How to avoid the root of bitterness (2 Sam 6:12-23)
2 Sam 6:12-23 A pastor once told the story of a friend, who went into Christian ministry. While the friend’s classmates earned big salaries and became high-profile and successful people, he was involved in humble service with little pay and…
How to and how not to approach God (2 Sam 6:1-11)
2 Sam 6:1-11 A church I know through a friend decided on an extensive building project as they were running out of space for Sunday services and other group activities. Out of several proposals, the preferred option of the leadership…
The challenge of living with plenty (2 Samuel 5)
2 Sam 5:1-25 When I got married, a dear friend made me a hanging ornament that had the seven produce of the Promised Land (Deut 8:8) on it. In Deuteronomy, God’s people leave behind the desert to enter a land…
How to overcome temptations of power (2 Samuel 4)
2 Sam 4:1-12 When I was learning to drive, my driving instructor would often show me a particular manoeuvre, let me do it once, then move on to something else. It was rather unsatisfactory as I often did not feel…
God’s will through twists and turns (2 Sam 3:6-39)
2 Sam 3:6-39 When my husband and I were considering moving to New Zealand, we put out feelers about possible job openings for me in theological education, since those opportunities were likely to be scarcer. The initial inquiry led us…
God’s will through human conflict (2 Sam 2:12-3:5)
2 Sam 2:12-32; 3:1-5 One of the fascinating aspects of the Book of Samuel is how it describes human motivation and conflict that move the story forward with characterisations that portray the good and bad in individuals. Often, there is…
Waiting for God’s time and God’s way (2 Sam 2:1-11)
2 Sam 2:1-11 ‘I want patience – AND I WANT IT RIGHT NOW!’, goes the humorous saying. In our instant culture where we can order something online before midnight and get it delivered the next morning, patience is a scarce…
How to cultivate a generous spirit (2 Samuel 1)
2 Sam 1:1-27 At the 1956 Australian National Championships race, a runner fell on the tracks towards the last mile. John Landy, another runner coming closely behind, could not quite clear his body and the spikes of his shoes made…
Introduction to 2 Samuel
The Book of Samuel describes how Israel asked God to give them a human king to rule over them and follows the career of its first two kings, Saul (1 Samuel) and David (2 Samuel). There is tension between having…
Who rules the world? (Psalm 2)
Psalm 2:1-12 What are the things that most worry you when you listen to or watch the news? Is it the way our Western world is increasingly antagonistic to Christian values and becomes more and more confused and erratic in…