March 28–2 Samuel 14-16

“If I find favor in the sight of the Lord, then He will bring me back”(15:25).

“I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustains me” (Psalm 3:4-5, A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom, his son).

For all his success in other fields of endeavor, David was not an effective father. He was indulgent, permissive, sometimes passive-aggressive. Feeling guilt from his own public scandals, he could never find the moral footing to challenge Amnon for sexual sin, or Absalom for murder. The dynamic of David’s family was sadly like that of Eli. “His sons brought a curse on themselves, and he did nothing to rebuke them”(1 Samuel 3:13).

Tragic outcomes. Our text today rises from the confusion and destruction of Absalom’s rebellion. “A man never sees the worst of himself until it reappears in his child” (F. B. Meyer).

If David failed as a father, however, he succeeded as a son. Even in the heartbreak and danger of Absalom’s revolt, David turned to God. Do you see his humility? His upward reference? His belief that the Father could, and might still, “bring him back”? His focus was not on himself or his sons. His eyes were on his Father, his Father’s decision, his Father’s purpose and power and judgment. Will you pause and read Psalm 3? Amazing words written by David in this time of confusion and sorrow!

It is one of the deep questions of life. Only faith dares to ask it, or to take hold of the answer. If I fail as a parent (or at any of my assignments) will my Father still receive me? Does He have mercy even when my misery is self-caused? Will He use the consequences of my sin to discipline rather than destroy me, and offer the same grace to my children? Yes, shouts the Scripture and Spirit! Yes!

“Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not,” sings the old hymn. Friend, in your lowest moments, are you able to hold these words in your own heart? Like David, do you know a God who is unfailing Father to those who love Him, those who turn to Him in repentance and faith?

“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13).

“He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers” (Malachi 4:3).

March 27–2 Samuel 11-13

“Then David said, ‘I have sinned against the Lord’ ” (12:13).

“For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation” (2 Corinthians 7:10).

It was his worst moment and his wisest. In the pain of guilt and shame (and it IS painful), David turned to God.

The enemy was there to discourage him. I am certain of it. I have heard the same whispered words. “He will not hear you. You do not deserve His help. It is over for you.” See Revelation 12:10. His political enemies were quick with the same condemnation. Thankfully, David knew God and turned heavenward for mercy.

Psalm 51 is the song/summary of David’s prayer on this painful day. I hope you will read his words, feel the ache, appreciate the honesty, share the fear of forfeiting the Holy Spirit. Even more, I hope you, with hushed reverence, will hear his child-like request for God to make him clean, whiter than snow, a joy-restored worshiper.

Faith is never more real than when it asks help without merit or means of repayment. “The tax-collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to raise his eyes to heaven, but was beating his chest, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner’ “(Luke 18:13).

Scripture speaks of godly sorrow. It describes the moment when the believer faces his stubbornness and pride and fear and foolishness. Excuses gone. Guilty. Despite this despair, the eyes of faith humbly turn upward to God. Genuine sorrow becomes also godly sorrow, brokenness held up to a merciful judge.

Glory! When a sinner, weighed down with shame, believes God, accepts consequences, and comes home like a prodigal it is the work of God! In some ways godly sorrow is the greatest demonstration of faith of all.

Go home, dear one! Turn back to God! Wait on Him! Trust His redeeming love! Even if you have caused the trouble and ignored His warnings, the Father will help you.

“I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight” (Luke 15:18).

“Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

March 26–2 Samuel 7-10

“Go and say to my servant, David, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Are you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in?. . .The Lord declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you. . .Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever” ‘ “(7:5, 11, 16).

Easy mistake to make. As David lived in his new home, reigning over a united and prosperous kingdom, the contrast between his palace and the tent (tabernacle) of God became an embarrassment for him. He began to make plans for a grand and permanent temple.

It seemed like an admirable dream until he had a conversation with Nathan. Speaking through the prophet, God rejected David’s proposal. Without any reproach, He shifted attention to a MUCH larger goal.

What God imagines for His people far exceeds anything we can conceive. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9, KJV).

God’s plans are bigger, they are better, because they touch FOREVER. Will you read chapter 7 again? Will you circle every time God uses the word forever? The plan of God stretches forward into eternity! His dream for David (us) is a FOREVER standing in His salvation story. “An inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4). Permanent significance and belonging and joy! Apart from Him, none of us can imagine such an outcome.

