King David's payment for God's displeasure

In the 12th chapter of 2 Samuel, the prophet Nathan goes to David and tells a story of a rich man who takes a poor man's only lamb, to serve at a feast, because he did not want to part with one of his own.  King David becomes angry by this and said the rich man must die.

Nathan warns David that the rich man is him, and that he purposefully killed Urial so he could marry his wife.

The Lord was angry by what he had done and said that He would take David's child and have him killed.

David was distraught by it, and no amount of repentance could undo what he had already done.

King David had another child with Bathsheba, a son, whom they named Solomon.  The Lord was pleased with Solomon and the prophet Nathan took him under his wing.

King David and the woman in the tub

In chapter 11 of the book of 2 Samuel, David stayed in the city of Jerusalem while his officers were out fighting.

He took a nap one afternoon, and afterwards went to the roof and saw a beautiful woman next door taking a bath.  He sent a messenger to find out who she was.  She was Bathsheba (I'm not joking, that was her name - get it?  Bathsheba was taking a bath?) and her husband was one of his officers, Uriah.

David sent the messenger to bring her back.  He made love to her and she became pregnant.

King David sent for Uriah.  He ordered him home and even sent gifts.  But he discovered Uriah stayed away from home, out with his men.  David was perplexed.

After a few more attempts to get Uriah to relax at home with his wife, King David ordered him to the front lines where he was killed.

Bathsheba mourned her husband.

Afterwards, King David married her and she bore him a son.

The Lord, however, was not pleased by what David had done.

How the Ammonites repaid David's sympathy

In the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 10, King David sent messengers to the Ammonites as their king had died.

When the messengers arrived with David's expression of sympathy, the Ammonites seized the messengers, shaved half of their beards, tore their clothing, and sent them back to Israel.  The messengers were ashamed of how they looked, and David sent word to them that they were to remain in Jericho until their beards had fully grown.

Then, King David turned on the Ammonites and marched his best troops into their lands.  The Ammonites discovered the plot and asked the Syrians for help.  They obliged.

In the end, with the will of God amongst them, Israel won the battle and defeated both the Ammonites and the Syrians.

King David's generosity

In the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 8, David wins victory after victory, gaining possession and control over all of the lands of Israel.

In chapter 9, he inquired as to anyone of Saul's family who was still alive.  He wanted to show kindness, for Saul's son's Jonathan.

He found Mephibosheth.  He was a son of Jonathan, and he was a cripple.

King David sent for him, and gave him all of the lands Saul had previously owned as well as an open invitation for eating at his table.  Mephibosheth bowed and told David he was not worthy, but David disagreed and told him that he promised the Lord he would take care of Jonathan's descendants.

And so it happened.

King David's Thanksgiving

In the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 7, King David is settled in his palace.  But something bothers him.  The Covenent Box--AKA the Ark of the Covenent--was in a tent nearby.  He thought it should be brought into the palace.

He consulted with the prophet Nathan.  Nathan said to do what he wanted.  However, that night, the Lord appeared to Nathan and said that the Covenent Box was meant to be in God's tent, not inside the palace.  He also said that David's ancestors will keep the kingdom strong, and that the Lord will make one of his sons a ruler.  This son God will treat as a son and He as the Father.

David gave thanks to the Lord when he heard this.  He siad many times he was not worthy of the gifts bestowed upon him, but would rule to the best of his ability and always trust in the Lord.

Dance the dance you want, no matter who is looking

In the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 6, we once again see the fabled Ark of the Covenent (cue Indiana Jones).

There is a strange passage in verse 6-7, where a man named Uzzah grabbed the Ark as one of the oxen pulling it stumbled.  In the passage, the Lord became angry at the man and killed him.

David was puzzled by this, and was afraid of what the Lord could do to anyone.  Even him.

So, as he brought the Box into a city, he danced so crazily that he didn't care what anyone thought of him.  Saul's daughter, Michal, saw him and was disgusted by his showy display.  When she confronted him, he said he was dancing for the Lord, not her.

