#Ish-bosheth

[kdmiller55]

The Impeccable Timing of God

1 Then all Israel gathered together to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. 2 In times past, even when Saul was king, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord your God said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over my people Israel.’” 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a…

[biblebloodhound]

Who Would You Follow? (2 Samuel 3:1-12)

We can observe one’s personal character by the reactions and responses to their life events and situations.

There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker. Sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam of Jezreel; his second was Chileab, of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third was Absalom son of Maacah, daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; the fourth was Adonijah…

[lordgodjehovahsway]

2 Samuel 4: Ish-Bosheth Became Discouraged After Hearing About Abner's Death

1 When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed. 

2 Now Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Rekab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin, 

3 because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and have resided there as foreigners to this day.

4 (Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled. His name was Mephibosheth.)

5 Now Rekab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth, and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest. 

6 They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

7 They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah. 

8 They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to kill you. This day the Lord has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.”

9 David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 

10 when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! 

11 How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!”

12 So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb at Hebron.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

David Anointed King of Judah

1 In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.

The Lord said, “Go up.”

David asked, “Where shall I go?”

“To Hebron,” the Lord answered.

2 So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3 David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. 4 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah.

When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, 5 he sent messengers to them to say to them, “The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. 6 May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. 7 Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.”

War Between the Houses of David and Saul

8 Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. 9 He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.

10 Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David. 11 The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years and six months.

12 Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13 Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.

14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.”

“All right, let them do it,” Joab said.

15 So they stood up and were counted off—twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. 16 Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent’s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.

17 The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David’s men.

18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. 19 He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. 20 Abner looked behind him and asked, “Is that you, Asahel?”

“It is,” he answered.

21 Then Abner said to him, “Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.” But Asahel would not stop chasing him.

22 Again Abner warned Asahel, “Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?”

23 But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel’s stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.

24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. 25 Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.

26 Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?”

27 Joab answered, “As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.”

28 So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.

29 All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours and came to Mahanaim.

30 Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were found missing. 31 But David’s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. 32 They took Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak. — 2 Samuel 2 | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide. Cross References: Genesis 32:2; Genesis 47:29; Joshua 10:12; Joshua 14:13; Joshua 22:9; Judges 21:8; 1 Samuel 16:13; 1 Samuel 19:17; 1 Samuel 25:42-43; 1 Samuel 27:3; 2 Samuel 5:5; 2 Samuel 8:16; 2 Samuel 3:1; 2 Samuel 3:30; 2 Samuel 4:7; 2 Samuel 18:16; 2 Samuel 22:34; 2 Kings 14:8; Nehemiah 2:18; 2 Timothy 1:16

Bible - Commentaries 2 Samuel 2

[dailyaudiobible]

5/24/2023 DAB Transcript

2 Samuel 4:1-6:23, John 13:31-14:14, Psalm 119:17-32, Proverbs 15:31-32

Today is the 24th day of May, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is wonderful to be here with you today, as we gather and take the next step forward on our journey. A journey that takes us through this year. A journey that takes us through every word and every verse, every chapter of the book of the Bible. So, we started our journey several months back and we have been doing exactly that, each and every day, following the path that has led us all the way into the book of Second Samuel, where we are now learning about David. And we've already learned an awful lot about David we are learning about David's ascension to the throne of Israel as Israel's second king. He was king in Hebron, but he is to become king of all Israel. And so, let’s pick up the story, Second Samuel chapters 4, 5 and 6 today.

Commentary:

Okay so, real quick, in Second Samuel today, David now is the king of all Israel. The rival king, Ish-bosheth, Saul's remaining air was assassinated, and the assassins brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David and David did to them, the same that he did when he got the news of Saul being killed, those men were killed. And you could be like well, that's, I mean gosh, how do you get into the good graces of the King besides kill the King's enemies. The person that wanted to kill David is now dead, shouldn’t that be a good thing? But people are watching David and there is a distinction between the things that happened during war and the things that happened during peace that are under the cover of night. And assassination well, for David that's more in the realm of God. If Ish-bosheth should be dead, then God will handle it, but the person that is willing to raise their hand against the anointed one of God, gets dealt with. And so, David's setting example about his own leadership but he's also lived that example toward Saul. So, the people have seen this character and it's been a straight line. It's been a consistent thing, that hasn't been situational depending on how bad of an enemy tie that was David's. David has a clear conscience and clear consistency, and the people see it and they follow him, and he is now the King.

