anitasanecdotes

2 Samuel 8-10 open with David restoring the lands of Israel to his kingdom. God blesses him in all of his battles. David takes the booty from the battles and dedicates it to the Lord. The people of the other nations become servants to David and bring him tribute. Later the Ammonites and Arameans try to go against David. God blesses David and the armies of Israel. The nations become servants of Israel.

David seeks out any who are left from Saul’s household so that he show them kindness because of his friendship with Jonathan. Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth and one of Saul’s servants, Ziba, are still living. Mephibosheth is lame. David restores Saul’s land to Mephibosheth and sets Ziba and his household as his servants. Mephibosheth eats at the king’s table.

Even though Saul had treated David badly and as the new king he could kill all the members of Saul’s household, David’s love for Jonathan prevails. Jonathan had remained loyal to David even if it put him against his own father. David spared his household and blessed them. God blesses us because of Jesus’ love for us. When we deserve punishment and even destruction, God’s love for us through Jesus prevails.

In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul advises the church to clean out those who say they are believers and yet they continue to sin openly. He is concerned that just as even a little yeast leavens an entire loaf, even one who continues in sin corrupts the whole. Paul has apparently dealt with this issue before and is repeating it. While he has spoken about not judging others, he does seem to judge obviously sinful behavior.  

In 2 Samuel 6 David is bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. If you remember, Saul lost the ark and when it was retrieved it was kept safe in the house of a priest. The people of Israel are dancing and playing instruments as they parade with the ark. The cart shakes and Uzzah reaches out to steady the ark. This is against the law of God and He kills Uzzah on the spot. David has not encountered God’s anger before and is himself angry with God. He is afraid to care of the ark and takes it to the house of Obed-edom. God blesses Obed-edom while he has the ark.

David wants God’s blessing and decides to bring the ark to Jerusalem. The celebration continues as David leaps and dances before the Lord but it also includes sacrifices. When the ark arrives at its place David offers burnt offerings of well-being. He feeds all of the people who are there.

When David returns to his house his wife Michal, the daughter of Saul chides David because of his behavior while the ark entered Jerusalem. David defends his behavior as gratitude for what God has done in his life and says he will continue to do so in the future. God does not bless Michal with any children.

To many our faithfulness may seem like foolishness. Oh that we would be like David and know that we are not here to please people, but rather, to please God. Let us continue to be foolish in the eyes of people that we may be considered wise in God’s eyes.

2 Samuel 7 opens with David considering where the ark/God dwells. He acknowledges that he lives in a house of cedar but God resides in a tent. He wants to build God a house. He tells the prophet Nathan of his plans. At first Nathan blesses his intentions but God speaks to him and says that He does not need a building to be with His people. He states that He will make David a house, the house of God’s kingdom. His kingdom and his throne will be established forever. This is the Messianic promise that comes to the house of David and is fulfilled in Jesus. David accepts his promise and pledges his faith.

In 1 Corinthians 4 Paul says that he doesn’t care what the people think of him, how they judge him. He is only concerned with how God judges him. He knows that everything he has comes from God and exhorts the Corinthians to have this same understanding. the apostles have been willing to be foolish, to be treated badly, to be persecuted, all the while being a blessing even to those who are doing the persecuting. Paul admonishes the church not to boast in their success but to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, not to judge in cruelty but to love in gentleness.  

In 2 Samuel 3 – 5 the battles rage on. Abner makes a covenant with David but David’s people kill Abner. Some people kill Saul’s son and David becomes the king of all of Israel. David is 30 years old. David takes Jerusalem form the Jebusites and it becomes the City of David. David gets stronger and stronger.

The Israelites had not completely defeated the Philistines yet. David asks God if it is time to fight them. God blesses David and the Israelites strike down the Philistines.

In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul is still addressing the quarreling over who the people are following. He tells them that he is unable to address them as spiritual people yet because they are still in the flesh, infants in Christ. As long as they are quarreling they have not attained the spiritual maturity they need to learn about deeper faith. They are thinking in human terms.

Each of those who has come to Corinth has come with a part of the gospel message. Each has his own God-given purpose for furthering their growth. The growth, though, comes from God. The people of Corinth are concerned about their human leaders and human wisdom. Paul admonishes them to concentrate on Christ and God’s wisdom.

Even today, we are lured by charismatic teachers, preachers, and leaders. We boast about the people that we follow or that we like over others. We may not accept new leadership because of our loyalty to the old leaders. We fail to realize that our only leader is Jesus Christ. All others are merely servants of the kingdom of God. They are not to be adored; we are only to worship Christ.

Congratulations! You have finished yet another book of the Old Testament. While 1 Samuel was about the reign of Saul, 2 Samuel is mostly about David’s reign.

2 Samuel 1 and 2 David learns that Saul and Jonathan are dead. He and those with him mourn their deaths. God tells David to go to Judah and the people of Judah anoint him their king. Abner, Saul’s commander, anoints Ishbaal, Saul’s son, king over all Israel although David continues to be king of Judah. David’s army fights Abner’s army and beats them several times.