Needless to say, she remained childless, all the rest of her days.

All Hail Ye King David!

In the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 5, we finally see David be crowned king.

The tribes of Israel came together and told David that even when Saul was their king, David fought right beside them, putting the interests of the people first above his own.

They then annointed him ruler and king.

David ruled as king for forty years.  In battle after battle, he would pray to the Lord for guidance.  He would recieve it, and based on that knowledge he knew how to fight wit God on his side.

Ishbosheth

In the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 4, Ishbosheth (the current King of Israel and son of the late Saul) learns of Abner's death.  He was afraid and alarmed the people of Israel.

Two of David's men set out for Ishbosheth's house and, gaining access in the middle of the day, found Ishbosheth inside and killed him.  They cut off his head, and walked back home.  They presented the head to David.

David seethed with anger, saying they had murdered an innocent man while he slept, and then ordered their own death.

He had the head of Ishbosheth brought to Abner's tomb, where it was then buried.

The Lord's Guidance

In Psalms 25, the prayer talks about how one prays for guidance from the Lord.

In the first verse, we pray to trust in the Lord.  Trusting is first.  Then, as the prayer progresses, the speaker asks the Lord to teach them His ways, to live according to His truth.

My favorite line is verse 17, which talks about relieving one's worries to the Lord and saving one from all of their troubles.  I have done this a number of times, asking God to take care of this problem or that--it has always left me with a sense of relief that I knew it would get done accordance to His wishes.

Abner and David

In chapter 3, of the book 2 Samuel, we start with severe fighting between David's people and the late Saul's.

Meet Abner, one of Saul's most loyal followers.  He leads the crusade against David until he is accused of sleeping with Saul's concubine by Ishboseth.  Abner becomes upset and completely betrayed by this false accusation, and comes to an agreement with David to join forces.

When Abner heads back to convince the rest of Saul's people to join forces with David, he meets up with Joab, one of David's officials.  When no one is looking, Joab stabs Abner in the stomach, murdering him--he did this because Abner killed Joab's brother in a previous battle.

David is enraged by this.  He mourned heavily for Abner's death, which impressed Saul's peope.

King David

In the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 2, David becomes king.

David goes to Hebron, in the lands of Judah, and sends a message to the people that he admires their loyalty to King Saul, the one God appointed as their ruler.

In the lands of Israel, another king rises up.  His name is Ishbosheth.  One of his officials is Abner.  He challenges David's men to a duel, an armed fighting contest.

In the end, Abner and his men are chased from one end of the valley to the end, and then slaughtered, claiming victory for their new king David.

David learns of Saul's death

In the book of 2 Samuel, chapter 1, David learns that Saul is dead.

The one who told David about Saul's death was an Amalekite who happened to be standing near Saul as the battle was closing in on him.  Saul ordered the Amalekite to kill him.  And he did.

When David hears of this, one of the Israelites was enraged and said, "Kill him!"

So they mortally wounded the Amalekite.

David said that it was because the Amalekite confessed to them all that he killed Saul, the Lord's chosen ruler over Israel.

The Lord, the great king

In Psalms 24, it starts by stating that the world belongs to the Lord, everyone that lives on Earth belong to Him.

It goes on to describe what would be God's hill and who has the right to climb and enter the temple at the top.

Of course, all who worship Him and only Him.

The Lord is triumphant, always victorious.

Like a great king.

Playing the part of a fake

In the book of Proverbs, chapter 12 is once again a long list of great advice.

One of my favorites, that just struck out at me, is verse 9: "It's better to be ordinary, earning an ordinary living, than playing the part of a great man and starving."  Some of my favorite successful people go about giving their money away in secret.  They don't want the recognition.  They just want to do some good.

Another theme in this chapter is righteousness.  Staying on the path of righteousness is like leading down the path of life.  God favors those who stay on the path of righteousness.

Verse 1 talks about knowledge, and how it is stupid to never want to be corrected.  Criticism, done correctly, is healthy for your overall growth.

