Author: Bryan Richardson

Re:Verse passage – 2 Samuel 15 (day three)

“Absalom provided himself with a chariot and horses and with fifty men to run ahead of him.”

No, this is not a report chronicling yet another person announcing a candidacy in the run-up to primary season. But seriously, folks, how does someone become famous? How does someone become an odds-on favorite in politics or entertainment or in any kind of contested public endeavor? If you want to be the winner, you put yourself out there. You bootstrap it. You do the PR. You rent the billboard, you build the website. You shake the hands and kiss the babies. You give the people what they want, and they’ll give you what you want. And then, just like that, you’ll be swept away by the next big thing.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Samuel 13:1-33 (day three)

“Jonadab was a very shrewd man.”

Mercenary, opportunist, chameleon: Meet Jonadab, advisor to cads, keeper of scuttlebutt, guardian of plausible deniability. One day he’s advising Amnon on exactly how to trap and rape Tamar, another day he’s filling the role of king-whisperer as the only one who has the straight story to calm an increasingly panicked David amid an onslaught of fake news in the wake of events provoked by the trapping and raping of Tamar. Jonadab was there at the hatching of the sexual assault plan; he was there to soothe souls in the aftermath of sexual assault revenge. He sprang into action whenever he saw that he could be useful. Amnon liked having him around, wouldn’t you think? David probably did, too. Everybody spoke well of him. It seems Jesus had something to say about that kind of thing.

Re: Verse reading—2 Samuel 12:1-23 (day three)

“By doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt.”

The enemies of Israel—who were also the enemies of the Lord as he worked in, and in behalf of, the nation—already held Israel in disdain. There was also always a possibility, though, that these enemies would come to see and fear and obey God. The larger vision of the Old Testament often gives voice to this hope. Now with David’s actions, the future just got that much less hopeful. Of all people, David stood in position to open doors, but he could just as easily shut them. He did exactly that, and this grieved God, much like it grieved Jesus centuries later to witness the Pharisees’ continual shutting of the door of the kingdom in men’s faces. Slamming doors rouse God’s anger.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Samuel 11 (day three)

“Say this to encourage Joab.”

In bravery and artistry and ability to inspire loyalty, David literally ruled. His possession of such characteristics makes his abuse of those qualities that much more depressing. The sense of the scripture is that Uriah the Hittite was a consummate soldier—skilled, courageous, and devoted to his king. David understood Joab’s likely mood of displeasure and disquiet at losing a trooper like Uriah. David’s indiscretion meant taking care of business to cover his tracks, but at the same time, he risked his general’s disgruntlement. Let’s get this straight: David used his unparalleled leadership skills to comfort the commander of the nation’s fighting forces in the wake of a killing David arranged of that commander’s finest soldier in order to conceal his own misdeed. Right. This is what David’s stewardship of his God-given abilities had come to.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Samuel 8 (day three)

“David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people.”

David had many toxic character attributes. Some of them appeared to diminish over time, but others were distressingly present all of his life. And yet, the Bible makes much of David as a “man after God’s own heart.” Does the Bible simply whitewash his destructive and dangerous tendencies? Does it declare that “Kings will be kings?”  Not at all. Here’s why the scriptures associate justice and righteousness with David: Every time David got lost, he would eventually ask, in one way or another, “Where might I find God?” There’s a difference between saying, “We need to turn this country back to God,” and “Where is God?” David lived his life by the latter question.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Samuel 7 (day three)

“Then King David went in and sat before the Lord.”

Imagine a trusted advisor—one who knows you well, knows the people and financial and social realities surrounding you, and is a highly-sought-after consultant in economic, diplomatic, military, and civil matters. What if this advisor informs you that every indicator in your life and work signals that you’re directing your affairs well—and that if you continue to direct your life and steward your resources in the way you have up to now, there is every reason to believe that for generations to come a peaceful and secure future awaits you, your family, and all those for whom you are responsible? How would you respond? Fear of failure? Fear of catastrophic loss? Fear of your own inadequacies? David responded with wonder at the Lord’s kindness, and wonder led him into confidence.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Samuel 6 (day three)

“The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household.”

There is compelling scholarship suggesting that Obed-Edom was actually a Philistine—his byname “the Gittite” perhaps deriving from the name of the Philistine town of Gath. What if God is close to and has quite a vibrant life with the people you have concluded don’t know about, think about, or care about God the way you do? The old joke is that Baptists and Church of Christ folks will be surprised to find each other in heaven. If anything, God’s astonishing accessibility to people can, if we will let it, lead us to preach repentance like Jesus did when he proclaimed that the kingdom of God is near.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Samuel 5 (day three)

“And David knew that the Lord had established him as king.”

One can read the Psalms for five minutes and figure out that fear, dread, and terror made frequent appearances in David’s life. In those times, there was more he didn’t know than he did know. That fact can easily upstage everything else. It can be a person’s undoing. It was almost David’s undoing during those difficult seasons. But in the middle of the thickest, most impenetrable times of uncertainty, there was one thing he did know: God had enabled him to exist in that moment—purposefully not randomly, deliberately not capriciously. The breath you draw is evidence that God has not lost track of you. Is that the only thing you know? It is enough.

Re:Verse passage – 2 Samuel 1; 2:1-7 (day three)

“Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead.”

Say what you want about David, but don’t accuse him of pandering. His son Absalom—that’s another matter. Mister “If-only-I-were-king-you-would-think-everything-is-awesome” never got the opportunity, chiefly because he spent all his time crafting promises for fans instead of devising strategy for kingly stuff like, you know, reigning. David needed a people who would understand the rigors of reality, and he knew it: Summon courage because the devil you don’t know is always harder than the devil you know. For many, that “devil” became an angel of a golden age. Others never would accept the house of Judah. But to supporters and detractors alike, David told the truth about the future. A true leader knows the future’s going to arrive soon enough and prove that leader either right or wrong.