The Chapter-A-Day thread. (3)

2 Samuel 4:

Fatal and dastardly act.

Now Saul's son, Ishbosheth, who was made king by Abner, was attacked in his sleep by two men, Rechab and Baanah, who apparently mistakenly thought that it would bring them "favor" with David, and that David would be "pleased". So they brought David Ishbosheth's head and presented it to David.

David was horrified, and had them slain.

"And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron." ~II Samuel 4:12

2 Samuel 5:

David becomes king of Israel.

"So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel." ~II Samuel 5:3

2 Samuel 6:

David danced.

Now David LOVED the Lord his God with all his heart, his mind, his soul, and with all his might.

THIS is why God called David a "man after His own heart" and the "apple of His eye".

A "key" to understanding David's heart for God, is right here in these verses:

"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." ~Ps 119:11

"Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." ~Ps 139:23-24

This is why David danced before the Lord with all his might. It is because he was chock full of this verse below, and so full to overflowing with it that he could not contain his HUGE love for God.

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." ~Deuteronomy 6:5

No WONDER God defined David as He did.

Precious.

2 Samuel 7:

David: The Apple of God's Eye.
AKA: David's heart for God.
AKA: A Man After God's Own Heart.

A glimpse into why God defined David as the "apple of His eye":

David passionately and fervently LOVED God with ALL his heart, his mind, his soul, and his strength.

David DELIGHTED in God.

David celebrated God, and danced before Him with all his might.

"Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD? And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant. For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them. Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears." ~II Sam 18-22

2 Samuel 8:

Righteous Rule.

"And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went. And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed judgment and justice unto all his people." ~II Samuel 8:14-15

2 Samuel 9:

David Keeps His Promise.
AKA: A King's Heart.

Now David had made a covenant with Jonathan when both of them were young (1 Samuel 20:14-17). David keeps this promise when he hears that Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth. David sends for him, and Mephibosheth, sure that he was about to be put to death, comes before David.

However, much to Mephibosheth's shock, David is the "lifter of Mephibosheth's downcast, despairing head". David tells him that there is no need to fear, that he was going to restore all that Mephibosheth lost when Saul and his father Jonathan were killed, and that he would now be part of David's household, as family, and would eat at his table as family.

This gives us a glimpse into David's heart, and why God called David what He did.

So David keeps his covenant with Jonathan, honoring Jonathan through his son Mephibosheth.

Precious.

2 Samuel 10:

Hanun's woes.

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" ~Isa 5:20

So Nahash, the king of Ammon dies, and his son Hanun reigns in his stead. Now David, hearing of king Nahash's death, sends messengers of respect and condolences to Nahash's son Hanun. There was much conversation amongst the Ammonites about what possible throngs of evil and ill-intent this MUST mean, so they horrendously humiliate, insult, and scorn the messengers, and send them back to David.

If that was not bad enough, they plan war against David, and bring in reinforcements from other countries.

The bottom line is that David goes to war against them, and defeats all of them soundly.

How utterly foolish to instigate evil upon evil on anyone who has done good and/or blessed another. It is especially heinous that the evil was at least twice-fold.

In essence, this foolish king cursed HIMSELF by re-paying evil for good.

"Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house." ~Pr 17:13

2 Samuel 11:
David the odious.
AKA: David goes on a "sinning spree".
AKA: As if THAT wasn't bad enough....

Good grief! WHAT (or "who") has gotten into David??!! (Well we all know already, right?) Here's a blazing example of "coasting along" and getting "bored" and all that (and "who") it brings with it.

And what did David's "coasting along" bring with it? Well it was "boredom". He had stayed back from his army, and was lying on the bed. (He had gotten "complacent"). Then he gets tired of lying there (after all, one can only do so MUCH of that, right?) And he gets up and goes to the roof.

Then he looks out.

Well before we delve into what happened next, let's backtrack and examine what was at the "root" of all this trouble and abomination(s) brewing, shall we?

David was not even "thinkin'" about God, nor giving Him the time of day. God was FAR from him. And that was David's own doing.

Not God's.

