May 7 -Psalm 12-17 | Psalm 19-21

Good morning everyone,

In our reading we have come to the end of David’s life, but his words live on. There are 72 psalms that mention David as the author, over the next week and a half we are going to be reading through many of them. Most of David’s psalms, though, quite obviously from his heart and so full of passion, are not specific to any event, they could have been written at any time during his life. When reading through the Psalms you’ll find that some are filled with lavish, enthusiastic praise for God’s great goodness while others are a desperate plea for help and protection. The Psalms are a great way for us to pray when we are experiencing similar situations in our lives.

Today, I like the way Psalm 12 starts out, “Help, O Lord.” Short and to the point. I am a short and to the point kind of person and I am always amazed at how some people can go on and on in prayer. Sometimes I will listen to a person expound on a request and think, “Wow! That was amazing. How did they think of all the different ways to cover that request, and so clearly. I wish I could do that.”  While other times I will listen to someone pray and think, “What in the world are they saying?” as they throw a crazy amount of unrecognizable non-related words into an un-comprehendible, incomplete sentence. The absolute best news is, it doesn’t matter if I understand them, God knows the heart of the person praying and hears quite clearly all of our un-clarity’s. Besides we’v got a helper. Romans  8:26 tells us,  “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.” The main thing is that we pray. 

I loved , loved, loved the walk down memory lane this morning as I pulled out my old NIV Bible to read today’s scripture. Though I do reference it from time to time, this Bible was put on a shelf and replaced with NKJV in 1999 when I started attending Calvary Chapel, so it was like visiting an old and cherished friend. I loved it. Many, quite a few in fact, of the verses are highlighted or underlined in various colors, all reflecting a moment in time when God used them to speak to me about one thing or another, several of them with dates listed by them, some decades old. Over and over again I read, “Thank you, Jesus.” And even today, still I am warmed by their power, the healing power, the comforting power, the loving power of our God through these verses.

I would encourage you to go through the Psalms slowly. Let the spirit with which David wrote them wash over you. Feel his pain with him, rejoice in victory with him, thank and praise our amazing God with him. Close your eyes to see it all, I promise, you will be astounded at how blessed you will be if you will but let the Spirit wash over you and take control of your mind’s eye. See and feel the love of God which has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Such a precious gift. Amen?

Have a great day to God be the glory.

God bless you all …

May 6 - 1Kings 2:1-9 | 2Samuel 23:1-7 | 1Kings 2:10-12 | 1Chronicles 29:26-30 | Psalms 4-6 | Psalms 8-9 | 

Psalm 11

Good morning everyone,

We begin reading this morning with David giving his last words to Solomon before the Lord takes him home. While I was reading, I found the directions to sound vaguely familiar to words of instruction or reminders Matt might use when he is headed off to work for two weeks. Words of experience to make my life a little easier, helpful hints that allow things to run smoother, because he loves me and cares about my welfare. That’s not to say that he has ever instructed me to lop off someone’s head, but you get the idea. 

As I sit here, I am wondering how much David had in common with Solomon. David was a warrior, a man’s man, a giant killer who could leap tall walls. David’s older son, Absalom, the kid who was probably on his father’s heals as a toddler, the boy he probably wrestled a lot with in the courtyard, the son he mourned bitterly over when he died, was more like David than Solomon was. Solomon, who was  thought not to be more than sixteen years old when David died, was a gentler sort of youngster. Probably the “head in a book type”. He was born in the later years of David’s life, he definitely spent more time with his mother, he was a peaceful kid, and maybe not as easy for David to relate to. So, David has some last words for Solomon, to hopefully help carry him through the learning curve of being a king.

David’s first charge was to, “Observe the requirements of the Lord your God and follow all his ways.” That seems simple enough. Right? “Just keep the decrees, command, regulations and laws written in the Law of Moses and you’ll be successful wherever you go.” Great advice and the first on the list. Not an “Oh, by the way.” No! God was first in David’s words of wisdom to his son.

Then there is the matter of Joab. This guy was a mean, sneaky murderous dude. David had known him for fifty years and knew how to handle him. David also know Joab would run Solomon over like a freight train so he instructed him to give him the death sentence he had earned many times over, and Solomon did.

David also wanted to be sure the sons of Barzillai were always welcomed and provided for. You remember him, right?, he was the gentleman who fed and clothed David and his troops when they were on the run from Absalom. Good guy.

Ahhh, let’s not forget the cranky, Shimei, the guy who threw stones, nasty words and kicked dust at David, is another concern for David. He instructs Solomon to get rid of him. We’ll read later that Solomon doesn’t have him killed right away but rather puts him in a sort of house arrest, allowing him to live if he stays in the city. 

