Year One • September 1 - 30

Year One, September 1
God Is My Helper1
For a while, David hid himself in the well protected forest of Ziph. The people who lived in the city of Ziph wanted to win the approval of Saul, so they betrayed the man God had anointed as their leader.
  
1 Samuel 23:19-29
19aThen the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh?
20Now come down, O king, according to all your heart’s desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king’s hand.” 21And Saul said, “May you be blessed by the LORD, for you have had compassion on me.”
Saul had come to the point that he thought David had wronged him and not the other way around. He even dared to use God’s name in his hypocritical speech. This shows that he had lost all understanding of right and wrong and was under “a strong delusion, so that [he] may believe what is false.”2 A bad person can travel the road of sin long enough that they convince themselves that they are in the right and even believe God is on their side. May the Lord save us from such a terrible state of mind. Saul instructed the Ziphites what to do in order to capture David.
22“Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning. 23See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” 24And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.
Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon. 25And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.  26Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them, (They hunted David like he was a pheasant on the mountains. Saul and his 3,000 soldiers chased him while the traitors of Ziph beat the bushes for him. It seemed to be all over for the young chieftain, but when he was in the most danger, the Lord stepped in.) 27a messenger came to Saul, saying, “hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.” 28So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape. (The pursuer and the pursued were within sight of each other, and yet the victim escaped. The memory of this deliverance was preserved by naming the place the Rock of Escape or the Cliff of Divisions, because David was climbing down one side of the cliff while Saul was surrounding the hill on the other side. God caused Saul to suddenly panic by the threat of a Philistine invasion.)
29And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi.
At this time David wrote
  
Psalm 54
1 O God, save me by your name,
and vindicate me by your might.
2 O God, hear my prayer;
give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For strangers have risen against me;
ruthless men seek my life;
they do not set God before themselves.     Selah
Perhaps the Ziphites were descendants of the Canaanites, and so David called them “strangers”. At any rate they were enemies to David for no reason. If anyone treats us like this, our best response is praying to God.
4 Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5 He will return the evil to my enemies;
in your faithfulness put an end to them.
6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you;
I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.
7 For he has delivered me from every trouble,
and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.

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1 Psalm 54:4
2 2 Thessalonians 2:11


Year One, September 2
Keep Me as the Apple of Your Eye1
A PRAYER OF DAVID.
  
Psalm 17
Much of this Psalm could be related to the time David was hiding from Saul in the forests and mountains of Ziph, so it is appropriate to read it at this time.
1 Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry!
Do not allow might to crush right. Judge my case and do not let King Saul harm me.
attend to my cry!
Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
2 From your presence let my vindication come!
Let your eyes behold the right!
David believed he was so much in the right that fairness would rule in his favor. We cannot take an unrighteous case before the Lord. That would be blasphemy. But we can leave a just cause in his hands with confidence.
3 You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night,
Like Peter, David uses the argument, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”2 It is a most assuring thing to be able to appeal immediately to the Lord, and call upon our Judge to be a witness for our defense. “Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God.”3 “You have visited me in the night.” David said, “Lord you have entered my house at all hours. You have seen me when no one else is around. You have come in when I was not aware of your presence. You have noted what I did in private. You know whether I am guilty of the crimes that I am accused of committing.” Happy is the person who can remember that God sees everything, is always present with us and still find comfort in knowing it. We also have had our midnight visits from our Lord and they have been very sweet. So wonderful, in fact, that just thinking about them makes us want more of these visits. Lord, if we really were hypocrites, could we have had such marvelous times of fellowship with you or hungered for more of them?
you have tested me, and you will find nothing;
I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
4 With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
I have avoided the ways of the violent.
Divine guidance had kept him on a safe path. It will for us too, if that is really our desire.
5 My steps have held fast to your paths;
my feet have not slipped.
6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my words.
7 Wondrously show your steadfast love,
O Savior of those who seek refuge
from their adversaries at your right hand.
8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
No part of the body is more precious, more tender, and more carefully guarded than the eye. And no part of the eye is more especially protected than the central apple, or the pupil. The Hebrew calls it, “the daughter of the eye.” The All-wise Creator has placed the eye in a well protected position. It is surrounded by protruding bones, like Jerusalem is encircled by mountains. Its great Creator has also surrounded it with many layers of inward covering: The hedge of the eyebrows, the curtain of the eyelids, and the fence of the eyelashes. In addition, God has made us value our eyes so much and protect them from danger so quickly that no part of the body is more cared for than the organ of sight. Lord, protect me because I trust I am one with Jesus and therefore a part of the spiritual body of Christ.
hide me in the shadow of your wings,
9 from the wicked who do me violence,
my deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They close their hearts to pity;
with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
11 They have now surrounded our steps;
they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.
12 He is like a lion eager to tear,
as a young lion lurking in ambush.
This is a brilliant picture of Saul pursuing him. David and his men were surrounded. Their enemies chased after them like wild animals eagerly on the hunt.
13 Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him!
Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
14 from men by your hand, O LORD,
from men of the world whose portion is in this life.
You fill their womb with treasure;
they are satisfied with children,
and they leave their abundance to their infants.
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.
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1 Psalm 17:8
2 John 21:17
3 1 John 3:21


Year One, September 3
God Is a Righteous Judge1
This psalm was probably written during these dark days when David was still under the fierce displeasure of Saul.
  
Psalm 7
This Psalm is titled,
A Shiggaion2 of David, Which He Sang to the Lord Concerning the Words of Cush, a Benjaminite.
It appears likely that this Cush had accused David of treason and plotting against Saul’s authority or some other crime. The king would be more than willing to believe anything against David, because he was jealous of him. Another reason was because Cush and Saul were both from the same tribe of Benjamin. Allegations from a relative are often easier to believe.
1 O LORD my God, in you do I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
2 lest like a lion they tear my soul apart,
rending it in pieces, with none to deliver.
3 LORD my God, if I have done this,
if there is wrong in my hands,
4 if I have repaid my friend with evil
or plundered my enemy without cause,
5 let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it,
and let him trample my life to the ground
and lay my glory in the dust.     Selah.
We learn from these verses that no matter how innocent we are, the wicked will still tell lies about us. David had been extremely careful to avoid even the appearance of rebelling against Saul. He always called him, “the Lord’s Anointed,” but even this could not protect him from the lying tongues of those who hated him. As the shadow follows the substance, so envy pursues goodness. It is only the tree filled with fruit at which people throw stones. If we want to live without being lied about, we must wait until we get to heaven. Let us be very careful to not believe the gossip that flies around good people. If there were no Christians to slander, there would not be so many lies told. A person’s good reputation is not safe. Ill-will never spoke well. Sinners have always been hostile toward saints. We may be sure they will not speak highly of them.
6 Arise, O LORD, in your anger;
lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies;
awake for me; you have appointed a judgment.
7 Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about you;
over it return on high.
8 The LORD judges the peoples;
judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness
and according to the integrity that is in me.
9 Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end,
and may you establish the righteous--
you who test the minds and hearts,
O righteous God!
10 My shield is with God,
who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge,
and a God who feels indignation every day.
12 If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword;
he has bent and readied his bow;
13 he has prepared for him his deadly weapons,
making his arrows fiery shafts.
14 Behold, the wicked man conceives evil
and is pregnant with mischief
and gives birth to lies.
15 He makes a pit, digging it out,
and falls into the hole that he has made.
16 His mischief returns upon his own head,
and on his own skull his violence descends.
17 I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness,
and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.
Oh, how wonderful to have an honest and decent heart. Dishonest sinners use their craftiness, but God derails their plans against righteous souls. God defends the right. The mud sinners throw cannot last long on the pure white robes of the saints. God will brush it off and frustrate those whose evil hands have thrown it. Believers should not fear anything that their enemies can do or say against them. The tree that God plants will stand against the strongest winds. God is a righteous judge. He will not give his saints as prey to the teeth of those who are against them.
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1 Psalm 7:11
2 Probably a musical or liturgical term


