Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel
Monday - 2 Samuel 1-5
Where First Samuel starts with a prayer, Second Samuel starts with a lament. The Bible is filled with laments, most notably a whole book called Lamentations. A lament usually describes a grief of some kind. It can be grief for a person (like Saul and Jonathan) or when our hearts are broken because of our situation in life. Many of the Psalms are laments. (Psalms 130 is a good example of this.) Sometimes we lament when we are afraid and we turn to God in prayer to overcome our fears. We also lament over our sin by confessing to God what we’ve done wrong then then seek repentance. God even laments throughout the Bible when our sin overcomes our relationship with God. David’s lament in Chapter 1 is called, “The bow.”
Tuesday - 2 Samuel 6-9
David was enjoying a lot of success in life because of the way God had blessed him. He started to take his relationship with God for granted. Moses had done the same thing and was not allowed to enter into the Promised Land. In Exodus 4, we see the rules and regulations on how to transport the Ark. David thought his relationship with God was so special that he didn’t have to follow the rules. He thought he could just load it up and everything would be dandy. After all, he would give a sacrifice or two in honor of God. But God didn’t want sacrifice. God wanted obedience. Because David didn’t show obedience, he failed to bring the ark back the first time. This incident sets the stage for what’s to come.
Wednesday - 2 Samuel 10-14
I’m convinced that our worst times spiritually come not when things are bad in our lives, but when everything is going well. Usually, when times are tough, people aren’t proud. They are humble. When success happens, pride kicks in. Sin happens when we start to do well in life.
When we get that promotion or we’re growing in prestige because of our work. Pride is at its worst when our success means that we are no longer accountable to others. Worse yet, when we have time on our hands, we become bored. David had all kinds of success. He became bored because he no longer had to lead the troops in battle and that boredom led to temptation which led to Bathsheba. Don’t look for the devil when times are hard, but keep a wary eye when everything goes right.
Thursday - 2 Samuel 15-20
Throughout Samuel we see stories of a person named Joab. Joab was King David’s enforcer. When David needed something bad to be done, Joab was the hitman. Joab was responsible for Uriah’s death when David lusted after Bathsheba. He murdered David’s rival Abner. In chapter 14, he deceives David and murdered David’s son Absalom in Chapter 18. Joab is responsible for the murder of Amas, a rival to his position in the army and in Chapter 20 we see where he is responsible for the murder of Sheba, another rival of David. We’ll soon learn that when someone does bad things for another person, that what goes around, often does come around. When we are asked to do things we don’t agree with, always remember that.
Friday - 2 Samuel 21-24
We end Samuel with sin and suffering and, thank God, repentance. David has become greedy. He has looked at other lands and coveted them. In preparation for war, he has Joab do a census. The census would eventually mean a draft. David was building a powerful army. God, however wanted peace to rule the land. David’s greed brought down punishment on the people and instead of a powerful army as the census showed, David’s people were decimated. When David saw all the suffering his sin of power and greed had brought, he repented and showed obedience once again to God’s will. The smallest of sins will always bring about the greatest of suffering to those around us.
