2 Samuel 2:10 - Acquire things in the will of God

“Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David.”

2 Samuel 2:10

The Philistines killed Saul’s son’s Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. Saul had fell on his sword by his own choosing. He still had another son that was alive and his name was Ishbosheth who was forty years old. The son of Saul’s army, Abner, made Ishbosheth “king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel” (2 Samuel 2:9). He reigned for two years. Notice that Abner chose Ishbosheth to be king. God is not the one that chose him. He was not appointed by the Lord and anointed for the job. Since it wasn’t God’s choosing, it brought nothing but heartache to the people. Whatever we acquire outside of God’s will eventually turns to ashes. Make sure that what you do is inside the will of God. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Trust in the Lord. Don’t lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge Him. He will direct your paths and blessings will follow you. Be wise and acquire things inside the will of God. Don’t acquire things on your own outside the will of God. You don’t want those situations to turn to ashes.

Father, we can see from the life of Saul’s son, Ishbosheth, that we shouldn’t make decisions on our own. We should trust in You and Your guidance and direction. We want to acquire things in the will of God and have Your blessings. We do not want to acquire things outside the will of God. We don’t want things to turn to ashes. May we trust in You, lean not on our own understanding, and acknowledge You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

2 Samuel 2:1 - Inquire of the Lord in what you should do

“It happened after this that David inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I go up to any of the cities in Judah?’ And the Lord said to him, ‘Go up.’ David said, ‘Where shall I go up?’ And He said, ‘To Hebron.’”

2 Samuel 2:1

David was a man with a servant’s heart. He loved to serve the Lord. David asked the Lord for His leading even in the matter of where he should live. Listening to God is essential to walking with the Lord. Inquire of the Lord often in what you should do. Inquire of him in the little things as well as the major decisions of your life. Listen to His still small voice and He will guide you. He will impress on your heart what you should do.

Father, may we inquire of You in what we should do. May we do this in the little things as well as the major decisions of our lives. We want to walk with You. Speak to us and impress on our hearts in what we should do. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. 

2 Samuel 1:26 - Godly friends

“I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; you have been very pleasant to me; your love for me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women.”

2 Samuel 1:26

David lamented over Saul and Jonathan after they died. He honored Saul in his lament, but he celebrated his best friend Jonathan. David knew that he owed his life to Jonathan. Jonathan’s love and companionship helped him become the man that he was. Friends play such an important role in shaping our spiritual destinies. Choose your friends wisely. Your friends make a difference in your life. Make sure your friends draw you closer to the Lord, not farther away from him.

Father, we thank You for our friends’ love and companionship. Help us to choose our friends wisely. Friends make a difference in our lives. May we make sure that we surround ourselves with people that encourage us to walk closely to You and to do Your will. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

1 Samuel 31:9 - God Gets His Greatest Victories from Seeming Defeat

“And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines, to proclaim it in the temple of their idols and among the people.”

1 Samuel 31:9

The next day the Philistines found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. They cut of Saul’s head and took his armor. They sent word throughout their land. They proclaimed it among the people and in the temple of their idols. They put Saul’s armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths. They fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan. God sometimes allows His enemies to triumph and even to celebrate and believe that they have received victory over Him. He allows this only for a little while. God thinks of things in the long run, not the short run. God always triumphs in the end. Think of Jesus. Satan thought he was victorious when Jesus died on the cross. The people that came against Jesus thought they had won a victory as well. Jesus was dead. Three days later He arose! Jesus conquered death and the grave!

Our Father, we thank You that there is victory in Jesus. You conquered death and the grave. You can conquer anything. Although Your enemies may think they have triumphed and they celebrate because they think they have received victory over You. You allow this only for a little while. You always triumph in the end. We praise You, Lord, with all our hearts. We love You and adore You. We lift your name on high. Bless You, Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

1 Samuel 31:4 - Face life with God!

“Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it.”

