January 7, 2010 (2 Samuel 7, I Chronicles 17, Psalm 25, 29, 33, 36, 39, 105, 132)

God had just given Nathan a message to give to David, and that message was that God was going to give David a dynasty and kingdom that would last for all time (referring to Christ). With David's response below, I again see a heart of humility. David knows his own heart and knows he is not deserving of this, but also knows that it's only because of God's promise and because of His will, that David is being blessed as he is.

^{2 Samuel 7:18} Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? ¹⁹ And now, Sovereign Lord, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign Lord?
²⁰ “What more can I say to you? You know what your servant is really like, Sovereign Lord. ²¹ Because of your promise and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known to your servant.
²² “How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you. We have never even heard of another God like you!

So many good Psalms again today. Below are snippets of some, and some in their entirety. On this first one, I thought of not only our children, but how we were as a child. And how are hearts even now are prone to rebel:

Psalm 25

⁴ Show me the right path, O Lord;
point out the road for me to follow.
⁵ Lead me by your truth and teach me,
for you are the God who saves me.
All day long I put my hope in you.
⁶ Remember, O Lord, your compassion and unfailing love,
which you have shown from long ages past.
⁷ Do not remember the rebellious sins of my youth.
Remember me in the light of your unfailing love,
for you are merciful, O Lord.

⁸ The Lord is good and does what is right;
he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
⁹ He leads the humble in doing right,
teaching them his way.
¹⁰ The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
all who keep his covenant and obey his demands.

¹¹ For the honor of your name, O Lord,
forgive my many, many sins.
¹² Who are those who fear the Lord?
He will show them the path they should choose.
¹³ They will live in prosperity,
and their children will inherit the land.
¹⁴ The Lord is a friend to those who fear him.
He teaches them his covenant.
¹⁵ My eyes are always on the Lord,
for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies.
²¹ May integrity and honesty protect me,
for I put my hope in you.

On this next one, do we really believe it? Do we really believe that God just 'spoke' and the world came into existence? Just to think on that one thought for a while and consider it deep within our hearts, should help us realize that no matter what we are going through, there is nothing beyond His ability in our lives....

Psalm 33

⁴ For the word of the Lord holds true,
and we can trust everything he does.
⁵ He loves whatever is just and good;
the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.

⁶ The Lord merely spoke,
and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
and all the stars were born.
⁷ He assigned the sea its boundaries
and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
⁸ Let the whole world fear the Lord,
and let everyone stand in awe of him.
⁹ For when he spoke, the world began!
It appeared at his command.

¹⁰ The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations
and thwarts all their schemes.
¹¹ But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;
his intentions can never be shaken.

¹² What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord,
whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.

¹³ The Lord looks down from heaven
and sees the whole human race.
¹⁴ From his throne he observes
all who live on the earth.
¹⁵ He made their hearts,
so he understands everything they do.
¹⁶ The best-equipped army cannot save a king,
nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.
¹⁷ Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—
for all its strength, it cannot save you.

¹⁸ But the Lord watches over those who fear him,
those who rely on his unfailing love.
¹⁹ He rescues them from death
and keeps them alive in times of famine.

²⁰ We put our hope in the Lord.
He is our help and our shield.
²¹ In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
²² Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
for our hope is in you alone.

Psalm 36

¹ Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts.
They have no fear of God at all.

⁵ Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.

¹⁰ Pour out your unfailing love on those who love you;
give justice to those with honest hearts.

Psalm 39

⁴ “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be.
Remind me that my days are numbered—
how fleeting my life is.
⁵ You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand.
My entire lifetime is just a moment to you;
at best, each of us is but a breath.”

⁶ We are merely moving shadows,
and all our busy rushing ends in nothing.
We heap up wealth,
not knowing who will spend it.
⁷ And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you.
⁸ Rescue me from my rebellion.
Do not let fools mock me.

