We generally think of bargaining with God as a bad thing, yet it seems to be common in the Old Testament. In 1 Samuel 1:10-11 Hannah recognizes that only God can help her. She prays a very simple prayer in the form of a vow. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping…
April 2022 Family Photo Contest
This will be our last photo contest for a while. Life is a little crazy right now and Grandpa has decided to press pause. There are some great pictures this month, so please take the time to vote. Our theme for April was CIRCLE. He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its…
March 2022 Family Photo Contest
Our theme for March was ABUNDANCE. Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. (2 Peter 1:2 NIV) We did not have quite the abundance of photos as we did last month. Pick your favorite three and let us know what they are in the comments…
Bad Advice – 2 Samuel 10
In the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him as king. 2 David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father. When David’s…
Prayer is not about me – Judges 15,16
Very early on in the Bible we discover that having our prayers answered is not dependent on either proper form or our goodness. Samson is one of the most interesting characters in the Bible. His strength is tied to keeping a vow that includes not cutting his hair. However, outside the conditions of his vow…
Kindness – 2 Samuel 9
I have chosen to skip over 2 Samuel 8. The chapter records David’s many military victories, including cities captured and men killed. I am probably missing something, but I found little to directly apply to my own life beyond the understanding that God’s desire is to be for everyone the way He was for David….
A Simple Prayer – Judges 13:8
Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: “O Lord, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.” Judges 13:8 NIV Many years ago, as I read through the Bible, I tried to capture all the prayers…
Sovereign Lord- 2 Samuel 7
What does a warrior king do when the land rests? David immediately compares his accommodations with those provided for the Ark of the Covenant and determines to build a temple to replace the tabernacle. This chapter describes four conversations. In the first we are introduced to Nathan the prophet. I generally think of Nathan coming…
Impulse or Intention – 2 Samuel 6
In the previous chapter we learned that armies often carried their gods into battle in the hope that they would bring them victory. David’s men win the victory, capture the idols, and then burn them. The presence of the idols failed to bring victory to the Philistines. For some unexplained reason David determines to bring…
Spy in the Sky – 2 Samuel 5
With the death of Ish-Bosheth and Abner the leaders of the northern tribes acknowledge the inevitable. Suddenly, they realize and declare God’s will that David be the king of all Israel. The elders gather and anoint David. David treats these rebellious elders honorably and makes a covenant with them. David’s wise action unifies the kingdom….
