“Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, and before honor is humility” (Prov 18:12). Although “old, advanced in years” (1 Ki 1:1), David quickly responded to the two-pronged appeal by Bathsheba and Nathan to publicly place his seal of approval on Solomon (vv 15-27), thereby denouncing Adonijah’s spurious claim to the throne. He […]
Bathsheba means “daughter of the oath.” Her first recorded words? “My lord, you swore by the Lord…” Adonijah, the fourth son of King David, was given a magnificent name. It linked together two of the chief names of God—Adonai, the sovereign Master, and Jah, or Jehovah, the covenant-keeping God. He was the “very good-looking” brother […]
Read More… from February 14, 2024 — The Hand That Rocked The Cradle
David’s old body-temple was being taken down, but another temple was to be raised up in the Holy City. We see that 1 Kings opens with a rather embarrassing story. “Now King David was old, advanced in years; and they put covers on him, but he could not get warm” (1 Ki 1:1). All the […]
Thankfully, there weren’t only kings and priests, but prophets, too, who kept on speaking for God. The volumes we call 1 and 2 Kings are the third and fourth parts of a narrative beginning in 1 and 2 Samuel. They continue the saga of the kings who ruled over Israel from the dying days of […]
Read More… from February 12, 2024 — Introduction To The Books Of Kings
“Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,…and…you were bought at a price” (1 Cor 6:19-20). As we come to the end of 2 Samuel, it’s time to connect some dots. When David looked out his palace window to the north and saw the destroying angel, where was he standing? […]
We’re usually very poor at counting what really matters. Wise people let God keep the score. Thank the Lord for the Chronicles! How they can clarify things! Here’s an example. “The anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, ‘Go, number Israel and Judah’” (2 Sam 24:1). […]
Why is this chapter vital? Real people are involved! Real challenges are faced! Real victories are won! There are four catalogs of outstanding people in the Bible. Hebrews 11 emphasizes walking in faith. Nehemiah 3 records those working in faith. In Romans 16, we have Paul’s gospel co-laborers witnessing in faith. Here (with 1 Chron […]
Last words should be intensely meaningful, a distillation of the lessons that life has taught us. “These are the last words of David” (2 Sam 23:1). Being uniquely positioned to describe how a shepherd boy became a king, David pinpoints the characteristics of a man after God’s heart. He is a man who understands both […]