Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus)

When a powerful, influential, successful leader steps down from the position; the next person who has been chosen will have a time of transition that will challenge all who work alongside him or her. Their leadership must be established quickly so that the former working goal of the organization can be carried on efficiently and successfully.  New leadership will bring new thoughts of how things will be done but the goal is the same.  Wise leaders will not attempt to change the goal; but will surround themselves with people who not only know the goal of the organization but are also loyal and therefore helpful to the new leader who wants the best for the people they serve.

Wise, successful leaders in transition will not begin their time with “throwing the baby out with the bath water,” (discarding something valuable along with other things that are inessential or undesirable), with sweeping changes that confuse and distract people from the goal.  They will instead establish themselves first with the people in community so that the people working for and with them will know they are valuable and appreciated.  Wise leaders are servant leaders who are willing to serve those they lead with help, tools, and even their own hands and feet in service to them.

Wise leaders take time to know who they lead.  Much wisdom and care to know who you lead is important.  Discerning who are goal seekers and who are not makes a difference in the life of a goal-oriented organization.  Once established, over a period of time; changes in how to accomplish the goal are easier to embrace because the people have gotten to know the leader’s heart and mind which helps the people understand why the changes are necessary to continue to accomplish the main goal of their existence.

Wise leaders prepare the way for their successors.  David prepared Soloman to succeed him. David gave final instructions to Solomon that would ensure success. Upon death, the great King David exhorted his son: Obey God, follow him, and be kind to others.  As we read and study God’s story through King Solomon, we will see if Soloman, like David, followed the heart of God—or not. 

The goal:  Love God with all heart, all your mind, and all your soul. Obey His command to love others like He loves us.  What would happen if we gripped the goal?!

1 Kings 2

David’s Charge to Solomon

When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son.

² “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, ³ and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go ⁴ and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’

⁵ “Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood he stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet. ⁶ Deal with him according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace.

⁷ “But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and let them be among those who eat at your table. They stood by me when I fled from your brother Absalom.

⁸ “And remember, you have with you Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, who called down bitter curses on me the day I went to Mahanaim. When he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord: ‘I will not put you to death by the sword.’ ⁹ But now, do not consider him innocent. You are a man of wisdom; you will know what to do to him. Bring his gray head down to the grave in blood.”

¹⁰ Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. ¹¹ He had reigned forty years over Israel—seven years in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. ¹² So Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his rule was firmly established.

Solomon’s Throne Established

¹³ Now Adonijah, the son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother. Bathsheba asked him, “Do you come peacefully?”

He answered, “Yes, peacefully.” ¹⁴ Then he added, “I have something to say to you.”

“You may say it,” she replied.

¹⁵ “As you know,” he said, “the kingdom was mine. All Israel looked to me as their king. But things changed, and the kingdom has gone to my brother; for it has come to him from the Lord. ¹⁶ Now I have one request to make of you. Do not refuse me.”

“You may make it,” she said.

¹⁷ So he continued, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”

¹⁸ “Very well,” Bathsheba replied, “I will speak to the king for you.”

¹⁹ When Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, the king stood up to meet her, bowed down to her and sat down on his throne. He had a throne brought for the king’s mother, and she sat down at his right hand.

²⁰ “I have one small request to make of you,” she said. “Do not refuse me.”

The king replied, “Make it, my mother; I will not refuse you.”

²¹ So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given in marriage to your brother Adonijah.”

²² King Solomon answered his mother, “Why do you request Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? You might as well request the kingdom for him—after all, he is my older brother—yes, for him and for Abiathar the priest and Joab son of Zeruiah!”

²³ Then King Solomon swore by the Lord: “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request! ²⁴ And now, as surely as the Lord lives—he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David and has founded a dynasty for me as he promised—Adonijah shall be put to death today!” ²⁵ So King Solomon gave orders to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he struck down Adonijah and he died.

²⁶ To Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go back to your fields in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I will not put you to death now, because you carried the ark of the Sovereign Lord before my father David and shared all my father’s hardships.” ²⁷ So Solomon removed Abiathar from the priesthood of the Lord, fulfilling the word the Lord had spoken at Shiloh about the house of Eli.

