Tag: Morning Musings

Morning Musing: 2 Samuel 20:2

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“So all the men of Israel withdrew from David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem.”  (ESV – Read the chapter) 

Unresolved issues become the fuel for future conflicts. There’s an old adage about conflict resolution that heralds time as a kind of universal problem-solver. Far from being true, though, this idea is nothing more than a dangerous fantasy. When we face a conflict or even a tension in a relationship, if things are not brought to a resolution, we should not consider the matter resolved. Time is no healer of wounds. Conflicts which are not resolved, but rather are simply left alone do not solve themselves. They become festering pools of bitterness that eventually threaten to poison everything around them and become the lens through which we view everything else in our lives. 

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Morning Musing: 2 Samuel 19:7

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“Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.”  (ESV – Read the chapter) ‬‬

The emotions and politics of this chapter are complex. It is filled with grace and also tension. David is rebuilding his kingship after Absalom had done much damage to it in his rebellion. We’d like to think this was a nice, neat little endeavor since that’s how so many of our stories today are written, but it was not. Whereas so many of our stories stop with the victory, this gives us a glimpse of what comes after the victory has been won. 

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Morning Musing: 2 Samuel 18:9

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“And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. 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, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.”  (ESV – Read the chapter)‬‬

What an ignominious end for a man of such potential. Absalom had the leadership gifts that could have made him a great king. He was able to inspire and motivate large groups of people and to unite them under a single banner. He became convinced that he would make a better king than his father had been and rebelled against him in order to claim the throne for himself. Had he been patient he would likely have received the crown anyway, but he wasn’t and so he didn’t. 

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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…

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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