My favorite Psalms (the power of Psalms 23)

Psalms 23 has been quoted many, many times.  "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil."

Psalms 23 is also my favorite Psalms.  It is short and uplifting, even with the "valley of the shadow of death" part.

It starts with, "The Lord is my Sheperd, I shall not want."  It talks about how having the Lord in your life gives you comfort and strength to tackle the evils in the world.

For a quick pick me up, as a reminder of the strength God gives you, read it.  Enjoy it.

Live it.

David booted out by the Philistines

In the final three chapters of the book of 1 Samuel, chapters 29-31, David is ordered out of Philistine, a place where he had sought refuge against Saul.

David was devestated by the news that he and his people had to leave.  They arrived back to the town of Ziklag days later, only to find it had been burned to the ground and all of their former possessions had been taken.  This included the Israelites' wives--and both of David's.

They pursued the raiders.  They then came across an Egyptian slave who told them all about the raiders.  At dawn, they attacked the raiders and took back all that had been taken from them, including all of their wives.  On the way back the Ziklag, the men who had fought were angry that they had to share their wealth with those who stayed behind.  David told them that the ones who stayed behind watched over what they had, and in turn had an equal share of what had been taken.

In the final chapter, Saul and his sons fought in a battle against the Philistines.  Subsequently, they were killed.

David's escape

In the book of 1 Samuel, chapters 27-28, David escaped to Philistia and lived among the Philistines.

David did this to get as far away from Saul as he could, so that Saul would not pursue him any longer.  The plan worked.  In the meantime, Saul disguised himself and consulted a medium to find out all he could about David.

The medium was angry, saying Saul was trying to trick her into using her fortunetelling skills.  Saul advised her he would not do such a thing.

The medium consulted with the spirit of Samuel.  Samuel told Saul to lay down his weapons and join David and his army.

Saul's lucky day. Again.

In the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 26, Saul once again learned of David's hiding place and pursued him.

When David discovered where Saul was camped out, David took one of his men and crept into Saul's tent.  Instead of killing him, David took a spear and a jar of water that was beside Saul.  The next morning, David yelled across the valley, informing Saul what had been done.

Saul saw that he did wrong, and told David he was sorry.

Saul went on his way.

And David went on his.

Nabal's temper

In the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 25, we meet Nabal.

Nabal is a very rich man, and owned thousands of sheep and goats.  He was married to Abigail.

One day, David had a message delivered to Nabal, saying that he recently had met some of his shepherds and did them no harm.  He asked if Nabal would break bread with him.

Nabal refused.  He became violent.

David prepared his men for war.  But Abigail relented by gathering up stores of food and presenting them to David.  David told her that the Lord was pleased with her and would not cause any harm to Nabal.

That night, Nabal suffered a stroke and died.  David then sent a marriage proposal to Abigail.

She accepted.

Saul's robe

In chapter 24 from the book of 1 Samuel, Saul sent 3000 of his best men off in search of David.

All the while, David was hiding out in the caves.  Until one day, as happen chance, Saul decided to relieve himself on the road and it happened to be near a cave where David was hiding.

While Saul was preoccupied, David snuck up behind him and cut a piece of his robe.  Saul was scared, for David at any time could attack him.  But he didn't.

Saul came to the realization that David did not want to harm him at all.  He also knew David would be king one day.

David on the run

In the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 23, David found himself on the run from Saul.

He heard about the Philistines attacking the town of Keilah and prayed to the Lord about what he should do.  The Lord told him to defend the city, for He will grant David victory.  David's people were afraid, so he consulted with the Lord again.  The Lord told him he would be given victory.

And he was.

Then, Saul heard David was in Keilah and ordered his men to attack the city.  David fled and Saul gave up on the attack.

Next, David took to the hills.  In the pursuit, Saul discovered David's location and went with his men to capture and kill David.  But when he arrived, a messenger told Saul that the Philistines were attacking his lands, so he fled back to defend his country.

Swords and slaughter

In the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 21, David fled from Saul.  He was afraid for his life.