Then we turn over to the Gospel of John and we are now moving through the Last Supper and the passion narrative, the last days of Jesus. And we are in the Gospel of John, my friends. It's hard to believe that we are almost at the end of another one of our months, and this being the fifth month. This is the last time we move through this territory because we’re moving through the last of the four Gospels. So, we need to pay attention to what happens here and what gets said here, because we have to imagine the gravity of the situation of Jesus final meal, and that mere hours and He will be taken from them and so He won’t be able to teach them anymore, He won’t be able to able to interpret what's going on for them. He won’t be able to be their Rabbi and comfort them and help them learn. They, He will be taken from them, and they will be on their own. And so, He has some things to say in these final moments of serenity before everything gets blown up. Yesterday, we observed Jesus, after the meal, take off his robe, and get down on his knees and wash the feet and wash the grime and dust off the feet of His disciples, telling them that He's given them an example, like He blatantly told them, this is the example, if I, Your master and Lord are doing this for you, then you should do this for each other. This is how you're supposed to live. Then we move into today's reading and Jesus has some profound things that we simply cannot ignore. And we actually have to consider and live into. Jesus said, I give you a new command, love each other deeply and fully, remember the ways that I have loved you, and demonstrate your love for others in those same ways. In other words, love one another as I have loved you, by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, by the way that you demonstrate your love for one another. I don’t know guys; I think we could sit and just ponder that one until we get it. It is by our love for one another that the world is compelled toward the Gospel. Like, it’s not all of our nice, neat evangelism tactics and all of our processes. These are fine, but it is our love for one another that Jesus said. Like that's the calling card. People will know you are My disciples by your love for one another. What does that look like in our lives? And oh, my goodness, we have work to do, significant work to do. If this is how we’re going to be known. And then, we move forward and what Jesus is teaching in his last meal, and he says something that is so poignant for me that I will never forget it. He says don't get lost in despair. Believe in God and keep on believing in me. My Father's home is designed to accommodate all of you, if there were not room for everyone, I would've told you that. I’m going to make arrangements for your arrival, we’ll be there to greet you personally and welcome you home. Where we’ll be together. I love that, I love that so very much. I go to prepare a place for you, then I'll come and get you so that you’ll be where I am. I think the part that, that is so poignant for me because this, this verse right here, this takes me back to my mom's passing several years ago. And coming to this passage, I mean her death was a monumental thing to happen in my life. It changed me in lots of ways that I'm still, still trying to figure out, her…her…her presence in the world. The presence of my parents being gone. And so, I just remember one evening sitting in a chair and coming through this verse, don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust in me. In my father's house are many mansions, right, many rooms. And here's the part, if this were not so I would've told you. Why would I tell you I'm going to prepare a place for you if I'm not coming to get you. I personally, I hope, I hope in the words of Jesus there. I hope in that. Can you imagine the disciples, I mean, this, these are words they need the hear imminently. In hours, He’s going to be taken from them. They're going to need to hear this, so He is so kind that even though what He's got to face is upon His shoulders and what He's got to face is unthinkable, unthinkable: death by crucifixion after being tortured. That's just the physical aspect of it, but all of the falseness and the injustice of it, all of the sin that He has to take upon himself. Like the weight of that, I can't even, we, no one, who could possibly fathom what we’re talking about here. And yet, with all that weight on His shoulders, Jesus is still being kind and giving His friends what they need to know, that even though He's going to be taken, and even though they're not going to understand, they need to remember He will not leave them and that they should not have troubled hearts. He is preparing a place, if it were not so, He would've told them. I mean, man none of us are facing what they were facing. But what does that do when we think about the anxiety that is hovering over us. The fear that is chasing behind us. What if we hear Jesus say, you’re going to be okay, don’t let your hearts be troubled. I have you, if it were not so I would've told you. It’s almost too beautiful to talk about. And then Jesus told them, I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life. And that is what we’re looking for, the way, the truth, and the life. Like isn't that what this consciousness, this existence, this is getting up every day and moving through a day, isn't this what we’re looking for? The way to do this, the truth about it: life. And Jesus is saying, I am what you are looking for, you have found what you seek. So, Jesus is being so kind and so revealing and so deeply ministering to their hearts in ways that they need to know. And so, but it's not just comfort, like he is comforting them, but then he bestows power upon them. He says I tell you the truth, whoever believes in me will be able to do what I have done, they will do even greater things because I am returning to the Father. That is profound. First of all, Jesus insists that He's telling the truth about it, right out of the gate. I'm telling you the truth. And then He tells us that…that we’re commissioned and have been given the same power to do the same works that Jesus was doing after the same way that He was doing it. In other words, we are invited to become Christ-like to reveal God in this world the way that Jesus did, to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to follow His example of loving one another, knowing that we will not be abandoned and knowing that we are empowered to live this life. These are the things that the final Gospel, the Gospel of John tells us about Jesus final meal and the wisdom and insight and love, that He wanted to bestow upon His friends before He was taken. May we drink deeply today because Jesus was showing His friends what life was going to look like after his departure, but they were going to need to know how they were going to need to shape their lives. And we are in the same situation and our lives are to be shaped in the same way, with the same hope, with the same power. Let’s think about that today.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, we invite You to help us think about this. Some of these things are, like profound game changers to the way that we actually live, we live like we’re running away from things, we live half defeated on any given day, we live all kinds of ways, swirling and anxiety, worries, the cares of this life, all kinds of things. And so, we stay close to You and call upon You to help us navigate those things because we need You, we need Your help. But if this flip could be made and we realized no, it's not really about those cares and concerns and obligations and responsibilities, it's about loving each other and revealing God. And some of our paradigms change, and some of our assumptions get challenged, and we invite You into that, Holy Spirit. Lead us into all truth, this is our constant prayer, lead us into the truth that we might know the truth and that the truth might set us free, transforming us, that we might live full, productive, open, happy, fulfilled lives in Your presence. Come into this Jesus, we ask in Your name. Amen.