January 6, 2010 (2 Samuel 5:11-6:23, I Chronicles 13-16, Psalm 1-2, 15, 22-24, 47, 68, 89, 96, 101)

In this passage below, we see David's heart. When his enemies surrounded him, he went to God. And then, when God honored his obedience, he didn't take credit for himself, but realized God did it for him. When the enemy came back, he again went to God for assistance. God gave him a different way to defeat them this time.

^{2 Samuel 5:18} The Philistines arrived and spread out across the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ So David asked the Lord, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?”

The Lord replied to David, “Yes, go ahead. I will certainly hand them over to you.”

²⁰ So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there. “The Lord did it!” David exclaimed. “He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!”

²² But after a while the Philistines returned and again spread out across the valley of Rephaim. ²³ And again David asked the Lord what to do. “Do not attack them straight on,” the Lord replied. “Instead, circle around behind and attack them near the poplar trees. ²⁴ When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the signal that the Lord is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army.” ²⁵ So David did what the Lord commanded, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

I think the tendency with us (me) is to ask God for 'deliverance', He does, and then in the next battle I try to fight it the same way, this time without asking God and without realizing He has a different 'plan of attack'. I think the underlying message in this passage is to continually seek God's guidance. His answers may not always be the same.

We again see the importance of God's word:

Psalm 1

¹ Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
² But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
³ They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.

The following Psalm is short and sweet, but lots of wisdom in it's words....

Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

¹ Who may worship in your sanctuary, Lord?
Who may enter your presence on your holy hill?
² Those who lead blameless lives and do what is right,
speaking the truth from sincere hearts.
³ Those who refuse to gossip
or harm their neighbors
or speak evil of their friends.
⁴ Those who despise flagrant sinners,
and honor the faithful followers of the Lord,
and keep their promises even when it hurts.
⁵ Those who lend money without charging interest,
and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent.
Such people will stand firm forever.

Psalm 24

A psalm of David.

¹ The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.
The world and all its people belong to him.
² For he laid the earth’s foundation on the seas
and built it on the ocean depths.
³ Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
⁴ Only those whose hands and hearts are pure,
who do not worship idols
and never tell lies.
⁵ They will receive the Lord’s blessing
and have a right relationship with God their savior.
⁶ Such people may seek you
and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob.

And I love this one because of verse 6 -

Psalm 68

For the choir director: A song. A psalm of David.

⁴ Sing praises to God and to his name!
Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds.
His name is the Lord—
rejoice in his presence!

⁵ Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—
this is God, whose dwelling is holy.
⁶ God places the lonely in families;
he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.
But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

Psalm 89

⁵ All heaven will praise your great wonders, Lord;
myriads of angels will praise you for your faithfulness.
⁶ For who in all of heaven can compare with the Lord?
What mightiest angel is anything like the Lord?
⁷ The highest angelic powers stand in awe of God.
He is far more awesome than all who surround his throne.
⁸ O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies!
Where is there anyone as mighty as you, O Lord?
You are entirely faithful.

Psalm 101

A psalm of David.

¹ I will sing of your love and justice, Lord.
I will praise you with songs.
² I will be careful to live a blameless life—
when will you come to help me?
I will lead a life of integrity
in my own home.
³ I will refuse to look at
anything vile and vulgar.
I hate all who deal crookedly;
I will have nothing to do with them.
⁴ I will reject perverse ideas
and stay away from every evil.
⁵ I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.
I will not endure conceit and pride.

⁶ I will search for faithful people
to be my companions.
Only those who are above reproach
will be allowed to serve me.
⁷ I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house,
and liars will not stay in my presence.
⁸ My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked
and free the city of the Lord from their grip.

January 5, 2010 (2 Samuel 5:1-10, I Chronicles 11-12, Psalm106, 107, 133)

I Chronicles 12:32 caught my attention today...

³² From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.

'All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take'..... it's important for us, to not only know God's word, but also the 'signs of the times' - which will help us in our course of action.

Because the chronological reading uses 'parallel' passages, I noticed this in both sections. Not always are the same things referenced, which makes me think this is an important thought, to be listed twice.

