Looking for Samuel

[JLG]

https://ilearnaboutthebible.blogspot.com/


172) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 4


Jonathan has a son, Mephibosheth who is crippled. Ishbosheth is killed. And David kills the men who have just killed Ishbosheth.


- Things are not going better!


- On the contrary, we are told about murders!


- And it will be so during all the history of the kings of Israel and Judah!


- It happened as God told them!


- Bad actions lead to bad actions!


- It is a magnet attracted by the negative pole!


- We also understand why David couldn’t build God’s temple!


- He spent his life fighting and killing people!

 

[JLG]

https://ilearnaboutthebible.blogspot.com/


173) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 5


- David is anointed king over Israel in Hebron by all the elders of Israel. He is 30 and he reigns for 40 years!


- He reigns for 7 years and 6 months in Hebron over Judah!


- He reigns for 33 years in Jerusalem over all Israel and Judah!


- He takes Jerusalem from the Jebusites!


- David takes more concubines and wives in Jerusalem after he comes from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David!


- Then the Philistines come against him!


- God tells him to go against them!


- And he beat them!


- Later they come again!


- And God tells him to go around behind them!


- And he beat them again!


- Every time David follows God’s instructions to beat the philistines!


- And he beat them!


- But maybe you have seen a problem starting at his coming to Jerusalem!


- He gets many concubines and wives!


- And later he will get into trouble because of that among his own family!


- And not only that but Solomon will perpetuate the tradition to a far greater extent!


- As a result he will get away from God because of all his foreign wives worshiping other gods!


- And the price will be excessively high!


- But Samuel had warned Israel!


- How true he was!


- When we think about today’s human kings elected or not, that’ s the same never-ending story!

 

[JLG]

https://ilearnaboutthebible.blogspot.com/

174) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 6


David gathers 30,000 men to bring the Ark of the true God. It is placed on a wagon. Then it nearly falls so Uzzah grabs hold of it. Because Uzzah touches the Ark, God gets angry so he kills Uzzah. And David becomes angry and fearful at the same time. So David decides not to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. It stays in the house of Obedom the Gittite and God blesses him and all his house. So finally David decides to bring the Ark to Jerusalem. Michal Saul's daughter and David ‘s wife have an argument with David because he has celebrated the coming of the Ark to Jerusalem. And he did it by dancing in front of everybody and Michal told him it was not correct for a king. And she kept barren all her life !


- There is often a great difference between God’s will and man’s will!


- And there are always consequences, often bad ones but men still don’t understand!


- Apparently that’s the same chorus centuries after centuries!


- And men still don’t understand!


- And they are surprised but if they knew just a bit more the Bible they shouldn’t be surprised!


- Unfortunately, the next surprise will be destructive!


- But a human being is supposed to evolve to become an adult!


- Apparently, it’s rarely the case because he keeps behaving like a baby who never understands!


- Sooner or later we must become adults and if we refuse we must assume the consequences!


- That’s life, nothing to be sad or happy about!


- We may decide to take the train or not!

 

[JLG]

https://ilearnaboutthebible.blogspot.com/


175) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 7


- When David is settled in his own house and God has given peace to him, he says to Nathan the prophet that it is not proper for God not to have a temple. But God tells him that his son will build God’s temple. God blesses David and he will do the same with his son forever!


- But there are limits to God’s patience and David will go too far and his son Solomon will do worse by worshiping other gods because of his numerous wives and concubines.


- Warnings everywhere but men are deaf and superficial!


- And the Israelites lost their privileges!


- In fact, they never took advantage of them!


- Because they didn’t care about God!


- And men keep following the same path!


- Good luck!

 

[JLG]

https://ilearnaboutthebible.blogspot.com/

176) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 8


David defeats the Philistines, the Moabites, King Hadadezer of Zobah and the Syrians and the Edomites. And David administers justice and righteousness for all his people.


- David keeps looking for God and he is blessed for that!


- He is successful against all his enemies!


- He becomes powerful!


- No nation can contest his power!


- Anybody would be happy!


- But when a man is too successful, he starts to think he can do whatever he wants!


- And then the problems start!


- Every man will always find his master, sooner or later and death can happen at any time!


- Can we say that PRIDE is man’s worst enemy?

 

[JLG]

https://ilearnaboutthebible.blogspot.com/

177) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 9-10

David takes care of Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son and he gives him everything that belongs to Saul and he eats at David's table. Then he beats the Syrians and the Ammonites. Then the Syrians regroup and are defeated another time and they make peace with israel.


- Everywhere in 2 Samuel we hear about wars!


- How Samuel was right!


- Israel asked for a human king and they had to fight wars all the time!


- What a heavy price!


- How many people had to die!


- How is it possible to be so stupid!


- Human beings are supposed to have brains!


- But they are not able to use them for man’s benefits!

