Tag Archives: Nathan

Dec 3 2013

Proverbs 29 – In His Time

Verse one of chapter 29 reads:

He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck,
will suddenly be broken beyond healing

One who stubbornly ignores the rebukes that are intended to correct their wrongful deeds will eventually suffer consequences. This is true in life as you apply it to almost anything from personal relationships to employment to legal issues, and yes, to the evil they do against the Lord.

And in verse 6:

An evil man is ensnared in his transgression,
but a righteous man sings and rejoices

The idea here is that the evil that men do often ends up as their undoing. But how do we reconcile these verses with verse 13, which reads:

The poor man and the oppressor meet together;
the Lord gives light to the eyes of both

According to Bullock, Hitler was an opportunis...

According to Bullock, Hitler was an opportunistic adventurer devoid of principles, beliefs or scruples. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This, of course, is the same thought as in Matthew 5:45, which says “for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good.” The answer is, of course, that many times the evil men do in this life does not fully catch up with them in this life. But they will not escape justice from God in the next life. Still, we should not suppose that God never brings the evil down in this life for their deeds. He just works on His own time-table, and according to His plans.

The Lord predicted the destruction of A.D. 70 (Matthew 24), and there are many more examples in the Old Testament. Just think of the fate of Eli’s house predicted in 1 Samuel 2:27-36, and the words of the prophet Nathan to David in 2 Samuel 12:1-15, among others. One could ponder about Hitler and others as well. But in any event, whether in this life of on the day of judgment, one who “stiffens his neck” will eventually be broken indeed.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

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Apr 26 2013

Psalms 51 – The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit

EnstromAccording to the superscript, the occasion of this psalm was when the prophet Nathan came to rebuke David for his sinful affair with Bathsheba and the premeditated murder of her husband and David’s loyal soldier and friend, Uriah the Hittite (2 Samuel 12:1-14).  It is a psalm of prayer from one who has committed grievous sin, and who makes no excuse for it.  As a prayer, the psalm is a great model for us, because it shows us the correct attitude one must have toward his own sins, and in asking God for His forgiveness.

God does not take sin lightly, but He does forgive us for our sins when we come to Him with a truly repentant and contrite heart.    It is with a properly broken spirit that David says “I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.”  David knows that no sacrifice or burnt offering would appease God in this case, and that God has no interest in it; and he says that “the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (verse 17).

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

May 25 2012

2 Samuel 12 – Nathan Rebukes David

The Lord has decided that it is time to call David into account for his sin with Bathsheba, so He sends Nathan with the words to rebuke him.  Nathan tells David a moving story about a poor man who had a single lamb that he had loved and raised as one of his own children.  And there was a rich man who didn’t want to take any lamb’s from his own flock for food preparation, so he took the poor man’s beloved lamb to prepare a dinner.

English: Nathan Rebukes David, as in 2 Samuel ...

English: Nathan Rebukes David, as in 2 Samuel 12; watercolor circa 1896–1902 by James Tissot (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

David became very angry, saying that this rich man should die for what he has done, and declares that this man will repay “fourfold” for this act “with no pity.” In verse 7, Nathan tells David “You are the man!”  He then proceeds to tell him all that the Lord has done for him, and how David has despised the word of God with this evil.  He has taken Uriah’s wife and stuck him down “with the sword of the Ammonites.”  This point from verse 9 is sometimes missed when we read about God’s anger with David over this.  The Ammonites were some of the very people, God had brought the Israelites to the promised land to get rid of.  Now David has used those people to help him with his evil deed.

The next words from God in verses 10-11 foretell the great anguish David will face  – the sword will never leave his house, and God “will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.”

And then in verse 12 – “For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.”  David, in contrast to Saul, takes responsibility for his action and confesses that he has sinned against God. Here, we see David acting as the true leader and the man of God that he should be, but his sin will cost him.  David wrote Psalm 51, as he repented for his sin.  The child Bathsheba conceived from their adulterous affair dies (verse 23), but that is far from the end of David’s troubles, as we will see in chapters ahead.

We do not know how much time passed until verse 24 when Solomon was born, but 1 Chronicles 3:5 suggests that he was the fourth son of David by Bathsheba.

Verses 26-31 are important, not just for the military victory over the Ammonites, but for the gold and precious metals for Israel’s treasury – as well as the crown for David, taken from the Ammonite king.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.

May 23 2012

2 Samuel 7 – The Lord’s Covenant with David

If you asked this blogger for an opinion of the most important passages in the Bible,  it would be a tough task.  But the seventh chapter of 2 Samuel would definitely make the short list.  This is where God makes His covenant with David (although the word covenant itself is not used here, see Psalm 89).  Again, this passage is so important, we will find it again in 1 Chronicles 17.

Nathan advises King David

Nathan advises King David (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The chapter begins with David in his majestic home built of cedars, realizing that while God has made his kingdom great, David has not built a temple (a fine house) for God.  At first, the prophet Nathan tells David to go ahead – “for the Lord is with you” (verse 3).  But Nathan was wrong, and the Lord let him know that he should tell David not to do it. we will find out in 1 Chronicles 22:7-9 more reasons why God does not want David to build him a house.  But that is not the important message the Lord wants delivered here.

Instead, the Lord proclaims that He will establish David’s house, raise up his offspring, and establish his kingdom forever (verses 12-16 – compare to the Hebrew writer’s words about Jesus in  Hebrews 1:1-5). The comparison there seems similar to the explanation of the covenant with Abraham and his offspring that we find in Galatians 3:11-16 (especially verse 16), although Solomon is clearly the intended for the “short-term” kingdom.  But the kingdom that will last forever will be of Jesus the Christ (Acts 2:25-34).

Notice the prayer from David in verses 18-29 – full of intimate feelings of humility, thanksgiving, honor and respect (David uses the phrase “O Lord God” eight times).  Truly one of the great prayers of the Bible, and fitting to the momentous news he has received from God.  David indicates that he understands the monumental result of this news, but is filled with wonder, that God has chosen him to do his this great thing through.

Read or listen to audio of ESV version of this selection from this link.

/Bob’s boy
___________________
some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please note: I did not design the reading plan that I am following in my blog.  All of my comments in this blog, however, are solely my responsibility.  When reading ANY commentary, you should ALWAYS refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word. Reading schedules, as well as a link to the site where you can get the reading plan that I’m currently following for yourself can be found on the “Bible Reading Schedules” page of my website at http://graceofourlord.com.  For questions and help, please see the “FAQ” and “Summaries” pages there.