²⁸ When the news reached Joab, who had conspired with Adonijah though not with Absalom, he fled to the tent of the Lord and took hold of the horns of the altar. ²⁹ King Solomon was told that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord and was beside the altar. Then Solomon ordered Benaiah son of Jehoiada, “Go, strike him down!”

³⁰ So Benaiah entered the tent of the Lord and said to Joab, “The king says, ‘Come out!’”

But he answered, “No, I will die here.”

Benaiah reported to the king, “This is how Joab answered me.”

³¹ Then the king commanded Benaiah, “Do as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so clear me and my whole family of the guilt of the innocent blood that Joab shed. ³² The Lord will repay him for the blood he shed, because without my father David knowing it he attacked two men and killed them with the sword. Both of them—Abner son of Ner, commander of Israel’s army, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of Judah’s army—were better men and more upright than he. ³³ May the guilt of their blood rest on the head of Joab and his descendants forever. But on David and his descendants, his house and his throne, may there be the Lord’s peace forever.”

³⁴ So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up and struck down Joab and killed him, and he was buried at his home out in the country. ³⁵ The king put Benaiah son of Jehoiada over the army in Joab’s position and replaced Abiathar with Zadok the priest.

³⁶ Then the king sent for Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and live there, but do not go anywhere else. ³⁷ The day you leave and cross the Kidron Valley, you can be sure you will die; your blood will be on your own head.”

³⁸ Shimei answered the king, “What you say is good. Your servant will do as my lord the king has said.” And Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.

³⁹ But three years later, two of Shimei’s slaves ran off to Achish son of Maakah, king of Gath, and Shimei was told, “Your slaves are in Gath.” ⁴⁰ At this, he saddled his donkey and went to Achish at Gath in search of his slaves. So Shimei went away and brought the slaves back from Gath.

⁴¹ When Solomon was told that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath and had returned, ⁴² the king summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and warn you, ‘On the day you leave to go anywhere else, you can be sure you will die’? At that time you said to me, ‘What you say is good. I will obey.’ ⁴³ Why then did you not keep your oath to the Lord and obey the command I gave you?”

⁴⁴ The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your heart all the wrong you did to my father David. Now the Lord will repay you for your wrongdoing. ⁴⁵ But King Solomon will be blessed, and David’s throne will remain secure before the Lord forever.”

⁴⁶ Then the king gave the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down and he died.

The kingdom was now established in Solomon’s hands.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Blessed is the person whose heart is right with God, whose conscience is clear and who can look back and say with our Lord, “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4). This is what David desired most for his son, Soloman.

David’s words parallel those of Moses when he commissioned Joshua. First, Moses passionately told Joshua to “be a man” and face his responsibilities with courage and faith (Deuteronomy 31:1–8); then Moses gave the law to the priests and cautioned the people (including Joshua) to know it and obey it. The king was expected to be familiar with the Law and the covenant (Deuteronomy 17:14–20), for in obeying God’s Word he would find His wisdom, strength, and blessing.  This is the goal of anyone called of God as His leader and follower in His Kingdom work!

David reminded Solomon of the promise of God.  David told his son of the special covenant the Lord had made concerning the Davidic dynasty (see 2 Samuel 7:1–17). David warned Solomon that disobeying God’s law would bring chastening and sorrow to himself and the land, (which David knew first hand); but if he obeyed God’s commandments, God would bless him and the people. More importantly, God would see to it that there was always a descendant of David sitting on the throne.

David mentors young Solomon.  David not only remembered dangerous men like Joab and Shimei, but he also remembered helpful men like Barzillai, who had provided him and his people with what they needed when they fled from Absalom (2 Samuel 17:27–29). Remembering those who have served well, honoring them, and holding them in high esteem is appropriate. But we should also be watchful of deceivers and learn from our past mistakes or missteps. Soloman heard David and took his words to heart. When Solomon had Joab killed, he wasn’t simply acting in revenge in the place of his father David. Solomon explained that the death of Joab took away the stain of the innocent blood that Joab, a rogue warrior, had shed when he had killed Abner and Amasa—two loyal leaders. 

