Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 111, 2 Samuel 10
And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you.”
2 Samuel 10:11 ESV
How often do I try to do it on my own, refusing to ask for help from others?
Sometimes I need help physically – carrying something, reaching something up high, opening a jar.
Sometimes I need help emotionally – someone to listen to me or give me a hug or speak an encouraging word to lift me up or a stern word to snap me out of a pity party.
Sometimes I need help spiritually – someone to pray for me or give me wise counsel or point me to an applicable passage of Scripture.
But, I’m afraid that all too often I want to do it myself like my younger daughter is famous for saying a few too many times. I’m reminded of Galatians 6:2-3, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” (ESV)
Heavenly Father, I need Your help, Your guidance and strength, Your encouragement and chastisement. But, Father, I also need help from others, from the body of Christ here on earth. I need others to be eyes and ears for me. I need others to be hands and feet for me. I need others to speak truth to me. Please, Father, help me to be humble and to ask for help when I’m in need. Help to see the great company of fellow workers who want to labor together side by side for Your kingdom and glory. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 110, 2 Samuel 9.
I’ve loved the story of Mephibosheth since I very first read it. I hope you will love it, too.
“And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
And he said, “I am your servant.”
And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?”
Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”
The king said to him, “Where is he?”
And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.”
Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!”
And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.”
And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”
And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”
Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.”
2 Samuel 9:1-10a
It reminds me of my 2024 Word of the Year, “ENOUGH” and the refrain of Dayenu, a traditional Passover song, “it would have been enough.” Click here to read the full lyrics.
If David had allowed Mephibosheth to continue living in Israel, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
If David had given Mephibosheth a daily allotment of bread to eat, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
If David had given Mephibosheth a small plot of his land, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
If David had given Mephibosheth a single servant, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
If David had allowed Mephibosheth to eat at his table once a year, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
What a picture this is of what Jesus has done for us!
Jesus has given us more than a meager portion of bread and a scant cup of water. He has given us the living bread of His Word and the living water of His Spirit. He has prepared a bountiful table before us. He has filled our cups to overflowing.
Jesus has given us more than a corner in a godforsaken land. He has brought us to His own banqueting table and spread His banner of love over us. He has even gone to prepare a place for us in the glories of eternal heaven.
Jesus has given us more than a mere human servant could give. He washed more than our feet; He washed our whole lives white as snow
Jesus has given us more than the very best, friend friend could give. He has sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in us and to walk with us as our ever-present counselor and comforter.
Jesus has made us more than the very best human Father could give. He has made us more than just slaves in His heavenly kingdom. By His very own blood, He has made us more than just His friends. He has adopted us as His very own children and He has invited us to live in His home and eat at His table forever and ever.
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God;”
1 John 3:1a ESV
Have you received this gift? If not, what are you waiting for?
If so, who does God want you to share it with?
Our Father’s table is large enough to fit people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Let’s go out to the streets and bring them in to join us at this feast.
Heavenly Father, It would’ve been enough to be a gatekeeper at the door of Your palace. It would’ve been enough to dwell in the courtyard of Your temple. It would’ve been enough to sit at Your feet. It would’ve been enough to be Your handmaiden. Yet, in Your immense, boundless grace, You have brought me to sit at Your banqueting table and You have spread Your banner of love over me. Thank You. I don’t deserve it. I could never earn it. I could never work hard enough or be good enough to merit all this favor that You have poured over me. Let my life be one of grateful submission to Your will die me. I love You today and every day. In the Name of Jesus, Your Son who gave His life for me. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 109, 2 Samuel 8
Reading 2 Samuel 8, we see that David is having great victory over his enemies! The Philistines are finally being subdued. Many Moabites are defeated, but some are spared. Side note: I wonder if that’s because of David’s Moabite heritage (Ruth) or because they helped care for his parents (1 Samuel 22:3-4). King Hadadezer and his army are defeated all the way to the north at the Euphrates River, and 22,000 Syrians were struck down. And the list continues.
“And David made a name for himself…” “David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people.” (2 Samuel 22:13a, 15)
But, then, the chapter ends with verses 16-18, a list of his team, who was over his army, who was his recorder, who were his priests, who was his secretary. Even David’s sons were helping him. Another side note: the ESV refers to David’s sons as priests, but many other translations say they were his chief rulers or officials, and 1 Chronicles 18:17 ESV reads, “David’s sons were the chief officials in the service of the king.”
