Monday 28 February 2011 – 2 Samuel 7
The Lord Who Promises
David wants to do something for the Lord to honour the Lord’s name and make it known (v.1-2). To his amazement the Lord says, “No – I don’t want you to do something for me, I want to do something for you!” The Lord then makes amazing promises to David (vv.5-16). Here is a wonderful revelation of our heavenly Father – because of His amazing love He chooses to bind Himself to His children by making promises and covenant commitments to them. Many times He says that because we are His children He will do things for us. In Christ He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing and has given us the full rights of sons (Eph. 1:3, Gal. 4:5). So forgiveness is ours, eternal life is ours, joy is ours, peace is ours, healing is ours, victory is ours, strength is ours, competence is ours, and the list just goes on and on! Our heavenly Father wants us to know that He loves to bless us (Matt. 7:11).
David’s response to the Lord’s word was first of all a sense of unworthiness (v.18), then awe and wonder at such grace, which led him in to worship (vv.19-24). If you ever find it hard to enter into worship, start with the Word. For example, take Psalm 23 and pray it back to the Lord, blessing Him for being your shepherd and thanking Him for all the ways in which He cares for you.
The other thing the Lord’s wonderful covenant statement did was to make David bold in prayer (vv.25-29). David prays the Lord’s promises back to Him and uses them as the grounds on which he asks for the Lord’s blessing. In the same way the Lord loves to hear us pray His Word back to Him and hold Him to the promises He has made to us.
Prayer:
* Praise the Lord for the wonderful things He has done for you and the marvellous promises He makes to you.
* Use Psalm 23 to pray for the members of your cell group, claiming its promises for them.
* Pray for opportunities to tell people about the good news of God’s love for them.
Sunday 27 February 2011 – 2 Samuel 6
Right Motives, Right Methods
Marks out of 10 for moving the ark of God: motive 10, methods 0! David wants to make it very clear that the Lord is Israel’s true King and that he himself is only the Lord’s representative (1 Chronicles 13:1-4). For this reason he wants the Ark of the Covenant to be in the nation’s capital, at the centre of the nation’s life. However, in his eagerness he doesn’t stop to ask how to go about bringing up the ark (Proverbs 19:2). The Lord had given very clear instructions about how the ark should be handled (see Exodus 25:15, Numbers 4:5-6,15), and they didn’t include carts or people touching it – even to save it from falling (vv.3-7). In serving the Lord we need to take care that both our motives and our methods are right.
Initially David was angry at the Lord for what happened and so gave up on his idea to move the ark (vv.8-11). Do you sense a hint of hurt pride? How easily we adopt an ‘if you won’t do it my way I won’t join in’ attitude. The humility in which the Lord delights is always ready to submit to the Lord, to repent and to learn from mistakes (James 4:6-10). In the end this is what David did, as next time he uses the God-given method and is blessed (vv. 12-19).
David comes home on a spiritual high ready to bless his family (v.20a), but gets a bucketful of spiritual cold water thrown at him (v.20b). How often this happens – immediately after a spiritual high the enemy sends someone or something to try and steal our joy in the Lord and all he has done. Sadly he is often able to use fellow believers to do this. Michal had allowed a bitter, critical, fault-finding spirit to control her. Her life had been hard and painful and she had held on to the pain. Now out of her hurt she hurts others. If you are critical or fault-finding then maybe you have past hurts that need healing. Be bold to seek help so that you do not continue in that place of barrenness (v.23).
Prayer:
* Ask the Holy Spirit to examine you and show you any pride, bitterness or critical attitudes that are in you. Come to Jesus in repentance and seek His grace to overcome these things.
* Pray for Pastor Jacky and the elders of Ruwach Christian Church, that they will always use the right methods in doing God’s work.