In the best of situations, when the former leader blesses and mentors the next leader, the transition can still be tedious and challenging.  But, as we all learn, the leader who seeks God’s wisdom (being) and does what God requires of us (doing) God will lead the leader to shepherd God’s people well.  This is called success in God’s Kingdom.  And what does God require of all of us? “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” Micah 6:8. Love God. Love each other as I have commanded you. –Jesus

Lord,

Thank you for helping us find ourselves in your stories of love, mercy, and grace.  Some seek you are blessed; those who do not will not succeed in the end. We need your wisdom.

Thank you for telling the messes made by your people make along with your mercy given. “All have sinned and fall short of your glorious living” and I am one of them. Thank you for showing me your mercy in my messes that served later to declare your goodness, love, mercy, and grace by your forgiveness. What a mighty and glorious God we love and serve!  There is truly no one like you!  Lead me. Guide my walk with you again today.

In Jesus Name, Amen

There are times in every believer’s life that God will lead us to say or do something that doesn’t make sense to us at the time.  We might follow His lead but put our own twist on the command of God.  God’s Holy Spirit might prompt us to go see a certain person at a specific time, but we procrastinate and end up just texting them later with polite, generic words.  God might lead us to do a work that is not what we think is in our “wheelhouse” of ability or responsibility.  So, we might tell someone else of the need who is better fitted, we think, for the task.  Or God may prompt us to reach out to a person who is not like  us and invite them to our home for a meal.  But we decide instead to send them a note of encouragement.

Sometimes God says clearly what to do and when to do it; but our first response, with a little whine, is “why, Lord?” “Why me?” “Why do we need to do this?” “What’s the point?”  As parents, who are “training up a child in the way he/she should go;” we hear this often!  God knows and hears our whine, too!

As children of God, we say we want to be good and do good in this world but we give back less than our best at times. God, who is Good, the only One who is Good, invites us to join Him in His great work but our reply is less than good.  We look at His invitation as a burden instead of a holy privilege! Then, we give him our least effort resulting in merely a sprinkle of good that should have been God’s best work in and through us.  God is training us to more like Him in every way.  But our whining with wanting to know why with every word God speaks frustrates God’s molding and shaping of us.  I’m guilty.  How about you?

2 Samuel 24

David Enrolls the Fighting Men

24 Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”

² So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.”

³ But Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?”

⁴ The king’s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.

⁵ After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer. ⁶ They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. ⁷ Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah.

⁸ After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

⁹ Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.

¹⁰ David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”

¹¹ Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer: ¹² “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’”

¹³ So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come on you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”

¹⁴ David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”

¹⁵ So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. ¹⁶ When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

¹⁷ When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd, have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family.”

David Builds an Altar

¹⁸ On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” ¹⁹ So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. ²⁰ When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.

²¹ Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”

“To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.”

²² Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. ²³ Your Majesty, Araunah gives all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the Lord your God accept you.”

²⁴ But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. ²⁵ David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God told David to take a census. But David instead told his commanders to draft an army of fighting men across the land of Israel and Judah.  David’s commander, Joab asked “why” as he saw no point in doing that tedious, long work.  David’s disobedience caused God’s people pain and suffering.  Our sin affects all those around us.

God is the great Giver. God is the great Provider, Healer, and Protector. He is the Fount of every blessing. God is absolutely generous and utterly dependable. God is always with us and guides us while providing for us to accomplish His will in and through us.  The resounding and recurring message of Scripture from God is clear: God owns it all. God created all. God shares it all. Trust him, not stuff! So, when God who knows all because He created all tells us to say something or prompts us by His Holy Spirit to do something— “Just do it or say it.”  God always has a purpose and plan!

We wrap up both books of Samuel with this last piece of God’s wisdom from Samuel to Saul when he disobeyed God’s direct command;

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22

Saul thought that his disobedience was that great of a sin and  could always be erased with another religious offering…offerings that didn’t cost much to him. 

David knew immediately his sin of disobedience, “I have sinned against the Lord.” David then purchased a place to render a holy sacrifice to the Lord. “I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

Ponder the differences between the heart of Saul and the heart of David. God sees and knows our hearts, sometimes better than we know ourselves.  Ask for the heart of Jesus daily as we walk humbly with God in all we think, say, and do.

