Podcasts about though david

The first grader called the number for emergency dispatch. The 9-1-1 operator answered. “I need help,” said the boy. “I have to do take-aways.” The operator proceeded to assist, until he heard a woman enter the room and say, “Johnny, what are you doing?” Johnny explained that he couldn’t do his math homework, so he did exactly what his mother had taught him to do when he needed help. He called 9-1-1. To Johnny, his current need qualified as an emergency. To the compassionate listener, helping the young boy with his homework was top priority in that moment. When the psalmist David needed help, he said, “Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered—how fleeting my life is” (Psalm 39:4 nlt). He said, “My hope is in” God (v. 7). So, he pleaded for Him to hear and answer his “cry for help” (v. 12). Then, strangely, he asked God to “look away from” him (v. 13). Though David’s needs remain unspoken, throughout Scripture he declared that God would always be with him, hearing and answering his prayers. Our confidence in God’s constancy allows us to process our fickle feelings, while affirming there’s no request too big or too small for the unchanging One. He hears us, cares for us, and answers every prayer we utter.

Psalm 56 provides a song to sing when we feel pulled between fear and faith. Though David is surrounded by enemies in hot pursuit of his life, he purposefully puts his trust in God. Here we learn not only how we might trust God in the face of fear but are also given reasons why we should. We will outline our passage with two great comforts drawn from this text that are meant to either calm your current fears or prepare your heart for the next time you might say, “When I Am Afraid.” These twin comforts are: 1. My God is With Me, and 2. My God is For Me.

David is now king of Israel and has commissioned the Ark of the Covenant to return to Jerusalem after 20 years with Abinadab. Though David and the people of Israel were doing the right thing, they were not obedient to the way God asked them to transport the Ark. God isn't a domesticated being, and He's certainly more powerful than any other force in the universe, therefore we praise Him as we fear Him, we're humbled before Him as we exalt Him, and we celebrate Him unashamedly for what He's done in bringing many sons to glory.

In our study of 1 Samuel we come to Saul's final attempt to kill David and we see how God is shaping David to respond in a way that is honouring to the Lord. Though David doesn't know the future, we see him continuing to trust in the Lord and to show mercy even when it is in his power to kill his enemy.

Solomon the Wise prays to God, Dedicating the Temple! 2 Chronicles 6v1-21 What is the story so far? History is important though, not only to learn the lessons from it but also as Christians, the Bible shows how God has acted in human history.  A brief recap of chapter 7. From the first 3 verses of chapter 7, we read the Chronicler regaling one of the many great WOW moments of the Old Testament. The time when the glory of the Lord came down like fire and filled the temple to overflowing! The people fell down in worship of a great God, who was their God! This was followed by a great scene of abundantly joyful sacrificial worship to this God! That must have been some prayer eh! Well, tonight as you may have gathered, we go back to looking at those prayers. Not in an exhaustive way, but to discover together what we can learn about God and His relationship with those who are His and seeing how this is relevant to us some 3 millennia later. During the intervening period, I wonder if Solomon had wrestled in his mind over what he prayed… Let us wrestle together now, in these prayers of his, albeit briefly. This is a key passage, a link if you like, between the Covenant that God made with Solomon's father, David, including the building of a House for God, the Temple, and the glory of the Lord filling the Temple in 2 Chronicles 7. This reflects I think, the necessity and vitality of prayer in the unfolding of God's will for humanity. The story is also regaled in 1 Kings 8 but with some nuance as you may expect. A Covenant Making God Down through history, the Bible reveals that God has made Covenants with humanity. A covenant is an important way to describe the progress of the relationship between God and humanity through the Biblical story. A covenant at the time of the Old Testament was a solemn commitment between the two covenanting parties to fulfil all the promises and obligations of the covenant. Covenants were common in all kinds of life, and not just between God and humanity. The idea comes from the sort of agreement commonly entered into in the ancient area round Israel between a high king, and a sub king or clan chief. It is easy to see how a covenant is a good way to describe the relationship between God and humanity. God, who promises to protect and help the human with faithfulness, and the human who promises to worship and honour God with faith. The Covenants between God and humanity have several things about them regarding the relationship. In these Covenants between God and humanity, God always took the initiative – sometimes by complete surprise. God has made certain commitments and has given His solemn promise to fulfil His end of the bargain. God waits for a response from humanity. God does not coerce or force but waits for humanity to take the responsibility of replying and acquiescing to God's covenantal promises through obedience, faithfulness and worship. There are Covenants made in the Garden of Eden, Covenants made in history with Adam, Noah and Abraham, but we will fast forward to the Covenant between God and Moses before going onto His covenant with Solomon's father, David. The Mosaic Covenant Why look at the Covenant made between God and Moses? We do so because there is a connection between that Covenant and the prayer of Solomon we are looking at tonight. Indeed the very Ark of the Covenant contained a gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and two tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed. Charles Spurgeon commented “One is struck, with the fact that the language of Solomon is far from new, and is full of quotations from the Pentateuch (where the Mosaic Covenant is fully explained), some of which are almost word for word.” This covenant is between God and humanity, in this case with the particular nation of Israel. It commences with the stipulation “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine” (Exodus 19:5). This covenant was to Israel in order that those who believed God's promise, could know how to live righteously. Israel's task was to bring the knowledge of God to all the world so that blessing might come to all humanity. In this, however, they were to fail and only when Jesus came as the perfectly obedient Israelite was it to become possible that all the world should be blessed. This Mosaic covenant covered the three areas of life: The commandments were given so they would know how to relate socially to God correctly (Exodus 20:1-17) The judgments were given in order that they could relate socially to each other properly (Exodus 21:1 - 24:11 and in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) The decrees dictate their religious life so that God could be approached by humanity on His terms (Exodus 24:12 - 31:18, and in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Mosaic Covenant was never meant as a means by which humanity could achieve salvation with God. It was given so that they could realize the helplessness of their own efforts, and their need of God's help as well as expressing their devotion to the Lord. Yet they still failed to bring blessing to other peoples. Galatians 3:22-24 explains that the Law was only a protective fence until through the promised Messiah, when humanity could be made right with God through faith. That Messiah we know to be the man Jesus Christ. More later though. The Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:4-17) Now we fast forward to the Covenant which was in place as Solomon dedicates the Temple to God and is mentioned here. This covenant that God made with David, Solomon's father. Three great things were promised: A land forever (2 Samuel 7:10); A dynasty without end (2 Samuel 7:11, 16) A perpetual kingdom (2 Samuel 7:13, 16) Through the Covenants we see a God who is willing to interact with His creation and bless it. When first century Christians such as the Apostles Paul, Peter and John checked and thought over all the events surrounding the life of Jesus Christ, they searched their Scriptures (our Old Testament). It was as God the Holy Spirit illuminated their minds, that they wrote down and passed on the whole range of Old Testament promises which were fulfilled in God's Messiah and the world's hope - Jesus Christ and Him alone. That is why it is important for us as twenty-first century Christian Disciples to read our Old Testament as well as the New Testament. For by reading the Old Testament, new light is shed upon our own understanding of the New Testament. One of the fundamentals of understanding the Bible, is to let the Bible interpret the Bible. There is one more Covenant of God which we are to look at tonight, but we will see that shortly! We press on with these prayers of Solomon. There are 3 prayers here. v1-2 are opening words of praise to God v4-11 are the 2nd prayer v16-41 are the 3rd prayer. We won't go into any great detail tonight, you will no doubt be glad to know. We will get to about verse 21 I think. But with a very general overview, let's look together and see what we can learn together from the wise man Solomon about God and about prayer. Charles Spurgeon said that “It is worthy of remark concerning this prayer that it is as full and comprehensive as if it were meant to be the summary of all future prayers offered in the temple.” Part 1 1. Verses 1 & 2 - Solomon acknowledges God's presence in the cloud Here we see that Solomon acknowledges God's presence in the cloud. The cloud of God's glory has a long association with His presence. Solomon knew that the presence of the cloud meant that God dwelt in the temple in a special way. It was to be a special place to come and meet with God. It was symbolic of God living with His people. 2.Verses 3 to 9 – Solomon blessed the people and blesses God. Here we see that Solomon blessed the people and blesses God. Solomon knew, affirmed and recognized that the completion of the Temple was the fulfilment of the plan of God and not of Solomon himself or indeed of his father David. God's plan. David and Solomon were merely the human instruments, they were God's arms and legs, but the work was affirmed to be God's alone! God's actions or work have confirmed His words, His promises! God's hands were at work building the Temple as He guided and strengthened the human workers who contributed themselves to its construction. Solomon recounts how their ancestors had escaped from Egypt in the Exodus 500 years hence. This shows its importance to the people of Israel at the time! Their minds were singing “If the Lord can bring us out of Egypt and rescue us, He will help us establish ourselves as a nation and build this Temple in order to worship Him. “ God is faithful to His promises. Down through the ages God has been faithful and keeping His part of the Covenant that He made with people. Later when we come to conclude we will see together briefly the promises of God for the Christian, including us today almost 3 millennia later. Solomon now issues a statement concerning his father, David! Why David was not to build it. Though David, the mighty King had done extensive preparations for it, he didn't actually complete it. The completion was left for his son, Solomon. Why? Because of God's ideal of rest for his King and for his people. David had fought many wars and battles. It was part of his rest in God not to build the Temple. Solomon was spared the emotional turmoil of war, so could dedicate his energies to building the Temple – the House of God. 3. Verses 10-11 - Solomon presents the finished temple unto God. And with verses 10 to 11, we see that Solomon presents the finished Temple to God. Solomon recognized that being the successor of his father David to the throne of Israel was significant. He then places the Ark of the Covenant, in its resting place in the Temple. The Ark of the Covenant was a physical representation of God's promised presence with His people, the nation of Israel. It was a wooden chest clad with gold containing a gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. Solomon speaks of a God who fulfilled with His hands what He had spoken with His mouth. God had said what He was going to do, and then went and did it. How are we doing at worshipping as we work for the Lord? Are we workers primarily and then click a switch to engage worship mode as we come here on a Sunday? Or do we consider ourselves God worshippers as we work? God wants worshippers before workers. In God's mind, the only acceptable workers are those who have learnt the art of worship. Do you consider all you do as acts of worship to God? Everything you do as acts of worship to God? Because that is the kind of people God wants and desires, the kind of people who worship Him in Spirit and in truth and in all aspects of life – not just for a couple of hours on a Sunday. With those thoughts, let's take a break now to sing to this amazing God we love, serve and are to keep our vision upon – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Part 2. Solomon's prayer. Verses 12-14 - Humility before and praise unto God. .Here in verses 12 to 14 we see that Solomon stands before the altar of the Lord. Solomon did not dedicate the Temple from within the Temple itself because that would have been the wrong place. That was where only the Priest could go, so Solomon stands outside, raised up so that the throngs of people could see him. Before the altar, spreading out his hands in an act of symbolism - reaching out toward heaven in a gesture of surrender, openness, and ready reception. Here Solomon recognizes that God was and is completely unique in all facets of being and expresses it. The false and pretend gods of the nations around Israel could not compare to Him in any way. Verses 15-17 - Solomon recognizes God as the maker and keeper of promises. Solomon commences now to thankfully praise God, because God has kept all His promises that He had mad in the past. Have you done that in your prayer life? Speaking out thanks for what God has done for you in the past? He continues and calls upon God to keep the promises that He has now made. We are, as His people, to take on board God's promises, take them to heart in faith, and then boldly and reverently call upon Him to fulfil the promises. Again, is that part of your prayer life? God promises and we are to appropriate, take hold of them and proclaim them, taking them on board in our life by faith, knowing that God fulfils the promises that He makes to people. Verses 18-21 - Solomon asks God to dwell in this place and honour those who seek Him here. Solomon now asks a question in this prayer! How often have you and I asked God questions as we pray, rather than just listing off our demands. God would reside in the Temple but not to the exclusion of other places. While God would have a special presence in the Temple, He would not be restricted to it. Solomon asks God to listen to His people as they pray and worship in this Temple dedicated to Him. When God hears the prayers made in the Tempe, Solomon implores that He would forgive His people and probably the greatest answer to prayer that they could expect. Conclusion - Promises of God for the Christian After such a prayer, how can we conclude? What are the challenges and comforts we have seen from this passage of Scripture? This Temple was destroyed about 400 years later by the Babylonians. It is long gone. What about David's Covenant though? Was that ever fulfilled? Remember David's Covenant which we looked at briefly earlier on? Was that ever fulfilled? We can say that it has been! It was fulfilled gloriously in the coming of God, in the man Jesus Christ. When the great God did indeed come as a human being in the person we know as Jesus Christ. It is historical fact. 2 Samuel 7:12 predicted the birth of Solomon as David's successor to the throne, with his role being to establish David's throne forever (2 Samuel 7:13). We see this link to the man Jesus Christ, through the genealogies to both Joseph: who had a legal right to King David's throne (Matthew 1:1-17) and to Mary: who had a blood right to King David's throne (Luke 3:23-38). The land is the whole world, now potentially the sphere of the rule of Jesus (Romans 4:13); the dynasty was, through Solomon, eventually to be the eternal son, Jesus (Matthew 1:1, 6, 16; Luke 3:23, 31); the Kingdom is the kingdom of God, now established, and ever growing in the world in which we live. (Matthew 11:12) All of which were fulfilled gloriously in the coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus the Messiah, the Saviour. Jesus Christ – fully God and fully human. Not just for the Jews but for all people of every race and language. Really that should make us go WOW in awe of our God. Our God is the God of history and has stepped into history as a human being. The New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Luke 22:15-20) We see all this in what is called the New Covenant. Four features of this covenant are: Regeneration – God will write His law on the hearts of people. (Jeremiah 31:33) Restoration - God will be their God, and they will be God's people. (Jeremiah 31:33) Promised Holy Spirit – God will indwell people and they will be led by Him (Jeremiah 31:34) Justification – Sins will be forgiven, removed and remembered no more (Jeremiah 31:34) This new covenant is sealed only through the perfect sacrifice of the God-Man Jesus on the cross. His death ensures the truth of this New Covenant. His death pays the penalty for the sins of all people. That is why we are to say yes to God and His New Covenant. This New Covenant can be contrasted with the Old Covenant, the Mosaic covenant that we looked at earlier, (Jeremiah 31:32; Hebrews 8:6-13) because this New Covenant finalizes and makes possible what the Mosaic Covenant could only point to: the follower of God living in a righteous life conforming to God's holy character. Solomon asks in verse 18 “But will God really dwell on earth with humans? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple that I have built!” In Solomon's direct context, he was talking about the Temple which he was dedicating to God. In the overall context of the Bible, however, God did indeed come and dwell on earth. Not just with humans, but to be a human. Jesus Christ, the God-man. God keeps His promises and Jesus Christ is evidence of that. Oh that is so easy to forget when we are undergoing the trials of life. In what way does God keep His promises to us today? Five quick statements. By faith, He is praying for us. God the Son, Jesus Christ is making intercessions for Christians (Romans 8:34). He knows our troubles and He feels our cares and knows what we are going through (Hebrews 4:14-16). Isn't that simply amazing and oh how easily we forget. By faith - He will come to us. Have you ever felt like God is far away? Well you aren't alone! Solomon's father, David, often felt that God was far away and unconcerned with his life. Just a cursory look in the Psalms will reveal that. However he also knew that God would ultimately rescue him. Jesus always comes to us through difficult times. Although He may not come in the time we think He should come, because He knows when we need Him most. By faith - He will help us grow - Once, when His disciples were in the storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus came to them walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-33). The purpose of this incident was to show that Jesus would be leaving them soon, so they had to learn to trust in Him when He wasn't physically present. One of those disciples, Peter, wrote later on in his life, “for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers” (1 Peter 3:12). How are you growing as a follower of Jesus? Not only in your knowledge but also in your transformation and development? As we are being transformed by the power of God the Holy Spirit into the image of God the Son, Jesus Christ, it is to the praise and glory of God the Father. Our transformation reveals God at work. By faith, He will see us through - Again, when the disciples were in the storm, Jesus said “Come” and Peter went with Him. This must have encouraged the other disciples, for upon seeing Jesus' power they worshipped him. Whatever troubles you are undergoing are temporary, and Jesus will see you through. For various reasons 2015 for Youngmi and I started out as if it could be our annus horribilus. Yet it became our annus mirabilis instead as we saw God at work each day throughout the year. By faith, you have salvation - if you are trusting in Jesus alone for your salvation. By faith Jesus is praying for you, will come to you, grow you and help you through troubles. By being obedient to God, you and I are showing others our salvation and showing that faith, is not blind, but active. We can be obedient to Him by relying on His strength and wisdom. We are to be faithful to God and show it by being obedient to Him and getting on with the work we have been given, just as Solomon was in getting the Temple competed. Is your work worship or your worship work? As we go out tonight, let us remember that God keeps His promises, He is listening to your prayers and He wants us to be in a dynamic moment by moment relationship with Himself. This great God wants you and I to be actively obedient to Him in all facets of our lives – our work, our play, our conversations, our worship and our relationships. If you are struggling in a particular area, get trusted others to pray for you and to hold you accountable – that is part of discipleship – part of following and loving God. Our verse for the year as a Church is Psalm 105:4 “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.” That was what Solomon did in the building of the Temple. That is what we are to do as well, as I am sure you are aware. Not only the Church here as a whole, but as individual followers of Jesus Christ. If we try to do it in our own strength we will fail. If we do it in the strength of the God we proclaim to love, worship, serve and glorify then we can – because all glory and honour will go to Him and Him alone. As we go, are we ready in some way to tell others about this great God we claim is great and sing here in this fabulous building of our love and service? Are we ready to enable and encourage each other in the faith, and not just our friends and favourites, in some way as we see need? Are we actively engaging with the great God throughout each day, worshipping Him in all aspects of life and letting Him have dominion over every aspect of our lives as we put our trust fully in Him and in all aspects of life? We are to be faithful to God and show it by being obedient to Him and getting on with the work we have been given, just as Solomon was in getting the job done. As a general observation, most of the Church is scared of that word evangelism. We are not all to be evangelists like the Billy Grahams or Bruce Kitchings of this world, but we are to tell and show others about the God we claim to love and are in covenant with. Let's go WOW the world, all of it, including our little corner here for God with the news of our God – the God who is outside of time who stepped down into time, into human history, in order that humanity could choose to follow Him or not - to be His children or not. Let's keep our eyes fixed firmly on our God as we seek to enable and encourage – not just as a church body but also as individuals to all others that we meet. We are the Church on the hill. Let us, both as a church and as individuals, “Look to the LORD and his strength; seeking his face always.” Let's go WOW for God together, heeding His advice and worshipping Him alone in all facets of life. Are you tired and in need of comfort from all the challenges you are having to endure? Keep your eyes on God and allow Him to embrace you, comfort and lift you up. Remember that He is for you, He lives within you and you are His child. Are you too comfortable? In need of a challenge to stop you becoming complacent? Ask God to help you overcome, to empower you and seek His face and wisdom. Ask for His strength to help you do what He has asked you to do? The God we have comforts us in our challenges and challenges us in our comfort. We have an amazingly glorious God! Let's have a minute or two to bring ourselves before God and ask God to help you as only He can. Then I will close with a prayer before we go on to have our final song together. Tap or click here to save this Podcast as a MP3.