Year One, September 4
Overcome Evil With Good1
1 Samuel 24:1-7; 17-19
1When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.” (Everybody was willing to spy on David. The saints of God are always watched by the world, and this should make them all the more careful in their behavior.) 2Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks.
Saul had been seriously disappointed in his attempts to kill David, but that did not stop the jealous king from returning to his cruel work. No matter where David might hide or how harmless he continued to be to him, Saul would not let him alone. Envy can never be satisfied until it has had its revenge and then some.
3And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself.2 Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. (This cave was so large and dark that a huge number of people could be so hidden from view that someone might come into it and leave without ever being aware of their presence.) 4And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” (Our best friends will mislead us if we let them. In this case, David’s followers had the best of intentions when they urged him to murder Saul. But grace prevented him from doing it.) Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 5And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. (Good people tremble at doing little wrongs, even when others delight in committing great crimes.)
6He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD’s anointed.” 7So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way. (Dr. Kitto, in his Daily Bible Illustrations, effectively describes this scene, and what happened next: “Although Saul was at the mercy of fierce outlaws, God held them back and allowed Saul to escape unharmed from that dangerous cave. David was willing to secure some evidence of the fact that Saul’s life had been in his power. He therefore approached him softly as he slept, and cut off the skirt of his robe. No sooner, however, did Saul arise and leave the cavern, that his men begin to laugh at the ridiculous figure the sovereign presented in his skirtless robe. David’s heart smote him for the indignity he had been instrumental in inflicting on the royal person. Yielding to the impulse of the moment, which again was correct, and even though it seemed a most dangerous act, he went boldly forth to the entrance of the cave, and called to the king as he descended into the valley. ‘My lord, the king!’ The king knew that voice well. A thunderclap would not have struck him more. He looked up, and David bowed himself very low, in proper respect to his king. He spoke. In a few rapid and strong words, he told what had happened. He described the temptation he had resisted. He held up the skirt in proof of how completely his life had been in his hand and said, ‘I have not sinned against you; even though you hunt me to take my life. The Lord judge between me and you; and the Lord avenge me: but I will not lay a hand on you.’ Behold, now that stoney heart is melted. The hard wintry frosts thaw fast before the kindly warmth of his generous nature. Saul weeps. The hot tears, the blessed tears, fall once more from those eyes, dry too long.”3)
17He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. 18And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the LORD put me into your hands. 19For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? So may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.”
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1 Romans 12:21
2 "cover his feet"
3 John Kitto (1804-1854).


Year One, September 5
I Will Sing and Make Melody1
David was always ready to express his gratitude, and when he had escaped from Saul, he was careful to praise the Lord with a new song. This is when he wrote
  
Psalm 57
To the Choirmaster: According to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam2 of David, When He Fled From Saul, in the Cave.
“Do not destroy,” probably refers to his refusing to destroy Saul.
1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
till the storms of destruction pass by.
2 I cry out to God Most High,
to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me;
he will put to shame him who tramples on me.     Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!
4 My soul is in the midst of lions;
I lie down amid fiery beasts--
the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
whose tongues are sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
6 They set a net for my steps;
my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my way,
but they have fallen into it themselves.     Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God,
my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
Under the circumstances, one would have thought David would say, “My heart is trembling.” But no! He is calm, firm, happy, determined, and aware that he is accepted by God. When the central axle is secure, the wheels works well. When the ship’s main anchor holds, the ship cannot drift away. “My heart is steadfast, O God.” I am committed to trust you, to serve you, and to praise you. He repeats himself to give glory to the God who comforts the souls of those who serve him. Surely it will be well with each one of us if we take our drifting hearts and anchor them securely on God and proclaim his glory.  “I will sing and make melody!” With my voice and with instruments, I will worship and celebrate you, my Lord and God! With my lips and my heart I will give you the credit. Satan shall not stop me; neither will Saul or the Philistines. I will make the town of Adullam ring with music and all its caves will echo in joyful praise.
8 Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
I will awake the dawn!
It is as if he had said, “Let everything in me, wake up! The brain that creates thought, the tongue that puts thoughts into words, the vivid imagination that gives beauty to those words; let them all rise up now that the hour for praise has come. ‘Awake, O harp and lyre!’ Let all the music of which I am capable be adapted for the sacred service of praise. ‘I will awake the dawn!’ I will delight the dawn with my joyous music. No sleepy verses and tired notes shall be heard from me. I will be completely awake for this most important assignment.”
Even when we are at our best, we fall short of giving the Lord the praise he deserves. Therefore, we should make the best effort of which we are capable. It may be less than perfect, but never let it be cheapened by laziness. Three times the psalmist calls upon himself to awake. Do we need to be motivated for such work? Then let us make the necessary effort. This assignment is too honorable and too important to be left undone, or to be done in a halfhearted manner.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
God’s mercy reaches the lowest places on earth and ascends to the highest places in the heavens. Our imagination cannot begin to understand the wonderfulness of heaven and the richness of God’s mercy. The psalmist, as he sat at the cave’s entrance, and looked up to the heavens, rejoiced that God’s goodness is greater and more majestic than even the vastness of the universe.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
Let your glory be over all the earth!
A magnificent chorus! Let us hold it with all our hearts and lovingly adore the all glorious Lord.
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1 Psalm 57:7
2 Probably a musical or liturgical term


Year One, September 6
O God, You Are My God1
Perhaps it was during this time when Saul was pursuing him that David wrote
  
Psalm 63
A Psalm of David, When He Was in the Wilderness of Judah
1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
6 when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
9 But those who seek to destroy my life
shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword;
they shall be a portion for jackals.
In the East, jackals are always ready to devour the dead. Saul and his men fell on the battlefield, and David foresaw it would happen, and that he would then be made king.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by him shall exult,
for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
We have held back from commenting, in order to quote the sweet remarks of our dear friend Andrew Bonar, upon the whole psalm: “It may have been near the Dead Sea, on his way to the ford of Jordan, that the psalmist first sang this song. It is a psalm first heard by David’s faithful ones in the wilderness of Judah; but truly a psalm for every godly person who in the dry world-wilderness can sing: “All my springs are in you.”2 —a psalm for the Church in every age—a psalm for every member of the church in the weary land!  What assurance, what vehement desire, what soul-filling delight in God, in God alone; in God, the only fountain of living water amid a vast wilderness! Hope, too, has its visions here; for it sees the ungodly perish (verse 9-10), and the King on the throne surrounded by a company who swear allegiance to Jehovah.  Hope sees for itself what Isaiah 65:16 describes as, every mouth swearing ‘by the God of truth;’ and what Revelation 21:27, has foretold, the mouth of liars closed forever. All who sought other gods, and trusted to other saviors, gone forever.
“And when we read all this as spoken of Christ, how much does every verse become enhanced. His thirst for God! His vision of God! His estimate of God’s loving-kindness! His soul satisfied! His mouth full of praise! His soul following hard after God! ‘O God, you are my God,’ my mighty one. You are my omnipotence. It is this God he still seeks. The word translated ‘so’ in verses 2 and 4, is interesting. In verse 2, the force of it is this: ‘No wonder that I so thirst for you; no wonder that my first thoughts in the morning are about you; no wonder that my very soul longs for you! Who would not, who has seen what I have seen? So have I gazed on you in the sanctuary, seeing your power and glory!’ The ‘so’ is like 2 Peter 1:17. ‘The voice ... [of] Majestic Glory!’ And then, if the past has been so extremely blessed, my prospects for the future are not less so. I see limitless bliss coming in like a tide; ‘so’ will I bless you as long as I live! (verse 4). Yes; in ages to come, as well as in many a happy moment on earth, my soul will be filled as with marrow and fatness! And when verse 7 shows us the soul under the shadow of God’s wings, rejoicing, we may say, it is not only like ‘the bird, which, sheltered from the heat of the sun amid the rich foliage, sings its merry note,’ 3 but it is the soul peacefully resting there as if entering the cloud of glory, like Moses and Elijah. O world! come and see The Righteous One finding springs of water in God.”

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1 Psalm 63:1
2 Psalm 87:7 ESV
3 I was unable to find the composer of this poem Bonar is obviously quoting from.—ed


Year One, September 7
Beloved, Never Avenge Yourselves1
Today’s reading gives us another example of David’s spirit of restraint.
  
1 Samuel 26:1-22; 25
1Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?” 2So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. 3And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness, 4David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come. 5Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment, while the army was encamped around him.
6Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” 7So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him. 8Then said Abishai to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.” 9But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?” 10And David said, “As the LORD lives, the LORD will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. 11The LORD forbid that I should put out my hand against the LORD anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” 12So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul’s head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen upon them.
13Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill, with a great space between them. 14And David called to the army, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner answered, “Who are you who calls to the king?” 15And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord. 16This thing that you have done is not good. As the LORD lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the LORD’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is and the jar of water that was at his head.”
17Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king.” 18And he said, “Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands? 19Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the LORD who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering, but if it is men, may they be cursed before the LORD, for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ 20Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the LORD, for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.”
21Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly, and have made a great mistake.” 22And David answered and said, “Here is the spear, O king! Let one of the young men come over and take it.
25Then Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.
David conquered by patient self-control. The lesson for us is, “Overcome evil with good.”2
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1 Romans 12:19
2 Romans 12:21


Year One, September 8
David Strengthened Himself in the LORD His God1
Fear got the better of David and he again made the mistake of fleeing to the land of the Philistines to escape Saul’s pursuit. He, his family, and his six hundred men and their families were kindly welcomed by King Achish of Gath and lived there for a short time. Then Achish gave them the city of Ziklag to live in. Soon war broke out between the Philistines and Israel and Achish expected David to march into battle with him against his own people. When we walk by sight and not by faith, we are sure to be placed in an embarrassing situation before long. This is what happened to David! The Lord rescued David from this difficulty. The other lords of the Philistines did not trust David and persuaded Achish to send David and his men back to Ziklag. But the Lord, in his love, chastened2 him. A sad scene was waiting for him at Ziklag.
  
