2 Samuel
1:1-27 - ‘How are the mighty fallen!’ (19,25,27). The tragedy of Saul
was there for all to see. He had made a right mess of things! What are
we to think when we read of this tragic figure? He started out so well.
He ended so badly. There were high hopes - but it all came to nothing.
Do we not see ourselves in Saul? - This could happen to me, if I’m not
careful. The danger signs are there. Satan is at hand. He is ready to
sweep in. He will sweep the feet away from us, if we don’t watch out. We
are very weak, but the Lord is ‘able to keep us from falling’ (Jude
24-25). These are things we must never forget - our own weakness and the
strength of the Lord. Disaster threatens. Tragedy looms. Jesus draws
near. He speaks His Word - ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power
is made perfect in weakness’ (2 Corinthians 12:9). By grace, we shall
stand!
2:1-32 - It was a new beginning. There was a new king. Saul
was gone. He had been replaced by David. One thing had not changed. The
Lord is King. To know His blessing - His ‘steadfast love and
faithfulness’ - is more important than anything else. We look beyond the
servants of the Lord. We look to the Lord Himself (4-7). The names and
the faces change - Saul, David, - but the Lord never changes’. Some
liked one king - ‘If only we had Saul back again’. Some preferred the
other - ‘Things can only get better, now that David’s here’. Some people
would never be happy. There was no pleasing them. What is the most
important thing of all? - Keep your eyes on the Lord. God’s servants are
not in competition with one another. They are not trying to outdo each
other. Let God be glorified!
3:1-39 - ‘There was a long war between the house of Saul and the
house of David’ (1) - What a sad situation! It was shameful. It was
sinful - a scandalous situation, which brought no glory to the Lord. The
conflict seemed to go on and on - it was ‘a long war’. Perhaps, there
were times when things didn’t seem too bad. Still, the problem showed no
sign of going away. They were at ‘war’ with one another. Is there any
hope in a situation like this? We may wonder. Humanly speaking, things
seem to go round in circles. There appears to be some progress, then
there is another outbreak of violence. There is hope. Our hope is in the
Lord. He continues to speak His Word - ‘…I will save My people… from
the hand of all their enemies’ (18). Whatever happens, don’t forget the
Word of the Lord.
4:1-5:25 - ‘…They came into the house… and slew
him…’ (4:7). What are we to make of this kind of thing? - ‘What’s the
world coming to?’. Where’s it all going to end?’. It is difficult to
maintain real faith in the Lord when this kind of thing is going on.
What are we to do? Don’t bury your head in the sand. Don’t pretend that
such things are not happening. Don’t imagine that they will just go
away. ‘Inquire of the Lord’. ‘Do as the Lord commands’. Keep on
believing that there will be a breakthrough - from the Lord
(19,23,25,20). Can you ‘hear the sound of rustling in the leaves of the
trees’? - ‘The Spirit of the Lord has come down on the earth’. Let us
‘rise, a mighty array, at the bidding of the Lord - The Spirit won’t be
hindered by division in the perfect work that Jesus has begun’ (24; John
3:8; Mission Praise, 274).
6:1-23 - ‘When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the
Lord, she despised him in her heart’ (16). Michal was a very angry young
woman. Her husband had embarrassed her and she didn’t like it! What had
David done to deserve this? - ‘I will celebrate before the Lord’ (21).
This is really quite pathetic. God’s children are learning to ‘worship
Him in Spirit and in truth’ (John 4:23-24). In comes ‘the stiff upper
lip brigade’. They have no real heart for worship. They put a dampener
on it - ‘This has to stop’. This is not only pathetic. It is sinful. ‘Do
not quench the Spirit… Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God… Be filled
with Spirit, addressing one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart…’ (1
Thessalonians 5:19; Ephesians 4:30; 5:18-20).
7:1-29 - David was
king. God was looking on the next king, Solomon. Knowing the kind of man
Solomon would become, God speaks of chastening: ‘When he does wrong, I
will chasten him’. This chastening is an expression of God’s ‘steadfast
love’: ‘Those whom I love, I rebuke and chasten’. How do we respond to
God’s chastening? Don’t be like ‘Saul’. He was ‘put away from’ being
king because of his continual disobedience. ‘Be zealous and repent’.
When you are being chastened, don’t forget the love of God: ‘The Lord
disciplines him whom He loves, and chastises every son whom He
receives’. Why does God chasten His children? - ‘He disciplines us for
our good, that we may share His holiness’. Beyond the ‘pain’ of
‘discipline’, there is ‘the peaceful fruit of righteousness’ (14-15;
Revelation 3:19; Hebrews 12:5-11).
8:1-9:13 - David was involved
in many battles with his enemies. Their antagonism had been aroused by
his strong stand for the Lord. David enjoyed many victories. Why? - ‘The
Lord gave victory to David wherever he went’ (8:6,14). Jesus said,
‘Apart from Me you can do nothing’ (John 15:5). We are not left on our
own. Through ‘the kindness of God’, we receive strength (9:3). ‘The
heart of the Eternal is most wonderfully kind’. Through His kindness, He
has provided ‘plentiful redemption’. When, through the kindness of God,
we enjoy His victory let’s not forget, ‘Every virtue we possess, every
victory won, every thought of holiness, are His alone’ (Church Hymnary,
218,336). The ‘victory’ does not come from ourselves. It is ‘the victory
of our God’: ‘Sing to the Lord… He has done marvellous things’ (Psalms
44:3; 98:1-3)!
10:1-11:27 - ‘May the Lord do what seems good to Him’ (10:12). This
is the attitude we ought to have. This is the ideal: ‘Your will be done
in earth as it is in heaven’; ‘Not as I will, but as You will’ (Matthew
6:10; 26:39). Often, we do not live up to the ideal - ‘the thing that
David had done displeased the Lord’ (11:27). Throughout life, there are
choices between our own will and the will of the Lord. Sometimes, we
make wrong choices. We choose our own way rather than the Lord’s way.
Throughout life, God is speaking to us. He is trying to get our
attention. He wants it to be less of self and more of Him. He is leading
us to say from the heart, ‘As for God, His way is perfect’ (22:31;
Psalm 18:30). May we have this testimony: ‘I have kept the ways of the
Lord; I have not done evil by turning from my God’ (Psalm 18:21).
12:1-31
- Here, we learn much about God’s dealings with sinners. In verse 7,
there is conviction of sin - ‘You are the man’. In verse 13, we have
confession of sin - ‘I have sinned against the Lord’ - and forgiveness
of sin - ‘The Lord has taken away your sin’. In verse 20, there is the
restoration of the sinner - ‘washed... anointed… changed… he went into
the house of the Lord, and worshipped’. These were not easy times for
David - ‘the child died’ (18). Later on, ‘a son’ was born (24).
Sometimes, good things are happening to us. Sometimes, bad things are
happening. ‘The Lord loved him’ (24): ‘Through all the changing scenes
of life, in trouble and in joy', never forget ‘His love’ (Mission
Praise, 702). Our circumstances change. His love never changes. When
you’re feeling down, let His love lift you up!
Comments
Post a Comment