently, I found out about the liquid in the heart, and it’s costing me not be able to breathe. And I’m just going to ask for prayer. Thank you.

1 Samuel 20-21

Jonathan Warns David

David and the Holy Bread

David Flees to Gath

Footnotes:

Cross references:

John 9

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Psalm 113-114

Who Is like the Lord Our God?

Tremble at the Presence of the Lord

Cross references:

Proverbs 15:15-17

Cross references:

1 Samuel 18:5-19:24

Saul's Jealousy of David

David Marries Michal

Saul Tries to Kill David

Footnotes:

Cross references:

John 8:31-59

The Truth Will Set You Free

You Are of Your Father the Devil

Before Abraham Was, I Am

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Psalm 112

The Righteous Will Never Be Moved

Footnotes:

Cross references:

Proverbs 15:12-14

Cross references:

1 Samuel 17:1-18:4

Footnotes:

John 8:21-30

Psalm 111

Psalm 111[a]

Footnotes:

Proverbs 15:11

1 Samuel 15-16

John 8:1-20

Footnotes:

Psalm 110

Psalm 110

A song of David.

Proverbs 15:8-10

Psalm 111^[a]