 

[JLG]

https://ilearnaboutthebible.blogspot.com/

178) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 11

Israel fights the Ammonites another time. One night he sees Bathsheba bathing and she is very beautiful. He knows she is married but he sends messengers to bring her and he has sex with her. She becomes pregnant. As her husband is one of his soldiers, he asks him to come back from war and stay at his home with his wife but he doesn’t want to because Israel is at war. Thus David organizes his murder on the battlefield. After the mourning period, Bathsheba becomes David’s wife.


- Before he was king, David used to follow God straight away!


- When he became king he took the woman of another man and murdered her husband!

- It is difficult to call such a man a man of God!


- Or is that when you get power it corrupts the mind!


- Thus Power is stronger than man!


- It happened with all kings in the Bible!


- A good lesson to remember!


- It is easy to turn one’s back!


- Humility vs pride!


- Goodness vs evil!

 

[JLG]

https://ilearnaboutthebible.blogspot.com/

179) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 12


God sends Nathan to David. And Nathan tells him that God gave him everything and he could have given him much more. But because of what he did and thus despised God, God will bring calamity within his own house. God will take his wives and gives them to another man. And all Israel will see it and hear about it. David will not die but the son he has just had with Bathsheba will die. Later Bathsheba has a child called Solomon.


- How is it possible to behave in such a way!


- First David follows God with all his heart!


- Second, he despises him by acting like a man without brain!

- As a consequence, he will pay a high price and will have unrest till the end of his life!


- And all the kings will end in the same way!


- Samuel’s mind and warning seems to go around!

 

[JLG]

180) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 13-15


One of David’s son, Amnon, falls in love with his sister Tamar and he rapes her then starts hating her. Two years later, Absalom organizes the murder of Amnon to avenge Tamar. Later Absalom starts opposing David and he organizes a conspiracy against David. Then David decides to run away. So he goes away with all his household except ten concubines. And Absalom enters into Jerusalem.


- David really despises God for what he has done!


- So he begins to have trouble in his own family!


- One of his daughter is raped by one of his son!


- Then the same son organizes a conspiracy against David!


- David has to run away!


- Absalom takes his place in Jerusalem!


- What unconsciousness!


- But man is unconscious!

 

[JLG]

181) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 16


David meets Ziba Mephibosheth’s attendant who has come with donkeys carrying a lot of food. And Ziba tells David that Mephibosheth is in Jerusalem because he thinks the house of Israel will make him king. And David tells Ziba to take everything. Then David goes to Bahurim and Shimei, a man of the family of Saul’s house curses David and all the men who are with him because he is a blood guilty man. But David lets him live. Finally they arrive at their destination. Absalom arrives in Jerusalem. He asks Ahithophel what he has to do. Ahithophel tells him to have relations with his father’s concubines to get more support from the people of Israel. It is considered to be the word of the true God.


- So as we can see, David keeps paying the price for his bad actions!


- Thus God blesses those who act in a good way!


- And he condemns those who act in a bad way!


- There is always a price to pay!


- God’s way is not man’s way!


- It’s not because men usually forget this basic but fundamental principle that it is not true!


- It will be the same when God will put an end to this society!


- MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN!

 

[JLG]

182) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 17


Ahithophel asks Absalom to let him choose 12,000 men and chase after David to kill him then all the people will be at peace. But before deciding what to do, Absalom asks Hushai for his advice. He tells Absalom to lead all Israel and chase after David. So Absalom decides to follow Hushai’s advice because God wants to bring disaster on Absalom. Then Hushai tells Zadok and Abiathar the priests to go to David to warn him.

- God wants to give a lesson to David and he wants him to pay a high price for what he has done!


- But he has not forgotten David!


- And Solomon must become king!

 

[JLG]

183) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 18


Then there is a battle between David’s men and Israel and Israel is defeated and 20,000 men of Israel die. And Joab kills Absalom despite David’s order not to harm him. And David weeps because of his son’s death.


- God favors David so his men are victorious!


- But his son is killed by Joab!


- Of course, Joab wants to be sure Absalom won’t have the possibility to rebel again against David!


- So he doesn’t follow David’s order!


- It is probably part of the price David has to pay for his bad actions!

 

[JLG]

184) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 19


David is sad because of his son’s death. Joab is angry at the David because of David’s attitude saying:

“Today you have put to shame all your servants who this day saved your life and the lives of your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your concubines. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you, for you have made it clear today that your chiefs and servants mean nothing to you, because I am sure that if only Absalom were alive today and the rest of us were dead, it would be all right with you. Now get up, go out and reassure your servants, because by Jehovah I swear that if you do not go out, not a man will remain with you tonight. This will be worse for you than all the injury that has come upon you from your youth until now.”

So he does according to Joab’s words. And the people bring back David to Jerusalem with a little dispute between the men of Israel and those of Judah because those of Judah are the first to bring back David.


- Joab has to tell David how to behave properly!


- And David listens to Joab!


- And David just wants to go back to Jerusalem!


- He doesn’t want any more people to be killed!