Saturday 26 February 2011 – 2 Samuel 5
Victory And Compromise
If the Lord gives someone a prophetic word for you, how long do you think you might have to wait to see it fulfilled? The events of this chapter took place 15 years after Samuel had anointed David to be king over Israel (1 Samuel 16:13). Those 15 years were tough for David, but the Lord is faithful and so finally we see David acclaimed as king over the whole nation (vv.1-5). In the same way, if you follow after the Lord, His words over your life will be fulfilled; He will make certain of that (Jeremiah 1:12).
As He had done since the day David was anointed, the Lord continued to give David victory over his enemies (vv.6-10, 17-25). In the same way the Lord promises to always lead us in victory in Jesus (2 Cor. 2:14, Psalm 44:4-8). Do not let any adverse circumstances that you experience discourage you; rather hope in the Lord, and you will overcome.
How did you feel about David’s wives and concubines (vv.13-14)? At this point David is not following God’s heart. He is being led by the desires of the flesh and the culture of his day, and is going against specific instructions that the Lord gave to the kings of His people (Deut.17:14-20). David’s failings are not covered up in the Bible. They are exposed, and their consequences are also made clear. Particularly in this area of sexuality and sexual relationships we face great pressure from our flesh and our culture. We need to know what God’s Word says and by the power of the Holy Spirit live it out (1 Cor. 6:9,18, Eph. 5:3-7, Hebrews 13:4). If we fail to walk in obedience we will reap the consequences in our lives and in our families, but if we obey we will be blessed.
Prayer:
* Recall prophetic words and promises which the Lord has given you. Speak them out over your life and call them into being.
* Pray for anyone in your cell who is facing difficult times. Ask Jesus to strengthen them and bring them through.
* Pray for our nation in the area of sexuality and sexual relation-ships. Pray for a return to godly values. Pray for organisations working to help those struggling in these areas.
Friday 25 February 2011 – 2 Samuel 4
Love Righteousness
This short chapter again shows us how David had caught God’s heart and how this shaped his actions. Our God is a God of righteousness and justice and does not let the guilty go unpunished. This explains David’s strong reaction to the atrocity committed by Baanah and Recab (vv.9-12). He is not acting as an individual, but as the king, enforcing God’s just and holy law (see Genesis 9:6). In a day of increasing lawlessness and lack of respect for authority, Jesus expects His followers to submit to the governing authorities, to be law-abiding citizens and to stand up for righteousness and justice (see Roman 13:1-7, Titus 3:1, 1 Peter 2:13-15).
David’s response to Ishbosheth’s murder also goes against the prevailing culture of his day in which a king would often murder all the descendents of the previous king to consolidate his position (e.g. 2 Kings 11:1). David, however, had promised Saul that he would do no such thing (1 Samuel 24:20-22), and he is faithful to his word.
If we were grading their crime we would probably say that Baanah and Recab sinned in a very serious way and deserved their punishment. However, we need to be careful in making such comparisons but rather take Jesus’ words about murder and hate and James’ warning about law-breaking seriously (Matthew 5:21-24, James 2:8-11).
Prayer:
* Ask the Holy Spirit to steer you away from angry thoughts and words about people today.
* Ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of any promises you have made that you need to be acting on.
* Pray for our nation’s judicial system – judges, magistrates, lawyers and juries – that they will be given wisdom and uphold justice.
Thursday 24 February – 2 Samuel 3
Wise As Serpents
Abner cleverly continues to try to get power for himself. Sleeping with the previous king’s concubine was effectively claiming to be the next king (see 16:21-22). Abner wanted everyone, including Ishbosheth, to know that he was the power behind the throne and that Ishbosheth was just a puppet. Abner wanted people to know who they should be following. He did this because he had decided that Ishbosheth was a loser and that it was time to switch sides and support David, but he wanted to be able to win David’s favour by offering him the crown of Israel (v.12). David responds well to his offer, so he begins to smooth the way. He meets David’s terms, gets the leaders of Israel on his side and then pacifies the Benjaminites – the main supporters of Saul’s line (see 2:15,25,31). However, it all comes to nothing as Abner is murdered by Joab in revenge for his killing of Joab’s brother Asahel. (see 2:23).
