Category: 1 and 2 Samuel

Worship – Thoughts from 2 Samuel – 2025 Day 325

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 119:160-176, 2 Samuel 24.

Today I’m thinking about what worship is.

What does it mean to worship God?

  • Can we worship the Lord in prison?
  • Can we worship while we’re stuck at home for a week because of snow and ice and temperatures that refuse to go above freezing?
  • Does worship only happen when we’re in the presence of other believers on Sunday morning?
  • Can we worship in dance?
  • Can we worship while we’re just sitting in church listening to a man preach? Do we?

The word “worship” first appears in the Bible in Genesis 22:5 when Abraham is preparing to take his son Isaac to Mount Moriah to offer him there to the Lord. “Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.’” The Hebrew word used here for worship שָׁחָה (šāḥâ) literally means to bow down or prostrate oneself.

This same word is used in the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:5a ESV “You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God.”

I think a big part of worship in God’s eyes is coming with an attitude of humble service to God, living for His pleasure and glory rather than our own. I worship God when I bow before Him, serving Him, humbling myself before Him, laying down whatever I’m clinging to as an offering to Him. Whether that offering is a measure of grain or a firstborn lamb or a song of praise, it is a sacrifice given up for His pleasure.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

Romans‬ ‭12:1‬ ‭ESV‬

Like Jimmy Needham says, “Worship is more than a song.”

Clear the Stage

Heavenly Father, I want to worship You in thought, word, and deed. I want my life to be a living offering to You. Forgive me for all the times that I have taken Your place, bowing down to my own desires rather than Yours, serving the creature rather than the Creator. You alone are worthy of  worship. For Your glory and praise and worship. Amen.

May these Christ focused songs lead us to worship Him all 365 days of the year, but especially during this special season. From Creation to Christ: A Family Advent Devotional music playlist.

Here I am to Worship
10,000 Reasons
O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing

An Everlasting Covenant – 2 Samuel 23 – 2025 Day 324

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 121-160, 2 Samuel 23.

After reading all the yuck of the previous 12 chapters of 2 Samuel, I held my breath reading David’s words in 2 Samuel 23:5.

For he has made with me
an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and secure.
For will he not cause to prosper
all my help and my desire?

2 Samuel 23:5 ESV

Then I was reminded of 2 Samuel 7 when God made that everlasting covenant with David,

“When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.

And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’”

2 Samuel 7:12-16 ESV

And then I was reminded of 2 Samuel 12 when God swore to bring evil upon David because of his sin.

“Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’

Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’”

2 Samuel 12:9-12 ESV

And I was once again reminded that God is a promise keeping God, both in His promises of blessing and His promises of wrath. God did keep His everlasting covenant with the house of David, bringing Jesus, our eternal King of kings, but God also kept His oath that the sword would come upon David’s house and that his wives would be given to his neighbor, as we just read about in chapters 15-16.

So, then I wondered, why do so many professing Christians only talk about God’s steadfast love and refuse to talk about His just anger against our sin?

The reason God’s great mercy
is the BEST NEWS EVER
is because God’s great wrath
is the WORST NEWS EVER.

Friends, if you are not in Christ, then you are still under God’s judgment, and if you are judged by your own deeds, you will be found “guilty as charged” and justly endure God’s eternal condemnation.

Everyone loves John 3:16 ESV — “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” But, let’s not forget about the other verses of John 3,

  • “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” John 3:18 ESV
  • “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” John 3:36 ESV

And what about 1 John 5:11-12? “And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.“

Heavenly Father, help us to believe and proclaim the full counsel of Your Word, the full gospel of truth, that You are holy and righteous, that You are the judge of even our secret sins, those hidden things that no one else knows about, the thoughts and intentions of the heart as well as our words and deeds. None of us can stand before You by our own merit. We need You, Lord. Cover us with the blood of Jesus and wash us clean. Redeem us and deliver us from sin. In the Holy, Almighty Name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

O Holy Night – Stephen McWhirter

As we approach this season of advent, remembering with anticipation both Christ’s first coming and His return, I hope you’ll join me in reading through my Christmas daily devotional, “From Creation to Christ: A Family Advent Devotional Tracing the Story of the Savior Through Scriptures, Stories, Songs, and Pictures.”

Trust, Call, Praise – 2 Samuel 22 – 2025 Day 323

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 119:81-120, 2 Samuel 22

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105 ESV

David trusts in God because he knows His Word. David trusts that God sees him and cares about him, so he puts his faith in Him. David trusts in God because he knows that God is good. I’m reminded of Psalm 9:10, “And those who know your name put their trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You,” written by David.

The better You know God’s Word, the better you will know God.

The more deeply you know God, the more deeply you will trust Him because you will know His immense and everlasting goodness and power.

This is why I love reading The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer so much, and why I wrote my latest book, Who is God? A Former Atheist Looks at the Attributes of God.

As your trust in God grows, then you will seek Him and call upon Him, which reminds me of another Psalm of David. Psalm 34:4, “I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.”

As you call upon Him, He will answer you, and then you will praise His Name.

For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to your name. Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.

