Reading the Bible Through

1 Kings 3 - 5   As we read of Solomon's request for wisdom, and David had just told Solomon that he had wisdom, I'm now thinking that this happened prior to David's death. I might be wrong, but I do wonder.  I like these stories, nothing new comes to mind. 

2 Samuel 24 - 1 Kings 2   24:1, Lots of things I don't understand here. Why was the anger of the Lord kindled against Israel this time? Does the Lord incite people to do wrong in the Lord's eyes? That seems terrible. How did Joab know this was wrong? What convicted David's heart?  Then David basically has to chose his own punishment. I am always troubled by the number of people that died because of that. As I sit here typing this, I guess it would make David's census invalid. As I read on, it looks like David maybe thought the pestilence would be against his family not all the people of Israel.  So ends 2 Samuel.  Bathsheba goes to King David to report that Adonijah has made himself king. Nathan the prophet comes in to back up her story. Than David says to call Bathsheba to him. Where was she in the meantime?  What is the significance of Adonijah grabbing the horns of the altar? How do we keep God's testimonies? I don't understand what that means.  1 Kings ...

2 Samuel 21 - 23   Saul had struck down the Gibeonites in his zeal for Israel and Judah. It is so important what our zeal does. The Gibeonites ask for 7 sons of Saul to hang them before the Lord. Back in 2 Samuel 9, David asks if there is anyone left of the house of Saul, so that David may kindness to that person for the sake of Jonathan. Jonathan's son, Mephibosheth, then comes to eat at King David's table. So why were these other 7 grandsons of Saul not mentioned then?  2 Samuel 21 says that the  Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. Previously, we read that Saul either fell on his sword or his armor bearer ran Saul through at Saul's request.  There's some wild names in here!! The 3 mighty men risk their lives to get David water from a certain well. David then refuses to drink this water. He then pours it out before the Lord. I have always gotten stuck on "he poured it out." Now I am more focused on the "before the Lord" part. He gave it to the Lord. ...

2 Samuel 18 - 20   I don't have much to say about this. I do notice how David as king is challenged twice in this short passage. Absalom rebels against David until Absalom is killed. Then Sheba rebels against David until he is killed. I do find myself wondering about Joab and Absalom. Joab was told to deal gently with Absalom, but he kills him instead. Was this justified? Was David justified in weeping for his son? 

2 Samuel 15 - 17   Just now, the fighting between David and Absalom reminds me of the fighting between David and Saul. In both, David must flee for his life, but refuses to kill the person seeking David's life.  David goes up on the Mount of Olives. This is where Christ also went. 

2 Samuel 10 - 14   10:5 How were David's men able to stay at Jericho? It had been destroyed by Joshua.  David doesn't go out to battle when kings do so. He sees Bathsheba bathing which lead to David getting her pregnant. David then tries, twice, to get Bathsheba's husband, Uriah,  to have sex with her so that David's philandering wouldn't be found out. (How often we try to wiggle our way out of things!)When this doesn't work, David sends Uriah back to the front with a note to Joab that says to be sure to get Uriah killed. Why does Joab do it? Yet, David is a man after God's own heart.  Tamar tries to talk Ammon out of raping her by telling him to ask their father's permission to marry each other. I really think back in maybe Leviticus or Numbers, somewhere that we have already read, it said that a man should not marry his sister or his half-sister. Why would David have permitted this? Was Tamar just trying to get away perhaps? Ammon's friend didn...

2 Samuel 7 - 9   I love that David's prayer of gratitude is recorded. It reminds me of the need for me to express my gratitude before God.  In 7:13, I thought this was a reference to the coming of Jesus. Jesus will be descended from David and sits on the throne forever. However, verse 14, says, " When he commits iniquity,  I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men. " Jesus committed  no iniquity. He did not need discipline. I can only guess that this may refer to someone along the way. Still, that doesn't quite make sense to me either. Does it refer to the kings between David and Jesus? Some? All? I don't know.  Measuring men off to be killed or spared creeps me out! I've been wondering about this hamstringing of horses as it seems cruel to the animal to me. I've done a quick google search about the matter. One idea that caught my attention was that if there had been a lot of dead horses lying around it would have creat...