^{I Chronicles 11:9} And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord of Heaven’s Armies was with him.

^{II Samuel 5:10} And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies was with him.

And then, verse 12 continues:

¹² And David realized that the Lord had confirmed him as king over Israel and had blessed his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

David realized that God had put him in the position of king, not for his own sake, but for a higher purpose - for the sake of His people. There is a 'higher purpose' to all of our lives. If God has blessed us, we need to realize it's not because of us, but because of His grace and His higher purposes. It reminds me of something I referenced earlier...Moses was the most humble man on all the earth. He recognized this truth. He didn't become proud, but realized God had a higher purpose for his life.

I Chronicles 11also tells the story of David's mighty warriors. This is where the name 3&30 Warrior Ministry came from for our church's military ministry. As I read this I thought of Mel Gibson from "The Patriot" - (Cooper and I just watched that over the weekend). He had this kind of reputation!

¹¹ Here is the record of David’s mightiest warriors: The first was Jashobeam the Hacmonite, who was leader of the Three—the mightiest warriors among David’s men. He once used his spear to kill 300 enemy warriors in a single battle.

¹² Next in rank among the Three was Eleazar son of Dodai, a descendant of Ahoah. ¹³ He was with David in the battle against the Philistines at Pas-dammim. The battle took place in a field full of barley, and the Israelite army fled. ¹⁴ But Eleazar and David held their ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the Lord saved them by giving them a great victory.

¹⁵ Once when David was at the rock near the cave of Adullam, the Philistine army was camped in the valley of Rephaim. The Three (who were among the Thirty—an elite group among David’s fighting men) went down to meet him there. ¹⁶ David was staying in the stronghold at the time, and a Philistine detachment had occupied the town of Bethlehem.

¹⁷ David remarked longingly to his men, “Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem.” ¹⁸ So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But David refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the Lord. ¹⁹ “God forbid that I should drink this!” he exclaimed. “This water is as precious as the blood of these men^f]">[f] who risked their lives to bring it to me.” So David did not drink it. These are examples of the exploits of the Three.

²⁰ Abishai, the brother of Joab, was the leader of the Thirty. He once used his spear to kill 300 enemy warriors in a single battle. It was by such feats that he became as famous as the Three. ²¹ Abishai was the most famous of the Thirty and was their commander, though he was not one of the Three.

²² There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it. ²³ Once, armed only with a club, he killed an Egyptian warrior who was 7½ feet tall and whose spear was as thick as a weaver’s beam. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it. ²⁴ Deeds like these made Benaiah as famous as the three mightiest warriors. ²⁵ He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard.

But I know Chris got the name from the 'sister' passage in II Samuel 23 - so I looked at my reading log and discovered that section is referenced 18 days from now...so not sure of how the chronological part of this goes, but I guess it's close.

And now, just a couple of sections from the Psalms:

Psalm 106

³ There is joy for those who deal justly with others
and always do what is right.

⁴ Remember me, Lord, when you show favor to your people;
come near and rescue me.
⁷ Our ancestors in Egypt
were not impressed by the Lord’s miraculous deeds.
They soon forgot his many acts of kindness to them.
Instead, they rebelled against him at the Red Sea.
⁸ Even so, he saved them—
to defend the honor of his name
and to demonstrate his mighty power.
¹³ Yet how quickly they forgot what he had done!
They wouldn’t wait for his counsel!
¹⁴ In the wilderness their desires ran wild,
testing God’s patience in that dry wasteland.
¹⁵ So he gave them what they asked for,
but he sent a plague along with it.

²⁴ The people refused to enter the pleasant land,
for they wouldn’t believe his promise to care for them.
²⁵ Instead, they grumbled in their tents
and refused to obey the Lord.

³⁴ Israel failed to destroy the nations in the land,
as the Lord had commanded them.
³⁵ Instead, they mingled among the pagans
and adopted their evil customs.
³⁶ They worshiped their idols,
which led to their downfall.