1 Samuel 30:1-13; 15-18
1Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire 2and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way. 3And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. 5David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
Some time before, David had said, “There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines,”3 but this only proved the foolishness of turning to humans for help. He now turns to the Lord his God. This was very different from Saul, who at this time was looking for Satan’s help by asking the witch of Endor for advice.4
7And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. (It was a good thing David always kept the priest and the ephod close to him. Otherwise, they would have been carried off with those who stayed in Ziklag. Whatever else we lose, let us stay close to Christ and his word.) 8And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.” (David proved that the God of truth may be trusted, and that the heart that waits on the Lord will be comforted.)
9aSo David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor. 10bTwo hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor. (They were not equally strong. Neither are all the followers of the Lord Jesus equally full of grace. Yet our great leader is full of tenderness, and does not reject even the weakest believers. They will also have a share from his royal treasury.)
11They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink, 12and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. 13And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago.” (Only a non-Christian master would turn their back on his servant because of illness. We should not be unconcerned about others just because they can no longer help us.)
15And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band.”
16And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled. 18David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives.
David’s faith was honored. The clouds of trouble poured out showers of mercy. Our faith will be given the same honor and blessings.
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1 1 Samuel 30:6
2 chasten or chastise - An act of discipline which may include pain inflicted for the purpose of correction or moral improvement.
3 1 Samuel 27:1
4 This story is found in 1 Samuel 28


Year One, September 9
I Am Afraid of Your Judgments1
1 Samuel 31:1-5; 7-13
1Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.
The unhappy king had turned his back on the Lord and had lost divine protection. He does not appear to have felt the slightest repentance. His hardness of heart continued even to the end. His last thought was not about his sin and his God. His own poor honor and how the world would remember him was still his biggest concern. If he had thought more about his reputation before God and cared less for human praise, then he would never have been driven to such envy in life or such hopelessness in death. With his sons dead around him, and his bravest warriors killed, the miserable king committed self murder. His attempt to escape being dishonored by the Philistines earned him the dishonorable name of suicide.
5And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. (While we strongly condemn the self-destruction, we still admire the faithfulness of the armor-bearer to his king. He was “faithful unto death.”2 He refused to outlive his master. This man was so loyal, he lived and died for Saul. Shall we do anything less for our royal master, Jesus the Lord?)
7And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them.
8The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. 10They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. (The disgrace, that the fallen king tried to escape by killing himself, happened anyway. The looting bands of the Philistines came to strip the dead bodies of their clothing. When they came to the mountain side, not far from the corpses of his three sons, they discovered the remains of Saul, swimming in his own blood. Hearts of stone might have softened at the sight, but these barbarians rejoiced at it. They separated the king’s head from the torso, and stripped off his armor and weapons. They sent the head from city to city as a trophy of their victory; they displayed the armor in the temple of their goddess, as a token of their gratitude to her; and, they nailed the body to a wall to further humiliate Israel and their fallen king.)
11But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days. (This was a good and proper thing to do. Saul had saved their city from the Amorites and their actions showed their honor and respect, even for Saul’s mutilated remains. They burned his bones so that his body could never be treated so shamefully again. Then they buried the ashes and paid the last mournful honors to their former ruler and deliverer.)
  
1 Chronicles 10:13-14
13So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. 14He did not seek guidance from the LORD. Therefore the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse. (We read that no one consulted the ark of God “in the days of Saul.”3 His evil example corrupted the whole nation and therefore his sin was even more injurious. He began well, but his character was based on love of human approval, rather than on the fear of God, and therefore it came to nothing. Let this be a warning to each one of us.)
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1 Psalm 119:120
2 Revelation 2:10
3 1 Chronicles 13:3


Year One, September 10
Affliction Will Slay the Wicked1
2 Samuel 1:1-16
1After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. 2And on the third day, behold, a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage. 3David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” 4And David said to him, “How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” 5Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 6And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him. 7And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 8And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ 9And he said to me, ‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’ 10So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.” 
The chances are that this man was really on the battlefield to rob the dead right after the battle was over. Either Saul was already dead or his self-inflicted wound had not yet resulted in his death and the Amalekite finished the job. He hoped that by telling this story to David, he would win his thanks and a reward. The crown and bracelet were worth something, but this adventurer hoped to earn a far bigger prize by bringing them to the rival leader. The Amalekite thought he was being very clever, but little did he realize he was dealing with a man of God and not someone like he was. Instead of winning the new king’s favor for the rest of his life, his story condemned him and he met with a speedy doom.
11Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. 12And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the LORD and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. (This man of God felt no joy in his enemy’s death. A gracious heart will never rejoice in the misfortune of others, no matter how cruel they may have been.)
13And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” 14David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the LORD’s anointed?” 15Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died. (Whether he was telling the truth or not, the sentence was just. Because there was now no king in the land, and because David was a military officer, he exercised his office of judge, using the man’s own testimony to condemn him).
16And David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the LORD’s anointed.’” (Those who choose to go down the wrong paths, will be discovered sooner or later and be punished for their actions. The Amalekite thought the crown and armlet would convince David and enrich him. Instead, they became the evidence that convicted him. This clever sinner made only one mistake, but it proved to be a fatal one. Let this be a warning to us, to never leave the path of truth. We should avoid every form of deception, because the Lord will not put up with liars and will definitely overthrow them.)
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1 Psalm 34:21


Year One, September 11
Tell It Not in Gath1
2 Samuel 1:17-27
17And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, 18and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar.
The Book of Jashar was probably a collection of national songs and records of heroic acts. It is now lost. It was not inspired and therefore no special act of God protected it. David not only mourned over Saul and Jonathan personally, but he composed a funeral song to be sung by the whole nation, and especially by his own tribe. He called it “The Song of the Bow,”2 referring to the skill in archery for which Jonathan was famous and which is mentioned in verse 22. David lamenting over the rejected house of Saul, reminds us of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, which was destroyed because it did not know the time of its visitation.3
He said:
19 “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
20 Tell it not in Gath,
publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
21 “You mountains of Gilboa,
let there be no dew or rain upon you,
nor fields of offerings!
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.
22 “From the blood of the slain,
from the fat of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan turned not back,
and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
23 “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
they were swifter than eagles;
they were stronger than lions.
24 “You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,
who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
25 “How the mighty have fallen
in the midst of the battle!
26 “Jonathan lies slain on your high places.
I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
very pleasant have you been to me;
your love to me was extraordinary,
surpassing the love of women.
27 “How the mighty have fallen,
and the weapons of war perished!”
Dr. Krummacher, in his “David, the King of Israel,” has the following excellent passage, “David did not, in his lamentation, speak too highly in praise of the king. Was not Saul truly a valiant hero? Did not also that which was gentle and tender often find an echo in his soul? Did not Jonathan and his other sons show themselves true and faithful brothers toward David even unto death? All these things hovered before the mind of David at this time. With memories such as these came a deep, sorrowful compassion for the sad fate of the king. And thus it was David’s genuine feeling and sentiment to which he gave full honest expression in his lamentations for the dead. These words of the song-- ‘Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon.’ have, since that time, become a proverb in the circles of the faithful. It is frequently heard when one of their community has failed to take heed to his ways, and, therefore, has given rise to a scandal. Would that the call were more faithfully observed than is usually the case! Would that the honor of the spiritual Zion was always as close to the heart of the children of the kingdom as the earthly Zion was to the heart of David. But how often does it happen that they even try hard to expose the weakness of their brothers before the world? By doing so, they repeat the wickedness of Ham and become traitors to the Church which Christ has purchased with his own blood. They make themselves guilty of bringing dishonor on the gospel, by showing their disapproval to the world through their talebearing, and to their own great injury they disown the love which ‘believes all things’ and ‘hopes all things.’”
  
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1 2 Samuel 1:20
2 The “it” in verse 18 is “the bow” or “the song of the bow” in some translations. The ESV uses the Greek Septuagint, “it”, but includes a footnote “Hebrew the bow
3 Luke 19:41-44


Year One, September 12
Wait for the LORD1
David waited seven years and more before he came to the throne of Israel. However, during that time he reigned with great wisdom and fairness over that part of the land over which he did have influence. His conduct earned him the general respect of the people. It was far better to be preparing for the crown than to be plotting to take it by force.
  