He went to a priest in Nob, who gave him loaves of bread and the only weapon he had: the sword from Goliath the Philistine.  One of Saul's officers was also nearby, and later on told Saul of the interaction.

In chapter 22, David found solace in a cave near Adullam.  He spent time with his family and prayed what to do next.

Saul learned of David and his son Jonathan, and became outraged.  He demanded answers.

Ahimelech, one of the officers who saw David back in Nob, told Saul what he saw.  He ordered all of the priests killed.

And so it was done.

David and Jonathan

In chapters 19 and 20, in the book of 1 Samuel, David was persecuted by the Israelite king Saul.

Saul had a son named Jonathan, who had taken quite a liking to David.  Suffice it to say, Jonathan loved David more than he loved himself.  In these chapters, Saul tries to have David killed several times but David escapes.

Oddly enough, even when Jonathan confronted his father that David's actions only made him look better, Saul vowed not to kill David--then, in the next breath, an evil spirit had entered him and he was back to his murderous rage once again.

As a final test, there was a festival where David was supposed to sit next to Saul.  David hid in the fields and Jonathan was to advise David what the king's reaction would be.  When Saul became outraged, Jonathan knew David once again needed to flee from Saul.

Saul's jealous streak

In the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 18, Saul kept David close to him and used him to command his armies against the Israelites.

David was very successful and had the full respect of all his men.  So much so, that King Saul became jealous of David's success.  Everything seemed to be David's doing, not Saul's.  The Israelites seemed to turn on Saul.

Saul even tried to kill him outright, by throwing a spear at David while he was playing the harp, but David dodged the spears each time.

Saul then plotted to have one of his daughter's marry David, and had David bring back the foreskins of 200 Philistines the night before the wedding.  David succeeded.

And became very famous.  People came from far and wide just to meet him.

One of the most memorable showdowns in the Bible: David versus Goliath

In the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 17, is one of the most memorable stories in the Old Testament--if not, in fact, in the entire Bible with the exception of the first books of the New Testament that deal with Jesus and His time on earth.

This is the showdown of Goliath and David.

David was a shepard boy, who tended the sheep for his father Jesse.  One day, the Philistines lined up to battle the Israelites.  One Philistine named Goliath--who was in fact over nine-feet tall--challenged the Israelites to a battle: one man must face Goliath, and whomever wins, the other side will be forever slaves.

This went on for forty days, with Goliath taunting the Israelites.  Then, David came out, armed with a sling and five smooth stones from the river.  Goliath had full armor and weapons.

David knew he had the power of the Lord on his side.  With a single rock, he killed Goliath and then cut off his head.

The Philistines were defeated.

The Israelites won.

There once was a boy named David

David--who will become David and who will also be a descendant to Jesus of Nazareth--is introduced in chapter 16 of the book of 1 Samuel.

Samuel has rejected Saul as the king of Israel, and the Lord told him that a son of a man named Jesse from Bethlehem will be annointed king.

Samuel was afraid to do so, for fear of Saul knowing what was transpiring.  Samuel went to Jesse's house and called each son forward, but the Lord chose none of them.  Until Samuel asked if he had any other sons.  He said the youngest was out in the field, caring for the sheep.

Thsi was the one.  His name was David.

And the Lord chose him as the future king of Israel.

Samuel sent David to be with Saul, to act as a trusted servant.  At that time, Saul was tormented by evil spirits, and all David had to do was play his harp and the spirits would leave him alone.

The trouble with Saul

In the book of 1 Samuel, the 15th verse, Saul is ordered by Samuel to completely destroy the Amalekites.  Nothing was to be left standing, no women and children, and even all of the cattle.

Saul fought hard and won, except the fact he let the king live and took him into custody, and also let the best cattle live.  Saul thought he was doing a great thing--can't fault him there--as he offered a sacrifice to the Lord from the cattle.

Samuel was furious with Saul for diobeying an order from God.

The Lord's stance on honesty

Proverbs chapter 11 deals a lot with honesty.

