1 Kings 1-2 They were tough times back in the Bible days; always somebody plotting against somebody. It seems some things never change. It can be difficult to distinguish good men from bad. Joab, for ...
Day 159 – Ps 143-145; John 18:1-18Day 159 – Ps 143-145; John 18:1-18
Ps. 143-145 Psalm 143 asks God for deliverance. “For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble! And in your steadfast love you will cut off ...
Day 158 – Ps 139-141; John 17Day 158 – Ps 139-141; John 17
Ps. 139-141 Psalm 139 and 141 contain more verses that I used to use in my confession to God back when I journaled my prayers. Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; ...
Day 157 – Ps 109-110, 138; John 16Day 157 – Ps 109-110, 138; John 16
Ps. 109-110 Psalm 109 is yet another Psalm with many words that could have come straight from Jesus’ mouth. Very fascinating. A good portion of the Psalm is David (or Jesus?) cursing those who hate ...
Day 156 – Ps 101, 103, 108; John 15Day 156 – Ps 101, 103, 108; John 15
Ps. 101 Ps 101:7, “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes.” Ummm…transgender movement, anyone? Ps. 103 But for those who love the ...
Day 155 – Ps 68, 72, 96; John 14Day 155 – Ps 68, 72, 96; John 14
Ps. 68 “Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation” (Ps 68:19). Did you catch that? Daily! God is there, with us and for us, every.single.day. Ps. 72 It appears ...
Day 154 – Ps 61-62, 65; John 13:21-38Day 154 – Ps 61-62, 65; John 13:21-38
Ps. 61-62 I continue to read David’s words as if they were the words of our Christ. What stands out to me in Psalm 61 is verse 5b, “You have given me the inheritance of ...
Day 153 – Ps 53, 55, 58; John 13:1-20Day 153 – Ps 53, 55, 58; John 13:1-20
Ps 53 “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Ps 53:1) – AMEN!! Ps 55 “Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you; He will never permit the righteous ...
Day 152 – Ps 39-41; John 12:27-50Day 152 – Ps 39-41; John 12:27-50
Ps. 39-41 It is so interesting to read David’s Psalms as if it were Jesus saying the words rather than David. So much of it fits! There are several examples in today’s reading, but one ...
Day 151 – Ps 36-38; John 12:1-26Day 151 – Ps 36-38; John 12:1-26
Ps. 36-38 Boy, is Psalm 36 ever a today-relevant Psalm!! The first 4 verses speak so clearly of the so-called ‘leadership’ that we are faced with today – it brought several names to mind while ...
Day 150 – Ps 31, 35; John 11:30-57Day 150 – Ps 31, 35; John 11:30-57
Ps. 31 Psalm 31:5a, “Into your hand I commit my spirit” clearly gives us a picture of Jesus’ crucifixion. Whether prophecy or a quote of scripture, I can’t say, but these were some of the ...
Day 149 – Ps 27-29; John 11:1-29Day 149 – Ps 27-29; John 11:1-29
Ps. 27-29 It is easy to feel, and thus to act, confident when things are going well. But David says in Ps 27:3, “Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though ...
Day 148 – Ps 24-26; John 10:22-42Day 148 – Ps 24-26; John 10:22-42
Ps. 24-26 Ps 25:7 says, “Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!” Because God is good, He ...
Day 147 – Ps 20-22; John 10:1-21Day 147 – Ps 20-22; John 10:1-21
Ps. 20-22 I love Ps 20:7-8. “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright.” ...
Day 146 – Ps 17, 19; John 9:24-41Day 146 – Ps 17, 19; John 9:24-41
Ps. 17 In Ps 17:3a David says, “You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night, you have tested me, and you WILL find nothing”. I’m not sure what his intention with the ...
Day 145 – Ps 15-16; John 9:1-23Day 145 – Ps 15-16; John 9:1-23
Ps. 15-16 David is one of several representations of Christ in the Bible story. He is also in the direct line of Christ. This adds interest to the fact that so many of David’s words ...
