We left David finally reconciling with Absalom at the end of 2 Samuel 14. A short-lived reconciliation as Absalom moves to take over the country.

This Absalom! There wasn’t a man in all Israel talked about so much for his handsome good looks—and not a blemish on him from head to toe! When he cut his hair—he always cut it short in the spring because it had grown so heavy—the weight of the hair from his head was over two pounds! …As time went on, Absalom took to riding in a horse-drawn chariot, with fifty men running in front of him. Early each morning he would take up his post beside the road at the city gate. When anyone showed up with a case to bring to the king for a decision, Absalom would call him over and say, “Where do you hail from?” And the answer would come, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.” Then Absalom would say, “Look, you’ve got a strong case; but the king isn’t going to listen to you.” Then he’d say, “Why doesn’t someone make me a judge for this country? Anybody with a case could bring it to me and I’d settle things fair and square.” Whenever someone would treat him with special honor, he’d shrug it off and treat him like an equal, making him feel important. Absalom did this to everyone who came to do business with the king and stole the hearts of everyone in Israel. (2 Samuel 14.25, 26…15.1 – 6, MSG)

Absalom goes to Hebron and declares himself king. (2 Samuel 15.7 – 10) What strikes me is how quickly David reacts:

Someone came to David with the report, “The whole country has taken up with Absalom!” “Up and out of here!” called David to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem. “We’ve got to run for our lives or none of us will escape Absalom! Hurry, he’s about to pull the city down around our ears and slaughter us all!” (2 Samuel 15.13 – 14, MSG)

He and his entourage left Jerusalem immediately, and he had the presence of mind to set up a communication system and send in a man to influence Absalom’s actions:

The king directed Zadok the priest, “Here’s the plan: Return to the city peacefully, with Ahimaaz your son and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son, with you. I’ll wait at a spot in the wilderness across the river, until I get word from you telling us what’s up.” …As David approached the top of the hill where God was worshiped, Hushai the Arkite, clothes ripped to shreds and dirt on his head, was there waiting for him. David said, “If you come with me, you’ll be just one more piece of luggage. Go back to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I’m ready to be your servant, O King; I used to be your father’s servant, now I’m your servant.’ Do that and you’ll be able to confuse Ahithophel’s counsel for me. The priests Zadok and Abiathar are already there; whatever information you pick up in the palace, tell them. Their two sons—Zadok’s son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan—are there with them—anything you pick up can be sent to me by them.” (2 Samuel 15.27 – 28…32 – 36, MSG)

Back to the idea of quick action. Sahil Bloom recently shared a list of maxims with this syntax: Your entire life will change the moment you stop [X] and start [Y]. First on the list?

Stop gathering more information and start acting on the information you already have.

King David did this, and it saved his life. We’ll pick up the story tomorrow.

Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well. (Ecclesiastes 11.6, NIV)

Nathan warns David of consequences to follow for his shameful acts of adultery and murder, among the consequences:

I’ll make trouble for you out of your own family. (2 Samuel 12.11, MSG)

And it starts:

Some time later, this happened: Absalom, David’s son, had a sister who was very attractive. Her name was Tamar. Amnon, also David’s son, was in love with her. (2 Samuel 13.1, MSG)

Another sordid story, in which Amnon, egged on by a cousin, rapes Tamar when she refuses his advances. (2 Samuel 13.1 – 20)

David’s reaction is odd:

King David heard the whole story and was enraged, but he didn’t discipline Amnon. David doted on him because he was his firstborn. (2 Samuel 13.21 – 22, MSG)

I think David had lost moral authority because of his own affair. The Message includes the phrase “he doted on him…” That phrase is in the Dead Sea Scroll:

(ESV) Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint add But he would not punish his son Amnon, because he loved him, since he was his firstborn

Without that insertion, the text just reads, “David was very angry.”

“Very angry” is not the same as “took action.”

David doesn’t act, but Tamar’s brother Absalom does…two years later. Absalom has his servants kill Amnon, and Absalom flees to Geshur. Three years pass. (2 Samuel 13.23 – 39)

2 Samuel 14 describes the process where Joab, using a woman to tell David (another) story, persuades David to allow Absalom to return to Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 14.1 – 22) But then, we have another “David-error.”

Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. The king said, “He may return to his house, but he is not to see me face to face.” So Absalom returned home, but was not permitted to see the king. (2 Samuel 14.23, 24, MSG)

Seriously? God forgave David for adultery and murder. Absalom simply executed Amnon for raping his sister. And David can’t forgive Absalom? For something that was probably David’s fault? After all, David didn’t confront Amnon. And it’s all part of the consequences that God promised through Nathan in chapter 12.

David and Absalom reconcile by the end of the chapter (2 Samuel 14.28 – 33), but it will be short-lived. Stay tuned.

But God does not take away life. He works out ways to get the exile back. (2 Samuel 14.14, MSG)

Then his master summoned him and said to him, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” (Matthew 18.32, 33, ESV)

May will have to go down as my month to miss stuff… First the Kentucky Derby on May 4 and now the Northern Lights. We were out Friday night and didn’t look. We tried last night, but, alas, there was cloud cover to our north. I’ll have to be content with others’ pictures.

My son Mark took this picture outside his back door in northern Colorado Springs:

Peter Schwepker posted this spectacular picture on NextDoor, taken just after midnight, Saturday morning, near Peyton, Colorado, a few miles east of here:

Finally, Fox Weather posted his picture, taken from a time lapse above Ballynafagh Church in Kildare, Ireland:

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (Psalm 19.1, ESV)

God’s glory is on tour in the skies, God-craft on exhibit across the horizon. (Psalm 19.1, MSG)

Recently, I was talking with my friend Ray, formerly on staff with The Navigators, then a pastor, now a pastor disciple-making coach. We were bemoaning the fact that pastors are busy, and when asked to think about investing relationally in people individually or in small groups, their first response is often that they don’t have time for that – their ministry is the pulpit.

Then we recalled something our Navigator mentors used to say about Jesus’ ministry:

• Jesus loved the multitudes.
• He helped many.
• He trained a few.

That’s Jesus’ model, and it should be ours. If a pastor can’t find time to invest in individuals, how will his doctors, attorneys, truck drivers, school teachers, stay-at-home moms, etc., find time?

I was privileged to teach a 2-week discipleship class in a seminary in Haiti three times: 2006 – 2008. When first invited by the seminary director, Dr. Bill Cooper, I said something like:

I’d be honored to teach your seminarians—pastors and future pastors—and here’s the message: “Men, I hope that on Sunday you preach to thousands. But on Monday, I want you to sit down with a man and train him.”

Dr. Bill confirmed, “That’s exactly what I want you to teach them!”

I don’t make this stuff up. The Apostle Paul, applying Jesus’ model of love the multitudes, help many, train a few, wrote to Timothy:

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2.2, NIV)

One of my Haitian classes balked. “Teacher, we are bi-vocational, we don’t have time to meet with people individually.” I had two responses:

• By any definition, Timothy was a pastor. What part of 2 Timothy 2.2 does not apply to you?
• Could you sit down with one guy for one hour, once a week?

“I guess we could do that.” Then start there.

Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach… (Mark 3.13, 14, NIV)

King David is now a known adulterer and murderer, and Nathan gets the unenviable task of confronting him. Nathan, in addition to being obedient, must believe that deep down David is still a man who fears God, who is redeemable. A normal king, who was given to murder, wouldn’t tolerate a challenge; he would literally “shoot the messenger.” But Nathan counts on David’s tender heart by telling him a story:

But GOD was not at all pleased with what David had done, and sent Nathan to David. Nathan said to him, “There were two men in the same city—one rich, the other poor. The rich man had huge flocks of sheep, herds of cattle. The poor man had nothing but one little female lamb, which he had bought and raised. It grew up with him and his children as a member of the family. It ate off his plate and drank from his cup and slept on his bed. It was like a daughter to him. One day a traveler dropped in on the rich man. He was too stingy to take an animal from his own herds or flocks to make a meal for his visitor, so he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared a meal to set before his guest.” (2 Samuel 12.1 – 4, MSG)

Nathan got the response he desired and turned the tables on David:

David exploded in anger. “As surely as GOD lives,” he said to Nathan, “the man who did this ought to be lynched! He must repay for the lamb four times over for his crime and his stinginess!” “You’re the man!” said Nathan. (2 Samuel 12.5 – 7, MSG)

