2 Sam 12:1-10 David’s downfall is one of the most well-known in the Old Testament, but familiarity may rob us of understanding his sin as Scripture explains it. While adultery and murder loom large in the story, this is only…

2 Sam 11:6-27 When I hear of the spectacular downfall of prominent Christian leaders, I always wonder what was in their heart as they were sucked deeper and deeper into a whirlpool of sin. Were they riddled with guilt but…

2 Sam 11:1-5 Some years ago, I looked up online one of my former professors in theology, curious if he had retired. He was painfully shy, the stereotype of an absent-minded academic who speaks dozens of dead languages but cannot…

2 Sam 10:1-19 As a young Christian listening to teachings about love, forgiveness and turning the other cheek, I used to be uncomfortable with the impression that Christianity was the religion of the weak and the meek. In many churches…

2 Sam 9:1-13 A church known to me had quite a power struggle over electing a pastor. The man eventually chosen was a charismatic personality, a great preacher with a conservative evangelical theology and a strong leader. Given the earlier…

2 Sam 8:1-18 I must admit that the long list of David’s military conquests does not make riveting reading, since the ancient place names and people groups are unfamiliar to most of us. Yet it is an important point in…

2 Sam 7:18-29 All of us, I suspect, have known times when God’s grace reached out and touched our hearts in a special way. It could have been when we first understood how Jesus died to save us, or when…

2 Sam 7:1-17 A few years after I started working, I felt the stirring for Christian ministry. An opportunity arose with a mission in the UK reaching out to international students and during my interview, my future supervisor raised the…

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…

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…