By Route 365 on
4/29/2010 5:55 AM
by Bill Schneider
Sometimes it is hard to understand God’s ways. God’s wrath broke out against Uzzah when he took hold of the ark to steady it. On the surface, it seemed innocent enough, but this was forbidden and called an irreverent act. I can understand David feeling angry and afraid of the Lord, since it is hard for me to get my mind around the Lord’s sternness in this instance. God cannot be placed in a box. His ways, including His justice and wrath, can be beyond our understanding. When C.S. Lewis refer
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By Route 365 on
4/28/2010 5:52 AM
by Bill Schneider
God encourages us to pray for guidance. When David prayed, God answered in very specific and amazingly clear ways. David gave God credit for the good results. The next time he prayed for guidance, God gave even more specific guidance. The Lord answered David directly, possibly audibly or through a prophet. It would be great if God were to provide such specific guidance for us when we prayed about a specific question.
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By Route 365 on
4/27/2010 8:39 AM
by Bill Schneider
Ridicule can easily cause discouragement. The people of God are often subjected to ridicule, and Jesus warned that his followers would be persecuted. Christians are easy targets for this, and I have been insulted for my faith.
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By Route 365 on
4/26/2010 8:46 AM
by Bill Schneider
God has a long view of things. He has plans for us, but we often cannot see the end result. God was preparing David to be king for many years and through many ordinary experiences, as well as some extraordinary ones. When he was a shepherd, it may have seemed like a lowly and lonely job. He had a lot of time to praise the Lord, pray, and probably also practice and master his music and poetry.
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By Route 365 on
4/23/2010 6:41 AM
written by Jessie Pepper
In this reading we have two tribesmen from an opposing group to David’s kingdom who assassinate Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul, as some kind of offering to David. Their intention seems to be to take justice into their own hands by murdering an enemy of David, believing that this would please the king. They were wrong!
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By Route 365 on
4/22/2010 6:39 AM
written by Jessie Pepper
In this reading, Joab discovers that David and Abner have come to a resolution. Joab is furious that David had sent Abner away, and felt that David should have sent judgment upon Abner for his past battles. Joab ultimately tracks down Abner and kills him in revenge for his brother’s death.
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By Route 365 on
4/21/2010 7:30 AM
written by Jessie Pepper
In this reading we find Abner, direct enemy of David’s kingdom, deciding to make peace with David. He sends a messenger to David announcing an agreement to hand over Israel. David only agrees to see Abner if he presents him with Michal, a wife that was taken away from him. Abner agrees and brings David what he wants. Abner’s intention seems to be directed by God’s will.
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By Route 365 on
4/20/2010 7:23 AM
written by Jessie Pepper
This reading is a reflection on the long-term struggles between the house of David and the house of Saul. Both parties fought for true leadership of Israel and both had their own initiatives. This was a time far from God and God’s will.
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By Route 365 on
4/19/2010 7:32 AM
written by Jessie Pepper
In the beginning of this reading (2 Samuel 2:4) David finally meets up with his destination, or God’s will, to be king over the house of Judah. It’s rare that people know what God’s will for them is, and here David must feel absolutely blessed being in this position. This blessing fills him with Lord’s love.
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By 2010 Challenge on
4/16/2010 10:48 AM
Whether you're reading your Bible daily, praying or pursuing your calling.... How is it impacting your life? We want to hear from you.
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By Route 365 on
4/16/2010 7:11 AM
written by Mary Ayala
David is a fascinating character study for all of his contradictions. He was described as “a man after his (the LORD’s) own heart” (I Samuel 13.13), and as a man “who enjoyed God’s favor” (Acts 7:46). And yet, he committed adultery, plotted a murder, and struggled with rebellious sons.
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By Route 365 on
4/15/2010 6:58 AM
written by Mary Ayala
David’s celebration of the defeat of the Amalekites and the recovery of their plunder is short-lived. Isn’t that often the case – some difficulty or disappointment frequently follows closely on the heels of some victory or success.
