“As for you, if you walk before me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’

“But if you or your sons turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. And though this temple is now imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the LORD brought all this disaster on them.’ “ 1 Kings 9 4-9

Now that God had given Solomon wisdom, he had some standards to go along with it. God wanted Solomon and his sons to walk uprightly. He realized how easy it would be to be wise but not Godly, to know the good to do, but not to actually do it, to serve God half-heartedly, especially when life is going well. He would bless them if they continued to serve Him.

On the other hand, if they began to go astray, disaster awaited them. God also knew the results of turning away from Him: embracing other gods. There is a pattern in the Scriptures of God blessing the people, the people becoming disgruntled then beginning to serve other gods, and then disaster.

Before we’re quick to judge Old Testament character for falling away from God, it’s a good chance for us to look within ourselves to see if little gods have taken the place of the One True God. What are those little gods, you ask? Think about it, what is it in your life that is more important than God? Could be money, popularity, sports, how you look, craving recognition. These things are wrong if they are what drives us, if they motivate us to do the things we do. Essentially, here’s the question to ask yourself: what thoughts consume me throughout the course of a normal day?

Turning away from God rarely comes all at once. Instead, we fall away in small steps or stages. The beauty of it is we can turn back towards Him any time we want, no matter how far we’ve strayed! He’s the God of the Second (and Two Hundredth) Chance.

“When a man wrongs his neighbor and is required to take an oath and he comes and swears the oath before your altar in this temple, then hear from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing down on his own head what he has done. Declare the innocent not guilty, and so establish his innocence.

“Praise be to the LORD, who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses. May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us. May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways and to keep the commands, decrees and regulations he gave our fathers. And may these words of mine, which I have prayed before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, that he may uphold the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel according to each day’s need, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other. But your hearts must be fully committed to the LORD our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.” 1 Kings 8:31-32, 54-60

When Solomon dedicates the temple to the LORD, he lays it all out on the table, so to speak. From verse 31 through 53 he is praying on behalf of the people of Israel. He is pleading with God to hear their prayers if they are doing well, but he also reminds God (as if God needed reminding!) that the people of Israel were God’s chosen inheritance and to protect them because of that. Essentially the prayer is this: “if the people are obeying you and praying for your blessing, God, bless them. If they are sinning, let them know so they can repent and turn back to you.”

From verse 54 to the end, he charges the people to follow God’s decrees and that we would “turn our hearts toward Him.” How we desperately need that prayer in our lives.

Pray Solomon’s prayer of dedication over your nation. God needs to move sovereignly over nations of the world. Then pray that we would turn our hearts toward Him.

And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple. 1 Kings 8:11

To me, there is something powerful and dramatic about this verse. Solomon has just furnished most of the temple, and the priests have left the Holy Place. The glory of the LORD filled his temple. Say that out loud and take in the fullness of it.

To many reading this, the parallel between what happened back then and what has happened in your lives is crystal clear: our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) and the LORD wants to fill it with his glory. Not just one time, but over and over again.

The Holy Spirit is in our temples, but by our sinful actions we squelch it and grieve it. Ask that the Holy Spirit would fall afresh on you. Let the Holy Spirit fill your temple. Pray to be filled. Rest in that filling. Then, do it all again the next day. God wants to reign supreme in our temples.

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness (2 Peter 1:3)

King Solomon sent to Tyre and brought Huram, whose mother was a widow from the tribe of Naphtali and whose father was a man of Tyre and a craftsman in bronze. Huram was highly skilled and experienced in all kinds of bronze work. He came to King Solomon and did all the work assigned to him. 1 Kings 7:13-14

Huram. You’ve probably never heard the name before. You may have just glossed over the name when you embarked on your Through the Bible in a Year program. But out of all the workers who worked on the temple and Solomon’s palace, Solomon called this man out from Tyre. We would say that his reputation preceded him. Then the Bible lays out the many things that Huram had been commissioned to build: pillars, networks of interwoven chains (with 400 bronze pomegranates), capitals to go on top of the pillars, the Sea adn twelve bulls under it, movable stands with wheels and axels, basins, pots, shovels and sprinkling bowls. When 25+ verses in the Old Testament are dedicated to detailing your work, you’ve made quite a good name for yourself.

