Happy Saturday.
Wife is doing a bit better, she woke hungry and ate, was hungry at noon and ate. Trivial? Not really: for two weeks or more she'd not had any kind of appetite, something very unlike her. For her to be eager to eat represents real progress. In fact, yesterday afternoon (late) she actually came outside. We set up our little grill and grilled some hot dogs and sat out there for a little while. Some of those little things that most people wouldn't notice or take for granted. But we recognize them as blessings, for they are.
I had been planning to attend a joint church gathering last evening in the nearby town. But when the time to get ready to go rolled around, I simply wasn't up to it. Wife would probably be OK, but I simply wasn't up to it. Happens, though pretty rarely.
I hope to be up to attendance at worship services in the morning, but we shall see. In like manner, I had planned to attend the wrap-up / grand finale of that mult-church call to worship and revival in the afternoon of tomorrow. We shall see.
Some odd thoughts today. And a wonderful, though somewhat somber "song of the day". Abide With Me. This was written while the author, a pastor, was about to die of tuberculosis. I love it, many of us do. Pay attention, close attention, to the words.
Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.
Not a brief glance I beg, a passing word;
But as Thou dwell’st with Thy disciples, Lord,
Familiar, condescending, patient, free.
Come not to sojourn, but abide with me.
Come not in terrors, as the King of kings,
But kind and good, with healing in Thy wings,
Tears for all woes, a heart for every plea—
Come, Friend of sinners, and thus bide with me.
Thou on my head in early youth didst smile;
And, though rebellious and perverse meanwhile,
Thou hast not left me, oft as I left Thee,
On to the close, O Lord, abide with me.
I need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.
I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness.
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.
Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies.
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
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Today, chapters 7 and 8 in 2nd Samuel.
First, forgive me if the wrong label is used. I prefer "2nd Samuel" to "II Samuel". Personal preference and habit, nothing more, but I've heard some people make A Big Thing of it. Not sure why. So, if somehow, some offense has been given, sincere apologies.
Now, Saul is gone. David is king now. A very different person. Perfect, no, not by any means. (Just count all the wives he had). But certainly more aware of his dependence on the Lord, and the Lord's hand on him. It changed the course of things in Israel, and changed the world that we live in, even now. Not such a bad record!
2 Samuel 7
1 And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies;
2 That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
3 And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the Lord is with thee.
4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying,
5 Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?
6 Whereas
I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the
children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a
tent and in a tabernacle.
7 In
all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel
spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to
feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar?
8 Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel:
9 And
I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine
enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the
name of the great men that are in the earth.
10 Moreover
I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that
they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall
the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,
11 And
as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel,
and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee an house.
12 And
when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I
will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels,
and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
14 I
will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I
will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the
children of men:
15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
17 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
18 Then went king David in, and sat before the Lord, and he said, Who am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto?
19 And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord God?
20 And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord God, knowest thy servant.
21 For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them.
22 Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
23 And
what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom
God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and
to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy
people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and
their gods?
24 For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, Lord, art become their God.
25 And now, O Lord
God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and
concerning his house, establish it for ever, and do as thou hast said.
26 And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee.
27 For thou, O Lord
of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will
build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to
pray this prayer unto thee.
28 And now, O Lord God, thou art that God, and thy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:
29 Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.
2 Samuel 8
1 And
after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and
subdued them: and David took Metheg–ammah out of the hand of the
Philistines.
2 And
he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the
ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one
full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites became David's servants,
and brought gifts.
3 David smote also Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates.
4 And
David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven hundred horsemen,
and twenty thousand footmen: and David houghed all the chariot horses,
but reserved of them for an hundred chariots.
5 And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succour Hadadezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men.
6 Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus: and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought gifts. And the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went.
7 And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.
8 And from Betah, and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, king David took exceeding much brass.
9 When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer,
10 Then
Toi sent Joram his son unto king David, to salute him, and to bless
him, because he had fought against Hadadezer, and smitten him: for
Hadadezer had wars with Toi. And Joram brought with him vessels of
silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass:
11 Which also king David did dedicate unto the Lord, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated of all nations which he subdued;
12 Of
Syria, and of Moab, and of the children of Ammon, and of the
Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob,
king of Zobah.
13 And David gat him a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt, being eighteen thousand men.
14 And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all they of Edom became David's servants. And the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went.
15 And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed judgment and justice unto all his people.
16 And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;
17 And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; and Seraiah was the scribe;
18 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief rulers.