When God invites or commands; do exactly what He says from a heart, mind, and soul committed to Him who loved us first.  What an honor and privilege to loving serve our King of kings and Lord of lords!  Real servants of the Most High do not ask why! 

Lord,

Forgive us our sins of laziness, doing less that what you tell us to be and do. Lead us to higher ground thinking as we expectantly wait on your Word of direction.  Thank you for inviting us to your work for it is indeed a holy privilege to serve you with your love in our hearts.  I no longer need to know why as I trust and obey you with my life for you are Life to me.

In Jesus Name, Amen

When godly men and women begin the journey from earth to heaven, family and friends who know them well pick up on the wisdom of their “last words.” They may not realize it at the time the words are said but they will remember later, when they are gone from this life.  I still cling to the legacy of words said by my grandparents and parents as “last words of wisdom.”  The thoughts, words, and actions in the final days carry meaning and significance for those also waiting with expectant hope for life eternal with God who sent His Son to save us and clear the path to God.  What will be our final words, have we ever thought about it?  Do our lives reflect the glory of God in us?  Are our words of praise and thanks to God for all he has done in and through us in all circumstances? What if we are taken from earth to heaven suddenly, was our faith obvious by our testimony and behavior?  Do our loved ones know with whom we stand firm in faith?  Will they know who God is by what we say and how we love?  Pondering.

Our last words might be said today or tomorrow, or next week; we do not know the time and place.  What we do know is what we think, say, and do will be remembered by those left behind to carry on in their journeys of faith.  Will our words be about the division of our stuff or will our utterances be to declare the glory and majesty of the God who owns it all, is in all, because He created all—and He loves all. He helps all who love Him back decidedly and committedly. Will our last words tell our loved ones to seek a relationship with God because of all the relationships we will have on earth, an intimate, loving relationship with God is the most important one of all?!  God’s Son, Jesus, provided this relationship through sacrifice because of God’s love for us.  To God be the glory, honor, and praise forever and ever, Amen!  Thank you, Father, thank you Jesus, and thank you Holy Spirit!  Go tell it on the mountain, in the valley, at the workplace, in your church, among friends but most of all, tell your family.

At least seventy-three of the psalms in the book of Psalms are assigned to David, but his last one is found only here in 2 Samuel 23. The phrase “the last words of David” means “his last inspired written words from the Lord.” The psalm may have been written during the closing days of David’s life. Since the theme of the psalm is godly leadership, he may have written it especially for Solomon, but it has much to say to all of God’s people today. One who knows the Lord well, speaks His words.  It is well with David’s soul.  Is it well with our souls today?

2 Samuel 23

David’s Last Words

These are the last words of David:

“The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse,
    the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High,
the man anointed by the God of Jacob,
    the hero of Israel’s songs:

² “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me;
    his word was on my tongue.
³ The God of Israel spoke,
    the Rock of Israel said to me:
‘When one rules over people in righteousness,
    when he rules in the fear of God,
⁴ he is like the light of morning at sunrise
    on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain
    that brings grass from the earth.’

⁵ “If my house were not right with God,
    surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant,
    arranged and secured in every part;
surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation
    and grant me my every desire.
⁶ But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns,
    which are not gathered with the hand.
⁷ Whoever touches thorns
    uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear;
    they are burned up where they lie.”

David’s Mighty Warriors

⁸ These are the names of David’s mighty warriors:

Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.

⁹ Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty warriors, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the Israelites retreated, ¹⁰ but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead.

¹¹ Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. ¹² But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the Lord brought about a great victory.

¹³ During harvest time, three of the thirty chief warriors came down to David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁴ At that time David was in the stronghold, and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. ¹⁵ David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” ¹⁶ So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord. ¹⁷ “Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it.

Such were the exploits of the three mighty warriors.

¹⁸ Abishai the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah was chief of the Three. He raised his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed, and so he became as famous as the Three. ¹⁹ Was he not held in greater honor than the Three? He became their commander, even though he was not included among them.