Then, we’re told, the son of Jesse, who, as a young boy tending sheep was chosen by God to be, second only to Jesus, the greatest king Israel would ever see, died and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. David loved God, I believe, as much as anyone can love God. It’s true, he was a guy who made some poor choices, and he sometimes lost his way, but never for very long. He always sought to have a close, personal relationship with God, constantly pouring his heart out in writing to his Abba for help, for direction and oh how he loved to sing praises to Him. I thank God for the example of David. It allows me to be me, all of us to be who we are with the blessed assurance that when we do mess up and make poor choices, and we will, God is right there with His outstretched hand waiting for us to take hold and continue our walk with Him while He listens as we tell him all about it. Our God is so amazing.

I am going to finish with a the words of a song that have been dancing through my heart this morning, penned by Fredrick Whitfield, I know you’ll quickly recognize them.

There is a name I love to hear, I love to sing its worth. It sounds like music in my ear, the sweetest name on earth. It tells me of a Savior’s love, who died to set me free. It tells me of His precious blood, the sinner’s perfect plea. It tells of One whose loving heart can feel my deepest woe, who in each sorrow bears a part, that none can bear below. Oh, how I love Jesus! Oh, how I love Jesus! Oh, how I love Jesus! Because he first loved me.

Have a great day and to our mighty God be all the glory.

God bless you …

May 5 - 1 Chronicles 29:1-22 | 1 Kings 1:1-53

Good morning everyone,

This morning we begin with taking a look at the gifts given for the building of the temple. David was an incredibly wealthy man and he was so in love with God. What do you do with those, for those you love? Answer: It is typically in your heart to give them gifts, honor them in any way you can. And so it was that from his own private fortune, his personal bank account, so to speak, that David gave 3,000 talents of gold and 7,000 talents of high grade silver. He also asked if there would be any one of his people out there who would like to give as well. He didn’t order them but rather set a godly example. We’re told the leaders of families gave, officers of tribes gave, commanders of hundreds gave, they all gave willingly. The amount of the love gift was staggering, and the people rejoiced at the response along with David the King who also rejoiced greatly. Then the King praised the Lord, right there in front of everybody with a beautiful prayer of thanks, recognizing that nothing really belongs to us, that it all came from God in the first place.

I liked in his prayer too, how he prayed for God to give Solomon wholehearted devotion to keep God’s commands. It is a good reminder that we should be praying for our children’s protection from the enemy, for discipline in their lives, and devotion to our God, our Abba Father who loves them and us so much.

Now off to 1 Kings where there is a little bit of trouble brewing in the camp, or would that be palace. David’s health is failing, he is cold all the time, probably getting thin and just not the strong man he use to be when, Adonijah, one of his sons, decides that dad’s not being a very kingly king and that a self appointed kingsmanship (new word) would be in order. So he goes to have a chat with Joab, David’s trusted general, and Abiathar, the priest and together they decide to hold a big bar-b-que, for all who wanted to come, out in the desert where they would crown this, apparently very handsome, charming kid, king. Really?? Did they seriously think that was going to fly? God has planned from the beginning of time for Solomon to be king, what are they thinking? 

Nathan, the prophet got wind of this treason, and together with Bathsheba tag teamed the king with this information. David wasted no time in getting Solomon crowned official king and making him known to the land as the selected heir to the throne, with the sounding of the trumpet and parading Solomon on the king’s donkey for all to see. The crowd loved this and roared, so much so that the ground shook. 

When news got to the bar-b-que that Solomon had been anointed king, everyone fled to their homes. We’re told that Adonijah was afraid that he was in trouble with Solomon, the now king, and asked his life be spared. Solomon basically told him, “If you’re worthy, you’ll live; but if evil is found in you, you will die.” Then with the authority of a king, Solomon simply dismissed his brother, told him to get back to his house. 

Sometimes forgiving a personal attack shows more strength than lashing out in revenge, would you agree? Trying to prove power or use heavy handed authority is merely a manifestation of fear or self doubt. Solomon acted as though he had nothing to prove,  demonstrating his real authority in power. When you examine it, you can see clearly, Adonijah did not know the Lord, living and acting as the “world”, full of self and pride. While Solomon did know the Lord, and there is a humble power, a strength and confidence that goes hand in hand with believing in Christ. We should all look to Solomon’s example, on that day, to model our lives after, striving to act confidently in God’s will. Believe Philippians 4:13, I know you all know it. :-) Claim it and live it! Amen?!

Have a great day, to God be the glory.

God bless you all.