Announcements:

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And that's it for today, I'm Brian, I love you and I'll be waiting for you here, tomorrow.

Prayer and Encouragements:

Good morning, Family, this is John from Texas calling in for my amazing wife. I’ve called in a couple times and want to thank you again for all your prayers. I know my wife listens to every prayer, the community prayer and prays for each of you. And I know that as we continue to lift one another up in prayer, the Lord will break through. I believe prayer is like a muscle that must be exercised daily to see breakthrough, to see benefit, to see change. And so, I continue to pray because I know there’s nothing impossible with the Lord. If He can raise Lazarus out of the grave, He can heal any affliction, He can deal with any problem, there’s nothing that He doesn’t know about and there’s nothing that He doesn’t have a solution for. And so, I know He has a solution and a healing for my wife, as He does for every one of your prayers. And so, we say thank you Lord, for all that You’ve done and all that You’re doing in our lives. And we know that as we hear each of you cry out to You with our different needs, there’s none of them that You don’t hear. And so, Father, we give You the glory for these things. We lift these things up to you and we say, thank You Father for all that You’ve done, all that You’re doing, and all that’s to come in our lives. In Jesus name I pray these things. Amen.

Hey, Daily Audio Bible Family, this is Summer the Songbird in Nebraska. It is May 20th. Ooohh, those prayer requests today. So, Holy Spirit, we life up Our Little Girl, who’s suddenly facing really scary mental illness challenges, Lord. We lift up the family, we want freedom for this child, freedom from any spiritual attack, mental attack, physical attack, Lord. We speak health into this child, into these relationships. And…and comfort her family and help them through a very scary thing and to not give in to or cling to fear but cling to You. In Jesus name. I want to lift up Jeremiah and I think it was Christine in North Carolina. Jeremiah’s moved across the world and is facing so many challenges. And Christine needs to move. Lord, I ask, thank You for moving Jeremiah on this great adventure, to this new place. Please guide him through it and let it be the change he needs. And show Christine the paths she needs, the place she needs to go. These big challenging moves can be so scary and be so hard, and we just know that You are hand is on it. We love You Jesus. Be glorified through all of these things. Praise You, in Jesus name.

