2 Samuel 18:1-19:10
2 Samuel
18
Vs. 1-5 David
was impossible to beat in the open field, and with God against Absalom, Absalom
was toast. He just didn't know it yet.
V. 3
Notice that they didn't let David go out to fight since he alone was the
target. Absalom wasn't so smart.
V. 5
Perhaps because of his sense of guilt (that all of this was a part of what he
had done to Uriah) or because of some misplaced hope that Absalom would be his
successor, or both, David gave this order to spare Absalom. Everyone heard it
and this would become a test of hearts in the coming verses.
Vs. 6-18
Imagine, they lost 20,000 men in a single day. We, thankfully, cannot even
conceive of that. And to think, this all goes back to David and an afternoon of
sexual restlessness. (Again, I think there was a longer process leading up to
that event.)
V. 9
Remember Absalom's pride in his hair. Pride cometh before getting hung in an
oak tree.
V. 12 This
guy was right, I wouldn't have trusted Joab either. It is interesting that his
own men knew this about Joab.
V. 14
Disobeying a command of the king, and murdering Absalom like this, should have
cost Joab his life. Joab could get away with "practical measures"
like this because David had no power over him. If David had dealt with Joab
earlier, God would have raised up someone to take his place. In fact, as we'll
see later, Joab's replacement was already there. What a mistake to have kept
Joab on the team.
V. 18
Earlier it was said that Absalom had sons, but apparently they had died. This
would make the monument a bit more understandable since it had to do with the
pain he suffered when the boys died. The fact that Absalom built this just
before going into battle suggests that he knew he might die.
Vs. 19-33
I have never really understood why this "race" happened, other than
that I think insincerity and being political was commonplace in David's court.
This situation, like others we have seen and will see, reflects David's lost
sense of justice and fairness. You've noticed that Ahimaaz lied.
So, what
was this tragic weeping about? David had other sons; in fact, Solomon was going
to be king. God had told David that as the result of his sin against Uriah and
Bathsheba, his sin and the sword would not depart from his house. I have to
believe that David knew he was responsible for all of this.
2 Samuel
19:1-10
Vs. 1-8
Joab wasn't a spiritual genius, but he was thinking straighter than David. If
David hadn't gone among the people, things would have ended worse than they
were still going to get. As it is, the drama still isn't over. A civil war will
meet David when the dust settles. God's judgment of David was like a French
meal, and we haven't gotten to the final course yet.
Vs. 9-10
The key word for tomorrow is in v. 9. They were arguing.
As a
disciple, is this instilling in you a healthy sense of respect for the danger
of sin? God is not mocked, even by those He loves. David was a
"superhero" of the faith and is honored by God even now, but his sin
sure damaged his life on earth and hurt a lot of people in the process. This
battle was linked to David’s sin and in it 20,000 men died.
John 20
Vs. 1-10
So we have another foot race here. Isn't it cute that John never refers to
himself other than the other disciple?
So John beats Peter to the tomb, but Peter goes in head first. John believed
when he saw the empty tomb, but Peter, with his sense of failure and betrayal,
was left wondering. FYI, before the guys meet Jesus on the road to Emmaus,
Jesus will already have had a personal meeting with Peter (Luke 24:34). Jesus
made sure that Peter didn't sink into his own failure.
V. 10 They
all went home. There was no glue because they didn't yet understand His death,
His resurrection, or His mission.
Vs. 11-18
There are a couple of interesting things here. Apparently Mary Magdalene just
couldn't leave. She was stuck. No number of angel appearances was going to
convince her to leave without Jesus. This is kind of like seeking. And she
found. But this is the first place that Jesus appears incognito and it won't be
the last. It is interesting to think of why He did this.
V. 17 In
the KJV it says, Touch me not. My
first thought was, "What, wasn't He 'set' yet?" Mary seems very
emotional and probably had His legs in some ninja hold. Jesus had stuff to do
and He had a mission for her.
Vs. 19-23
In Luke's version of this meeting, they thought Jesus was a ghost (again) and
He ate with them. Where it says here that they received the Holy Spirit, this
was a temporary provision to get them to Pentecost. Just as Jesus had talked to
them to encourage them before the crucifixion, now that they had made it this
far, He was giving them a supernatural allowance of the Spirit to strengthen
them. Also, in v. 23, He let them know the mission and authority that would go
with His resurrection. When we see Peter in the first chapter of Acts, we’ll be
able to tell that the Spirit was giving Peter some direction and maturity.
Vs. 24-29
These were smart Jewish boys and not given to jumping onto bandwagons. So enter
Thomas. I can see them telling Thomas about the meeting they had with Jesus. I
can see them, with their new understanding, trying to convince him. I can also
see Thomas noticing that their heads looked larger, but saying, "No way,
Joses." Eight days later Jesus showed up again, looking intently at
Thomas. I'll bet Thomas had seen that look before and thought, "Oh,
oh." And, we got a great verse out of it.
Vs. 30-31
This is the point of this Gospel. You also appreciate the fact that John and
all the Gospel writers could have included a lot more material.
Psalm 119:153-176
Vs.
153-160 It strikes me as I read David crying out to God, that these were purer
days for David. Adversity sent him to the Word and to the Lord.
Vs.
161-168 As you can see, this letter of the Hebrew alphabet actually does double
duty depending on where the dot is. It is either an "s" or an
"sh."
I love the expression of v. 161; high-ranking
people persecuted David, but he focused on God's words. That reminds me of what
Paul said in Philippians 4:8, Finally,
brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever
is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any
excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Vs.
169-176 Look at the themes in this last section - crying out, pleading for
deliverance, vowing to praise God and testify of Him, and asking God to save
and to seek him. But in all of this turmoil, at this point in his life, David
was firmly set on the Word of God.
So,
wrapping up Psalm 119, what do you think the point is? Did you realize that
there was so much crying out for help in this psalm? Apparently, that crying
out is to be seen as normal. Apparently, hiding in God's love and His Word is
also to be seen as normal. Not to be in the place where we're crying out or
hiding in His Word and love, means we might be in the wrong place or not really
following Christ in the harvest. In the harvest we experience pruning. What is
the response of a disciple during this pruning? Well, I guess that's what this
psalm is all about.
Proverbs 16:14-15
Again,
since we're not "kings," just think of this as a spiritual person. In
v. 14 the king is the powerful guy
and the wise man is the wise guy, but
in v. 15 the king can be a spiritual and godly man.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year
Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't
work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/
and click on “Every
Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are
following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple,
following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship
culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging
each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make
disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here
or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some
explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My
comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on
Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups
will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with
and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the
harvest.
If you would like a complete description of this model
of being and making disciples you can find it in my book: Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is
still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's
keyed to the NIV, so the result is the commentators are constantly telling you
what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in
fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is
encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the
comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding,
that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but
only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
Send comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like documents containing an entire month
of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download
these to use on your computer or to print.
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