April 9 - 2 Sam 8-10; 1
Chron 18-19; Psalm 60
Yesterday’s
text, in 2 Sam 7:1, it said that “the Lord had given (David) rest from all of
his enemies.” And yet today’s text is full of warfare! There are two
perspectives on this. One faction believes that 2 Sam 8-10 actually occurred
earlier, perhaps between chapters 5 and 6 chronologically. Others believe that
these battles were the process of God giving David rest. Either way, there is a
lot of bloodshed in today’s text!
The
two accounts are very similar – both outline David’s military conquests and the
expansion of the Israelite kingdom. The Chronicler (as the author of
Chronicles) eliminates some of the more violent details, probably to avoid any
negative perspective of David as king. Regardless, there were a LOT of men on
both sides fighting diligently, and the Lord kept his promise to bring victory
to the Israelites.
From
a theological perspective, texts like this can provide a picture of how God
rewards faithful and just leadership, and that our success as earthly leaders
is, in the long run, dependent upon our relationship with God.
Today’s
psalm is interesting from the perspective of the introduction – it specifically
mentions that it is to be used for teaching!
What do you think was the key lesson being taught?
TOMORROW’S
TEXT: 2 Sam 11-12; 1 Chron 20:1-3; Ps 51
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