2 Samuel 5:1-3
1Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. 2In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the LORD said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’” 3So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.
The crown came to David by the popular consent of the Israelites. He never stooped to a violent takeover attempt. When the Lord has ripened a blessing for us, it will drop into our lap like an apple from the tree. We must not reach out an unholy hand to take it before the proper time. David’s exemplary past and the fact that he was chosen by the Lord could not be overlooked forever. People have bad memories, but in due time they must and will remember the credit deserved by those who have acted heroically. All the tribes of Israel were pleased to place the crown on the man who had proven himself so worthy to wear it.
  
1 Chronicles 12:39-40
39And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had made preparation for them. 40And also their relatives, from as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, came bringing food on donkeys and on camels and on mules and on oxen, abundant provisions of flour, cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, and wine and oil, oxen and sheep, for there was joy in Israel. (Those who lived closest to Hebron provided the feast, because they did not have the cost of the long journey others took. Those who can best afford it should do the most for the honor of our Lord’s kingdom.)
  
2 Samuel 5:4-9
4David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.
David had already been anointed king. He was now eager to prove he really was a king by getting rid of his country’s enemies who still remained in Israel. Therefore he decided to remove the Jebusites from their fortress on Mount Zion.
6And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”-- thinking, “David cannot come in here.” (Most likely, this means that David had called their gods both blind and lame, and now they responded by saying that their blind and lame gods were more than enough to keep him out of their stronghold.) 7Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. 8And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David’s soul.” (Joab led the troops in this horrific fight. Fort after fort was captured and the gigantic fortifications were attacked. Israel’s warriors climbed over the walls and defeated their enemies in hand-to-hand combat.) Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”
That is to say, it became a proverb that Israel would not depend on lame and blind gods or set them up in their houses as protection, because they had proven to be worthless defenders.
 9And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward. (In this way the sacred mount of Zion was taken out of the hands of enemies and became the site of King David’s palace. Likewise, the church has been saved from all her enemies and is the place her King, Jesus, calls home.)
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1 Psalm 27:14


Year One, September 13
Fight the Good Fight of the Faith1
David soon found that being the king gave him not only advantages, but hard work and wars as well. As it was true of David, it is of all believers. Victory over this wicked world involves struggle.
  
2 Samuel 5:17-25
17When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. 18Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
Their success against Saul made them bold to attack David. They did not consider the important difference between the two men. Saul had been abandoned by God and was defeated easily. But David was approved and strengthened by the Lord of Hosts. He was a very different opponent. It is hopeless to fight against someone who has God for their friend.
19And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the LORD said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.”
David’s path seemed obvious, but he wanted God to lead in every step he took. No one ever lost their way by asking for directions too many times. Asking the Lord to direct us is never unnecessary. Every member of our family should follow David’s example. If we do, we will walk in the way of peace all our days.
20And David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. And he said, “The LORD has burst through my enemies before me like a bursting flood.” (David did the fighting, but he gave all the glory to the Lord. Grace is active and fights, but it is also humble and gives praise to him who gives the victory.) Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim. (Or, “the lord who breaks through,” because the Lord had broken the ranks of the enemy, and made a way for David to scatter them.) 21And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away. 
As the Philistines had once captured the ark, so now the Israelites seized their idols. We read in First Chronicles 14:12 that the idols “were burned.” They destroyed them to show their intense hatred of them and to prevent their becoming a snare to Israel.
22And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 23And when David inquired of the LORD, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees. 24And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the LORD has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” (When the wind rustled among the leaves of the trees, David was to regard it as a sign for battle. As we wait for God to direct us, he will give us hints to know when to become active. Surely, whenever we hear that the Spirit of God is moving like the wind through the churches, it should move us to sevenfold activity.) 25And David did as the LORD commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.
If we do as the Lord commands us, he will command success to be with us.
By successfully defeating the invading foe, David was firmly established as king. In Psalm 101, he tells us how he is determined to act in his exalted position.
  
Psalm 101
1 I will sing of steadfast love and justice;
to you, O LORD, I will make music.
2 I will ponder the way that is blameless.
Oh when will you come to me?
I will walk with integrity of heart
within my house;
3 I will not set before my eyes
anything that is worthless.
I hate the work of those who fall away;
it shall not cling to me.
4 A perverse heart shall be far from me;
I will know nothing of evil.
5 Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly
I will destroy.
Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart
I will not endure.
6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land,
that they may dwell with me;
he who walks in the way that is blameless
shall minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit
shall dwell in my house;
no one who utters lies
shall continue before my eyes.
8 Morning by morning I will destroy
all the wicked in the land,
cutting off all the evildoers
from the city of the LORD.
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1 1 Timothy 6:12


Year One, September 14
I Love You, O LORD, My Strength1
After David had sent his enemies retreating and his kingdom was firmly established, he sang this sacred song to the Lord.
  
Psalm 18:1-24
1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death encompassed me;
the torrents of destruction assailed me;
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
the foundations also of the mountains trembled
and quaked, because he was angry.
Oh! the power of prayer. It can move heaven and earth. It can climb to heaven and bring the Lord down to earth to help his people. Traps are broken, sorrows are removed, death is defeated, and Satan is frustrated. Who would not pray?
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
This is an Oriental way of expressing fierce wrath. God came to help his servant, burning with displeasure against his enemies. The following verses describe the Lord as using storm and wind to help his suffering servant.
9 He bowed the heavens and came down;
thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
God helps his people quickly. He will come in time, because the winds carry him.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
thick clouds dark with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
Who can stand against this frightful God? Who can injure those he protects?
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O LORD,
at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
16 He sent from on high, he took me;
he drew me out of many waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the LORD was my support.
David’s enemies were very strong, but God was more than capable of helping him.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
20 The LORD dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the LORD,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
22 For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
23 I was blameless before him,
and I kept myself from my guilt.
24 So the LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
Happy is the one who can bless God from their heart because they have been kept pure and true. They will discover, like David, that the Lord would sooner destroy the heavens and dry up the seas, than leave the godly to their enemies.
This psalm is so long, we must wait until our next worship time to finish it.
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1 Psalm 18:1


Year One, September 15
This God—His Way is Perfect1
We will now return to Psalm 18 and read from verse 30 to the end.
  
Psalm 18:30-50
30 This God--his way is perfect;
The experience of all his people bears witness to this. Perfect wisdom, perfect truth, and perfect love, are to be seen in all that he does. Blessed be his name.
the word of the LORD proves true;
The word of the Lord has been tried, proved and tested, but it has never failed. Our soul knows this is true.
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
This is true for us too, even though our faith has often been weak.
31 For who is God, but the LORD?
And who is a rock, except our God?--
32 the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
Believers have been equipped with complete armor, of which the belt of truth is a most important part.
33 He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
The apostle Paul refers to a believer’s spiritual shoes as “given by the gospel of peace.”2 They are from God, permitting the believer to walk safely where others fall.
34 He trains my hands for war,
so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
In spiritual conflict, the believer’s hands are made strong so they can break the enemy’s weapons by the power of truth.
35 You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.
Above all, we are to take the shield of faith, which is made in heaven, and extinguishes all the enemy’s flaming darts.3
36 You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
Never let us forget that unless the Lord protected us, we would have fallen as others have done, to our shame and ruin.
37 I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
38 I thrust them through, so that they were not able to rise;
they fell under my feet.
39 For you equipped me with strength for the battle;
you made those who rise against me sink under me.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me,
and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 They cried for help, but there was none to save;
they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine as dust before the wind;
I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
David gives God the credit for all his victories. Notice how often he repeats the word “you.” “You have given.” “You equipped.” “You made.” You, Oh Lord, have done it all.
43 You delivered me from strife with the people;
you made me the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
The neighboring nations submitted to David’s authority. When God is with us, “he makes even his enemies to be at peace with” us,4 or else they are powerless to harm us.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
45 Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their fortresses.
46 The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation--
47 the God who gave me vengeance
and subdued peoples under me,
48 who rescued me from my enemies;
yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you delivered me from the man of violence.
49 For this I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations,
and sing to your name.
50 Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed
to David and his offspring forever.
As we read this psalm we should try to apply these expressions of praise to ourselves and personally bless the Lord for all the benefits that our own lives have witnessed. Has not the Lord done great things for us also? Shall we not also give thanks to his name? Yes, certainly. We will!
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1 Psalm 18:30
2 Ephesians 6:15
3 An allusion to Ephesians 6:16
4 Proverbs 16:7