May 4 - 1 Chronicles 26:1-28:21 

Good morning everyone,

As we begin reading this morning David continues to get his house in order, making sure everything in place for Solomon to take over. In chapter 26 we’re told there were 4,000 porters to tend to the doors, the gates of the temple, divided into four groups, one for each gate. Josephus speaks to these doors as being 55 cubits in height and 16 cubits wide, translated 85 feet tall by 24 wide, he further says they required 200 men to close them everyday. I can’t even imagine what that looked like. These same men served as guards, being certain you had the proper credentials to enter, these men were men of valor. Among the them was Obed-edom, you remember him. He is the guy whose house David took the ark when while transporting it the driver tried to steady it with his hand and died.  At first his family was terrified to have the ark, to learn about the Lord, only to be totally blessed. They became a family of believers and sixty-two from his family tree were then serving the Lord. Awesome!

In chapter 27, David numbers off the military force. Though it was a time of peace throughout the land, David kept active military troops rotating in and out. While you read through the chapter, you will recognize many of the names. Israel is a country that will always have to keep it’s guard up, even today, someone is continually trying to take away that tiny strip of land that belongs to God’s chosen, forcing them to have a military reserves that they can activate at any time . 

Chapter 28 … I  am going to be honest here, when I was reading this yesterday I could not hold back the tears. Before this year’s ‘Year Through the Bible’, I knew of David and much of what he had done and stood for, but over the last few weeks, studying David the way I have, walking with him through the years of his life, I feel I really know David, he is a friend. Silly? Perhaps. - They say that while his number in years was 70, he was very old for his age. He’d had a rough life. How rough can a king have it? You might ask. To which I would remind you of what a mighty warrior David was from a very young age. He also spent a decade of his life on the run, living in caves, just one step ahead of those who sought to kill him. And let us not forget all the women he had in his life, that’s enough to make any man old … right? :-) David saw a lot of tragedy in his life, some of which was by his hand or a direct result of consequence of his choice. 

Now, David has assembled all of the leadership of Israel. I can see him in my mind’s eye, sitting up there on the throne, an old man we’re told, his face tan, weathered and wrinkled, his hair grey, with a gold crown a top, sparkling in the sunlight from many colored jewels, his arms to his side on the arms of the chair, as he looks out on all that has been his to govern, all who have come to hear what he has to say. He slowly rises to his feet and with no animosity or “poor me”, begins to recount the story of how it was he who had wanted to build the temple for God, but God said, “No, it would be Solomon.” Then David, speaks to his son in front of all Israel, verse 9 “And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.” David gave his son Solomon the blue print for the temple, and a complete flow chart of how it will all go together, which had all been penned with God’s hand on David’s own hand. Then instructs him, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.” 

What was David seeing when he looked into the eyes of his young son as he passed over to him all that was so near and dear to his heart? An amazing example of letting go and trusting in God, an often needed reminder that nothing on this earth is ours, it’s all God’s to do with as he pleases. What was Solomon thinking as David placed a design, with the magnitude he could not even begin to grasp, in his hands? No pressure!  

As David passed on to Solomon some amazing principals to guide him through his life, to get to know God, obey His commands, worship Him, serve Him, be faithful to him and don’t become discouraged, so does our God pass those on to us, his children to help us be successful and happy in Christ. Amen?

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all…

May 3 - 1 Chronicles 23:1-25:31

Good morning everyone,

Today is one of those days of reading where I find myself struggling. I struggle over each of the names, and there are a lot of them today, I struggle to put it into a visual in my head, therefore I struggle to “get it”. However, 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” It is with those words I will today and everyday push forward knowing that though I may feel like a cripple stumbling through this text, God’s got a plan, so here I go.

Up to this point we know that David loved God so much, he wanted to build him a temple, someplace to permanently house the ark of the covenant; some place to praise God, to give sacrifices to God, a house for God. We also know that God wanted Solomon, David’s son to be the one to build it and while David couldn’t actually build the temple he could and did set about the task of getting everything ready for the temple to be built. 

As I read through the text, I was scratching my head over the many people David assembled, clearly, I was not comprehending the magnitude of this project. To get a better understanding of why so many people were going to be necessary I needed get a visual. What did the temple look like, so I asked around (the webpages in my computer, that is) and this is what I found out;  

The gold and silver alone, according to present value, would amount to about three billion dollars! That takes my breath away. It took three years just to prepare the material and seven years to build. The porch was 210 feet high, and the rest of the building was 52½ feet high. It was situated due east and west, the holy of holies being the westward side, and the porch or entrance toward the east. The whole length, from east to west, was 122½ feet. The width, not including the side chambers was 35 feet; the height of the holy place and the holy of holies was or 52½ feet. I read it resembled a modern church, with this difference, that the steeple, which was placed over the porch, was situated at the east end. Then, around the north and south sides and the west end were built chambers, three stories high, joined to the outside wall of the house. Interestingly, the windows, were placed in the wall of the Temple that was above the roof of the side chambers. Whew!! Got all that??