Huram was a master craftsman in bronze. It’s probably an understatement. That’s what he did. We don’t know if he was a good husband, great father, or upright citizen. We don’t know much more about Huram, but we do know that he was a master craftsman. He was passionate about bronze.

What are you passionate about? What do you do that’s just fantastic? What rings your bell? Pray to God that He will use you in that gifting and passion. You may not be sought after like Huram was, but you can still glorify God with that talent or passion.

And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom. 1 Kings 4:31-34

Solomon must have lived a charmed life. He had wisdom beyond compare; he was knowledgeable, and he enjoyed fame. Dignitaries came from all world to listen to him. Think of that influence and opportunity he had to promote his God!

But before we become discouraged when we compare our lives to Solomon’s, think of the influence and opportunities you have in life. You have influence over more people than you think. You have influence over people I would never have contact with. You have opportunities to plant seeds every day. Rejoice that you have the opportunity to influence a few. Most of us will only have a few in our circle of friends and acquaintances. But when the chips are down, people will come to you and lean on you because you’ve cared about them.

Again, rejoice that you’ve had the opportunity to influence a few.

God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon’s wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. 1 Kings 4:29-30

These two sentences sums up Solomon’s wisdom. The rest are in the details of the accounts of wisdom. Even in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes we see the wisdom that came out in writing. Of course he had the very best teaching that the world could offer, but many learned and scholarly men are not wise. Knowledge itself doesn’t bring wisdom. Having a high IQ does not give a person wisdom. We see very clearly in life today that having a lot of money and fame and beauty does not bring about wisdom. Even those who are considered wise in the things of the world may not have a Biblical view of right and wrong.

Solomon states that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). That’s our starting point, and a good one at that. Meditate on this phrase throughout the day and let it permeate your soul.

Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. One of them said, "My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I had a baby while she was there with me. The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

Then the king gave his ruling: "Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother." 1 Kings 3:16-17, 24-26

We're familiar with this story. It is the first time that Solomon's wisdom is tested. Solomon's task was to do the right thing, to discern who was telling the truth and telling a lie. Solomon got the reaction he wanted. He knew the "mother instinct" would kick in. Most mothers would have compassion on their own children even if it meant giving them away than to lose the children altogether.

Often we are faced with extremely difficult decisions that must be made quickly. We may not have time to weigh all the options that are available, so what do we do? Read through the list of wisdom qualifiers in James 3:17-18 (pure, peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere). Any decision that meets all of those qualities must be better than those that don't. Unfortunately, we rarely have 100% of all the facts when we make a decision.

Sometimes we just have to make the decision. It'll be okay. Really, it will.

So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both riches and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life." Then Solomon awoke—and he realized it had been a dream. 1 Kings 3:11-15

I've had dreams like this before, but they are rare indeed. Solomon had given the possible answer to the question, "what do you want me to do for you?" Wisdom is the answer. He wanted discernment in meting out judgment. He wanted to be able to see black and white in a gray world.

We should be praying for wisdom often. But there's another point I'd like to make.

How is your dream world? Are you troubled by the cares of the world? Do you wake dreading what this day holds? Do you find yourself waking up unrested and worn from a night of tossing and turning? I know I do often enough. But I can usually point back to something I've read or seen or heard the previous night or the night before.

I would encourage everyone reading to try this over the next week or so. Before hopping into bed at night and clicking off the light, meditate on Scripture for five minutes. That's it, five simple minutes. Choose one verse and read it until you've committed it to memory. Then the fun begins. Roll the verse over and over and over in your mind, meditating on its meaning, letting it settle into your inner being. Then with that verse on your mind, it will stay in your head throughout the night (like that song you heard but can't get out of your head sometimes).

After a week or so, let me know how it has worked for you. The power of God's word, even when you are sleeping, cannot be underestimated.

Here are a few verses that you can start with. Most Believers are familiar with them already.

