Day 116

It is sometimes scary how the Lord reveals Himself to us and how He shows us our sinful nature.

David did an evil thing by taking Bathsheba to be his wife when she was still married. Then ordering her husband to be put in the front lines to ensure he would be killed in battle.

The scary part is the way Nathan revealed this to David. Nathan told a similar story about a rich man with lots of lambs while another had just one that he cherished. When a visitor came, rather than sacrificing one of his own lambs, the rich man took the one lamb from the other man. After hearing this, "David's anger was greatly kindled against the man and he said to Nathan, 'As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die...'" (2 Samuel 12 verse 5)

In verse 7, Nathan responds, "You are the man!"

Whoa. I think it is here that David stops and sees what he has done, not only with Bathsheba, but also by condemning himself to death for what he has done!

The Lord says to David through Nathan that He has blessed David. And if David needed more, the Lord would have given it to him! But instead, David goes and takes another man's wife when he has several of his own!

I believe this is saying quite a few things. But the one that may not be so obvious is God provides for me. Do not take other people's blessings as my own. The Lord provides all my needs.

Day 115

Quite often I feel like Mephibosheth. He was a son of Jonathan, but cripple in both legs. David showed kindness to him, gave him land and commanded him to eat at David's table for the rest of his life.

I feel like Mephibosheth in that God has done a similar thing to me. I am of no use on my own. I am just one man. But God has showed kindness to me. His grace and forgiveness has been poured out upon me. He has given me a permanent seat in His kingdom for eternity!

I do not deserve this, but it is the grace of God through which I am blessed. Thanks be to God!

Day 114

It is a true testament to David to see how humble he was. David is king but wants to build a house for the ark and for God. But God says no and instead blesses David even more. David's response in 2 Samuel 7 verse 18 was, "Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?"

David knows he doesn't deserve all the blessings that the Lord has given him. So he stays humble and thankful.

The Lord also blessed David with many victories over his enemies. It would be very easy for David to give credit to himself, but instead, he gives credit to God. Also, chapter 8 verse 11 says, "[Silver, gold and bronze] David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the nations he subdued." Later in verse 14 it says, "And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went."

David kept focus and always gave credit to God for all his victories. Because of this, the Lord blessed David beyond measure.

I believe there is a great lesson here. I also believe that we are put on this Earth to give glory to God. One way to do this is to give God the credit for all things. I know I am blessed beyond measure already and I know I don't deserve it. I also know, without a doubt, it is God who has blessed me. I have done nothing on my own. I rest in the comfort of knowing that God has my life in His hands and I look forward to what He has in store for me.

Day 113

How joyful that must have been for David to bring the ark back to Israel. So much so he was dancing before the Lord (2 Samuel 6:14).

This also goes to show what a great leader David was and also shows his faith and loyalty to God. He brought the ark back and re-instated the laws of sacrifice and offerings. This to me shows how he trusted God and knew God. He knew that Israel needed God.

This is a good lesson for me to always trust God and also work to get to know God. For I know that I need God and cannot do anything without Him.

Day 112

David is finally anointed king! The elders decided to anoint David as king so they left for Hebron where David was. Along with them was thousands and thousands of warriors from all of Israel. They came to anoint David as well.

What a ceremony! I would have loved to be there to see David get anointed as king. I picture it a great celebration as all of the men who fought with David are with him to share in his anointing.

I hope and pray I am a leader who commands the respect of all those he deals with like David was. Thousands came to support David in his anointing and show their loyalty to him. What a great example of a leader David was.

Day 111

Once again, even when Saul is dead, David is still respectful of Saul and his household. When Joab killed Abner, the assistant to Saul's house, David cursed Joab and his household.

Also, when the two men from raiding bands killed Ish-Bosheth, one of Saul's sons, David had them killed.

David's loyalty to Saul, the Lord's anointed, is extremely commendable. It makes me think of the leaders of this country. I believe they are in their positions because God set them there and for that, even if they do not always do the right thing, or the best thing, I will be loyal to them and have the utmost respect for them. I believe that is what we are called to do as Christians.

Day 110

How cool would it be to be named among those who were David's Mighty Men. These men were the fighting elite. Each one of them earned the title by doing something amazing, like standing up to 800 men and winning! Or standing firm against the Philistines when all others fled, and winning!