David J. Greer is an entrepreneurial coach, author, and facilitator living in Vancouver, Canada with his wife Karalee and their three children. He helps people fully realize their dreams through his coaching, writing, and speaking engagements. Spending just an hour with David, whether through his book, a talk, or personal coaching session, provides concrete action items to accelerate one's business within 90 days.  David has been sober for 15 years after struggling with alcoholism earlier in life. He leverages his journey to sobriety and personal growth to help other entrepreneurs challenged with addiction issues. Even while living on a sailboat and homeschooling his children for two years, David drank daily to cope with his inner turmoil. His decision in sobriety to connect with his birth families catalyzed immense personal development, although meeting his birth mother who rejected him and drank until her death was deeply painful. David attributes much of his growth to the 12 Step programs that have supported his sobriety. Though David appeared successful externally during his drinking years, internally he struggled greatly before committing to sobriety. Now with over a decade of clarity, he is devoted to his family and helping others fully live their dreams and overcome their challenges with alcohol dependence. HELP SUPPORT OUR FIGHT AGAINST ADDICTION. DONATE HERE: https://www.patreon.com/theaddictionpodcast   PART OF THE GOOD NEWS PODCAST NETWORK. AUDIO VERSIONS OF ALL OUR EPISODES: https://theaddictionpodcast.com CONTACT US: The Addiction Podcast - Point of No Return theaddictionpodcast@yahoo.com Intro and Outro music by: Decisions by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100756 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

In this sermon, we look at the famous account of David and Goliath. Though David is unimpressive to his fellow man, we see that he trusts in the power of God to deliver Israel from her enemies, and God is pleased to work a great victory through David his anointed!

Text: Psalm 59:1-17 1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; 2 deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men. 3 For behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD, 4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Awake, come to meet me, and see! 5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Rouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah 6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. 7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips—for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?” 8 But you, O LORD, laugh at them; you hold all the nations in derision. 9 O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. 10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies. 11 Kill them not, lest my people forget; make them totter by your power and bring them down, O Lord, our shield! 12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter, 13 consume them in wrath; consume them till they are no more, that they may know that God rules over Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah 14 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. 15 They wander about for food and growl if they do not get their fill. 16 But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. 17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love. -Psa 59:1-17 ESV FOR YOU, O GOD, ARE MY FORTRESS This psalm has alluded to David's experience when he escaped from Saul's plot to kill him. Saul sent men to watch the house in which David lived with his first wife Michal in order to murder him. This story is found in 1 Sam 19:11-17. Saul was angry that he had been rejected by God and was jealous of David (1 Sam 15:11; 19:9–10). Though David had done nothing wrong, Saul was determined to have him killed (1 Sam 20:30–33). Years later, the Pharisees and Jewish leaders sought to kill Jesus for no evil He had done[Mat 27:23, Luke 23:2]. Jesus was as an innocent lamb [1 Pet 1:19;2:22] Hence, David pleaded with God for protection.[v.1] He recognized the conspiracy against him (v.2–3). He referred to his enemies as "evil," "bloodthirsty," and "fierce." David will repeatedly depict them as a pack of savage wild dogs (v.6, 14–15). He prayed with "imprecatory" statements”. That is, he was wishing harm, calamity, or judgment on someone. It was an appeal for the Lord to express His wrath against evil (Psa 5; 58; 137). A key point of these prayers is that they are not plans to enact revenge or excuses for reprisal. Instead, they appeal to God for His divine intervention. The enemies are "howling" and "bellowing." Their words are as dangerous and violent as sharp weapons (Psa 58:1–6] Corrupt words hurt.[Eph 4:29,31] But, "He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. God will…terrify them in his fury…shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel" (Psa 2:4–9). At the middle of this psalm, David shifts gear by focusing unto the Lord not to his enemies, “O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. 10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies. [v9-10] He look unto God who would give him victory. Simlarly, the apostle Paul writes, "But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession" (2 Cor 2:14). That, "We are more than conquerors through him who loved us."[Rom 8:37]

Text: Psalm 41:1-13 1 Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him; 2 the LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies. 3 The LORD sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health. 4 As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!” 5 My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die, and his name perish?” 6 And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words, while his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad. 7 All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me. 8 They say, “A deadly thing is poured out on him; he will not rise again from where he lies.” 9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me. 10 But you, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them! 11 By this I know that you delight in me: my enemy will not shout in triumph over me. 12 But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever. 13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! Amen and Amen. -Psa 41:1-13 ESV O LORD, BE GRACIOUS TO ME The compassionate in heart towards the underprivileged may lead to God's protection. As David says, “Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him; 2 the LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies. 3 The LORD sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.” As a note, this doesn't mean the godly and generous are immune to troubles.[Psa 73:2, Hab 1:2-4] However, those who honor God may invite fewer risks than the wicked in their lives. Though David was good to the needy, he did not make it a leverage to earn God's favor. Good deeds couldn't compensate for our sins. He acknowledged his sins and failings. For it could be dealt with only by humble confession and repentance, saying, “As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!”[v.4] Healing comes not from concealing our sins before God [Prov 28:13] Cherishing sin in our hearts builds a wall between us and God.[Psa 66:18, Isa 59:2] The one and only key to dealing with our sin is God's forgiveness through humble confession.[1 John 1:9] Sadly, as most often the case be, David's enemies have been gloating over his sins. He describes, “5 My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die, and his name perish?” 6 And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words, while his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad. 7 All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me. 8 They say, “A deadly thing is poured out on him; he will not rise again from where he lies.”[v.5-8] Their wishes for his downfall and death reveal the evil in their hearts . Jesus said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”[Matt 15:19] Adding more insult to his injury is his close friends betraying him. He said, “9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.”[v.9] Eating together is a sign of close friendship. Perhaps, this referred to Ahithopel's betrayal of David who sided with his rebellious son Absalom. This statement Jesus quoted when Judas betrayed him, whom he considered a friend. Despite all of these, David hopes for the graciousness of God. As Psa 103:8-12 says, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

BIO: David Perry was in the video game industry for over 30 years, making hits like The Matrix, Aladdin, The Terminator, and Earthworm Jim. He sold his last company to Sony PlayStation and the one before that to Atari. He's now building a startup in e-Commerce called Carro.STORY: One of David's top former employees started a VR company and invited him to invest. Though David believed in this employee, experiencing motion sickness while trying out the VR games made him not invest in what became a multi-billion dollar company.LEARNING: When you really believe in somebody, go ahead and support them. Bet on the person, not the idea. “When you get great people, incredible things tend to happen. So when you're betting on a CEO, bet on someone who you think can attract talent.”David Perry Guest profileDavid Perry was in the video game industry for over 30 years, making hits like The Matrix, Aladdin, The Terminator, and Earthworm Jim. He sold his last company to Sony PlayStation and the one before that to Atari. He's now building a startup in e-Commerce called Carro. If you email hello@getcarro.com and mention My Worst Investment Ever podcast, you'll get VIP personal support.Worst investment everDavid firmly believed that someday, every game ever made would be available on every device everywhere in the world instantly. And so, if that will eventually exist, why not start building it now?With that thought in mind, David began to build that technology and had some massive breakthroughs. He demonstrated that you could play a game from the cloud with the same feeling as playing with a console on your table. That caused people's heads to pop off. Samsung wanted to work with David to power its video game strategy, and Sony bought the company.David's employees made significant amounts of money from the company's success and eventual sale. One of the employees decided to leave and start his own company using the money he had just made from the exit to Sony. As a CEO, David was committed to working with PlayStation. So he was watching this former employee build his own company.The employee contacted David and asked if he'd be interested in investing in his new company. David decided to check out the company. The guy demonstrated what he was working on, which was virtual reality. The company was called Oculus. David sat down and put on the VR headset. Then he started getting motion sickness because he was moving all over the place. He couldn't wait to finish the demo.David was initially very interested in investing in the company because he genuinely believed in his former employee. But after the motion sickness, he needed time to think about it. He researched and read some military papers on how the military had tried their hardest to stop motion sickness but had found no solution as it's biological. David decided to pass on the opportunity to be a founding Oculus investor.The company was a huge success and was bought for billions of dollars. David would have made hundreds of millions of dollars had he invested in the company.Lessons learnedWhen you really believe in somebody, go ahead and support them.Bet on the person, not the idea.Andrew's takeawaysWe get stuck into frames of reference, and sometimes we get beholden to those references, and we can't think beyond them.Actionable adviceIf there's...

Rev. Dr. Christian Preus, pastor at Mount Hope Lutheran Church and School in Casper, WY, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Psalm 62. Though David makes no explicit request of the LORD in Psalm 62, still he has the truth of God to confess and pray. David waits upon God in silence, confident that God is his rock and fortress who will save him. Even as enemies attack David and the people of God with their lies, David continues to hope in God and wait for him as his refuge. Such trust is befitting of all peoples, whether low or high, rich or poor. Only God has power and steadfast love, and in His steadfast love, God vindicates His people's trust in Him. Join Sharper Iron during the month of July to study selected Psalms. In the Psalter, God speaks His Word to us and teaches us how to speak back to Him in prayer. Even in the great variety of the Psalms, each one points us to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Rev. Tim Storck, pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Chesterfield, MI, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Psalm 5. As King David cries out to the LORD with growing urgency, he grows in trust and expectation. He prays in the morning, not because it is at the appointed time for sacrifice, but also because he looks to God first. David knows that God does not delight in evil nor in those who do it, and David also knows that he can only count himself as one of God's people because of the LORD's steadfast love for him. That is why David fears the LORD and asks him to lead him in righteousness that comes through faith in Christ. Though David's enemies seek to work all kinds of harm with their lips, David leaves their destruction to the LORD as he trusts that he will find joy and security with the LORD as his refuge. Join Sharper Iron during the month of July to study selected Psalms. In the Psalter, God speaks His Word to us and teaches us how to speak back to Him in prayer. Even in the great variety of the Psalms, each one points us to our Savior, Jesus Christ.

My guest this week on Up In Your Business is the radio voice and host of Swingin' Down The Lane, Mr. David Miller. Though David's show is very successful and syndicated in over 40 markets and two countries, his career didn't start in radio. David grew up in New Jersey, loving the music of the big band era. But that is as far as he thought his love would go. It wasn't until I interviewed Mr. Miller that I learned that, as a young man, he was a sought-after Adman, studying and analyzing social trends for big-time fortune 500 company's marketing departments. David's corporate career was vast and led him and his family to move five times, living in five different states. But it was a chance meeting that would change his life forever.

For the next few days, we will be meditating and looking at Psalm 69. From the title we learn that is another of David's Psalms. Again, he wrote it to the “Chief Musician” who was to sing it to the tune of “The Lilies”. Maybe that was a popular tune in those days. This psalm has long been considered Davidic even though there is nothing in David's life which resembles the things he says. We must remember that David was not only a poet but that he was also a prophet. That is the key to this psalm. From beginning to end it points forward to Christ. This is not about David, but about great David's greater Son, Jesus Christ.  As I was reading this Psalm in preparation for our chat today, I couldn't help but think of the Ethiopian eunuch on his way back home from Jerusalem reading about a man suffering in Isaiah 53. When Philip the evangelist heard him reading this, he joined him and asked this question: "Do you understand what you are reading?" And he said, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth." So the eunuch answered Philip and said, "I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?" Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him” (Acts 8:30-35). When you read Psalm 69 you might ask the same question: “Who is David the prophet speaking about, himself or some other man?” And again, the answer would be: “Some other Man named Jesus!” As we study this Psalm, we will see that it is both a Messianic Psalm, and a imprecatory Psalm. After Psalms 22 and 110, it also has the distinction of being the most frequently quoted psalm in the New Testament. Over the years as I have read this Psalm, I noticed that the Psalmist is speaking of a person who is in a time of deep distress and I wrote these words over the top of it in my Bible: “dishonor” (vv. 7, 19), “distress” (v. 17), “despair” (v. 20), “desolation” (v. 25). Also, throughout the Psalm I saw the Psalmist crying out these words and wrote them over it too: “Save me” (v. 1), “Deliver me” (v. 14), “Hear me” (v. 16), “Redeem me” (v. 18), “Ransom me” (v. 18), and “Revive me” (v. 32). David begins by asking for deliverance for his own sake (vv. 1-5) and describes his dangerous situation with the metaphor of a drowning man. (See Psalms 18:4-6; 30:1; 32:6; 42:7; 88:7, 17; 130:1-2.) His cries to God show how desperate the situation was. He had prayed to the Lord, but the Lord had not yet answered (v. 3), and he wanted an answer now! (v. 17). Though David was not sinless (v. 5), he was innocent of the charges his enemies were making, and yet he was being treated as though he were guilty (v. 4). This reminds us of our Savior, who was sinless yet treated like a transgressor (Isa. 53:5-6, 9, 12). (See also Psalms 35:11-19; 38:19; 109:3; 119:78, 86, 161.) Jesus quoted verse 4, “they hated Me without a cause”, in the upper room discourse (John 15:25). Referring to verses 1-2, Amy Carmichael wrote, "Our waters are shallow because His were deep." How true! Maybe today you feel like you are drowning in the waters of trouble and turmoil in your life. You can make this Psalm your prayer, and cry out to the Lord and be assured He will hear your cry! Remember Psalm 34:6, “This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.” God bless!