What can we learn from Abner? He reminds us that self-seeking human schemes will fail and that those who pursue them will in the end be trapped by them (Psalm 7:14-16). Then there is another, less obvious, lesson here too. Remember how Jesus tells His followers to be wise as serpents and to learn from the wise actions of worldly people (Matthew 10:16, Luke 16:8-9)? Abner shows us what can be achieved by using our God-given human commonsense and people-skills. Jesus tells us not to despise these things but to use them for the kingdom (Luke 16:9).
Finally, what does David’s reaction to Abner’s death say about being a person after God’s heart? It tells us that such a person values and seeks to honour all people (vv.31-38) and works hard to keep their distance from all sin and evil (vv.28,29, 37,39).
Prayer:
* Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to live wisely today.
* Pray for each member of your cell, that they will walk in holiness and keep clear of sin.
* Pray for the members of our government, that they will have a heart to serve the nation and not to seek for personal gain.
Wednesday 23 February 2011 – 2 Samuel 2
Destructive Self-Interest
Did you notice the contrast in this chapter between David, the man after God’s own heart, and Abner, a person who was motivated by self-interest? David was determined to be led only by the Lord, and so the Lord blessed him and worked to establish His purpose for David’s life (v.4a). Because he trusted the Lord to lead him and to fulfil His promises to him, David was not self-absorbed. This meant that he was free to notice the good things done by other people and to take time to thank them and encourage them (vv. 4b-7). This is important for us because praise and encouragement are key to getting the best out of people.
Abner, on the other hand, was not interested in the Lord’s will but was trying to secure his own future (vv.8-9). Abner knew very well that the Lord had chosen David to be the next king (see 3:9-10,18), but he was related to Saul (1 Samuel 14:50) and so felt he would be able to get ahead if Saul’s son was to inherit the throne. Abner was so self-absorbed that he was willing to start a civil war, with all its associated loss of life, just to get his own way. Sometimes he does seem to have acted wisely, seeking to minimise bloodshed (vv.14,22,26) but he was still acting on his own initiative rather than submitting to God’s revealed will.
Civil war does not just occur in nations; sadly it can occur in churches. It starts when someone refuses to receive the Lord’s Word and rejects the Lord’s anointed leadership. That person may feel they are acting in the interests of others and to preserve things the way they should be, but often they manipulate and use others. The results of such self-centred action will always be destructive. We need to continually guard our hearts against the subtle lies of the enemy. When he tantalisingly whispers, “Did God really say…?”, or tempts us to put our own needs and interests first, we must follow the examples of David and Jesus and stand firm on God’s Word.
Prayer:
* Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you can speak words of praise and encouragement to people around you today.
* Pray for each member of your cell, that they will recognise and reject the lies of the enemy.
* Pray for Ruwach Christian Church that the Lord will help us to guard our unity in Him.
* Pray that God would renew the church in this nation, where it has become lazy, ignorant and powerless.
Tuesday 22 February 2011 – 2 Samuel 1
2 Samuel – Introduction
2 Samuel continues the history of Israel. As you may remember from our recent readings, 1 Samuel covers the end of the era of the judges focusing on Samuel (the last judge). It then moves on to the establishment of the monarchy, with Saul as the first king. 1 Samuel describes the events of Saul’s reign, including his rejection by God and the anointing of David as the Lord’s choice for the next king. There is then a lengthy period of hostility from Saul towards David before the book finishes with Saul’s death. 2 Samuel opens with the aftermath of Saul’s death and then records the events of David’s reign. Many of these events are also described in 1 Chronicles, starting at chapter 10. Sometimes the accounts in 1 Chronicles give us extra details of events.