²⁰ Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down Moab’s two mightiest warriors. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. ²¹ And he struck down a huge Egyptian. Although the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. ²² Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada; he too was as famous as the three mighty warriors. ²³ He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty, but he was not included among the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

²⁴ Among the Thirty were:

Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem, ²⁵ Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, ²⁶ Helez the Paltite,Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa, ²⁷ Abiezer from Anathoth,Sibbekai^[f] the Hushathite, ²⁸ Zalmon the Ahohite,Maharai the Netophathite, ²⁹ Heledson of Baanah the Netophathite,Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin, ³⁰ Benaiah the Pirathonite,Hiddaifrom the ravines of Gaash, ³¹ Abi-Albon the Arbathite,Azmaveth the Barhumite, ³² Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen,Jonathan ³³ son of Shammah the Hararite,Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite, ³⁴ Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maakathite,Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, ³⁵ Hezro the Carmelite,Paarai the Arbite, ³⁶ Igal son of Nathan from Zobah,the son of Hagri, ³⁷ Zelek the Ammonite,Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah, ³⁸ Ira the Ithrite,Gareb the Ithrite ³⁹ and Uriah the Hittite.There were thirty-seven in all.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Here’s a thought; what would be our last psalm/song to God as a witness of Him to others that would form our legacy of faith?  I’m going to work on that as I meditate on David’s last words.  I challenge you, dear friends, to do the same!  May God’s words from within us.

For words to flow freely; we learn from David that we must first seek God with a desire to know Him, run after God with desire to be near Him and be still before God to inquire of Him before doing anything of significance for Him.  This pursuit, longing, and love of God is what it takes to have the heart of God growing within us. Only then will His Song penetrate our hearts and become a part of us.

David’s life is bonus lesson for leaders:

“God empowers those whom He calls, and He anointed David with His Spirit (1 Samuel 16:12, 13). That’s why so many gifted men came to David and joined his band when he was in the wilderness. To be an effective leader and to be able to recruit and train other leaders takes more than talent and training. Jesus reminded His disciples, “without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Religious leaders who follow the principles of what the world calls “success” rarely accomplish anything permanent that glorifies God. “But he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17). To be educated by human beings is good, but to be called, trained, and raised up by the Lord is so much more important.” –Warren Wiersbe, Wiersbe Study Bible Commentary

Without righteousness and the fear and awe of God, a leader becomes a dictator and abuses God’s people, driving them like cattle instead of leading them like sheep. David was a shepherd first and became a ruler who served and a servant who ruled, and he had the welfare of his people on his heart. What a delight it is to follow a spiritual leader who brings out the best in us and helps us produce fruit for the glory of God!

Awe of God was a constant for David—

Whatever God put in David’s hands He used to honor God and help God’s people—sling, sword, harp, scepter, and even a cup of water. When David looked into the cup, he didn’t see water; he saw the blood of the three men who had risked their lives for him. (Verses 15-17) David turned the cave into a Temple of worship to God as he gave honor to his men.  All leaders need to follow David’s example and let their followers know how much they appreciate them and the sacrifices they make.

Beyond David’s legacy of faith, God will choose two of David’s descendants who were also devoted to God. The virgin Mary espoused to Joseph, both from the line of David were chosen to carry the embryo the Son of God within her and then with the help of Joseph, deliver Him as the Son of Man.  This took place in another cave in Bethlehem centuries later.  Jesus, the One promised by God through His prophets truly came as God in the flesh to seek and to save the lost, “setting the captives to sin free.” Jesus told of the establishment of the new Kingdom of God that would reverse and revolutionize the thinking of mankind forever!  But it took sacrifice on His part to do this.

Jesus gave himself as a sacrifice for us. He was the drink offering poured out for us! (See Psalm 22:14; Isaah 53:12). Paul used the image of the drink offering to describe his own dedication to the Lord (Philippians 2:17; 2 Timothy 4:6). Pouring out a drink offering or giving help to others may seem like small gestures at first; but doing small things because we love Christ turns them into great things. According to Jesus, whenever we show love and kindness to others and seek to meet their needs, we give Him a cup of cold water (Matthew 25:34–40). 

Are we willing to be poured out for others?  Pause to pray.

Lord,

Thank you for the lessons from the life of David that bring us to our knees in awe of you. Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds, refresh our souls with your tender mercies fresh each morning. Restore the joy of your salvation consistently at work within us to make us more like you and less like the world. “Let the morning bring word of your unfailing love for I put all my trust in you.”  May what I pour out today be pleasing to you and helpful to others.