Proverbs 3:4-5
Psalm 23:1,2
Ephesians 3:20
Psalm 139:1
Psalm 67:1-2

At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you."
So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?"  1 Kings 3:5,9

Good answer, Solomon, good answer. Out of all the things that Solomon could have requested, a discerning heart was the absolute best. As King, he could have power and wealth and prominence and fame and whatever his heart desired. But few with that kind of authority and power have had the desire to be wise. It's sad but true. The folks who need it the most are the least likely to ask for it because they think they're invincible.

Look at the countless years of history: none of those leaders were invincible. None. They all have come and gone. So, too, the current crop of leaders will come and go.

Once again, I urge you to pray for your leaders, that they will have a heart of wisdom and will desire to discern between right and wrong. Leaders today do not need more fame or power or wealth or beauty. They need wisdom.

And so do we.

"I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go, and that the LORD may keep his promise to me: 'If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.' 1 Kings 2:2-4

The entire first chapter of First Kings is how Adonijah wanted to be King but those advising King David insisted that Solomon take the throne. Then, as David is on his death bed, he blesses Solomon, who is considered the wisest man who ever lived.

David blessed Solomon thusly, "So be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in his ways, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and requirements, as written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go." This is a prayer that most Believers would love to have prayed over them. So, why don't we?

Read the prayer over and over again until you commit it to memory, then put it in the form of a prayer: "I pray that this person will be strong and show himself strong, and that he will observe what the Lord requires of him. I pray that he will walk in His ways, and keep his decrees and commands, as written in the Law of Moses, so that he may prosper in all he does and wherever he goes."

Memorize this blessing, then pray it over a different person every day. Then, watch that person grow in the Lord!

Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”  “To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the LORD, that the plague on the people may be stopped.”Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are
threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. O king, Araunah gives all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the LORD your God accept you.”

But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings.
Then the LORD answered prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.
2 Samuel 24:21-25

This is a fairly famous passage buried in the Old Testament. As a King, David could afford anything he wanted. Many dignitaries and rulers heaped upon him lavish gifts. It happens in all societies and cultures. People want to curry favor with those in authority. So, then, it was natural for Araunah to offer the King the entire threshing floor.

But David realized something very significant: A sacrifice isn’t a sacrifice if it’s not a sacrifice for you. It’s something to think about as we give of our time, talent, and money to others and to organizations.

Jesus came to earth: it was clearly a sacrifice for him. Jesus lived among us for 33 years: no small sacrifice. Jesus endured vile insults and beatings, and ultimately was nailed to two blocks of wood: the ultimate sacrifice.

Consider the sacrifices you make for His sake. Surely you sacrifice; we all do. Often, you don’t consider those things sacrificial because they are the “right thing to do.”

• Teaching your children the Bible and bringing them to Sunday School week in and week out.
• Housing a missionary family when the come to town.
• Dropping a little extra in the offering for that same missionary family.
• Memorizing Scripture even though it’s touch, and teaching your children to do the same.
• Giving up your career to go to a foreign land to eat strange food and learn a difficult language just so you can communicate the love of Christ.
• Remaining single so that you can serve Christ in dangerous places without having to worry about your spouse.

The list goes on and on. You can do thousands of things that are sacrificial. Your labor is not in vain, Brothers and Sisters. Keep at it. The world will not understand your sacrifice (if it knows of it at all), but God sees and He blesses.

"I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing." 2 Samuel 24:10

We don't know precisely what David had done wrong in taking a census. Scholars debate it even to this day. Even his military commander, Joab, questioned the action before David carried it out. In the end, after David had confessed, a three-day pestilence took the lives of 70,000 of David's men (2 Samuel 24:15). David knew it was a sin and did it anyhow. It seems drastic and harsh to us, but God obviously hates sin that much.

David, though, continued to be a man after God's own heart. He sinned greatly but he seemed to always come back to the fold, and God restored him greatly. It really is a picture of our life we have in Christ.

We sin; we grieve; we confess; we're restored, and the cycle continues. Hopefully along the way we are learning to trust Jesus more. As our walk with Christ matures, we'll face different battles and temptations that we didn't have to face ten or twenty years earlier. After we "master" those challenges, we're faced with newer ones. All in all, what we face in this life helps us to depend on Christ's strength and not our own.

We are not alone in the Journey, for Christ goes with us.