The Lord’s promise brought David to a place of humility and hope. Stunned by the grace of God, he sat in the presence of the Lord (v. 18) until he could speak. It was a mind-stretching, horizon-shaping moment. Eventually and gratefully, he expressed praise and found confidence to pray God’s plan. “For you, O Lord. . .have made a revelation to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house,’ therefore Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer”(7:27). It is not arrogant to ask for what God has promised, not selfish to believe the glory that will come from His hand to His children.

From the Father, God’s children receive a dream of a city built by God. Sitting before Him, in stillness and praise, we abandon goals that are small and self-created. Friend, will you consider? What plans does God have for you, for us?

” ‘ I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope’ ” (Jeremiah 29:11).

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18).

March 25–2 Samuel 3-6

“And the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence”(6:7).

It is a shocking story. Confusing. Discouraging. Necessary.

The first years of David’s reign were spectacularly successful! Zion was captured and became the new capital. A great sense of unity and optimism carried the nation forward in joy.

God was with them in battle. Baal-Perazim David named a battlefield after a significant victory over the Philistines. (Baal, Lord, peres, breach or gap). We would call it “breakthrough”. God scatters the forces arrayed against His name and His people.

God, however, is equally strong against irreverence in His own people. With honest eyes, David saw this truth. The Holy One will not be mocked or dismissed or taken for granted. He will defend His name and His holiness. Scripture gives a long list of those who ignored this warning and suffered for it.

On a day of great celebration, Uzzah nonchalantly and arrogantly took hold of the ark. Immediately, God struck Him down. Had God warned Uzzah before this moment? Was there a back-story? I suspect so. What was clear (and still is) is that God is high and holy and that our relationship with Him must always be characterized by reverence. “To this one I will look, the one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2).

Jesus urged us pray that the whole world would hallow the name of God, that the mere mention of His name would bring all creatures to an attitude of reverence and respect. Dear reader, can you think of any virtue more absent in the world that presently exists?

Perez-Uzzah David called this place/event. Do not be deceived. Either now or at His great coming, God will break out against those who have no reverence.

“It can be extremely painful to learn the fear of the Lord. It is death to our narcissistic egos and self-assured opinions and superior neutrality. . .(we must) turn outward and upward to the Lord with an awakened sense of his sheer reality, his moral beauty, his eternal grandeur” (Ray Ortlund).

“Let us offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire”(Hebrews 12:28-29).

“The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever”(Psalm 19:9).

March 24–2 Samuel 1-2

“They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan and for the people of the Lord. . .because they had fallen by the sword”(1:12).

Loss (and gain) is a fixed pattern in the present order. In every moment of life, we are either saying goodbye to an old circumstance or saying hello to a new. Nothing is permanent, nothing in this world, at least. We move forward through time in a river of constant change.

This being so, one of the skills of life is to mourn. To feel loss deeply. To experience and express the emotions that go with it. To grieve and doing so to find release.

It is a lesson that David learned well. An emotionally honest man, he was passionate in love, fierce in anger, exuberant in praise, honest in grief. Nothing uptight or repressed about him. When news came that Israel was defeated and Saul and Jonathan were dead, he wisely resisted any counsel for immediate action. It was important for the nation to mourn. Important for David. Important for us, as well.

To deny self (as Jesus says we must) and to ignore our emotions are not equivalents. True, what we feel must always be challenged and checked. Even so, Jesus, like His ancestor David, grieved for Lazarus, wept over Jerusalem and raged over the misuse of the temple. Controlled by the Spirit, emotions are to be experienced and expressed. Joy. Laughter. Gratitude. Sorrow. Regret. Grief. We are emotional beings. God made us to be so.

What are you feeling today, dear one? Are you feeling loss? The Bible says that the Spirit grieves. In this truth do you hear His permission for you to do so, as well? Are you frustrated? Afraid? Will you feel these emotions, find words to express them? As David did so often in his Psalms, will you cry out to God in emotional honesty? See Psalm 13.

Amazing discovery! The Father is more willing to have difficult conversations than we are. Even in grief or anger or frustration, He bids us come. Doing so, we find foundation and freedom.

“There is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance”(Ecclesiastes 3:4).

“Be angry and sin not” (Ephesians 4:26).

March 23–1 Samuel 27-31

“Then David said to himself, ‘Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines’ “(27:1).

As I walk with the Eternal One, I discover a great anchor-truth. God is faithful. Even, when I am not. While I must never misuse this truth to excuse unbelief or undisciplined living, any true telling of the story will include times when, in the words of the familiar poem, “He carried me” (Footprints in the Sand).

