In many ways, genuinely listening to someone is a great demonstration of love for them. If that's true, then why do we often struggle to do it well? The Bible shows us that we are prone towards pride. And our transformation toward humility is only possible through Jesus sacrificial love for us.
As part of God's family, we have a unique identity and mission - to love God and others. And we have been providentially placed where we are as scattered people to live into this reality. So, we should love our neighbors with intentionality.
One of the biggest barriers to loving our neighbors is time. We live busy lives and the thought of adding more to it can be overwhelming. The Bible gives us a paradigm for how to order our lives. If we are proactive in using it, we can find freedom to do the things that we were created to do.
The parable of the Good Samaritan is a constant reminder that neighboring is not something you do, but a neighbor is someone you are. And our only hope for being a good neighbor is to have truly experienced and embraced the ultimate neighbor - Jesus. His love transforms us to love others.
The book of 2 Samuel is constantly pointing us to a greater king to come - Jesus. He is the one who ultimately fulfills all of God's promises and brings the blessings of God's kingdom. For those who have believed that Jesus is the rightful king, we see a model of how to live in the lives of the "mighty men" of David - to pursue his kingdom and not our own.
David's psalm of praise to God reflects on his personal care and constant faithfulness. What a glorious reality to know God not only as the God of the Exodus, but as "my" God of deliverance. Through Jesus, we have realized this is an even more powerful way. God is truly our Rock.
With the end of David's reign in sight, we see that God himself is the one showing mercy, championing the covenant and defeating the enemies - all things the king should be doing. And we are again faced with the continual theme of the book that God is Israel's true king and only hope for its future. In Jesus, we see God's faithfulness in mercy, covenant keeping and defeating our ultimate enemy.
Even upon David's triumphant return, we see a kingdom in shambles and the repeating storyline of rebellion. What kind of king will it take to once again gather the people as one and lead with righteousness and justice? Our eyes look beyond David to the son of David. In Jesus, we have a king who is regathering a people and deserves our obedience.
When the battle between David and Absalom's armies finally occurs, it is a resounding victory for David's men. Absalom's pride and David's loyal friends in Jerusalem had set the stage for this great victory which mirrors both Jesus' victory on the cross and his ultimate victorious return. As we wait, we are reminded of our call to be his ambassadors, even in a corrupt and broken world.
Jesus first words to his disciples after his resurrection are "Peace be with you." Much more than an ordinary greeting, Jesus is speaking about the new reality of things. His resurrection (in a garden!) has instituted a new creation and a return to shalom. Because of Jesus, we can find peace with God, ourselves and each other.
As David leaves Jerusalem into temporary exile, he encounters manipulation, accusation, beating and betrayal. And yet he places his hope in a God who might look upon his misery (iniquity) and restore blessing to him. We are reminded of Jesus' journey from the Last Supper to the cross and his willingness to place his hope in God's ultimate plan.
When Absalom's scheming toward the throne gains momentum, David finds himself on the run and toward exile. And in the midst of the consequence of his sin, we see a renewed David trusting God's goodness, serving those around him and in so doing, compelling even outsiders to follow him.
The story of Amnon's rape of Tamar is chilling. And yet, not overly surprising in light of his father David's story in the preceding chapter. The Bible tells us through assertion and story that there is a generational component to sin whose only answer is to enter and embrace the new family of God made possible through Jesus.
How does God respond to David's shocking fall? With truth and grace. He speaks the truth about what David has done and its consequences. And this rebuke is a gracious act that enables David a path to repentance and restoration.
In shocking fashion, King David, who had been known by covenant faithfulness to God and led Israel to considerable victories, lost a very different kind of battle. His lust for power led to complete moral failure. And we are reminded as humanity that our hearts are desperately broken and in need of God's restoration.
David's act of kindness to the Ammonites is misunderstood and a major battle ensues. With the army surrounded, Joab suggests a radical battle plan - trusting in the support of those around us and in the goodness of God.