Day 144 – Ps 12-14; John 8:28-59Day 144 – Ps 12-14; John 8:28-59
Ps. 12-14 Definitely seeing a pattern in David’s Psalms of distress – always the confidence in God’s salvation and ultimate justice against evil. And boy, how relevant the words of Ps 12 are still for ...
Day 143 – Ps 9, 11; John 8:1-27Day 143 – Ps 9, 11; John 8:1-27
Ps. 9 “I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” (Ps 9:1) Gratitude is good for what ails us, they say, and I know ...
Day 142 – Ps 7-8; John 7:28-53Day 142 – Ps 7-8; John 7:28-53
Ps. 7-8 Psalm 7 is another example of David’s seeking vengeance from God against his enemies rather than taking vengeance himself. He is confident that those who are pursuing him are without cause and he ...
Day 141 – Ps 4-6; John 7:1-27Day 141 – Ps 4-6; John 7:1-27
Ps. 4-6 David fully trusted that God is good, and that He accepts a heart that is right before Him. It is important to note that a “right heart” isn’t about right behavior, but about ...
Day 140 – 2 Sam 23-24; John 6:41-71Day 140 – 2 Sam 23-24; John 6:41-71
2 Sam. 23-24 In David’s final words, he says, “The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me; His word is on my tongue.” (2 Sam 23:2) – how true this is! David’s Psalms contain so ...
Day 139 – 2 Sam 21-22; Ps 18; John 6:22-40Day 139 – 2 Sam 21-22; Ps 18; John 6:22-40
2 Sam. 21-22 God takes a vow very seriously. The Gibeonites were the people who deceived Joshua and the Israelites when they were finally moving into the Promised Land, to take it over from the ...
Day 138 – Ps 64, 70; John 6:1-21Day 138 – Ps 64, 70; John 6:1-21
Ps. 64 Thinking of Shimei, who cursed David as he left Jerusalem fleeing from Absalom, while reading this Psalm, it strikes me that David did not take his complaints about his enemies to others, but ...
Day 137 – 2 Sam 19-20; John 5:25-47Day 137 – 2 Sam 19-20; John 5:25-47
2 Sam. 19-20 It is clear to me that when the Bible says that David was a man after God’s own heart, it does not in any way mean that David lived a perfect life! ...
Day 136 – 2 Sam 16-18; John 5:1-24Day 136 – 2 Sam 16-18; John 5:1-24
2 Sam. 16-18 The lessons I am supposed to learn from some of these stories in the Bible are often lost on me. Maybe I am looking for too much. What I can see, however, ...
Day 135 – 2 Sam 15; Ps 3, 69; John 4:27-54Day 135 – 2 Sam 15; Ps 3, 69; John 4:27-54
2 Sam. 15 David never made assumptions about his position with God, always leaving his fate in God’s hands. I don’t mean that he lacked confidence in God – quite the opposite, I think. When ...
Day 134 – 2 Sam 13-14; John 4:1-26Day 134 – 2 Sam 13-14; John 4:1-26
2 Sam. 13-14 As we read recently, the turmoil in David’s family noted in these two chapters is the direct result of David’s sin with Bathsheba. And it is just the tip of the iceberg. ...
Day 133 – Ps 32, 51; John 3:16-36Day 133 – Ps 32, 51; John 3:16-36
Ps. 32 In yesterday’s reading Nathan told David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die” (2 Sam 12:13b). David suffered consequences for his actions, but God forgave his sin and ...
Day 132 – 2 Sam 10-12; John 3:1-15Day 132 – 2 Sam 10-12; John 3:1-15
2 Sam. 10-12 David and Bathsheba. Now here is one case where the Bible explicitly states that “the thing that David had done displeased the LORD” (2 Sam 11:27b). I don’t know if the same ...
Day 131 – 2 Sam 8-9; Ps 60; John 2Day 131 – 2 Sam 8-9; Ps 60; John 2
2 Sam. 8-9 David remembered his covenant with Jonathan and reached out to take care of any that were left in the house of Saul. He was kind to Mephibosheth because of their shared relationship ...