May 13, 2012

Uriah the Hittite (5/13)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Samuel 11-12; 1 Chronicles 20.

We remember the story of David and Bathsheba. The pregnancy that resulted from their affair led David to arrange to have her husband killed. There are many lessons to be learned from David’s sin, but I want us to remember at least one point from Bathsheba’s husband – Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 11:3).

Uriah was described as a servant of David (2 Samuel 11:24) who fought under the command of Joab (2 Samuel 11:1,14-16). He was also a Hittite. This is significant. Notice a couple of passages:

“For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them” (Exodus 23:23).

“When the Lord your God brings you into the land where you are entering to possess it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and stronger than you, and when the Lord your God delivers them before you and you defeat them, then you shall utterly destroy them” (Deuteronomy 7:1-2).

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May 12, 2012

God Visits the Earth and Causes It to Overflow (5/12)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 65-67, 69-70.

In this psalm of praise, David mentions God’s providence as one of the reasons why He is to be honored.

“You visit the earth and cause it to overflow; You greatly enrich it; the stream of God is full of water; You prepare their grain, for thus You prepare the earth. You water its furrows abundantly, You settle its ridges, You soften it with showers, You bless its growth. You have crowned the year with Your bounty, and Your paths drip with fatness. The pastures of the wilderness drip, and the hills gird themselves with rejoicing. The meadows are clothed with flocks and the valleys are covered with grain; they shout for joy, yes they sing” (Psalm 65:9-13).

In the beginning, God established the natural laws that govern the world in which we live. The fact that we have rains, streams, harvests, and flocks is a testament to God’s power, love, and wisdom.

At the end of His creation, “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). This is still true today and will continue to be true as long as this earth stands. God, by His providence, will continue to provide for us. Praise Him for that!

Tomorrow’s reading: 2 Samuel 11-12; 1 Chronicles 20

[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]

Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.

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May 11, 2012

What Not to Do After Hurting Someone (5/11)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Samuel 10; 1 Chronicles 17; Psalm 20.

When the king of the Ammonites died, David sent some of his servants to Hanun, the son and successor of the deceased king, in order to comfort him and show him kindness. However, Hanun was convinced by his princes that David’s servants were there to spy out the city and overthrow it (2 Samuel 10:1-3).

“So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away. When they told it to David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. And the king said, ‘Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and them return’” (2 Samuel 10:4-5).

Hanun, based on false assumptions about David’s intentions, humiliated these men. Upon realizing this, he could have admitted wrongdoing and sought to make things right. But instead, he became defensive, causing the situation to escalate.
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May 10, 2012

"What Right Have You to Tell of My Statutes?" (5/10)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 50, 53, 60, 75.

It is natural to feel a sense of indignation when we hear one who has rejected God attempt to explain the Scriptures to us. This feeling should not be surprising, for even God has this reaction to the attempts of the wicked who claim to speak His truth.

“But to the wicked God says, ‘What right have you to tell of My statutes and to take My covenant in your mouth? For you hate discipline, and you cast My words behind you. When you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you associate with adulterers. You let your mouth loose in evil and your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother’s son. These things you have done and I kept silence; you thought that I was just like you; I will reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes’” (Psalm 50:16-21).

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May 9, 2012

Why Would Mephibosheth Fear? (5/9)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Samuel 8-9; 1 Chronicles 18.

When David determined to find who remained from the house of Saul so that he could show kindness to him, he was told of Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, one whose feet were crippled (2 Samuel 9:3). When David found out about him, he had Mephibosheth brought to him.

“Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, ‘Mephibosheth.’ And he said, ‘Here is your servant!’ David said to him, ‘Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly.’ Again he prostrated himself and said, ‘What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?’” (2 Samuel 9:6-8).

David’s response to Mephibosheth, telling him not to fear, suggests that Mephibosheth did fear the king initially. Why would he have reason to fear?
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May 8, 2012

The Fall of Sidney Rigdon

Sidney Rigdon (1793-1876) was once a gospel preacher early in the Restoration Movement. Yet he is better known for his role in the history of the Mormon church. This man, who at one time was striving to preach the gospel according to the New Testament pattern, departed from the truth and became a prominent figure among the Mormons. How could such a thing happen?

Amos S. Hayden, author of Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve, provides some insight into the fall of Sidney Rigdon.
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May 8, 2012

"The Lord Sits As King Forever" (5/8)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Psalm 25, 29, 33, 36, 39.

The 29th psalm praises God for His power over the natural world. At the end, the psalmist states the obvious conclusion: God is the supreme authority over all things.

“The Lord sat as King at the flood; yes, the Lord sits as King forever” (Psalm 29:10).

The Creation demonstrated the power of God to make all things. The Flood demonstrated His power to destroy that which He has created.
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