2 Samuel 22:50-51 ESV

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your goodness and mercy towards me. You are the almighty God, the steadfast rock, the refuge for those who seek You. Help me to trust in You, fully and daily. May I not trust in horses and chariots and human wisdom, but in Christ, the solid rock on whom I stand. He is the eternal God and King of kings. It is in His holy name that I pray. Amen.

My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the humble hear and be glad. Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!

Psalm 34:2-3 ESV
Psalm 34, Taste and See, Shane and Shane

Where is My Treasure? – 2 Samuel 20-21 – 2025 Day 322

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 119:41-80, 2 Samuel 20-21

I love that David put away his concubines, going in to them no longer, yet continuing to provide for them.

I love that the wise woman was willing to rush her own life to save her city.

I love that David continued to spare Mephibosheth, keeping his oath to Jonathan and to the Lord.

I was thrilled when this song by CityAlight came up on my Pandora station. It’s one of my favorites.

Christ is Mine Forevermore – CityAlight

So today I’m thinking again, where is my treasure? On earth or in heaven?

If earth, why? What joy does earth hold? Good food? Fancy clothes? Fun times with friends? The love of grandbabies and children and a husband? The ecstasy of seeing someone receive the gift of faith and be welcomed into God’s eternal kingdom?

If heaven, why? Do I want to be in heaven so I can be reunited with loved ones who have already been called home, like my Grandma Norma and my babies gone too soon? Or do I want to be in heaven so I don’t have to deal with all the pain and sin that life on earth entails? Or do I want to be in heaven so my faith will finally be as sight and I can enjoy living in the presence of my Savior?

For to me to live is Christ,
and to die is gain.

Philippians 1:21 ESV

Heavenly Father, You are worthy of it all. What does earth have that compares to the joy of knowing You? Help me to cast off all that sin that clings so tightly. Give me strength to pursue You, to live on earth with eternity and heaven in view. Christ is mine now and forever. ✝️ ♾️ Amen

Worthy of it ALL – Stephen McWhirter

Shoveling Snow – 2 Samuel 19 – 2025 Day 321.

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 119:1-40, 2 Samuel 19

We live in an area of the U.S. that fully experiences all four seasons of the year. We have hot summers and cold winters, with beautiful springs and falls in the transition times. It’s actually one of my favorite things about living here.

The problem is, though, that our area isn’t equipped to endure a week of below freezing temperatures or multiple inches of snow. When we get a heavy snow, there are no plows in sight, so we stay home and thank God for a pantry full of food and a furnace to keep us warm.

On one of these mornings, my son and I took advantage of a break in the snowfall to shovel our driveway. Trying to move 5-inch-deep snow is hard, back-breaking work, especially when your driveway is almost 100 yards long! The top few inches of snow may be light and fluffy, but that bottom inch gets packed down rock from repeated melting and freezing. I encouraged my son to do a quick once-over first, getting rid of that top layer, so the sun could get to that icy bottom layer. Then, ten minutes later, when he came back to the place where he’d started, that lower layer scraped off easily.

It got me thinking about how often we try to hide our hard hearts under layers of white fluff, or even under layers of “respectable” sins (the title of an excellent book by Jerry Bridges). It’s only when that top layer is scraped aside that the sunlight can do its work. As long as we keep hiding, refusing to do the hard work of bringing our sin into the open, that icy hard layer remains.

And yet, if we take that first step of sweeping away that fluffy top layer, but we refuse to deal with breaking up and shoveling away that thick, icy crust of hidden sin that we don’t want anyone to know about, all our work is for naught because that lower layer is where the serious danger lies. Those deep, hidden sins are what can really make us slip and fall, and fall hard.

A lesson from the life of David and from shoveling snow.

Heavenly Father, You are a good God and You want to free me from the hard, icy grasp of sin. Help me to bring into the light what I want to keep hidden in the dark. Help me to faithfully shovel away those “respectable sins” of covetousness and gossip so that I can bring into the light those pesky, hard to break, hidden sins of pride and deceit and fear and bitterness. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

I Repent – Steve Green

A Father’s Love – 2 Samuel 18 – 2025 Day 320

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 118, 2 Samuel 18.

Even though Absalom had killed Amnon, David’s oldest son, out of revenge for him raping his sister, and even though Absalom had tried to take his father’s rightful place on the throne, David orders his army captains to deal gently with him during their battle against the Israelites (2 Samuel 18:5) And then when David finds out that Absalom is dead, David cries, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” (2 Samuel 18:33)

That’s how good parents loves their children. Their love is unconditional. It’s love with no strings attached. No matter how your child disappoints you or angers you, you keep loving them. As 1 Corinthians 13:8a says, “love never fails.”

This is the kind of love our Good Father has for His children.

  • “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:11-13 ESV)
  • “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:4-7 ESV)
  • “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:7-8 ESV)
  • “How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings.” (Psalm 36:7 ESV)

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your steadfast, faithful love. Love without end. Love that never fails. You are good. You are worthy. Make us more like You. Conform us into the image of Jesus Christ, Your perfect Son, who loved us even to the point of death. It is in His Name that we pray. Amen.