"He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters." 2 Samuel 22:17

As you go through life, you need this. You need God to just reach down and take hold of you. More often than we care to admit, you think He might just reach down and shake you into your senses, but this is not the case in this passage. No, after spending a lot of time and more energy running from his enemies, David just cried out to God. In fact, this entire chapter is like that. You can tell that being on the run took its toll on David. He's spent, exhausted, ready to just hang it all up.

We get like that. We sometimes feel as if we can no longer move. But God, through simple, honest prayers like this, restores our soul, renews our spirit. But we have to take a step of faith and let it all go. Blurt it all out. Holding in all the junk and misery of life just complicates it. Let it all go.

Read the entire 23rd Chapter of Second Samuel out loud, then close your eyes and just worship. Weep if you need; raise your hands if you must, but cry out to Him.

David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer. 2 Samuel 22:1-2

This is very similar to what we see all throughout the Psalms. David accomplished something great and he took time out to Praise the God who delivered Him. He did it often enough to make me think that it was a part of his character. Sure he sinned and fell and doubted and worried and obsessed over his enemies. But he also praised heartily.

We have the same things going for us. Of course we aren't kings and queens, but we still have our victories and valleys, our depressing times and our times of elation. We have ups and downs, highs and lows. Sometimes our lows are ruts, and our highs are Mt. Everest-like. But still, we seek Him.

Take time today to praise the Lord. Praise Him for who He is. Praise Him for what he's delivered your through. Praise Him for what He's continuing to do through you.

Praise Him, just because.

Rizpah daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest till the rain poured down from the heavens on the bodies, she did not let the birds of the air touch them by day or the wild animals by night. When David was told what Aiah's daughter Rizpah, Saul's concubine, had done, he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. (They had taken them secretly from the public square at Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them after they struck Saul down on Gilboa.) David brought the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from there, and the bones of those who had been killed and exposed were gathered up.

They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul's father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that, God answered prayer in behalf of the land. 2 Samuel 21:10-14

Buried in the Bible are these little stories that can easily get passed over for the "juicier" sections (e.g., Moses parting the Red Sea, David and Goliath, Jesus turning water into wine). Rizpah, a relative of Saul, wanted to protect the bodies of the seven men who were killed. She was protecting them from the birds. A simple act of kindness and decency. No one would notice. After all, the men she was protecting were already dead.

But King David heard about it and acted. Long story short: Saul, Jonathan, and the seven men were all buried together. Away from the birds, away from the open air.

Rizpah's legacy lives on around the world. Most people have never heard her name but they are like her. Most reading this are like her. You work and labor and wonder if it's making a difference. No one seems to notice your deeds. You get discouraged and want to give it all up for an easier life.

But the King knows. The King is recording all of those deeds. Sometimes he rewards you on the spot; most times, however, your small acts of kindness and hard work go seemingly unnoticed. Seemingly. The Enemy would want you to think that it's all for nothing. But it's not.

Take heart, Brothers and Sisters, your work for the Lord is not in vain, even the smallest things you do for others. Like the concert pianist whispering in the ear of a five-year-old as he plays a simple Chopsticks, "Keep on, Lad, you're doing great. Keep it up. I'm here with you. You're doing good. You're doing great. Don't stop now."

They answered the king, "As for the man who destroyed us and plotted against us so that we have been decimated and have no place anywhere in Israel, let seven of his male descendants be given to us to be killed and exposed before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul—the Lord 's chosen one." So the king said, "I will give them to you."

The king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul. But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah's daughter Rizpah, whom she had borne to Saul, together with the five sons of Saul's daughter Merab, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. He handed them over to the Gibeonites, who killed and exposed them on a hill before the LORD. All seven of them fell together; they were put to death during the first days of the harvest, just as the barley harvest was beginning. 2 Samuel 21:5-9

David had inquired of the Lord when there had been a famine in the land for three years. The Lord revealed that "It is on account of Saul and his blood-stained house; it is because he put the Gibeonites to death." So David went to the Gibeonites to ask them how he could make amends with them. They responded that "let seven of Saul's male descendants be given to us to be killed and exposed before the LORD." So David went and chose seven and handed them over to the Gibeonites, skipping over a few he knew personally.

