Tag: Promises

2 Samuel 9

David lived his life with all his ups and downs according to the purpose for which God created him (Acts 13.36). This is one of those instances where David served God’s purpose. We will see later that David falters a few times, but, in the end, he serves God’s purpose. How about you? Are you serving God’s purpose for your life in the area He has placed you (Acts 17.26)?

2 Samuel 9

The key to this whole passage is a promise David made to Jonathan before Saul and Jonathan died on Gilboa. David had promised him that David would always take care of the posterity of Jonathan. After he perished, there was only one alive and his name was Mephibosheth (see our study of 2 Samuel 4). His heritage is thus:

  • He is the grandson of King Saul and son of Jonathan who was crippled as his nurse fled and dropped him after the overthrow of Saul’s kingdom (2 Samuel 4.4-6)
  • After the overthrow of the kingdom, he was raised by Machir who was a powerful leader among the tribes on the eastern side of the Jordan River (transjordan). He also provided assistance to David in 2 Samuel 17.27-29 (2 Samuel 9.4-6)
  • He was sought out and honored by David because of David’s promise to Jonathan in 1 Samuel 20.14-17 (2 Samuel 9.1-13)
  • He was accused by Ziba of attempting to overthrow the kingdom of David when Absalom rebelled (2 Samuel 16.1-4)
  • He explains his side to David (2 Samuel 19.24-30)
  • He was spared by David (2 Samuel 21.7)
  • He was the father of Micha (2 Samuel 9.12)
  • He was called Merib-Baal (1 Chronicles 8.34)

David remembers the promise made to Jonathan after he had conquered and won many battles and became settled (2 Samuel 8.1). We can see this because Mephibosheth had a son (12) by this time. Since he was five when all this happened, some eighteen years could have passed, giving Mephibosheth enough time to marry and have a child.

What David did for Mephibosheth was not what the kings of ancient times did. They would slay all who were potential rivals (even in their own household). David not only spared Mephibosheth but gave him a home even though Mephibosheth could give nothing in return. Isn’t this much like what God does for us? He doesn’t slay us, but in His grace offers us who are crippled by our sin an eternal habitation fit for a king.

David lived his life with all his ups and downs according to the purpose for which God created him (Acts 13.36). This is one of those instances where David served God’s purpose. We will see later that David falters a few times, but, in the end, he serves God’s purpose. How about you? Are you serving God’s purpose for your life in the area He has placed you (Acts 17.26)?

2 Samuel 8

When God provides victories in your life, do you give Him the honor, praise, and glory for them? Or, do you hoard them yourself?

2 Samuel 8 (cf. 1 Chronicles 18)

The theme of this chapter can be seen in two verses, verses 6 and 14. In both of these, the writer states that “Jehovah gave victory to David wherever he went.” The kingdom is growing, through the hand of David by the will of God. This chapter recounts the kings David vanquished (the Philistines, the Moabites, the king of Zobah, the Syrians, and the Edomites [1-8]), the wealth he acquired in these conquests (9-10), and how he ruled his people (15-18). Since David sought God first (2 Samuel 6), God blessed David with a kingdom (Matthew 6.33).

Even the spoils David took, he offered to God for the building of the Temple under Solomon (11).

When God provides victories in your life, do you give Him the honor, praise, and glory for them? Or, do you hoard them yourself?

Historical Notes

  • Verse 2-two of three would be put to death
  • Verse 6-from Damascus to the Euphrates
  • Verse 13-David won a name for himself. Interestingly, David’s name appears twenty-one times in this chapter.
  • Verse 16-For more on Joab, read our studies in 1 Samuel 26, 2 Samuel 2, 2 Samuel 3, and 1 Chronicles 11.
  • Verse 18-For more on Abiathar, read our studies in 1 Samuel 30 and 1 Samuel 21-24.
  • As for the numbers involved in this chapter and in 1 Chronicles, the following numbers are given:

from the Syrians (Arameans) one thousand chariots, seven thousand charioteers, and 20,000 footmen (soldiers) were captured. As well, 22,000 Aramean soldiers were killed. Thus, the 40,000 “horsemen” (2 Sam. 10:18) and 40,000 footmen (v. 18) are merely rounded-off figures for the 42,000 foot soldiers either captured or slain. The word “horsemen” in 2 Samuel 10:18 is thus used imprecisely or may have been miscopied from the listing in 2 Samuel 8:4 (King James Version study Bible. 1997).

