Joab

I have been reading about the life of David and one character who stuck out to me was Joab. So close to David. An advisor to the King. A smart strategic man. But a man who was a little too invested in himself. When David made decisions he didn't agree with, sometimes the person it involved died at the hand of Joab. Joab didn't stay loyal at the end. Maybe David wasn't such an inspirational figure anymore. So when David made Soloman King, he told him that Joab had to die. While he figured he could handle Joab's loose cannoness, he wasn't ok to pass that on to his son.

Judas was a person like this. While things were good, he was loyal. But when things weren't, he jumped ship. We all know people like this. People who could stay loyal but see it in their best interest to leave. Sometimes things that we think are our best interest really are not.

undignified

When I read 2 Samuel 6, the word that struck me was "undignified". David the king was willing to be undignified for God. So should we.

Today reading 2 Samuel 7, David feels that if he has a nice comfortable house, then God should as well. I am sure that God appreciated the sentiment, but you can't box in God. Not in a house, not in a church. He needs to flow- go where you go. Walk where you walk. Don't try to contain him.

Not the reaction you were expecting

At the start of 2 Samuel, David gets news of Saul's death.
Looking back to 1 Samuel the Philistines were going to war with Saul and as David was allied with the Philistines at that point he was supposed to go with them but the Philistines decided that they couldn't 100% trust David and his men so they sent him back. Thus saving him from the dilemma of fighting Saul himself.
What a lot had changed from when David went out to fight the Philistines- now they are his allies.

Anyway, the one who comes to tell David about Saul's passing is an Amelkite. But he clearly knows that David is destined to be king. This must have been obvious to everyone. He said he saw Saul on the battleground when he had run onto his sword but he hadn't died- he was suffering. So Saul asked this Amelkite to put him out of his misery and kill him. Which he does and then he takes the crown and bracelets and brings them to David.
The Amelkite didn't need to get involved. He could have walked away. He could have kept the trinkets.
I think he thought that David would welcome him as this fellow clearly knew he was destined to be king. Maybe he would get a place in the kingdom.
Instead he was killed as David did not appreciate him killing Saul.

1 Samuel 19- Spiritual fullness

In this chapter again Jonathan and Michal both have to support David and protect him. God protected him one way or another throughout the chapter.

The interesting spiritual aspects-
David resumes playing music to try to keep the 'distressing spirit' off Saul. However, this is growing less effective as one again Saul tries to spear him. After the first time, I certainly wouldn't be so keen to play again. But David either forgives or is forced to play again. But the annointing that worked to calm the distressing spirit isn't working anymore. Like antibiotics taken too often, can the Lord's presence become dull to a person so that they no longer sense His calming touch? If you put too much hate in does that put up barriers to the Lord?

The second interesting spiritual angle is that David flees to Samuel and everyone who is sent to pursue him end up prophesying. The presence of God with Samuel and David and the group of prophets overcomes Saul's servants and Saul himself. So while the hate may have been able to block God in some aspects, it is not able to in others.

complicated family

In 1 Samuel 18 we read about the complicated family dynamic that David find himself in. Taking care of the sheep probably seemed like a dream job after this.

David is good friends with Saul's son Jonathan and falls in love with Saul's daughter Michal. But his father in law hates him and tries to kill him. Not a good house to be living in for David!

Goliath

Today I read the passage about the battle between David and Goliath. David had taken a break from serving Saul to feed his father's sheep.

David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem. (1 Samuel 17:15)

Then his father sends him to bring provisions to the battle line and he hears Goliath boasting and he stands up to it, Saul sends him off and and David kills Goliath. After this there is a puzzling discussion. Still in 1 Samuel:

⁵⁶ The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”
⁵⁷ As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head.
⁵⁸ “Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked him.
David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”

It is puzzling that Saul doesn't know who David is. David works for him on a regular basis playing the harp to make the evil spirit go off Saul. Saul was the one who tried to suit up David to face Goliath. How can he not know who David is?

Before Goliath

I  was reading the story of David this morning and I realized something that I had not seen before. For some reason when I thought of the story of David and Goliath I thought he was a nobody who was wandering around carrying the lunches for his brothers and then just happened on the battle line because his brothers were there. And that Saul had no idea who this guy was but he was happy someone had stepped up. Happy that anyone had stepped up.

But the background actually has David far more prepared than I think the telling of the story normally goes. Before he faced Goliath, he was already anointed king by Samuel. He had already been chosen by Saul to play the harp for him. So David already had a good idea of where his destiny should be going. And he had also spent time worshiping God in the palace of Saul. Saul knew very well who he was. David was more prepared than the story generally lets on.

You are unique

In Numbers 7, the offering of each tribe is carefully listed even though it is exactly the same as all the other tribes. You matter to God even if you thing there is nothing unique about what you are doing. It all matters.

The Donkey and the Lamb

Exodus 34:20 I think God is laughing at us: Now the firstling of a donkey you may redeem with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, then break its neck. I think we are the donkeys :)

On the mountain

I have been moving through the readings, though for a couple of weeks the essays derailed me. I'm not planning on taking that job again next year. So today was in Exodus when Moses came down from the mountain with the tablets. There were a couple of things that I missed before. Not only does Moses destroy the golden calf but he sprinkles the power on the water and makes them drink it. They drink the fruit of their sin. The other thing I hadn't notices is that while Moses pleads for the life of Israel as God wants to destroy them, later he has those of God's side kill some of those who presumably were not on God's side. So while Moses prevents total annihilation, he then causes some destruction.

some puzzles

From yesterday's reading in Genesis 6 this part didn't seem to fit: When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with[a] humans forever, for they are mortal[b]; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. Afterwards it goes on to talk about how the heart of man is full of evil, but these 2 passages don't seem to indicate it was the human fault, that it was external sources that were the evil ones. So that was a bit puzzling. From today's reading my puzzle is when Ham (apparently) sins against Noah, Noah curses his son Canaan. Why Canaan, who was only one of Ham's children. My ponderings for today!