We mustn’t forget the importance of having a team to serve alongside us. Yes, we need God! Yes, God was working these great things through David. But David had a whole team of people working with him, helping him to achieve these incredible feats.
Sometimes it takes more work to involve a team. Sometimes it’s easier to just “do it all yourself.” But we need to remember that in the long term, we can achieve more, with longer lasting effects, when we involve others in the process.
Where do you need to ask for help? Who do you need to thank for the help they’re giving? How can you expand your reach by bringing in more people to serve with you?
Heavenly Father, and thank you for the body of Christ. Thank you for making different people with different gifts, some to be heads and some to be hands and some to be feet, some to be mouths or eyes or ears. Please help me to recognize the many people who have helped me to get to where I am today. Help me to be truly thankful for them and to welcome in even more. Protect Your kingdom from the devil’s schemes of division and pride and envy. In the name of Jesus Christ, our great high priest and Savior. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 108, 2 Samuel 7
I love using scripture as a starting point for my prayers. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, Who am I, and what is my house, that You have brought me thus far? You saw me when I was running far and fast away from You, and You drew me to You. And yet this was a small thing in Your eyes, O Lord God. Nothing is impossible for You. No heart is too hard for You. No one is too far from Your reach. You know my heart and You have brought me to know Yours. You are indeed great! There is none like You. There is no God besides You. You are not like idols made up in human minds or fashioned with human hands. You are eternal. You are infinite. You are almighty.
I pray that Your people Israel would confess Messiah Jesus and be saved. I pray that You would open the eyes of each Jewish person living in Israel and around the globe. May Your Name be magnified forever, saying, “The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,” and God over all creation, and Jesus Christ is Your Only Begotten Son and the Only Savior of the world.
O Lord God, You are God and Your Words are true. Please bless my home. Bless my husband. Bless my children. Bless my parents and my siblings, my aunts and uncles and cousins. Bless my church. Bless my city and state and nation. Bless us that we might glorify Your Name as we humble ourselves before Your almighty throne. Use us, Your people, Your servants, to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to do all that You have commanded. It is in the Name of Jesus Christ that we pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 107, 2 Samuel 6.
Have you ever been mad at someone, not just for a few minutes, but for hours or days? Have you ever allowed your anger to stew like a 8-pound chuck roast left in a crockpot to bubble all day, causing a seed of bitterness to take root deep in your heart?
How did that effect your relationship with that person? How was your attitude toward them? Did that bitterness ever make it hard for you to think kind thoughts or speak kind words about them?
Now, how about your feelings toward God? Have you ever been mad at God for days or weeks? Have you ever felt like He didn’t treat you or a loved one the way He should’ve? Did you ever let that anger plant a seed, no matter how small, of contempt toward God?
How did that effect your relationship with or your attitude toward God? Did it make it hard for you to meet with Him or submit to His commands?
In my life, I’ve noticed that often my bitterness toward a person is intimately tied to my disappointment with God.
Maybe a friend, a parent, a sibling or even a spouse has hurt you deeply. They’ve let you down. They’ve attacked you and disappointed you. They’ve done you wrong. Maybe it’s substance abuse or pornography. Maybe it’s lying and deceit. Maybe it’s an emotional or physical affair. Maybe it’s a lack of regard for your thoughts and feelings.
How has that relationship with a human being effected your relationship with God?
How have your feelings toward a person effected your feelings toward God?
In today’s passage in 2 Samuel 6, we read about Michal, King Saul’s daughter and David’s first wife, who despised David in her heart when she witnessed his joy before the Lord. Michal had been hurt again and again by David, a man she had loved. David had taken other wives and then had allowed her to be sent away, only to be brought back after she’d married another man. I don’t know that Michal ever trusted in God. In fact, Michal may have been a pagan idol-worshipper, but we do know that it grieved her deeply to see David dancing with reckless abandon in the presence of God and all the house of Israel. Click here to read through an overview of Michal’s life in the scriptures.
Thinking through Michal’s response to David’s joyful worship, I asked myself these two questions:
When have my feelings of disappointment toward a fellow human being resulted in me treating them with disdain and contempt rather than love and forgiveness?
When have my feelings of disappointment with my Heavenly Father resulted in me turning my back on Him rather than turning my face toward His open arms?