While God anointed David king of His people, the people did not all accept God’s decision. David will have to fight for his claim as God’s anointed one.

In Psalm 50 God says that He is not impressed with burnt offerings. What He wants is thanksgiving. He is not impressed with what we do for Him. He is more moved by our gratitude and reliance.

In 1 Samuel 29 – 31 the Philistines don’t trust David and will not allow him to fight with them. While David had been gone the Amalekites came into his city and took all of the women and households captive. With God’s blessing David and his men defeat the Amalekites and retrieve all the spoils including the people. When they arrive home David shares the spoils with everyone.

The Philistines fight the Israelites. They kill Jonathan and his brothers. When Saul sees that he is losing the battle he kills himself with a sword. The Israelites take the bodies of Saul and his sons, bury them and fast for seven days. Saul’s reign is over.

In 1 Corinthians 2 Paul attests that he did not proclaim the gospel using lofty words or wisdom, rather he relied on the Spirit to impart God’s wisdom to them. Only the Spirit of God can truly attest to who God is. God’s Spirit gives believers the mind of Christ.

Much of the letter to the Corinthians speaks about the workings of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers in the community of faith. 

1 Samuel 27 and 28 begin with David realizing that Saul will never truly accept him back. He does not believe Saul when he says that David will be safe. David takes his men and his household to Gath. He gains the favor of the king and is eventually given a town in which to live. The king of Gath is fighting with the Philistines against Israel and tells David that he is expected to fight with them. David agrees.

Saul becomes frightened by the gathering of the Philistine army. He comes to God but God does not answer him. Saul finds a medium at Endor and consults the spirit of Samuel. Saul wants to know what to do and Samuel tells him that God has turned against him because of his sin, just as God had promised. Samuel says that Israel will be delivered into the hands of the Philistines and Saul and his sons will die. Saul faints from fear and lack of food. The woman feeds him and he leaves.

Saul’s anointing is coming to an end. He turned his back on God and now God is turning His back on Saul. God is clearing the way for David to become king.

We have finished Mark and are beginning yet another New Testament letter. This letter is the first of two written to the church in Corinth. Corinth was a trade center, being at the crossroads of many trade routes. People from varied backgrounds live in Corinth. As they become Christians their varied backgrounds collide. Paul is trying to address the plethora of conflicts that have arisen in the Corinthian church.

In 1 Corinthians 1 Paul wastes no time dealing with the divisions in the church. The people have become Christians because of the missionary work of several men. The people have split into factions based upon who told them about the gospel.

Paul makes the point that the most important thing is the gospel message of Christ crucified. It goes against all human wisdom because it is the wisdom of God. God chooses that which is low, despised and powerless to shame the strong

We who are believers must remain united in the gospel because we were chosen not because of our qualifications but because of God’s grace. If one is going to boast, it is to boast of the Lord.

1 Samuel 25 opens with the death of Samuel. David and his men are still in the wilderness. They are living near a rich man with many sheep. Because of their location they have been providing him protection. David sends some men to ask for food but the man refuses. David becomes angry and gets ready to attack the man, but the man’s wife Abigail brings food to David and pleads for her husband and household. David spares them. Shortly thereafter the man dies and David marries Abigail.

1 Samuel 26 opens with Saul pursuing David again. Even though they had made peace, it was apparently short-lived. While Saul is sleeping David enters his camp. His companion offers to kill Saul but David refuses because Saul is the Lord’s anointed. He takes Saul’s spear and water jug. The next morning he shows it to Saul and his guards. David pleads again with Saul that he does not mean any harm to the king. Saul admits he is wrong and tells David to come back. David leaves and Saul returns home.

Things appear to be going well again, but will it last?

Psalm 49 is an admonition to remain faithful. It speaks of not fearing those who trust in their wealth. They will die and will not be able to take their wealth with them. Their reward is temporary. The faithful however will be ransomed by God and be received by him. Their reward will last into eternity.

In 1 Samuel 23 and 24 we see Saul pursuing David throughout the land but never catching him. God is protecting David every step of the way. When Saul gets close to David, he is side tracked by another distraction.

Saul comes to the caves in En-gedi. Saul goes into one of the caves for a time. It happens to be the cave where David and his men are hiding. David’s men encourage David to kill Saul now that he is alone. David gets close enough to Saul to cut off a piece of his cloak but does not kill him. Saul is the anointed king and as long as he is the Lord’s anointed David will honor him. .

Saul leaves the cave and David follows him. He shows him the piece of the cloak and assures Saul that he does not want to do him harm. Saul begins to weep recognizing that David has repaid Saul’s evil against him with good. He realizes that it is God’s plan for David to be king and asks that David spare his family. David promises and they part ways.

One thing that stands out in this story is that David listens to the Lord over listening to his human counsel. While we can use human counsel to test what we believe is God’s will, we need to be faithful to God’s will when we are certain of it.