Hey, family, it’s Jesse from Washington. I just need prayers. A friend of mine’s sister has had some drug and addiction problems. She’s been on and off the streets for years. She recently overdosed herself and was admitted to the ER. And then, the family, you know, said hey, doctors, let us know before you discharge her so we can get her some help. And she just took off. So now, she’s on the streets. They don’t know where she is, everyone's stressed out. She has 8 siblings plus a mother and father. So, it’s really affecting a lot of people. So, just, I guess, please pray that her name’s Myra. Just pray that she gets the help that she needs. That Jesus can just open her heart to getting some help and accepting help. And that, she reach out to somebody in the family and starts that process. Alright ya’ll, love you. Thank you, have a good weekend. Bye.

This is Julie and Chris from Texas. And we are just calling in on the 19th of May as we celebrate our 15th anniversary. And just want to call in to give God praise for that and glory. And then also just lift up all of the couples out there. So, we’re just going to read together. So, Lord, we just thank You for Your hand of love over our lives and in receiving Your love we are able to love each other as You love us. And so, I just thank you Father God, for all of the couples out there, that You would just, You would show them love in a way that is new and fresh to them and You would just revive their love for one another in new ways as well, Lord. That You are a God that moves from glory to glory, and we give You praise for that in our own lives, and we speak that over the lives of our brothers and sisters in this community.

It's hard to remain neutral when it comes to today’s affairs. Everybody wants God to hear their prayers. The worlds been given strong dillusion and God is not the author of confusion. Many things that were once right are now considered to be wrong. Causing many Christians to questions where they actually belong In terms of their thinking and perspectives Their political view and use of infectives And that paints a picture of the future that looks pretty grim. But it’s not our job to judge or condemn. Because we realize there’s still a lot of wheat in the midst of the tears Especially when it comes to today’s affairs. We also realize that there’s nothing God can’t change. And no set of circumstances that he can’t rearrange. Political correctness and the world ever shifting mood, Should never form the basis for a Christians attitudes. Our standard for truth is based on Holy Spirit proof. And our uncompromising stance is rooted in love. Give glory and honor to the Father above. Reflecting His light as we endeavor to live right. But fervently keeping the faith, especially when it comes to today’s affairs. Because we realize, there’s still a lot of wheat in the midst of the tares. blindtony1016@gmail.com I’d like to give a shout out to Delta Alpha Foxtrot and Tony the truck driver who has a son named AJ. Haven’t heard from either one of you in a while. Know you’re both are very much loved, thought of often and prayed for regularly. And once again Brian and the Hardin Family, thank you for this wonderful podcast for God’s Holy Spirit to flow, keep in flowing ya’ll. Alright, bye bye.  

[jeffersonvann]

not impressed

20240510 Photo by Mat Kedzia on Pexels.com not impressed 2 Samuel 4:1-12 (JDV) 2 Samuel 4:1 When Saul’s son Ish-bosheth heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he gave up, and all Israel was dismayed.2 Samuel 4:2 Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding parties: one named Baanah and the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite of the Benjaminites. Beeroth is also considered part of…

[quadtheory34]

Four

[kdmiller55]

A Capital Idea

1 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. 2 In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’” 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with…

[edelweissacermacrophyllum]

Even your weakness is Anointed

2 Samuel 3:22-5:5, Psalm 69:13-28, Acts 1:1-22

In this part of David's story, we see three times that someone thinks they can curry favour with David by killing one of his enemies.

First someone finds the body of Saul and then claims to have killed him. David responds by killing that person.

Second, after Abner comes to David to betray Saul's son, the new king of Israel, David thanks him and lets him leave. Joab, David's second in command, disagrees and goes to get Abner back. He then tricks and murder's him. David is distressed about this, I assume because he knew Abner well and desired to work with him when king. But he didn't kill Joab. Whether Joab killed Abner becasue he didn't trust him, the reason he gave to David, or because Abner had killed his brother I'm not sure. The text says that it it was because of the latter. I'm sure there's honour shame culture stuff going on here, but David makes a point of holding a lavish funeral and mourning the death of Abner.

The third time was when a couple of random guys snuck into the house of King Ish-bosheth (Saul's son and rival of David for king of Israel) and killed him. They took his head and brought it to David. He had them killed for their troubles.

