charisbarak

To wait for Jesus--He is coming and will rescue us from the coming wrath. The important thing is to wait for Jesus--it's HOW we wait for Him that makes the difference. Both parts of this verse are important. We believe in faith of His return & his salvation from the coming wrath. The coming wrath is not a popular subject! It needs to be on a par with teaching God's love!

Imitation is super important. Imitating the wrong type of person can be diasterous, especially for new Christians. All ministries need someone godly to be imitated. Christian character is all important in a leader. It's death to a church to have leaders with faulty characters. It stunts the growth of new believers. People who are not in the Christian community do not grow well. They don't have to be answerable to anyone and you don't grow if you aren't ministering. You can take in teaching, but it's not put into use.... Others see us as we minister. If our character is faulty, so is our witness. We need to take ourselves to God to help grow a character that will speak to others, especially our children, in a positive way.

God, alone, is responsible to draw hearts to himself. We are only seed-planters. If they Holy Spirit isn't in it, there will be no true fruit. If will-power is used it becomes "won't-power" for God. Like trying to drive a car with an empty tank. Miracles spoke to the people seeing God's power was at work among them. It became a testimony. There are miracles today--especially in lands that don't have many believers yet. If there were miracles here, I think, it wouldn't have the witness it would have in other countries. I don't know if more would come to Christ here in the states if there were miracles. They have Bibles, Christian literature and Christian tv and many, many churches, yet they don't come......

The opposition came from jealousy (thus having to get crowds upset & officials to take action against Paul) and the possible loss of money going into the temple's treasury. God was leading paul to speak the truth no matter what. He could not have not preached! No, a violent reaction is saying hearts are being touched by the Holy Spirit and Satan does not like that. Look at all our brothers and sisters in other countries daily facing this....

He knew Solomon would be the one to build the temple, so he followed the Holy Spirit's leading and gathered all the materials needed, the plans& the workmen! He passed all the information on to Solomon when he became king--David prepared him to follow God. He even wrote the music to be used in worship! David encouraged others to give to this project by first being a generous giver, then encouraging the people in high offices to do the same thing. Then he asked others to join in --asking them who would want to consecrate themselves to the Lord in their giving too.

David chose the plague because he knew God would be gracious and he didn't want to fall into man's hands. Also, it was a shorter period of time. He insisted on paying for the threshing floor because he felt he didn't want to sacrifice something to the Lord he himself didn't pay for. Sacrifices should be real sacrifices. God knows our hearts. Give out of a joyful heart --- our first fruits.

David describes himself as a prophet (speaking oracles), son of Jesse, annointed, singer of songs. He was a prophet in that he followed God so closely, God could speak to him and could lead David to lead his people relying on God's Word. The main message is the difference righteous government makes to a people. If government officials would choose to be led by God, fight evil and worship Him, our country would be changed instead of going downhill as it is right now.

The most inspiring to me was the difference shown between God (powerful)--total control of nature and man (David). What encourages me the most is no matter where I am, God is there--in the low weak times, as well as in triumphs. We need to be totally dependent on God for all we have--every day. Rock Fortress, Deliverer,stronghold, shield, horn of salvation, worthy of praise, avenger,rescuer, support, faithful, forgiver, savior, lamp, perfect, flawless.

It showed David's compassion and his honesty and reliance on God. Joab, on the other hand, had his own agenda. Joab did not show much faith at all, but had military wisdom. Friends are a necessity. Joab was a friend to David as long as it suited his agenda. He wouldn't have been considered a trusted friend.

He has a weakness in disciplining his sons and loves the beauty of Absalom. Joab kills him, knowing it is best for David's kingdom--Absalom had become David's enemy. Joab was a true military leader. David's loud mourning disheartened his followers--it showed up David's weakness. His followers would soon leave & not support such a weak king--they would have felt that the work they did to fight for the king was not appreciated. Yet they were faithful supporters to the end. David's faith was weak at that point. He suffered because of his weakness and inability to discipline his children from an early age.

