Day 98 (Saturday) 2 Samuel 22:35-24:17

The sin of the census was a sin of faith. A census was taken to count the warriors for battle. It was the mark of a military draft and God had not instructed David to go to battle and thus, the census was a sin. It was also seen as a sin because it lacked faith in the numbers of people. God told David that his people would number the sand on the shore, but David lacked faith and wanted a number. Faith is not easy to come by but the lack of faith always seems to being suffering.

Day 97 (Friday) 2 Samuel 20:1-22:34

I find it strange, some of the leadership roles women take in the Scriptures. Since women are oppressed in the culture, they have to do an “end-around” many times to accomplish their goals. The men seem very willing to go along with and trust these women in their plans. Again, I see a lot of humor in this story as the wise woman from Abel saves her town by promising to throw the head of Sheba over the city wall. Can you imagine the weird waiting game that Joab and his men had to do…looking and waiting for a head to fly over the wall. I’m sure the people in the town had to find a good thrower because we are talking about 30 feet of wall! Then all of the sudden here comes the flying head! “It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Sheba’s head!”

Day 96 (Thursday) 2 Samuel 17-19

I guess you can’t blame David for wanting Absalom to be left alive and for grieving like he did when the battle was over, but Absalom was a bad man and threatened the kingdom with his actions. David is very unpredictable. At one point he shows great mercy but at other points he lashes out in anger and people die at his feet. I don’t think I would want to serve a king like David. Joab was gutsy in killing Absalom and I am shocked that David didn’t kill Joab…that would have been his MO. David has stopped calling on God and discussions of God’s will are not in the picture anymore. I guess we all can get like this if we take our eyes off God’s plan, will and character. It’s time for David to return to having the character that seeks God’s heart and not his own will.

Day 95 (Wednesday) 2 Samuel 14-16

I love the words from the woman from Tekoa. She said, ‘God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.” This is the Good News! No matter how far we get from God, he is always looking for and planning ways for us to return to him. There is great comfort in knowing that God will never give up on us. It is re-communicated in the stories of the lost son, the lost coin and the lost sheep. We are invited again and again to come home. I love this verse!

Day 94 (Tuesday) 2 Samuel 11-13

I’ll let the story of Bathsheba and Nathan alone as you have heard enough sermons on those and instead, discuss the rape of Tamar. What a terrible story and what terrible sons David had. David used to be so strict about doing the right thing but here he seems detached from the events and not ruling or bringing justice. The lack of justice causes the situation to escalate and before you know it, brothers are killing brothers. I remember how my sister and I used to fight but it was nothing like this.

Day 93 (Monday) 2 Samuel 6:12-10:19

The Ark of the Covenant was moved from the tabernacle and placed in a small tent in the City of David. God never asked for the Ark to be moved and never commissioned a new structure to be built. I wonder what happened to the ministry and work of the tabernacle and what became of its materials. As David’s power grows, you can begin to see some pride and arrogance sneak in to his actions. David now has many wives and is looking for more power and control. The original nature of David is still there and it will continue to show itself throughout his rule, but there are some other less attractive traits that are becoming more visible.

Day 92 (Sunday) 2 Samuel 3:1-6:11

Like it or not, I will be honest about what I understand and don’t understand about the Bible. Some people fear not having the answers. I used to be that way. I thought that any question about God and his actions had to be explainable and point to some wonderful truth about God that we all wanted to hear. I’m not that way anymore. I don’t understand God and his ways. Sure, sometimes I get what he is up to and it seems pretty clear what he is doing or teaching, but then there are times like chapter 6. The Ark was tipping and Uzzah steadied it. Good for Uzzah. He did the right thing, not letting it tip over or fall off the cart. God killed him for it. I have heard dozens of pastors explain it away, but the truth is this story is tough to swallow. God is God and his ways are not our ways. Advice, don’t touch the Ark!