2 Samuel 23, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: WHOLLY HOLY - September 13, 2022
The Spirit is wholly holy and unlike any being in our world. Which is such good news! We need a source of strength that is unbuffeted by that which buffets us, undisturbed by that which disturbs us, untethered to whatever ties us down. The Spirit is not subject to weather patterns, aging bodies, pandemics, stock market swings, or despots. He has never been sick. He will never be afraid. He does not worry, strive, or struggle. He is the Holy Spirit.
“The wind blows where it wishes…” (John 3:8 ESV). In like manner the Holy Spirit answers to no government or organization. Mighty enough to clear a path. He can break down walls of prejudice and subdue the most stubborn heart. Yet gentle. A roaring wind at Pentecost. A still, small voice at Mount Horeb.

2 Samuel 23
These are David’s last words:
The voice of the son of Jesse,
    the voice of the man God took to the top,
Whom the God of Jacob made king,
    and Israel’s most popular singer!
2-7 God’s Spirit spoke through me,
    his words took shape on my tongue.
The God of Israel spoke to me,
    Israel’s Rock-Mountain said,
“Whoever governs fairly and well,
    who rules in the Fear-of-God,
Is like first light at daybreak
    without a cloud in the sky,
Like green grass carpeting earth,
    glistening under fresh rain.”
And this is just how my regime has been,
    for God guaranteed his covenant with me,
Spelled it out plainly
    and kept every promised word—
My entire salvation,
    my every desire.
But the devil’s henchmen are like thorns
    culled and piled as trash;
Better not try to touch them;
    keep your distance with a rake or hoe.
They’ll make a glorious bonfire!
* * *
8 This is the listing of David’s top men.
Josheb-Basshebeth, the Tahkemonite. He was chief of the Three. He once put his spear to work against eight hundred—killed them all in a day.
9-10 Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite was the next of the elite Three. He was with David when the Philistines poked fun at them at Pas Dammim. When the Philistines drew up for battle, Israel retreated. But Eleazar stood his ground and killed Philistines right and left until he was exhausted—but he never let go of his sword! A big win for God that day. The army then rejoined Eleazar, but all there was left to do was the cleanup.
11-12 Shammah son of Agee the Hararite was the third of the Three. The Philistines had mustered for battle at Lehi, where there was a field full of lentils. Israel fled before the Philistines, but Shammah took his stand at the center of the field, successfully defended it, and routed the Philistines. Another great victory for God!
13-17 One day during harvest, the Three parted from the Thirty and joined David at the Cave of Adullam. A squad of Philistines had set up camp in the Valley of Rephaim. While David was holed up in the Cave, the Philistines had their base camp in Bethlehem. David had a sudden craving and said, “Would I ever like a drink of water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem!” So the Three penetrated the Philistine lines, drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But David wouldn’t drink it; he poured it out as an offering to God, saying, “There is no way, God, that I’ll drink this! This isn’t mere water, it’s their life-blood—they risked their very lives to bring it!” So David refused to drink it.
This is the sort of thing that the Three did.
18-19 Abishai brother of Joab and son of Zeruiah was the head of the Thirty. He once got credit for killing three hundred with his spear, but he was never named in the same breath as the Three. He was the most respected of the Thirty and was their captain, but never got included among the Three.
20-21 Benaiah son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel was a vigorous man who accomplished a great deal. He once killed two lion cubs in Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he climbed down into a pit and killed a lion. Another time he killed a formidable Egyptian. The Egyptian was armed with a spear and Benaiah went against him with nothing but a walking stick; he seized the spear from his grip and killed him with his own spear.
22-23 These are the things that Benaiah son of Jehoiada is famous for. But neither did he ever get ranked with the Three. He was held in greatest respect among the Thirty, but he never got included with the Three. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
The Thirty
24-39 “The Thirty” consisted of:
Asahel brother of Joab;
Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem;
Shammah the Harodite;
Elika the Harodite;
Helez the Paltite;
Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite;
Abiezer the Anathothite;
Sibbecai the Hushathite;
Zalmon the Ahohite;
Maharai the Netophathite;
Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite;
Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjaminites;
Benaiah the Pirathonite;
Hiddai from the badlands of Gaash;
Abi-Albon the Arbathite;
Azmaveth the Barhumite;
Eliahba the Shaalbonite;
Jashen the Gizonite;
Jonathan son of Shammah the Hararite;
Ahiam son of Sharar the Urite;
Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maacathite;
Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite;
Hezro the Carmelite;
Paarai the Arbite;
Igal son of Nathan, commander of the army of Hagrites;
Zelek the Ammonite;
Naharai the Beerothite, weapon bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah;
Ira the Ithrite;
Gareb the Ithrite;
Uriah the Hittite.