2 Samuel 7

David is amazed at what God has promised, not based on whom David is or what David does, but on whom God is and what God will do. This is the essence of the unconditional New Covenant God makes to us through His Son Jesus. It is and has and will always be about Him, not us.

2 Samuel 7 (cf. 1 Chronicles 17)

God makes a promise to David that is unconditional [listen to this message on Romans 3.1-8 preached at Evangelical Formosan Church of Cerritos on October 17, 2010 by Pastor David]. David responds to God with a prayer of praise. This is how it is. God promises us great things in Christ, and we need to respond with gratitude. How much gratitude have you shown God today?

God gave David peace )rest( from his enemies. The evidence of this is seen in the promises God makes with David in this chapter. Verse two reminds us of Hiram who provided David with the cedars of Lebanon (2 Samuel 5.11). This is the chapter that introduces the prophet Nathan. He plays a key role throughout the rest of the story of David (2 Samuel 12.1, I Kings 1.10, 22, 34, 2 Chronicles 9.29).

This is also the chapter that is central to the doctrine of Christ’s coming (12-13, 21). Christ is the seed that will come from David upon whom God will establish the eternal kingdom. Peter made sure the people of Jerusalem understood this in his first sermon (Acts 2.25-36). Paul mentions this covenant in Romans 1.1-3. Jesus even refers to it in Revelation 22.16. Both passages mention that Jesus is the fulfillment of the covenantal promise. The prophet Jeremiah, as an Old Testament example, awaited the day when the Messiah would come as fulfillment of this covenant (Jeremiah 23.5). Gabriel was sent with the same message in Luke 1.32-33 stating that the One who was to be born of Mary would be the One to sit on the throne of David. It is this covenant that ties the Abrahamic Covenant to the New Covenant made by Jesus (John 13-17).

According to this passage (10-16), the Davidic covenant is:

  1. a house—a continued posterity of the royal line
  2. a kingdom—a realm of political power, a literal earthly kingdom that can be interrupted (Hosea 3.4-5).  Psalm 89 informs us that although individual members of the house of David may fail the conditions of the covenant because of their disobedience, the covenant itself remains unconditional (3-4, 19–24, 27–37; see our study on Psalm 89).
  3. a throne—the rulership of that kingdom centered in David’s posterity, his offspring will have the only right to the throne in Israel

To conclude the matter of the covenant for the moment, ultimately God’s promise to Israel through the Davidic covenant will become evident in the Messiah, who is David’s seed (Jeremiah 33.19-26, Ezekiel 34.22-31, 36.16-38). Each of the covenants presented in Scripture, the Abrahamic, Davidic, and New covenants, will find their fulfillment (Ezekiel 37.21-28) in Christ, through whom the provisions of these three covenants come together (cf. Matthew 26.28-29, 31-33, 54-55, Luke 1.68-78, Acts 2.29-36, 3.25-26, 15.16-17, Galatians 3.13-16, 26-29, Hebrews 9.16-28, and Revelation 11.15).

The final thought in this chapter is David’s response to all this. He is amazed at what Nathan told him. He then enters the tent of worship, where the newly placed Ark is found, and he worships the Lord for a lengthy amount of time (7:18–29). During his prayer, he calls on the “Sovereign Lord” seven times. This title stresses God’s control over the nations and over this unconditional covenant God has made with David and the nation Israel. David is amazed at what God has promised, not based on whom David is or what David does, but on whom God is and what God will do. This is the essence of the unconditional New Covenant God makes to us through His Son Jesus. It is and has and will always be about Him, not us.