Mark 16 contains an interesting situation. The first eight verses were part of the original materials. They end with the women being so afraid of what they have seen at the tomb that they run away in fear and do not tell anyone. Early scholars were uncomfortable with this ending. If it happened this way, and nothing changed, the gospel would never have been spread. So they added verses nine through twenty. While it is clear that eventually the women must have told the disciples what happened or else we would not have the rest of the New Testament it is interesting to consider their fear. How many times are we placed in situations where we know we are to say something about our faith to someone and we are afraid. If we keep silent how will it affect the spreading of the gospel to people we may never know? As Jesus says many times in this Gospel account, “do not fear, only believe.”

1 Samuel 20 – 22 begin with a conversation between David and Jonathan. David wonders why Saul is angry with him, he is certain Saul wants him dead. Jonathan cannot believe his father would do such a thing but agrees to find out and let David know. Jonathan finds out that, in fact, his father does want to kill David. He, in his anger, even tries to kill Jonathan.

Jonathan warns David that his life is in danger. He counsels him to leave. Jonathan and David pledge to remain friends for generations. David flees to Nob and approaches the priest there. He asks for bread and is given the holy bread of the Presence which remains on the altar for God. This is only eaten by the priests after they replace the bread each day. David also is given Goliath’s sword which had been kept there.

David moves even farther away from King Saul. He gathers forces from those who also are fleeing or in hiding. David asks protection for his parents from the king of Moab.

Saul finds out that David has been to Nob and sends for the priest. The priest defends David in front of the king. This angers the king and he has the priests of Nob and their families killed. Only one son of the priest escapes. He tells David what happened and David promises to protect him.

There is often a great difference between perception and reality. Saul has let his paranoia and suspicions color his view of David. Everything that David does he sees as an attack. The reality is far different. David is only trying to protect himself and continues to be loyal to the king. Even when counseled differently Saul refuses to believe reality over perception. We often carry perceptions that are not based in fact. They color the way we see the things that happen around us. We may experience enmity with those who only mean well by us, believing instead that they mean harm. May we be willing to listen to the counsel of others and consider the possibility that our perceptions are not based upon reality. Let us open ourselves to different possibilities and work toward peace and reconciliation.

In Mark 15 the chief priests hand Jesus over to the Roman governor Pilate. He gives the people the chance to release Jesus or a murderer named Barabbas. The priests influence the crowds to have Barabbas released. Jesus is brought to Golgotha to be crucified. Many people mock him while he is on the cross. Only some of the women who had followed Jesus are there to see what was happening. The disciples are nowhere to be found. Only a centurion acknowledges that Jesus is God’s Son.  Jesus dies and is placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.

Again, perception trumps reality. The priests are so threatened by what they perceive Jesus is doing that they free a murderer rather than allow Jesus to live. They should know who Jesus is but they let their perceptions blind them to the truth.

In 1 Samuel 18 David and Saul’s son Jonathan become close friends. David becomes a might warrior and is given accolades by the people. Saul becomes jealous at David’s success. His lyre playing no longer brings Saul comfort because he is afraid of David’s success through God’s favor.

Saul promises his daughter Michal to David if he defeats the Philistines. He is hoping David will be killed in battle.  David is more successful than any other and becomes famous in the land.

In 1 Samuel 19 Jonathan warns David that his father is trying to kill him. Jonathan defends David before his father and mends the rift between them. While David is in battle Saul became tormented again. David returns to play for Saul but Saul tries to kill him. David runs away and Michal deceives her father to allow David to escape.

Saul sends messengers after David but this time Samuel protects him putting the messengers into a frenzy. Saul himself goes to get David but falls into a frenzy as well.

Everything is going against Saul. It is clear that David is blessed.

Mark 14 opens with a woman coming to Jesus and pouring costly ointment over his head. This upsets the disciples. Jesus defends what she has done saying she has anointed him for burial. Judas Iscariot goes to the chief priests to find an opportunity to betray Jesus.

Jesus and the disciples meet for the Passover meal. Jesus proceeds to break bread and give a cup telling them that this is his body and blood of a new covenant. He tells them that one of them will betray him and all of them will desert him. Peter insists that he will remain faithful but Jesus predicts that he will deny Jesus three times before morning.

After the meal they go to Gethsemane to pray. Jesus asks Peter, James and John to stay awake with him. Jesus asks his Father to let things take place differently but accepts God’s will. The disciples could not stay awake. Jesus wakes them and they start to leave. Judas meets them and betrays Jesus with a kiss of greeting. The priests arrest Jesus. His disciples run away.

Jesus is taken to the high priest and Peter follows at a distance. Three times people accuse Peter of knowing Jesus and three times he claims not to know him. Jesus stands on trial before the high priest but refuses to testify on his own behalf. The high priest asks Jesus if he is the Messiah and Jesus says yes. The high priest charges him with blasphemy and the guards beat him.

It is hard to read the events that lead to Jesus’ death. We realize that we most likely would be like the disciples, unable to stay awake as Jesus prays, running away when Jesus is arrested, denying that we know him. Every day we fall asleep in our faith, we run away from situations where we are challenged to be like Jesus, we show in our disbelief that we don’t really know him. And yet, Jesus still loves us.