Heavenly Father, Your ways are certainly not our ways. You are always holy and righteous and good, and we are not. You have told us what You require of us, yet we have disobeyed You again and again. We have shunned Your scriptures. We have mocked Your Words and Your workers. We have treated Your Creation and Your commands with contempt. We have blamed You for circumstances that we have brought upon ourselves. We have turned our backs to You instead of our faces. Please, Father, forgive us. Remove the root of bitterness from our hearts, bitterness toward our fellow sinful man and bitterness toward You, our perfect Father. Renew a right spirit in us. Give us a new heart, a new mind, and a new soul. Strengthen us to love others as You have loved us. Help us to love You, our Lord and God, with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Help us to cast all our cares upon You and to trust that You care for us. Help us to fully believe that You are at work, working all things together for good for those who love You and have been called according to Your purposes, bringing beauty out of the ashes of our lives. In the Name of Jesus Christ who died in my place I pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 106, 2 Samuel 5
Today as I asked God what I should write about in today’s blog post, I couldn’t shake the thought that I was supposed to write on the topic of genders. So, in fearful obedience, here it goes.
Growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, the thought that there were anything beyond two genders never even entered my mind. My sister and I were girls. My mom was a girl. My dad was a boy. My cat, Bandit, who I’d adopted off the streets as a stray was a boy, too. I always wished that my mom and dad would have another baby, a boy, so I could have a little brother to play with and boss around. My world was made up of two genders: boys and girls, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, men and women, males and females.
Though I wasn’t a Christian and though I believed that the world and everything in it had evolved through a series of random events, it was still clear to my rational , scientific brain that everything that reproduced was either a male or a female. Roosters and hens, bucks and does, worker bees and queen bees, males and females.
In today’s chapter, 2 Samuel 5, verse 13 says, “And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David.” David was a male, and every single one of David’s concubines and wives were female. All of David’s sons were male, and all of David’s daughters were female.
My dad and my cat both had operations that prevented them from fathering babies, but they were still male. In fact, my dad could have grown his hair long, and worn a mini skirt, heels and a stuffed bra, and it wouldn’t make him female. He could even have changed his name to something more neutral or feminine, and left my mom for a guy, but my dad would still have been a male. Why? Because that’s how he was born. Dare I say, that’s how he was made by His Creator? When my father was knit together in his mother’s womb, he received an x chromosome from his mom and a y chromosome from his dad, and he was born a boy.
This issue is especially personal for me for a whole myriad of reasons. I won’t go into all of them now, but one of them is this: when my sister and I were young, my parents usually kept our hair cut short and dressed us in very simple gender neutral clothing. I liked climbing trees and getting dirty. I didn’t like playing with Barbies. Most of my years growing up, my best friend was a boy. But did those things make me a boy? No, they didn’t. I was a girl, whether I liked it or not. That’s how I was born. That’s how I was made by my Creator. When I was knit together in my mother’s womb, I received an x chromosome from my mom and an x chromosome from my dad, and I was born a girl.
Back in the “rad ’80s,” when I was teenager, it was shameful to admit that you had homosexual desires. A person was said to “come out of the closet” when they confessed to homosexual tendencies.
Now here we are in the “roaring 2020s,” and it’s shameful to stand up for Biblical gender identities, but today I’m taking a stand. I refuse to hide in the closet, ashamed of the Bible’s very clear teaching that God gave David sons and daughters. David’s sons were boys and his daughters were girls. God created them male and female just like He’s been doing from the beginning of time and to say anything else is a lie, a lie that hurts both the Creator and the creature.
Will you join me in prayer?
Heavenly Father, I come to You with the deepest gratitude for making me to be me. Thank You for making me a girl and granting me the gift of being a mom. Thank You for giving me sons and daughters. I pray that You will encourage the people of this generation to love You as their Creator by accepting themselves for how they’ve been made – their hair color and skin color, their height and their gender. You don’t make junk. We do. We take what You have made and we ruin it, hurting others and hurting ourselves. And hurting You in the process. Forgive us, Lord. I pray that You will also encourage the people of this generation to stand up for what they know is true, what the Scriptures so clearly state, that You are the Creator and that You create male or female. Help us not to be ashamed of the gospel and not to be ashamed of the truth of Your Word. Please, Father, help us to defend our faith with gentleness, respect, and humility, for the glory of Your Name and the good of Your creation. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 105, 2 Samuel 3-4
Reading today’s passage about the murders of both Abner and Ish-Bosheth, I was reminded of Ezekiel 33:11.
