2 Samuel 4, Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: Made in the Image of God - August 5, 2022

We all ask the question, “Am I somebody important?” It’s easy to feel anything but important when your ex takes your energy, or old age takes your dignity. Somebody important? Hardly. But remember this promise of God: you were created by God, in God’s image, for God’s glory.

God spoke, “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature, so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth” (Genesis 1:26 MSG). God never declared, “Let us make oceans in our image,” or “birds in our likeness.” The heavens above reflect the glory of God, but they are not made in the image of God. Yet you are. And because God’s promises are unbreakable our hope is unshakable.

2 Samuel 4

The Murder of Ish-Bosheth

Saul’s son, Ish-Bosheth, heard that Abner had died in Hebron. His heart sank. The whole country was shaken.

2-3 Ish-Bosheth had two men who were captains of raiding bands—one was named Baanah, the other Recab. They were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, a Benjaminite. (The people of Beeroth had been assigned to Benjamin ever since they escaped to Gittaim. They still live there as resident aliens.)

4 It so happened that Saul’s son, Jonathan, had a son who was maimed in both feet. When he was five years old, the report on Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and ran, but in her hurry to get away she fell, and the boy was maimed. His name was Mephibosheth.

5-7 One day Baanah and Recab, the two sons of Rimmon, headed out for the house of Ish-Bosheth. They arrived at the hottest time of the day, just as he was taking his afternoon nap. They entered the house on a ruse, pretending official business. The maid guarding the bedroom had fallen asleep, so Recab and Baanah slipped by her and entered the room where Ish-Bosheth was asleep on his bed. They killed him and then cut off his head, carrying it off as a trophy. They traveled all night long, taking the route through the Arabah Valley.

8 They presented the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron, telling the king, “Here’s the head of Ish-Bosheth, Saul’s son, your enemy. He was out to kill you, but God has given vengeance to my master, the king—vengeance this very day on Saul and his children!”

9-11 David answered the brothers Recab and Baanah, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as God lives—the One who got me out of every trouble I’ve ever been in—when the messenger told me, ‘Good news! Saul is dead!’ supposing I’d be delighted, I arrested him and killed him on the spot in Ziklag. That’s what he got for his so-called good news! And now you show up—evil men who killed an innocent man in cold blood, a man asleep in his own house! Don’t think I won’t find you guilty of murder and rid the country of you!”

12 David then issued orders to his soldiers. They killed the two—chopped off their hands and feet, and hung the corpses at the pool in Hebron. But Ish-Bosheth’s head they took and buried in Abner’s tomb in Hebron.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion    
Friday, August 05, 2022

Today's Scripture
John 15:1–8

The Vine and the Branches

1–3     15 “I am the Real Vine and my Father is the Farmer. He cuts off every branch of me that doesn’t bear grapes. And every branch that is grape-bearing he prunes back so it will bear even more. You are already pruned back by the message I have spoken.

4     “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.

5–8     “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.

Insight

One of the distinctly beautiful features of the gospel of John is its seven “I am” sayings. These statements serve to identify Jesus with Yahweh—the eternal, ever-present, covenant-keeping God who revealed Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14: “God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I am has sent me to you.” ’ ” Jesus’ declaration in John 15:1, 5—“I am the [true] vine”—is the seventh “I am” statement (see also 6:35; 8:12; 10:7, 11; 11:25; 14:6) . On the eve of His death, Jesus reminded His disciples of how essential it was to remain connected to Him. Through Christ’s words we understand that “loving obedience” is required to abide in Him: “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love” (15:10). By: Arthur Jackson

We Need Jesus' Help

Apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5

The day finally came—the day I realized my father wasn’t indestructible. As a boy, I knew his strength and determination. But in my early adult years, he injured his back, and I realized that my father was mortal after all. I stayed with my parents to help my dad to the bathroom, assisting him in dressing, even guiding a glass of water to his mouth—it was humbling to him. He made some initial attempts to accomplish small tasks, but admitted, “I can’t do anything without your help.” He eventually recovered to his strong self, but that experience taught both of us an important lesson. We need each other.

And while we need each other, we need Jesus even more. In John 15, the imagery of the vine and the branches continues to be one we cling to. Yet one of the other phrases, while comforting, can also strike at our self-reliance. The thought that can easily creep into our minds is, I don’t need help. Jesus is clear—“apart from me you can do nothing” (v. 5). Christ is talking about bearing fruit, like “love, joy, peace” (Galatians 5:22), those core features of a disciple. To bear fruit is the life Jesus calls us to, and our total reliance on Him yields a fruitful life, a life lived to the Father’s glory (John 15:8). By:  John Blase

Reflect & Pray

The prayer “I can do nothing apart from You” is simple and powerful. What situations are you facing today that need prayer? How can you rest assured that God is with you and loves you?

