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…
Category: Bible 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….
Have We Progressed? – 2 Samuel 4
This short chapter contains descriptions of a murder and an execution. The reign of Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth ends quickly when two of his raiding party leaders murder him in his house. They appear to be motivated by the possibility of gaining a prominent position in the new regime of King David. After murdering Ish-Bosheth they…
Weakness – 2 Samuel 3
We were so used to peaceful transitions of power that it is difficult to imagine how difficult it must have been for Israel to shift their allegiance from King Saul to the new King David. Years went by and David gets stronger as those loyal to Saul and his family grow weaker. David poorly handles…
