A Wise Woman Abigail is an intelligent and beautiful woman. In contrast, her husband, Nabal, is surly and mean; his servants call him wicked and she confirms his name means fool. Nabal is wealthy, with thousands of livestock. David and his men protect Nabel’s herdsmen and flocks, anticipating he will appreciate their efforts and one […]
Ruth is Loyal to God and to Her Mother-In-Law Ruth is a widow and foreigner who remains faithful to her mother-in-law, Naomi. She leaves her family to follow Naomi to Israel. The reason for her loyalty to her mother-in-law is a mystery, since Naomi is a bitter woman at this time. However, Ruth also expresses […]
Doing What Is Right in The Eyes of the Lord King Ahaz is king of Judah. He is an evil king. He comes into power when he’s twenty years old and reigns for sixteen years. He dies at age thirty-six. His son, Hezekiah, succeeds him. King Hezekiah, however, it’s not like his father. He’s a […]
We Must Align Our Plans With God’s Will If We Expect His Blessing King David desires to bring the Ark of the Covenant home, restore it to its rightful status, and put it in its proper place. He envisions a major celebration, one for all the people (1 Chronicles 15:28). Yet he seeks to build […]
Sheba Leads a Rebellion Against David After Absalom’s coup attempt to take over his father’s throne is squelched, a troublemaker tries to lead a rebellion against David. Here’s what happens: When Absalom takes David’s throne, David and his entourage flee the city. Safely away, his army fights against Absalom’s army. When Joab kills Absalom, his […]
David Found Strength in God When His Men Wanted to Kill Him When David and his men return from battle, they find that the Amalekites had raided their base, taken their families, and stolen all their belongings. David’s men are mad, and they blame him. They’re so inflamed with anger that they talk about killing […]
God Tells Moses to Count the Number of Men for the Army The book of Numbers opens with God telling Moses to take a census of the people. Numbers also ends with a census. These two numberings of the people serve as bookends for this section of Scripture, which is why we call it Numbers. […]
Psalm 168 from Beyond Psalm 150 As the book of 2 Samuel winds down, so does David’s life. In the penultimate chapter, we read David’s final recorded words. In this short psalm of praise, David recites the words God spoke to him, affirming David’s godly character and righteous reign. Yahweh’s Spirit spoke by me. His word […]
Psalm 167 from Beyond Psalm 150 Second Samuel 22 looks back at one of the times when God delivered David from King Saul’s attempt to kill him. If this scenario sounds familiar and this passage from 2 Samuel looks just like a Psalm, you are correct. This song of praise from 2 Samuel 22 is quite similar to […]
Psalm 166 from Beyond Psalm 150 After God tells David—through Nathan—that he is not the one to build God’s temple, David collects materials for its future construction. In addition to his own resources, other leaders also give willingly toward the temple’s construction. In this the people and David rejoice. Here’s what David says. You are […]