Psalm 132

During times of difficulty or praise, we need to record our prayers, desires, thoughts, and life so we might see God at work in our lives. When trials come, and they will, having a recorded testimony of God’s work in your life along with answered prayers will strengthen you and those around you. What is God writing in your life?

Psalm 132

This is another psalm of ascents and is the longest one. The authorship is unknown. It could have been Davidic (but verses 1, and 10-11 belie this) or Solomonic as a dedication of the newly built Temple. Whoever the author, this is a prayer given which asks God to remember His promises and is in connection with the Ark coming to Jerusalem and with the promise of the building of the Temple. This places the topic of the writing in time with our studies in 1 Chronicles and 2 Samuel (2 Samuel 7.8-16 [see study] and 1 Chronicles 17.11-14 [see our study]). Second Samuel is the Davidic Covenant and 1 Chronicles is the oath by God to build the Temple through David’s son, Solomon.

  • Verses 1-5-Remember David’s oath to build the Temple (see our study on 2 Samuel 5)
  • Verses 6-7-Remember David’s bringing the Ark to Jerusalem (see our study on 1 Chronicles 16). The writer recollects that David heard of the Ark in his youth as seen in the reference to Ephrathah, which is another name for David’s hometown of Bethlehem (Micah 5.2 and Genesis 48.7).
  • Verses 8-10-A prayer for God to remember the Ark and the King. The phrase “Your anointed” could refer both to David’s descendants and his ultimate descendant Jesus Christ, the Anointed One (Messiah).
  • Verses 11-18-A restating of the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7.8-16)

The prayers of verses 8-10 are answered in verses 16-18.

  • Arise, O LORD, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength (8).
    • This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it (14).
  • Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness (9a).
    • Her priests also I will clothe with salvation (16a).
  • And let Your godly ones sing for joy (9b).
    • And her godly ones will sing aloud for joy (16b).
  • For the sake of David Your servant, do not turn away the face of Your anointed (10).
    • There I will cause the horn of David to spring forth; I have prepared a lamp for Mine anointed. . . . But upon himself his crown shall shine (17, 18b).

During times of difficulty or praise, we need to record our prayers, desires, thoughts, and life so we might see God at work in our lives. When trials come, and they will, having a recorded testimony of God’s work in your life along with answered prayers will strengthen you and those around you. What is God writing in your life?

Psalm 23

The key to this psalm is the first verse and is found in the pronoun “my.” If this is not true of you, then this psalm is not a psalm that you can cling to for it is only for those who call to God as Savior, Shepherd.

Psalm 23

The key to this psalm is the first verse and is found in the pronoun “my.” If this is not true of you, then this psalm is not a psalm that you can cling to for it is only for those who call to God as Savior, Shepherd.

For all the beauty and splendor of this psalm, it is a psalm reminding us that God meets our needs (cf. Philippians 4.19 and Psalm 37.25). These would include meeting the needs of our entire being. He meets my safety and physical needs as-well-as my need for belonging, love, and meaning. He guides me (2-3), He protects me (4), He is with me (4), His loving-kindness is known to me (6), and He gives me victory (5) with purpose (6). The one thing that is not given me that I have to choose is to serve others the same way He has served me (Mark 10.43-45).

The question to answer is this: Whom am I shepherding toward Christ today?

Many authors have poured over these verses and waxed eloquently (i.e., Max Lucado Traveling Light or Philip Keller A Shepherds Look at Psalm 23). I refer the reader to books such as these to explore the depths of this chapter.

1 Chronicles 12

1 Chronicles 12 (cf. 1 Samuel 22, 27, 29, 30)

Our studies in 1 Samuel (22, 27, 29, and 30) covered the material found in the first twenty-two verses of 1 Chronicles 12. So, refer to them for now (more on this chapter will come in the future).