⁴³ Again and again he rescued them,
but they chose to rebel against him,
and they were finally destroyed by their sin.
⁴⁴ Even so, he pitied them in their distress
and listened to their cries.
⁴⁵ He remembered his covenant with them
and relented because of his unfailing love.
⁴⁶ He even caused their captors
to treat them with kindness.

Psalm 107

² Has the Lord redeemed you? Then speak out!
Tell others he has redeemed you from your enemies.

⁴ Some wandered in the wilderness,
lost and homeless.
⁵ Hungry and thirsty,
they nearly died.
⁶ “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he rescued them from their distress.
⁷ He led them straight to safety,
to a city where they could live.
⁸ Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
⁹ For he satisfies the thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.

¹⁰ Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom,
imprisoned in iron chains of misery.
¹¹ They rebelled against the words of God,
scorning the counsel of the Most High.
¹² That is why he broke them with hard labor;
they fell, and no one was there to help them.
¹³ “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
¹⁴ He led them from the darkness and deepest gloom;
he snapped their chains.
¹⁵ Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
¹⁶ For he broke down their prison gates of bronze;
he cut apart their bars of iron.

¹⁷ Some were fools; they rebelled
and suffered for their sins.
¹⁸ They couldn’t stand the thought of food,
and they were knocking on death’s door.
¹⁹ “Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,
and he saved them from their distress.
²⁰ He sent out his word and healed them,
snatching them from the door of death.
²¹ Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
²² Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving
and sing joyfully about his glorious acts.

²⁹ He calmed the storm to a whisper
and stilled the waves.
³⁰ What a blessing was that stillness
as he brought them safely into harbor!
³¹ Let them praise the Lord for his great love
and for the wonderful things he has done for them.
³² Let them exalt him publicly before the congregation
and before the leaders of the nation.

January 4, 2010 (I Chronicles 7-10, Psalm 102-104)

Almost all of the Chronicles reading today was again, more boring genealogies, until I got to Chapter 10. This chapter recounts the battle where the Philistines killed Saul and his sons. The last two verses are kind of 'chilling'.

¹³ So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the Lord’s command, and he even consulted a medium ¹⁴ instead of asking the Lord for guidance. So the Lord killed him and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.

You say, "That's the Old Testament. I'm glad God doesn't do stuff like that today!" I would have to disagree. We see in the book of Acts that God killed two people who lied about the money they gave to the church, so His word tells us He can and does still do this. And I was reminded of a 'current day' situation that I feel shows that this happens today. There was a Christian counselor that was a part of one of the churches I used to attend. He was employed by the church and had a very effective counseling ministry, specializing in marriage counseling. Very wise man, great counselor. Well, somewhere along the way, he too 'was unfaithful to the Lord.' The short story is that he divorced his wife, and married a woman who divorced her husband. This woman and her husband had been seeing him for marriage counseling. Some time later, after I had moved away, I heard that he had come down with some mysterious illness. They took him to the hospital, but shortly thereafter, he died. I could be wrong, but I think 'the Lord killed him'. We'll never know this side of eternity, but I believe God takes His name and His holiness seriously. If we are His kids, He expects us to act like His kids, not like the 'pagan people' around us.

The Psalms today remind us of the goodness of God. As I read the last few verses, I was reminded of other verses that paraphrased say 'Evening and morning and noon will I pray and seek Your face'. I was struck with the thought that to 'counteract' what the 'world' throws out at us, we need to continually be reminding ourselves of the truth's of God's words. That's about the only way 'all my thoughts can be pleasing to Him.'

Again, I was going to just put in some of the verses of these last two psalms. But there is such good stuff about the creative ability of God as well as the faithfulness of God, that I just copied the whole things. As I read them I also thought of the first point that I had made, and was questioning what I had written, because the verses below say that God is filled with compassion, and does not treat us as our sins deserve. But if you read closely, you'll see His compassion is conditional.

Psalm 103

A psalm of David.