I wonder what it would take to be God's elite. What must I do to be considered one of the greatest for God? I don't know, but I believe it is something to strive for.

Day 109

In today's reading, David's wives were taken captive while he was away. If he loved his wife like I love mine, I cannot imagine the grief and the pain David must have felt! I cannot imagine having my wife taken from me.

Chapter 30 verse 6 says, "And David was greatly distressed...all the people were bitter in soul." But following that is the greatest part of this story. One I need to take a lesson from. The last part of verse 6 says, "But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God."

David was at his weakest and most distressed, but he strengthened himself in the Lord his God! What an awesome lesson of where Christians find their true strength. This is great to remember in times of trouble.

Day 108

How honorable of a man David must have been! David went to live with the Philistines after Saul promised not to harm him and he found favor with the king of the Philistines. So much so, the king made David his bodyguard when going into battle against the Israelites!

How much trust in a man does it take to have him by your side when going into battle against his people and his land? That to me speaks volumes about David!

I want to be like David in that I can be trusted by all who I give my word. This will also be my prayer.

Day 107

What a great friend Jonathan was to David. He went to David when David was downcast. David was on the run from Saul and was hiding in the wilderness.

Jonathan knew that David needed him. Chapter 23 verse 16 and 17 says, "And Jonathan...strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, 'Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.'"

Jonathan, David's friend, strengthened David's hand in God. Jonathan encouraged David in his faith. David is known as one of the greatest kings of Israel. He is also known as the most faithful to God. Even so, he still needed encouragement in his faith, and also in his purpose.

I hope and pray that I can be as good of a friend, and also an encouragement to others. I hope that I can encourage others in their faith and in their purpose in God's plan. Thanks be to God for friends.

Day 106

I find the contrast between David and Saul so interesting. Saul has a whole city of priests murdered because one of them helped David, however, David hears that the Philistines are attacking the city of Keilah and goes and saves them!

Saul is chasing David and killing anyone who is in his path while David is providing refuge for those who are in distress, in debt, and bitter in soul.

I think this is a good illustration of what God calls us to be. He calls us to be a safe refuge for those who are in need. We are not to crush and destroy anyone who gets in the way of our own selfish goals. I have to remember this in my job and in my personal life.

Day 105

Psalm 34 once again drives one of the concepts I have a difficult time with. Verse 9 says, "Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints, fort those who fear Him have no lack!"

Verse 17 says, "When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles."

The concept is easy! Fear God, trust God, and He will take care of you and deliver you from your troubles. Fear God and you don't have to worry!

Simple concept, yet one of the most difficult things for me to do. I will continue to pray and do all that I can to trust Him for everything and not worry.

Day 104

Once again, the statement comes up when referring to David. Chapter 18 verse 14 says, "And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him." Verse 30 also says, "David had more success thank all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed."

The Lord was with him. Saul tried to kill David while they were in Saul's chambers with a spear, but was unsuccessful each time. David was blessed with a great friend in Jonathan who was always there for him.

It is my continuing prayer that the Lord is with me in the same way as he was with Joseph and David.

Day 103

Chapter 15 verse 35 is interesting to me. It says, "And the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel." The Lord regretted a decision He made?! That statement does not seem right.

However, I do like what God says when He tells Samuel who is going to be the next king. Chapter 16 verse 7 says, "For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."

This is both comforting and scary. God can see our heart, what we are thinking and our attitude and nature. This is the way God sees us! And yet, he still calls us His children. I thank God for His love, forgiveness and grace.

Day 102

What a great lesson I learned from the young man who carries Jonathan's armor. Jonathan suggested they go and see what they can do to weaken the Philistines. In chapter 14 verse 7, it says, "And his armor-bearer said to him, 'Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.'"

What great loyalty he has! He fully trusts Jonathan and is willing to go and do whatever Jonathan wishes.

I want to be loyal like this to God. "Lord, do as you wish. I am with you heart and soul." I fully trust the Lord my God.

Day 101

I can't imagine being Saul at this point. He comes from the small tribe of Benjamin and a few of his donkeys ran away. He and his servant went looking for them and they happened to be in the same town as Samuel was. His servant pressed him to approach Samuel.

When they did, the Lord spoke to Samuel and said that this man shall be king of Israel! Saul probably didn't even know they were looking for a king! But he was anointed anyway.