A man I knew was working for the United Nations in Iraq when Saddam Hussein was still in power. Word on the street came that he and his family had to be out of town the next day. They could choose one Iraqi family – and only one – to go with them. The remaining Iraqi UN workers would remain and would most certainly be killed for associating themselves with the United Nations. Think of that! One family, all other co-workers and their families would meet their deaths! Needless to say, this husband and wife had to undergo some serious counseling when they returned home.

There are Believers in many countries who must make these choices regularly, the choices that you and I will never have to make. And those who have persecuted Christians have no feelings for your children, your wife, your husband, your friends, your fellow Believers. Satan has guided these people into believing that persecuting Christians is a way to squelch the movement!

Pray for that persecuted pastor who must make impossible decisions knife or a gun at his throat. Pray for the Believer who will lose a limb because he has not nor will not deny Christ to his captors.

Pray that you might have compassion in this area and get involved. The Bible describes these believers as people for whom "the world was not worthy of them." Pray for them like you've never prayed before.

Voice of the Martyrs

"And say to Amasa, 'Are you not my own flesh and blood? May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if from now on you are not the commander of my army in place of Joab.' " 2 Samuel 19:3

Joab gives David the best advice a top adviser could give (by speaking frankly), and how does David reward him? David fires Joab and hires Amasa in his place. He was trusted and loyal to David, and still David ditched him. But fortunately we haven't seen the last of Joab because Joab was a very powerful military leader. As a king, I would want a Joab on my side, if not for any other reason than I wouldn't want him against me!

As a leader, you may be asked to accept difficult advice. David took the advice but fired the messenger. You and I need grace to accept difficult advice without being hurt by the messenger giving it. Pray that you will be able to do that in the little things. If someone is speaking frankly with you, take the advice and cherish the friendship. It probably took the person a lot of courage to challenge you. You need that kind of counselor in your life. We all do.

Then Joab went into the house to the king and said, "Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. Now go out and encourage your men. I swear by the LORD that if you don't go out, not a man will be left with you by nightfall. This will be worse for you than all the calamities that have come upon you from your youth till now."

So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway. When the men were told, "The king is sitting in the gateway," they all came before him. 2 Samuel 19:5-8

You have to be a great friend of the King to talk to the King the way Joab did. If he weren't such a friend, he would be signing his own death certificate with that speech. But fortunately, David took it for what it was: a stern rebuke about the state of his men.

Leaders need advisers like Joab. They need men who will speak truth to those in power despite what it may cost them. I'm afraid those kinds of advisers are few and far between. Similarly, we need leaders who can handle the truth the way Joab presented it. Again, leaders tend to avoid unpleasant truth. Great leaders, though, are not afraid of being wrong.

Pray for truthful advisers. Pray that they will give sound, thoughtful advice tempered with the truth. Pray also for receptive hearts of leaders. It could the the president of a country or it could be the pastor of a church. Both types of men (and women) are needed.

The king was shaken. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he said: "O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you-O Absalom, my son, my son!" 2 Samuel 18:33

Say what you want about King David, but he was certainly a man of many emotions. Despite the fact that Absalom wanted him dead, David still loved him greatly. It's actually very true today in the age we live in as well. How many times do you hear a parent of an infamous son or daughter meander up to the microphones and say, "my son was always a good boy. I don't know what happened?" This is clearly the case between Absalom and David. Blood is definitely thicker than water.

Most of us have loved one who have hurt us in some way, but you still love them. You don't why or even if you should still love them, but you do. With that person in mind, pray for him or her. And also pray that you would help to mend the rift you have between yourselves. Life is too short to hold grudges and carry bitterness. Let the hurt go. And tears may need to be shed.

But the men said, "You must not go out; if we are forced to flee, they won't care about us. Even if half of us die, they won't care; but you are worth ten thousand of us. [k] It would be better now for you to give us support from the city."  The king answered, "I will do whatever seems best to you."
So the king stood beside the gate while all the men marched out in units of hundreds and of thousands. 2 Samuel 18:3-4

At this point in David's reign, his authority had been undermined, Absalom hated him and wanted him killed, and David had to flee for his life. He was at the mercy of a few good men. Throughout David's life he had good men around him counseling him, giving him valuable advice on what to do. These were men that David could trust. David even trusted Aphithophel, who later betrayed him.