Verse 1 tells us that the Lord hates dishonest scales.  And that's just the beginning.

Leading an honest life will lead to a more righteous life, one filled with riches and the presence of good people.

This chapter also gives a few tips on how to handle money.  Verse 15 was interesting, for it says to never pay a stranger's debt--it is best not to get involved.  Also, lazy people will never get rich.  Only one who is aggressive will get rich.

Saul and his son Jonathan

In the book of 1 Samuel, Saul's son Jonathan was introduced in the beginning of chapter 13--the Israelites were warring with the Philistines and Jonathan had killed a Philistine commander.

Saul took 3,000 of his best men against the might of the Philistines, an army that was so large, the number was likely to be in the hundreds of thousands--in verse 5, it was said that they had as many soldiers as grains of sand on the seashore.

The problem with fighting the Philistines was that they had blacksmiths and the Israelites had none.  They completely relied on the Philistines for their agriculture implements and metal weapons.

Saul's son Jonathan took one other man, and sneaked over to a Philistine camp.  He prayed to God for him to be given victory, and he was.  They defeated a camp of 20 with only Jonathan and his companion.

Afterwards, Saul took up the rest of his army and defeated the rest of the Philistine army there.  In victory, Saul ordered all men to eat no food until all of their enemies were defeated.  Jonathan had not heard this.  He ate some honey.  When he found out what his father had done, he was prepared to be put to death.

The Israelites intervened, saying that Jonathan had prayed for victory from God, and despite him eating food, he had God's favor.

This act saved Jonathan's life, and they went on to defeat other enemies nearby.

From despair comes triumph

Psalms 22 starts with someone crying out to the Lord, to not abandon him.  He goes on to describe a life of despair and sorrow, of hardships and bitter ridicule by his enemies.

Yet he does not stray in his prayer to the Lord.

He even, at one time, called himself a worm, but knew the Lord still loved him.

In the end, the Psalms reminds everyone of what the Lord did to the people of Israel.  Even in dire despair, the speaker was relentless in what the Lord has done, is doing, and will do for future generations.

Samuel clears the air

In chapter 12 of the book of 1 Samuel, Samuel addressed the people of Israel after the victory their king Saul gave them.

Samuel clears the air, telling them he had done everything that was asked of him.  He asked the people if he had taken bribes and other horrible things, something his sons had done.  The Israelites told him that he had not.

Samuel then gave a brief rundown of their history, starting with the days of Moses and Aaron.

He then told the Israelites that God did not want to give them a king, but they insisted.  He warned them that if they did not obey God and worship Him, he would destroy them all, including their king Saul.

Saul's first test

In the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 11 starts by examining the king of the Ammonites, King Nahash, and how he was gearing up for battle over Israel.

He took over the city of Jabesh, in the Gilead territory.  He then asked for their surrender.

King Saul heard this as he was bringing two of his oxen in from the field and became furious.  He slaughtered his two oxen, divided them up in pieces, and distributed them to all corners of the land of Israel.  And with them became a stern warning against not joining the war with the Ammonites.

Saul gathered up thousands to join in the battle.

He sent one final warning towards King Nahash, that if he would surrender, he would be treated fairly.

That night, Saul sent the men and killed most of the Ammonites.

What righteous people have

In the 10th chapter of the book of Proverbs, we come to the first of many of Solomon's Proverbs.

It touches on dishonesty, and how one who is honest will be wealthy.  And speaking of wealthy, two things working in sync will allow one to obtain wealth: first, one must be honest; second, hard work alone will not help build wealth--one must have the blessing of the Lord.

Much of the later half is comparing righteous people with those who are not.  In a nutshell, righteous people:

1) know what to say

2) speak wisdom

3) get what they want

4) will always have security

Israel's New King

In the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 10 the Lord appoints Saul as king of Israel.

Saul wasn't expecting this honor.  In the previous chapters, he was out looking for his father's donkeys when he happened upon Samuel.

