I just finished looking over my notes on the last 24 chapters we read together. I love looking back like this. For one thing, it reminds me of all the lessons I've learned recently. And unexpectedly, I'm able to realize how much the Holy Spirit has aided my understanding of His Scripture. Over and over I think, "Wow. That was good. I couldn't have written that without Jesus."
I try to make a point of looking back after studying an entire book, because I know that whatever I think the theme of the book was this time--it will probably be very different the next time I read it. That's the beauty of the Bible. It's alive, and it speaks into your life as you are right now. So while I'm so happy that you are reading this, I hope that you'll take a couple minutes to read over your own notes, and ask the Lord to show you what He wants you to take from it, too.
For me, the entire book can be summed up in something I noticed in the last chapter. God wants a relationship with the people He created. That's you. That's me. That was David, and David understood that. Probably more than anyone ever. David's life showed that He wanted to be near God, that he wanted to know God, and that he wanted to honor God. We can't honor Him unless we know who He is. And we can't know Him unless we spend time with Him.
In I Samuel, Saul was told that the Lord was looking for someone after His own heart. What do you think that means? What clues does David's life offer, since he was the one who filled that role?
Obviously, David wasn't sinless. He was sinful. But the key is what he did about it. When his fleshly desires got the better of him, he was crushed by it. He felt the separation from God that he had caused, and it caused him agony. He did everything possible to restore that relationship, because to David, God was Air. God was Life. And over and over in David's life, we see the Lord turn back to him with mercy, compassion, and forgiveness.
Wait, isn't this the God of the Old Testament? I thought He was supposed to be hard, angry, vengeful, horrible! The truth is, He's the same God. He has always desired to be close to us, but it is our sin---our choices--that separate us and bring about consequences. While this book is full of terrible consequences, the theme that keeps resounding in my heart is that God wants to be near me. He wants to fight for me, and build things through me. He wants to use me to protect people, and save people. He wants so much for me to want Him, that He'll allow Himself to be moved--His great, powerful, angry, terrible, self--TO BE MOVED by my prayers. He wants me so much that He would die for me.
That's what I'm taking from II Samuel.
Next time: I Kings 1-2 (and I'm still working on that modern psalm. and I want you to write one, too!)
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