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MAY 29
2 Samuel 14:1-15:22
In what happens in the next chapters, you see, little by little, what
effect David's own sins and his lengthy refusal to confess his crimes had upon
his ability to discern and make good judgments.
2 Samuel 14
David was very conflicted morally and emotionally. Absalom should have
died for what he did, but David should have died also. David had been promised
that one of his sons would be on the throne, but rather than trust God to be
true to His Word, David, after losing the hope he had for Amnon, now put his
hope in big, tall, handsome Absalom. David wanted to forgive his son and bring
him back, but his sense of justice and anger (guilt too, knowing he had brought
this on his family) held him back.
Vs. 1-3 Joab was a deceitful and crafty man, and was by no means to be
confused with a godly man. It was probably the force of David's devotion to God
that influenced Joab for good. Now, with David confused, Joab went into action.
This woman was probably the equivalent of an actress.
Vs. 4-20 Apparently David was a sucker for a good story. Nathan had
moved David to repentance with a story. Notice that in none of this did David
seek God. It doesn’t say he sought God beforehand, and it doesn't say he sought
God afterward. David was on auto-pilot. This was about to turn into a
horrendous disaster. David had the prophet Nathan and he had the priests and
the U&T, but in his guilt and confusion, he just sat there.
As disciples we know we have to live daily in God’s Word. Sin is so
strong in us that it is only kept in check by the Word and the Spirit. We need
our meds every day and we should always be alert to our reactions. Living by
the flesh or gut or good intentions is all the same thing. We have the Word and
the Spirit. We should use them.
Vs. 21-24 This shows how emotionally/judgmentally hamstrung David was.
What sense did this make?
Vs. 25-27 Absalom was a dude's dude, and the kind of guy you'd want as
king. He was also a mess emotionally. In mourning for what happened to his
sister Tamar, he named a daughter Tamar. Though it mentions here that he had
three sons, later we'll find out that he had no one to carry on his name. Did
they die? I don't know.
Vs. 28-33 This was completely dysfunctional and David was party to it.
Talk about awful parenting and horrible communication skills. Emotionally,
there was something wrong with David. Old Jerusalem was not that big a city not
to know what was going on and not to talk with someone.
2 Samuel 15
Vs. 1-6 So now that Absalom was completely bitter and had no regard for
his father, he plotted to steal the hearts of Israel away from David (whose
credibility was probably low). Obviously, there was much more planning going on
here to put together this coup. Remember that Absalom plotted for two years to
kill his brother Amnon. He knew how to patiently hatch a plan.
This went on for four years. Don't you think someone would have noticed
how weird this looked? I suspect that David noticed and didn't stop him,
thinking it might prepare Absalom to be king, and that maybe God was in it.
Since Absalom was providing counsel to the people, it might be that because of
what David had done, that David had become something of a recluse.
Vs. 7-12 Hebron would be important, because that is where David was
crowned king.
V. 12 This is the last chance to figure out on your own who Ahithophel
was. Tomorrow I'll tell you. Regardless of what you read about how bad and
traitorous Ahithophel was, when you find out who he was, you will totally
understand and want to cry and kick David.
Vs. 13-22 Since the people were won over to Absalom, David would be
trapped in Jerusalem. His only chance was to run into the wilderness and fight.
V. 16 David shouldn't have left those 10 wives/concubines in Jerusalem,
but how could he have known?
The men who had been with David when he ran from Saul were still loyal
to him. The leader of these guys showed that despite his age and the
discomfort, he would remain with David. I'm sure David's "mighty men"
were with him. What is significant when you think of loyalty is that David had
men who were still extremely loyal to him, but he might not have been that
loyal to them. You'll see that tomorrow.
John 18:1-24
Vs. 1-11 John doesn't mention that Jesus prayed in the garden after He
and the disciples had crossed over to the Mount of Olives. John makes up for
this by giving us a lot of other insider information.
V. 4 Jesus confronted the mob primarily to save the disciples. In v. 6
you can see that there was tension in the crowd. They must have expected Jesus
to turn them into frogs or something.
Vs. 8-11 This shows Jesus trying to let His disciples escape. Peter
tried to intervene, but Jesus told him to cool it.
Vs. 12-14 John is the only one who tells us that Jesus went to Annas
first and then was sent to Caiaphas. Annas was the unofficial high priest while
his son-in-law Caiaphas was the official high priest. Apparently Annas and
Caiaphas lived close together in some priestly compound. What John shows us
here is that Annas interviewed Jesus first, during which time Peter denied
Jesus the first time. Then, after Caiaphas was dressed and had the Sanhedrin up
and running, illegally, Jesus was sent, maybe across the courtyard to Caiaphas.
Vs. 15-24 That unknown disciple, again, was John, the writer of this
Gospel. Apparently John had some family connections to the high priest (that's
why he knew the name of the servant that Peter "Van Goghed") and was
able to get Peter into the courtyard.
Vs. 19-24 Apparently Annas was also concerned about the disciples, that
is, if this was some sort of secret society. Jesus told him that everything He
taught had been taught publicly. It was a rebuke to the insistent unbelief of
these men for Jesus not to answer the question, but to refer them back to what
they already knew. This is the only time we see Jesus speaking to defend
Himself. Oddly enough, almost the exact same thing happens to Paul years later.
Psalm 119:97-112
Keep looking at the words that are used for the Word, the alternating
cries for help and then the refuge taken in the Word of God.
Vs. 97-104 David's love for God's law was because it gave him wisdom
and he could see that. He didn't need to be taught in theology. All he needed
was the Word flowing through him, and it gave him an insight that neither his enemies nor his teachers had.
V. 103 I thank the Lord for every moment like this.
Vs. 105-112 Notice that when David talks about the Word being a lamp
unto his feet, he mentions his afflictions in vs. 107 and 109-110. When Jesus
tells us in the Lord's Prayer to pray every day, He mentions to pray regarding
temptation and the influence of the enemy. The Word is to lead us and
especially lead us through adversity. It does this by filling us with trust in
God and the strength to abide in Him. If we just go to the Word for a one-verse
cure, we might be disappointed. It is the Spirit and the Word in us constantly
filling and keeping us that gives us what we need.
Proverbs 16:8-9
Amen and Amen!
Please Read
the Following Disclaimer
I'm writing the Reading Notes to and
for those who are following a One Year Bible and are 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, that is, 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 and important discipleship manual we have and it is the 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, or whom we are to be following. 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, as disciples, 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, making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive
commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC).
I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite
often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only
note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these
and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge
Commentary would be a good idea.
I am not endorsing any particular One
Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die
Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the
ESV Bible.
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. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both
historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background,
theological training and my personal study.
I'm
doing this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that
will keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are
reading. Remember, the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a
supplement, a disciple’s commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we
will keep following our Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making
disciples, who make disciples. Being in
the Word every day, sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the
essential essence of being and making disciples.
May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan
If you would like documents
containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
If you would like a full
presentation of discipleship read Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples.
Or if you are struggling with
insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these
can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
The One Year Bible © by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
All charts/graphics/outlines
from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C.
Cook.
© 1983, 2001 John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary is published by David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Publisher permission
required to reproduce.
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