This week, Pastor J.D. helps us process a very difficult passage in 2 Samuel, and a turning point in the life of David—the story of David and Bathsheba. Could this be the same David who was called “a man after God's own heart”? Though David was indeed forgiven, his sin would affect everyone around him. While this story holds a powerful warning for us today, what it ultimately reveals is a deep longing for another King, a better King—Jesus. 

Monday, 16 January 2023   “For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep, was buried with his fathers, and saw corruption; Acts 13:36   Paul just cited Psalm 16:10, claiming it refers to the coming Messiah. That said, “You will not allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” Having stated this, he will now defend that notion. He will follow the same logical reasoning as Peter did in Acts 2.   The words of this verse are a bit difficult to understand in the Greek, but an exacting literal translation, which will be used below, is, “for David, indeed, his own generation having served by the will of God, did fall asleep, and was added unto his fathers, and saw corruption” (YLT). With this in mind, Paul begins with, “for David.”   David is the author of Psalm 16 as noted in the psalm's opening statement. Because of this, it cannot be that he is referring to himself in those words. Rather, he must be prophesying concerning the coming Messiah. This is because, as Paul continues, “indeed, his own generation having served.”   David was the king for a certain amount of time, forty years according to 2 Samuel 5:4 and 1 Kings 2:11. And more, 2 Samuel 5:4 noted that David was thirty years old when he began to reign. Hence, he lived to be seventy years old. Of the timeframe of his kingship, Paul says that it was “by the will of God.”   God set David on the throne of Israel, and God determined when he would die. It was set according to the foreknowledge of God, and it came about according to His plan. After that time, Paul next says that David “did fall asleep.”   The meaning is that he died. To fall asleep is a biblical euphemism for this. It implies that there is a continuance of the soul even if the body has died. It thus speaks of the eternal nature of the soul. Once he fell asleep, Paul next says, “and was added unto his fathers.”   Though David was buried, the thought of being added to the fathers has a dual thought involved in it. Being added to the fathers means that his soul has joined them in the pit (Hebrew: sheol) where they will remain until the resurrection. But it also means that his physical body is committed to the grave where the others who had gone before him also went. In the case of his physical body, Paul next says, “and saw corruption.”   This proves that David's inspired words of the psalm could not be speaking of him. He died, he was buried, and his body saw corruption. There was no resurrection involved in the process. When the resurrection takes place, it will not be in the body he had because that has returned to the earth. As such, David's words must refer to someone else, specifically, the Messiah. That will be seen in the next verse.   Life application: For the Christian, there is always the hope of the rapture. But that hope has gone unfulfilled for two thousand years. Those who are alive at that blessed moment will be changed from their earthly bodies to spiritual bodies. However, for those who die before that time, we should not feel any less excited for them. They have shed this earthly body of corruption.   Their souls have been separated from the pains, trials, sorrows, and troubles of this life and they are in the capable hands of their Lord, awaiting the moment when the call is made for them to rise and be granted their eternal, spiritual body. Though we may suffer the pain of separation, we should not mourn as the world mourns.   In Christ, there is the absolute certain hope that they will be raised. And so, let us rejoice, even in our sorrows. The redeemed of the Lord shall rise. Nothing can stop that from happening. And so let us thank God for what He has done in the giving of Jesus!   Lord God, how grateful we are for the sure and blessed hope we possess concerning Your promises to us. We have eternal life because of Jesus. And so, even if we have trials in this life, help us to not be consumed by them. Instead, may we hold fast to the joy set before us as we await the time of our glorification. Thank You, O God, for what You have granted to us. Amen.

     The Bible describes David as a man after God's own heart (1 Sam 13:14; cf. Acts 13:22). This is a huge compliment, but what does it mean? God certainly knew David's heart and what kind of king he would be, for He informed His prophet, Samuel, saying, “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Sam 16:7). The statement of David being a man after God's own heart occurs within the context of Saul's disobedience to the Lord. Samuel told Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you” (1 Sam 13:13), and again, “you have not kept what the LORD commanded you” (1 Sam 13:14). Saul had disobeyed God's command through His prophet, so the Lord promised to take the kingdom from him and give it to one who would be more obedient. David was that man. He was an obedient king, for the most part, and subsequent kings were measured by him (1 Ki 3:14; 9:4; 11:4; 14:7-8; 15:1-3; 11; 2 Ki 16:2; 18:1-3; 22:1-2). David set the bar for what it meant to be a good king, and this allowed others to have a standard to guide them. However, we should not conclude that David was perfectly obedient and kept the Lord's will in all matters in his life. He did not. No believer ever does, for there are none who are sinless (1 Ki 8:46; Prov 20:9; Eccl 7:20; 1 John 1:8, 10), except the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt 5:17; 2 Cor 5:21; Heb 4:15; 1 John 3:5).      Biblically, we should understand some acts of obedience are more important than others, and some acts of sin are more egregious than others. For example, Samuel, told Saul, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice” (1 Sam 15:22). Solomon wrote, “To do righteousness and justice is desired by the LORD more than sacrifice” (Prov 21:3). Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees, “You tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Matt 23:23). Likewise, some sins are worse than others and bring greater judgment. Jesus told His disciples not to be like the Scribes, “who devour widows' houses, and for appearance's sake offer long prayers”, saying, “These will receive greater condemnation” (Luke 20:47). Concerning the citizens of Chorazin and Bethsaida, Jesus said, “it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you” (Matt 11:22). The apostle John, writing to believers, states, “All unrighteousness is sin” (1 John 5:17a). However, he drew a distinction, saying, “there is a sin that results in death” (1 John 5:16b), and “there is a sin that does not result in death” (1 John 5:17b). These are obvious statements that show some acts of obedience are better than others, and some acts of sin are worse than others. Furthermore, of the 613 commands given in the Mosaic Law, only 15 demanded the death penalty, namely: intentional murder (Ex 21:12-14; cf. Gen 9:6), attacking or cursing a parent (Ex 21:15), kidnapping (Ex 21:16), habitual rebellion against God (Deut 17:12), sacrificing to pagan gods (Ex 22:20), cursing God (Lev 24:15-16), working on the Sabbath (Ex 35:2), being a false prophet and leading Israelites into idolatry (Deut 13:1-5), religious human sacrifice (Lev 20:2), the practice of divination, sorcery or witchcraft (Ex 22:18; Deut 18:9-14), adultery and premarital sex (Lev 20:10-14; 21:9; Deut 22:20-22), sex with an animal (Ex 22:19; Lev 20:15-16), incest (Lev 20:11-12, 14), homosexuality (Lev 18:22; 20:13), and the rape of a married woman (Deut 22:25-27).      In fact, David personally acknowledged his sins, saying “my iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy burden they weigh too much for me” (Psa 38:4). He also wrote, “For evils beyond number have surrounded me; my iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to see; they are more numerous than the hairs of my head, and my heart has failed me” (Psa 40:12). Among David's recorded sins, the most offensive was his adulterous affair with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah (2 Sam 11:1-17). Scripture tells us that David had slept with Bathsheba and had her husband, Uriah, killed; and “the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD” (2 Sam 11:27). What is commendable about David is that he handled his sin in a biblical manner by confessing it and seeking the Lord's forgiveness. Under the Mosaic Law, it was always God's will that His people walk according to His directives. However, if God's people sinned (and they did), it was His will that they be restored to fellowship by means of confession and sacrificial offering (Lev 17:11; Heb 9:22). Concerning Uriah and Bathsheba, David said, “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Sam 12:13; read Psalm 51 for the longer version of David's confession). And upon his confession, the prophet Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die” (2 Sam 12:13). Here we see God's grace and government at work; for though David was forgiven and restored to fellowship with God, there were still consequences for his actions and the Lord dispensed judgment upon David and Bathsheba (2 Sam 12:14-18).      On another occasion, David followed Satan's temptation and “sinned greatly” by taking a census in Israel (1 Ch 21:1, 8), presumably because he was trusting in his military strength rather than the Lord. When God judged David for this, David confessed his sin and declared, “I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing” (1 Ch 21:8a). It is a hallmark of a mature believer to own his sin and humble himself before the Lord through confession. Not only did he confess his sin, but he also sought the Lord's forgiveness, saying, “Please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly” (1 Ch 21:8b), and “I am in great distress; please let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great” (1 Ch 21:13).      Furthermore, David practiced the sin of polygamy contrary to the Law of Moses, which specifically forbade the king of Israel from the practice, saying, “he shall not multiply wives for himself” (Deut 17:17).[1] From Scripture we know the names of eight of David's wives: Michal (1 Sam 18:27), Abigail (1 Sam 25:39-42), Ahinoam (1 Sam 25:43), Bathsheba (2 Sam 12:24), Maacah, Haggith, Abital, and Eglah (2 Sam 3:2-5). And he had other wives and concubines that are not named, as Scripture reveals, “David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron” (2 Sam 5:13a). Scripture records an incident in which two of David's wives were captured by Amalekites who made a raid on the Negev and Ziklag (1 Sam 30:1-5). David sought the Lord in prayer (1 Sam 30:6-8a), and God said, “Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and you will surely rescue all” (1 Sam 30:8b). In this account, God gave David victory (1 Sam 30:9-17), and “David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and rescued his two wives” (1 Sam 30:18). Interestingly, the Bible says nothing about David's practice of polygamy, and though it is a sin according to Scripture, it was apparently tolerated in David's life, perhaps because it never resulted in his wives leading him into idolatry as it had with his son, Solomon (see 1 Kings 11:1-11).      But doesn't this seem unfair? That David could commit such heinous sins as murder, adultery, and polygamy and still be called a man after God's own heart, as well as being the standard of a good king to all subsequent kings in Israel? I think there's an answer to this, and it is found in two words; grace and humility. Grace on God's part and humility on David's part. There is a pattern in David's life: when God charged David with acting contrary to His will (as His righteousness demands), David accepted it and humbled himself before the Lord, accepting whatever came to him; preferring forgiveness alone, but accepting punishment also, if that's what the Lord decided. David knew that grace is a chief characteristic of God. The Bible reveals God is gracious, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex 34:6), and, “You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth” (Psa 86:15). God the Father is described as “the God of all grace” (1 Pet 5:10), who sits upon a “throne of grace” (Heb 4:16), who “gives grace to the afflicted” (Prov 3:34), and provides salvation “by grace” through faith in Jesus (Eph 2:8-9; cf. Acts 15:11; Rom 3:24). Jesus is said to be “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), and the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of grace” (Heb 10:29). Grace is undeserved favor. It is the love, mercy, or kindness that one person freely confers upon another who deserves the opposite (Matt 5:44-45; Rom 11:6; Eph 1:6; 2:1-9; 2 Tim 1:9; Tit 3:5-7). The kindness shown is rooted in the goodness, bounty, and open-handedness of the giver.      The other word is humility. Humility is a lowliness of mind, an inward quietness before the Lord that reflects a poverty of spirit. The humble know they need God and seek Him for wisdom, guidance and strength. Humility is not a natural quality, nor does it come easily, but it is what the Lord requires of His people (Mic 6:8; Eph 4:1-2; Phil 2:3-4). The humble live with a constant sense of their weaknesses and inabilities to cope with life apart from God, and are keenly aware of their sinful nature and propensity to turn away from the Lord and befriend the world. Humility is not a sense of worthlessness, but unworthiness of the Lord's love and blessings. The humble realize they deserve nothing good in this life, and any blessing they receive is from God's grace. Though David had his failings, he realized God is gracious and forgiving to the humble believer, as Scripture states, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet 5:5). For this reason, David could say: "The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust." (Psa 103:8-14).      David was not perfect, and neither are we. But I want to close with the point that we too can be described as a person “after God's own heart” if we walk daily with Him and prioritize His commands in our lives, and humbly accept His correction when He gives it. To be a person after God's own heart meant David was primarily disposed to seek God's will rather than his own (as was the case with Saul). David desired to know God's will and walk in it, and to lead others to do the same. To be a person after God's own heart is to love what He loves, to walk with Him in the same direction He is going, to be sensitive to what pleases Him and to obey His commands. David had this kind of heart, saying, “I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart” (Psa 40:8).     [1] Monogamy was and is God's ideal (Gen 2:24-25; Matt 19:4-6); however, under the Mosaic Law, polygamy was permitted, though not promoted. Biblically, we know Abraham took Hagar to be his wife, even though he was married to Sarah (Gen 16:3). Jacob had four wives: Leah (Gen 29:23-25), Rachel (Gen 29:28), Zilpah (Leah's maid; Gen 30:9) and Bilhah (Rachel's maid; Gen 30:1-4). But Abraham's and Jacob's acts of polygamy were consistent with the cultural norms of their day, which were practiced before the giving of the Mosaic Law.

In this episode, Drew opens up and discusses Psalm 142. While this psalm is considered to be a "poem," it also serves as a beautiful prayer offered to God. Though David was isolated, he found solace, comfort, and strength in His God recognizing Him as his Refuge, Portion, Deliverer, and Redeemer. May we come to the same conviction in our effort to "weather the storm."

Though David must have breathed a sigh of relief when he received word that Uriah had died in battle, we're told that Bathsheba mourned the death of Uriah. And why wouldn't she? He was a good man, an honorable man. And because of her, he was now a dead man. After her time of mourning, David brought her to the palace and married her. I can imagine the public response was how kind that the king comforted the grieving widow by marrying her. But God wasn't fooled. If you enjoy listening to All God's Women podcast and radio show, you're going to love my brand new Women of Prayer Bible study. Get to know the character of God by studying the prayers of women in the Bible. Grab your copy today. Available in paperback and Kindle. Take your study further with the Women of Prayer BIBLE STUDY Learn more at the All God's Women WEBSITEJoin the All God's Women FACEBOOK GROUP

Though David must have breathed a sigh of relief when he received word that Uriah had died in battle, we're told that Bathsheba mourned the death of Uriah.  And why wouldn't she? He was a good man, an honorable man. And because of her, he was now a dead man.  After her time of mourning, David brought her to the palace and married her. I can imagine the public response was how kind that the king comforted the grieving widow by marrying her.  But God wasn't fooled.  If you enjoy listening to All God's Women podcast and radio show, you're going to love my brand new Women of Prayer Bible study. Get to know the character of God by studying the prayers of women in the Bible. Grab your copy today. Available in paperback and Kindle. Take your study further with the Women of Prayer BIBLE STUDY Learn more at the All God's Women WEBSITEJoin the All God's Women FACEBOOK GROUP

Bathsheba had a choice. Though David was king, she could have resisted. He was known as a kind king. He treated women with respect. Had she stood up to him and rebuked him, much as Abigail did when she warned him not to do something he would regret, how different both of their lives would have been. But she didn't. All God's Women is a daily devotional women's Bible study podcast and internationally syndicated radio show where we journey through the Bible one woman's story at a time. If you enjoy learning about women in the Bible, tune in each weekday for 2-minute Bible stories about Bible women.If you enjoy listening to All God's Women podcast and radio show, you're going to love my brand new Women of Prayer Bible study. Get to know the character of God by studying the prayers of women in the Bible. Grab your copy today. Available in paperback and Kindle. Take your study further with the Women of Prayer BIBLE STUDY Learn more at the All God's Women WEBSITEJoin the All God's Women FACEBOOK GROUP