“You’re the man,” and you will suffer consequences:

And now, because you treated God with such contempt and took Uriah the Hittite’s wife as your wife, killing and murder will continually plague your family. This is GOD speaking, remember! I’ll make trouble for you out of your own family. I’ll take your wives from right out in front of you. I’ll give them to some neighbor, and he’ll go to bed with them openly. You did your deed in secret; I’m doing mine with the whole country watching! (2 Samuel 12.10 – 12, MSG)

Confrontation, consequences, but thankfully, David confesses:

Then David confessed to Nathan, “I’ve sinned against GOD.” (2 Samuel 12.13, MSG)

David understands that he has sinned against God. It’s the perspective he should have thought of before he acted. Joseph did. (Genesis 39.1 – 9) Job did. (Job 31.1 – 4) Here’s part of David’s confession as recorded in Psalm 51:

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin!

For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
    and blameless in your judgment.

And there are more consequences:

Nathan pronounced, “Yes, but that’s not the last word. GOD forgives your sin. You won’t die for it. But because of your blasphemous behavior, the son born to you will die.” (2 Samuel 12.13 – 14, MSG)

The child does die (2 Samuel 12.15 – 23), but the story has a surprise ending:

David went and comforted his wife Bathsheba. And when he slept with her, they conceived a son. When he was born they named him Solomon. GOD had a special love for him and sent word by Nathan the prophet that GOD wanted him named Jedidiah (God’s Beloved). (2 Samuel 12.24 – 25, MSG)

Surprising…the wife David stole after committing adultery with her and murdering her husband becomes his legal wife and the mother of the next king. It’s all recorded without apology in the genealogy of Jesus, the true king and ultimate “son of David:”

Jesse had David, and David became king. David had Solomon (Uriah’s wife was the mother). (Matthew 1.6, MSG)

And there’s one more paragraph: Joab gets David back into the battle (contrast 2 Samuel 11.1):

Joab, at war in Rabbah against the Ammonites, captured the royal city. He sent messengers to David saying, “I’m fighting at Rabbah, and I’ve just captured the city’s water supply. Hurry and get the rest of the troops together and set up camp here at the city and complete the capture yourself. Otherwise, I’ll capture it and get all the credit instead of you.” So David marshaled all the troops, went to Rabbah, and fought and captured it. (2 Samuel 12.26 – 29, MSG)

It’s a good ending…but it’s not an ending. Nathan promised consequences, and we’ll be reading about those beginning in chapter 13.

King David, phenomenally successful in battle decides to take a break.

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab…But David remained at Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 11.1, ESV)

In a remarkable economy of words, we have the sordid tale:

One late afternoon, David got up from taking his nap and was strolling on the roof of the palace. From his vantage point on the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was stunningly beautiful. David sent to ask about her, and was told, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite?” David sent his agents to get her. After she arrived, he went to bed with her. (This occurred during the time of “purification” following her period.) Then she returned home. Before long she realized she was pregnant. Later she sent word to David: “I’m pregnant.” (2 Samuel 11.2 – 5, MSG)

• David got up from his nap (nothing to do!).
• He saw a woman bathing…stunningly beautiful.
• He took her even though she was married.
• She got pregnant.

What happened to “the man after God’s own heart”? How did he develop such hubris? It was secret, but it wasn’t. He involved his staff, and it’s unfortunate that no one (that we know of) tried to talk him out of this: not his staff, not Bathsheba herself (contrast Abigail).

David tries to cover his tracks by bringing her husband home: verses 6 – 13. When that fails, he has Uriah killed in battle: verses 14 – 17. Then he marries Bathsheba. You can read the whole story in 2 Samuel 11. Well, it’s not quite the whole story. In most translations, the chapter ends with:

But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD. – You think!?