 

[JLG]

185) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 20


A man called Sheba tells the people of Israel to go away from David and the people of Judah stay with David. David sends his men after Sheba. Joab kills Amasa. Then Joab and his brother Abishai chase after Sheba who refuses into Abel of Beth Maacah. So they besiege the city. The people of the city kill Sheba and give his head to Joab who then returns to Jerusalem.

- David has learned the lesson from Absalom!


- Thus he puts an end to Sheba’s rebellion all at once!


- Joab killed Amasa to protect David!


- Joab was ready to do anything to get Sheba!


- He could have destroyed the city of Abel!


- We can then understand why God didn’t want David to build his temple!


- David is a man of war!

 

[JLG]

186) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 21


There is a famine in Israel for three consecutive years because Saul killed the Gibeonites who ask in exchange seven of Saul’s sons. War between Israel and the Philistines starts again. And each time Israel beat them.


- God never forgets!


- There is always a price to pay when someone is guilty!


- Israel’s history is always troublesome!


- People always die!


- No peace!


- When we think of our world, there is no great difference!


- War and violence!


- And Samuel is not here anymore!

 

[JLG]

187) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 22


- And David makes a song to God!


- He speaks about the protection against his enemies he got from God!


- But he doesn’t say anything about the high price he had to pay because he took somebody’s wife and he killed her husband!


- And he had to pay for the rest of his life!


- How Samuel was right when he said the price would be expensive for Israel to pay because they rejected God as their king to get human kings!


- And in fact Samuel was responsible for such a situation because of his sons’ corruption!


- But we don’t know why it was so!


- We don’t know if Samuel was too busy serving God!


- We remember what happened to Eli!


- But in this case we know Eli let his sons act badly!


- We know Israel acted badly going after other gods all the time!


- And Jesus told the same after his death!


- His teaching would be corrupted by people mixing different beliefs from different religions!


- And religious leaders would be responsible for that!


- And what about normal people?

 

[JLG]

188) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 23


- We are told about David’s last words:


The God of Israel spoke; To me the Rock of Israel said: ‘When the one ruling over mankind is righteous, Ruling in the fear of God, It is like the morning light when the sun shines, A morning without clouds. It is like the brightness after the rain, Making grass sprout from the earth.’ Is not my house like that before God? For he has made an eternal covenant with me, Arranged in every detail and secured. Because it means my complete salvation and all my delight, Is that not why he makes it flourish?


- Then he speaks about all his mighty warriors!


- Yes, David is a man of war!


- But he doesn’t say anything about the high price he had to pay because he took somebody’s wife and he killed her husband!


- And he had to pay for the rest of his life!


- So once again, Samuel was completely right!


- Every king brought trouble in Israel!


- War and violence!


- Badness!


- It seems he doesn’t want to think about his bad actions!


- But in the end everyone must pay for it!


- And man is paying for it every day!


- And the price will be more expensive and everybody will see the consequences!


- And some men are warning!


- But the majority doesn’t care as usual!

 

[JLG]

189) Looking for Samuel


2 Samuel 24


- Yes, Samuel is not there anymore!


- And David makes a big mistake once again!


- Apparently it is normal for kings and important people!


- Apparently that’s the only thing they can do!


- Because nobody can go against them except God or another king who is stronger at the time!


- So David wants to know the number of inhabitants in Israel which is against God’s will!


- Ok he is incited to do it!


- But it provokes God’s anger!


- So David tells Joab to register the people!


- Joab knows perfectly it is wrong but David doesn’t listen to Joab!


- So Joab and the chief of the army register the people of Israel!


- There are 800,000 warriors armed with swords among Israel and 500,000 men among Judah!


- Then David has remorse and he asks God to forgive him!


- Then God sends the prophet Gad to David!


- And Gad tells David that God gives him three options!


- David must choose between:


- Seven years of famine!


- Three months for David to flee from his adversaries!


- Three days of pestilence in the country!


- As a consequence, God sends a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the designated time, so that 70,000 of the people from Dan to Beersheba die!


- What a great king and a murderer too!


- Samuel was so right!

 

[JLG]

190) God and Samuel / Samuel and God


- Hannah makes a deal with God!


- She is barren!


- If she gets pregnant with a son, she will give him to God!


- Thus Samuel spends his childhood in God’s house!


- Thus from the beginning Samuel has the privilege to start a special relationship with God!


- Many people think it is not necessary to teach their children about God when they are young!


- Man’s word against God’s word!


- The Israelites were supposed to teach their children about God when they were young!


*- But the majority didn’t do it!


- They were rejected as a consequence!


- What a bad mistake!


- And people repeat such a mistake!


- They do it the easiest way!

 

[JLG]

191) God and Samuel / Samuel and God


- Hannah did the best thing that could happen to Samuel!


- She gave him the opportunity to develop an incredible relationship with God!


- Only a few men could develop such a relationship!


- But Samuel could have chosen the wrong way!


- Because Eli’s sons were corrupted!


- And he could see badness right in God’s house!


- But he could also see what happened to them!


- He could see God’s patience!


- But in time people must bear the consequences of their badness!


- And Eli’s sons died!


- And Eli died because he didn’t do anything against them!