Having good friends around is helpful when you're in trouble. It has been said that it's better to have friends before you need them. David did that well. So when he was running for his life, his friends were around to help him to think straight. Later we'll see that Joab spoke truth into David's life and questioned why he was weeping over a man who was out to kill him! That's the kind of friendship that most people truly value (despite the temporary heartache it could cause).

Who are you surrounded by? Can you trust those people with your life? Are you also a trusted friend to others so that when they can lean on you in their times of darkness and uncertainty? If these are not real situations for you, pray that God would provide you with these people.

David mustered the men who were with him and appointed over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. 2 Samuel 18:1

Even in the midst of enemies all around him, David encouraged his men. I'm certain David himself was discouraged. After all, he was the King! But he was on the run from his own son. Every step he took must have been painful for David, knowing that he was fleeing from his son.

But he rallied the troops and encouraged them. Great leaders do that. Fortunately, you and I don't have to be great leaders to do that. We can encourage every day. Encouragement, though, takes effort. It's not easy always to see the good in people (especially when you're having a rotten day), but it's there.

The encouragement doesn't need to be earth shattering or dramatic. A smile works. A simple compliment on an article of clothing is fitting. Kind words go a long way. A card, a telephone call, an email, a snail-mail letter. All done without coersion or secondary agendas.

It's a great habit to get into, for I have found that most people need to be encouraged regularly. I've mentioned it before, but Mark Twain is famous for saying, "I can live for two months on a good compliment."

I can understand that.

After the men had gone, the two climbed out of the well and went to inform King David. They said to him, "Set out and cross the river at once; Ahithophel has advised such and such against you." So David and all the people with him set out and crossed the Jordan. By daybreak, no one was left who had not crossed the Jordan. 2 Samuel 17:21-22

This is the beginning of many who would be willing to risk their lives for David. They had hid in a well (and a woman covered for them while Absalom searched for them) and ran to tell David all they knew. What causes people to do this? I've wrestled with that question all my life. All around us we see many people risking their lives for odd causes, many misguided and misinformed.

For instance, many Muslim leaders have convinced younger people that if they sacrificed their lives by blowing others up, Allah would bless them with 72 virgins. If it's such a wonderful idea, why don't those leaders do it? There are other causes that are like this: animal rights, extreme environmentalists, etc. I suspect that many of these people have substituted God with their cause. They have made their cause their god. (again, that view is based on what I've observed and not hard evidence)

Some time ago, I overheard someone say, "this current generation doesn't have anything worth dying for." It's sad, but I understand it.

How about you? Do you have anything worth dying for? Is there anything you can say, "I'd rather die than to do this?" Perhaps it's your kids or your spouse or the Gospel. As Eternity draws nearer for each of us, it's good to look inward occasionally and ask these tough questions.

And thankfully, Jesus saw something worth dying for in us. I'll never understand it.

Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel's advice. 2 Samuel 16:23

As you recall, David prayed that Ahithophel's counsel would be foolishness. The passage continues with Absalom asking Hushai whether or not to take Ahithophel's advice. Long story short (but worth the read), Absalom doesn't take Ahithophel's counsel (and Ahithophel's advice was foolish).

This verse, however, stood out to me. The reputation of Ahithophel was widespread for he was a man of good counsel. He was a traitor, yes, but up until that time, his advice was solid. His reputation is the key portion I'd like to flesh out.

How's your reputation among the Godly and ungodly? Is your word as good as gold, so to speak? Are you reliable? Do you need to be told a half dozen times before something gets done? Is your counsel "like that of one who inquires of God?" I know, those are large shoes to climb into but if we are to make a significant impact in this world, our reputation and counsel has to be rock solid.

Fortunately for us, though, we can be grounded on the Rock of Ages and rely on Him for our wisdom. Ask him daily, if not more often, for that wisdom for he loves to give it out generously (James 1:5).