The point is this. David knows he will be king, but doesn't compromise to get there. He doesn't think that the end justifies the means. He wants the nation of Israel to follow him but won't kill any of Saul's family to get it. He appears to be a genuine good guy. He hasn't bought into the whole nobility of strength lie. And people are surprised by it. They expect kings to be scrappy and reward people who are useful to them, even if they do horrible things. Again, one can make parallels to our own leaders.

I think it comes down to power and money. It's fine to have them and even fine to have a lot of them, but the process of seeking them will corrupt someone. And the assumption that having money or power is a sign of good character is very dangerous indeed. We do not worship God because they are strong. We worship them because they are good, kind, generous, and dared to become weak.

[christianityandculture]

Blog on a lifestyle of peace. God centered growth. Apologetics, sermons, theological studies, and Jesus Christ.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Devotional Hours Within the Bible

by J.R. Miller

David Brings Up the Ark (2 Samuel 6; 1 Chronicles 13)

The continuance of Ish-Bosheth’s reign was brief. It had no moral strength from the beginning, and was kept in existence only by the ambition of Abner. The story of the short years is one of battles, quarrels and assassinations. At length Ish-Bosheth was murdered, and then the tribes over which he had reigned came to David and desired him to be their king. So the kingdom was again consolidated. David had reigned over Judah only seven and a half years; now he became king of all Israel. Jerusalem then was made David’s capital. Until now this stronghold had remained in the hands of the Jebusites, although it had been attacked and partly captured before. At length David gained full possession of the noted citadel and made his home in it.

David prospered greatly. Hiram, King of Tyre, was friendly with him, and the two kings exchanged courtesies and favors. David won a great victory over the ancient enemies of his people, the Philistines. Thus he was established in his kingdom. His fame went out into all the lands, and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations.

When David came to the throne, he found the religious life of the kingdom in a discouraging condition. For a long time the sacred ark, the symbol of the Divine Presence, had been lying in obscurity in a private house. Those were dark and calamitous days for the nation. Disaster followed disaster. The neglect of true religion always brings trouble. We may see it in a smaller way in a home where there was once a family altar but where the altar is broken down, where the family gathers no more to worship God, where the voice of prayer is no longer heard. The members of the household scatter away in the morning without kneeling to commit themselves to God’s keeping for the day, and in the evening they gather home to rest again, seeking not the Divine blessing for the night. There is many a home of which this is a picture. The world has come in and Christ has been driven out!

After David had become king of the whole nation and had fixed his capital in Jerusalem, he called the chief men of the tribes and went to bring up the ark. He had already done many things to elevate the character and the standing of the nation. He had built a capital city and a palace of cedar for himself, and had instituted many reforms. Prosperity was coming, and all was hopeful. But something was yet lacking. Something is always lacking when God is left out.

An artist had invited a few friends to his studio for the first look at a new painting. The picture was beautiful but all who saw it felt that something was lacking. There seemed to be a vagueness, an indefiniteness, a mistiness, something lacking. The artist himself saw the defect, and taking his brush, he put a touch of red upon the canvas. This changed everything.

So it is when God is left out of anything in life. With the largest prosperity and the best material comforts, there is still a lack. What is needed is a line of red in the picture, the bringing of Christ with His Cross into the life of the individual, of the home, of the church, of the nation. The best blessing anyone can give to a land or to a community, is to set up God’s altar in its midst. Nothing else that David wrought for Israel in those days did so much for his people as his re-establishing of God’s worship among them.

There is nothing else we can do for a place which is suffering from the waste and ruin of sin, which will mean so much for it as to set up there the worship of the true God. Here is a community sunk in degradation. The people are idle and thriftless, without lofty ideals, without interest in each other, steeped in sensuality. One way of trying to lift them up would be to build them better houses and to put into their lives the refinements of civilization. Something may thus be done for their improvement in temporal things. But the best way to help them, would be to bring the gospel of Christ into their midst, to start a Sunday-school, a preaching service, to send the Christian missionary into their homes.

The ark had been at Kiriath-jearim for a long time, ever since its return from the land of the Philistines. David desired now to establish true religion in his kingdom, and planned to bring the ark to his capital. He prepared for this event with great enthusiasm. All the chosen men of Israel were gathered together. He consulted with his leading men. “Let us send abroad everywhere unto our brethren,. .. and let us bring again the ark of our God to us for we sought not unto it in the days of Saul.”