Father, I can do nothing apart from You.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Friday, August 05, 2022

The Bewildering Call of God

"…and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished."…But they understood none of these things… —Luke 18:31, 34

God called Jesus Christ to what seemed absolute disaster. And Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death, leading every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. His life was an absolute failure from every standpoint except God’s. But what seemed to be failure from man’s standpoint was a triumph from God’s standpoint, because God’s purpose is never the same as man’s purpose.

This bewildering call of God comes into our lives as well. The call of God can never be understood absolutely or explained externally; it is a call that can only be perceived and understood internally by our true inner-nature. The call of God is like the call of the sea— no one hears it except the person who has the nature of the sea in him. What God calls us to cannot be definitely stated, because His call is simply to be His friend to accomplish His own purposes. Our real test is in truly believing that God knows what He desires. The things that happen do not happen by chance— they happen entirely by the decree of God. God is sovereignly working out His own purposes.

If we are in fellowship and oneness with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, then we will no longer strive to find out what His purposes are. As we grow in the Christian life, it becomes simpler to us, because we are less inclined to say, “I wonder why God allowed this or that?” And we begin to see that the compelling purpose of God lies behind everything in life, and that God is divinely shaping us into oneness with that purpose. A Christian is someone who trusts in the knowledge and the wisdom of God, not in his own abilities. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the calm, relaxed pace which should be characteristic of the children of God.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

There is nothing, naturally speaking, that makes us lose heart quicker than decay—the decay of bodily beauty, of natural life, of friendship, of associations, all these things make a man lose heart; but Paul says when we are trusting in Jesus Christ these things do not find us discouraged, light comes through them.  The Place of Help, 1032 L

Bible in a Year: Psalms 68-69; Romans 8:1-21

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Friday, August 05, 2022

Always Beyond Your Reach - #9280

There's this age where a toddler just starts exploding with words they're learning and hour-by-hour discoveries they're making. Those "discoveries" quickly teach new parents a survival skill. It's called "baby proofing" - as in removing anything that little person could get their hands on that might do them harm or vice versa. The way you discover what needs to be removed is usually by the toddler getting their hands on it. Suddenly, parents are playing defense against this strong, and suddenly very independent, toddler offense. I've watched this time-honored human drama being acted out in our son and daughter-in-law's home when our then one-year-old granddaughter started exploring each new day. When she wanted something she couldn't reach, she made sure that they knew that. Our son explained our little angel's frame of mind this way: "All she ever wants is just beyond her reach."

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Always Beyond Your Reach."

Let's face it, fellow grownup babies - that toddler's reach syndrome is not limited to little people. It's a fact of life for many of us; all we want always seems to be just beyond our reach. I call it the "as soon as" syndrome: I'll be satisfied as soon as I graduate, as soon as I get that job, get that better job, get that house, get that bigger house, as soon as I get a boyfriend or girlfriend, or get a little more money. I'll be content as soon as I'm married, as soon as I'm divorced, as soon as I have children, grandchildren, as soon as I lose weight. I'll feel better as soon as I move, or as soon as I retire. It's the life never-ending cycle of "never enough."

And therein, is one of life's brutal truths - more is never enough. John D. Rockefeller was asked how much money is enough money. His answer was classic: "A little bit more." Well, in spite of its futility, many of us are driven to do whatever it takes to get more of what we think we need. But what we want is always just beyond our reach. Our "reach" syndrome condemns us to actually a life sentence called discontentment; never at peace, never satisfied. You know that feeling?

After passionately pursuing more of almost everything in his life, King Solomon wisely concluded in Ecclesiastes 4:6 - "Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind." What a great word picture for always wanting more. It's like chasing the wind. The Bible says it's much better to settle for less; one handful and have some peace and sanity, than to constantly push for more; two handfuls, but with a life that's basically out of control.

Which brings us to the liberating perspective of our word for today from the Word of God in 1 Timothy 6:6, "Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that." In other words, I will go with whatever God gives me, trusting Him to provide what He knows I need. We're talking like 23rd Psalm here, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." We're talking the wisdom of Job: "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised." Praise - that's the language of contentment and the key to a peaceful heart. The Greek philosopher Plato said: "Contentment is not getting everything you always wanted to have; it's realizing how much you already have."

For every child of God, what you already have is the wise and adequate provision of your all-loving, all-knowing, all-powerful Heavenly Father. And you don't have to be a slave to the frustrating drive for more.

Celebrate everything you do have. Focus on all the good things your Father has done for you, and let Him turn praise for Him into blessed contentment for you. Because this stubborn push to always get what we don't have - well, it's for babies.