In 1 Samuel 27, David comes to a very low moment. Having obeyed so long and so well, having prayed with such patience and hope, the stress finally pushes him to a place of mental and spiritual exhaustion. He begins to feel that things are hopeless, that eventually Saul will capture and kill him. See 27:1. Sometimes even rock-bottom has a basement! In this depressed condition, David makes some terrible decisions. We all do the same.

Despite David’s flawed choices and failed courage, will you MARVEL at the faithfulness of God? Will you watch as the Great Shepherd secretly orders the decisions of the Philistines to keep David from the horns of a dilemma? Had David fought against his own people, it would have completely disqualified him from ever being king of Israel. Will you thank God for the displayed kindness that welcomed David after he hit bottom and turned back to the Holy One for counsel and strength? See 30:6. “David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.” Great encouragement and great counsel for every weary warrior!

Paul will later say, “When I am weak, I am strong.” Gloriously true, but only when weakness drives the believer back to the Father. Do you feel weary today? Discouraged? Will you declare to your heart that God is faithful, and turn back to Him in renewed patience and courage?

“Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father, there is no shadow of turning with Thee. Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not. As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be” (Thomas O. Chisholm).

“He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:3).

“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself”(2 Timothy 1:13).

March 22–1 Samuel 24-26

“Now, behold, I know that you will surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand”(24:17).

He knew! At some deep level (and for some time) Saul KNEW that God had decided to remove the kingdom from him and give it to David. Review Samuel’s words to him in 15:23. Did Saul recall this prophecy later? Did the words echo at night in his aching conscience? Gradually, even for someone as emotionally dishonest as Saul, it became impossible to deny God’s decision.

Everyone else knew, too. Jonathan gave testimony in 23:17. Abigail spoke the same confidence in 25:30. The whole kingdom saw where the Saul story was going.

In the cave, the reality crashed on Saul like a wave. When David subordinated his passions to the expressed will of God (exactly what Saul had been unable/unwilling to do), the decision of God was confirmed. For a moment, the clouds of confusion lifted. But, only for a moment. In keeping with a long pattern, Saul did not surrender to God’s will, nor walk in required obedience. Soon, his anger, and pride and anxiety reasserted control. The way of the sinner is hard. Sadly, not hard enough to convince him to repent. Not for Saul.

Years later a “second Saul” struggled in similar fashion. This time with better outcome. On the road to Damascus, Saul (Paul) heard the Lord say, “Is it hard for you to kick against the goads?”(Acts 26:14). A goad was a sharp stick used to guide an animal on a specific path. To “kick against it” was futile resistance. It did not change the inevitable, just caused additional injury and pain. For years, like the first Saul, the second Saul had been kicking against the goads of God’s will.

Sound familiar? It does to me. The “old man” in me is still kicking. Even to this day! The foolish and fleshly desire for self-determination is still very present in my soul. Sooner or later, flesh must be DENIED. I (we) must walk away from the tantrums and pride of my former self. The first Saul is my warning that it must be done. The second Saul is my encouragement that it can be done.

Friend, is your flesh currently kicking against the will of God? Will you deny this inner rebel so as to walk with Christ in fully surrendered trust?

“Thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel. . .’In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.’ But you were not willing”(Isaiah 30:15).

March 21–1 Samuel 21-23

“Then David inquired of the Lord once more”(23:3).

I must be patient in prayer. And humble. “True strength will bow to wisdom. Arrogance has no knees” (Craig Lounsbrough).

I must always be prepared for prayer to take longer and require more from me than I like or expect. Prayer is not a way for me to involve the Eternal One in my schemes or schedule. “Call unto Me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and might things, which you do not know“(Jeremiah 33:3). Prayer is God’s invitation to join Him in a larger world, a world that I can neither see, nor control.

David made his decisions in prayer. During his years as a fugitive, he sought the Lord’s guidance and concluded that on a particular day he and his men should continue to fight the Philistines. Impressive in itself! Discomfort or stress did not exempt David from spiritual service. He desired to contribute! A truly noble man!

It was, however, an unpopular decision. Much push-back came from his men. Seeking confirmation from the Lord, David prayed again! Rising the second time, David was resolute, unaffected by those who counseled fear and caution. “The wicked flee though no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as lion” (Proverbs 28:1).

In Gethsemane we see the great principle of patient prayer on display in the life of our Lord. Staying on his knees, ignoring the fears and counsel of those around Him, surrendering Himself in obedience, Jesus grasped God’s good plan as He prayed and prayed again. “If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith nothing wavering, for the one who wavers is as a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. Let not that man expect that he will receive anything of the Lord” (James 1:5-7, KJV).

