Day 22: 1 Samuel 28:20-2 Samuel 12:10 -90 Day Challenge

Nobody's Perfect 

Temptation is Blind

I think it's important to start out by saying we are officially 1/4 of the way through the Bible! (Yes, the 90 Day Bible Challenge is actually an 88 Day Bible Challenge). That's awesome! If you've made it this far, you've got the rest of this, if you're just starting today, it's not too late! 

So today's reading was wonderful and weird. 

It started out in 1 Samuel with the Lord rebuking Saul  for being a horrible king, David defeating the Amalekites, and Saul dying by his own sword. 

David hears of Saul's death by a man who claimed to have killed him (this did not actually happen, he's just trying to gain David's favor) and delivers the crown to David. David strikes this man down and mourns for Saul and Jonathon (Saul's son who was extremely nice to David). 

David is made king over the tribe of Judah, but the remaining sons of Saul continue to rule the other tribes. There are several wars between the house of Saul and the house of David, and the house of David wins--making David king over all of Israel. David was just 30 years old when he was made king. Meaning all the stuff he did before this was before he turned 30! 

I'd like to point out here that David took no action towards becoming ruler without consulting the Lord. He asked what the Lord's will for him was every time he went out to battle. 

Then we're brought to 2 Samuel 6. How many of you have ever felt self-conscious during worship? Maybe the music moves you, but people will judge you if you raise your arm, sing loudly, or allow the music to move your body? How many suffer from the fear of foolishness? 

David certainly didn't. 

David went out to the middle of the streets and danced to the Lord with all his might! Even his wife judged him for it. But David said in 2 Samuel 6:21-22

"I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes."

Ah, I love that! 

God makes a promise to David that he and his house will reign victorious, and that His love will never be taken away from David. And David prays to God, saying "How great You are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears." (2 Samuel 7:22)

David conquers several tribes, and then vows to honor the son of Jonathon. He was a crippled boy and his throne was stolen from him because Saul was an evil man. So Mephibosheth (Jonathon's son) is invited to stay with David and eat at his table like royalty as long as he lives. 

Like I said in the beginning, nobody is perfect. At this point, David already has several wives, and he sees a beautiful woman bathing (creepy, right?) named Bathseba. He finds out that this woman is married to a man named Uriah, but sleeps with her anyway and gets her pregnant. David devises a plan to send Uriah off to war and put him on the front lines, where he will die. Uriah dies and David marries Bathsheba, but because the Lord knew David's intentions, he is very displeased with David. 

God sends a prophet, named Nathan, to deliver a message to David. He tells the story of a rich man with many sheep, and a poor man with just one sheep. The poor man loves this sheep dearly, and cares for it like it's his child. A guest visits the rich man, and instead of offering the guest one of his many sheep, the man takes the one precious sheep from the poor man. He slaughters the sheep and serves it to the guest. 

Nathan then tells David (after David convicts the rich man) that in this story, David is the rich man! 

And that's where the story ends! We will just have to see how this story picks up tomorrow! 

Have a wonderful day!

Tomorrow's reading will be 2 Samuel 12:11-2 Samuel 22:18

Jill Jafarace

Director of Student Ministry

New Leaf UMC