David then said to Abishai and all his officials, "My son, who is of my own flesh, is trying to take my life. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the LORD has told him to. 12 It may be that the LORD will see my distress and repay me with good for the cursing I am receiving today." 2 Samuel 16:11-12

There's a similar passage in Matthew 5:11 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." A man named Shimei came out to curse David, the King. One of the King's men, Abishai wants to kill him for his utter disdain for King David. David saw the futility in it and perhaps the truth in Shimei's words ("for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul"). Killing Shimei would not have solved anything.

Recently my wife and I were debating the concept of "turning the other cheek." Matthew 5 lays out the concept. "Turning the other cheek" in America or Europe is different than it would be in China or parts of Africa. We Westerners tend to think in terms of rights and not having others walk all over us. In parts of Asia and Africa, standing up for your rights can get you killed. Literally.

Under the law, David had every right to kill Shimei for his blatant disrespect for the King. It appears David did the right thing.

Have you been wronged or persecuted for what you believe recently? What was your reaction? Looking back on it, was it the right action?

Now David had been told, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. So David prayed, "O Lord, turn Ahithophel's counsel into foolishness." 2 Samuel 15:31

Earlier in 2 Samuel 15:12, we read that Ahithophel was one of David's advisors. Now, though, it is apparent that Ahithophel has sided with Absalom (and against David). It's one of David's many honest prayers. It's a kind of prayer that you wish you never have to pray because and it's regarding someone who was probably close to you. Ahithophel would no longer be valuable to David as a counselor. That was obvious.

But there are times when you are opposed to the strategic direction of leadership in general that it is very appropriate to pray this.

God wants us to pray honest prayers; I firmly believe that. Wrestle with the issues, then seek God. Seek God and wrestle with the issues. We should be passionate about what we pray for and not let anything hinder us, and especially not the English language. I know when I pray in public, I get all tongue-tied and don't really know what to say. It's different in private.

If someone is a "stumbling block," pray that the person would be removed. If someone is conniving and dishonest, pray that their wisdom will be as foolishness.

Then David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, "Come! We must flee, or none of us will escape from Absalom. We must leave immediately, or he will move quickly to overtake us and bring ruin upon us and put the city to the sword." 2 Samuel 15:14

Once again, Absalom began to sow seeds of discord among the people, and David realized it was time to flee for his life. The Bible said that the hearts of the people had turned toward Absalom.

King David, mighty man of valor and accomplishment, reduced to flee from his own son. It certainly gives new meaning to the term "dysfunctional." How sad was that! Couldn't he just muster enough of an army to go and defeat his son? Evidently he couldn't or wouldn't. So he fled.

It would be easy to make two opposite conclusions here: 1) David knew when his reign was over, and 2) why didn't he just go out and defeat the man who was his own flesh and blood? Could that have been so difficult? Absolutely!

So David fled with all of his servants. With a massive entourage of servants and helpers, it wasn't exactly like he could hide wherever he was going. Throughout his entire reign up to this point, it was as if David was pursuing the love of those who were supposed to be closest to him, his children. Now the object of David's love was chasing him or would soon do so.

We are much too much like David. We go chasing after things and people and peace but don't find it until we relent and allow God to pursue us. And in reality it was God who had been chasing us all along, looking for ways to draw us closer while we kept searching "in all the wrong places." Francis Thompson wrote a poem about the "Hound of Heaven," always pursuing, always wooing. Without His constant Draw or Tug or Pull on our lives, I wouldn't be writing this and you wouldn't be reading this.

Below is the beginning of Francis Thompson's Hound of Heaven

"I fled Him down the nights and down the days
I fled Him down the arches of the years
I fled Him down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind, and in the midst of tears
I hid from him."

Absalom behaved in this way toward all the Israelites who came to the king asking for justice, and so he stole the hearts of the men of Israel. 2 Samuel 15:6

If King David was intriguing, his son Absalom was even more so. After quite a long time, Absalom finally got to see the King, his father. Then for some reason, Absalom turned against his father and began to "steal the hearts of the men of Israel." Absalom also had good looks to go with his convincing demeanor.

Absalom seemed to have held on to the bitterness of his sister being raped, and the King doing nothing about it when he found out about it. Shakespeare said that bitterness was the poison you drink hoping the other person will die.