This chapter details the tribes that were loyal to David. Notice in verses 29-30 that some were still loyal to Saul. It was not a clean transition to the throne for David. Looking at verses 38-40, we can see the celebrations that occurred when David was finally proclaimed king over all Israel.

For further insight into these verses refer to these previous studies:

Probably the greatest contrast gathered from these verses is how David and Saul gained followers. When these verses are read, we see that David attracted followers. They were drawn to him. Saul had to draft men into his army (1 Samuel 14.52). Our character and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives attract others to our ministry. What is your character like? How is the Holy Spirit working in you today?

Look over this chapter again. Focus on these verses: 2, 8, 15, 16-18, 32, 33, and 38. What did you notice about these people who were attracted to David? Would you meet these qualifications? Jesus calls each one of us to His service. Does He attract you? Are you qualified for service or has sin stained you for this season? Are you skilled? Yes. The Holy Spirit has gifted you. Are you trained?  Second Timothy 2.15 requires us to do this work. Are you fearless? Again, 2 Timothy 1.7 proclaims that God has given us a spirit that should be fearless. Are you loyal? This is your decision. Will you follow Him regardless of the command? Will you follow His Word and His leaders and help others to do the same? Do you see what is going on around you and desire to change things for God? This is the list. How do you match-up? The good news is that God can qualify you as you surrender to His Word, His will, and His way.

Psalm 102

Psalm 102

The inscription for this psalm is odd. It gives no name, no direction, no tune or style; it merely pronounces what it is. It is a title. This psalm is an individual lament or prayer. It contains similar expressions found in Psalm 27 (read the study of Psalm 27).

This psalm is a Messianic Psalm in that it describes what happened to Christ during His lifetime. As you read through the psalm, try to see the agony of Christ, particularly in the Garden of Gethsemane (His prayer could have been this psalm, cf. Hebrews 5.7) or on the Cross. See below for MacDonald and Farstad’s treatment on how this psalm relates to the Trinity.

This psalm can be divided into four parts. The plea (1-2), the reason for the plea (3-11), the character of God (12-22), and the contrast between God and man (23-28) are the main sections of this psalm.

Verses 1-2-The Psalmist proclaims his heart’s desire is for God to hear his prayer, his plea. He does not expect God to reject his prayer and knows that God. These thoughts are seen in Psalm 88 (read study) and Psalm 17 (read study).

Verses 3-11-These verses remind us of what James wrote in James 4.14. Job also responded to his condition in terms of his bones poured out, burned, and crushed (Job 30.16-32). When David was being judged for his sin with Bathsheba and all the aftermath, he expressed his life as bones that were broken (Psalm 51.8). David, in Psalm 51, knew this was from God as does this writer (11).

This list of birds represents those who live alone and are desolate (6-8), which is how the writer feels as those around him mock him for trusting in God.

Verses 12-17-The writer calls out to God to act because of whom God is not who the prayer is. The writer calls for God to act so God can be glorified by the nations. When we pray, we should pray according to God’s Word, His will, and His way. When we do so, we will be asking God to do exactly what God wants to do. God desires for us to care for the poor and needy. Do we pray for Him to care for the destitute (17)?

Verses 17-22-The psalmist is asking God to use his circumstances to help others know that God is good and God is worthy of worship (Romans 15.4 and 1 Corinthians 10.11).

As verses 18-19 are read, we get a sense that the psalmist knows that God stepped down from Heaven to answer his prayer.

Verses 23-28-The writer realizes his frailty and God’s eternal state. He also realizes that what is occurring in his life is due to the mighty, compassion, just, true, etc., God of the Universe allowing it to happen. He is the same today as He was then (Hebrews 13.8, cf. Malachi 3.6, which expresses why we are still living). Because of this, the writer notes, we can have confidence before Him (27-28, cf. Hebrews 1.10-12). So, let us go before Him and ask Him to incline His ear to us.

As you are in prayer today, how do you pray? Are you asking God to grant your requests according to your desires? There is nothing wrong with expressing the desires of your heart to God. However, He may not answer them. Are you praying according to His Word, will, and way? If so, then an answer is forthcoming (1 John 5.13-15).