¹ Let all that I am praise the Lord;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
² Let all that I am praise the Lord;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
³ He forgives all my sins
and heals all my diseases.
⁴ He redeems me from death
and crowns me with love and tender mercies.
⁵ He fills my life with good things.
My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

⁶ The Lord gives righteousness
and justice to all who are treated unfairly.

⁷ He revealed his character to Moses
and his deeds to the people of Israel.
⁸ The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
⁹ He will not constantly accuse us,
nor remain angry forever.
¹⁰ He does not punish us for all our sins;
he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve.
¹¹ For his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
¹² He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
¹³ The Lord is like a father to his children,
tender and compassionate to those who fear him.
¹⁴ For he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
¹⁵ Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
¹⁶ The wind blows, and we are gone—
as though we had never been here.
¹⁷ But the love of the Lord remains forever
with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children
¹⁸ of those who are faithful to his covenant,
of those who obey his commandments!

¹⁹ The Lord has made the heavens his throne;
from there he rules over everything.

²⁰ Praise the Lord, you angels,
you mighty ones who carry out his plans,
listening for each of his commands.
²¹ Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels
who serve him and do his will!
²² Praise the Lord, everything he has created,
everything in all his kingdom.

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Psalm 104

¹ Let all that I am praise the Lord.

O Lord my God, how great you are!
You are robed with honor and majesty.
² You are dressed in a robe of light.
You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;
³ you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds.
You make the clouds your chariot;
you ride upon the wings of the wind.
⁴ The winds are your messengers;
flames of fire are your servants.

⁵ You placed the world on its foundation
so it would never be moved.
⁶ You clothed the earth with floods of water,
water that covered even the mountains.
⁷ At your command, the water fled;
at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away.
⁸ Mountains rose and valleys sank
to the levels you decreed.
⁹ Then you set a firm boundary for the seas,
so they would never again cover the earth.

¹⁰ You make springs pour water into the ravines,
so streams gush down from the mountains.
¹¹ They provide water for all the animals,
and the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
¹² The birds nest beside the streams
and sing among the branches of the trees.
¹³ You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home,
and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor.
¹⁴ You cause grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for people to use.
You allow them to produce food from the earth—
¹⁵ wine to make them glad,
olive oil to soothe their skin,
and bread to give them strength.
¹⁶ The trees of the Lord are well cared for—
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
¹⁷ There the birds make their nests,
and the storks make their homes in the cypresses.
¹⁸ High in the mountains live the wild goats,
and the rocks form a refuge for the rock badgers.

¹⁹ You made the moon to mark the seasons,
and the sun knows when to set.
²⁰ You send the darkness, and it becomes night,
when all the forest animals prowl about.
²¹ Then the young lions roar for their prey,
stalking the food provided by God.
²² At dawn they slink back
into their dens to rest.
²³ Then people go off to their work,
where they labor until evening.

²⁴ O Lord, what a variety of things you have made!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.
²⁵ Here is the ocean, vast and wide,
teeming with life of every kind,
both large and small.
²⁶ See the ships sailing along,
and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea.

²⁷ They all depend on you
to give them food as they need it.
²⁸ When you supply it, they gather it.
You open your hand to feed them,
and they are richly satisfied.
²⁹ But if you turn away from them, they panic.
When you take away their breath,
they die and turn again to dust.
³⁰ When you give them your breath, life is created,
and you renew the face of the earth.

³¹ May the glory of the Lord continue forever!
The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made!
³² The earth trembles at his glance;
the mountains smoke at his touch.

³³ I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath!
³⁴ May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
³⁵ Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth;
let the wicked disappear forever.

Let all that I am praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!

January 3, 2009 (I Chronicles 6, Psalm 81, 88, 92-93)

I like Psalm 81, especially these verses:


I heard an unknown voice say,
⁶ “Now I will take the load from your shoulders;
I will free your hands from their heavy tasks.
⁷ You cried to me in trouble, and I saved you;
I answered out of the thundercloud
and tested your faith when there was no water at Meribah.

