Closer Day By Day

2 Samuel 12

Bible Passage: 2 Samuel 12 In a way, David’s sin was not merely a sexual one. Through Nathan, God tells David that it was He who provided him with all his possessions, and He could add much more. Unfortunately, now David’s riches owned him. Like the rich man in Nathan’s story, he was “protective” of his riches and unwilling to spend any of them. Instead he coveted what...

2 Samuel 11

Bible Passage:  2 Samuel 11 David and Bathesheba. Whatever good things that David did before and after… this chapter remains a big blot in his life.  He will always be remembered for this rash, careless and murderous act.  It is also through this incident that gives us an idea what true repentance is all about in the subsequent chapter. Whenever we are at this chapter, we tend...

2 Samuel 10

Bible Passage:  2 Samuel 10 At the start of Chapter 10, we see the beautiful act of David in honouring his covenant with Jonathan to his descendents was not confined to only his good friend. The Ammonite king had once been an ally of David during his difficult years under King Saul (cf. 1 Sam 11).  But he had now passed away and his son, Hanun had succeeded him as king.  David wanted to extend...

2 Samuel 9

With the exception of David, the characters we meet in today’s chapter are not that memorable. In fact, we may not even have heard of some of them. However, when I recall the incidents they feature in, one thing that really struck me was the fact that circumstances as well as people change rapidly in the world we live in. Thinking about this makes me all the more thankful for the constant and...

2 Samuel 8

Bible Passage:  2 Samuel 8 For the past few days/weeks, I have been thinking about David and discussing with some brethren about his character, which can be sometimes quite controversial. Usually we will think of David in the positive light, because the Bible recorded two very positive statements about him - first is that he is a man after God’s heart, and second is that David did that which...

2 Samuel 7

On Monday, the Tampines Neighborhood fellowship had a sharing session on prayers. We were asked to share our experiences of how God answered or did not answer our prayers. We shared openly about our understanding regarding prayers, and even some of our weaknesses in our prayers. To me, that session was a very edifying one and as I pondered while listening to the brethren’s sharing, I asked myself,...

2 Samuel 6

Bible Passage: 2 Samuel 6 The event that captured my attention in today’s chapter was the death of Uzzah. When I read it for the first time, I felt confused, like David was.  Surely God had overreacted.. Wasn’t Uzzah being protective of the ark? Why was he punished because of his swift reflexes and instinct?            David gathered the choice men of Jerusalem to bring the...

2 Samuel 5

Bible Passage:  2 Samuel 5 Chronology of David before he became King of Israel: From a low profile shepherd boy to a national hero after his victory over Goliath. Then to become an army officer for Saul and fought battles for Saul. From an elevated status he became the most wanted fugitive. From having everything, he lost everything including his wife who was given to another man. Having to flee...

2 Samuel 4

Bible Passage:  2 Samuel 4 This is the last incident before David assumed his kingship over all of Israel.  And for me, this chapter emphasises once again why he was indeed a man after God’s heart. Do We Fear and Trust God?  Seriously…. Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, had become king by taking his courage from another man (Abner) rather than from God.  Now Abner was gone (dead) and Ishbosheth...

2 Samuel 3

Bible Passage:  2 Samuel 3 David was one of God’s closest friends, Because he chose to be. He was honest about his feelings or complaints or… He told everything to God, But most importantly he obeyed God and cared about the things He cared for. …stronger and stronger David grew. Patiently he waited for God’s timing. For he knew God keeps His promises. So the long...