Second Samuel 8-11

God’s message to me: Follow God’s commands and ask His advice before making any major decision, even if it seems like the right thing to do. “there is a way that seems good to a man...” "No good deed goes unpunished"

Promises: God promised to defeat the enemies in the promised land and, after taking several key positions that had been left un-captured, David found himself in several more wars against others who had been left behind. God ensured the Israelites were consistently successful in battle.

Commands: God wants us to seek His council in all we do. David was a nice guy who liked repaying the kindnesses that others showed to him. Unfortunately, while he was very good about asking God before going to battle, he didn’t generally ask before trying to repay favors. As a result, his kindness was often met with treachery and war.

Timeless principles: David was “A man after God’s own heart.” This did not make him incapable of sin and grave sin at that. In addition to the wives mentioned earlier and the many wives he took after moving to Jerusalem, David took Bathsheba who was married to another man. When he learned he had made her pregnant he tried to cover his sin by getting her husband back from the war to sleep with her. When that didn’t work he had her husband put in a position that would get him killed. Adultery and Murder are some pretty heavy crimes. After Urriah was killed in battle, David took Bathsheba as his wife and she had his son. This did not make God happy.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: Seek the wisdom of God in all you do. I have to admit weakness here myself. Most of us don’t think twice about asking God before doing something that seems to be right. Following the law and obeying the rules are fundamental but, when the actions aren’t part of those rules, no matter how good they may seem, they can lead you into trouble.

more to learn for in-depth study: You have my apologies for jumping the gun a bit. I sometimes remember Israel’s history better than I remember recent history. This is the passage in which David shows kindness to the son of Jonathon and brings him to eat at the royal table as one of his own sons. He also tries to show kindness to the people of Ammon who helped him when he was running from Saul. The result is the war described in these chapters in which the Ammonites hired mercenaries to fight Israel.

tomorrow: Second Samuel 12-14