Thirty-seven, all told.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
Today's Scripture
Jonah 2:1–10
Jonah’s Prayer
2 From deep inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord his God:
2 “In my distress, O Lord, I called to you,
and you answered me.
From deep in the world of the dead
I cried for help, and you heard me.
3 You threw me down into the depths,
to the very bottom of the sea,
where the waters were all round me,
and all your mighty waves rolled over me.
4 I thought I had been banished from your presence
and would never see your holy Temple again.
5 The water came over me and choked me;
the sea covered me completely,
and seaweed was wrapped round my head.
6 I went down to the very roots of the mountains,
into the land whose gates lock shut for ever.d
But you, O Lord my God,
brought me back from the depths alive.
7 When I felt my life slipping away,
then, O Lord, I prayed to you,
and in your holy Temple you heard me.
8 Those who worship worthless idols
have abandoned their loyalty to you.
9 But I will sing praises to you;
I will offer you a sacrifice
and do what I have promised.
Salvation comes from the Lord!”
10 Then the Lord ordered the fish to spew Jonah up on the beach, and it did.
Insight
That “salvation comes from the Lord” (Jonah 2:9) is a major theme which can be traced throughout Scripture. The word translated “salvation” (or “deliverance”) comes from the root yasha’ meaning “to save,” “to deliver.” In the Old Testament, God rescued His people from dangers posed by individuals, nations, or other unfavorable circumstances that threatened their well-being or existence. Exodus 14:30 highlights God’s deliverance from Egypt: “That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians.”
The salvation theme of Jonah 2:9 is similarly stated in Psalm 3:8: “Salvation comes from the Lord.” The name “Joshua” (which means “the Lord saves”) is the Hebrew form of the Greek word that’s translated “Jesus” (see Matthew 1:21). Indeed, the testimony of all Scripture is that “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb” (Revelation 7:10).
By: Arthur Jackson
Whale of a Story
The Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Jonah 2:10
Michael was diving for lobster when a humpback whale caught him in its mouth. He pushed back in the darkness as the whale’s muscles squeezed against him. He thought he was done. But whales don’t prefer lobstermen, and thirty seconds later the whale spit Michael into the air. Amazingly, Michael had no broken bones—only extensive bruises and one whale of a story.
He wasn’t the first. Jonah was swallowed by “a huge fish” (Jonah 1:17), and he stayed in its belly for three days before being vomited onto land (1:17; 2:10). Unlike Michael, who was caught by accident, Jonah was swallowed because he hated Israel’s enemies and didn’t want them to repent. When God told Jonah to preach in Nineveh, he caught a boat going the other way. So God sent a whale-sized fish to get his attention.
I appreciate why Jonah hated the Assyrians. They’d harassed Israel in the past, and within fifty years they'd carry the northern tribes into captivity where they'd vanish forever. Jonah was understandably offended that Assyria might be forgiven.
But Jonah was more loyal to the people of God than to the God of all people. God loved Israel’s enemies and wanted to save them. He loves our enemies and wants to save them. With the wind of the Spirit at our backs, let’s sail toward them with the good news of Jesus.
By:  Mike Wittmer

Reflect & Pray
Who do you know that needs to follow Jesus? How might you increase your love for them?
Jesus, please show me how to love my enemies as You love them.
For further study, read Evangelism: Reaching Out Through Relationships.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
After Surrender— Then What?
I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. —John 17:4
True surrender is not simply surrender of our external life but surrender of our will— and once that is done, surrender is complete. The greatest crisis we ever face is the surrender of our will. Yet God never forces a person’s will into surrender, and He never begs. He patiently waits until that person willingly yields to Him. And once that battle has been fought, it never needs to be fought again.