And consequently, guess who got not just "one" foothold, but "two"?

Well the ol' adversary himself did. He got BOTH feet in that big ol' gap that David left open like a door with a big ol' welcome sign that said "Welcome! Come on in!"

And well, Satan did. He CAME on in. You don't haf'ta ask him twice. He was there before David got finished putting the sign up.

Soooooooo David goes to the roof, looks out, and lo and behold, the finishing touches to Satan's masterpiece, is out there:

Bathsheba.

If that wasn't bad enough, after David hears that:

1. She's married
2. She's married to Uriah the Hittite, one of his most valiant and loyal men, who would've given his life for David.

David sins with Bathsheba.

Then later, he learns that Bathsheba is pregnant. sooo what does he do?

He "sets up" Uriah the Hittite, aka conspires to have him killed in battle.

What David did was monstrously wicked and evil.

Then he was in denial about it.

And he forgot about God.

But God didn't forget him OR what he did.

2 Samuel 12:

David's curse.
AKA: The "wake up call".

David had not only done wickedly and evil to Bathsheba (he, in essence, "raped" her), and done heinously wicked to Uriah the Hittite by murdering this valiant and loyal man in cold blood, who would've laid his life down for David, and would've done David "good" to the day he died, he also sinned against the God he loved, and betrayed his own "heart for God", making himself onerous before the living God.

So God sends Nathan the Prophet to confront David. Now Nathan doesn't just come out and confront David, but he tells him a story of a onerous man, a rich man, who consequently had some power and could do as he pleased, and it pleased this rich man to take a poor man's only beloved lamb (a beloved family pet), and kill this lamb (instead of any of his vast array of cattle, sheep, etc.) and to serve this lamb to a wayfarer who had stopped there in his travels.

So David hears this story and is OUTRAGED, and insists that this man be punished by death for doing such a heinously wicked thing.

Then Nathan tells David that HE is that very same man. David is then convicted and "wakes up" from his "slumber of denial" of his horrendous sins.

And he repents.

However the consequences of his sins have brought a curse onto his household, for the son that Bathsheba gives birth to, is to tragically die.

"Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house." ~Pr 17:13

2 Samuel 13:

The curse continues.

David's son Amnon lusts after his sister from another mother, Tamar. And he concocts a plan, and is encouraged with his plan by the dastardly Jonadab his "friend"(with friends like this, who needs enemies?) So they come up with a slithery plan to get Tamar to come to Amnon's abode, in his room, and even got David their father involved in this despicable loathesome plan. And can you BELIEVE it??!!! David AGREES to it!

HelLOOOOO David, have you done lost your MIND, AGAIN???!!!

So David TELLS Tamar to go to Amnon's room and fix him something to eat. And she obeys her father.

Right then and there, David should've seen all KINDS of red flags.

So Tamar obeys her father, goes to Amnon's room, and what does he do? He RAPES Tamar, his sister. Then AFTER he RAPES her he DESPISES her, casting her off like a used up rag or piece of used tissue.

"Then Amnon hated her exceedingly; so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone." ~2 Sam 13:15

The bottom line is that he never "loved" her from the gitgo. He destroyed her life by "force" and then threw her to the wolves, so to speak.

What a piece o' work.

"And she said unto him, There is no cause: this evil in sending me away is greater than the other that thou didst unto me. But he would not hearken unto her. Then he called his servant that ministered unto him, and said, Put now this woman out from me, and bolt the door after her." ~2 Sam 13:16-17

So she, cast aside after her utter ruination, cannot wear the garb of a virgin any longer, but goes in mourning putting ashes on her head, and sought refuge in her brother Absalom's house amidst grievous weeping.

Absalom, upon finding out what Amnon did to Tamar, was outraged. And David upon hearing of it is "very wroth", yet he, the father, did NOTHING.

No WONDER Absalom was outraged with not only Amnon, but also with his father David.

The bottom line is that David was an abominable father.

Absalom plotted the death of Amnon, and had him killed.

Consequently he had to flee.

"Whoso rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart from his house." ~Pr 17:13

2 Samuel 14:

Absalom.
AKA: David adds one curse upon another.