He doesn't silence Shimei because he thinks God may be using Simei as part of His judgment. It was a spiritual decision. A fleshly decision would be to strike back & kill him. It shows David's faith is a trusting faith no matter what befalls him.

David flees Jerusalem because the city was not prepared for a siege, nor was the military ready either. David's emotions seemed to be very low. Your emotions cannot be high & happy when you know God is judging you! David didn't take the ark with him because it was not his personally--it was Israel's. He also showed respect for God--knowing he was to suffer God's judgement on him for awhile. This all exhibited David's faith in that God was doing as He had promised David. It seemed fatalistic, but he did have hope still. David's faith was strong & realistic. He believed God!!

Lack of discipline in David's personal life, lack of discipline of his children, lack of repentance on David's part, he didn't keep involved in what was happening in his kingdom. It's not mentioned, but somehow it didn't seem he was relying on God as he had before.

Absalom dressed the part; he undermined his father by being at the gates & solving peoples' problems; he acted like a politician trying to get people's votes (by kissing hands, etc). It is all pretty effective. David should have dealt with his sons, as he would have anyone else who had committed those deeds. He exploits David's age and softness to a wealthy man's life and his sexual corruption.

Joab thought Absalom should be next in line to inherit the kingdom, and he wanted to have a part in it. David was still angry with Absalom for taking Amnon's life. If he wasn't accepted in court, he did not have favor with the king, his father.

David has lost moral authority. It was a flaw in his personality. He probably felt he couldn't condemn Amnon because he would have to condemn himself. Sometimes we don't see those flaws in ourselves until something comes up & it is revealed. Lack of discipline, as with Jacob's sons, led to the sons taking it upon themselves to right the wrong. In this case, it lead to Amnon's death.

David deserves the sword. He got, instead, God's discipline. He said the sword would never depart from his house, that a calamity would occur that involved all his wives, and the death of Bathsheba's son. Our sins, like David's hurt God's reputation with the unsaved, his enemies. David, by that act had shown that he despised the word of the Lord. We, too, when we sin, we hurt the cause of Christ, instead of bringing Him glory. We show our disrespect for the Lord & His commandments.

It was dangerous for Nathan to confront the king. He had power to not listen, or to have Nathan leave his sight. Nathan told David a story he could emotionally get caught up in. Once he angrily spoke out that that man was a sinner needing judgement, Nathan had him apply that story to the truth of what David had done. He saw more easily his need for forgiveness & repentance.

We all have to fight the flesh. Sometimes it takes running from the temptation. Our human condition is one depraved, sinful, one who needs a saviour. We are born in sin. It will take time with those around him, but he needed to confess & repent.

The kindness was shown to fulfill the friendship covenant he & Jonathan made. David kept his word--confirming the covenant.

God always had a remnant of Israel. All the wonderful promises are in Jesus Christ. He is the end for which the people in the O.T. were looking for.

Throughout the years, each successive king, with few exceptions, became more & more evil, so God destroyed Jerusalem & Israel went into captivity.

A great name, a land for His people, peace These are unconditional promises These were given by God's grace. As in salvation, there is nothing we could do to earn it. It showed His great love for His people. To me, as a Christian, was what was in store for David's descendants!! Jesus, salvation & eternal life!

Nathan respected David and the plan sounded good to him. He should have gone to inquire of the Lord first. It is wasted time & energy if it isn't God's will. We don't ever want to go ahead of God!! David's dream for a magnificent temple for God was good. It was just not His timing!! Yet, David, obeying God, could plan it & save materials for his son to use.

Michal was a pawn in her father's hands. He had meant for her to be a downfall for David, but Michal had supported him so he could escape. In anger against David, Saul gave her to another man. Several years later, David asked for her back, but she had already made a family with another man & had to be separated from that relationship. I can see why she'd be bitter. She saw David as a man using her--not him praising the Lord with his body. No. If I had had bitterness it would short-circuit my spiritual relatonship with the Lord. Growth would really not take place. Forgiveness--confession to God--seeking to love the one who caused the bitterness. If he had, I would have been surprised. David was a worshipful man all his life. He wouldn't have been able to grow in his love for God and he probably wouldn't have been an effective ruler.