Jesus tells us His sheep hear His voice and they follow Him. It is no longer an "unknown voice". I love His promise that he will take the load from our shoulders.

And again, God tries to get our attention by telling us how good He would be to us, if only we would listen.....

⁸ “Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings.
O Israel, if you would only listen to me!
⁹ You must never have a foreign god;
you must not bow down before a false god.
¹⁰ For it was I, the Lord your God,
who rescued you from the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.

¹¹ “But no, my people wouldn’t listen.
Israel did not want me around.
¹² So I let them follow their own stubborn desires,
living according to their own ideas.
¹³ Oh, that my people would listen to me!
Oh, that Israel would follow me, walking in my paths!
¹⁴ How quickly I would then subdue their enemies!
How soon my hands would be upon their foes!
¹⁵ Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him;
they would be doomed forever.
¹⁶ But I would feed you with the finest wheat.
I would satisfy you with wild honey from the rock.”

January 2, 2010 (I Chronicles 3-5, Psalm 73, 77-78)

I Chronicles 3-5 is pretty much more boring genealogy stuff. I have to say it's a pain to read, and I find myself skimming. But chapter 3 starts off with the sons born to David, and the thing that caught my eye was that his first six sons each had different mothers. I know things were different back then, but can you imagine the 'disfunction' in that family. God created women as emotional creatures, and jealousy is as strong an emotion as there is. I know as I think back on what I've read before, there is a part I remember about how David's parenting skills come into play, and his 'disconnect'. Perhaps the reason for that is that he felt he could never make everyone happy so why try?

Chapter 5 tells of two different ways to fight battles and the resulting outcomes. Here's the first way:

¹⁸ There were 44,760 capable warriors in the armies of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They were all skilled in combat and armed with shields, swords, and bows. ¹⁹ They waged war against the Hagrites, the Jeturites, the Naphishites, and the Nodabites. ²⁰ They cried out to God during the battle, and he answered their prayer because they trusted in him. So the Hagrites and all their allies were defeated. ²² Many of the Hagrites were killed in the battle because God was fighting against them. The people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh lived in their land until they were taken into exile.

Now here's the second example:

²³ The half-tribe of Manasseh was very large and spread through the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon. ²⁴These men had a great reputation as mighty warriors and leaders of their clans.

²⁵ But these tribes were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors. They worshiped the gods of the nations that God had destroyed. ²⁶ So the God of Israel caused King Pul of Assyria (also known as Tiglath-pileser) to invade the land and take away the people of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh as captives. The Assyrians exiled them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the Gozan River, where they remain to this day.

I believe with all my heart that the same principles that applied to 'battle' in those days, apply to 'life's battles' today. When we are faithful and dependant to and upon God, He is faithful to us. When we worship 'other gods', He opposes us.

All the Psalms for today are good, but Psalm 78 details the cycle of sin. It's a long one, and I was going to cut parts of it, but I just couldn't. The whole psalm gives the best picture.

Psalm 78

¹ O my people, listen to my instructions.
Open your ears to what I am saying,
² for I will speak to you in a parable.
I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—
³ stories we have heard and known,
stories our ancestors handed down to us.
⁴ We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.
⁵ For he issued his laws to Jacob;
he gave his instructions to Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
to teach them to their children,
⁶ so the next generation might know them—
even the children not yet born—
and they in turn will teach their own children.
⁷ So each generation should set its hope anew on God,
not forgetting his glorious miracles
and obeying his commands.
⁸ Then they will not be like their ancestors—
stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful,
refusing to give their hearts to God.

⁹ The warriors of Ephraim, though armed with bows,
turned their backs and fled on the day of battle.
¹⁰ They did not keep God’s covenant
and refused to live by his instructions.
¹¹ They forgot what he had done—
the great wonders he had shown them,
¹² the miracles he did for their ancestors
on the plain of Zoan in the land of Egypt.
¹³ For he divided the sea and led them through,
making the water stand up like walls!
¹⁴ In the daytime he led them by a cloud,
and all night by a pillar of fire.
¹⁵ He split open the rocks in the wilderness
to give them water, as from a gushing spring.
¹⁶ He made streams pour from the rock,
making the waters flow down like a river!

