Day 113: Have Faith & Take Heart

Today we read 2 Samuel 9-10, 1 Chronicles 9-10, Psalm 27, and Psalm 89. Our story in Psalm 89 may often reflect our hearts where we both sing of God's wonders and sometimes question whether God can or will deliver on His promises. We can sometimes struggle with this tension and yet this Psalm and the larger story is revealing the answer is faith in the relationship, in God himself, not clarity on all the details of if, how, when, and why. It’s belief in what we already know of God and His faithfulness to deliver on His promises. His goodness. It’s remembering and giving our heart in faith that He will, He has made a way and will deliver on His promises. 

The story of King David, especially the first part, gives us a longing and anticipation for the reign of Jesus. We see David’s victory over adversaries, in 2 Samuel 8:15 we read that David exercised justice and righteousness for all his people. For a moment, that is largely what and who David reflected. He reflected the heart and leadership of God. He was contributing to a world where wrongs were righted and fairness works. We know this is what God’s kingdom is about, bringing shalom to chaos, God’s order, things being put right, restoration and redemption. 

Here in 2 Samuel chapter 9, David's representative leadership was also made personal in relationships through kindness and generosity. David is caring for his best friend Jonathan's lame son, Maphibasheth. This is surprising in the sense that this son is a descendent of Saul and could be perceived as being next in line for the throne. This is faith and heart. Then in chapter 10, David is kind again, but it is spurned. It is spurned to the extent of violence and David stops it. 

 

Resources:

Nancy Guthrie Interviews Dr. John Woodhouse (2016). Help Me To Teach The Bible: 2nd Samuel (Part 1) (54 minutes). The Gospel Coalition. 

Credits:

Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.