What are you writing for others to read that they may see the glory of God manifests in their lives as-well? Each of us has enough going on in our life for others to read that they may be drawn closer to God.

The key to understanding this Psalm lies in detecting the change in speakers.

Vv. 1–11 The Lord Jesus, hanging on the cross, is speaking to God.

Vv. 12–15 The Father replies to His beloved Son; we know this by comparing verse 12 with Hebrews 1:8.

Vv. 16–22 The speaker is unidentified, but we are safe in assuming that it is the Holy Spirit, describing the future restoration of Israel under the Messiah.

Vv. 23, 24a The Savior is heard once more as He suffers at the hands of God for our sins.

Vv. 24b–28 Again by comparing this section with Hebrews 1:10–12, we know that the Father is speaking to His Son.

Here as nowhere else in the Bible we are enabled to listen in on a conversation that took place between the three Persons of the Trinity when the Lord Jesus was making expiation for the sins of the world (MacDonald and Farstad, 1997).

Psalm 77

Will God leave me?
Will God never grant His goodness to men?
Will God cease to show His mercy?
Will God fail to keep His promises?
Will God forsake grace?
Will God, in anger, refuse to bless His chosen?

Psalm 77

This is another psalm of Asaph with a secondary ascription provided, it is according to Jeduthun  (Psalm 39, 62, and 89). It can be divided into four parts: sighing (1–3), sinking (4–9), singing (10–15), and soaring (16–20).

Verses 1-3-Asaph is in distress. He is crying out to God with outstretched hand seeing direction and help.

Selah-In your troubles, where do you go? To whom do you turn?

Verses 4-9-God will use sleepless nights to draw us closer to Him, to have us contemplate our purpose and worldview, even to have us struggle with sin both known and unknown. During these times we scream out to God and wonder if He has forgotten His promises to us (2 Peter 3.8-9). When we are in these circumstances we need to remember what He has done or else we will begin to think He is who He is not. Remember, one felt need not met will distort our view of all other needs being met. When we ponder Him, we bring our understanding of Him back to what the Scripture states about Him. In this chapter, He is holy and great (13).

Asaph provides six questions whose answers are ridiculous when the nature of God is known. However, these questions are always on the minds of those who do not know the God presented in the Bible.

  1. Will God leave me?
  2. Will God never grant His goodness to men?
  3. Will God cease to show His mercy?
  4. Will God fail to keep His promises?
  5. Will God forsake grace?
  6. Will God, in anger, refuse to bless His chosen?

Selah-Ponder those times when God creates restlessness for you. When you are awakened at night, do you fight it off and go back to bed or do you wrestle with what God is doing?

Verses 10-15-Asaph remembers to recall the goodness of God in a situation such as these. When we are struggling, it is good to recall what God has done in prior years. In this Psalm, it is what God did during the Exodus (a thousand years prior).

It is in verse ten that Asaph answers the questions from verses 7-9. He realizes that God does not change! It was Asaph’s false perspective of the circumstances that brought this line of questioning. All the answers to these questions and the questions themselves are found to be absurd in light of the truth of whom God is. This is Isaiah’s argument too (Isaiah 55.7-9).

Selah-Asaph made a conscious choice to remember. Journaling is a conscious choice to do something to recall. It is a wonderful method of being able to recall what God has done in your life. Knowing what He has done through your ancestors is also a means of remembering God’s continual faithfulness to you. Why not pick up this habit today?

Verses 16-20-The recalling of Exodus 14 is poetic. God’s work is unseen for a moment then it rushes through and we see He was there all the time. When these verses are read in connection with the previous verses, we gather the idea that God’s ways are not thwarted by man’s interventions. God is God.

My testimony from the late 1980s into the early 1990s is reflected in these verses. In days to come, I may add this to these posts.