¹⁷ Yet they kept on sinning against him,
rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
¹⁸ They stubbornly tested God in their hearts,
demanding the foods they craved.
¹⁹ They even spoke against God himself, saying,
“God can’t give us food in the wilderness.
²⁰ Yes, he can strike a rock so water gushes out,
but he can’t give his people bread and meat.”
²¹ When the Lord heard them, he was furious.
The fire of his wrath burned against Jacob.
Yes, his anger rose against Israel,
²² for they did not believe God
or trust him to care for them.
²³ But he commanded the skies to open;
he opened the doors of heaven.
²⁴ He rained down manna for them to eat;
he gave them bread from heaven.
²⁵ They ate the food of angels!
God gave them all they could hold.
²⁶ He released the east wind in the heavens
and guided the south wind by his mighty power.
²⁷ He rained down meat as thick as dust—
birds as plentiful as the sand on the seashore!
²⁸ He caused the birds to fall within their camp
and all around their tents.
²⁹ The people ate their fill.
He gave them what they craved.
³⁰ But before they satisfied their craving,
while the meat was yet in their mouths,
³¹ the anger of God rose against them,
and he killed their strongest men.
He struck down the finest of Israel’s young men.

³² But in spite of this, the people kept sinning.
Despite his wonders, they refused to trust him.
³³ So he ended their lives in failure,
their years in terror.
³⁴ When God began killing them,
they finally sought him.
They repented and took God seriously.
³⁵ Then they remembered that God was their rock,
that God Most High was their redeemer.
³⁶ But all they gave him was lip service;
they lied to him with their tongues.
³⁷ Their hearts were not loyal to him.
They did not keep his covenant.
³⁸ Yet he was merciful and forgave their sins
and did not destroy them all.
Many times he held back his anger
and did not unleash his fury!
³⁹ For he remembered that they were merely mortal,
gone like a breath of wind that never returns.

⁴⁰ Oh, how often they rebelled against him in the wilderness
and grieved his heart in that dry wasteland.
⁴¹ Again and again they tested God’s patience
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
⁴² They did not remember his power
and how he rescued them from their enemies.
⁴³ They did not remember his miraculous signs in Egypt,
his wonders on the plain of Zoan.
⁴⁴ For he turned their rivers into blood,
so no one could drink from the streams.
⁴⁵ He sent vast swarms of flies to consume them
and hordes of frogs to ruin them.
⁴⁶ He gave their crops to caterpillars;
their harvest was consumed by locusts.
⁴⁷ He destroyed their grapevines with hail
and shattered their sycamore-figs with sleet.
⁴⁸ He abandoned their cattle to the hail,
their livestock to bolts of lightning.
⁴⁹ He loosed on them his fierce anger—
all his fury, rage, and hostility.
He dispatched against them
a band of destroying angels.
⁵⁰ He turned his anger against them;
he did not spare the Egyptians’ lives
but ravaged them with the plague.
⁵¹ He killed the oldest son in each Egyptian family,
the flower of youth throughout the land of Egypt.
⁵² But he led his own people like a flock of sheep,
guiding them safely through the wilderness.
⁵³ He kept them safe so they were not afraid;
but the sea covered their enemies.
⁵⁴ He brought them to the border of his holy land,
to this land of hills he had won for them.
⁵⁵ He drove out the nations before them;
he gave them their inheritance by lot.
He settled the tribes of Israel into their homes.