Perhaps you are wrestling with bitterness and resentment. Maybe something happened last week; or maybe it was thirty years ago. Holding on to it only hurts you. You have to let it go. Keeping it is only hurting you. Let it go, Brother. Let it go, Sister. Give it over to Jesus once and for all. And if it creeps back into your life in a month, let it go again.

Being able to let it go and turning it over to Jesus is just one of the true Victories in Jesus.

Joab son of Zeruiah knew that the king's heart longed for Absalom. 2 Samuel 15:1

King David is certainly an interesting study. He wept over Amnon and longed to see Absalom, the son who had murdered Amnon. It had been three years since Amnon's death and David was growing anxious in wanting to see Absalom. We don't hear much about the affairs of the kingdom, but we get a great sense that King David was trying to bring his family together. For whatever reason, Absalom would have nothing of it.

Have you ever longed for something only to be rejected time and time again? Have you ever set your heart on a trip you were taking and just couldn't wait to get there? We all have and we all know the feeling of almost getting there or getting that thing but being turned away. Disappointment. Rejection. Sadness. Frustration.

Focus on the Family's well known theme is "Turn Your Hearts Toward Home." In a sense David was doing that. We should too.

Are you longing for that Home? Are you longing for the day when you will be with Jesus? Yes, day by day we get frustrated and disappointed at the things we see around us, but every day we live is just one day closer to when His Glory will be revealed.

As he finished speaking, the king's sons came in, wailing loudly. The king, too, and all his servants wept very bitterly. 2 Samuel 14:36

Absalom had just killed his brother Amnon. A few years earlier Amnon had raped his sister, Tamar. It was obvious to all around (and they said so) that Absalom had killed him to avenge the rape. The King of Israel, King David, wept.

The king is weeping over his family. He had everything a man could want and yet his children were out of control. One son was a rapist; another was a murderer. Even David himself was a rapist who had his lover's husband murdered. It's not hard at all to imagine David weeping and weeping over what his family had become. His weeping showed his sorrow and his compassion.

It's not hard nowadays to weep when we read the news. Children are slaughtered senselessly; homes and fortunes are confiscated by ruthless dictators; genocidal evil men roam many countrysides in Africa. Unfortunately the list could go for pages on as there is a great amount of wickedness in the world.

Fortunately, though, we can weep in our prayers to God. We can weep over the wickedness; we can weep over the injustice; we can even weep over the state of our own souls.

When was the last time you wept?

When King David heard all this, he was furious. Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad; he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar. 2 Samuel 13:21-22

After the kids are all grown up, David began to see just how dysfunctional his own family had become. David got furious at Amnon for what he did to Tamar, but you know he was probably recalling his own sin in that same household. Amnon was a grown young man with his own choices and tastes. His sin and actions were his own. By law he could have been put to death for what he had done to Tamar.

So David's fury against Amnon was short-lived for David had committed a similar sin. (Even as I write this, I can see that the family was a complete mess).

We too need to get angry at the things that are destroying the family (the church, so to speak). Sexual sin, greed, love of things, coldness of heart, and many others are great examples of things we need a righteous anger over. And that's not even to mention the multitude of events outside of the church that we need to become furious over.

Pray that god will give you the fury David had and the passion he had later in life towards God

Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." Nathan replied, "The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die." 2 Samuel 13:13-14

I'll be honest, these kinds of passages trouble me. My first tendency is to avoid them because they don't really fit into my idea of a compassionate and caring God. But there's a lesson in all of this mess (and make no mistake, it is a mess) that is easy to miss.

I read this passage and continued on to the next, and as I thought about it, it all became clearer to me: sin has dire consequences. I know, it's not exactly material that changes the world, but it is true nonetheless. I don't think we really realize what kinds of consequences sin has on families and friends. Sometimes the effects are obvious; often they are not.

We don't have to look far to see the devastation that sin has on families and societies: broken homes, out of control crime, sensless violence, children having children. The list could go on for pages.

And yet, there is forgiveness in Christ. That bears repeating: there is forgiveness in Christ no matter what you've done. Sin devastates; Christ rebuilds. Christ heals and mends the brokenness.