Day 158 Bible Reading - 2 Samuel 11: 1 (ESV)

These are the Bible readings for June 8.

2 Samuel 11 & 12, Acts 4: 1-22, Psalm 87

2 Samuel 11: 1 (ESV)

“In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.”

Verse 1 from 2 Samuel 11 gives us a brief description of the time of year and what David was doing. The bible commentaries note that Spring was usually a time of fighting when Kings go out to battle. But David instead sent Joab to go to war while he himself remained in Jerusalem. Many of the bible commentaries wrote that if David had gone to fight instead of remaining at home, he might never have seen Bathsheba, and God might never have been displeased with him. But this wasn’t the first time David ignored God’s wishes, but it would be the one that would cause God to be displeased with him.

John Trapp, an English American bible commentator, wrote “If David’s attention had been where God wanted, he would never it where God didn’t want it.” If I think back to my life, I have been where David was many times. I have gone down wrong paths because I wasn’t paying attention where God was asking me to be. It was a learning situation to be sure, but it was also at times very painful. I know my life would have been better and smoother if I had not strayed from where God was asking me to be.

Day 157 Bible Readings – Acts 3: 7-8 (ESV)

2  Samuel 9 & 10, Acts 3, Psalm 86: 11-17

Acts 3: 7-8 (ESV)

“And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up, he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.”

Verses 7 and 8 from Acts 3 is an account of Peter performing his first healing after Jesus died. It was true healing miracle of a man who had been lame since birth. I would love to see this kind of supernatural miracle in person. I’ve experienced many miracles in my life, but nothing this supernatural. I have also witnessed miracles of healing in person, but it was nothing like this. I know they still happen because I’ve read about them happening, but there is probably nothing more amazing than to witness this type of miracle in person.

I’ve a believer in small miracles. For me, sometimes just getting out of bed is a miracle. If I think about it more, I don’t know what would be more fun to see - the miracle itself or the joy of the person who experienced the miracle. Then I imagine all the hoopla and commotion that would follow. The cellphone cameras would come out, people would run down the aisles to get a picture, the praises of God from the audience watching, and the tears of the people in the room of pure joy since they were a witness to God’s miraculous healing power. I would love to go to a true revival to be a witness of the miracles of healing. that I read took place in past revival meetings. For me the most important miracle is being able to witness God’s healing grace still going strong centuries after Peter’s first healing.

Day 156 Bible Readings – 2 Samuel 7: 28 (ESV)

I attended an all-day event yesterday and it fried me. I went to bed as soon as I came home, so I missed my bible readings. These readings are for June 6.

Day 156 Bible Readings – 2 Samuel 7: 28 (ESV)

2 Samuel 7 & 8, Acts 2: 22-47, Psalm 86: 1-10

2 Samuel 7: 28 (ESV)

“And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant.”

Verse 7 from 2 Samuel 7 shows how much faith David had in God. It took quite a long time for David to finally become king of Israel. He spent many years on the run from King Saul and refused to kill him because he was an anointed king. But like all of us, David went through a period of despair with God and joined the Philistines for a time. When Saul finally died, there was still strife in his kingdom as he did not want to force his reign on the kingdom. So David had to endure 7 years and six months of his kingdom being split and ruled by two kings. When he finally became king of Israel, he ruled for 33 years.

David had experience with waiting and seeing God’s promises to him eventually come true from the time he killed Goliath at around age 16 to the time he became the only king of Israel at age 30. David’s declaration about God in verse 7 is the foundation of his faith because he knew God was God, and based on his experiences God can be trusted. I know God is God, but I think I sometimes waver on whether God’s words are true as I am still waiting for some big promises that God made to me. But perhaps this is the nature of people a sinful person, we always have doubt in God and therefore have the need to renew our faith in God daily.

Day 155 Bible Readings – Acts 2: 21 (ESV)

2 Samuel 5-6, Acts 2: 1-21, Psalm 85: 8-13

Acts 2: 21 (ESV)

“And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Verse 21 from Acts 2 is Peter quoting the Book of Joel on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples. I love this line, but it’s not as simple as a person calling on God to save him and not having faith and obedience to God. I think people use this line to say that anyone can call on God and get a miracle without having to have faith and obedience to God and his laws. While I would never presume to know the mind of God and his grace, which means that there can be miracles when a person calls on God without having faith or obedience to God. I think that to rely on Grace does not make sense. Why even call out to a God that you don’t believe in or obey to save you?

But for the person who has faith in God, prays to him daily, reads and knows the Bible, and follows God’s laws to the best of their abilities given our sinful nature, calling on God to save you is a promise God has made to you for your faith. And God always fulfills his promises. And while sometimes it doesn’t seem like God always saves, the true believer has the faith to know that God sees the future farther and further than we can and what may seem like a disaster in the moment in the end turns out to be best thing that ever happened in a true believer’s life.