Year One, September 16
A God Greatly to Be Feared1
1 Chronicles 13
1David consulted with commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader. 2And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and from the LORD our God, let us send abroad to our brothers who remain in all the lands of Israel, as well as to the priests and Levites in the cities that have pasturelands, that they may be gathered to us. 3Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.” 4All the assembly agreed to do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. (The son of Jesse loved the Lord too well to forget to honor him. As soon as he became king over all Israel his first thought was to glorify his God. How different this is from many who obtain wealth and honors. Most turn their back on the God who has given them so much!)
5So David assembled all Israel from the Nile of Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. 6And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim that belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the LORD who sits enthroned above the cherubim. 7And they carried the ark of God on a new cart, from the house of Abinadab, and Uzzah and Ahio were driving the cart. (At this point they made a critical mistake. The law commanded the priests to carry the ark using poles on their shoulders. God will be served in his own way and not in ours. Ignoring God in even the smallest detail may lead to serious consequences. The two young men who drove the cart had probably grown so familiar with the ark, that they no longer respected it as they should. A stern lesson was needed to teach all Israel that the Lord is “a God greatly to be feared.”)
8And David and all Israel were rejoicing before God with all their might, with song and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets.
9And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled. 10And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God. (There are very many today who commit the sin of Uzzah. They dream that Christianity will suffer greatly unless they adapt it to the tastes and whims of their generation. They change its teachings. They decorate its worship to satisfy modern desires. They add philosophy to the simple gospel. Plain speaking must give place to eloquence. In their zeal and conceit they attempt to help HIM who does not need such helpers. They insult the true religion their unbelieving fear tries to protect. We must beware of even imagining that our hand is needed to steady God’s ark. The thought is blasphemy.)
11And David was angry because the LORD had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzza (which means “the breaking out against Uzzah”) to this day. 12And David was afraid of God that day, and he said, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?” 13So David did not take the ark home into the city of David, but took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
Israel’s joy in the Lord was interrupted that day, because God and his law were not given the holy respect they deserve. This was actually good for David and all Israel. It postponed their rejoicing, but it removed lightheartedness and disrespect from their hearts. It taught them to be not only zealous for, but obedient to, the Lord’s word. We all need to be taught these lessons.
14And the ark of God remained with the household of Obed-edom in his house three months. And the LORD blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that he had. (As a family, may we always cheerfully open our house to the Lord’s servants. Many households have been blessed because they did.)
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1 Psalm 89:7


Year One, September 17
Serve the LORD With Gladness!1
2 Samuel 6:12-23
12And it was told King David, “The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing.
Obed-edom’s prosperity was a sure sign that the Lord was ready to bless all who would treat his ark with reverence. When God blesses people “with a nature like ours,”2 we are encouraged to expect that he will bless us also.
This time the ark was carried by the priests and Levites, “Consecrate yourselves, you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it. Because you did not carry it the first time, the LORD our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule.”3
13And when those who bore the ark of the LORD had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. 14And David danced before the LORD with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. (He took off his royal robes and exchanged them for the simple outfit of the Levites to show that he, too, was a servant of the Lord. He “danced before the LORD with all his might.” Krummacher says, “He gave expression in outward movements, and by a rhythmic action of his body, to the feelings which swelled in his heart. The idea that the world of the present day likes to associate with the word dance is not appropriate here at all. In Israel, dancing was a form of divine worship, in which the highest and holiest inspiration often expressed itself. For example, in the case of Miriam and her companions at the Red Sea. If it had not been so, how would the spirit of prophecy have said by the prophet Jeremiah, ‘Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.’45 And why would the singer of Psalm 150 have encouraged the God-fearing, by saying to them, “Praise him with tambourine and dance”6!) 15So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn.
16As the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart. 17And they brought in the ark of the LORD and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD18And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts, 19and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed each to his house.
20And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” (She could not share David’s enthusiasm. No doubt she thought he was half-crazy. Even today, cold, heartless religious people complain about those who are enthusiastic about the Lord. They call holy excitement hypocrisy and fanaticism.) 21And David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the LORD—and I will celebrate before the LORD(He reminded her of God’s electing love. Truly, if anything can make a person’s heart dance this will.) 22I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” (One is reminded here of Paul counting “everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”7 If others think less of us because we glorify God, we should rejoice.) 23And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death. (She acted more as the daughter of Saul than as the wife of David, and therefore like her father she died, leaving no heir to the throne of Israel.)
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1 Psalm 100:2
2 James 5:17
3 1 Chronicles 15:12b-13
4 Jeremiah 31:4b
5 F. W. Krummacher (1796-1868).
6 Psalm 150:4a
7 Philippians 3:8


Year One, September 18
The Most High Does Not Dwell in Houses Made by Hands1
2 Samuel 7:1-17
1Now when the king lived in his house and the LORD had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.”
It was good for David to compare his house to the place where the ark was kept and it is good for us to think along the same lines. If we live in a comfortable house and our place of worship is neglected, then let us not be slow to do what we can to correct the situation.
3And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”
Good men naturally like to encourage good intentions and Nathan spoke from the love in his heart. But he was mistaken. Only the Lord Jesus knew the mind of God perfectly and therefore always spoke it perfectly. Other prophets only spoke the mind of God when the spirit of prophecy rested on them. If they spoke without full knowledge, the Lord quickly corrected them. Nathan did not refuse to correct his own advice when he was better informed and neither should any of us be slow to retract any error we have unknowingly taught.
4But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, 5“Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in? 6I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. 7In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” 8Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 9And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house.’”
The Lord knows the desire of our heart and he rewards the desire as though it has already been accomplished. Because David wanted to build God a house, God built David’s house. Truly, we serve a good master.
12“‘When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” (This was a glorious covenant even as to its surface meaning, but there was a deeper meaning to it. The promise also has a special reference to that greater Son of David building up his church and establishing it forever. Some translate the words, “when he commits iniquity,” as “when I make him sin,” and believe this entire passage is about, “Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”2)
17In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David. (In 1 Chronicles 22:7-8, David mentions one of the reasons why he was not allowed to build the temple: “I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the LORD my God. But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth.” It was not right that he who had been the Lord’s executioner on so large a scale should build the temple. God is very jealous of his own honor. Even where there may be no real sin, a person’s way of life may disqualify them from some positions in the Lord’s service.)
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1 Acts 7:48
2 2 Corinthians 5:21 (New American Standard Version)


Year One, September 19
Bless the House of Your Servant1
2 Samuel 7:18-29
18Then King David went in and sat before the LORD (After Nathan told David that his “throne shall be established forever,” the king was overwhelmed with gratitude. He entered the Lord’s tabernacle with great respect, sat down, and worshiped.) and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? (This should be the normal feeling of all the Lord’s kings and priests.2 They wonder why they should be chosen, and they adore the sovereign grace3 which elected them.) 19And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord GOD. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord GOD!”
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God’s ways higher than our ways.4 The greatest human attempts at compassion cannot begin to compare with divine blessings.
20“And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord GOD!”
God knows our hearts even when we are so full of emotion we cannot find words to express ourselves. He hears our songs and understands our sighs.
21“Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it.”
David does not claim any of the credit for his greatness. He gives all the credit to God and the richness of his grace. He was a free grace man. He placed the crown on the right head and gave the glory to God alone.
22“Therefore you are great, O LORD God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we  have heard with our ears. (There is none like the Lord, and there are no people like his people. Faith is about things that are unique, therefore our gratefulness should motivate us to remarkable service for our Lord. If we receive more than others, we must do more than others.) 23And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? 24And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O LORD, became their God.”
This is delightful to think about. God’s choice of his people is not temporary, but eternal. He never changes in his relationship to his people.
25“And now, O LORD God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. (These last words explain what true prayer should be: “Do as you have spoken.” The only solid foothold for faith is God’s word. When a sinner comes before God, they must have nothing else to depend on except, “do as you have spoken.” If we cannot plead a promise, then we cannot ask in confidence. We know that God will be true to his word and this gives us boldness before the throne of grace.) 26And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The LORD of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. 27For you, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a  house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.”
We are on solid ground when our hearts pray for that which we find promised in God’s word. Has the Lord said it? Then let us ask for it!
28“And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 29Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”
Pleading the promises is the sinew and muscle of prayer. When we have a promissory note from someone, we present it to them and ask for payment. We should bring the promises of Holy Scripture before the Lord and request him to make good on his word. Let us continually cry to God, “Do as you have spoken.”
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1 2 Samuel 7:29
2 A reference to all Christians. “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood.” (1 Peter 29)
3 sovereign grace - A term indicating that salvation is entirely the result of God’s mercy and grace. A person is incapable of contributing anything to his own salvation.
4 See Isaiah 55:9


Year One, September 20
May the LORD Answer You In the Day Of Trouble!1
When David became king, his people loved him and were in the habit of praying for him. Psalm Twenty is one of the prayer-hymns they used.
  
Psalm 20
As we read this psalm, we will see Jesus and use it to our spiritual benefit.
1 May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and give you support from Zion!
When Jesus was praying at Gethsemane and facing death on the cross, an angel came from heaven and strengthened him.2 There is no other help like that which God sends and no other rescue like that which comes out of his sanctuary.3 For us, that sanctuary is the person of our blessed Lord who is pictured as the temple and the place of true protection that God has provided. Let us rush to the Cross for support anytime we have a need. Our God will send us help. The world despises our sanctuary help, but our hearts have learned to prize it more than any human aid. They look to human strength or money, but we turn to the sanctuary that is Jesus. 