In Jesus Name, Amen

“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” –Jesus, Matthew 24:6-14

The last four chapters of this book are an appendix. They record many events that occurred earlier in David’s reign. We should note that David remembered the pledge he had made to Jonathan that he would preserve his family forever. David’s grace is seen in the way he continued that pledge by showing grace to Mephibosheth.

2 Samuel 21

The Gibeonites Avenged

During the reign of David, there was a famine for three successive years; so David sought the face of the Lord. The Lord said, “It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death.”

² The king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.) ³ David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How shall I make atonement so that you will bless the Lord’s inheritance?”

⁴ The Gibeonites answered him, “We have no right to demand silver or gold from Saul or his family, nor do we have the right to put anyone in Israel to death.”

“What do you want me to do for you?” David asked.

⁵ They answered the king, “As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel, ⁶ let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and their bodies exposed before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul—the Lord’s chosen one.”

So the king said, “I will give them to you.”

⁷ The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the Lord between David and Jonathan son of Saul. ⁸ But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. ⁹ He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed them and exposed their bodies on a hill before the Lord. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning.

¹⁰ Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds touch them by day or the wild animals by night. ¹¹ When David was told what Aiah’s daughter Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, had done, ¹² he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. (They had stolen their bodies from the public square at Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.) ¹³ David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up.

¹⁴ They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land.

Wars Against the Philistines

¹⁵ Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. ¹⁶ And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels and who was armed with a new sword, said he would kill David. ¹⁷ But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished.”

¹⁸ In the course of time, there was another battle with the Philistines, at Gob. At that time Sibbekai the Hushathite killed Saph, one of the descendants of Rapha.

¹⁹ In another battle with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair the Bethlehemite killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod.

²⁰ In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. ²¹ When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimeah, David’s brother, killed him.

²² These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Wars, famines, earthquakes are natural occurrences on our imperfect, wicked planet. Many happenings on this earth will change the backdrop of living here. But those who seek the Lord, as David did, and follow what God says is the way to live our lives with expectant hope. Our living Hope is our resurrected Jesus who is the pathway to our forever home with God.  Jesus is indeed the Way, the Truth, and the Life!  Be Hope to others, pointing the way to Jesus!

Know this; through it all, God remains unchanged in His love and promises, His Word stands firm and forever, and His faithful mercy and grace never fails. Yes, in the end, when Jesus comes back for all who believe, follow, and trust Him with all their hearts, minds, and souls—God/Jesus wins.  God’s grace wins even now and forever!

So, seek God first and listen to what He says. Turn our focus with full attention to pleasing Him in all we think, say and do instead of trying to please fickle, imperfect people who reside in our changeable world around us.

Believe in His son, Jesus who came to earth to seek and to save the lost, heal, and forgive.  Strive to “be more like Jesus” for this is our calling as ambassadors of Christ!   “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.” Ephesians 4:15

The phrase “as I have done for you, do likewise” from Jesus as He washed the feet of His disciples, even Judas, is a command of active love, urging followers to emulate the example of our Lord; particularly in acts of service, humility, and love. John 13 tells of Jesus who demonstrated the “full extent of His love” and emphasizes the importance of mirroring His love, extending mercy, will giving grace, and forgiveness to others “as I have forgiven you.”  Jesus tells his followers to “Love each other as I have loved you” which is the greatest proof of God’s love in us.  (1 John 4:7-8)

Jesus perfectly and fully demonstrated God’s love, His mercy of forgiveness, and His generous, unending, limitless grace as he took our place for our sins, providing full pardon from our sins! Yes, embrace the grace!  Through it all, “in times like these”, we have a Savior and Lord—and Jesus is His Name!  Jesus is the Grace we need and is more than enough for us to see God in His glory! 

Yes, Grace wins. Always remember that Jesus says, “My grace is deeper than your sins.”