In David's embrace of Mephibosheth, we get a beautiful picture of God's kindness toward us. He pursues us and calls us by name - not for judgment, but because of his love for us. He takes the shame of our past and gives us new identity as sons and daughters and a place at his table forever.
As we continue in 2 Samuel chapter 8, we see that God gives David the victory wherever he went, and we learn what it means to experience victory in our own lives as well.
When David wants to build God a house, God's response is stunning. Not only does he not want David to build him a house, but God will instead build David a house. This unfailing promise and covenant gives the perfect picture of who God is and would be ultimately fulfilled by Jesus' arrival as the ultimate king.
The coming together of Israel under David as king demonstrates the realization of the covenant that God had first made with Abraham - a nation, a land and his presence. It's the presence of God that moves in power, guidance and protection for his people and demands a response of worship from them. How do we respond to the presence of God with us?
In the life of Abner and his contemporaries, we see that humanity has a broken need to seek power and control - thinking that this brings the significance, acceptance and security we long for. Even David is not immune from this. But the ultimate fulfillment of David's royal line, Jesus, tells us that meek will inherit the earth. And then he goes and does just that and calls everyone to find full rest for their soul in his kingdom.
As David's reign begins, once again we see a man who seeks the wisdom of God, whose life is marked by obedience and faith, and who graciously offers the blessing of his kingdom to those around him. So too Jesus calls us to partner with him in taking the kingdom to those around us.
When David received the news that Saul was dead, his natural reaction was grief. Why we he respond that way towards his enemy? David sought God's glory above his own and showed himself to be the rightful king. Hundreds of years later, Jesus sought God's glory instead of simply grabbing for the crown. And in so doing he showed himself to be the rightful, ultimate king.
Confidence is not merely a secular ideal. It can be a spiritual reality, rooted deeply in our hope and producing true faith. We see this played out in the life of King Hezekiah during the Assyrian invasion of Judah. Though tempted and tested, his confidence remained strong because his hope in God was deep. The greater king who would come - Jesus - would even more perfectly demonstrate this connection of confidence, hope and faith.
Isaiah prophesies to a nation in the midst of significant uncertainty and anxiety. Their corrupt king has led them in all the wrong ways. But God in his grace is sending light into their darkness - a new king who brings justice and righteousness. Ultimately, this child who was to come, arrived as a baby in a manger and brought with this the fulfillment of our hope.
The prophet Jeremiah foretells a time when there is stability in the land and the beginnings of renewal by God. It's into the reality (while shepherds watched their flocks by night) that Jesus arrived as the exponential culmination of God's renewal for the world. And now as we wait for his return, we are called to be people marked by hope and working for renewal in this world.
In a broken world, the message of hope finds footing - that out of pain there will be peace. And this peace is not just the absence of conflict, but a sense and reality of wholeness. So when the shperhpeds respond to the angels message of "peace on earth" we are cued into God's vehicle from pain to peace. It is Jesus.
To a nation who had been beaten down and lost its glory, God spoke a word of rest, forgiveness and restoration - a promise of return to its past glory. This is ultimately accomplished through Jesus - the sturdy oak of righteousness to the glory of God. We too, take hope in the midst of a broken world, while we await the return of Jesus to make all things new.
Early in his life, Paul saw himself as the epitome of religious success - calling himself blameless. Towards the end of his life, Paul called himself the "worst of sinners." Meeting Jesus and understanding his human brokenness changed Paul's outlook on life - not to seeing himself as a morbid failure, but to seeing his relationship with God accomplished only through Jesus' work on his behalf.
Peter's bold profession of Jesus as Messiah is followed a major blunder in correcting Jesus. Even with this display of imperfect faith, Jesus not only embraces Peter, but makes it clear that he will be a key part of building the church. And this church is meant to follow the lead of Jesus in subverting evil with good.