I think about a man who tends to donkeys, has a fairly simple life living in a small tribe. Then he ventures out and the Lord has bigger plans in store. He ends up being the first king of Israel!

This makes me think of all that the Lord has in store for me. I have faith that the Lord has me right where He wants me in order to follow His plan. I thank the Lord in advance for the opportunities for me to serve Him.

Day 100!

On this 100th day, I wanted to quickly say that I have grown to love these times of reading the Bible. I look forward to it each day. Even after I finish the Bible, I am going to continue with readings of some kind to become even closer to the Lord.

I think the symbolism is so neat in chapter 5. The Philistines brought the Ark into the same place as their god, Dagon. Every morning when they wake up, Dagon has fallen face down on the ground before the Ark. To me this symbolizes that Dagon worships the true God of Israel. Dagon can do nothing but fall on his face before Him.

I also think it speaks volumes that the other cities and nations outside Israel know of the power of Israel's God. They do not want the Ark in their city or nation because they know bad things will happen to them, such as tumors and the like. After 7 months of suffering, they put the Ark on a cart with 2 cows pulling it and it goes straight back to Israel.

That is the God I want to serve; a God that nations tremble before and other "gods" bow and lie prostrate for. That is the God I will always serve.

Day 99

There were a couple things in this passage that struck me.

Samuel was born and was given to the priests as a dedication to the Lord as promised. Samuel was sleeping when the voice of the Lord spoke to him calling his name. The thing that I find interesting is in chapter 3 verse 7, "Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him."

The thing I find most interesting about this is that, even though Samuel did not know the Lord, the Lord still called out to him. I wonder if this is due to his mother's dedication of him to the Lord, or if it is because God chose Samuel even before he was born.

Another thing that caught my attention was chapter 3 verse 19, "And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him..." Later we see that word of Samuel spread and he became an established prophet.

Doing a quick search, I found that the statement "the Lord was with ______" has been referenced for Isaac, Joseph, Joshua, David, and a few others. Each one of these people who had this statement tied to them were amazing men that are considered some of the greatest men of the Bible.

What greater request than to ask that the Lord be with me in order that I draw closer to Him and live out His plan. This will continue to be my constant prayer.

Day 98

A while back, there was a lot of attention paid to the prayer of Jabez. There were sermons on it, magnets made for it and it was prayed by many people every day. The prayer is found in 1 Chronicles 4:10, "'Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!' And God granted what he asked."

This is a great prayer and I am sad to see that it has faded away. But what this passage did not say was what Jabez's spiritual life was like. I don't think this was the only prayer that Jabez prayed. It doesn't say how much Jabez trusted in God. I think if people kept praying this prayer, but then also trusted that God would fulfill all that was being asked, and had a close relationship with Christ, then God would grant all that we asked too!

I really like this prayer and I am going to try and commit it to memory. When I pray it, I am going to know and believe that God will fulfill all that I ask. I am going to pray the way God intended. For I know He answers prayer if one prays the right way. Thanks be to God for such a powerful gift of prayer.

Day 97

I love the story of Ruth. She is known for her loyalty to Naomi. This loyalty allowed her to be recognized by those of Bethlehem and find favor with Boaz.

I think Boaz is a great example of what a Christian should be like. He was generous in that he let others glean in his fields. He saw Ruth and protected her from other male gleaners and was very generous in the amount of food he gave her. Later, he took on the responsibility of being her kinsman redeemer, but not before ensuring the proper channels were satisfied. He went the extra mile for Ruth and Naomi to ensure their safekeeping and well being, and he was a respected man in his community.

I need to be more like Boaz. Quite often, I get tied up in myself and do not reach out to others as I should. Boaz is a great example of how a Christian should reach out to others.

Day 96

This is a shocking story for me. I cannot believe that such wickedness from the leaders of the tribe of Benjamin existed, and also, that the acts that they performed would rally the rest of the tribes of Israel and start a civil war!

Almost the entire tribe of Benjamin was wiped out! There were a few men that escaped and returned later to keep the tribe going, but almost everyone was wiped out!

Although, God did hold to His promise and did not destroy the tribe of Benjamin completely. I think this also shows how serious sins are to God. I need to start taking them more seriously.

