BIAY - Gracious abandon
2 Samuel 4-7, Proverbs 31
Welcome to the Bible in a Year for 2025. Intro to this series and resource links available here, plus here’s how I’m approaching this year.
Die Überführung der Bundeslade durch den singenden und tanzenden König David, Pieter Van Lint (public domain)
Scriptures for Today:
Reflection:
Loyalty to God’s anointed (4:9-11) - This is definitely a story with brutal justice, as two men formerly loyal to Saul’s sons sneak in, murder Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth (a potential rival to David for the throne), and bring his head to David. David, however, does not respect this act. His trust is in the Lord to make him king, so he does not need to resort to this sort of scheming. Further, he continues to show a high regard for the anointing of God upon Saul.
Continuing to inquire and listen to God (5:17-20, 22-25) - David is made king over the whole nation and moves to Jerusalem. I appreciate that we still see David asking the Lord for guidance in fighting the Philistines and following the Lord’s lead to success. The portrait of David is of seeking and following God’s guidance as a lifestyle.
“Even more undignified than this” (6:14-16, 20-22) - The ark of the covenant is brought to Jerusalem. There’s plenty in this chapter, but I’d like to focus on the end. David is dancing before the Lord to celebrate the entrance of the ark into Jerusalem, representing God’s presence gracing the capital city. His wife (Saul’s daughter) Michal criticizes him for not being more dignified as the king. But David won’t put on airs when it comes to worship of God—he let’s it all hang out. The Methodist revivalist John Wesley famously quoted this verse when he was convicted about the need to go preach in fields where people were. He was initially reluctant because it was considered undignified, but he wrote that he “resolved to become more vile” in order to reach people for Jesus.
Sheer grace (7:8-11) - David is grateful for his successes and for finally becoming king and uniting the whole kingdom of Israel. He is grateful to God, so he wants to build a temple for the Lord. But the prophet Nathan receives a word from the Lord that David will not “build a house” for God. Rather, God will establish David’s house. The wordplay here is significant. David refers to a physical structure to honor the Lord and be central for worship, devotion, and prayer. But God emphasizes that He will establish a house for David, meaning an enduring royal line. This is the promise that roots the Messianic expectation in the lineage of David. Also, God refuses to allow David to build a house for Him lest David lose sight of the fact that all of his prominence is a gift of sheer grace and that he has done nothing to earn or deserve it. It’s all been the gift of God working in his life.
A very with-it woman! (Proverbs 31:10-31) - This is not best read as a checklist for every woman, but rather honoring a woman for her character. Suffice it to say, this is an industrious, entrepreneurial, businesswoman and philanthropist who is a blessing to her family and community alike!
Questions:
When has God’s grace bowled you over?
When (and how?) have you realized that serving the Lord well meant laying aside how some detractors might look at you?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, thank you for your gifts of sheer grace in my life. Help me to lay down my uptight sense of myself and serve you joyfully with abandon. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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