The stones that were used and these were a  whole lot larger than your average, run of the mill stones, red brick or even the grey cinderblocks. The Largest stone is estimated to have been nearly 38 ft. long. For those of us who need a visual, that would be the length of two 2002-2006 Chevy Suburbans in a line, which have an average length of 18.5 ft. each. If that doesn’t impress you, how about the fact that they weighed between 500 to 600 tons and friends they were meticulously carving these stones from a cave and then hauling them out without the use of a tractor or dump truck. Oh no! And when you think about how tall the temple was even in it’s shortest area, you have to appreciate the physical strength as well as the incredible minds with the genius level calculating to get these huge stones to stack and not lean or tumble  as they were all laid without cement. Also, the precision of the work done was equal to any pyramid the Egyptians built, with the craftsmanship being so right on, it is said you could not slide even a piece of paper between the stones. 

I just want to add one more thing, apparently the plans called for a cornerstone to be laid where there was a sharp decline. Since that cornerstone formed the support for two walls, a strong foundation was necessary, we all know that. Right? However,the temple builders were equal to the task! Archaeologists have found a unique stone, cut and placed in position. It was fourteen feet long and four feet high. The builders buried that stone into natural rock which provided solid support for the temple. This stone beautifully pictures our great cornerstone, our Lord Jesus. Isaiah 28:16 says, “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation”. 

I would encourage you to go on line and look at the pictures of Solomon’s Temple. We are going to be talking about it for some time and if you are like me, you will totally appreciate the image to go with the teaching. I want to give a shout out to ancient-wisdom.com,  iblicalarchaeology.org, and of course, en.wikipedia.com, for their help today.

If we learned nothing else this morning, we learned that our God is a God of order. Even Gandhi knew that and I quote, “There is an orderliness in the universe, there is an unalterable law governing everything and every being that exists or lives.” That’s our God. He knows all, He sees all and He has perfect orderly control over all. You, me and everyone and thing we come into contact with. Even when we are, ESPECIALLY when we are, upside-down lost, God’s got our back. He is there in his perfect order to get us headed in the right direction. Let Psalm 119:133-135 (kjv) be your prayer today, “Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes.” Amen?

Have an awesome day, to God be the glory.

God bless you all …

May 2 - 2 Samuel 24:1-9 | 1 Chronicles 21:1-6 | 2 Samuel 24:10-17 | 1 Chronicles 21:7-17 | 2 Samuel 24:18-25 | 1 Chronicles 21:18-22:19

Good morning everyone,

This morning we finish up the book of 2 Samuel but not before we read how David will once again sin against the Lord. David is up there in age, 7o-ish (I use to call that old - ha ha) and he is without a doubt the greatest king the land had ever seen, or arguably ever will see, for that matter. David’s authority reached as far as the Euphrates River in the north, all the way down to the tip of the Red Sea and the River of Egypt. The prophecy from Genesis 15:18 which says, ”On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: ‘To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates…” had been fulfilled. David had it all. Sadly, it is a dangerous thing when we have it all. When we have masses of armies to fight our battles for us, that is to say, huge savings accounts, IRA’s set up for retirement, job security, no health issues, we no longer feel the need to go to God for help or strength, or advise. We forget all about Him and start working in our own strength, claiming the victory for all that we are and have. Make sense? We get prideful, and in David’s case he wanted all of his soldiers counted just to see how “great” he had become. Maybe even compare his numbers to those of Moses. So he sends for Joab who is quick to see what is going on here and says to David, “Are you sure you want to do this?” but David said, “Go count.”

Well, it didn’t take long for David to realize his mistake, about 9 months … hmmm, ponder that for a moment,  anyway, we’re told David was conscience-stricken and he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” and before David got up the next morning, God had sent Gad to talk with him to let him know, perhaps confirm that God was not happy with David’s behavior. Gad told David God’s message was he was to choose one of three “consequence of choice.” David chose a three day plague which resulted in the loss of 70,000 lives. David couldn’t stand this and begged for the lives of his people. God told David to build an alter on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.  