“And give you support from Zion.” Zion was the hill in Jerusalem where David built his palace. The spiritual City of Zion is the home of our great King. The saints of the Church look to Zion for all blessings.  When we look to the sanctuary in Zion for help, we are looking to the Father to help us through his Son. We have the greatest confidence that he will send the help he has promised. This verse is suitable for a Sunday morning benediction.4 It could be given by the pastor for his people or by the Church for its pastor.
3 May he remember all your offerings
and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices!     Selah
Before going to war, kings offered sacrifices. When their offering was accepted, it was a sign for success in the battle. Our blessed Lord presented himself as a sacrifice that was accepted by the Most High God as a pleasing aroma,5 after which he attacked and defeated the fortified armies of hell. The sacrifice of Christ still perfumes the courts of heaven and continues to make the offerings and worship of his people acceptable. In our spiritual battles, we should never march forth to war until the Lord has given us a sign to proceed. Our faith should be in our bleeding Lord and his sacrifice for us.
4 May he grant you your heart’s desire
and fulfill all your plans!
5 May we shout for joy over your salvation,
and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!
6 Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;
he will answer him from his holy heaven
with the saving might of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
Chariots and horses were impressive and awe inspiring. Men took great pride in their modern weapons of war; their enemies were terrified by them. But the sharp eye of faith sees far more power in an invisible God than in even a huge army of chariots and horses. The most dreaded war machine in David’s day was the war-chariot, armed with blades that mowed men down like grass. This is what the nations surrounding Israel gloried in and bragged about. But the saints considered the name of Jehovah to be a far better defense. The Lord did not allow the Israelites to keep warhorses, so it was only natural for them to have a great fear of the enemy’s cavalry. We should admire the great faith of the bold singer who scorned even the great horses of Egypt when compared with the Lord of Hosts. Sadly, there are many in our time who profess to be the Lord’s, but are hopelessly depending on other people and act as if they had never known the name of Jehovah at all!
8 They collapse and fall,
but we rise and stand upright.
At first, the enemies of God seem to be winning, but before long they are brought down by either force or their own mistakes. Their position is unsafe, and therefore when the time comes it gives way under them. Their chariots are burned in the fire, and their horses die of disease. Where is their boasted strength now? Those who trust in Jehovah may begin to lose heart as the battle begins, but an Almighty arm lifts them up and they joyfully stand upright. Victory through Jesus is the birthright of his people. The world, death, Satan, and sin, will all be trampled underneath the feet of the champions of faith; while those who trust in human strength shall be ashamed and destroyed forever.
9 LORD, save the king!
May he answer us when we call
  
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1 Psalm 20:1
2 Luke 22:43
3 sanctuary - The dwelling place of God.The tabernacle is called a sanctuary and the place where God dwells (Exodus 25:8). Also, a shelter, retreat, or place of safety and protection.
4 benediction - a short prayer for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of a worship service.
5 pleasing aroma - The Bible speaks of the smell of a sacrifice being pleasing or sweet to God and therefore accepted by him.


Year One, September 21
His Glory Is Great Through Your Salvation1
In this psalm we find King David rejoicing in the mercy of the Lord his God.
  
Psalm 21
This has been called the Royal Triumphal Ode or the Song of Great Victory. If we can see King Jesus in it, our reading will be rewarded even more.
1 O LORD, in your strength the king rejoices,
and in your salvation how greatly he exults!
2 You have given him his heart’s desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips.     Selah
Souls are saved by Jesus. He enriches his people with all spiritual blessings and this makes King David rejoice greatly.
3 For you meet him with rich blessings;
The word “meet” includes the idea of preceding or going before and Jehovah most certainly preceded his Son with blessings. Before Jesus died, saints were saved by the anticipated merit of his death. The Father is so willing to give blessings through his Son, that instead of waiting to give his grace, his mercy goes ahead of the Mediator on his journey to his death. “The Father himself loves you.”2
you set a crown of fine gold upon his head.
Jesus wore the crown of thorns, but now wears the crown of glory. His new crown points to his royal nature, kingly power, well-earned honor, glorious victory and divine authority. The crown is made from the richest, rarest, most brilliant and long lasting metal. Gold! Pure gold. The most valuable gold, to indicate the superiority of his kingdom. The crown is set on his head by Jehovah himself to declare that no one can remove it.
4 He asked life of you; you gave it to him,
length of days forever and ever.
5 His glory is great through your salvation;
splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
6 For you make him most blessed forever;
you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD,
and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
8 Your hand will find out all your enemies;
your right hand will find out those who hate you.
No one will escape from the Great King when he comes in his righteous anger. We are commanded to accept his love before it is too late.
9 You will make them as a blazing oven
      when you appear.
The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath,
and fire will consume them.
10 You will destroy their descendants from the earth,
and their offspring from among the children of man.
11 Though they plan evil against you,
though they devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12 For you will put them to flight;
you will aim at their faces with your bows.
Opposing Jesus will be useless. He will defeat his enemies with a frightening victory. Do not be found among them in that day.
13 Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength!
We will sing and praise your power.
This whole psalm is meant to proclaim the praises of the Lord Jesus. Isaac Ambrose writes:3 “I remember a dying woman who heard some sermon about Jesus Christ; ‘Oh,’ said she, ‘speak more of this, let me hear of this, do not be weary of telling his praise. I want to see him and therefore I love to hear about him!’ Surely I cannot say too much of Jesus Christ. On this blessed subject no man can possibly exaggerate. If I had the tongues of men and angels, I could never fully describe Christ. It is impossible for the creature to fully understand his Creator. Suppose all the sands on the seashore, all the flowers, herbs, leaves, twigs of trees in woods and forests, all the stars of heaven, were all rational creatures; and that they had wisdom, and tongues of angels to speak of the loveliness, beauty, glory, and excellency of Christ, as gone to heaven, and sitting at the right-hand of his Father, they would, in all their expressions, stay millions of miles on this side of Jesus Christ. Oh, the loveliness, beauty, and glory of his face! Can I speak, or you hear of such a Christ? And are we not all in a blazing love, in a angelic love, or at least in love like a bride for her husband? Oh my heart, how is it you are not lovesick? Why is it that you have not earnestly asked the daughters of Jerusalem as the spouse did? ‘I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him I am sick with love.’”4
  
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1 Psalm 21:5
2 John 16:27
3 Isaac Ambrose (1604-1664).
4 Song of Solomon 5:8


Year One, September 22
There Is a Friend Who Sticks Closer Than a Brother1
2 Samuel 9
1And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
Good people are thankful people. Jonathan had shown David great kindness, and therefore David looked for a way to be kind to Jonathan’s descendants. Someone who is not loyal to their friends is probably someone who is not loyal to the Savior. 
2Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” 3And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” 4The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” (He was living far away from the city. He may have been afraid that David wanted to kill him because he was an heir of king Saul. We often fear the very people who will turn out to be our best friends.)
5Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. 6And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. (He was both awed by the splendor of the court and nervous because he thought the king might want to injure him. But David was kind to him and quickly put him at ease.) And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold I am your servant.” 7And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.” 8And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”
9Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. 10And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. (Mephibosheth was the grandson of a king. Ziba, his sons, and his servants made up a good court for a descendant of royalty.)
11Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons. 12And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants. 13So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.
From this story, we learn to remember those who have been kind to us. If someone has shared with us when they were prosperous, we should return their kindness if we ever see them or their children in need. Never let it be said that a child of God is ungrateful to others. If we are to show kindness to those who treat us badly, how much more are we obligated to repay the favors of those who have been our friends.
Another lesson may be learned here. David and Jonathan had made a covenant and David kept it. Jonathan’s son was not well known, he was poor, and he was deformed. None of these things stopped David from keeping his promise. The Lord is also true to his covenant. He will not abandon those who put their trust in him. Many of God’s people are, spiritually, as disabled as Mephibosheth, but he remembers them, and invites them to sit at his table and fellowship with him. The Father is not ashamed of the poor and helpless friends of Jesus. Because he loves their Lord and Master, he accepts them at the king’s table, even though both their feet are crippled.
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1 Proverbs 18:24