The king had prepared for a very joyful time in bringing up the ark. He meant it to be a great occasion. He led the procession in person. Thirty thousand men of rank were present to take part in the ceremony. There were great choirs of singers, with musical instruments accompanying them. It was a grand day. It opened in splendor but it closed in sorrow and bitter disappointment. The reason was, that God can be honored only by obedience, and this was lacking in the moving of the ark. The Lord cared nothing for David’s brilliant pageant so long as the Divine commandments were not regarded.

The whole business that day seems to have been done in a negligent way. The law required that the ark should be carried by Levites but instead of this it was put upon a cart that was drawn by animals. The religious ceremonials prescribed had so fallen into disuse, that the Divine instructions seem to have been entirely overlooked. The carrying of the ark on a cart may have been regarded as a very small deviation from the prescribed way but it was a deviation, nevertheless, and in God’s sight marred all the great ceremony. We must worship and serve God only in the way He has marked out for us, otherwise our costliest services and our most imposing ceremonies will be only an idle show in His eyes. We may do our right things in such a wrong way as to mar all the beauty of our acts by not doing them as God commands us to do them.

Uzzah was probably a Levite, and ought to have known the instructions concerning the care of the sacred ark and the manner of carrying it. The Levites were to bear it on their shoulders but they might not come near it until it had been covered by the priests, nor touch it except with the staves provided for carrying it. The ark had been under Uzzah’s care perhaps he had come to treat it familiarly. “But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah put out his hand to steady the Ark of God. Then the LORD’s anger blazed out against Uzzah for doing this, and God struck him dead beside the Ark of God!”

It was a natural thing for Uzzah to do. The road was rough, and it seemed as if the ark would fall off the cart. Uzzah instinctively and impulsively put out his hand to steady it. If the Levites had been carrying the ark the only proper way Uzzah could not have committed this sin. One irreverence prepares the way for another almost makes another necessary. The breaking of one commandment, leads to the breaking of others. The first sin is like the little leak in the dam, which grows until it becomes a flood. If we would be safe from the final ruin, we must guard, against the smallest beginning of evil .

David was greatly affected by the occurrence. At first he was angry because of the interruption of the ceremonies. The record says that “David was angry because the LORD’s anger had blazed out against Uzzah.” His second thought seems to have been one of awe and fear that if the ark was such a holy thing, it was too terrible to have it near him. He does not appear to have thought of the sin which had been committed. Instead of penitence and sorrow, he showed wounded pride. He abandoned at once the taking of the ark to Jerusalem. He left it where it was and hurried away home.

We never should blame God when we have been punished for our sins. We should not question His justice or love in any of His dealings with us. We should accept punishment at His hand with humility and contrition, seeking to learn wherein we have sinned that we may no more displease Him. Then, we need never be afraid of God’s holiness, nor reject any ordinance He has appointed, because of the evil it may bring upon us to use it irreverently. Sometimes good people stay away from the communion, dreading that it may bring condemnation and not blessing upon them. But no ordinance of God will ever bring hurt to those who receive it in humility and reverence. Instead of declining to take the Holy Supper lest we may not receive it worthily, we should come to it with penitence, repentance, faith and love for then we will find in it only blessing and joy.

“The Ark of the LORD remained there with the family of Obed-edom for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household.” David would not take the ark to Jerusalem, as he had set out to do, and it was left in the house of Obed-edom. For the three months it remained there, special Divine favor came upon the man who sheltered it. It was the same ark which had wrought such disaster when irreverently touched that now brought blessing to a home in which it was received in meekness and love. Obed-edom was not afraid to have the ark taken inside his door, and the result was good and not evil upon his household.

This incident suggests to us, the blessings of true religion in a home. Some people think religion is a hindrance to happiness. It stops some pleasures. It drives out some amusements. It interferes with some ambitions. But those who open their doors to Christ, the rejected and despised One, will always be rewarded. True religion in a home, blesses it. It sweetens the home life, enriches the home affections, deepens the home joys, lightens and comforts the home sorrows. It brings true prosperity, for the blessing of the Lord makes rich. It brings protection, for the angel of the Lord encamps round about those who fear Him. It brings comfort when sorrow has entered the home.