Bathsheba had a choice. Though David was king, she could have resisted. He was known as a kind king. He treated women with respect. Had she stood up to him and rebuked him, much as Abigail did when she warned him not to do something he would regret, how different both of their lives would have been. But she didn't. All God's Women is a daily devotional women's Bible study podcast and internationally syndicated radio show where we journey through the Bible one woman's story at a time. If you enjoy learning about women in the Bible, tune in each weekday for 2-minute Bible stories about Bible women. If you enjoy listening to All God's Women podcast and radio show, you're going to love my brand new Women of Prayer Bible study. Get to know the character of God by studying the prayers of women in the Bible. Grab your copy today. Available in paperback and Kindle. Take your study further with the Women of Prayer BIBLE STUDY Learn more at the All God's Women WEBSITEJoin the All God's Women FACEBOOK GROUP

“You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great. You enlarged my path under me, So my feet did not slip." Psalm 18 is a great song and Psalm of praise and victory! David writes this Psalm after he has finally been delivered from King Saul and been exalted to the throne of Israel as king. In the early years of his reign, David experienced God subduing the nations around him and giving him great victories over them. In this Psalm David is expressing his love to the LORD and is giving God the glory and praise for all that He has done in making him great! One of the great lessons we learn from the life of David and his Psalms is humility. Before God can trust us with great authority, we must be willing to be a person under authority. David said that “God's gentleness had made him great” (v. 35). Though David was a man of war, he recognized that it was God's gentleness that made him what he was. The word “gentleness” here means "condescension. "God “condescended” from heaven to look down and call David (1 Sam. 16). God “condescended” to bend down and mold David (v. 35), and reach down and save David (v. 16); and then God lifted him up to the throne (vv. 39-45). This reminds us of what Jesus, the Son of David, did when He "stepped down" to come to earth as a servant and die for our sins. Philippians 2:5-11 says this so clearly: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” In Mark 9:35, Jesus told His disciples and us also for that matter: “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all." Jesus also told them in Matthew 11:28-30: "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND rest for your souls. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." (NASB) We can learn from Jesus what it is to have a humble heart. Remember Jesus washed the disciple's feet as a servant just before He went to the cross! (John 13). Joseph had to learn the lesson of humility before he became the ruler of Egypt. He had dreamed that his dad and brothers would bow down to him but instead his brothers throw him into a pit, sell him into slavery, and he ends us in a prison in Egypt. Can you imagine his humiliation as he sits there in that prison and thinks about bragging to his brothers about his dreams. Can you imagine the humiliation of David after he had been anointed to be the next king, kills Goliath the giant, leads the armies of Israel, and becomes a national hero, then spends the next ten years of his life fleeing from King Saul like a fugitive. Yes my friend, God's “gentleness” is what teaches us what humility is, and how we can experience it as we turn to the Lord in the times of our trials and suffering. What is the Lord doing in your life right now? God bless!

Rachel Watson is a survivor. Last year Rachel and her husband David fell ill with COVID-19. Though David recovered without intervention, Rachel needed extreme measures. When HCA Florida West Marion Hospital received Rachel she was immediately placed on oxygen, but it wasn't enough. She was transferred to another HCA Florida facility, HCA Florida North Florida and placed on an ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) machine where she remained for 89 days. The family credits hospital integration and outstanding caregivers for saving her life. Rachel and David joined Chip to share the story of her care and recovery on the Federation's new campaign, The Real Story. Learn more about The Real Story at fah.org/TheRealStory.

Though David was a man after God's heart, he also had some pretty serious relationship issues that caused trouble through out his life and family. If we deal with the issues of our own hearts, we can avoid the pain and devastation that the enemy would otherwise be able to inflict.  This teaching  from 2 Samuel 12 will bring repentance and freedom for you and will break generational curses  caused by sin.

As a professional speaker and trainer, David McBee has inspired thousands of salespeople and business owners all while his own relationships suffered. After many years of struggling, he decided to make a change. Though David was a fan of self-help books for years, he realized he more often tried to get others to follow the advice than he would follow it himself. With this newfound understanding, David mapped out a plan to improve his relationships. Part of that plan was to read 20 minutes a day, every day, from a quality self-help book and apply the wisdom to his own life.Today I'll chat with David about his books, "Everyday Lessons Everyday," and "DJ's Off-Road Adventures." Meet DJ and his Jeep friends at https://djsoffroadadventures.com/ Connect with David:On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialdavidmcbee/Online: http://www.davidmcbee.com/Everyday Lessons Everyday on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/davidmcbeeDavid's book "Everyday Lessons Everyday: A Journey From Grumpy to Grateful"Connect with Magic:A Magical Life Podcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amagicallifepodcast/On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wholisticnaturalhealth/Online: https://wholisticnaturalhealth.com.auA Subito Media productionSupport the show

This episode marks the end of the faith series with David Suarez. We finally breach the topic of evolution - macro and micro - and how it relates to the christian argument against sex trafficking. Additionally, we discuss the question of instructions and direction of cells which brought us somewhere I did not expect: purpose vs. direction. Where so we find purpose? Is this a trendy word in modern culture that's getting conveniently conflated with direction? Though David's resolve is controversial, there might be more freedom within it to be curious and more security to move with less resistance where life takes you. From there we take it to consenting sex play and objectification, and why it's important for that consent to be honest. We end this series with some self reflection. Thank you, David, for an amazing four weeks!

As a professional speaker and trainer, David McBee has inspired thousands of salespeople and business owners all while his own relationships suffered. After many years of struggling, he decided to make a change. Though David was a fan of self-help books for years, he realized he more often tried to get others to follow the advice than he would follow it himself. With this newfound understanding, David mapped out a plan to improve his relationships. Part of that plan was to read 20 minutes a day, every day, from a quality self-help book and apply the wisdom to his own life.Today I'll chat with David about his top tips for stress relief, mental and physical health, and building financial wealth. Connect with David: On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialdavidmcbee/Online: http://www.davidmcbee.com/Everyday Lessons Everyday on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/davidmcbeeDavid's book "Everyday Lessons Everyday: A Journey From Grumpy to Grateful"Connect with Magic:A Magical Life Podcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amagicallifepodcast/On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wholisticnaturalhealth/Online: https://wholisticnaturalhealth.com.auA Subito Media productionSupport the show (https://www.amazon.com/Stop-being-FAT-achieving-permanent-ebook/dp/B00PS9F9UO/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=stop+being+fat+love+yourself+skinny&qid=1627427882&sr=8-3)

David McBee is an author, trainer and professional speaker. He works with sales representatives and business owners around the world teaching and creating curriculum about the intricacies of internet marketing. Considered an expert in his field, David is known for his passion, sense of humor and talent for making the complicated simple. Born and raised in the suburbs of Kansas City, this Eagle Scout earned a BFA in Theater from Avila University and spent his twenties as a salesperson and entrepreneur. Though David found success in both, he preferred the personal development side of business and switched his focus to training. Helping others become their best selves is what led him to write Everyday Lessons Every Day. David's humble hope is to enhance his readers' lives emotionally and spiritually with this honest look into his journey to grateful. Michael and David are like old buddies chatting about stress, anxiety and how to deal. David shares his journey and the lessons learned. His books for children address real world anxiety children face. David simply is a human trying to help other humans.https://everydaylessonseveryday.com/

As we march through the storyline of Scripture, we come across the story of King David's desire to build a house for the LORD. It's an admirable desire. The Lord, however, tells David that he will not be the one to make him a home but that his son will. Though David will not build the Lord a house, God will make David a dynasty, and we can learn a bit from David about longing for the Lord to fulfill his promises. Devotionables #274 - David's Dynasty 2 Samuel 7:12-23 The Whole Story of the Bible in 16 Verses https://www.amazon.com/Whole-Story-Bible-16-Verses/dp/143354282X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=10QYNR1UR5MOA&keywords=the+whole+bible+in+16+verses&qid=1642372624&sprefix=the+whole+Bible+in+%2Caps%2C114&sr=8-1

Ep 282 | Aired 2/4/2022 My guest today on Up In Your Business with Kerry McCoy is the well-known radio voice and host of Swingin' Down The Lane, Dr. David Miller. Though David's show is very successful and syndicated in over 40 markets and two countries, his career didn't start in radio. David grew up in New Jersey, loving the music of the big band era. But that is as far as he thought his love would go. It wasn't until I interviewed Mr. Miller that I learned that, as a young man, he was a sought-after Adman, studying and analyzing social trends for big-time fortune 500 company's marketing departments. David's corporate career was vast and led him and his family to move five times, living in five different states. But it was a chance meeting that would change his life forever.

Jesus Ministries, Joan Boney  ...  From the time God removed HIS Holy Spirit from Saul and gave HIS Holy Spirit to David and anointed David to be king to replace Saul, Saul tries to kill David.  To the end of Saul's life, he tries to kill David.   I Samuel 23:14  And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.  

Painful difficulty is a tool in the hands of God for our good and His glory. David has spent the past year and four months living in enemy territory, being controlled by and giving in to his sinful nature. He thought he was in control, but through tragedy he finds out how out of control he really is. The pain is so deep that David and his 600 warriors weep uncontrollably. But when weeping turns into grumbling and blame gets cast upon David the men look to execute him. David finally hits rock bottom, he comes to himself and cries out to the Lord for help and guidance. As God miraculously leads and delivers, David and his men are set back on the course of honoring God. Though David is not perfect, God still uses him as a picture of Jesus. Jesus is our captain and leader, He deals graciously and generously with us, He finds and rescues us, He recovers us through His sacrifice, and He gives more gifts beyond salvation. What an incredible God we have in Jesus!

A series on King David: Part 2 of 4   David is tender to his sheep, and also willing to fight for them. And he'll be the same in his future vocation—the way that he was shepherd is the way he will be king. As he fights Goliath, he reveals something to us about the heart of God: God will go to battle against our giants.   Though David wasn't skilled or qualified like everybody else was, he was aggressive in his confidence before the Father. As if to say, “I am anointed, and now this anointing is bearing fruit.”   There's something about David going into battle without the armour. It's symbolic of his poverty and dependence. His attempt to wear Saul's armour and sword is our attempt to grasp at an identity that isn't ours. If I could just be like that person doesn't work.   David goes into it poor, and himself. So should we, in a way that allows the Lord to be powerful.   Coming up: we're going to prepare for Advent with Finding Your Place in the Advent Story from Ascension Press. Check it out here: https://ascensionpress.com/collections/rejoice-finding-your-place-in-the-advent-story   The Poco a Poco podcast happens because of generous donors like you. Monthly donations are particularly helpful for our future planning. You can give at https://spiritjuice.org/supportpoco. Thank you!

Welcome to Wednesday, August 4th! This episode of The 7-Minute Cross Talk Bible Study is titled: Absalom's Death For this Bible Study, we are considering the words of this week's Old Testament Lesson - 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33. If you desire further information, it may be requested from wordgiver@gmail.com. If the link to download the worksheet is not present within your podcast feed it may be downloaded at: https://servingjesuschrist.libsyn.com/ Scripture Quotations: New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995). This podcast is a ministry outreach of Our Savior's Lutheran in Argyle, Minnesota - United States. * * * * *   Absalom's Death Would you please pause the audio and download and print the 7-Minute Work Sheet before continuing? The link is located right below this audio player. For this Wednesday Bible Study, we will consider the words of this week's Old Testament Lesson: 2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33. Hopefully, these studies encourage you to engage in a deeper study of the current passage. But, more importantly, I hope these studies deepen your love for the Word of God. Let's begin: Last week's Old Testament Lesson related Nathan's encounter with King David over his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah. Though David confesses his sin, the consequences of what he has done will follow him and his family for generations.  This record is found in: 2 Samuel 12:9-14 NAS95 'Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.  [10] 'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' [11] "Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight.  [12] 'Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.'"  [13]  Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.  [14]  "However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die." When we confess our sin with a penitent heart, God does indeed forgive us. Sometimes, the lasting consequences are not publicly evident, but nevertheless, they exist. In David's case, the consequences of his sin will be on display for all of Israel to see. David was reminded to his dying day of the cost of sin. As I noted in last week's sermon podcast, David learned some very important lessons. Sin will take you farther than you ever thought you'd go; it will keep you there longer than you ever intended to stay, and it will cost you more than you ever expected to pay. This week's Old Testament Lesson relates to one of those consequences. Listen as I read: 2 Samuel 18:5-9 NAS95 The king charged Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom." And all the people heard when the king charged all the commanders concerning Absalom.  [6]  Then the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle took place in the forest of Ephraim.  [7]  The people of Israel were defeated there before the servants of David, and the slaughter there that day was great, 20,000 men.  [8]  For the battle there was spread over the whole countryside, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.  [9]  Now Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. For Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. And his head caught fast in the oak, so he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him kept going. 2 Samuel 18:19 NAS95 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, "Please let me run and bring the king news that the LORD has freed him from the hand of his enemies." 2 Samuel 18:31-33 NAS95 Behold, the Cushite arrived, and the Cushite said, "Let my lord the king receive good news, for the LORD has freed you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you."  [32]  Then the king said to the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?" And the Cushite answered, "Let the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be as that young man!"  [33]  The king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And thus he said as he walked, "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!" Certain verses suggest that King David was a permissive parent. After his daughter Tamar was raped by her brother Amnon, Scripture records: 2 Samuel 13:21 NASB Now when King David heard about all these matters, he became very angry. When his son Adonijah seeks to take the throne instead of Solomon, the Bible records the following: 1 Kings 1:6 NASB And his father had never rebuked him at any time by asking, "Why have you done so?" And he was also a very handsome man, and he was born after Absalom. Both of these cases tell us that though he was a man after God's own heart, David failed to discipline his children, to raise them to have good sense and follow the Lord. Absalom, who is mentioned in this week's lesson, also orchestrated the death of Amnon for raping his sister. 2 Samuel 13:28-29 NASB Then Absalom commanded his servants, saying, "See now, when Amnon's heart is cheerful with wine, and I say to you, 'Strike Amnon,' then put him to death. Do not fear; have I not commanded you myself? Be courageous and be valiant."  [29]  And the servants of Absalom did to Amnon just as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons got up and each mounted his mule and fled. This lesson records the death of Absalom after he attempts to overthrow his father as king. In these verses, David makes an unwise decision by telling his commanders to Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom. This must discourage them after all the death, destruction, and upheaval that Absalom's rebellion has caused the nation. As you might remember from Sunday School, while trying to escape, Absalom runs into a tree and wedges his head and neck in the crook of a branch. The king's military commander, Joab, knowing the danger of allowing Absalom to live takes matters into his own hands. 2 Samuel 18:14 NASB Then Joab said, "I will not waste time here with you." So he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the midst of the oak. Once David is informed of his son's death, he weeps. Regardless of what Absalom had done, he was still his son. However, David's weeping over Absalom is considered shameful and affects the loyalty of his soldiers. If not for the intervention of Joab, his military commander, David would have lost his kingdom. 2 Samuel 19:5-7 NASB Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, "Today you have shamed all your servants, who have saved your life today and the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives, and the lives of your concubines,  [6]  by loving those who hate you, and by hating those who love you. For you have revealed today that commanders and servants are nothing to you; for I know today that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then it would be right as far as you are concerned.  [7]  "Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the LORD, if you do not go out, no man will stay the night with you, and this will be worse for you than all the misfortune that has happened to you from your youth until now!" I wonder that if at any point David thought back to God's declaration in: 2 Samuel 12:10 NASB 'Now then, the sword shall never leave your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' I encourage you to go back and read 2 Samuel 11-12 to remind yourself of how seriously God regards sin. Let's Pray, Gracious Heavenly Father, We are grateful that You forgive our sin when we come before You with a penitent heart. Help us to think of the consequences as various temptations come our way. Strengthen our walk with You this day. In the Name of Jesus, Amen!                