After Samuel annoints Saul, he gives him specific instructions on where he must go and who he will meet.  These events then happen just as Samuel told him.

He is then brought before the people of Israel, to introduce himself as their new king.

There once was a man named Saul

Saul was the son of a wealthy man.  In the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 9, Saul is sent with a servant to go look for his father's donkeys.  They search high and low, but no sign of them.

They come to the town where, ironically, Samuel has also arrived at.  The day before, the Lord told Samuel that he will meet a man from the tribe of Benjamin, and he was to annoint him the ruler of Israel.

Saul asked Samuel about the donkeys, and Samuel told him the donkeys were already found.  He then invivted Saul to a grand feast and even gave him a place to sleep.

The next morning, Samuel led Saul to the edge of town . . . and annointed him the ruler of Israel.

Samuel, O Samuel

In the book of 1 Samuel, the Israelites gain posession back of the Covenent Box--AKA Ark of the Covenent--starting in chapter 7.  They appeal to Samuel, crying out for the Lord's help.

Samuel advises the people that when, and only when, they rid themselves of all other idols will the Lord help them.

The Israelites do so.  They offer sacrifices, and drive the Philistines out of their lands.

In chapter 8, as Samuel grows old and his two sons take over as judges, the people ask for a king to rule over them.  Samuel's sons are not as obedient as Samuel, and are both dishonest and accept bribes when deciding cases.

Samuel prays to the Lord.  God tells him that he must paint a picture of what life would be like under a king.  It was not a pretty picture.  They would be like slaves.

The Israelites did not care.  They wanted a king.

And God said, "Give them what they want."

The Covenent Box (There And Back Again)

In the book of 1 Samuel, chapters 4 through 6, the Covenent Box--AKA the Ark of the Covenent--takes an interesting journey.

The Philistines go to war against the Israelites and achieve victory.  The Israelite survivors then reflected on why the Lord let them lose.  They then brought the Covenent Box out to the battlefield, where it not only gave the Israelites hope, it also caused great fear in the Philistines.

Unshaken, the Philistines pushed even harder and against slaughtered many Israelites, including Eli's two sons.  They also captured the Covenent Box.  When Eli heard what fate fell the coveted box, he fell and broke his neck.  Israel now had no leader.

The Philistines paraded the Covenent Box around from town to town, displaying their mighty power.  However, wherever the Covenent Box was brought, great wrath and destruction was delivered onto them by the Lord.

In the end, the Philistines returned the Covenent Box to the Israelites, along with gifts and an offering of burnt sacrifices, so that the Lord would spare them any more heartache.

Trust in the Lord. It will lead to victory.

In Psalms 21, we see a king with great strength.  He is victorious, devouring his enemies left and right.

He does this because he trusts in the Lord.  With that trust comes great victories.

Victories that spread like a wildfire, destroying all evil in its path.

Victories that start with complete trust in God.  For through God and God only may you be victorious.

The Lord's message to Samuel

In the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 3, the Lord spoke to Samuel.

But Samuel did not know it was the Lord, for he had never spoken to Him before.

Three times, Samuel woke up to the Lord speaking to him, and he ran off to Eli to see what he wanted.  By the third time, Eli knew it was the Lord speaking to Samuel, so he told him that it was the Lord.

The fourth time God spoke to Samuel, he told Him that his servant is listening.

God told Samuel the threats he was going to take out on Eli's clan.  The next morning, Samuel told Eli what the Lord had told him.

Word spread quickly about Samuel and considered him a prophet.

Eli's sons

In chapter two, in the book of 1 Samuel, it opens with a prayer from Hannah: Samuel's mother.  Hannah gave up Samuel to the priest Eli, to serve the Lord.

Eli had sons.  His sons were sinful and scoundrels.  They would steal meat being offered as sacrifices to the Lord from the people of Shiloh.

Each year, Hannah and her husband would offer their sacrifices, and also give Samuel a sacred linen apron.  Eli blessed Hannah and told her she would have more children to replace the one she gave up to the Lord.  She was indeed blessed with five more children.

