2 Samuel 3-5; 1 Chronicles 12; Psalm 122; Acts 22

David had an army behind him.

¹⁷ When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of Israel, they mobilized all their forces to capture him. But David was told they were coming, so he went into the stronghold. ¹⁸ The Philistines arrived and spread out across the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ So David asked the Lord, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?”

The Lord replied to David, “Yes, go ahead. I will certainly hand them over to you.”

²⁰ So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there. “The Lord did it!” David exclaimed. “He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!” So he named that place Baal-perazim (which means “the Lord who bursts through”). ²¹ The Philistines had abandoned their idols there, so David and his men confiscated them.

²² But after a while the Philistines returned and again spread out across the valley of Rephaim. ²³ And again David asked the Lord what to do. “Do not attack them straight on,” the Lord replied. “Instead, circle around behind and attack them near the poplar trees. ²⁴ When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the signal that the Lord is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army.” ²⁵ So David did what the Lord commanded, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. (2 Samuel 5:17-25, NLT, emphasis added)

Paul was tied down to be lashed with whips to bring forth a confession. He was physically unable to defend himself, so he used his words.

²⁴ The commander brought Paul inside and ordered him lashed with whips to make him confess his crime. He wanted to find out why the crowd had become so furious. ²⁵ When they tied Paul down to lash him, Paul said to the officer standing there, “Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been tried?”

²⁶ When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked, “What are you doing? This man is a Roman citizen!”

²⁷ So the commander went over and asked Paul, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

“Yes, I certainly am,” Paul replied.

²⁸ “I am, too,” the commander muttered, “and it cost me plenty!”

Paul answered, “But I am a citizen by birth!”

²⁹ The soldiers who were about to interrogate Paul quickly withdrew when they heard he was a Roman citizen, and the commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped. (Acts 22:24-29, NLT)

In each case, these men knew their lives were held in God’s hands. They moved forward into potentially perilous situations because they knew God, trusted him, and obeyed him.

This is a reminder to me that following God and obeying him doesn’t mean there won’t be battles. It means he’s with me in the battle. The battle is his. The victory is his. (My life is his.) He will equip me, but most of all, he will be with me. Whether I stand in an army or stand alone, may my exclamation echo David’s: The Lord did it! He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!

Courtney (66books365)

1 Samuel 25; 1 Chronicles 7; Acts 17

Nabal was a wealthy man, so in some regard, he knew how to manage his property and possessions. He just didn’t know how to manage his mouth, and his pride, arrogance, and ego were evidence.

¹⁰ “Who is this fellow David?” Nabal sneered to the young men. “Who does this son of Jesse think he is? There are lots of servants these days who run away from their masters. ¹¹ Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I’ve slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws who come from who knows where?” 1 Samuel 25:10-11, NLT

His response lit a fire in David that nearly cost Nabal and those around him with their very lives. (Actually, it did cost Nabal later.)

Abigail used reason to talk to David. She was honest and humble. And her reasoning reached David, saving everyone involved from an escalating situation.

³² David replied to Abigail, “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me today! ³³ Thank God for your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murder and from carrying out vengeance with my own hands. ³⁴ For I swear by the Lord, the God of Israel, who has kept me from hurting you, that if you had not hurried out to meet me, not one of Nabal’s men would still be alive tomorrow morning.” ³⁵ Then David accepted her present and told her, “Return home in peace. I have heard what you said. We will not kill your husband.” 1 Samuel 25:32-35, NLT

I notice the repetition of reason in Acts.

² As was Paul’s custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he used the Scriptures to reason with the people. Acts 17:2, NLT, emphasis mine

¹⁰ That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. ¹¹ And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth. Acts 17:10-11, NLT, emphasis mine

¹⁶ While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. ¹⁷ He went to the synagogue to reason with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there.

¹⁸ He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, “What’s this babbler trying to say with these strange ideas he’s picked up?” Others said, “He seems to be preaching about some foreign gods.”

¹⁹ Then they took him to the high council of the city. “Come and tell us about this new teaching,” they said. ²⁰ “You are saying some rather strange things, and we want to know what it’s all about.” Acts 17:16-20, NLT, emphasis mine

Paul used Scripture and discussion to honor the intellect of those who were listening. Reason, honor, honesty, and humility go a lot farther than pride, arrogance, and ego.

Lord, help me to guard my heart and my mouth. May my words and actions honor and glorify you.

Courtney (66books365)

1 Samuel 17; 1 Chronicles 2; Acts 12

He had the title. They had the training (and the equipment and each other). Yet, they were scared. Goliath was big and loud and threatening.

¹¹ When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified and deeply shaken. (1 Samuel 17:11, NLT)

But David ran.

⁴⁵ David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! ⁴⁷ And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!”