Year One, September 23
Pray That You May Not Enter Into Temptation1
2 Samuel 11:1-3; 6-10; 12-17; 26-27
1In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.
Perhaps David had begun to give in to a life of ease and decided to allow the battles of his country to be fought by others. If this is the case, then it teaches us that laziness is the helper of wrongdoing.
2It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, (Had he been sleeping in until so late in the day? Had he become that self-indulgent? If so, is it any wonder that he fell?) that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. 3And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” (David sent for her at once and took her to himself, thus committing the grossest sin. Alas! Alas! how far the mighty have fallen!)
In a short time David found that his sin would be discovered. So he came up with an excuse to have Uriah return home from the battle in an attempt to hide his shameful sin.
6So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. 8Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king. 9But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 10When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” (Uriah answered that he would not go home to sleep in comfort while the ark of the covenant and his fellow soldiers were in tents, or encamped in the open field.)
Here we find a common soldier being self-disciplined and self-denying, while the famous psalmist had become pleasure seeking and shameless.
12Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house. (David deliberately got Uriah drunk. This was a very wicked thing to do. But with all of his cleverness, David did not succeed in covering up his crime. This led him to act even more wickedly. Now he would become guilty of murder. “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn!”2 “Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”3)
14In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down and die.” 16And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. 17And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died.
The man after God’s own heart had fallen so low that he had become both an adulterer and a murderer! In those days, other kings did these kinds of things repeatedly and their people would not dare to complain about it. But king David was a chosen servant of God and it was a disgustingly evil thing for him to commit such crimes.
26When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. 27And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD(The sinner may have dreamed that he had cleverly hidden his crime, but this last sentence was the signal that announced the death of his secret. If our actions displease the Lord, nothing else in our life will win his approval.)
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1 Matthew 26:41
2 Isaiah 14:12
3 1 Corinthians 10:12


Year One, September 24
Have Mercy Upon Us, O LORD1
2 Samuel 12:1-10; 13-14
1And the LORD sent Nathan to David. (This kind of sin could not remain unpunished. The Lord sent the same messenger to rebuke David who had previously come to bless him. It was great mercy on God’s part to send a faithful preacher to David. If he did not love him, he might have left him to his own hardness of heart. We should be thankful to God when he sends an honest person to deliver his divine message to us, whether that message is sweet or bitter.) He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2The rich man had very many flocks and herds, 3but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. 4Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
5Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, 6and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” (Little did he realize that he had just judged himself. We are ready enough to condemn others, but, ah! how slow to see sin in ourselves.)
7Nathan said to David, “You are the man! (The parable was full of wisdom and Nathan showed great courage to apply it to the king. How David’s color must have changed! How loudly did his conscience say “Amen”2 to everything the prophet said. Nathan went on to describe David’s sin so he could see more of its blackness and be wholeheartedly sincere in his repentance.) Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 8And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. 9Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife’”
This was harsh medicine, but it was for a putrid disease. If we sin, we must pay the price for it. The Lord’s beloved cannot escape the rod if they disobey his commands. In David’s case, as in most others, the punishment matched the sin. He had killed Uriah with the sword and now the sword was to visit his own family.
13David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” (A child of God may sin, but he cannot continue in it. If there had been no grace in David, he would have been angry with Nathan. But the spiritual life within him caused David to repent immediately and greatly. Many sin, as David did; but never repent, as he did.) And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.”
How quickly the pardon came! “Confess, and live” is God’s word to the guilty. The Lord our God delights in mercy. Let us go to him and acknowledge our transgressions at once, and find immediate pardon.
14“Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die.” (David will live, but he will be struck in a tender place. God forgives his children, but he will not allow them to think lightly of sin. He will strike them heavily, though not to the point of death. Oh Lord, keep us from sin.)
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1 Psalm 123:3
2 amen - So be it, it is so, it is true, truly.


Year One, September 25
He Will Gather the Lambs in His Arms1
2 Samuel 12:15-23
15Then Nathan went to his house.
And the LORD afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he became sick. (God is true to his word, whether he threatens or promises.) 16David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. (We are allowed to pray about difficulties that are about to happen. If David was not forbidden to pray for mercy even after the Lord had declared what he was going to do, how much more may we plead to God when his will is still unknown?) 17And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. (They feared for his health, but he was ready to sacrifice himself for his poor suffering baby. He was a tender father. It pierced him to the heart to see his child suffering because of the father’s sin. Perhaps it was during this time that David came to the point of fully repenting and getting back the smile of his heavenly Father)
18On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” 19But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” 20Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate.
While the child was still alive David pleaded for its life. But after he died David immediately submitted to the divine will. He also seems to have been aware that God had pardoned him through his faith in the atoning sacrifice. He went again to the house of the Lord to worship in humble appreciation of his God. Some people mourn so long after the loss of a child that they appear to be angry with God and to be carrying on a rebellion against him. This was not the way David acted.
21Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” (People who have not been taught by God cannot understand why believers act the way they do. Believers do not rejoice the way the world does and do not mourn the way the world does. Their feelings have full play, but those feelings understand that God is always in control. Dependable Christians are not overly influenced by outward circumstances and this makes them appear odd and strange.) 22He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ 23But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
A great deal is suggested by the words, “I shall go to him.” David could not have thought his child had been annihilated. David’s hope was not for annihilation. Even less could David have imagined that the child was suffering in hell. He did not expect to be in hell when he died. David believed that his baby was in heaven and that he would meet him there. We also believe that all the dear little ones who die in infancy are in glory. We say all the little ones, because this child was the offspring of shame, and if it is where David is now, we feel sure that all other departed infants are there also.
“Millions of infant souls compose the family above.”2
By the death of his baby the first blow of the rod fell on David, and throughout the remainder of his life his trials increased.
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1 Isaiah 40:11
2 These words are from a hymn written by Samuel Stennett (1727-1795) that is found in a Selection of Hymns compiled by John Rippon in 1787. John Rippon preceded Spurgeon as pastor of his church in London.


Year One, September 26
Cleanse Me From My Sin1
Psalm 51
David’s conscience experienced great pain as a result of his great sin. Psalm 51 is often called “The Sinner’s Guide.” It is one of the penitential psalms2 that David composed.
1 Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
 David appealed to God’s great tenderness. Penitence has a sharp eye for the loving and merciful qualities of God. Let us also look to them.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
He could not bear to be contaminated by sin. His heart longed for complete pardon.
3 For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
Sin clashes with God. Sin boldly defies God. It wants to be on the throne of our lives and drive God away. David had wronged Bathsheba and Uriah, but his greatest misery was that he had offended his God. Those who do not have the grace of God in their lives do not care if their actions dishonor the Almighty.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
David’s outward act of evil led him to look within and see that his innermost self was disgusting. He was a direct descendant of the first Adam whose fall in the Garden of Eden extends to the entire human race. When our falls lead us to discover and mourn over the sin within us, we are on the sure way to recovery.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
This is the wonderful voice of faith. The humbled soul, while mourning over its sin, yet trusts in the cleansing blood, and believes that it can remove all stain. Bad as I am yet I am not too filthy for the precious blood of atonement! The blood of Jesus can remove every kind of sin and blasphemy.)
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Sin destroys! Grace must create a new heart. Penitents who are sincere are not satisfied with only a pardon. Their heart’s desire is to be holy in the future.
11 Cast me not away from your presence.
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
No one can teach about the power of forgiving love as well as those who have personally experienced it. Pardoned sinners are the best preachers to their rebellious fellow humans.
14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
David’s deep experience led him away from the mere practice of religion to the true spirit of the gospel. A real sense of sin will never allow someone to be satisfied with only ceremonies and forms of worship. They want the Lord himself to accept their spiritual worship and to accept their penitent cries for mercy.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.
David was delighted to be able to reverse the disgrace he had brought to the church and build up the walls of honor he had pulled down by his bad example.
May the Lord be pleased to keep us from being the reason his name or people suffer. Amen. 
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1 Psalm 51:2
2 penitential psalms - Seven psalms (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130 & 143) attributed to David which express penitence, repentance, regret, sorrow, grief, guilt or pangs of conscience over sin..


Year One, September 27
Blessed Is the One Whose Transgression Is Forgiven1
After David had received a sense of pardon, he sang that sweet gospel psalm, the thirty-second.
  