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By Route 365 on
4/14/2010 6:41 AM
written by Mary Ayala
I couldn’t resist. After reading this passage about Saul’s shameful end, I had to go back and read about his beginnings. As I read some of the earlier chapters in I Samuel, I was reminded of the fact that Saul would never have been king if it weren’t for the fact that the Israelites insisted that Samuel appoint a king to lead them so that they could be like the other nations.
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By Route 365 on
4/13/2010 6:34 AM
written by Mary Ayala
The roller coaster ride continues for David. Having faced the agony of personal loss and the anger of his disenchanted soldiers, he is now assured by the LORD that he will overtake the marauders and rescue the kidnapped women and children. The only question is how. Isn’t that always the question?
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By Route 365 on
4/12/2010 7:22 AM
written by Mary Ayala
A roller coaster of emotions. That’s what this passage feels like to me. When David and his men reach Ziklag, they find it destroyed by fire and all the women and children taken away as captives. Two of the captives were David’s wives. As a mother, I can’t think of anything more distressing than the thought of something happening to my child.
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By Route 365 on
4/9/2010 6:25 AM
by Jeremy Wolcott
Ever feel like Job? You know, like you’ve done the best you can with everything you have, like you’ve been faithful and obedient to God, and everything seems to fall apart anyway? And, on top of that, God doesn’t seem interested in intervening—or even answering—when you need him?
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By Route 365 on
4/8/2010 5:54 AM
by Jeremy Wolcott
Stories like the one we read yesterday have a tendency to leave a bad taste in my mouth. I think it’s really just due to the smallness of my own faith, honestly, but when I get done with a passage like that one, I find myself wishing that God would come down more clearly on one side or the other – that the text would indicate in some “obvious” fashion whether what David was doing was okay or not.
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By Route 365 on
4/7/2010 5:13 AM
by Jeremy Wolcott
I'll come right out and admit it: today's reading is tough. I find a lot of times that it's too easy to look at the life of a “hero of faith” like David, as recorded in the Bible, and say, “he did X, and I should too.” Or, when they make obvious mistakes, sometimes instead it's simple enough to look at them and conclude, “they did Y, and evidently I shouldn't.” But you'd have a hard time taking that tack with this passage.
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By Route 365 on
4/6/2010 5:00 AM
by Jeremy Wolcott
Every so often when I stumble across verses like James 1.2-5—where James encourages his readers to rejoice in the testing of their faith because it will produce maturity and character—I find myself tempted to react skeptically. After all, looking back over the moments I'd call “testing of my faith” in my life, it's hard to identify any areas where I could say my faith specifically grew. In my more cynical moments, it's a lot easier for me to believe that testing of one's faith only produces pain, not necessarily development.
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By Route 365 on
4/5/2010 6:28 AM
by Jeremy Wolcott
Sometimes (okay, really often) I wonder about the decisions I make. You know, whether I picked the right career path (I mean, after all, does anybody else really care—or does it even matter—what the axial form factor of neutrino-nucleus interactions is?), whether I'm even in the right place (I grew up in New England, and, as they say, though you can take the boy out of the country, you can't take the country out of the boy), whether I should've invited the guy I share my office with to the Christmas services... And, judging from the things I hear at my small group, at church, and at G.A.P. large group meetings, I'm not the only one. I don't think I'm alone in worrying from time to time that one bad choice might royally screw up my life – and maybe other peoples' lives to boot.
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By Route 365 on
4/2/2010 5:00 AM
by Jack Staversky
Does God test us? In this passage it seems David was tested. Saul had been pursuing him all over the countryside trying to kill him. Now Saul was in a vulnerable position, and David spared his life. Was it a test?
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By Route 365 on
4/1/2010 5:00 AM
by Jack Staversky
Saul continued to pursue David, and the tribe which inhabited the area where David hid planned to betray him. In this passage, the contrast between Saul and David is clearly seen. Saul, and even the Ziphites who tried to win Saul’s favor, put their trust in other humans to get what they want.
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