Further Thought: “David's repentance was sincere and deep. Therewas no effort to palliate his crime. No desire to escape the judgments threat-ened, inspired his prayer. . . . He saw the defilement of his soul; he loathedhis sin. It was not for pardon only that he prayed, but for purity of heart.. . . In the promises of God to repentant sinners he saw the evidence of hispardon and acceptance. . . . ‘The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: abroken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.' Psalm 51:16, 17.“Though David had fallen, the Lord lifted him up. . . .“David humbled himself and confessed his sin, while Saul despisedreproof and hardened his heart in impenitence.“This passage in David's history is . . . one of the most forcibleillustrations given us of the struggles and temptations of humanity, andof genuine repentance. . . . Through all the ages . . . thousands of thechildren of God, who have been betrayed into sin, . . . have remembered. . . David's sincere repentance and confession . . . and they also havetaken courage to repent and try again to walk in the way of God's com-mandments.“Whoever . . . will humble the soul with confession and repentance,as did David, may be sure that there is hope for him. . . . The Lord willnever cast away one truly repentant soul.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchsand Prophets, pp. 725, 726.Discussion Questions: How can we find the balance between recognizing our inherentsinfulness and need for forgiveness and, at the same time, living like theforgiven sons and daughters of the King of the universe that we are? Why is all sin, ultimately, sin against God? What does it meanto sin against God? What can we say to someone, not a believer, who struggles withthe suffering of innocent people, such as Uriah or the newborn sonof David and Bathsheba? How do we explain the love and justiceof God in such a situation? How does the perspective of the greatcontroversy offer a helpful outlook? Why would God devote two full chapters of the Bible to thesordid story of David and Bathsheba? What purpose does therecounting of this story serve? Dwell on the idea that sin separates us from God as expressedin Psalm 51:11, 12. What has been your own experience withhow this happens? How would you explain to someone what thisseparation feels like and why it's so uncomfortable? Why is thepromise of grace the only remedy?

Psalm 34 is a song of thanksgiving for undeserved deliverance. According to the superscription, this psalm was written when David feigned insanity to escape from Abimelech. Abimelech is a dynastic title for Achish the king of Gath. Though David played the part of a maniac, he attributed his deliverance from Achish to the Lord. In response, David affirmed God's goodness and called upon the people of God to praise Him for deliverance.

Sometimes God takes you down rough detours that hurt, but in the process He is at work in ways that can't see yet. David is on the road to the throne, but God is taking him on a long hard detour. Though David will probably want to quit many times, God gives him the fortitude and perseverance to keep going. Saul attempts to murder David 6 separate times in chapter 19, twice personally and 4 times through groups of assassins. Though this is very hard, God is still at work in David's life, even through this. Coming to the end of yourself where you exalt and glorify Jesus is far more important than your comforts and pleasures. The question is whether or not you are willing to trust Jesus with your life.

II Samuel 21-24 We are in The Nation Stream and finishing the book of II Samuel. We are reading from the New International Version. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis Dear Lord, we see the greatest of Kings in essence getting his house or rather his soul in order as he is preparing to depart and "be gathered to his people". May we be souls who have the wisdom to number our days and make sure they count for Christ and His Kingdom.  Amen. 21 - This chapter wraps up the 9 chapters straight of troubles that sprung up in David's life since the Bathsheba incident. Virtually all of this is in-house trouble.  It's painful problems that were at an anguish level for David. Life was always turbulent for David since he defeated Goliath. That is the price of leadership. But this last 9 chapters hit close to home since his since was within his own home, among his own home and against his own. One might call the long season of David's life "when pain hits home."  The incident of the Gibeonites and avenging the wrong done to them to end the famine was simply awful stuff. That's one thing about the Bible - it doesn't gloss over how bad things can get as consequence of breaking a treaty before God or from breaking faith with God. The Philistines took one last swipe at David and his kingdom. It's legendary as giants came forth and Davids' army struck and finished them all off. 22 - David is sharing one of his last Psalms as he looks back on his life. God has always been faithful. Though David has erred on occasion - David, however, always had unfailing trust in God's care and David was always grateful knowing that God always took care of him.  It's placement here has us looking back over David's life which is among the richest of lives ever lived.  The adventure, the battles and struggles, the triumphs and devotion, the dark nights his soul walked through, the worship and exultation - this life is what has comprised the best of children's stories that inspire all ages for 3,000 years. 23 - This is David's last Psalm and it is an epochal rendition of God's majestic work of making the Kingdom of Israel.  God has been just. His Covenant is righteous. And God's Kingdom will grow eternally.  The list of names of great men and their deeds is like an all=star cast of the superhero movie to end all debates about who is the greatest. It's really quite something! 24 - The census that was taken at the end of David's life is an issue of puzzlement and discussion that will go on long after today.  To add to a sense of understanding of this reading I Chronicles 21 is the parallel story of this event.  All David's life he trusted in God alone. This seemed to indicate that, since he was in war much of his life, it was his thinking and orientation so he calculated that he needed some numbers to be assured that the kingdom that had expanded under his reign was sufficient. Satan had urged this census be taken and David complied. Joab was right to question the deed but David prevailed. He got his numbers but there was a plague that swept through in exchange for this faithless deed done with fleshly intent. The reaction of David and the stopping of the plague was classic David  - though his action was not right initially, his reaction was proper; to commemorate and remember and build an altar to God. Solomon later built the Temple in this same place (II Chr. 3:1)!  It's marvelous to step back and ponder this, the hand of God that oversees even during and through unfortunate events.

This is another Psalm of David. It is not far removed from the territory that we were exploring in Psalm 60 and Psalm 61. It may be that, this time, it was Absalom who was troubling him. Perhaps we might detect that he is not so overwhelmed as in Psalm 61 and felt less abandoned that he did in Psalm 60. Certainly, the tone and mood are going to change when we get to Psalm 63. Though David is in great need in Psalm 62, he has found greater peace and is able to wait on the Lord -v2, v5-. He has not yet received an answer from the Lord but there is a confidence expressed that he soon will.--Main Headings---1- What people do to us-2- Showing faith even when it's a battle-3- Quiet confidence

II Samuel 1-5 We are in the Nation Stream. David is now official king of Israel as we read through the International Standard Version today. 7streamsmethod.com | @7StreamsMethod | @serenatravis | #7Streams Commentary by Dr. Drake Travis Lord, these changes we see today were steps in the right direction. Yes, things were turbulent and messy but growth is rarely clean and neat and your hand was upon David in spite of all the intrigue and surprises that were not always pleasant. May our faith be equally as unshakable as we find David's to be - even when our days are stormy.  Amen The Book of II Samuel IS the reign of David Saul is gone and what's worse for David is that his dear friend Jonathan is dead.  The opening of II Sam. is grief for David.  Yes, Saul spent much of his years on the throne trying to kill David. But David had a character rooted in his walk with God and Israel was God's land and Saul was Israel's King and David respected authority.  So he had respect for Saul - odd as it may seem. David's reaction to someone who had 'finished off' Saul is another testament to the depth of honor that David had for the Lord's anointed. It is in order to mention that II Sam. 1-6 and I Chron. 11-16 is a different perspective on the same time- period. The two portions are worth reading concurrently so to get the full picture. He was now king of Israel, but needed to grieve a bit. His "farewell song" is a treasure. 2 - David was rightful king now but some of Saul's men just couldn't accept the transfer of power though the time had come and there was no other way to perceive this development. The battles and skirmishes are gruesome and unnecessary but Saul's "groupies" who couldn't see the bigger picture nor the changing times were ebullient and there were needless deaths because of it. It never is wise to be committed to a dead cause. Nevertheless those loyal to Saul had installed Saul's son; Ish-Bosheth as king over Israel.  The move was illicit but so it goes. He was there as "king" for two years while David was the rightful king installed at Hebron.  He was there for 7+1/2 years These years before he was moved up to Jerusalem there was warring between Saul's followers and David's.  During these years David had children with six different wives. That was one way to pass the time...  Though David's movement was growing and strengthening, Saul's was becoming weaker. 3 - Abner changes to become one of David's followers and supporters.  If he hadn't been so intense and spiteful prior to doing this, perhaps there would have been more credibility to his move toward David. But since he joined with David before convincing everyone of David's men, Abner was murdered. The intrigue and entanglement seemed to mark these years between the death of Saul and David being fully enthroned in Jerusalem. 4 - In another incident, there were two ruffians that went to the house of Saul's son Ish-bosheth and killed him and brought I-B's head to David thinking it would please David. David's reaction was opposite and David had these two men killed. These were wild times in Hebron! 5 - Finally all the tribes gathered at Hebron and David is anointed King.  He moves on Jerusalem even though the Jebusites living there vowed David would not come in. But David being valiant, he and his soldiers prevailed and Jerusalem became "the City of David".  King Hyram of Tyre soon heard of David's triumph in Jerusalem and sent gifts.  The Philistines too heard of David's ascension as King and they marched out twice to end this movement. David was victorious and decisively so. It's still "The City of David" almost 3030 years later!  

Brody Holloway | Be Strong 2021 | Friday NightIn this session, Brody looks at the life of David and what we as men can learn from his obedience and failures. Though David is a type of Christ, his kingship fell short of what God would ultimately do through Jesus. Throughout his life we see the blessings that come from obedience and the consequences that come from his sin. When we’re faithful to the Lord, those around us will be blessed. And when we’re disobedient to the Lord, we’re not only hurting ourselves but those around us. Even when grace is applied the consequences of sin can linger. God calls us into a relationship in which our actions matter. The way you talk matters. The way you treat people matters. The way you’re living your life matters. We need to live in a fear of the Lord that will drive us towards obedience fueled by grace. Resources1 Samuel 162 Samuel 6Romans 8Galatians 51 Samuel 171 Samuel 181 Samuel 23Learn more about our student and adult conferences at Swoutfitters.com. P.S. If you liked this episode, we’d love to hear your feedback! Please leave us a review on Apple or Spotify and help us get the content out to help others grow in their faith and mission to equip the Church.Want to go deeper? Join the Snowbird Newsletter and get our list of favorite books! ==================================================Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the exposition of Scripture and personal relationships in order to equip the Church to impact this generation.==================================================We’d love to connect with you. Follow us here:FacebookYouTubeInstagram

Though David has been chosen as the next King, that did not keep him from hardships. Today's Psalms are written during a low point of David's life when he was struggling to believe the truth of what God has declared. We often find ourselves there too. Episode Links: Psalms: Overview - The Bible Project - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9phNEaPrv8 General Links: Support this Podcast! - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dbrpodcast Daily Bible Reading Homepage - https://anchor.fm/dailybiblereading Find us on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkYa0enE6UtdbltMQvUpVLw Resources: Customizable Google Sheets Reading Plan - http://bit.ly/DBRPlan Chronological Reading Plan PDF (starting January 1, 2021) - http://bit.ly/DBRPlanpdf Connect with us: Daily Bible Reading Podcast Facebook Group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/dailybiblereadingpodcast Send me an email - dailybiblereadingpodcast@gmail.com Follow me on Twitter - @dailybibleread3 The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® Copyright© 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dailybiblereading/message

The differences in Saul and David can be summarized in just a couple of words: “obedient faith.” Though David had some shortcomings in this regard, Saul was a complete failure. He constantly found himself on the wrong side of obedience. When Saul was found to be disobedient to God, he tended to make excuses, blame others, and exhibit a lack of trust in God. By contrast, David possessed humility and dedication to God. When David found himself on the wrong side, he repented of his wrong. It takes strength of character to admit to wrong. David was a man of character; Saul was not.

The differences in Saul and David can be summarized in just a couple of words: “obedient faith.” Though David had some shortcomings in this regard, Saul was a complete failure. He constantly found himself on the wrong side of obedience. When Saul was found to be disobedient to God, he tended to make excuses, blame others, and exhibit a lack of trust in God. By contrast, David possessed humility and dedication to God. When David found himself on the wrong side, he repented of his wrong. It takes strength of character to admit to wrong. David was a man of character; Saul was not.

Though David was stuck in a miry bog like depression, his faith continued to hope in the God who heard his prayers and eventually drew him out to solid ground. God’s appraisal of our life is the one that counts, and He can raise anyone from the pit, including Himself on Easter morning!

Well, we made it to the end of 2020. Before we mark it off and move on let’s reflect on what we can learn from one of the most difficult years of our lives. First, if you think that turning the calendar page will make the mistakes you made in 2020 disappear, it will do us well to learn from the life of King David in the bible, a man who made some huge mistakes and sinned greatly against God yet was still considered to be a man after God’s own heart. Though David was responsible for stealing another man’s wife and committing murder to cover up for it, he had a repentant heart. He owned his sin(eventually), asked God for forgiveness, and turned from sinning to obeying God. If you are painfully aware of the mistakes you made in 2020, don’t just turn the page of the calendar, turn to God, ask Him to forgive you and turn away from your sin to living God’s will in your life.   You’ve heard the phrase, “Hindsight is 2020”.  In a nutshell it’s the understanding that afterword - once we have all the information - we can see much more clearly and would usually choose to do things differently. God, the creator of life, has given us written instructions on life itself. He created it, Jesus lived it, and it’s written down for us to gain all the insight we need. Often we forfeit all His wisdom. As we read God’s Word we learn His ways and it shapes how we make decisions and engage in life and relationships. Maybe it’s time to establish a simple, repeatable pattern of reading the bible daily.   And if 2020 has taught us anything it’s that we need one another! Shawna shares how Perry spoke words of life to her when she most needed to hear them & his words caused her to stop a negative thinking pattern and trust God.  Who has spoken life to you in 2020? Reach out to them and let them know what their words meant to you. They probably don’t know.   Lastly, Shawna shares a final word, a blessing over you as you wrap up 2020 and head into a brand new year with no mistakes in it. There are 2 simple truths we all need to carry with us as we step into 2021. Happy New Year! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(Gn.49:2,8-10;   Ps.72:3-4,7-8,17;   Mt.1:1-17)   “May He rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.”   Since “the scepter shall never depart from Judah,” the reign of Jesus, His descendant, His fulfillment, is without end – He is King forever.  And so, “tribute is brought to Him, and He receives the peoples' homage,” which is in itself their salvation. Who is this Lion of Judah, fulfillment of Jacob's prophetic blessing of his son?  What sort of king have we?  It is in the words of our psalm we find His kingship revealed: “He shall defend the afflicted among the people, save the children of the poor.”  For Jesus, though fierce as a lion in His judgment – for there is nothing untrue in Him – reveals primarily the love of God the king must embody.  In His reign, “the mountains shall yield peace for the people, and the hills justice.”  First is the love He brings to this generation; second, its complement, justice. And of what worth is the “family record of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham,” we find in our gospel today?  Be not overly bored by it, my brothers and sisters, for in its mundaneness it holds the key to our salvation.  For it reveals how very real Jesus is, that He is part of our human family; and should this not make us rejoice, that the Son of God is also Son of Man?  And though the forty-two or so names may not be familiar to our ears, we should know at least that there are all kinds in this family tree of Jesus, from great men and women of faith humble before their God, to wicked kings and a prostitute.  There is thus hope for us all. Jesus is indeed the fulfillment of the promised son of Abraham, and son of David, the king who sits on the throne forever.  It was of Mary He was born, and Mary's husband was Joseph.  And since husband and wife are one – and though there's was only a spiritual communion, it is in the spiritual communion unity is truly found – we trace His line through this humble man.  And we pray we shall enter into communion with the Lord ourselves and live in the reign of this King in whom “all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed.”  Today we praise our brother in the flesh and pray to be made one in His Spirit.  May He indeed rule over all. ******* O LORD, because your Son judges justly, peace shall reign to the ends of the earth – for this He has come among us. YHWH, your Son rules over all; from sea to sea and to the ends of the earth His rule extends, for He has been born into our midst, He has become part of our generation, and so all in our midst, every generation, is under His reign.  Alleluia! All the tribes of the earth should rejoice in Him, O LORD.  Though David's Son and so of your Chosen people, yet your prophets have foretold that every people shall bow down before Him, even as all David's sons.  This Lion of Judah shall govern all with justice, shall bring peace to all who call upon His Name.  Alleluia, LORD!  For this grace we thank you. Truly the Name of Jesus shall remain as long as the sun – forever His Name shall be blessed in our midst.  For He has come among us to save us; He is indeed one of us and brings divine blessings in His wake.  O LORD, in every heart let Him reign!

