2 Samuel 12 by Pastor Lawrence Bowlin There are a great number of lessons that can be learned from this particular passage including: how to confront a sinner, how to repent of a sin, how the consequences of sin can linger for many years in our lives, and how the Lord grants free forgiveness for all our sins, even the heinous ones. Additionally, it grants some hope to believers concerning their children who have died…

2 Samuel 11 by Pastor David Groendyk The saying holds true: The best of man are men at best. Scripture is never shy about the sins and moral failings of even its greatest heroes, and 2 Samuel 11 presents to us one of the greatest moral failings ever committed by one of Scripture’s greatest heroes. What lessons can we learn from this tragic chapter? The first lesson is one of the most obvious: we must…

2 Samuel 6 Devotional by Pastor Lawrence Bowlin           By bringing the Ark of God into Jerusalem, David was ushering the Lord himself into the city to take his rightful place as the true king over Israel with David as his viceroy.  The only problem is that he did not treat the Lord as king in obeying his every command, for the Lord had given very explicit instructions on how the Ark of the Covenant…

2 Samuel 10 by Pastor David Groendyk As has been the major theme so far in 2 Samuel, the point of this chapter is that David’s kingdom is growing and becoming more and more established. But enjoy the great heights of the reign of King David while you can in this chapter, because the beginning of this Israelite-Ammonite war in 2 Samuel 10 also leads to the occasion of David’s great downfall with Bathsheba in…

2 Samuel 8 by Pastor David Groendyk 2 Samuel 7 is certainly one of the most important chapters in the Bible that points forward to Jesus Christ and what he will do and be like. David himself though would receive his own fulfillments to God’s covenant promises. Chapter 8 already shows us how God is fulfilling his promises in David. God had promised in 2 Samuel 7:9–11 that he would make David a great name…

II Samuel 7 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson                        This is an incredibly significant chapter in the entire Bible.  We start with a conversation between Nathan the prophet and King David.  David wants to build God a permanent temple instead of this big tent-like structure.  Nathan, without seeking God, says, “Great idea.  Go ahead.”  What, no seeking God?  No asking for time to pray?             Yet God, that very evening, told Nathan that He has…

2 Samuel 5 by Pastor David Groendyk In preparation for this chapter, I encourage you to read Genesis 12:1–3 and Genesis 15:18–21 and notice the ways in which God is confirming and bringing to pass in 2 Samuel 5 the long-awaited promises for his people. These fulfillments also point forward to the even greater fulfillments that we have in the gospel. As you read, you’ll notice it’s a little hard to get into a rhythm.…

II Samuel 4 by Mark R. Hudson Things are going from bad to worse for Saul’s house. Now we come to the death of Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son. We are introduced to two bullies: Baanah and Rechab. Their introduction is not one demonstrating their positive character traits or accomplishments. Rather, they are included with Ish-bosheth and in v. 4 Mephibosheth. We find Saul’s house consisting of a son who was a pawn in Abner’s hands, two…

2 Samuel 2 by Pastor David Groendyk After years of fleeing from Saul and living as a refugee, David finally has peace and can begin his reign as king. However, his rise to the throne comes with an immediate challenge. The next few chapters detail for us the power struggle between King David and Saul’s son and how David’s throne over all of Israel is firmly established. Verses 1–4a demonstrate more of David’s godly character…

II Samuel 1 by Mark R. Hudson Love, Loss, and Lament. I love this chapter for so many reasons. In chapter 31, Saul and his sons are killed by the Philistines on Mt. Gilboa. Well, not exactly. Saul is wounded and about to die. He did not want to suffer at the hands of the Philistines, so he took his own life in 31:4. Now the narrator in II Samuel 1 takes us to David…

1 Corinthians 16 by Pastor Lawrence Bowlin True Christianity is a fight and every true Christian is called to be a soldier who upon their conversion immediately enter into an ongoing spiritual war with the world, the flesh and the devil. For ever since the devil lost his privilege position in heaven he has waged an unrelenting war against the son of God and his people. Thus, anyone who identifies himself with Christ immediately comes…

1 Corinthians 15 by Pastor David Groendyk There is one last major issue for the church in Corinth which Paul addresses. It seems some in the church were teaching that there is no such thing as the resurrection of the dead (v. 12). Perhaps this was because they couldn’t understand what it would look like for someone to be raised (v. 35), or it could’ve been some other reason. Regardless, Paul is emphasizing the truth…

I Corinthians 14 Devotional by Mark R. Hudson Paul just completed one of the most sublime essays on love in chapter 13. This is directed to people in the church not to the marriage relationship. Love always takes priority in the teaching of Biblical authors. Paul offered a practical as well as theological approach to love. Love is a verb for Paul, but love originates with God and is expressed to God’s people. Ministry reflects…

1 Corinthians 13 by Pastor Lawrence Bowlin In a fallen world, we are often disappointed. Even the Church at times disappoints us when we see evidence of pride, selfishness and immaturity amongst its members. There were many examples of immaturity in the Church at Corinth, with some members using their spiritual gifts to magnify themselves rather than building others up in love. And thus, in the midst of his lengthy discussion on spiritual gifts beginning…

1 Corinthians 11 by Pastor Mark R. Hudson Paul is responding to various questions the Corinthian church had about a variety of issues. Public worship was an issue that prompted various concerns and questions. This chapter deals with authority and the Lord’s Supper. You don’t need me to tell how much controversy over the centuries these topics have prompted. We will only have space for the first topic. Regarding vs. 2-16, this must be one…

1 Corinthians 12 by Pastor David Groendyk This chapter is part of a larger section regarding the corporate worship practices of the church in Corinth. On either side of chapter 12, we see Paul discussing whether or not it is appropriate for a woman to pray or prophesy with her head uncovered in worship (chapter 11) and the role of prophecy and speaking in tongues in worship (chapter 14). All of this prompts a broader…

1 Corinthians 9 by Pastor David Groendyk Paul asks a lot of rhetorical questions in this chapter. His main point through it all is this: he is happy to give up any of his rights for the sake of bringing people to faith in the gospel, and every believer should have the same mindset. What exactly are Paul’s rights that he’s talking about? What is he free to do? The major one is that he…

I Corinthians 8 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson We can  see once again that Paul is responding to a communique from the church to Paul.  He refers to this missive in 7:1, “Now concerning the matters about which you wrote. . . .” and in 8:1, “Now concerning food offered to idols. . . .”  As we mentioned in the comments on chapter 5, Paul can be flexible when the situation calls for taking circumstances…

1 Corinthians 6 by Pastor David Groendyk The problems keep piling up for the Corinthian church. The three we see in this chapter are defrauding fellow believers (v. 8), frivolously suing one another (v. 1), and engaging in prostitution (v. 15). If there is one verse or phrase that can be used to summarize Paul’s teaching in this chapter, it’s verse 12a: “‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful.” Let’s…

I Corinthians 5 Devotional by Pastor Mark Hudson In Anthony Thiselton’s massive commentary on I Corinthians, Thiselton makes an interesting observation about these first few chapters of I Corinthians that ought to make us stop and think.  He observes that Paul tolerates a mixed theological church more easily than a church that allows “persistent immorality of a notorious kind to compromise the corporate identity of the community” ( p. 381).  Additionally, these are “moral issues…

1 Corinthians 3 by Pastor David Groendyk   Paul comes back to the topic that he left off from in 1:10–17, the divisions that are wreaking havoc in the church. He’s going to explain now what godly wisdom looks like applied to this situation. The Corinthian church surely has many, many problems in it. They’re famous for it. But only one of their problems causes Paul to call them “infants in Christ,” “merely human,” and…