As Eli grew older, he heard what his sons were doing.  He confronted them and told them to stop.  But they did not listen.

Then the Lord decided to kill them.

A prophet came to Eli and said that the Lord will kill all of the young men in his clan for what his sons had done.  None will survive, save for one, whom He will strike blind.

The birth of Samuel

In the book of 1 Samuel, chapter one, there is the strange birth of Samuel.

Samuel's mother was Hannah.  Hannah was one of two wives to her husband Elkanah.  Elkanah's other wife, Peninnah, bore him many children.  She teased Hannah relentlessly for her inability to bear children.

But Elkanah did not care.  He loved Hannah more than if she bore him ten sons.

Hannah prayed and prayed to the Lord to give her a child.  The priest Eli told her the God may give her what she asked.  That prayer was soon answered.  She bore a child and she named him Samuel.  When her son was three, she took him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh, where she met up with the priest Eli again.  She told Eli that she was giving her son Samuel to him, so that he may dedicate his life to the Lord.

Wisdom vs. stupidity

In the book of Proverbs, chapter 9, it deals with the differences between wisdom and stupidity.

In order to obtain wisdom, one must first show reverence to God.  Without reverence, one is able to understand and will not gain wisdom.

Conceited people cannot be corrected.  They will only insult you.  The same goes with evil people.  They will only hurt you.

Wise people love to increase their knowledge by both obtaining more wisdom and understanding, and passing that understanding along to others.

Stupidity is like those who are conceited and/or evil.  Those who follow them do not know they are being led down a dark path.

Praise victory to the Lord

In Psalms 20, it talks about who we owe our victories to.

Simple: the Lord our God.

He will give us aid, protect us, give us what we desire, and help out plans succeed.  In return, shout for joy and give praise to God.  Others who succeed praise their own talents or their team or the physical implements of their success.

For us, our victory comes from God.

Ruth gets hitched

In the book of Ruth, chapter 3, Ruth's mother-in-law Naomi told her she must find a husband so she can have a place of her own.  She then said for her to go to Boaz's home and once he lies down for the night, to sleep at his feet.  When he awakens, he will tell her what to do.

Ruth did as she was told.

That night, Boaz awoke to find Ruth at his feet.  He blessed her with a load of barley to give to Naomi.  Then, he went to meet with the leaders of the community and purchased the land Naomi owned, and in turn married Ruth.

Ruth then bore a child, a son, who would be the grandfather of King David.

Ruth follows Naomi

The book of Ruth is a short one--only four chapters--yet it is not without its merit.  We will explore the first two chapters here.

There was a woman in Bethleman named Naomi.  She had two sons, who had married two girls from Moab.  The girls were Orpah and Ruth.

Naomi's husband passed away when her sons were younger and she raised them to be Godly men.  But when her two sons also pass away, she ordered her two daughters-in-law to go back to their homes, for they will be unsuitable to find another husband amongst Naomi's relatives.

Oprah and Ruth were sad, and Oprah left.  Ruth stayed, vowing to stick with Naomi until the day she dies.  Naomi said no more.  She agreed to let Ruth stay with her.

Naomi and Ruth work in the field, helping a relative of Naomi by the name of Boaz with his grain harvest.  When Boaz found out about his new workers, he ordered no one to molest Ruth and also told Ruth to only work in his fields.

Boaz then blessed her in the name of the Lord.

The great battle against the Benjaminites

The final three chapters in the book of Judges--chapters 19 through 21--involved a great battle with one of the tribes of Israel who betrayed the rest: the tribe of Benjamin.

It all started with the malicous rape of a Levite's concubine.

In chapter 19, a Levite took a concubine back to his home.  His wife was furious.  She left for her father's house, and the husband, with concubine in tow, followed.  The father was not furious.  Oddly enough, he made the husband and concubine stay again and again, for several days.  They were to stay one final night, but the Levite was ready to leave.  He found shelter in Gibeah, from a kind old man.