(Gn.49:2,8-10;   Ps.72:3-4,7-8,17;   Mt.1:1-17)   “May He rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.”   Since “the scepter shall never depart from Judah,” the reign of Jesus, His descendant, His fulfillment, is without end – He is King forever.  And so, “tribute is brought to Him, and He receives the peoples' homage,” which is in itself their salvation. Who is this Lion of Judah, fulfillment of Jacob's prophetic blessing of his son?  What sort of king have we?  It is in the words of our psalm we find His kingship revealed: “He shall defend the afflicted among the people, save the children of the poor.”  For Jesus, though fierce as a lion in His judgment – for there is nothing untrue in Him – reveals primarily the love of God the king must embody.  In His reign, “the mountains shall yield peace for the people, and the hills justice.”  First is the love He brings to this generation; second, its complement, justice. And of what worth is the “family record of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham,” we find in our gospel today?  Be not overly bored by it, my brothers and sisters, for in its mundaneness it holds the key to our salvation.  For it reveals how very real Jesus is, that He is part of our human family; and should this not make us rejoice, that the Son of God is also Son of Man?  And though the forty-two or so names may not be familiar to our ears, we should know at least that there are all kinds in this family tree of Jesus, from great men and women of faith humble before their God, to wicked kings and a prostitute.  There is thus hope for us all. Jesus is indeed the fulfillment of the promised son of Abraham, and son of David, the king who sits on the throne forever.  It was of Mary He was born, and Mary's husband was Joseph.  And since husband and wife are one – and though there's was only a spiritual communion, it is in the spiritual communion unity is truly found – we trace His line through this humble man.  And we pray we shall enter into communion with the Lord ourselves and live in the reign of this King in whom “all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed.”  Today we praise our brother in the flesh and pray to be made one in His Spirit.  May He indeed rule over all. ******* O LORD, because your Son judges justly, peace shall reign to the ends of the earth – for this He has come among us. YHWH, your Son rules over all; from sea to sea and to the ends of the earth His rule extends, for He has been born into our midst, He has become part of our generation, and so all in our midst, every generation, is under His reign.  Alleluia! All the tribes of the earth should rejoice in Him, O LORD.  Though David's Son and so of your Chosen people, yet your prophets have foretold that every people shall bow down before Him, even as all David's sons.  This Lion of Judah shall govern all with justice, shall bring peace to all who call upon His Name.  Alleluia, LORD!  For this grace we thank you. Truly the Name of Jesus shall remain as long as the sun – forever His Name shall be blessed in our midst.  For He has come among us to save us; He is indeed one of us and brings divine blessings in His wake.  O LORD, in every heart let Him reign!

My anger percolated when a woman mistreated, blamed, and gossiped about me. I wanted everyone to know what she’d done—wanted her to suffer as I’d suffered because of her behavior. I steamed with resentment until a headache pierced my temples. But as I began praying for my pain to go away, the Holy Spirit convicted me. How could I plot revenge while begging God for relief? If I believed the Lord would care for me, why wouldn’t I trust Him to handle this situation? Knowing that people who are hurting often hurt other people, I asked God to help me forgive the woman and work toward reconciliation. The psalmist David understood the difficulty of trusting God while enduring unfair treatment. Though David did his best to be a loving servant, King Saul succumbed to jealousy and wanted to murder him (1 Samuel 24:1-2). David suffered while God worked things out and prepared him to take the throne, but still he chose to honor God instead of seeking revenge (vv. 3-7). He did his part to reconcile with Saul and left the results in God’s hands (vv. 8-22) When it feels like people get away with wrongdoing, we struggle with the injustice. But with God’s mercy at work on our hearts and the hearts of others, we can forgive as He’s forgiven us and receive the blessings He’s prepared for us.

Thwip! David Elson started out as a competitive free-runner and basically 'fell' into doing stunt work. Doubling and performing stunts on TV shows like The Unit and Teen Wolf eventually led David to try on the Spidey suit for Amazing Spider-Man and has continued to help create the iconic superhero with the stunt team and coordinators on Spider-Man Homecoming and Avengers Infinity War. Though David reveals that it's not hard to bring the webhead to life when Tom Holland actually IS Spider-Man! Check out the full transcript and more at www.deathwishcoffee.com/davidelson

If Abraham, the disciples and John the Baptist wrestled with doubt thousands of years ago as the things we read about were happening right before their eyes, how much more will those of us who have not seen His face doubt today? Doubt has it's place along the journey.

Dedication of the Temple 2 Chronicles 6v1-21 Tonight as you may have gathered, we go back to looking at the prayers of Solomon in 2 Chronicles 6. Not in an exhaustive way, but to discover together what we can learn about God and His relationship with those who are His and seeing how this is relevant to us some 3 millennia later. During the intervening period, I wonder if Solomon had wrestled in his mind over what he prayed… Let us wrestle together now, in these prayers of his, albeit briefly. This is a key passage, a link if you like, between the Covenant that God made with Solomon’s father, David, including the building of a House for God, the Temple, and the glory of the Lord filling the Temple in 2 Chronicles 7. This reflects I think, the necessity and vitality of prayer in the unfolding of God’s will for humanity. The story is also regaled in 1 Kings 8 but with some nuance as you may expect. Right mouse click or tap here to save this Podcast as a MP3. A Covenant Making God Down through history, the Bible reveals that God has made Covenants with humanity. A covenant is an important way to describe the progress of the relationship between God and humanity through the Biblical story. A covenant at the time of the Old Testament was a solemn commitment between the two covenanting parties to fulfil all the promises and obligations of the covenant. Covenants were common in all kinds of life, and not just between God and humanity. The idea comes from the sort of agreement commonly entered into in the ancient area round Israel between a high king, and a sub king or clan chief. It is easy to see how a covenant is a good way to describe the relationship between God and humanity. God, who promises to protect and help the human with faithfulness, and the human who promises to worship and honour God with faith. The Covenants between God and humanity have several things about them regarding the relationship. In these Covenants between God and humanity, God always took the initiative – sometimes by complete surprise. God has made certain commitments and has given His solemn promise to fulfil His end of the bargain. God waits for a response from humanity. God does not coerce or force but waits for humanity to take the responsibility of replying and acquiescing to God's covenantal promises through obedience, faithfulness and worship. There are Covenants made in the Garden of Eden, Covenants made in history with Adam, Noah and Abraham, but we will fast forward to the Covenant between God and Moses before going onto His covenant with Solomon’s father, David. The Mosaic Covenant Why look at the Covenant made between God and Moses? We do so because there is a connection between that Covenant and the prayer of Solomon we are looking at tonight. Indeed the very Ark of the Covenant contained a gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and two tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed. Charles Spurgeon commented “One is struck, with the fact that the language of Solomon is far from new, and is full of quotations from the Pentateuch (where the Mosaic Covenant is fully explained), some of which are almost word for word.” This covenant is between God and humanity, in this case with the particular nation of Israel. It commences with the stipulation “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine” (Exodus 19:5). This covenant was to Israel in order that those who believed God’s promise, could know how to live righteously. Israel’s task was to bring the knowledge of God to all the world so that blessing might come to all humanity. In this, however, they were to fail and only when Jesus came as the perfectly obedient Israelite was it to become possible that all the world should be blessed. This Mosaic covenant covered the three areas of life: The commandments were given so they would know how to relate socially to God correctly (Exodus 20:1-17) The judgments were given in order that they could relate socially to each other properly (Exodus 21:1 - 24:11 and in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy) The decrees dictate their religious life so that God could be approached by humanity on His terms (Exodus 24:12 - 31:18, and in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). The Mosaic Covenant was never meant as a means by which humanity could achieve salvation with God. It was given so that they could realize the helplessness of their own efforts, and their need of God's help as well as expressing their devotion to the Lord. Yet they still failed to bring blessing to other peoples. Galatians 3:22-24 explains that the Law was only a protective fence until through the promised Messiah, when humanity could be made right with God through faith. That Messiah we know to be the man Jesus Christ. More later though. The Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7:4-17) Now we fast forward to the Covenant which was in place as Solomon dedicates the Temple to God and is mentioned here. This covenant that God made with David, Solomon’s father. Three great things were promised: A land forever (2 Samuel 7:10); A dynasty without end (2 Samuel 7:11, 16) A perpetual kingdom (2 Samuel 7:13, 16) Through the Covenants we see a God who is willing to interact with His creation and bless it. When first century Christians such as the Apostles Paul, Peter and John checked and thought over all the events surrounding the life of Jesus Christ, they searched their Scriptures (our Old Testament). It was as God the Holy Spirit illuminated their minds, that they wrote down and passed on the whole range of Old Testament promises which were fulfilled in God's Messiah and the world's hope - Jesus Christ and Him alone. That is why it is important for us as twenty-first century Christian Disciples to read our Old Testament as well as the New Testament. For by reading the Old Testament, new light is shed upon our own understanding of the New Testament. One of the fundamentals of understanding the Bible, is to let the Bible interpret the Bible. There is one more Covenant of God which we are to look at tonight, but we will see that shortly! We press on with these prayers of Solomon. There are 3 prayers here. v1-2 are opening words of praise to God v4-11 are the 2nd prayer v16-41 are the 3rd prayer. We won’t go into any great detail tonight, you will no doubt be glad to know. We will get to about verse 21 I think. But with a very general overview, let’s look together and see what we can learn together from the wise man Solomon about God and about prayer. Charles Spurgeon said that “It is worthy of remark concerning this prayer that it is as full and comprehensive as if it were meant to be the summary of all future prayers offered in the temple.” Right mouse click or tap here to save this Podcast as a MP3. Part 1 1. Verses 1 & 2 - Solomon acknowledges God’s presence in the cloud Here we see that Solomon acknowledges God’s presence in the cloud. The cloud of God’s glory has a long association with His presence. Solomon knew that the presence of the cloud meant that God dwelt in the temple in a special way. It was to be a special place to come and meet with God. It was symbolic of God living with His people. 2.Verses 3 to 9 – Solomon blessed the people and blesses God. Here we see that Solomon blessed the people and blesses God. Solomon knew, affirmed and recognized that the completion of the Temple was the fulfilment of the plan of God and not of Solomon himself or indeed of his father David. God’s plan. David and Solomon were merely the human instruments, they were God’s arms and legs, but the work was affirmed to be God’s alone! God’s actions or work have confirmed His words, His promises! God’s hands were at work building the Temple as He guided and strengthened the human workers who contributed themselves to its construction. Solomon recounts how their ancestors had escaped from Egypt in the Exodus 500 years hence. This shows its importance to the people of Israel at the time! Their minds were singing “If the Lord can bring us out of Egypt and rescue us, He will help us establish ourselves as a nation and build this Temple in order to worship Him. “ God is faithful to His promises. Down through the ages God has been faithful and keeping His part of the Covenant that He made with people. Later when we come to conclude we will see together briefly the promises of God for the Christian, including us today almost 3 millennia later. Solomon now issues a statement concerning his father, David! Why David was not to build it. Though David, the mighty King had done extensive preparations for it, he didn’t actually complete it. The completion was left for his son, Solomon. Why? Because of God’s ideal of rest for his King and for his people. David had fought many wars and battles. It was part of his rest in God not to build the Temple. Solomon was spared the emotional turmoil of war, so could dedicate his energies to building the Temple – the House of God. 3. Verses 10-11 - Solomon presents the finished temple unto God. And with verses 10 to 11, we see that Solomon presents the finished Temple to God. Solomon recognized that being the successor of his father David to the throne of Israel was significant. He then places the Ark of the Covenant, in its resting place in the Temple. The Ark of the Covenant was a physical representation of God’s promised presence with His people, the nation of Israel. It was a wooden chest clad with gold containing a gold jar of manna, Aaron’s staff that had budded, and the two stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. Solomon speaks of a God who fulfilled with His hands what He had spoken with His mouth. God had said what He was going to do, and then went and did it. How are we doing at worshipping as we work for the Lord? Are we workers primarily and then click a switch to engage worship mode as we come here on a Sunday? Or do we consider ourselves God worshippers as we work? God wants worshippers before workers. In God’s mind, the only acceptable workers are those who have learnt the art of worship. Do you consider all you do as acts of worship to God? Everything you do as acts of worship to God? Because that is the kind of people God wants and desires, the kind of people who worship Him in Spirit and in truth and in all aspects of life – not just for a couple of hours on a Sunday. Part 2. Solomon’s prayer. Verses 12-14 - Humility before and praise unto God. .Here in verses 12 to 14 we see that Solomon stands before the altar of the Lord. Solomon did not dedicate the Temple from within the Temple itself because that would have been the wrong place. That was where only the Priest could go, so Solomon stands outside, raised up so that the throngs of people could see him. Before the altar, spreading out his hands in an act of symbolism - reaching out toward heaven in a gesture of surrender, openness, and ready reception. Here Solomon recognizes that God was and is completely unique in all facets of being and expresses it. The false and pretend gods of the nations around Israel could not compare to Him in any way.Verses 15-17 - Solomon recognizes God as the maker and keeper of promises. Solomon commences now to thankfully praise God, because God has kept all His promises that He had mad in the past. Have you done that in your prayer life? Speaking out thanks for what God has done for you in the past? He continues and calls upon God to keep the promises that He has now made. We are, as His people, to take on board God’s promises, take them to heart in faith, and then boldly and reverently call upon Him to fulfil the promises. Again, is that part of your prayer life? God promises and we are to appropriate, take hold of them and proclaim them, taking them on board in our life by faith, knowing that God fulfils the promises that He makes to people. Verses 18-21 - Solomon asks God to dwell in this place and honour those who seek Him here. Solomon now asks a question in this prayer! How often have you and I asked God questions as we pray, rather than just listing off our demands. God would reside in the Temple but not to the exclusion of other places. While God would have a special presence in the Temple, He would not be restricted to it. Solomon asks God to listen to His people as they pray and worship in this Temple dedicated to Him. When God hears the prayers made in the Tempe, Solomon implores that He would forgive His people and probably the greatest answer to prayer that they could expect. Right mouse click or tap here to save this Podcast as a MP3. Conclusion - Promises of God for the Christian After such a prayer, how can we conclude? What are the challenges and comforts we have seen from this passage of Scripture? This Temple was destroyed about 400 years later by the Babylonians. It is long gone. What about David’s Covenant though? Was that ever fulfilled? Remember David’s Covenant which we looked at briefly earlier on? Was that ever fulfilled? We can say that it has been! It was fulfilled gloriously in the coming of God, in the man Jesus Christ. When the great God did indeed come as a human being in the person we know as Jesus Christ. It is historical fact. 2 Samuel 7:12 predicted the birth of Solomon as David's successor to the throne, with his role being to establish David's throne forever (2 Samuel 7:13). We see this link to the man Jesus Christ, through the genealogies to both Joseph: who had a legal right to King David's throne (Matthew 1:1-17) and to Mary: who had a blood right to King David's throne (Luke 3:23-38). The land is the whole world, now potentially the sphere of the rule of Jesus (Romans 4:13); the dynasty was, through Solomon, eventually to be the eternal son, Jesus (Matthew 1:1, 6, 16; Luke 3:23, 31); the Kingdom is the kingdom of God, now established, and ever growing in the world in which we live. (Matthew 11:12) All of which were fulfilled gloriously in the coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus the Messiah, the Saviour. Jesus Christ – fully God and fully human. Not just for the Jews but for all people of every race and language. Really that should make us go WOW in awe of our God. Our God is the God of history and has stepped into history as a human being. The New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Luke 22:15-20) We see all this in what is called the New Covenant. Four features of this covenant are: Regeneration – God will write His law on the hearts of people. (Jeremiah 31:33) Restoration - God will be their God, and they will be God's people. (Jeremiah 31:33) Promised Holy Spirit – God will indwell people and they will be led by Him (Jeremiah 31:34) Justification – Sins will be forgiven, removed and remembered no more (Jeremiah 31:34) This new covenant is sealed only through the perfect sacrifice of the God-Man Jesus on the cross. His death ensures the truth of this New Covenant. His death pays the penalty for the sins of all people. That is why we are to say yes to God and His New Covenant. This New Covenant can be contrasted with the Old Covenant, the Mosaic covenant that we looked at earlier, (Jeremiah 31:32; Hebrews 8:6-13) because this New Covenant finalizes and makes possible what the Mosaic Covenant could only point to: the follower of God living in a righteous life conforming to God's holy character. Solomon asks in verse 18 “But will God really dwell on earth with humans? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple that I have built!” In Solomon’s direct context, he was talking about the Temple which he was dedicating to God. In the overall context of the Bible, however, God did indeed come and dwell on earth. Not just with humans, but to be a human. Jesus Christ, the God-man. God keeps His promises and Jesus Christ is evidence of that. Oh that is so easy to forget when we are undergoing the trials of life. In what way does God keep His promises to us today? Five quick statements. By faith, He is praying for us. God the Son, Jesus Christ is making intercessions for Christians (Romans 8:34). He knows our troubles and He feels our cares and knows what we are going through (Hebrews 4:14-16). Isn’t that simply amazing and oh how easily we forget. By faith - He will come to us. Have you ever felt like God is far away? Well you aren’t alone! Solomon’s father, David, often felt that God was far away and unconcerned with his life. Just a cursory look in the Psalms will reveal that. However he also knew that God would ultimately rescue him. Jesus always comes to us through difficult times. Although He may not come in the time we think He should come, because He knows when we need Him most. By faith - He will help us grow - Once, when His disciples were in the storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus came to them walking on the water (Matthew 14:22-33). The purpose of this incident was to show that Jesus would be leaving them soon, so they had to learn to trust in Him when He wasn’t physically present. One of those disciples, Peter, wrote later on in his life, “for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers” (1 Peter 3:12). How are you growing as a follower of Jesus? Not only in your knowledge but also in your transformation and development? As we are being transformed by the power of God the Holy Spirit into the image of God the Son, Jesus Christ, it is to the praise and glory of God the Father. Our transformation reveals God at work. By faith, He will see us through - Again, when the disciples were in the storm, Jesus said “Come” and Peter went with Him. This must have encouraged the other disciples, for upon seeing Jesus’ power they worshipped him. Whatever troubles you are undergoing are temporary, and Jesus will see you through. For various reasons 2015 for Youngmi and I started out as if it could be our annus horribilus. Yet it became our annus mirabilis instead as we saw God at work each day throughout the year. By faith, you have salvation - if you are trusting in Jesus alone for your salvation. By faith Jesus is praying for you, will come to you, grow you and help you through troubles. By being obedient to God, you and I are showing others our salvation and showing that faith, is not blind, but active. We can be obedient to Him by relying on His strength and wisdom. We are to be faithful to God and show it by being obedient to Him and getting on with the work we have been given, just as Solomon was in getting the Temple competed. Is your work worship or your worship work? As we go out tonight, let us remember that God keeps His promises, He is listening to your prayers and He wants us to be in a dynamic moment by moment relationship with Himself. This great God wants you and I to be actively obedient to Him in all facets of our lives – our work, our play, our conversations, our worship and our relationships. If you are struggling in a particular area, get trusted others to pray for you and to hold you accountable – that is part of discipleship – part of following and loving God. Our verse for the year as a Church is Psalm 105:4 “Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.” That was what Solomon did in the building of the Temple. That is what we are to do as well, as I am sure you are aware. Not only the Church here as a whole, but as individual followers of Jesus Christ. If we try to do it in our own strength we will fail. If we do it in the strength of the God we proclaim to love, worship, serve and glorify then we can – because all glory and honour will go to Him and Him alone. As we go, are we ready in some way to tell others about this great God we claim is great and sing here in this fabulous building of our love and service? Are we ready to enable and encourage each other in the faith, and not just our friends and favourites, in some way as we see need? Are we actively engaging with the great God throughout each day, worshipping Him in all aspects of life and letting Him have dominion over every aspect of our lives as we put our trust fully in Him and in all aspects of life? We are to be faithful to God and show it by being obedient to Him and getting on with the work we have been given, just as Solomon was in getting the job done. As a general observation, most of the Church is scared of that word evangelism. We are not all to be evangelists like the Billy Grahams or Bruce Kitchings of this world, but we are to tell and show others about the God we claim to love and are in covenant with. Let’s go WOW the world, all of it, including our little corner here for God with the news of our God – the God who is outside of time who stepped down into time, into human history, in order that humanity could choose to follow Him or not - to be His children or not. Let’s keep our eyes fixed firmly on our God as we seek to enable and encourage – not just as a church body but also as individuals to all others that we meet. We are the Church on the hill. Let us, both as a church and as individuals, “Look to the LORD and his strength; seeking his face always.” Let’s go WOW for God together, heeding His advice and worshipping Him alone in all facets of life. Are you tired and in need of comfort from all the challenges you are having to endure? Keep your eyes on God and allow Him to embrace you, comfort and lift you up. Remember that He is for you, He lives within you and you are His child. Are you too comfortable? In need of a challenge to stop you becoming complacent? Ask God to help you overcome, to empower you and seek His face and wisdom. Ask for His strength to help you do what He has asked you to do? The God we have comforts us in our challenges and challenges us in our comfort. We have an amazingly glorious God! Let’s have a minute or two to bring ourselves before God and ask God to help you as only He can. Then I will close with a prayer before we go on to have our final song together. Right mouse click or tap here to save this Podcast as a MP3. You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site! Click or tap on the appropriate link below to subscribe, share or download our iPhone App!