OK, before we go off on a tangent about how baaaad Absalom was and hatin' on him, let's backtrack a bit, shall we?

Well it seems that Absalom rebelled against his father David, BIG TIME. Well what was the event that prompted that rebellion, pray tell? It had something to do with blatant and evil done against his sister Tamar, and the plotting of this evil against her before it even occurred, which is downright wicked in itself. And Absalom's own father David had a part in it. He TOLD Tamar to go to this piece o' work named Amnon, who i suspect was a spoiled brat, who ALWAYS got his way. You know, the kind that "pine away" for a toy they just GOTTA have, and then after getting it, toss it aside with their other discarded toys. Yeah, that kind of spoiled piece o' work.

It seems there was a real problem saying "no" to this piece o' work, not only by David, but by his mother also.

And there ya' have it, the "fruit" of this aversion to saying "no", in all its glory.

"He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes." ~Pr 13:24

So this piece o' work calls for his sister Tamar, and David, this poor excuse of a father, SENDS her! Duh! Didn't any red flags go off for him even THEN?!!

So the utter wicked and evil deed happens, and he tosses Tamar over to the side like another toy he's done with (he discards her like a broken doll), and if THAT wasn't bad enough, he THROWS her out of his house! By FORCE!!! Ugh!

When Amnon sees his sister crying inconsolably, and he sees the ashes she's put on her head (he KNEW what happened when he saw those ashes), and he hears of what happened, he's seethingly outraged. It becomes even more outrageous to him when their father David, does absolutely NOTHING about this, not ONE daggone thing.

Sooooo thus, begins the rebellion, that David brought on himself (again). He's got those curses building in "layers" at this point, doesn't he?

2 Samuel 15:

The curse continues.
AKA: Absalom conspires against David.

Absalom, unbeknownst to David, conspires against his father the king, David. Behind the scenes, Absalom is placing himself right at the gate of the city and calls out to all the people to come to him for any injustices, and he will see to it that justice is done. (He is "campaigning" to de-throne his father-"conspiring"), by influencing and "winning over" the people.



Consequently, he stole their hearts.

David hears of it, and what does he do?

He "flees".

What i suspect this "fleeing" is about is his own guilt about how he dealt abominably with the atrocity that happened to his own daughter Tamar. He had to know why Absalom was and has been so furious with him.

And thus the "fleeing" from his own son.

Soooooo the curse continues, as the king David "flees" from his own son Absalom, in disgrace.

2 Samuel 16:

The curse continues.
AKA: Treason extraordinaire.
AKA: David's worst enemy: Absalom.

David's own son is become David's worst enemy and commits treason to the nth degree. He is advised by his father David's own "trusted" advisor, Chief Counselor to king David, Ahithophel (who was, by the way, Bathsheba's grandfather....and he had come to hated David, and aligned with David's son Absalom the first chance he got).

Soooo in his hatred for David, he advised Absalom to commit the most abhorrent and blatant treason. He told Absalom to go in to house where David's concubines were.

And Absalom did.

2 Samuel 17:

The curse continues full steam.
AKA: The foolish counsel of Ahithophel.
AKA: The foolish end of Ahithophel.

Sooooooo Ahithophel gives Absalom some really baaaaaaad advice, and it isn't realized till Absalom seeks a 2nd opinion from Hushai the Archite, who says that it is an extremely foolish thing to do. And after hearing him out Absalom agrees, and follows Hushai the Archite's advice.

Upon hearing this, Ahithophel goes and hangs himself.

2 Samuel 18:

The Curse comes Full Circle.
AKA: David's heart is pierced.

So here we have Absalom going full-steam in seeking not only the utter destruction of his father, David the king, but the very death of his father.

Now Joab is about sick of it (well that's putting it mildly). And he hears from a messenger that Absalom has been tangled up by his hair in a tree's branches.

And he defies the king's orders to not harm his son, Absalom, and not only does he go after him, with three darts that he pierces into Absalom's heart, but he has 10 of his men to surround Absalom, and really let Absalom have it and strike him umpteen times. In other words they sliced him up and stuck him with swords pretty good.

