Good morning! Today’s passage of 1 Kings 4-5 emphasizes again the prominence and worldwide appeal of Solomon’s reign (at least from a Hebrew perspective), then introduces the project Solomon undertakes, building the temple to God in Jerusalem.
Category: Daily Bible
1 Kings 1-3
Good morning! Today we begin the two-part book of First and Second Kings. 1 and 2 Samuel gave us the stories of Saul and David’s leadership, then 1 and 2 Kings takes up the narrative from there. In these two books we will read of David’s son Solomon in all his glory, the construction of the temple in Jerusalem, then the civil war that breaks Israel and Judah apart, followed by the military invasions by that swallow up each territory in turn. One other feature of this historic period is the rise of prophetic power—we’ll increasingly see the dynamic of prophets both advising and challenging their kings.
2 Samuel 23-24
Good morning! Today at the end of 2 Samuel we have three separate items that don’t really fit together; they’re a hodgepodge of different things from the era of David. Those in 2 Samuel 23 valorize David and celebrate the successes of his fighting men, but in chapter 24 we have a more puzzling story of a failure and David’s response to God’s judgment.
2 Samuel 21-22
Good morning! The passages for today (2 Samuel 21-22) and tomorrow record miscellaneous stories and poetry to finish out the books of Samuel. These chapters are less connected to the narrative that we have been following closely to this point, but all are reportedly from the time of David.
2 Samuel 18-20
Good morning! In today’s passage (2 Samuel 18-20) we consider questions of loyalty and its rewards, as we see David grieve the death of his enemy son, punish his loyal commander Joab by replacing him with an Absalom general, then show mercy to others who opposed him. We also see the fissures of division between northern Israel and southern Judah threaten civil war in the rebellion of another Israelite, Sheba.
2 Samuel 15-17
Good morning! Yesterday we read the drama of Absalom’s banishment from Jerusalem for the revenge killing of David’s firstborn Amnon, and his eventual return to the king’s good graces. Today in 2 Samuel 15-17 we see the situation reversed. Abaslom rises to power and leads a coup that expels his father from the throne to the wilderness, where David must once again fight for survival as he did against Saul.
2 Samuel 13-14
Good morning! We have two linked stories today in 2 Samuel 13-14 that introduce us to King David’s son Absalom and lead us to consider the dynamics of vengeance (God-commanded) and mercy (God-modeled). We see David indulging the wrongdoing of one son, yet later forgiving and reuniting with another son who enacts cold revenge. One note before we go further: this reading contains a detailed description of rape which might be especially troubling to those who have been sexually abused.
2 Samuel 10-12
Good morning! Today in 2 Samuel 10-12 we see the “Achilles heel” of King David. Though a faithful person, a loyal leader and a skilled military commander, his desire for all the access that a king can demand leads him into adulterous trouble with Bathsheba, made worse by his attempt to hide his action. However, unlike Saul, when confronted David does not make excuses or try to rationalize his behavior. He takes his lumps then goes back to acting as king, but the ramifications of his action will be with his lineage for decades to come.
2 Samuel 6-9
Good morning! In the four chapters for today (2 Samuel 6-9) we see the successive steps that David takes in securing and expanding the kingdom of Israel under his control. The order of action in these chapters—recovery of the ark, devotion to God, military victory, mercy to Mephibosheth—demonstrate David’s priorities. First he seeks to do well in things religious, then military, then personal.
2 Samuel 3-5
Good morning! Today’s readings have a lot of violence—men-to-men in raw contests of power, vengeance and betrayal. 2 Samuel 3-5 describes the end of Saul’s lineage, the means by which David ascends to the throne of all Israel, and his first actions as leader of the united kingdom.
Pastor Oby Ballinger 