Sometimes I hear people speaking of prayer as if it is a quick conversation spoken in a moment of stress and need. Perhaps. Just as often the Bible describes something else. Prayer is a dedicated, costly, progressive conversation in persistent pursuit of the Father’s will.

Do not rush your prayers, dear one. Open your heart to this powerful privilege! Take time with it. It will cost you hours but it will give you days of Spirit-powered life.

“Prayer does not equip us for greater works—prayer is the greater work” (Oswald Chambers).

“Now He (Jesus) was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart” (Luke 18:1).

March 20–1 Samuel 18-20

“If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death” (19:11).

A few years ago, in an intense chapter of illness and medical treatment, I learned a lesson. I needed to be assertive.

American medicine is amazing. I am grateful for it. It can, however, be complicated and inefficient. There can be mistakes and delays and miscommunications. Gradually, the patient learns to become his own advocate, to ask questions and get answers, to take responsibility for his own care. I had to learn to act in my own interests, sometimes when I didn’t have energy to even think, much less to be assertive.

For believers (in all aspects of life, not just medical) this can be uncomfortable. We are taught to be humble, patient. Subconsciously we believe the 11th Commandment is, “Thou shalt be nice.” Add a certain reluctance for responsibility and a bit of laziness and the outcome can be uncertainty and inaction.

In 1 Samuel 19-20, young David enters a difficult chapter of his life. In this season, a new set of skills will be required. Saul, of late, has become erratic and malicious. Abusive. Even with warnings from Jonathon, David hesitated to accept this new dangerous reality. He indulged himself in an unrealistic hope that Saul’s anger would pass. Michal, Saul’s daughter and David’s wife, verbalized the challenge. You must ACT! And do so quickly!

I have a friend who overuses (I believe) the idea that God will protect him. Faith, for this friend, is to relax and let God take care of all needs. To him, inactivity, and lack of assertiveness, equal faith. In our text today, David is unlearning such “wisdom”.

“Why are you crying out to me?” said the Lord to Moses in Exodus 14, as a menacing Egyptian army drew close. “Tell the people to go forward!” There are times (for all of us) when prayer and waiting is the right thing to do. There are also times (and David was in one of those moments) when more prayer is the wrong thing. Shrewd action is required! See Luke 16.

If “wiser than a serpent” is part of God’s assignment, there will be times when trust will look like decisive courage. Don’t be surprised if, as you view your life with honest eyes, you hear the Spirit shouting, “Think! Move! Act!”

“I do not believe in a fate that falls on men however they act; but I do believe in a fate that falls on them unless they act” (G. K. Chesterton).

“In any moment of decision, the best thing to do is the right thing. The worst thing to do is nothing” (Theodore Roosevelt).

March 19–1 Samuel 15-17

In the 8th Century, Dallan Forgail wrote a poem that later became a familiar hymn. “Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.”

It is a prayer. A request for God to give us new eyes, a compelling vision of Himself, and, therefore, ourselves and our world.

David was a man of such vision. He had a vibrant inner life (a man after God’s own heart), and this inner focus and priority on God was the filter through which he saw all other things. “The eyes of the heart,” Paul calls it in Ephesians 1:18.

The soldiers of Israel SAW a giant (Goliath). David SAW someone taunting the armies of the living God. Saul SAW inexperience and danger. David SAW God’s power. “He will deliver me,” he said to the King, without wavering. Some people see thorns, some see roses.

Hearts that love God have eyes that see Him at work. Hannah (1 Samuel 2) didn’t shout of a successful pregnancy. Her song was about a gracious and powerful God. In the midst of a national emergency (Isaiah 6), Isaiah saw the Lord, high and lifted up. On the road to Damascus (Acts 9), Saul saw the Lord and realized that he had been blind.

For nearly fifty years, mornings have been “eye-opening” for me. In daily renewal, the Scripture and Spirit have helped me SEE the eternal realities. Invisible things. Real things. “Unseen things above,” says the old hymn. God. Man. Sin. Judgement. Mercy. Coming victory! All these are true, but they make little impact until we SEE them.

When you face a giant today, friend (and likely you will), what will your eyes see? When circumstances persuade you toward fear, will a clearer vision of a great God give you courage and faith?

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know the hope. . .the riches. . .the greatness of His power”(Ephesians 1:18-19).

“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen” (2 Corinthians 4:18).