David was a true king of Israel because he exercised his authority in submission to Israel’s true King – God Himself. As a result, David is used as the standard by which later kings were judged (2 Kings 18:3, 22:2). Under David’s rule the nation prospered; its enemies were defeated and its borders were expanded. Although 2 Samuel clearly shows David’s weaknesses and failings as well as his strengths, its clear message is that, in David, the Lord had found a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22). This is why David is seen as the fore-runner of the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s anointed and the King of kings. As we read this book and see how David walked in God’s ways, we see glimpses of how Jesus would deal with situations, and we also learn how to be people after God’s own heart.
2 Samuel 1
Honour The Lord’s Anointed
David recognised that God Himself had chosen and anointed Saul as king and so it was only He who had the right to remove him from kingship. Consequently, David had refused to participate in any hostile act against Saul, in spite of much provocation (see 1 Samuel 24:1-7, 26:7-11). What is more, his first reaction on hearing of Saul’s death was to be appalled that someone else had dared to raise a hand against him. The Amalekite messenger adjusted the actual events of Saul’s death (see 1 Samuel 31:1-6) to make himself look good, because he thought David would be pleased and reward him (v.10 and 4:10). He misjudged David. David was a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22), not a man with a self-centred, worldly heart. David was more concerned with righteousness and justice than with personal gain, hence the death sentence on the Amalekite. Do you see the lesson here for us? It is crucial to do God’s work in God’s way. Have you been tempted to compromise, perhaps by adjusting the truth or assassinating someone else’s reputation, to get ahead? Turn your back on such ways and choose to be a person after God’s own heart.
David’s godly heart is also seen in his lament over Saul and Jonathan. David honours Saul, recalling his strengths not his weaknesses. There is no hint of bitterness or resentment over Saul’s treatment of him. He is an example of how Jesus wants us to be. His desire is that, as a result of His grace and the power of the Holy Spirit in us, we should honour other people – especially our leaders – and guard our hearts against bitterness. Jesus longs for us to speak positively about others, talking about their strengths and choosing to overlook their weakness and to forgive the hurts they cause us. Have you spoken negatively about anyone recently? If so, you need to repent. Having done that, why not spend some time thinking about the strengths for which you can honour them?
Prayer:
* Ask the Holy Spirit to expose any areas of compromise in your life, then repent of them.
* Forgive anyone in Ruwach Christian Church who has hurt or offended you.
* Give thanks for each person in your cell, praising God for specific strengths in their lives.
Monday 21 February 2011 – 2 Timothy 4
Fight The Fight And Reap The Reward
Paul does not pull any punches with Timothy. The life he is urging him, and us, to lead is not an easy one. But he is not talking about something he does not know. He himself at the end of his life is able to look back and say that he has “fought the good fight”, “finished the race” and “kept the faith,” (v.7).
What was it that gave Paul the motivation to keep going? He knew that Jesus would return again and judge all men (v.1) and that those who had lived according to His will would be rewarded with the crown of righteousness (v.8). This expectation put a whole new perspective on life for Paul. He coped with suffering in this world because he felt that it was not worth comparing with the glory that awaited him (Rom.8:18). In his second letter to the Corinthians he described his troubles as “light and momentary” compared with an “eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Cor.4:17). Paul’s hopes were not pinned on this world, as ours so often are, but on the next.
How could Paul be so confident that he would receive this promised glory? Because his experience, throughout all his sufferings, was that God had never abandoned him. He had been by his side and given him strength when all human help had failed him (v.17). Paul knew that God was utterly dependable and would never let him down.
In this world, Paul had experienced many disappointments as people forsook him, or even opposed him. He mentions several of them in this chapter – Demas (v.9), Alexander (v.14) and other Christian friends (v.16). But notice how Paul’s eternal perspective enabled him to let go of the hurts (vv.14, 16). He knew that those people would have to stand before God one day and give account for their actions (1 Pet.1:17) so he was able to leave those that had sinned against him in God’s hands.