“As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.”
Ezekiel 33:11a ESV
1 and 2 Samuel are both so full of sin and death, jealousy and deceit, immorality and corruption. I have sometimes found myself cheering for whoever is the bad guy of that chapter to “get what he deserves,” forgetting that I’m just as bad as him.
Without the Holy Spirit constraining me, that would be me. Apart from God’s grace, I’m just as selfish, just as cruel, just as spiteful as any of them. So, today, I want to reflect on God’s mercy and pray that I could be merciful toward others as He has been to me.
Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your grace and mercy, poured out for me on the cross, and continuing to flow over me day after day. My sins are beyond number. I deserve death more than Abner and Ish-Bosheth. I deserve Your judgement as much as Joab and Rechab and Baanah did. Each of those men were selfish sinners, and so am I. Help me daily trust Your hand of judgment rather than trying to take vengeance into my own hands. You are perfectly just and I am not. Help me to be grateful for Your grace and not to take pleasure when the people in our world today get what their sin deserves. The wages of sin is death, but Your gracious gift is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Thank You, Father. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 104, 2 Samuel 2
Even now in my fifth decade of life, I’m still learning every day. I’m definitely still learning about history and science, but I’m also still learning to be a better human. One thing I’m actively trying to learn is to ask questions. Maybe that sounds like an odd thing to need to learn, but in my sinful nature I find myself prone to pride and talking more than listening.
I’m not only learning to ask questions when I’m with my family, friends, or strangers, but I’m also learning to ask questions of God. I want to be like David who inquired of the Lord, “’Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?’ And the LORD said to him, ‘Go up.’ David said, ‘To which shall I go up?’ And he said, ‘To Hebron.’” (2 Samuel 2:1)
Father, What do You want me to do today?
Spirit, What does this verse mean?
Lord, What should I say right now?
Spirit, How can I apply this passage to my life?
Father, What do You want me to write about from this passage?
I want to be a better asker and a better listener. I want to heed the inspired words of James 1:5.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
James 1:5 ESV
Heavenly Father, thank You for always being faithful to give wisdom and guidance when I come to You humbly in need. Help me to learn to ask, and help me to learn to listen. And, then, Father, help me to obey. I fear sometimes I don’t ask because I don’t want to obey. Forgive me and change me. I want to be more like Jesus who faithfully asked and listened and obeyed. I love You, Lord. You are worthy to be obeyed. Grow my faith. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 103, 2 Samuel 1
Before reading 2 Samuel 1, I took some time to review and reflect on 1 Samuel – the life and death of the prophet-priest-judge Samuel and the life and death of the first king of Israel, Saul. I was reminded again of how fleeting life is and how brief both the joys and the trials of life really are. When I find myself smack in the middle of the latest disaster, it’s hard to remember that this too shall pass, but today I’m reminded that it will. Someday every one of my tears will be wiped away. Someday all my questions will be answered and my faith will be as sight. Someday I will sit at the feet of Jesus and everything will be made right. Someday there will be no more goodbyes.
As we enter the holiday season, take some time both to reflect back on the previous year and to look forward to what the new year has in store. In this looking back and looking forward, I want to remind myself (and you) of all that is unchanging – God’s Word, His love for His people, and man’s need for forgiveness. I pray that in the new year my heart would stay focused on these truths, so that my life would reflect the eternal wisdom of God rather than the temporal wisdom of man. He is enough. His grace is enough. Whatever He has prepared for me, it is enough and it is good.
Heavenly Father, Turn my eyes upon Jesus. Help me to look fully in His wonderful face, so that the things of this earth will grow dim in the light of His glory and grace. Help me to remember that Your grace is sufficient for me, that the things of earth are all passing away, that in Christ I have been granted life eternal and abundant. Help me to fix my eyes on You, on Your love, on Your mercy and power and wisdom. I pray for love to cover a multitude of sins – sins of my own and sins of others. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.
Come Unto Jesus – Keith, Kristyn Getty, Laura Story
Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 102, 1 Samuel 29-31
1 Samuel 29-31 meets 1 Corinthians 12-13.
Heavenly Father, help us to love one another and to recognize that everything that we have is a gift from You. Make us active members of the body of Christ here on earth, willingly sharing our time, talents, treasures, and testimonies, with all who need them. You are the only all-powerful One and You alone are worthy. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Your Son. Amen.
Teach What is Good 
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