Psalm 73

The wealthy and those who are at ease in this life are living on a slippery slope leading to destruction. The condition of the United States in this era (post 2008) is evidence of this truth. In a moment of time the nation went from apparent wealth and ease to devastation and poverty.

Psalm 73

A psalm written by Asaph. This Psalm is quite like Psalm 37 and Psalm 49 (see comments on Psalm 49).

The psalm is written as a teaching poem. It begins with temptation (1-3), description of the wicked (4-14), the wicked will perish (15-20), uncertainty (21-24), victory (25-26), destruction of the wicked (27), and trust in God (28).

Verses 1-3-Asaph recognizes that God is good both in the opening and closing verses. He begins and ends with the goodness of God. However, in-between he reminds us of ourselves. We are tempted to be envious of those who have more than us. We see the grass as always greener in someone else’s house. We covet, envy, and forget that God is indeed good. When we see a desire or a felt need not being met, it is quite easy to forget all the blessings we have due to the focus on the one thing that is missing. Most cases of adultery begin this way.

Verses 4-14-Although Asaph sees the wicked, he is still envious of them. He sees their life of ease and his harsh life and seeks their existence (cf. Malachi 3.13-15). Verses 11-12 show the perversity of their minds. They presume they can hide their sin from God, if there is such a being.

These verses depict not merely the corrupt but those who laud them as celebrity. The people praise the very ones who cause them grief. This is the United States today.

Verses 15-20-Asaph regains focus, not on what he does not have but on who has him. When we are perplexed over the issues of life and its seeming injustice, we need to spend time in God’s presence in order to regain an understanding of who He is and who we are in Him.

The wealthy and those who are at ease in this life are living on a slippery slope leading to destruction. The condition of the United States in this era (post 2008) is evidence of this truth. In a moment of time the nation went from apparent wealth and ease to devastation and poverty.

Verses 21-28-When we are embittered by the successes of those around us, we need to be reminded of who God is in this world. As we draw near to Him, we gain a better perspective on this life.  James 4.8 promises that when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us.

Chris Tomlin’s song “I Will Rise” is good to listen to (it contains verse 26).

Psalm 44

This psalm could be another post-exilic psalm, written in hopes of returning to Jerusalem. Or, it could be written during the time of David after a defeat by the enemies. I prefer the former. It is written by a priest from the tribe of Levi, a Korahite. These were the gatekeepers and singers in the Temple according to 1 Chronicles 9.19; 12.6; 26.1. It is also a psalm of national lament.

Psalm 44

This psalm could be another post-exilic psalm, written in hopes of returning to Jerusalem. Or, it could be written during the time of David after a defeat by the enemies. I prefer the former. It is written by a priest from the tribe of Levi, a Korahite. These were the gatekeepers and singers in the Temple according to 1 Chronicles 9.19; 12.6; 26.1. It is also a psalm of national lament.

This psalm can be divided into four parts:

Verses 1-8-The first eight verses describe life as it was when God’s power was manifest in the nation. This is describing the time of conquest of the land of Canaan. It was a glorious time in Israel’s past. The psalmist is calling the people to remember what God has done. But, he is also, calling God to remember His glory during that time as-well.

Selah-We are called to pause here. What is it that you can recall about God’s activity in your life? How did He save you? From what has He delivered you? To what has He called you? How committed to Him are you? Read verse eight. Have you boasted of Him to others lately? Have you thanked Him for who He is? Notice it is not for what He has done but for who He is.

Verses 9-16-These verses rehearse Ezekiel 20. God warned the people not to turn to the left nor to the right but to walk in the path that He set for them. They turned from Him. He disciplined them.

Verses 17-22-The psalmist knows that God sees into their hearts (Jeremiah 17.1-18). And, still, they do not understand why God has disciplined them. It is a mystery to them. Paul quotes verse 22 in Romans 8.36.

Verses 23-26-They call out to God based on His mercy and love not on what they have done.

In what area of your life are you turning away from God’s path? Have you considered the consequences of the actions you are taking or are pondering taking?