READING FOR MAY 6, 2025:  2 SAMUEL 5, 2 CORINTHIANS 7, PSALM 38:15-22                            2 SAMUEL 5 Finally all the tribes of Israel came to crown David king at Hebron. Of course, with Saul and all his sons gone, the choice was pretty obvious. Yet, despite their slowness to accept God’s direction, the people did finally acknowledge that God had been with David throughout, and that David was God’s choice. Let’s be earnest in seeking God’s direction and not slow about obeying. If we have dawdled before, it is even more reason to seek God now. 

At this time the Jebusites, not the Israelites, occupied Jerusalem, the chosen city of God. The Jebusites could be poster children for overconfidence. They bragged that their disabled population alone could easily defeat David. As a result, in the upcoming victory, David made sure that the disabled, who apparently congregated by the water tunnel, were not exempted from the consequences of defeat. Then David established Jerusalem as his place of rule and built up the city accordingly.  Hiram, king of Tyre, provided David with significant raw materials for this construction project.  All this confirmed in David’s heart and mind that he was God’s appointed King for the welfare of God’s people. 

In this time of triumph, like Gideon before him and Solomon after him, David, overreached his mandate by disobeying God. David did this by taking yet more wives. With each new wife he planted a seed that would grow to destructiveness years down the road. We must stay hum- ble, or God will humble us eventually: “Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled” (Matt. 23:12). 

On the plus side, when the Philistines over-ran the Valley of Rephaim, unlike Saul, Da- vid asked the Lord for direction before tak- ing action. When this same thing happened again, David did not assume he should take the same military action but once again asked God for direction. This time God gave David a different tactic. In both cases, Israel prevailed. Let’s not assume because a certain action worked before it will work again. Humbly seek God’s will in all cases.

2 CORINTHIANS 7 Paul begins this chapter by referring back to God’s promise to obedient believers at the end of Cor. 6 to be as a father to them.  The commonly made statement that all people are God’s children is not biblically correct in this spiritual sense. But now, born again as God’s children, we have the obligation and opportunity to live in certain ways: ridding ourselves of defilement and perfecting our holiness (2 Cor. 7:1).  This is Wesleyan theology!

READINGS FOR MAY 6, 2025 CONTINUED: 2 CORINTHIANS 7, PSALM 38:15-22                            Paul goes on to ask for room in the people’s hearts. Perhaps there is a believer who needs some space in our hearts today.  The Holy Spirit can bring the name of a person or group to mind if we ask. This would be a perfect example of praying in the will of God (1 John 5:14). Perhaps our church’s prayer calendar would be a useful tool. 

In verse 4 Paul presents a puzzling dichotomy: overflowing joy in affliction. Certainly, our older church has many undergoing physical afflictions. In addition to healing, could we pray for their overflowing joy? It seems Paul cultivated this joy himself through interaction with another believer, Titus, and learning how well the Corinthians were living out their faith. In our afflictions, let’s stay engaged with others and not let Satan take away our joy. Paul also confessed he took no immediate joy in the tough message he communicated in his previous letter. He termed it “godly sorrow” that produced repentance leading to salvation. Church is not all fun and games, but it is interaction among believers with eternal stakes involved. 

PSALM 38:15-22 Throughout the first 15 verses, David emphasizes both his own personal limitations and the lack of support he receives from others.  In this state of inadequacy, he appeals to God and expresses his ultimate hope in God. This is an honest self-appraisal, a realistic understanding of others, and a necessary appeal to the only One who can help him. We need this same approach.  We are inadequate in ourselves and even those closest to us will seem to fail us at times.  God alone is one who never fails us. This is not unduly disparaging to friends and family. It is the nature of flawed humanity. Thus, like David, we trust in God.  Like David, we confess our sins. Like David, we are not shocked when others disappoint us. And like David we rejoice in the Lord. We magnify Him and seek His deliverance. Romans 8:35-39 is true and reassuring: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?  Just as it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; We were regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’  But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”