We have confrontation, confession, and consequences in chapter 12, and there are lessons too important to rush through. Stay tuned.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it…Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. (Proverbs 4.23…25 – 27, NIV)

Wedged in between the 2 Samuel stories of wars is a story of “amazing grace.” It begins this way:

One day David asked, “Is there anyone left of Saul’s family? If so, I’d like to show him some kindness in honor of Jonathan.” It happened that a servant from Saul’s household named Ziba was there…The king asked, “Is there anyone left from the family of Saul to whom I can show some godly kindness?” Ziba told the king, “Yes, there is Jonathan’s son, lame in both feet.” 2 Samuel 9.1 – 3, MSG)

Lame in both feet. Here’s the backstory:

It so happened that Saul’s son, Jonathan, had a son who was maimed in both feet. When he was five years old, the report on Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and ran, but in her hurry to get away she fell, and the boy was maimed. His name was Mephibosheth. (2 Samuel 4.4, MSG)

David summons Mephibosheth who doesn’t have much of a self-image:

“Don’t be frightened,” said David. “I’d like to do something special for you in memory of your father Jonathan. To begin with, I’m returning to you all the properties of your grandfather Saul. Furthermore, from now on you’ll take all your meals at my table.” Shuffling and stammering, not looking him in the eye, Mephibosheth said, “Who am I that you pay attention to a stray dog like me?” (2 Samuel 9.7, 8, MSG)

“A stray dog” (the more literal translations say, “dead dog”) who can make no contribution to David, and the chapter ends affirming that fact:

Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, taking all his meals at the king’s table. He was lame in both feet. (2 Samuel 9.13, MSG)

“Lame in both feet” – 2 Samuel 9.3 and 13. God doesn’t want us to miss it. We, too, are invited to the King’s Table. Some call it the Lord’s Supper; others, the Eucharist. No matter what we call it, we get to participate not based on our merit because, like Mephibosheth, we’re all “lame in both feet.”

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins… (Ephesians 2.1, ESV)

Then he said to his servants, “The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.” So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. (Matthew 22.8 – 10, NIV)

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone… (Ephesians 2.19, 20, ESV)

Yesterday we highlighted King David’s successes on the battlefield from 2 Samuel chapters 8 and 10. It turns out my son David (no relation to King David that I know of!) is also reading 2 Samuel, and he passed on some excellent observations from chapter 10 that are too good not to share. Here’s part of what he wrote:

The Lord is always aware of our situations, our battles. Whether they are of our own making, battles he puts us in, or we are up against other sinful people. We may just be wrestling with a particular decision, one that is driven by choice. In other words, doing something or not doing something that is not inherently sinful or against Christian principles, but we still seek out God’s wisdom in what to do. When we find ourselves in these situations, God often wants us to keep “fighting,” understanding the outcome will ultimately be in his hands. Let me provide a great biblical example:

In 2 Samuel 10, there is a battle being waged. David sends his leader of the army, Joab, and his mighty men to fight. Joab realizes there are opposing forces in front and to the rear. It doesn’t take a military veteran like me to understand this is not a favorable situation. Joab sends some of his best men on one front, while the rest he sends with his brother Abishai to the other front. Joab tells Abishai:

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. Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him. (2 Samuel 10.11, 12, ESV, emphasis mine)

Let’s cut to the end. The Lord granted them victory. But I was struck by a couple of things. First, Joab engaged an intentional and intelligent battle strategy. Second, he motivated his army (“Be of good courage….”). Ultimately, he recognized that victory or defeat against a significant opposing army would rest with the Lord (“…may the Lord do what seems good to him.”).

Have you ever encountered someone whose life was frozen? It is often frozen by fear, worry, or anxiety (synonyms for the same issue). But they are believers. They know those things are not of the Lord. So, they’ll tell you, “I’m waiting on the Lord.” How are you going to argue that, right? They know that, too. Don’t get me wrong, if a spiritually mature person really has received communication or guidance from the Lord to wait, that can be very legitimate. However, there are times that God wants us to fight. To plan. To strategize. To keep moving forward. All the while, we bathe the process in prayer, reading of His Word, pursuing wisdom directly from the Lord, as well as good counsel from those we trust. In the end, we say with confidence, “May the Lord do what seems good to him.” – David Ewell, May 2, 2024

A good word, David. Thanks for sharing.

Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors…Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. GOD, your God, is with you every step you take.” (Joshua 1.6, 9, MSG)

Our Bible characters don’t always experience success: Joshua’s leading the people into the Promised Land and Nehemiah’s wall are notable exceptions. They succeeded, and so did David early in his reign. Here’s how 2 Samuel 8 starts:

In the days that followed, David struck hard at the Philistines—brought them to their knees and took control of the countryside. He also fought and defeated Moab. He chose two-thirds of them randomly and executed them. The other third he spared. So the Moabites fell under David’s rule and were forced to bring tribute. On his way to restore his sovereignty at the River Euphrates, David next defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob the king of Zobah. (2 Samuel 8.1 – 3, MSG)

He took out several other tribes because…

God gave victory to David wherever he marched. (2 Samuel 8.14, MSG)

Success continues into chapter 10, which opens with the Ammonites mistreating David’s emissaries and hiring the Arameans to help them. (2 Samuel 10.1 – 7) David’s general, Joab, goes out, divides the army between himself and his brother Abishai, and defeats both.

But when Joab and his soldiers moved in to fight the Arameans, they ran off in full retreat. Then the Ammonites, seeing the Arameans run for dear life, took to their heels from Abishai and went into the city. So Joab left off fighting the Ammonites and returned to Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 10.13, 14, MSG)

The Arameans regroup, and David takes them out:

David mustered Israel, crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. The Arameans went into battle formation, ready for David, and the fight was on. But the Arameans again scattered before Israel. David killed seven hundred chariot drivers and forty thousand cavalry. And he mortally wounded Shobach, the army commander, who died on the battlefield. When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace and became Israel’s vassals. The Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites ever again. (2 Samuel 10.17 – 19, MSG)

Success! But the very next sentence is one of the saddest in the Bible, kicking off a series of catastrophes for David:

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab…But David remained at Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 11.1, ESV)

As my friend and former Air Force Academy Football Coach Fisher DeBerry used to say:

You’re only as good as your last play.

Stay tuned. We’ll see that contrary to 2 Samuel 8.14, quoted above, God gave David victory “wherever he marched.” David does NOT get victory when he stays home instead of engaging the enemy in battle.

They ran the Kentucky Derby Saturday, and I missed it. Weird. I usually watch the Derby, but this year I never gave “first Saturday in May” a thought until I received a news update saying who won. As always, a sports event happens whether I’m aware of it or not!

I wished I had seen it live. It was the 150th running, the longest continuously running (no pun intended) sports event in the same venue – every year beginning in 1875, through two world wars and a depression. And it was a photo finish – there have been only 10 of those – and this one was 3-way:

Here’s the official photo: Mystik Dan wins by the proverbial nose (yellow arrows on his nose at the finish line and his jockey in the green hat). The #2 horse on the outside, Sierra Leone, is inches behind (blue arrow). And there’s a third horse in there! You can see part of his jockey in red (red arrow), a “head” behind #2. Mystik Dan had taken the lead on the final stretch, and the other two horses were trying to catch him. You can see the race here.

So many lessons:

• As always, a few horses start out fast and fail. The favored horse, Fierceness, got off to a good start and finished 15th out of 20 horses.
• Mystik Dan, the winner, was the 7th favored horse. Shows that perceptions don’t mean much.
• The horse that finished second, was also the second favorite horse, and the most expensive.
• The winning horse was bred in Arkansas. Arkansas? Can anything good come out of Arkansas?

The winning owners are cousins Lance and Brent Gasaway and Daniel Hamby III, all from Arkansas. They bred Mystik Dan. “We’ve done it with what I call a working-class horse,” McPeek said. “His mother is a filly who raced hard, but wasn’t well known. His father wasn’t a big name, either.” Sharilyn Gasaway, Brent’s wife, said, “It is surreal for sure. We feel like we’re just ordinary people and we’ve got an amazing horse. – From ESPN

And, of course, it’s a huge opportunity for gambling, and you don’t even have to be at the track. You can lose money from the comfort of your den. Lose? You bet (also, no pun intended!):

All-sources wagering on the Kentucky Derby race itself was a record of $210.7 million, beating the previous mark of $188.7 million set in 2023.

Any money that a bettor wins comes from multiple bettors who lost, minus the cut that the booking agent takes. Glamorous when it’s the Kentucky Derby, but still a lot of money lost. I’m thankful that I can find excitement in sporting events, even when watching the replay, without having any money at risk.

Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane? Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrifying. He paws in the valley and exults in his strength; he goes out to meet the weapons. (Job 39.19 – 21, ESV)

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD. (Proverbs 21.31, ESV)

His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. (Psalm 147.10, 11, ESV)