⁴⁸ As Goliath moved closer to attack, David quickly ran out to meet him. ⁴⁹ Reaching into his shepherd’s bag and taking out a stone, he hurled it with his sling and hit the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank in, and Goliath stumbled and fell face down on the ground.

⁵⁰ So David triumphed over the Philistine with only a sling and a stone, for he had no sword. ⁵¹ Then David ran over and pulled Goliath’s sword from its sheath. David used it to kill him and cut off his head. (1 Samuel 17:45-51, NLT, emphasis mine)

He did what he could with what he had, knowing that he had trained, and knowing who’s battle it ultimately was. And to finish the threat, he used Goliath’s own weapon against him.

Father God, give me courage and faith in you to run. I am afraid of so many big and threatening things. Please equip me to stand in you, to run in because of you, to speak your truth. I hate that fear paralyzes me, silences me, pushes me down. Help me to train and be ready. Help me remember whose battle it really is.

Courtney (66books365)

1 Samuel 6-8; Acts 7

Then the high priest asked Stephen, “Are these accusations true?”

² This was Stephen’s reply: “Brothers and fathers … (Acts 7:1-2a, NLT)

The high priest, “brothers and fathers”–Stephen was talking to his people. The history he was about to recount was one they all knew well. He wasn’t planting seeds of knowledge–he was shining light on them.

Sometimes a telling, a testimony, or an example plants a seed. And sometimes these things shine light upon seeds already there–exposing truth, agitating it to burst forth, take root, and grow. Stephen’s words of light exposed truth and caused agitation for sure. But they live on today to root and grow for those who will lean into the light.

⁵¹ “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! ⁵² Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One—the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered. ⁵³ You deliberately disobeyed God’s law, even though you received it from the hands of angels.”

⁵⁴ The Jewish leaders were infuriated by Stephen’s accusation, and they shook their fists at him in rage. ⁵⁵ But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand. ⁵⁶ And he told them, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God’s right hand!”

⁵⁷ Then they put their hands over their ears and began shouting. They rushed at him ⁵⁸ and dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. His accusers took off their coats and laid them at the feet of a young man named Saul. Acts 7:51-58, NLT, emphasis added

Saul was there (Paul), and this exposure to light and truth would yield explosive growth in his life, though it would cost Stephen his own (life).

Father God, equip me with bravery, courage, and boldness through your Holy Spirit to speak truth and shine light and encourage my brothers and sisters in truth. Also, may I have the humility and grace to hear truth and repent when I am in error.

Courtney (66books365)

Judges 19-21; Acts 2

Now in those days Israel had no king … Judges 19 opens with these words. A dispute between a couple appears as catalyst for a later, mighty battle. Israel bands together with tribes to send men to battle against Benjamin–they give Benjamin an opportunity to give up the men who committed evil, but Benjamin refuses.

¹⁸ Before the battle the Israelites went to Bethel and asked God, “Which tribe should go first to attack the people of Benjamin?”

The Lord answered, “Judah is to go first.”

Judges 20:18, NLT, emphasis added

Israel suffers huge losses.

²² But the Israelites encouraged each other and took their positions again at the same place they had fought the previous day. ²³ For they had gone up to Bethel and wept in the presence of the Lord until evening. They had asked the Lord, “Should we fight against our relatives from Benjamin again?”

And the Lord had said, “Go out and fight against them.”

Judges 20:22-23, NLT, emphasis added

Again, Israel suffers huge losses of experienced warriors.

²⁶ Then all the Israelites went up to Bethel and wept in the presence of the Lord and fasted until evening. They also brought burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord. ²⁷ The Israelites went up seeking direction from the Lord. (In those days the Ark of the Covenant of God was in Bethel, ²⁸ and Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron was the priest.) The Israelites asked the Lord, “Should we fight against our relatives from Benjamin again, or should we stop?”

The Lord said, “Go! Tomorrow I will hand them over to you.”

Judges 20:26-28, NLT, emphasis added

I notice a change in their petition to the Lord–who should fight first to should we fight against our relatives again to should we fight against our relatives or stop? From an eager intention to a realization of who the enemy is to a wondering, after so much loss, if they should just quit. (Upon pondering an enemy, I think of Ephesians 6:12: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.)

There is repeated loss, and upon inquiry to the Lord, they return to the battle. I am reminded that obedience can accrue loss, even if there is victory in the end. In the thick of spiritual battles, I may tire, I may question, I may face losses … in fact, may even be a casualty … but God never promised I’d leave unscathed. And to them, he said go.

Today’s reading in Judges ends:

²⁵ In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

Judges 21:25, NLT

All the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes …. Father God, I pray that you will give me eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart to obey you. I put on your armor, and hold tight to your word. I am reminded the battle is bigger than what I see or know, but you are sovereign and hold it all together, in all that appears as victory or defeat.

Courtney (66books365)