King David had in mind to build a Temple for the LORD...but God had a much greater plan in place. God promised to establish David's kingdom forever. Though David's son failed, God was looking to a future with an eternal king. Join us today as we publicly declare, "LONG LIVE THE KING!"

David's own son, Absalom, conspires to steal the throne and David finds himself banished from Jerusalem. Psalm 3 is thought to be David's song on this occasion. Though David had made many mistakes and was suffering the consequences of his own sins, he continued to trust that God would deliver him from the hands of his enemies. When […]

God fights the battles for those who love him. Though David sought revenge himself, God spared him from shedding blood by sending Abigail to serve David and offer him timely wisdom. What battles are we fighting rather than letting God fight? Where...

Greetings! Welcome to Lechem Panim. Today we will be taking a look at Psalm 51. Many of you will be familiar with it. It reads… Psalm 51 (ESV) To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. 1 Have mercy on me,[a] O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment.5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice. 9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right[b] spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. 14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,  O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness. 15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. 16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. 18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; build up the walls of Jerusalem;19 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar. No Sleep After Taxes-- [A couple of weeks after hearing a sermon on Psalms 51: 2-4 (about knowing my hidden secrets) and Psalms 52: 3-4 (about lies and deceit), a man wrote the following letter to the IRS: “I have been unable to sleep, knowing that I have cheated on my income tax. I understated my taxable income, and have enclosed a check for $150.00. If I still can't sleep, I will send the rest.”] When were you guilty?— When was the first time in your life that you can remember experiencing feeling guilty about something; I mean really guilty about something? Maybe you realized that something you did was wrong or you began to feel guilty for something you already knew was wrong when you were doing it. What emotions went along with that guilt? A feeling of dirtiness? Hopelessness? Fear? Despair? What did you eventually do to be free of that guilt? Or maybe you are still wrestling with guilt. If so, then I hope this message will be an encouragement to you. A Heavy Superscript-- Our passage today (Psalm 51) begins, interestingly, not with verse one but with a short comment about what time in the life of David this Psalm was written in. It says: To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Now that is very interesting way to open a psalm, isn't it? It's very direct. It may seem a little bit too direct for us especially when we consider that the heading of this psalm (which is pretty graphic in its laying out of David's sin) was to be read along with the rest of the Psalm during worship services in the temple of God. And what is more incredible is that many believe that this superscript was written by none other than David himself. And that may lead us to ask the question, "Why didn't he (or whoever wrote this Psalm) just leave that part out? Why not just focus on the beauty of David's prayer and just kind of skip the heading?” After all, shouldn't we focus on God's grace rather than on sin? And yet what we find when we come to the Bible is that the Bible never glosses over sin. David's sin is not only laid out in detail in 2 Samuel 11 for everybody to read, but is even included in the worship section of the hymnbook of Israel (the Psalms) as a constant reminder of what David had done. And you will remember what that sin was. "a man after God's own heart”-- The Bible calls David "a man after God's own heart". And yet at the same time we know that he committed some pretty huge sins. He coveted, he had an affair with another man's wife, he tried to cover up that affair, and when he could not cover up that affair he murdered the husband (Uriah). And he thought that he had gotten away with it. Now does this sound like “a man after God's own heart?” NO!!! I mean he carefully planned these sins and executed them. And not only does he think he has gotten away with it, but he seems to be pretty comfortable with what he has done. Now it is easy to judge him. We may thank God that we have never done anything like that, but the truth is that every single one of us has planned and executed sin. And though we confess our sins to God, sometimes we do not even feel like we have done anything seriously wrong. And to be honest, we live in a culture (even in a Church culture) that is very very lax on sin. We don't confess our sin to one another (as the Bible commands us to) and we have a plethora of voices ready to make excuses for us (even twisting our understanding of God's grace to let us off the hook) rather than challenging us to live a different way; to dance to the beat of another drummer (because that would be “judging”). We have fewer and fewer voices speaking into our lives challenging us (as the scripture says) to repent and go another way. But what is interesting to me is that David (when confronted with his sin) does want to repent and go another way. The Opening of The Wound-- And so this Psalm begins not with Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, or Supplication. It begins with the public exposure of his sin. Why does the Bible (or David specifically) do that? It's because God knows that for the infection to be cleaned out, the wound first has to be opened. And God used an external source (the prophet Nathan) to uncover that sin. And this is because sin must be exposed if it is going to be dealt with. And that is what the heading of this Psalm does; and then it documents how David feels, and what he prays in response to God's judgment. And in this we see that David truly has a heart that longs to please God. By the way, this is what (in a huge way) separates him from Saul. Though David's sin was worse than Saul's, David's throne is not taken away because David still had that heart that was ready to repent and seek to please God. And that began with ownership of his sin. Not The Force-- Now I'm a bit of a Star Wars fan; I have been ever since I was a kid. I enjoy the stories of mighty Jedi Knights who use the power of the force to help bring order to the galaxy. But while I might enjoy the stories, the idea of the force is (if we are going to be honest) very different from the power that we as Christians know is really behind everything; and it comes out of the false pagan far-eastern religion known as Taoism. And I want to explain this to you because it has direct relevance on our concept of sin. The force (the chi in Taoism) is the supposed energy behind the universe. But it not purely good. It has a light side, yes; but it also has a dark side (the Yin and the Yang in Taoism). And order in the universe is found not in eradicating the dark side, but by finding balance between the two. Now what this does is it makes evil a necessity in the universe; an absolute. Evil has always and must always exist alongside of the good, belief system we call Dualism.  Only God is Eternal-- Now the difference in the Biblical view of Christianity is that evil is not co-eternal with good. Only God is eternal. Evil is simply turning away from God. Now what this means for us is that we can no longer blame our sins on our being forced to conform to a higher principle of evil or say we sin simply because “we are human” (which is another way of saying we are mere slaves to an eternal paradox of good vs. evil). The Devil didn't make us do it. We are not the victims. Rather we are responsible for our sins. This is what David recognizes when he says in… Psalm 51:4 (ESV)-- 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Our Sin-- Now David isn't saying that nobody else was hurt by his sin, but that the root of his sin was found in his own choice to turn his back on the will and presence of God. And in our own walk, in order for us to experience liberation from sin, we have to acknowledge that our sin is our fault and nobody else's. We can't blame God; we cannot blame our parents, our circumstances, or the way in which were brought up. No, it is our sin. He takes ownership of his sin. And what is so fascinating is that while David writes in many of his psalms about how faithful he has been before God (and he had been), yet here (rather than presenting his own faithfulness, which he has violated) he instead casts himself upon the mercy of God. And he trusts in one of God's most important attributes: His steadfast love, which in Hebrew comes from the word Hesed, the deepest, most powerful love there is. And he acknowledges his own sinfulness; his filthiness; his uncleanness. And therefore he cries out to God in verse 2, saying: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! He knew that he needed something more than just bulls on an altar; a hundred bulls on the altar. He needed to truly repent and allow God to wash him clean. He says in verse 7: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. And so he is admitting that he is tainted; he is soiled; he is unclean. And he knows he cannot wash himself. "Cleanse"-- And in verse 2 [The word cleanse is a technical term for the cleansing of a leper in the OT. David was saying, “Lord, take the leprosy from my soul and make me clean again” (Jer. 33:8; Her. 9:14; 1 John 1:7, 9).] Then he says in verse 7: Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Hyssop-- [Purging with hyssop was an OT ritual—a cleansing prescribed in the law—and what an Israelite did after coming in contact with a dead body. David's request is for God to take away his sin (86:5; Heb. 9:19).] He wants to be free of it. He feels the full weight of it. And thankfully God did forgive him of his sin, though we know that there were still some very heavy consequences. But God will always forgive anyone who is willing to confess and receive the free gift of forgiveness offered to them in Christ Jesus. But we have to confess and be willing to repent of our sin and be cleansed by the healing touch of Jesus. Have you experienced that cleansing? Have you allowed God to change your heart, to place His Holy Spirit upon you, and to set you free? You can be a Christian all of you life and never really experience that freedom. Confess to him today; pray to God today; come into His presence. Let Him wash you and make you clean today; free of all guilt and ready to live a victorious life. Amen.

In this special, holly-decked edition, Jason begins by asking David the obvious question and despite receiving the rather obvious answer, presses ahead regardless with a bumper, eight-bottle sampling of his own Christmas wine choices that is guaranteed to get even the most diehard humbug ding-dong-merrily-on-high. Sure enough, David's soon getting teary-eyed over a pocket-sized, half-bottle of Leon Beyer, Cremant d'Alsace; a finely-bubbled, brioche-bouqueted vivifier that's perfect for incentivising the scullion on sprout-peeling duty. With an eye to the fact that your relatives may well hang around far longer than your wine does, Jason's next suggestion is a German, Pinot Gris vom Kalkstein. At around a tenner a bottle, your feckless offspring can neck this easy-going aperitif while you're still worrying over your cranberry reduction. Two wines in and our intrepid duo have only got as far as the smoked salmon, which Jason decides he'll pair with a 2018 Chablis, Domaine Christoph Camu. David may call it, 'Trad,' but this nervy, fruity classic has been around for a long time for good reason and this one's so desirable, your salmon will be just begging for the lemon juice. In need of respite from the demands of meal-planning, Jason and David divert to Christmas Eve and sample a 2017 Yapp Rouge; a toothsome, mid-weight, pure cabernet sauvignon that will cheer any opportunist carollers who happen to gate-crash your silent night. Before you can say, 'Figgy pudding,' however, they're back to the big day and a beautiful Beaujolais 'Fleurie' from Alain Graillot. This racy, crunchy, floral red is Beaujolais done the right way. All you have to do is do your guinea fowl the right way, too. With the beefeaters and mushroom munchers in mind, the gloves are off for Jason's next choice; a no-holds-barred 2015 Châteauneuf Du Pape 'Le Vieux Donjon.' This awesome dark fruit, cherry and tapenade, vintage wine will hush all conversation at the table and wrap even your most garrulous guest in a welcome bubble of solipsistic and appreciative contemplation. Though David may wish to linger, Jason is bringing out the cheese already and for the first time in their podcasting history, our vinous pair enjoy the novelty of eating something to soak up all the sampling they've done. The cheese is a heady, truffle-infused Godminster cheddar which team Yapp has paired with an equally heady Château Milhau Lacugue, 'La Truffiere.' Not quite like putting curry on your vindaloo, but a double-truffle treat for any hedonist who can't get enough of a good thing. And for those who may feel they've had quite enough of everything, Jason's last suggestion may just persuade them to linger a little longer at the table. Put away the port, stash the Sauternes; Banyuls from Domaine La Tour Vielle is a limpid, caramel-coloured, candied peel and fig, dessert wine that will stand up to Christmas pud, mince pies and chocolate whilst everyone else is falling over. Salut!