Surrender for Deliverance. “Come to Me…and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). It is only after we have begun to experience what salvation really means that we surrender our will to Jesus for rest. Whatever is causing us a sense of uncertainty is actually a call to our will— “Come to Me.” And it is a voluntary coming.
Surrender for Devotion. “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself…” (Matthew 16:24). The surrender here is of my self to Jesus, with His rest at the heart of my being. He says, “If you want to be My disciple, you must give up your right to yourself to Me.” And once this is done, the remainder of your life will exhibit nothing but the evidence of this surrender, and you never need to be concerned again with what the future may hold for you. Whatever your circumstances may be, Jesus is totally sufficient (see 2 Corinthians 12:9 and Philippians 4:19).
Surrender for Death. “…another will gird you…” (John 21:18; also see John 21:19). Have you learned what it means to be girded for death? Beware of some surrender that you make to God in an ecstatic moment in your life, because you are apt to take it back again. True surrender is a matter of being “united together [with Jesus] in the likeness of His death” (Romans 6:5) until nothing ever appeals to you that did not appeal to Him.
And after you surrender— then what? Your entire life should be characterized by an eagerness to maintain unbroken fellowship and oneness with God.
    
WISDOM FROM OSWALD CHAMBERS
Seeing is never believing: we interpret what we see in the light of what we believe. Faith is confidence in God before you see God emerging; therefore the nature of faith is that it must be tried.  He Shall Glorify Me, 494 R
Bible in a Year: Proverbs 16-18; 2 Corinthians 6

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
FEELING UNLOVABLE - #9307
Another sad story from the "entertainment capital of the world." A lot of that goes on behind all the Hollywood hype.
The sadness behind the stardom hit me again when I read about something that happened to a woman who at times, has been the highest-paid actress in Hollywood. She's been married to two of Hollywood's biggest actors; she's been a cover girl on national magazines. And then she was the subject of a friend's urgent 911 call. She was rushed to the hospital for her reaction to the dangerous drugs she was using.
Her own words in a recent interview I think reveal the hurting heart behind the glamor. She said, "What scares me is that I'm going to ultimately find out at the end of my life that I'm really not loveable; that there's something fundamentally wrong with me." I thought, sadly, a lot of us non-celebrity types hear those words and think, "I know the feeling."
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Feeling Unlovable."
We've all had disappointing relationships - people who've made us feel like we weren't "worth loving." Experiences that have caused us to conclude that there's "something wrong with me." We know the ugliness behind our smiling facade. I know all too well the things about me that are anything but loveable.
We're made to be loved. Literally, made by God to be loved. Loved by Him. Love with two words attached that give our lonely hearts one safe harbor - unconditional, and unloseable.
His love isn't "I love you if..." or "I love you because..." It's just, "I love you." His love for me is all about Him and nothing about me. How do I know? Because He says in His Book, "God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were yet sinners." That's our word for today from the Word of God in Romans 5:8.
God initiated the greatest act of love in the history of this planet when He sent His Son to die an unspeakable death on a cross. Not because I was so loveable, but because I was so lost. I'm a rebel against God. I defy the One who runs the universe by refusing to let Him run me. According to the Bible, we're all rebels, dissing His laws, acting like we're God, breaking the heart of God.
But still He loves us. He offered up His Son to do the dying for my rebellion. As the Bible says, "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son" (John 3:16). Love without conditions; love that has nothing to do with your performance or your lovableness. It is love like no other.
And since it's all about Him and not about you or me, it's unloseable love. If God was ever going to turn His back on me, it would have been when His Son was hanging on that cross. But He turned His back on His Son, who was carrying our sin, so He would never have to turn His back on us. So, in the Bible's words, "nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39).
His is the only love in the world that will never disappoint you, never divorce you, never die on you. It's a love that you can finally begin to experience for yourself if you will respond to that love and say, "Jesus, nobody loves me like You do. You died on that cross for me. You're powerful enough to walk out of Your grave and into my life, and I want You to do that today. I am Yours starting today."
At our website I've tried to lay out there as simply and briefly as I could how to be sure you know Jesus. Let me urge you to go there today. That website is ANewStory.com.
I think of the mistakes we make and the hurt we experience looking for this love anywhere else. The little kids singing their little church song, they "get" it: "Jesus loves me, this I know." You know that when you finally open your heart to His love. And your lifetime search for love ends in the welcoming arms of Jesus.