Then, they top it off by throwing his dead body into a pit and piles a huge amount of stones on top of him.

Disgrace much? They might as well have just spit in his more-than-dead face repeatedly.

Sooooooo later, David asks about his son, and he hears that Absalom is dead.

And, heart-broken and in the throes of excruciating grief, he is inconsolable.

The curse that he brought on himself has come full circle and has come home, landing right at David's feet.

Tragic.

2 Samuel 19:

David's restoration.
AKA: David is king again.

David grieves for Absalom. He is inconsolable. Partly perhaps because his first son through Bathsheba, Absalom's mother died as part of God's curse for David's horrendous and absolutely abominable sin.

Yet, the bottom line here, is that David still had a "heart for God" even in spite of his great sin. That is why he was drawn to and was able to repent with all his heart before the living God.

And God "heard" him, and had mercy, and poured out His grace on David.

And David was restored as king.

2 Samuel 20:

The Rebellion.
AKA: Sheba loses his mind and his head.

Some believe that this rebellion led by Sheba, is part of the "curse" against David for his abominable and horrific sin. I'm not so sure. I'm inclined to believe that Sheba was just an evil man, and a very foolish one.

In the very first verse, Sheba, the son of Bichri, is described as a man of Belial, which means of Satan and/or demon-possessed:

"And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: " ~2 Sam 20:1

Sooooo Sheba leads a rebellion against David, which was because he was just downright evil. But it was also downright foolish. Didn't he know who he was coming up against? David and his very loyal leader under him, Joab. WHAT was Sheba THINKING??!!

And not only was Sheba foolish, but so was Amasa, a military commander that David gave an order to, and lo and behold he "dragged his feet" and didn't do as he was ordered, and when Joab heard about it he knew that Amasa had, in essence, committed treason.

So not only is Sheba in a world o' trouble, but so is Amasa.

Both end up dying horrific deaths. However, Sheba's was more horrendous, in that it was by the hand of a woman, who cut off his head.

2 Samuel 21:

The famine.
AKA: The judgement against Saul.
AKA: David grows old.

God brings judgement against the land for 3 years. David inquires of God and God answers, saying that it is because of Saul's bloody hands for slaughtering the Gibeonites, breaking a treaty, and putting them to death. David speaks to the Gibeonites to remedy the horror that Saul had done, and David restores the peace with the Gibeonites and with God. God then removes the famine.

In the meantime the Philistines STILL wants to fight on Israel, and DAvid goes to battle, but becomes faint. David is getting old, and his officers under him tell him that he cannot, for the sake of himself, and all of Israel, go into battle any longer.

2 Samuel 22:

David's Song to God of Praise and Thanksgiving.

Just a note regarding Genesis.

I was listening to Alexander Scourby reading the book of Genesis and what stopped me in my tracks (and something that had never occurred to me previously) is when he was reading about Satan, as a serpent, tempting Eve, etc., and afterwards when God came looking for, and calling out to Adam, who was hiding. When they come out of hiding, and God asks them who told them they were naked, and how and what Adam says to God.

Adam proceeds to tell God it was that woman that God gave him. She gave it to him and he ate of it.

Here is what is most interesting, and GLARINGLY "absent":

Adam never, ever mentions Satan. Yet he was right there when Satan approached EVE and spoke to her, while Adam, just sat silently by watching it unfold. He knew who approached Eve in the first place, yet he remains silent on it to God, and GLARINGLY so.

He didn't notice something a-miss in the garden, and that something that was a-miss approached and spoke to Eve, his wife, and basically called God, the Creator, a "liar"?

Seriously?

What is wrong with this picture?

Now Adam had been given "dominion" over ALL the creatures. Yet, here he is acquiescing to Satan.

Acquiescing = To consent or comply passively or without protest.

He gave his "consent" to Satan.

It was NEVER EVER God's will that Adam do such a thing, but rather something along the lines of this (in the image below) which would take place as prophesied in His Word by His only begotten Son.