Month: November 2018

Digging in Deeper: 2 Samuel 15:21

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“But in response, Ittai vowed to the king, “As the Lord lives and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king is, whether it means life or death, your servant will be there!””  (CSB – Read the chapter) ‬‬

This would have been a depressing day. David and all those loyal to him were leaving Jerusalem, unsure whether or not they would return, unsure whether or not they would live through Absalom’s rebellion. In the intensity and tragedy of this moment, though, some silver threads began shining. Their gleam reminds us that wise investments made when life is going well can pay off in spades when it’s not. Read the rest…

Morning Musing: 2 Samuel 17:7

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“Then Hushai said to Absalom, “This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good.””  (CSB – Read the chapter) ‬‬

Good counsel is hard to find. The best counsel is rooted in reality, not what we wish would happen. It cares little for our heart’s desire, but understands fully the facts of the situation we are in or facing. It isn’t always going to lead us in the easiest or most convenient direction, but it will always point us toward the quickest way to our desired outcome. Indeed, good counsel is hard to find. It’s even harder to distinguish from counsel that’s merely flattering. Read the rest…

Digging in Deeper: 2 Samuel 12:22-23

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“He said, ‘While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, “Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.’”  (ESV – Read the chapter) ‬‬

This is the climax of one of the most emotional stories in the life of David. A good case can be made for this being one of the top five most emotional stories in the whole of the Hebrew Bible. When looking back at this verse and taking it through the lens of the New Covenant, many have seen this as a verse of great comfort. I’ve used it as such. But, the only way to experience that hope is to see it through that New Covenant lens. It’s a good reminder that Jesus has to be the interpretive framework we use for the Hebrew Bible. Anything else and it won’t do us any good. Read the rest…

Morning Musing: 2 Samuel 16:3

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“And the king said, ‘And where is your master’s son?’ Ziba said to the king, ‘Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, “Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father.”’”  (CSB – Read the chapter) ‬‬

Mephibosheth was delusional. It perhaps wasn’t obvious to anyone who saw him or interacted with him on a daily basis, but there was a delusion in his heart all the same. As long as it stayed there things were pretty good for him, but now that it had shown itself, the walls of reality were going to come crashing in on him. Hard.  

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Avoid Spiritual Amnesia

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In part five of our series, Pursue: Chasing God in a Godless World, we pause to remember.  Along the way of our journeys after Jesus, problems and challenges are going to arise.  When these do, if we’re not careful, we can get so focused on dealing with them that we forget about the God who’s been helping us all along.  Keep reading to see what impact this can have and how we can avoid it.

 

Avoid Spiritual Amnesia

When was the last time you forgot something?  (And if you can’t remember, now counts.)  Forgetting things is frustrating.  For the life of me, I can’t figure out how some things stick, but others don’t.  Usually, it too often seems like the inane, unimportant things stick, while the important ones don’t.  That’s infuriating, isn’t it?  It’s infuriating for us, sure, but it’s infuriating for the people around us who were perhaps counting on us remembering them.  Guys—confession time—we do that more often than our wives do, don’t we?  I know I need to work on that all the time and I’ll bet some of you do too.

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