Through the Bible in 66 Days - 2 Samuel

Everybody loves a hero. King David was brave and handsome a brilliant musician, poet, leader and warrior. He was everything a good king should be. He loved God, ruled fairly, obeyed God’s commands and brought wealth, peace and joy to the people. But his story reminds me that the higher we rise the further we can fall. 

In the story of second Samuel we are confronted with the sins of David and the subsequent consequences for him and his family. He slept with another man’s wife, got her pregnant and then planned the man’s death so nobody would find out. He ended up

marrying her. His family was torn apart by these terrible choices. When He eventually repented of his sin, God forgave him but his rule as a king was never the same again. In fact, as you trace his family records we discover that the family suffered many things as a result of David’s sin.

So, what can we learn from a king whose life was a mixture of success and fear, good and bad, love and hate, inner peace and turmoil?

Through the Bible in 66 Days - 1 Samuel

This book starts the history of Israel’s monarchs. Israel had become bored with having Judges and they wanted to be like everyone else. In the ancient world there were many city states that were led by kings. Powerful families led regions and countries as a quick read of Genesis chapters 10 and 14 make clear. It would seem that the plan of the creator had been for humans to respect Him as king and leader. He used men like Abraham, Moses etc to lead on his behalf but the ideal wasn’t a king as they generally soaked up resources and became rich at the expense of others, 1 Sam. 8. 10-18. 

How unlike the Lord Jesus Christ (King of the Jews, John 19.19, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Rev 17.14, 19.16) who instead of taking wealth from others bringing them into poverty became poor that we through His poverty might be rich, 2 Cor. 8. 9. This is a veiled reference to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God, he left the wealth and perfection of heaven to live in a life of poverty in this world. But, it goes even deeper than that. The poverty of Jesus took Him to the death of the cross. He died for our sins, to bring us to God. His poverty is the reason we can have the riches of God’s kindness and grace if we are prepared to repent and believe the gospel.