2 Samuel 23:5 KJVAlthough my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.In this verse, David references an everlasting covenant between him and God. This covenant was made in 2 Samuel 7:12-13:And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy...  Read More

After David’s sins of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah, Nathan the prophet is told to visit David and deliver a message from God. We see from previous chapters that David and Nathan spend quite a bit of time together (2 Sam. 7). I would even venture to call them friends.Nathan had the uncomfortable job of needing to deliver a hard truth to his friend, David. He starts by...  Read More

Saul’s son, Jonathan, is a complex character. He recognizes David as the next king of Israel, and he is more than willing to lay aside his claim to the throne. He is not, however, willing to turn his back on his father. Jonathan faithfully serves his father, which eventually costs him his life:1 Samuel 31:2 KJVAnd the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew ...  Read More

1 Samuel 16:6 KJVAnd it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.Samuel was a man of God literally from his birth. Dedicated to God before conception and serving the Lord from the time he was a preschooler, I dare say he truly knew the voice of the Lord better than anyone else in his time. However, this did not stop him from err...  Read More

1 Samuel 2:26 KJVAnd the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord, and also with men.This verse tells us as Samuel grew up, he did not become like Eli’s wicked sons. Instead, he kept his relationship with the Lord strong. This steady walk with God birthed integrity into his life that allowed Samuel to also grow in favor with men.Samuel wasn’t the only one who scripture said grew ...  Read More

Ruth 2:3 KJVAnd she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was too light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.This scripture tells us it was Ruth’s “hap” to come to Boaz’s field. Hap in this case could be equated with coincidence. She coincidentally happened to show up to the one field owned by a near relative of her late ...  Read More

The story of Samson and Delilah baffles me. Samson makes a litany of questionable choices during the portion of scripture about his life, but his time with Delilah takes the grand prize for bad choices. While staying with Delilah, Samson allows her not once, not twice, but three times to attempt to bind him and turn him over to the Philistines.Even after she tries to turn him over, he STILL tells ...  Read More

The book of Judges is a very repetitive one. This phrase is included over and over:“And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves.” (Judges 3:7)They forgot God, and by forgetting God, they ran headlong into sin. After this passage we normally find one like the following:“And when the children of Israel cried unto the L...  Read More

The similarities and connections between Caleb and David are truly astounding. Both from the tribe of Judah, these men were similarly praised in scripture for their faithfulness to the Lord:Joshua 14:14 KJVHebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel.Acts 13:22 KJVAnd when he had removed him...  Read More

Joshua 6:18 KJVAnd ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.Joshua gave the army of Israel strict instructions as they prepared to conquer Jericho. Prior to them taking the city, the men of war had obediently followed Joshua’s instructions to march around the wa...  Read More

One of my favorite reminders is there is no coincidence with God. Our reading this week falls in that vein. It was no coincidence that the message from Deuteronomy on Tuesday predicting the Israelites serving false gods coincided with Psalm 115 describing the vanity of false Gods.Psalm 115 tells us idols have mouths, noses, ears, hands, and feet, but they cannot taste, smell, hear, touch, or walk....  Read More

Deuteronomy 23:5 KJVNevertheless the Lord thy God would not hearken unto Balaam; but the Lord thy God turned the curse into a blessing unto thee, because the Lord thy God loved thee.This verse makes me think of the song, God Said He Would Turn It Around. Moses tells the children of Israel that His love for us can turn curses into blessings. If God did that pre-cross, how much more does He do that ...  Read More