Embrace the Grace freely offered.  Then extend God’s grace to others as David did to Mephibosheth.  David remembered his promise for the rest of his life. Is there someone in your circle of friends and family who needs some extra kindness right now? God’s Holy Spirit will prompt us as God gives opportunity, ability and provisions when we ask in Jesus Name. “I’ve seen it with my own eyes” and life. 

Lord,

Thank you for Your Word of grace amid wars and famines.  Thank for your loving faithfulness to us—even we are less than faithful to you. Thank you for loving us the way you do—full of your boundless mercy and unchanging grace. Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I’m yours and I’m listening.

In Jesus Name, Amen

“I’m crossing over—who will go with me?”  The battles between Israel and Judah are ceasing for a time.  Absalom is dead.  David is grieving his son but knows he must carry on his work as God’s designated King of Israel.  David goes about the work to bring the two opposing groups of God’s people back together as one.  The term “crossing over” is mentioned often in this passage and is significant to me today.  It means much more than physically crossing over the river Jordan. Crossing the Jordan has become the line of demarcation of loyalty.  Are you crossing over with me as king or not? Whose side are you on?  With whom are you loyal to and trust with your life?  “I will provide for you when you cross over with me,” King David declares.

David took refuge in Judah when Absalom revolted against the king and his father.  While overly grieving his son, he is reminded by Joab to encourage those who were loyal to David in battle. This passage indicates how David made his gratitude known to all who were loyal to him.  David must cross over the Jordan with his family and all his stuff but first he knows that before returning to Jerusalem; David must reach out to bring those who supported Absalom with the purpose to bring them back into the kingdom of Israel. Unity is David’s new agenda.

When we are loving each other, serving with no thought of how it looks or what we will get from it; God’s love grows and matures in us.  Unity of the Body of Christ pleases God who gives us the power and the means to obtain this “Oneness” in Him.

2 Samuel 19

Joab was told, “The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” ² And for the whole army the victory that day was turned into mourning, because on that day the troops heard it said, “The king is grieving for his son.” ³ The men stole into the city that day as men steal in who are ashamed when they flee from battle. ⁴ The king covered his face and cried aloud, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”

⁵ Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, “Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. ⁶ You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. ⁷ Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come on you from your youth till now.”

⁸ So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the men were told, “The king is sitting in the gateway,” they all came before him.

Meanwhile, the Israelites had fled to their homes.

David Returns to Jerusalem

⁹ Throughout the tribes of Israel, all the people were arguing among themselves, saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies; he is the one who rescued us from the hand of the Philistines. But now he has fled the country to escape from Absalom; ¹⁰ and Absalom, whom we anointed to rule over us, has died in battle. So why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?”

¹¹ King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests: “Ask the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his palace, since what is being said throughout Israel has reached the king at his quarters? ¹² You are my relatives, my own flesh and blood. So why should you be the last to bring back the king?’ ¹³ And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my own flesh and blood? May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you are not the commander of my army for life in place of Joab.’”

¹⁴ He won over the hearts of the men of Judah so that they were all of one mind. They sent word to the king, “Return, you and all your men.” ¹⁵ Then the king returned and went as far as the Jordan.

Now the men of Judah had come to Gilgal to go out and meet the king and bring him across the Jordan. ¹⁶ Shimei son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, hurried down with the men of Judah to meet King David. ¹⁷ With him were a thousand Benjamites, along with Ziba, the steward of Saul’s household, and his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed to the Jordan, where the king was. ¹⁸ They crossed at the ford to take the king’s household over and to do whatever he wished.

When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell prostrate before the king ¹⁹ and said to him, “May my lord not hold me guilty. Do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind. ²⁰ For I your servant know that I have sinned, but today I have come here as the first from the tribes of Joseph to come down and meet my lord the king.”

²¹ Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, “Shouldn’t Shimei be put to death for this? He cursed the Lord’s anointed.”

²² David replied, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? What right do you have to interfere? Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don’t I know that today I am king over Israel?” ²³ So the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king promised him on oath.

²⁴ Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, also went down to meet the king. He had not taken care of his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he returned safely. ²⁵ When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, “Why didn’t you go with me, Mephibosheth?”

²⁶ He said, “My lord the king, since I your servant am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled and will ride on it, so I can go with the king.’ But Ziba my servant betrayed me. ²⁷ And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like an angel of God; so do whatever you wish. ²⁸ All my grandfather’s descendants deserved nothing but death from my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table. So what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king?”