Day 95

Samson had superhuman strength. He ended up falling in love with a woman named Delilah. The Philistines found out about this and made a deal with Delilah to give her lots of money if she found out the source of Samson's strength.

Delilah asked several times and each time, Samson told her what she could use to bind him. All except the last time, what he told her was not his source of strength. But after each time he told her something, she did it to him to try and take his strength away.

I do not understand Samson. Why, after having all those things done to you, would you finally tell her the true source of his strength? Was it love? Was Delilah that cunning?

What I can take from this is that I need to watch out for those who can etch away at me and lead me to sin. I need to stay strong in the Lord always.

Day 94

Jephthah is a man of his word. He made an oath to God that if he delivered his enemies into his hands, he would sacrifice the first thing that came out of his house when he returned. This ended up being his one and only daughter.

How horrible is that! But, true to his word, Jephthah ended up giving her to the Lord. However, it was interesting to read that he gave his daughter a while to mourn and be by herself. It was as if she understood that an oath was made and it had to be honored; even if it meant giving up her life.

I hope I am never in a situation like that, but I also hope that I am able to always keep my word like Jephthah did. One who keeps his promises is one to be trusted.

Day 93

I find the story of Jephthah interesting. He was the son of a prostitute who was banished from his father's house and sent away. Later, he was asked to lead them in the fight against the Ammonites. It does not say why they pursued Jephthah to be their leader, but it was the son of a prostitute that ended up leading them to war.

I wonder why this was. I wonder what was special about Jephthah that even though he was the son of a prostitute living in a different city, the men of Israel sought him out to lead them.

Then I wonder why it is that the Lord has taken me and my background and brought me to where I am today. What is so special about me? I thank God every day for the many blessings He has given me and for the opportunities He has blessed me with.

I know God has me in this position for a reason and will seek me out to do His will. Thank you Lord for including me, someone with my background, in your perfect plan.

Day 92

I believe this passage says a lot about God and His infinite wisdom.

Gideon was to conquer Midian and had 32,000 men to do so. The Lord saw this and knew that if they attacked Midian with that many people, they would only see winning as their doing. Instead, God has a way to filter out the men so that Gideon was only down to 300 men. The Lord did this to show that He was the one that conquered How often does God take tools away, or make things harder to show us His involvement in the end. I think He does this more than I realize. I will continue to keep an eye out for these situations and thank God for leading me through and for always being there for me.

NOTE: Published the day after due to blog outage

Day 91

In this passage, Gideon destroys the Ashera pole and the altar to baal. He does this in response to God and others want Gideon to be punished for it.

I love the response that is given by Gideon's father in chapter 6 verse 31, "If [baal] is a god, let him contend for himself..."

i think it is so cool how gideon's father sticks up for him and challenges their god.

I need to keep in mind that God can contend for Himself! He is a real god! this is easy to loose sight of.

Day 90

The story of Ehud is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. This probably has to due with the fact that I am left handed as well.

Since Ehud was left handed, he was the only person that could slip a sword past the guards because th guards would only check his left thigh (for a right handed man).

This makes me think of what special gifts God gave me to use for Him when the time comes. Things that may be different about me were perfectly planned for Christ's good plan! This makes me excited to see what God has in store for me!

Day 89

In this passage, I ran across another verse I take to heart. Chapter 24, verse 15 says, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

I believe the man of the house should also be the spiritual leader of the family. I, unfortunately, do not do as good of a job of this as I would like. Since starting this reading, I have slacked on reading with my wife which was not my intention at all. I actually wanted to read with her more, but I have not been pushing that as I ought. I have left her on her own and I do not believe that is the way it should be.

I believe reading through the entire Bible in One Year is extremely important and I will continue to do so. But I also am going to read more of the Bible with her so we can learn and serve the Lord together.

Day 88

How great is our God! Chapter 21 verse 45 says, "Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass."

It is such a comfort to me to know that not one word spoken by God will fail! Not one promise given in the Bible will fail! How great is our God!

Day 87

I have a lot of respect for Joshua s well. He divided all of Canaan up among the tribes and left himself for last. This is a quality of a true leader. This was seen with Moses and now Joshua.

I believe this is important to take note of. Both were appointed as leaders by God and both put everyone else before themselves. I believe this is a quality of a great leader shown to us by God.