1 Samuel 31:4

Saul’s son’s were killed by the Philistines. “The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was severely wounded by the archers” (1 Samuel 31:3). Saul wanted his armorbearer to thrust his sword through him. Saul’s armorbearer was greatly afraid and would not do what Saul wanted him to. “Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it” (1 Samuel 31:4). When his armorbearer realized that Saul was dead, “he also fell on his sword, and died with him. So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day” (1 Samuel 31:5-6).

Saul faced the end of his life the same way he faced life in general. He took matters into his own hands. He didn’t pray for God to intervene. He didn’t think about God and His will at all. He simply fell on the sword and took his own life. I don’t know what is going on in your life, but I pray that you put your trust in the Lord your God. He cares about You and He wants to help you. God is bigger than any situation you are facing now. If you wonder how you will face death in the future, look at look at how you are facing life now. You will face it the same way you are now. You either handle things with Him or you handle things on your own. I encourage you to face life with God. Don’t take things into your own hands. His way is better.

Father, we can learn from Saul’s mistakes. Saul continually took matters into his own hands. We can see how this ended. May we not do that, Lord. May we take our matters to You in prayer. May we think about You and put our faith, hope and trust in You. May we handle things with You and not handle things on our own. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

1 Samuel 30:8 - Inquire of the Lord when you don't know what to do

“So David inquired of the Lord, saying, ‘Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?’ And He answered him, ‘Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.’”

1 Samuel 30:8

The Amelekites had burned Ziklag with fire and all the wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive. The men grieved deeply and even thought of stoning David. David took His grief to the Lord. He also “strengthened himself in the Lord his God” (1 Samuel 30:6). After David was strengthened in the Lord, he asked God if he should pursue the Amelekites and overtake them. God answered him saying “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all” (1 Samuel 30:8). “David recovered all that the Amelekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all” (1 Samuel 30:18-19). Thank God David “strengthened himself in the Lord his God” when he was grieved. If he hadn’t, he would have been in a state of despair. He probably would not have inquired of the Lord in what he should do. It is so important that we strengthen ourselves in the Lord our God. We should do this each and every day during the good times and the bad. We should also inquire of the Lord in what He wants us to do. Then we should be obedient and follow through with His direction. God took a personal tragedy that David experienced and turned it into a personal blessing. He can use the personal tragedies in our lives and turn them into personal blessings too.

Father, we thank you that when David experienced a personal tragedy you turned it into a victorious personal blessing in his life as well as the others, even those that thought to stone him. When we are faced with grief may we turn to You. May we strengthen ourselves in the Lord our God. May we not wallow in despair. May we inquire of You in what we should do and may You give us guidance. May we obey Your call and follow through with Your direction. Take each and every personal tragedy that we experience and turn it into a victorious personal blessing in our lives and those around us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. 

1 Samuel 30:6 - Strengthen yourself in the Lord

“Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people were grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”

1 Samuel 30:6

The Amelekites invaded Ziklag and burned it with fire. They took captive the women and those that were there. They didn’t kill anyone, but took them away. When David and his men came to the city they saw that the city had been burned with fire. They also realized that their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive. David and those that were with him lifted up their voices and wept. They cried till they had no more tears left. David’s two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, had been taken captive. This pained David. These people were deeply grieved. And those that were with David spoke of stoning him. But David “strengthened himself in the Lord his God” (1 Samuel 30:6). When David was grieved and all the people had turned against him he went to the Lord his God. He strengthened himself in the Lord when no encouragement came from others. What a good example this is to us. We can go to the Lord ourselves and be strengthened by Him. We shouldn’t always need and crave the encouragement that from others. Yes, it is nice to be encouraged by our Christian brothers and sisters in the Lord. Their love lifts us up. But it is wisdom to rely on the Lord for this encouragement. This shows maturity. And His love for us can fill us till we overflow.

Father, thank You for Your love. Thank You that we can come to you any time day or night. You are always there. When we need strengthened in the Lord we should come to You. You will fill us with Your love and we will be strengthened by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Thank You Lord. In David’s case the people had turned against him. He was satisfied for he had You. You were enough for him. He cried out to You and You strengthened him in the Lord. Father, may we cry out to You. May You be enough for us. May our satisfaction come from our relationship with You. May the bond between You, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and ourselves be strong. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.