Do you look at life like Paul did or are your hopes and expectations still focused on this world?
Prayer:
* If you have realised that you are still looking for earthly rewards repent and ask God to change your perspective on life.
* If you are holding on to unforgiveness against anyone who has hurt you, lay it down now and leave God to take care of their sins.
Sunday 20 February 2011 – 2 Timothy 3
The Bible, Our Guide
It is not easy being a Christian in this world. As you read the list of sins in vv.1-5 maybe you thought they were describing other people. But read them again slowly and thoughtfully. Can you truly say that you are not a lover of yourself or money, that you are never proud, that you are in total submission to those in authority over you, that you are never ungrateful, that you always forgive those who hurt you, that you are completely holy etc.? These are temptations that are always lying in wait for us and will trap us unless we are constantly on our guard. Satan is working hard to get us to compromise with the world so that our cutting edge becomes blunt and we are no threat to him.
If we do manage to withstand all those temptations, we find ourselves with another set of problems. Like Paul (v.10), and like Jesus Himself, we will be persecuted (v.12). The world does not like goodness, and will respond to it with hostility. If we do not fit in with its godless ways we will inevitably find ourselves under attack. As Christians, we are aliens and strangers in this world (1 Peter 2:11), we should not expect to be comfortable and accepted any more than Jesus was (John 15:18-25).
Like Timothy we need to learn to “march to the beat of a different drum”, listening to, and obeying, the voice of God rather than seeking the approval of those around us. We need to “continue in what we have learned and have become convinced of,” (v.14, NIV) no matter what is going on around us. To help us, God has given us the scriptures to show us the truth, to expose our rebellion, to correct our mistakes and train us to live God’s way (v.16). “Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us,” (v.17, The Message). You have made a good start by using these notes each day. Now you need to make sure that you are not simply reading God’s Word, but allowing it to renew your mind and shape your behaviour (see James 1:22-25), so that you become all that God intends you to be and are equipped to live for Him in this godless world.
Prayer:
* Pray that God would help you to read, understand and live by His Word.
* Pray for all who read these Bible notes, that they would grow in their knowledge of, and obedience to, God’s Word.
* Pray for those who write and edit these notes, that they would prepare what is on God’s heart for His people at this time.
Saturday 19 February 2011 – 2 Timothy 2
A Soldier, An Athlete, A Farmer
In this chapter Paul continues to urge Timothy to work hard and press on in his Christian life. He uses the three pictures of the soldier, the athlete and the farmer to illustrate the dedication, discipline and endurance required to live a life that pleases God. Stop and think about each of these pictures for a moment. Are you as focused as a soldier in battle? Are you as determined as an athlete preparing for a race? Do you persevere like the farmer who tends his crops day in, day out, in order to reap the harvest? These are the qualities we need to develop if we want to reap the rewards God promises to those who serve him (vv.11-12).
To press home his point, Paul gives Timothy some examples. He himself demonstrates what is required of God’s servants as he languishes in chains for the sake of the gospel (vv.9-10). By contrast, Hymenaeus and Philetus have got distracted by false teaching and have lost their way (vv.17-18). Instead of living the Christian life they talk about religion. They think they are wise and clever but, like the Pharisees of Jesus’ time, they have missed the point. This is an easier trap to fall into than we might think. We need to constantly check ourselves to make sure that we are living in obedience to God’s Word, not merely talking about it.
In The Message, Eugene Peterson brings out the meaning of vv.20-21 very clearly, “In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets – some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to His guests for their blessing.” I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be a gold plate than a dustbin! But if we are going to be fit for God to use for His finest purposes we need to make sure that we “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles,” and “run with perseverance the race marked out for us, (Heb.12:1, NIV).
Prayer:
* Pray that God would help you to become a vessel fit for His highest purposes.
* Pray for the other members of your cell group that they too would be dedicated, disciplined and persevering in their Christian walk.