The Love of God – Mercy Me

The Lord’s Will be Done – 2 Samuel 17 – 2025 Day 329

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 117, 2 Samuel 17

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10 ESV)

Today’s passage encouraged me to once again trust that what the Lord has ordained will come to pass. No one can thwart Him. No one can stay His hand. The safest place I can be is in the center of His will. I can trust His goodness and power to accomplish His purposes.

So I ask myself, am I working for Him or against Him?

Heavenly Father, I pray that the counsel I give to others will be founded on Your love and wisdom. Help me to trust You. Help me to put one foot in front of the other, doing the next right thing, and seeking Your guidance each step of the way. Keep me inside the guard rails that You have established. Help me to be discerning, so I can sort out what is Your voice and what is the devil’s, and then give me the desire and strength to obey. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen

Whate’er my God Ordains is Right – Collierville Bible Church

The Importance of Discernment – 2 Samuel 16 – 2025 Day 328

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 116, 2 Samuel 16

In 1 Samuel 25:3, we read that Abigail was both beautiful and discerning (or sensible, intelligent, of good understanding, depending on your translation). Then, earlier this week in 2 Samuel 14:17, the woman of Tekoa flattered King David saying, “my lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil.” Next month we will dive into 1 Kings and read about David’s son, Solomon, who asked God to give him an understanding mind that he might discern between good and evil so he could rightly govern the nation of Israel.

How desperately we need discernment! We are indeed surrounded by so many liars and deceivers, men and women who call light dark and dark light, who call good evil and evil good (Isaiah 5:20). Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:13). As my pastor said when he was teaching through 2 Corinthians 11, Satan disguises in order to deceive, and I might add he deceives in order to devour. (See 1 Peter 5:8)

Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
He disguises himself in order to deceive us.
He deceives us in order to devour us.
We must be discerning,
distinguishing rightly between good from evil.

We must be wise. Not with the wisdom of the world, but with the wisdom of God. Remember Paul’s introductory words in his letter to the Corinthians, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.'” (1 Corinthians 1:18-19 ESV)

“In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

– Hebrews 5:7-14 ESV

Let me ask you, when did you first receive Christ?

  • Last week?
  • Last month?
  • Last year?
  • Last night?

Oh, baby Christian, enjoy the sweet, pure milk on the gospel. It has been given to you to help you grow up to full maturity.

But, sister, were you born again years ago, even decades ago? It’s time to grow up into maturity, training your powers of discernment by constant practice.

In today’s passage, 2 Samuel 16, David isn’t a baby believer anymore. He’s a grown man who knows God and the truth of His Word. He knows that he ought to inquire of God. God has proven Himself faithful. David needed to listen to the Holy Spirit’s counsel that he might know the way that he should go and who he should believe … and so do we.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for giving us Your Word and filling us with Your Holy Spirit. Give us wisdom and lead us in the paths of righteousness for Your name’s sake. Help us to discern what is good and right and true that we may run toward it. And help us to discern what is foolish and wicked and false that we may flee from it. In the Almighty, Holy Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior, and Redeemer we pray. Amen.

Thy Word – Ellie Holcomb

It’s Not About Me – 2 Samuel 15 – 2025 Day 327

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 115, 2 Samuel 15

Heavenly Father, I don’t want to be like Absalom, rallying people around me and using You as some kind of a tool. My life is Yours. You are the king, and I’m not. Jesus is the King, and I’m not. Help me to love You, to worship You, in Spirit and in truth. Keep me humble for my good and Your glory. In the Holy, Almighty Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

Names of God – Laurell Hubick

Human Nature at its Worst – 2 Samuel 13-14 – 2025 Day 326.

Published on by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 114, 2 Samuel 13-14

This has to be one of the hardest passages in the whole Bible to read. Human nature at its worst. A man who desires his own sister so much that he rapes her, and then he hates her so much “that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her.” (2 Samuel 13:15 ESV)

Here are some of my thoughts:

  • The scriptures don’t jump over the tough stuff. Whether in heroes like David or villains like Amnon, the Bible leaves the closet doors open where others might have hidden skeletons.
  • Lust ain’t love. Amnon didn’t actually love Tamar, he lusted after her, and after he had her, he was done with her. Let this be a warning for single women. Don’t let a guy get you into bed, with sweet words of how much he loves you. True love puts others before yourself. Read 1 Corinthians 13.
  • Satan is a liar. Satan’s very nature is to lie and deceive. Initially Satan was whispering into Amnon’s ear that he needed Tamar, deserved her, loved her. Then, after taking advantage of her, Satan started whispering new lies. She’s trash. She’s no good for you. What did you ever see in her? We need to be discerning about what voices in our head we’re listening to.

Heavenly Father, You are truth. Every word You say is true. Help me to trust You and listen to Your voice, the voice of true love. I pray that You will protect my children from the schemes of the evil one. Help them to guard their hearts and minds, and to think of others more highly than themselves. For the glory of Your Name I pray. Amen.

The devil is a LIAR – Colton Dixon