²⁹ The king said to him, “Why say more? I order you and Ziba to divide the land.”

³⁰ Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him take everything, now that my lord the king has returned home safely.”

³¹ Barzillai the Gileadite also came down from Rogelim to cross the Jordan with the king and to send him on his way from there. ³² Now Barzillai was very old, eighty years of age. He had provided for the king during his stay in Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man. ³³ The king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me and stay with me in Jerusalem, and I will provide for you.”

³⁴ But Barzillai answered the king, “How many more years will I live, that I should go up to Jerusalem with the king? ³⁵ I am now eighty years old. Can I tell the difference between what is enjoyable and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats and drinks? Can I still hear the voices of male and female singers? Why should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king? ³⁶ Your servant will cross over the Jordan with the king for a short distance, but why should the king reward me in this way? ³⁷ Let your servant return, that I may die in my own town near the tomb of my father and mother. But here is your servant Kimham. Let him cross over with my lord the king. Do for him whatever you wish.”

³⁸ The king said, “Kimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him whatever you wish. And anything you desire from me I will do for you.”

³⁹ So all the people crossed the Jordan, and then the king crossed over. The king kissed Barzillai and bid him farewell, and Barzillai returned to his home.

⁴⁰ When the king crossed over to Gilgal, Kimham crossed with him. All the troops of Judah and half the troops of Israel had taken the king over.

⁴¹ Soon all the men of Israel were coming to the king and saying to him, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, steal the king away and bring him and his household across the Jordan, together with all his men?”

⁴² All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “We did this because the king is closely related to us. Why are you angry about it? Have we eaten any of the king’s provisions? Have we taken anything for ourselves?”

⁴³ Then the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, “We have ten shares in the king; so we have a greater claim on David than you have. Why then do you treat us with contempt? Weren’t we the first to speak of bringing back our king?”

But the men of Judah pressed their claims even more forcefully than the men of Israel.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Years of intrigue and intertribal conflict left Israel a deeply divided nation, and there was a desperate need for a strong display of unity and loyalty. God desires that his people be unified and avoid petty squabbles, arguments and fights over minor issues. 

What is our response?  We must focus on Christ who makes us One. Jesus is the Prince of Peace.  Jesus unites us as the Body of Christ who saved us and set us free to love like He loves us! Jesus, our designated by God, King of kings and Lord of lords, was the embodiment of love, mercy, and grace which leads to unity of the Body—His church. Jesus taught, “Seek first God…” to acquire God’s Kingdom thinking with His purposes. God is the One who brings all together as one in Jesus, His Son!  Jesus demonstrated this unity with God. Jesus aligned all His thinking, being, and doing with God who told him exactly who to be with what he must do.

Jesus set aside his own agenda for God’s Will and Plan with humbled, willing obedience to God, the Father.  Jesus knew this “looking to the interest of others” would require sacrifice for His was the Sacrifice for our sins.  Jesus powerfully demonstrated God’s powerful, relentless love as Jesus took on the role of a servant, bending down low to wash the feet of his followers—all of them, even his betrayer, Judas! 

We serve a Savior and Lord who washes feet!  “Do likewise,” says Jesus.  This act of Jesus was the perfect example of love and service to each other.  When we love God, love each other, and serve with gladness; there is less time to grumble and squabble. 

A crisis will bring out the best in some people and the worst in others. As Jesus put it, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, every city or house divided against itself will not stand” (Matthew 12:25). 

Lord,

When we look up from arguments to look full into your wonderful face our minds see the foolishness of the trivial that blocks the view of all that is the majesty of You.  The things of earth do grow strangely dim when we truly focus on who you are. Our eyes open wider in awe of you as we suddenly see a glimpse of the glorious unity of Father/Son/Holy Spirit who loves us, works within us, with mercy and grace. Oh Lord, we are so petty in our thinking, please forgive us and set us back on the path to your glory righteousness. Remove all the obstacles that make us stumble.  Bring us into your blessed unity as we give all our hearts, minds, and souls to you.  Make your desires be ours.

In Jesus Name, Amen