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The Fall of David
2 Samuel 11 David’s “great sin” was not simply having an affair with Bathsheba. It was compounded by murdering her husband. It was driven by covetousness. All that he had as king… and he wanted one more possession. The question I have on this story, along with Nathan’s rebuke, is this: Does David seem to “give up” after this? He is…
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Treating the Presence of God as Holy
2 Samuel 6 When David brought back the Ark to Jerusalem, he did what the Philistines had done years ago: he put it on a cart. God had allowed the Philistines some “latitude” so the ark could get back to Israel. But for Israel, there were rules. They were to know better. There are things that are “holy” and “sacred”…
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The gods of war
2 Samuel When David came into power, the kingdom was not united. He ruled in Hebron first, then power was consolidated. It wasn’t consolidated through negotiation alone. It was war. It was civil war. Part of the distaste for the “Old Testament God” is our own distaste for war. I’m not a true pacifist, but I sympathize with those who…
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David and the Temple
In 2 Samuel 7 David wanted to build the Lord a temple. He was living in a nice place, so he wanted to give God a worthy temple. You know, like every other god of every other nation. But Yahweh isn’t like every other God. He refused David’s request. He promised to allow David’s successor the opportunity, but he makes it…
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The Place of Grief
2 Samuel 1 I do not believe in reincarnation. But I’ve hedged my bets on this one. I put in a request just in case. I’ve asked God to bring me back as a black church choir director. This is a request from years ago, when I learned so much about HOW to grieve from a couple of funerals at African…
Tag: 2 Samuel