⁵⁶ But they kept testing and rebelling against God Most High.
They did not obey his laws.
⁵⁷ They turned back and were as faithless as their parents.
They were as undependable as a crooked bow.
⁵⁸ They angered God by building shrines to other gods;
they made him jealous with their idols.
⁵⁹ When God heard them, he was very angry,
and he completely rejected Israel.
⁶⁰ Then he abandoned his dwelling at Shiloh,
the Tabernacle where he had lived among the people.
⁶¹ He allowed the Ark of his might to be captured;
he surrendered his glory into enemy hands.
⁶² He gave his people over to be butchered by the sword,
because he was so angry with his own people—his special possession.
⁶³ Their young men were killed by fire;
their young women died before singing their wedding songs.
⁶⁴ Their priests were slaughtered,
and their widows could not mourn their deaths.

⁶⁵ Then the Lord rose up as though waking from sleep,
like a warrior aroused from a drunken stupor.
⁶⁶ He routed his enemies
and sent them to eternal shame.
⁶⁷ But he rejected Joseph’s descendants;
he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
⁶⁸ He chose instead the tribe of Judah,
and Mount Zion, which he loved.
⁶⁹ There he built his sanctuary as high as the heavens,
as solid and enduring as the earth.
⁷⁰ He chose his servant David,
calling him from the sheep pens.
⁷¹ He took David from tending the ewes and lambs
and made him the shepherd of Jacob’s descendants—
God’s own people, Israel.
⁷² He cared for them with a true heart
and led them with skillful hands.

January 1, 2010 (I Chronicles 1-2, Psalm 43-45, 49, 84-85, 87)

I Chronicles starts off with genealogies....boring stuff overall, unless you really dig, but I learned a few things from this. One, I have a new nickname for Chris, although I haven't told him yet, and I have a feeling he won't like it...Nimrod! I actually think I've heard that name used in a derogatory manner, but I Chron. 1:10 says "Cush was also the ancestor of Nimrod, who was known across the earth as a heroic warrior." I think my hubby would prefer 'Highland Savage' to 'Nimrod'.

And in I Chron. chapter 2 I learned that Abishai, Joab and Asahel (who were mentioned a day or two ago) were actually the nephews of David. I never caught that before.

A few tidbits from the Psalms...

A good reminder for those engaged in military battles:

Psalm 44

¹ O God, we have heard it with our own ears—
our ancestors have told us
of all you did in their day,
in days long ago:
² You drove out the pagan nations by your power
and gave all the land to our ancestors.
You crushed their enemies
and set our ancestors free.
³ They did not conquer the land with their swords;
it was not their own strong arm that gave them victory.
It was your right hand and strong arm
and the blinding light from your face that helped them,
for you loved them. ⁴ You are my King and my God.
You command victories for Israel.
⁵ Only by your power can we push back our enemies;
only in your name can we trample our foes.
⁶ I do not trust in my bow;
I do not count on my sword to save me.
⁷ You are the one who gives us victory over our enemies;
you disgrace those who hate us.
⁸ O God, we give glory to you all day long
and constantly praise your name.

²⁰ If we had forgotten the name of our God
or spread our hands in prayer to foreign gods,
²¹ God would surely have known it,
for he knows the secrets of every heart.

And then a word to the wise about riches and wealth. No matter how much money you have, you cannot 'buy yourself' out of dying some day....

Psalm 49

⁵ Why should I fear when trouble comes,
when enemies surround me?
⁶ They trust in their wealth
and boast of great riches.
⁷ Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death
by paying a ransom to God.
⁸ Redemption does not come so easily,
for no one can ever pay enough
⁹ to live forever
and never see the grave.

¹⁰ Those who are wise must finally die,
just like the foolish and senseless,
leaving all their wealth behind.
¹¹ The grave is their eternal home,
where they will stay forever.
They may name their estates after themselves,
¹² but their fame will not last.
They will die, just like animals.
¹³ This is the fate of fools,
though they are remembered as being wise.

¹⁴ Like sheep, they are led to the grave,
where death will be their shepherd.
In the morning the godly will rule over them.
Their bodies will rot in the grave,
far from their grand estates.
¹⁵ But as for me, God will redeem my life.
He will snatch me from the power of the grave.