He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. — Sun Tzu in The Art of War Imagine the scene. Thirty-two thousand chariots have rolled in “from Mesopotamia, from Syrian Maacah, and from Zobah” (1 Chron 19:6) to aid the Ammonites in their showdown with Israel. In a pincer formation, the Syrians formed one […]
All seems infected that th’ infected spy, As all looks yellow to the jaundiced eye. —Alexander Pope David was able to make alliances with the surrounding nations and, for a change, peace settled over the Middle East. But not for long! Our chapter begins, “It happened after this…” (1 Chron 19:1). One of the kings that had […]
Read More… from September 12, 2024 — The Battle Against Ammon
Remember that every blessing is a burden, every skill a stewardship, every opportunity an obligation. With David’s ever-expanding kingdom, the burden of administration grew. The man who began caring for “those few sheep in the wilderness” (1 Sam 17:28) soon advanced to supervising “everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented” (22:2), […]
Read More… from September 11, 2024 — I’ll Take My Blessings Extra Large
Encourage means “to put courage in.” But what good is courage if there are no battles to fight? “After this,” begins 1 Chronicles 18. After what? After the Lord had spoken to David and he replied to the Lord, “You have brought me this far” (17:16). But more, “You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while […]
There’s a lesson to be learned from a wide receiver on the football field. […]
It would be hard to complain if we found that God was going to build US a house! Wait! He is! Three men, by their far-reaching influence for God, tower over many of the great women and men of Scripture: Moses, the Lawgiver; David, the Psalmist; and Paul, the Apostle. Only with Moses did the […]
If you’re a Christian, let me introduce you to one of your brothers. Tom was told he’d never change. He thought that was true—until he met Jesus. […]
God’s plans are far greater than our present disappointments and far richer than our personal desires. The plan was a good one, and Nathan had given his approval. David would build a house for God. God, however, had not been consulted. So that evening, the Lord asked Nathan: Would he be so kind as to […]