Just a little “hey did you know” that this threshing floor was on Mount Moriah? The very same mountain where God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, but then provided a lamb for the sacrifice. The very same mountain where stands in Jerusalem today Dome of the Rock, a large golden dome, octagon structure which represents an Islamic shrine. The very same mountain where a temple for our God will stand again. Anyway, David bought this real-estate for bargain price of fifty shekels from Araunah, about $200,000 today and built the alter to sacrifice and, we’re told, the plague on Israel was stopped. 

Today we saw that David took his eyes off of the Lord and allowed his pride to rule, subsequently leading him sin, which had devastating ripple effect on the people of his land. It serves to be a great reminder to us how easily our sins can hurt the lives of those we love so dearly. How much divorce, or being arrested, or living with our partner before marriage, or the way we talk, or what we watch, the list goes on and on, can hurt and influence our kids as well as other family members or even those we work or associate with on a daily basis. On the other side of the coin, how encouraged they can be, how energetic and engaging and full of hope they will live, when we walk the talk, live with the light of the King shining through us and lead with Jesus ruling our hearts. Proverbs 11:2 says “Pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.” David allowed pride to rule his heart, we can learn from that. Amen? 

Have a great day, and to God be the glory.

God bless you all

May 1 - 2 Samuel 22:1-51 | Psalm 18

Good morning everyone,

Wow! Kind of an easy read today. Right? Essentially both poems are the same, the one from the psalms was used as prophecy while the one in 2 Samuel was used for history purposes.

Today as you read over the words David has written in these two books, I would encourage you to go them ever so slowly, dissect each line, ponder each stanza, embrace the love, the respect and the honor David had for his God, for our God. He calls God his Rock, his Fortress, his Protection, his Shield, his Power that Saves, his Place of Safety, his Refuge and Lamp. Stop and picture each one of those places. Feel what David felt, let the arms of God embrace you as David did in those times that he reflects on in his psalm. Experiencing God as our Rock means being aware that He is our Solid foundation, in every life circumstance and trial we face. 

David also points out the many characteristics of God. He is strong, worthy of praise, He rescues us from our enemies, He’s rewarding, revealing, shrewd, powerful, strong, perfect, pure, flawless, He’s giving, gentle, preserving, living and loving. Now these attributes do not come close to capturing all of who and what God is, however, they are significant and powerful ones and a good beginning. 

I love David, I love the heart he had for God. He really, really loved God and earnestly sought to please him, but what I find most encouraging is, more than once David blew it. I can so relate to that. Even in his old age, as we will see tomorrow, the enemy was still able to push him off track, trick him into sinning. David is not just character in a story, no,  David was a real person, living in a very real time many years ago. He walked, he talked, he got haircuts, he scratched his nose when it itched, he took his sandals off before climbing into bed, he sat and laughed out loud with his friends, he hung his head in shame or in disappointment and the tears he cried, well, they were real too, leaving his cheek moist while sorrow filled his heart. Yes, David is not different than me, not different that you.  

When Avery and Makenna were little, any time we were walking past a low wall, or anything narrow and walkable, I would tell them “Walk a wall” and like a tight rope walker they’d step onto this narrow strip of cement blocks and try to balance while putting one foot in front of the other. At first, for stability and confidence, they’d always demand that I hold their hand. As years went by, less and less of my “hands on” assistance was required. First it was “No, I don’t need to hold your hand, but stand right by me … close.” “Okay" I would say. Then “No, you don’t need to stand so close, I’ve got this handled.” “Awesome, I would tell them” and they would “Walk a wall” quite boldly. It got to be where they were SO confident and cocky that I thought “I am going to challenge them.” And so, as they walked the wall I would give a tiny push to their shoulder, trying to knock them off. The first time they fell instantly. “What?!!” They thought with a shocked look on their face, but found their way back up. The next time, recognizing there may be a challenge, they prepared for it and though they didn’t fall quite so easily, they did fall, but got right back up and on course again; much faster this time. It wasn’t long before they were able to maintain their balance on the narrow path despite my best efforts to derail them. 

Where am I going with this? Well, like David, our life is a series of getting knocked down, of derails, of the enemy always pushing us off track. We must be prepared for these, it is essential we have the confidence, the trust, the belief in our God, the conviction that He is right there waiting for us, to hold our hand if necessary, while we get back up on that wall. The Bible tells us if we will but repent of and turn away from our sins, in God’s eyes, it is as if they never happened. Psalm 103:12 says “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” I would encourage you to know, really know and believe in God’s character. Know He is the real deal and wants only what’s best for you, for me, for everyone. David did know God, he knew Him well enough to know that even if he had a backslide season, even if he slipped and fell off the wall, that God would hold his hand and help him back up. Amazing love! God is right there, ready to do the same for us. I love know it that.  Amen?

Have a great day, to God be the glory.

God bless you all …