Study Notes bible.cod Ed Underwood King David: Flawed, but loyal to God! “Your house and your kingdom will stand before me permanently; your dynasty will be permanent” (God to David, 2 Samuel 7:16). The third major unit within the seventeen Historical Books is referred to as the United Kingdom Period. . These four books—1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings 1-11, and 1 Chronicles—record the United Kingdom under three rulers, Saul, David, and Solomon. The events reported during this era cover a period of 170 years, from the birth of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:20) to the death of Solomon (1 Kings 11:43). By the end of the chaotic period of the judges, God’s people are crying for a king. Samuel, the last judge and first great prophet in Israel, anoints the people’s choice for their first king—Saul. Though Saul’s political credentials are impressive, his indifferent heart attitude toward God causes him to lose his kingdom to the young king-elect—David. But David, whose heart is dedicated to God, must wait for his kingdom. Saul rebels against God’s will, becoming insanely jealous of the young king to be. David flees for his life and learns many lessons of faith. Finally, Saul and his sons meet death on Mount Gilboa, setting the stage for 2 Samuel and the prosperity of Israel under righteous King David. The books of Samuel provide an account of Israel from the end of the 12 to the beginning of the 10 centuries before Christ. Picking up the story of Israel from Judges 16:31, they give a prophetically oriented history of Israel’s early monarchy. First Samuel traces the transition of leadership from judges to kings, from a theocracy to a monarchy. Samuel was the kingmaker who anointed the first two rulers. Saul quickly disobeyed God and became a tyrant. David became the first real theocratic king—he allowed God to rule through him. Soon after the death of Saul, God’s choice David becomes king, first over Judah (where he reigns from Hebron for seven and one-half years) and finally over all Israel (where he makes Jerusalem his capital and reigns for thirty-three years. The first half of David’s reign is marked by success and victory. But following his sin with Bathsheba and murder of her husband, David’s life and his kingdom suffer due to the consequences of his sin. Still, David remains “a man after God’s own heart” (Acts 13:22) because of his repentant attitude and wholehearted devotion to God: Second Samuel traces the ascension of David to the throne, his climactic sins of adultery and murder, and the shattering consequences of those sins upon his family and the nation. The book follows the three phases of David’s life: his triumphs (1-10), his transgressions (11), and his troubles (12-24). The lesson for God’s people is at once encouraging and sobering: God is not hindered by our weaknesses, but He never ignores our sin. He will use us, but sin mars potential. I. DAVID’S TRIUMPH’S: After mourning the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, David assumes the throne as king over Judah and then all of Israel. His successes bring the nation to the very zenith of its power. (1-10) A. DAVID, KING OF JUDAH: David takes the throne of Judah, but Saul’s dynasty does not go down without a fight. Saul’s son claims the throne and civil war erupts. David wins. (1-4) Messiah: David is one of the most important types of Christ in the Old Testament. A just, wise, courageous, and compassionate monarch, he reigns from Jerusalem and sits upon the throne of Melchizedek, the “righteous king.” He becomes the standard by which all subsequent kings will be measured. B. DAVID, KING OF ISRAEL: David’s victory unites the nation under his righteous rule. He immediately relocates the capital of the nation from Hebron to Jerusalem. His lifelong dream to build a house for God will be left to his son, Solomon. But God will build a house for David: a throne, a family, and a kingdom that will stand forever. (5-7) 2 Samuel: God will use you in spite of your failures— if your heart is wholly devoted to Him. Messiah: The Davidic Covenant. David foreshadows the coming Messianic King in this significant covenant from God (7:4-17). God promises King David an eternal kingdom, a throne, and an everlasting seed. These same three promises are given to Christ (Luke 1:32-33). C. DAVID’S GROWING KINGDOM: David’s devotion to God leads to great national blessing. “The Lord protected David wherever he campaigned. David reigned over all Israel; he guaranteed justice for all his people” (8:14-15). (8-10) II. DAVID’S TRANSGRESSION: David’s crimes of adultery and murder mark the pivotal point of the book. His sin changes everything. Victories and successes are replaced by personal, family, and national turmoil. (11) III. DAVID’S TROUBLES: The disobedience of the king produces chastisement and confusion at every level. David’s glory and fame fade, never to be the same again. (12-24) DAVID’S DOWNFALL: Though David’s sin is great, his response to the uncovering of that sin is exemplary: “I have sinned against the Lord” (12:13). But his repentance cannot erase the consequences of his terrible sin. His own son Absalom rebels against the king. Though David wins the battle, he loses his son, leaving him a broken man. (12-18) DAVID’S RETURN TO THE THRONE: Civil war and anguish persist. But David again defeats his enemies and consolidates his power. The closing chapters are a commentary on King David’s life. (19-24) IV. 2 Samuel is one of the most practical books in Scripture. From this text we receive some of our most important insights into the spiritual life and how God uses frail humans to accomplish His purposes. It is also a fascinating study on leadership. A. Failure does not mean it’s over—get on with your life! WeallfailGod.It’snotaquestionofwhenwefailHimbuthowweovercomefailure.David,the man after God’s own heart is our example. Three steps for failing saints: a. Listen to God’s rebuke through community (12:1-14). b.Confess(disclose)yoursintoGodandothers(12:13;Psalm51;1John1:9). c. Repent, turn to God in abandoned trust (12:14-25). B.Sin has consequences. It usually diminishes our borders and hurts those we love! 1. Though we all sin, we should never take sin lightly (Romans6:14). 2.But no sin is beyond God’s grace. Meditate on Jesus’ parable of the prodigal in Luke 15:11-32.

When you hear, “Southern Hospitality” what comes to your mind? Though David wasn’t in the US, he was in the southern portion of Israel and believed in caring for people. In the last installment of our study of 1 Sam 30, we look at David’s compassions & how it applies to our life today.

REVISIT: “You’re only as good as your last party.” This old adage is something that renowned event producer and designer David Stark holds in high regard. David has produced events for noteworthy celebrities like Glenn Close and Brad Pitt, organizations like Saturday Night Live, the Whitney Museum, and the Metropolitan Opera, has 5 books published, and the list goes on in similar fashion. David’s career in design started in college when he pursued studies in painting. After finishing graduate school in New York with an MFA in painting, he realized he, in fact, did not want to become a painter. While waiting tables in New York in his twenties, he and his boyfriend began diving into the floral scene, slowly growing from a small job operation to eventually a larger-than-life business 12 years later. Though David didn’t end up becoming a professional painter, he attributes his success in large part to what he learned in art school; not to paint, but to solve problems creatively, how to put together teams, and invent things. That process is what carries through to today for David, noting that putting together a team is the most creative act you can pull off as well as creating a business structure for your company. Andy and David also chat about his favorite events he has produced, and he explains the mindset he uses when approaching a new event. For David, it’s all about creating relationships with people, pushing boundaries in the designs he creates, and always staying a little nervous because that means you’re trying something completely original. Listen to the full interview to hear what inspires David, how he pulled off creating event decor out of toilet paper, and how he balances the creative and business aspects of his company. Links David Stark Design David Stark Design [Instagram] David Stark Design [Facebook] David Stark Design [Twitter] David Stark: The Art of the Party [Amazon] David Stark Design [Amazon] On The Wedding Biz Network: The Stylish Bride with Julie Sabatino This Episode is Sponsored by: OFD Consulting Contact OFD Consulting OFD Consulting is an awarding-winning publicity agency that focuses on the wedding industry. Client portfolios range from top-tier planners and venues to well regarded national brands and industry thought leaders. Owner, Meghan Ely is regarded as the leading PR Expert in the industry education space. She is a WeddingWire education expert and has spoken most recently at TSE, Engage Summits, Catersource, Wedding MBA, NACE Experience and WeddingWire World among others.  

On today’s episode of Brandstorm, we welcome David Konkol, president of Konkol Custom Homes & Remodeling, LLC. As the author of the book Building Your Dream Home: What You Need To Know, David provides tips on how becoming a published author can enhance your brand. About David Konkol David is a licensed building contractor and has been crafting luxury custom homes, starting at $1 million, for over three decades in Central Florida. He became an author about 10 years ago, when a friend in the publishing world (and owner of a home David’s company built) asked David if he had ever considered writing a book. While David originally dismissed the idea, he was reminded that many people who write books aren’t writers themselves, such as presidents, CEO’s and athletes. His friend encouraged David to share his wealth of knowledge with the home building and home buying public, and even created a book outline from the list of his original questions he had when David built his home. David was then convinced that the book would save both his time in answering questions from customers and prospects, as well as his clients’ time, giving them added value. What David didn’t know was just how much business would be generated from the process, and how far apart his book would set him from his competition. He points to two things his book does well: building trust and alleviating fears. He takes time within the pages to introduce himself and his background (including how long he has been married and how many children he has) as a way to present himself as an average person trying to do an exceptional job. As no other builder in his market has written a book, Building Your Dream Home showcases David as an expert in his field, spotlights his competence and strengthens his brand. How Long Does It Take to Write a Book? David explains that from start to finish, the process took approximately 14 months (working 10 hours per week) and that the only downside to writing the book was the family time he had to give up temporarily.  His process included carrying a three-ring binder wherever he went, with chapter titles listed on each page. This way, he could write down ideas as bullet points on the spot, whether he was on a job or working in his office. Those bullet points would then be dictated into a tape recorder, and the physical writing of the book would come from that content. He recommends this method because he found that the more he wrote, the more ideas he came up with and the more value and knowledge he could include within the book. Working with a publisher would’ve added about six months to the entire process, David states. He equates about 35% of his time, from beginning to end, was spent writing the first draft, and that the key to self-publishing is to make the final product look as if it was produced by a publisher. Otherwise, a poor product can hurt your reputation and sales.  Book Distribution David says he was never interested in selling books, but instead, securing more homes to build for those he wouldn’t normally get in front of. He feels that the book provided him a reason to reach out to potential, current and former clients, and that it also gave people a reason to start or revisit their relationship with David. After printing the first edition of the book, David’s company couriered a copy to their top prospects. Within a matter of weeks, he had already gotten calls back from a few of these prospects to start the home building process. He had also mailed copies to each home owner he had built for, asking them to forward the book on to anyone they know who could benefit from it. This spawned multiple unsolicited personal endorsements for David and his company. Though David does not make it a prerequisite for someone to read his book before working with him, he does mention to potential clients that the best homes and best processes of his career have come from projects requested by those who took the time to read the book. He also sent copies of Building Your Dream Home to the top 35 competitors in his area. David mentions that he wasn’t worried about potential theft of ideas or methods. Instead, he feels the book sets up for people how the home building process should go, and if customers hear something different from another builder, they know to be skeptical. Targeted book drops have also helped David’s company. Any homes marked for a major renovation or teardown near some of Orlando's nicest lakes were provided a book. This process alone turned into a $4.3 million build eventually. On top of these methods of distribution, David credits his well-trained staff with always asking callers or those taking home tours whether they’ve read David's book. Over the phone, his staff arranges for a book to be dropped off the same day of their initial call, and in person, David is usually available on site to sign copies and meet new potential clients.  How Much Does It Cost to Self-Publish a Book? David says his investment was about $8,000 — including jacket design, editing and proofing — on the first copy. Every copy afterwards was at a cost of about $7, which David says is still less than a nice brochure. With every new edition, David changes out the cover art, updates home photos and modifies the content. This allows him to circle back with the owners he’s built for, as well as others that can help leverage him in his market. With all of his success, David has already published a second book, In House: Designing Your Dream Home Room By Room, and he is on his way to writing his third soon. Contact David Email: david@konkolcustom.com Facebook: facebook.com/konkolcustom

Picture taken by Rev. Karen Bridges at The Banksy Exhibit in Toronto June 2018.2 Samuel 5: 1-6; 7:11-17Though David may not at first have seemed destined for Kingship, he was the man! He has been described as faithful, courageous, smart, sincere and competent. He was a good warrior and he had a presence that was infectious. He had it all and people loved him. But like all humans, he made some questionable choices. The question is, did he operate out of self-interest or did he work for the common good? What can we learn from his leadership?listen view

This week on Beyond Clean we speak with David Anbari, Chief Executive Officer of Mobile Instrument Service and Repair, a national provider of repair and maintenance services for reusable surgical equipment.  David brings a diverse background in industries outside health care to Mobile.  He blends his background in finance, technology, and operations to bring innovative solutions to enable providers to maximize their investment in surgical equipment.  Recently, David has been a vocal advocate for the independent medical service industry including multiple speaking engagements as well as presenting at the FDA’s workshop on the issue.  He serves as chairman of the Association of Medical Device Service Organizations which is a trade association advocating for the right to repair and for strong quality systems for the servicing industry.  Though David did not grow up in health care, he brings a practical business focused perspective to the industry’s challenges. CE Credits -> https://www.beyondclean.net/ce-credit-hub Segment 1 (03:30) - History of “3rd Party Instrument Repair” Segment 2 (19:35) - The “Right to Repair” Debate & AMDSO.org Join us next week when we will speak with Ralph J. Basile, Vice President of Marketing and Regulatory Affairs for Healthmark Industries Co., Inc. #beyondclean Click To Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher

Though David is still King, he is broken and the nation divided. What now? Is there hope for restoration? Discover what paves the way on the long road towards restoration in this message from 2 Samuel 19-21.

“You’re only as good as your last party.” This old adage is something that renowned event producer and designer David Stark holds in high regard. David has produced events for noteworthy celebrities like Glenn Close and Brad Pitt, organizations like Saturday Night live, the Whitney Museum, and the Metropolitan Opera, has 5 books published, and the list goes on in similar fashion. David’s career in design started in college when he pursued studies in painting. After finishing graduate school in New York with an MFA in painting, he realized he in fact did not want to become a painter. While waiting tables in New York in his twenties, he and his boyfriend began diving into the floral scene, slowly growing from a small job operation to eventually a larger than life business 12 years later. Though David didn’t end up becoming a professional painter, he attributes his success in large part to what he learned in art school; not to paint, but to solve problems creatively, how to put together teams, and invent things. That process is what carries through to today for David, noting that putting together a team is the most creative act you can pull off. Andy and David also chat about his favorite events he has ever produced, and he explains the mindset he uses when approaching a new event. For David, it’s all about creating relationships with people, pushing boundaries in the designs he creates, and always staying a little nervous, because that means you’re trying something completely original. Listen to the full interview to hear what inspires David, how he pulled off creating event decor out of toilet paper, and how he balances the creative and business aspects of his company. Links David Stark Design David Stark Design [Instagram] David Stark Design [Facebook] David Stark Design [Twitter] David Stark: The Art of the Party [Amazon] David Stark Design [Amazon]

Just as he is on the brink of winning a Senate seat, politician David Norris (Matt Damon) meets a ballerina named Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt). Though David is instantly smitten, mysterious men conspire to keep him away from the beautiful dancer. David learns that he is facing the powerful agents of Fate itself, and glimpsing the future laid out for him, must either accept a predetermined path that does not include Elise or else defy Fate to be with her. Stream online: https://amzn.to/3baSif0

Just as he is on the brink of winning a Senate seat, politician David Norris (Matt Damon) meets a ballerina named Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt). Though David is instantly smitten, mysterious men conspire to keep him away from the beautiful dancer. David learns that he is facing the powerful agents of Fate itself, and glimpsing the future laid out for him, must either accept a predetermined path that does not include Elise or else defy Fate to be with her. Stream online: https://amzn.to/3baSif0 Become a Patron: https://www.patreon.com/mfrbooksandfilm?fan_landing=true

This week, we visit with David Woodbridge from Vision Australia about IOS 5 and the iPhone 4S. If you are interested in hearing demos of the most interesting features of IOS 5, you will not want to miss this show. Though David has not seen an iPhone 4S in person yet, we discuss what's new in the new iPhone, especially the benefits and drawbacks of the Siri voice command system that makes it's debut in the iPhone 4s.