Heathen religions have no hope, no solace, no consolation, in time of bereavement but Christianity lights the lamps of heaven in the gloom. When the home is broken up, true religion gives assurance of a meeting beyond the grave, and reunion where there will be no separation forever. We should have the ark of God in our homes, whatever else we may not have in them.

Word came to David in due time, that no calamity had come to the home in which the ark had been left but that, instead, the Divine favor had been visited upon it. The king was surprised to hear this. He probably expected to hear of trouble brought to the family, like that which had stricken down Uzzah on the way. But, on the other hand, it soon became evident that Obed-edom was being greatly blessed.

Then David began to see that the trouble that day had not been with the ark but with himself and the people. So his heart turned again to his former purpose. He would bring the ark to the capital. Then the procession which began one day and ended in calamity was finished another day, not many months later, in the midst of great rejoicing. So blessing came to the whole people as the ark of God was brought into the Holy City.

[dailyaudiobible]

05/23/2023 DAB Transcript

2 Samuel 2:12-3:39, John 13:1-30, Psalms 119:1-16, Proverbs 15:29-30

Today is the 23rd day of May welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is great to be here with you today as we gather once again around the Global Campfire and take the next step forward together in the Scriptures, and in our lives. And we just started the book of second Samuel. And today will be our second day in second Samuel. So, we’re just getting moved in. And, so, that's the territory that we are in. And as we mentioned as we began second Samuel, we’re now focusing our attention on David, who is the king of Judah, but not the king of Israel yet. But let's pick up the story. Second Samuel chapter 2 verse 12 through 3 verse 39 today.

Commentary:

Okay. So, in second Samuel today we kind of have this showdown between Ish-bosheth, who is Saul's heir, so the next in line for the throne of Saul and then we have David, who has been anointed the king of the tribe of Judah. And David is gaining traction among all the people, and he had been throughout his whole life which is one of the things that was making Saul so paranoid. Even though David had no intention of ever touching the Lord's anointed his influence, his fame, his power was rising. So, now Saul has been killed and his son Ish-bosheth, the next in line because his brothers Jonathan, Abinidab and Malkishuah all died with their father in battle with the Philistines. So, Ish-bosheth is the king. And Ish-bosheth has a general whose name is Abner and David as a general who happens to be his nephew and his name is Joab. Joab has a couple of brothers. All of them have gone over and are serving David now. So, Joab David's general and his brother Abishai and his other brother Assail. That’s a lot of people to keep track of, but they all come together opposing one another trying to figure this David Ish-bosheth monarchy thing and they decide to have a showdown and there is a showdown and all of the people who are hand and combating from each side die which then starts a battle and the battle is determined in David's favor. David's men prevail over Ish-bosheth men. And let's remember, David's general was Joab and Joab had a brother named Assail who was a fast runner and was running after Abner, Ish-bosheth’s general. And Abner had to ultimately kill him in battle, which would leave Joab and Abbashi with a blood vendetta against Abner. And we could be like, okay hang on a second. This is a tedious story, are we going somewhere? Like does this go somewhere? And it does go somewhere. It goes to the character of David. What happened here is that Abner eventually was going to deliver all of Israel into David's hands. Being an influential general, he met with David and then Joab found out about it and in a time of peace and not war murdered, assassinated, Abner the general, like one…the most powerful person among the tribes of Israel. That cast all of the light and all of the shade on David. Did David have something to do with the assassination of one of the most influential people in all of the tribes of Israel, the general Abner? And that's we see David's character shine through. He mourns for Abner. He writes a song for Abner. He is innocent of what happened to Abner. Even though he has gotten very used to being blamed for all kinds of things he is innocent and the people they see that by his character, by his behavior. They see that this wasn't his doing. He didn't assassinate Abner. And he wins their hearts through this. And will continue to watch David's actions and the people watching David's actions and his character shining through as the people are knit together under his leadership.