That night, a group of sexual deviants (from the tribe of Benjamin) surrounded his home, demanding the Levite.  His concubine was sent out instead and they raped her all night long.  She was on the brink of death the next morning.

The Levite went to the Israelites and demanded justice.  A great battle ensued, slaughtering many brave men on both sides of the battle.

Micah's Lost Idol

In the book of Judges, chapters 17 and 18 deals with a man named Micah.

Micah's tale starts with his confession to his mother that he stole 1100 silver pieces from her.  She was rejoiced and used some of the silver to make an idol for God.  A young Levite, one day, came by his house and Micah gave him a job as his priest along with a place to stay.

It is noted at this time Israel had no king.  People did as they pleased.

The people of Dan were looking for some land of their own--since they were given none when all of the other tribes were given theirs.  They sent five out to explore the land.  They came by Micah's house and spoke with the Levite priest.

The Levite blessed them and said God would make their trip successful.  When they returned with their army of 600, the Levite went with them.  He also took the idol Micah made from the silver he stole from his mother.

I have to be honest, these chapters made me stratch my head a few times.  I read these chapters several times.  Maybe there are answers in the subsequent chapters.

We shall see . . .

My Kindle ebook "Gabriel's Hope" - how the little things make a big difference

Roughly a year ago, I sat in church and had an epiphany.

Well, not necessary an epiphany.  I had a vision.  It was during the pastor's sermon, and although it had nothing to do with death, death is what I imagined.  To be more specific, I imagined a funeral.  A funeral of someone I love very dearly.

My wife was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in April 2011.  Although she is still in remission, her eyes have been causing her a great deal of trouble and I still live with the fear that I may lose her.  Then, a thought occured to me: what is someone, who was dying, prayed to God.  Not prayed to heal them.  No.  This someone prayed to God as an apology for living such a dull life and never accomplishing what they should have.  Then, as this person laid down to sleep, they were met with an angel who showed them that they in fact accomplished more by doing little things.

In other words: it's the little things that make a big difference.

Enter Gabriel's Hope.  It's a novella about a guy named Larry Wahl, who is struck with terminal cancer and meets up with a child angel--this child is actually his unborn child as his wife had a miscarriage several years before.

The child angel's name is Gabriel.  And Gabriel shows Larry seven people whom he helped by performing small tasks.

Gabriel's Hope is only $.99 on the Amazon Kindle.  Be sure to pick up this little book.

Some who've read it has compared it to Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet In Heaven.  I'm flattered to be set next to such a legendary author.

Please let me know what you think.  Here is the link to the Amazon Kindle store for Gabriel's Hope.

Samson's final showdown

In chapter 16, in the book of Judges, Samson fell in love with Delilah.  But what Samson didn't know was that five Philistine kings bribed her with a silver pieces if she would find out the secret to Samson's power.

She tried again and again, with each failed attempt making her look like a fool.  Then, one night, Samson was tired and told her about his hair.  She knew this was the truth, and had his hair cut and thrown in bronze chains.

The Philistine kings rejoiced.  They threw a grand feast.  What they didn't know was that Samson's hair was starting to row back.  They brought him to the feast and set him up between two pillars.  Samson prayed to God for one last ounce of strength to push the pillars over.  God complied.  Samson pushed the pillars over, killing everyone inside, from the Philistine kings to himself.

Samson and the jawbone

Of all the stories we're familiar with Samson, there is nothing more memorable than the events in chapter 15 in the book of Judges.

Samson was out harvesting and then decided to bring her new bride a young goat.  His father-in-law stopped him and told him that he thought Samson hated his daughter and gave her to one of Samson's friends.

Samson became violently angry.  He burned all the wheat fields of the Philistines.  The Philistines then started attacking the the men of Judah.  When they questioned the Philistines, they told the men of Judah what Samson had done.

The men tied Samson up and sent him to the Philistines.  Suddenly, God's power came to Samson and he broke free of the ropes.  Then, he found the jawbone of a dead donkey and subsequently killed 1000 Philistines.