Psalm 32
1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Yes, even a great sinner may be blessed. When their sin is effectively hidden by the great propitiation,2 they are as blessed as if they had never sinned. Have all the members of this family experienced this blessing? Sin has cursed all of us. Has pardon blessed all of us?
2 Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
The person who is released from their guilt is also cleansed from scheming or deceiving. David had been very crafty in his efforts to hide his crime. He felt greatly relieved to escape from the tangled way of living that came from trying to cover up his sin.
3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.     Selah
As long as sin remains unconfessed it grows in the heart and is like mental torture. When God adds to this by applying his pressure from the outside, the sinner’s unhappy predicament becomes even worse. These are the feelings, to one degree or another, experienced by everyone who seeks the Lord.
5 I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.     Selah
Forgiveness followed on the heels of David’s confession, because Christ’s atonement had already taken place in eternity’s future. If anyone admits their sin before the Lord, the blood of Jesus will put it all away immediately and forever.
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
7 You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.     Selah
David was overcome with sighs before he prayed to the Lord. Now he is overcome with songs. If we want to be happy, we must be pardoned. If we want to be pardoned, we must confess our iniquities and look to Jesus who covers all our sin.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Be not like a horse or mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.
People who have been forgiven should have tender hearts and be afraid to sin again. We should not need to be treated roughly, like a stubborn animal, but should be sensitive to the slightest touch of the Lord’s hand.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Those who begin with holy weeping shall end with holy rejoicing. If there is someone in this family who is unforgiven, let him or her go to the heavenly Father and cry for that gracious forgiveness that is given to all who believe in Jesus. It is not given as a reward for good works. It is not given because of any efforts of our own. It is the free gift of God in Christ Jesus. Paul says that David is describing “the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works.”3 The apostle clearly says that our salvation is not a matter of merit but of grace. The very worst and most horrible sins will be freely and immediately forgiven if we will confess them to the Lord and trust in the infinite worthiness of his dear Son. Do not wait! Rush, right now, to the open fountain of Jesus’ blood.
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1 Psalm 32:1
2 propitiation - The act of satisfying someone’s demands and changing that someone from an enemy into a friend. When Jesus Christ died on the cross he satisfied the demand of God the Father that a sacrifice for sin must be made to him. The wrath or anger of God was used up on Christ so that God’s justice was satisfied and we who were once the enemies of God became his friends.
3 Romans 4:6


Year One, September 28
A Flattering Mouth Works Ruin1
The hand of God fell heavily on David from the time of his great sin until the end of his life. His children became the source of many of his troubles. Ammon committed an awful sin and his brother, Absalom, killed him for it. Absalom was forgiven for murdering his brother and returned to the king’s court. Then he began to plot the overthrow of his own father, who loved him far too much. In his attempts to undercut his father’s authority Absalom acted very cunningly. He used every method he could to win the approval of the people and make them suspicious of his father.
  
2 Samuel 15:1-12
1After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him. (Outward show often catches the attention of ordinary people. Absalom added the attraction of magnificent chariots and running footmen to his own handsome self.) 2And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And when he said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,” 3Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you.” 4Then Absalom would say, “Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.” 5And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him.
Absalom’s ambition prompted him to take great pains to appear very friendly and attentive to everyone. He came to the palace gate early in the morning and spoke to anyone who had a reason to see the king. He flattered them. He convinced them their cause was good. He pretended to regret they were not getting the justice they deserved and that they had to wait so long before their case was heard. He persuaded them that if he were the king, their concerns would have his immediate attention. There would be no delay or injustice for them to complain about. Everybody said, “What a courteous prince! What a just and careful ruler Absalom would be!”
6Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
The hearts of the people were not won, but stolen. The vain young prince deceived them. While pretending such zeal for their welfare, he was only advancing his own traitorous schemes.
7And at the end of four years Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the LORD, in Hebron. 8For your servant vowed a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If the LORD will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will offer worship to the LORD.’”
To crown all his other deceit, Absalom pretended to be extremely religious, and claimed that he needed to make a trip to Hebron, in order to keep a holy vow which he had made in the days of his exile. It is a bad person indeed who uses religion to hide their shameful ambition.
9The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron. 10But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, ‘Absalom is king at Hebron!’” 11With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem who were invited guests, and they went in their innocence and knew nothing.
These two hundred men joined Absalom in his devotions out of respect because he was the king’s son. They did not know about his plot to overthrow the king. Absalom used their presence for his own ends. The common people believed in these honorable men. The rebellious Absalom convinced them they had left David and had come over to his side.
12And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing.
Ahithophel was a very close friend of David as well as hiscounselor. However, he appears to have been a selfish person who cared more about his own well being than doing what was right. He was convinced that Absalom was stronger than the king and joined his side. David was driven to great distress. His friends were deserting him. His enemy was growing stronger and aiming to dethrone him. Worst of all, that enemy was his favorite son. What dark clouds hung over David after he so sadly turned from the way of holiness.
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1 Proverbs 26:28


Year One, September 29
The King Crossed the Brook Kidron1
2 Samuel 15:13-15; 17-26
13And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.” (This must have sounded like a thunderclap in David’s ear. He was rejoicing because he believed his son was paying his vows and making offerings to God. Then the news of his son’s rebellion was suddenly brought to him. David had rebelled against his God and king and now he sees his own son in arms against himself. God had told David that evil would come to him out of his own house. How well God keeps both his promises and his threats!) 14Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” (The city could not be defended, because its walls were not built. David had prayed, “Build up the walls of Jerusalem.”2)
15And the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides.”
17So the king went out, and all the people after him. And they halted at the last house. (His wicked son had horses, but David had to leave the city on foot. He took his family with him. He was always a loving father and would not leave them in danger. Who can tell the sorrow that filled poor David’s heart? God’s rod struck him heavily.) 18And all his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king.
This was his bodyguard. They remained faithful when others deserted to the popular side. May we always stay close to our Lord Jesus, even if all the world should wander after the beast and the false prophet.3
19Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your home. 20You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go I know not where? Go back and take your brothers with you, and may the LORD show steadfast love and faithfulness to you.”
David was too generous to wish troubles on others. He could have used Ittai’s help, but he would not take advantage of his kindness.
21But Ittai answered the king, “As the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be.” (This true and loyal heart shows us how we should follow Jesus.) 22And David said to Ittai, “Go then, pass on.” So Ittai the Gittite passed on with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. (The Lord did not leave his servant completely alone. He provided him friends in his time of need.) 23And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by, and the king crossed the brook Kidron, and all the people passed on toward the wilderness. (The common people mourned with their king, and well they should. There was even a sadder sight when Jesus, “the King, crossed the brook Kidron.”4 Oh Lord, we see you represented by David and our hearts adore you.)
24And Abiathar came up, and behold, Zadok came also with all the Levites, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city. 25Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place. 26But if he says, ‘I have no pleasure in you,’ behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him.” (David was concerned for the safety of the ark and the priests. He would not permit them to be exposed to the same danger he was in. He was also deeply submissive to the Lord’s will. This shows the sanctifying influence his trials had on him. It is a blessing when God sends us trials because of our sin and they make us bow before our Master in holy and humble submission.)
Lord, when you afflict our family, make it always a blessing to each one of us.
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1 2 Samuel 15:23
2 Psalm 51:18
3 The reference is to Revelation 13. The beast and false prophet rise up and deceive those who dwell on the earth. The false prophet is also referred to as “another beast.”
4 John 18:1, “When Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley, where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered” (and where Judas betrayed him).



Year One, September 30
The Lord Disciplines the One He Loves1
2 Samuel 15:29-37
29So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there.
30But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went. (This was a sad scene. The good king was fleeing from the rage of his own son. He was old, his heart was heavy, his head was covered, his feet were bare, his eyes were weeping. This much sorrow and distress is rarely seen. It is not at all surprising to see the people so touched and joining the king in his mourning. Little did David think, when he acted so wickedly with Bathsheba, that his sin would cost him so dearly.) 31And it was told David, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”
David was grieving, but not to the point where he did not pray. He knew where his strength lay and did not fail to turn to his strong helper.
32While David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with coat torn and dirt on his head. (Perhaps the king stopped at the top of the hill, looked back toward the ark, and fell to the ground in worship. Just as he rose from his knees, he found that God had sent him a valuable helper in the person of Hushai.  His tactfulness would lead to the downfall of Ahithophel. When we honor God the most, he will be ready to help the most. David was glad to see Hushai, but thought he would be the most useful to his cause by returning to Jerusalem) 33David said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me. 34But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O King; as I have been your father’s servant in time past, so now I will be your servant,’ then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel.”
No Christian can approve of this sort of trickery, even though it was highly admired in that society. We are sorry that David should fall into it. In this case, we must look at him as a warning, rather than as an example.
35“Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So whatever you hear from the king’s house, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 36Behold, their two sons are with them there, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son, and by them you shall send to me everything you hear.” 37So Hushai, David’s friend, came into the city, just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.
  
2 Samuel 17:22; 24; 27-29
David’s plan succeeded because, “The LORD had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the LORD might bring harm upon Absalom.”2 Hushai sent his report by the two young priests. He urged the king to get further away from Absalom by crossing the Jordan River and retreating to the far eastern part of the country.
22Then David arose, and all the people who were with him, and they crossed the Jordan. By daybreak not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan. (Here was another sad march. It was a discouraging sight to see David and the people crossing the Jordan in the dead of night.)
24Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. (This wicked young prince hotly pursued his father and could not be content unless he could shed his blood. Yet this was a son of David! What bad sons may come of holy fathers!)
27When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, 28brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans and lentils, 29honey and curds and sheep and cheese from the herd, for David and the people with him to eat, for they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.” (In that way, strangers became the good man’s friends. They were like drops of sweetness in his cup of sorrow. The Lord never leaves his people completely. He may strike them, but he is always on their side. Never stop trusting him.)
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1 Hebrews 12:6
2 2 Samuel 17:14


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