And then we turn over the gospel of John, one of the most riveting scenes in the ministry of Jesus, and for that matter, in all of the Bible, at least in my opinion. Jesus asked His disciples a question. Do you understand what I have done to you? And He's asking the question at the Last Supper after He gets down on his hands and knees and washes their feet. And this is so vital and so poignant for our lives. People walk around all the time in the first century, right? They walked everywhere. There were no gas powered engines, electric powered engines, nothing like this. You could be pulled around on a cart of some sort. You be carried around maybe, if you were rich enough, wealthy enough, powerful enough, but for most people walking was the way to get anywhere. And walking around in sandals was the norm. And, so, people could take a shower and…but from their knees down at the end of the day they’d be dirty. They had to walk everywhere that they went so they need to wash their feet. And what is being washed from their feet is the dirt, right, that they've accumulated throughout the day, the grime and the dirt of where they had been. And Jesus, God made flesh, God humbled Himself before His friends and washed the filth of where they had been from their feet that day. A very uncomfortable scene among all of them. And we get that from Peter going like, you’re not gonna wash my feet and Jesus saying, if I can't wash you then you don't have anything to do with me. We can see that this is making them uncomfortable because this is a position where the master is becoming the servant. And, so, that makes the actual service very uncomfortable. Like what's going on here? And that's when Jesus asks, do you understand what I have done to you. And then He explains. And may this come washing into our lives in a way that changes things about today and the rest of our lives. Jesus said, “you call me teacher and Lord, and truly that is who I am.” And, so, I think all of us are on the same page at this point. We called Jesus Teacher and Lord because that’s who He is. And then Jesus goes on. “So, if you’re Lord and teacher washes your feet then you should wash one another's feet. I am your example. Keep doing what I do. I tell you the truth, a servant is not greater than the master. Those who are sent are not greater than the one who sends them. If you know these things and if you put them into practice, you will find happiness.” So, number one Jesus is saying here is the example from your master. This is what your life should look like. You should be washing the filth and the grime of where people around you have been. You should serve them. You should humble yourselves and serve them as I, your master has served you. But Jesus goes on to tell us a pretty big secret. “If you know these things and if you put them into practice, you will find happiness.” So, in other words, if we seek, we will find and if we want to find happiness then what we seek is humility and service in the way of the master, wiping away the filth of where we've all been. What does that look like for you today? I’m thinking the same thing. Like what does that look like for me today? And not just today. Like today, yes, what does that look like for me today but what does that look like for me, period, like as a lifestyle? This is the path to happiness. It flies in the face of so much of our culture. And, so, it gives us so much to think about today.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, we invite You into that. What does it look like to follow in Your footsteps and be the servant of all, humbling ourselves and washing the grime of the miles that our brothers and sisters have traveled all around us. How do we participate in what You are teaching us? What does that look like for us today and what does that look like for us as a lifestyle? Come Holy Spirit into our unique mind into our unique experience into our unique story and show us how to live it out as we follow You we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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And that's it for today. I'm Brian. I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Coming soon…

[humbleservantprayerwall]

Daily Devotionals 05-07-2023

Verses of the Day: Matthew 19:19/Genesis 2:1-3/Psalm 50:1-6/Proverbs 17:28/Proverbs 26:28/Psalms 139:14/1 Thessalonians 5:16-18/Isaiah 49:10/Psalm 33:4/John 8:36/Genesis 39:1-6/Genesis 41:38-49/Jeremiah 7:23/Romans 2:4/Matthew 12:15/John 5:8/ Chapters of the Day:  1 Kings 9/ Bible Study –  2 Samuel –  David Made King over Judah – Ish-bosheth Made King over Israel – Civil War…

[tissotbiblesketches]

Phillip Medhurst presents 281/402 "Rechab and Baanah bring the head of Ish-Bosheth" (2 Samuel 4:8) drawing by James Tissot at the John Rylands Library; gouache on board by Louis de Parys after James Tissot Jewish Museum New York.

[biblebloodhound]

2 Samuel 3:1-12 – Which One Would You Follow?

"God grant that men of principle shall be our principal men." Thomas Jefferson

The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker. Sons were born to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; the…

[kdmiller55]

The Crippling Effect of Self-Sufficiency

1 When Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, heard that Abner had died at Hebron, his courage failed, and all Israel was dismayed. 2 Now Saul’s son had two men who were captains of raiding bands; the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon a man of Benjamin from Beeroth (for Beeroth also is counted part of Benjamin; 3 the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been…