Jim Gallagher

Psalms 33:1
“Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous!
For praise from the upright is beautiful.”

There can be great value in getting away from our man made world and looking at the creative work of God. Seeing the beauty of His creation seems to give us new perspective on His love, power, and glory. I can recall one particular sunset in Africa that was so magnificent and seemed to last for an hour. The sky was filled with an array of colors, like I had never seen before. I recall how the view of the snow capped Austrian Alps, and the water falls of Kauai captivated me, filling me with awe and amazement at the beauty of God’s handiwork. I am sure you have a list of your own experiences that cause you to celebrate the beauty of creation. That being said, the Psalmist begins to talk about what…

2 Samuel 4:8

“And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, ‘Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life; and the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants.’”

King Ishbosheth’s officers could see that the kingdom was collapsing; Abner, the head of the military had joined forces with  David and Ishbosheth was so depressed he spent his days lying in bed. Baanah and Rechab saw this as an opportunity to make a name for themselves. Thinking they would be richly rewarded, they decided to kill the king and bring his remains to David. Their thoughts and behaviors were a clear violation of the Word of God, and of the heart of king David, yet they convinced themselves they were serving God. 

“. . . the Lord has…

2 Samuel 3:9
“May God do so to Abner, and more also, if I do not do for David as the Lord has sworn to him”

Abner is an interesting case study in human behavior. He was the commander of Saul’s armies. After Saul’s death, he became the commander of Ishbosheth’s army. In many ways, he seems to be a very good man, and had even earned David’s trust. If there is one word that sums up the life of Abner, it is loyalty. Webster defines loyalty as “unswerving allegiance.” In other words, Abner was a man of commitment. We might say his word was his bond. When he committed to something, he saw it through to the end. In many ways, this is an admirable character trait. Abner’s folly was in putting his allegiance in the wrong place. By his own admission, he knew God had called David to…

Psalms 32:8-9

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, Which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you.”

I am not a farmer, and do not have a lot of experience with either horses or mules. With my limited knowledge, I have observed, that bits are used in horses for an entirely different reason, than they are used in mules. Horses want to run free; they must be broken, and the harness and bit are to keep them from running off on their own. Mules are stubborn; they are not known for running off, but for standing still. The bit and harness are used on the mule to get them going. While I do not have a…

2 Samuel 2:17

“So there was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.”

If we had a bird’s eye view of the events that transpired that day, we would see two armies positioned to fight against one another. On one side, the armies of Ishbosheth, led by Abner, and on the other, the armies of David, led by Joab. After a contest designed to show the talent of the soldiers, a bloody battle ensued, leaving three hundred and eighty men dead. If we take a closer look, we will see that this is not two armies fighting, but one nation turning on itself. When the battle ended, no enemy had been defeated and no real victory had been won. Instead, we find a nation has turned upon itself, leaving hundreds of families devastated, and the seeds…

2 Samuel 1:8
“And he said to me, ‘Who are you? ’ So I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’”

Some confusion has arisen from the two seemingly contradictory records of the death of Saul. 1 Samuel closes by recording the incident, and explaining that a wounded Saul, no doubt fearful of being captured, tortured, and brutally killed, fell upon his sword, taking his own life. Now, as 2 Samuel begins, we read that in agony, Saul pleaded for a young Amelekite to end his life. The law of contradiction is not broken by joining the two accounts, and concluding that when Saul fell on his sword he did not die immediately. So he pleaded with the young man to end his suffering. However, based upon the account in 2 Samuel there seems a more likely conclusion. This young Amalekite was something of an opportunist, and lied about what actually happened.

Psalm 29:1-2

“Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, Give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”

When Moses pleaded to see the Glory of God, the Lord responded by passing before him and revealing His nature. He declared Himself to be merciful and gracious. The word gracious speaks of the giving nature of God. It is His desire to give what is best to man. James, addressing a group of trial-ridden Christians, reminded them, since God is gracious, every good and perfect gift comes from Him (James 1:17). The message of the Bible has a whole lot more to do with what God gives us, than what we are to give to Him. Hosea reminded Israel of what God had done for them,

“I taught Ephraim to walk, taking…

1 Samuel 31:6

“So Saul, his three sons, his armorbearer, and all his men died together that same day.”

Death is the natural end of every life.  However, the death of Saul and his sons was particularly tragic because it was premature. 

Years earlier, Saul set in motion a course of life that was guaranteed to end badly. He began to ignore the Word of the Lord, and to live life his own way. Although the impact was not immediate, it was inevitable. Before long, Saul and his sons found themselves surrounded by an enemy they could not defeat. Things did not have to end this way for Saul. It clearly was not the will of God for him to watch his children die in battle, or to fall on his own sword to avoid being tortured by his enemies. All of that could have been avoided had Saul been…

1 Samuel 30:24-25
“’…But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.’ So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.”

As David and his men pursued the Amalekites, some of them grew weary. It is not difficult to understand why. Not only were they pursuing at a rapid pace, but they were doing so with broken hearts. Amelek had plundered their goods and kidnapped their families. For days, these men had been grieving, many, perhaps, unable to eat, due to the deep sorrow they were feeling. As a result, two hundred men were unable to press on, and the company split into two groups. Two hundred men stayed behind, and four hundred went to battle.

After a decisive victory, David’s men returned…