Meditating on the Word with the Daily Bible

 Today’s passage contrasts the actions of the Ammonites and those of the Arameans. When Nahash, king of Ammon, died, David sent envoys to express his condolences. This was because Nahash had shown kindness to David during his lifetime. As verse 2 says: “David thought, ‘I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.’ So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father. When David’s envoys came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to express sympathy to him,” David’s intention in sending his envoys was good and sincere. However, Hanun, the son of Nahash, suspected David’s motives and humiliated the envoys. Verses 6 and 7 say: “When the Ammonites realized that they had become obnoxious to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram Naharaim, Aram Maakah and Zobah. They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and the king of Maakah with his troops, who c...

Today’s passage describes how David, after ascending to the throne, achieved victories in wars against various nations. Under King David’s leadership, the army of Israel triumphed over surrounding nations. In verse 1 of today’s text, it says: "In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its surrounding villages from the control of the Philistines." The passage begins with the words, “In the course of time…” The previous passage we meditated on was about David’s prayer . This implies that today’s events followed David’s prayer to God. In that prayer, David thanked God for the blessings he had received. But what exactly were those blessings? It was nothing other than “the blessing of God’s presence.” There is no greater or more certain blessing than that. Wherever David went, God was with him. And David, for his part, lived a life walking with God. After expressing his gratitude for this blessing, Israel went on to defeat t...

  Today’s passage records the descendants of Issachar, Benjamin, Naphtali, Manasseh, Ephraim, and Asher. As we read through the text, one word stands out: “warrior.” 1 Chronicles 7:2 says: "The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Samuel—heads of their father’s household. The descendants of Tola were mighty warriors in their generations; their number during David’s time was 22,600." The Hebrew word for "warrior" here is gibbor (גִּבּוֹר), which means “strong” or “mighty.” The phrase “mighty warriors in their generations” indicates that they were strong and mighty men in each of their times. Being called a "mighty warrior" in that era didn't simply mean someone who was physically strong or skilled in battle. It meant someone who used their strength and valor for the king, for the nation, and for God. They were those who, in every generation, fought for their king, their nation, and their God with all the might and courage th...

 1. Reuben, Who Lost His Birthright Today's passage begins with the tribe of Reuben , the firstborn son of Jacob. In biblical tradition, the firstborn held a significant role — the birthright . However, Reuben lost this privilege. Genesis 49:3–4 explains the reason clearly: “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel. For you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it.” Reuben committed a grievous sin by sleeping with Bilhah , his father’s concubine. The Scripture says he "defiled his father's bed." Because of this, he was disqualified from being recorded as the firstborn in the genealogies . Through this, we learn something important about God’s will : the birthright is not based on chronological order , but on holiness and obedience . Because Reuben defiled himself, God transferred the birthright to the tribe of Joseph . If ...

  1. The Line of David in Judah Today’s passage records the descendants of David from the southern kingdom of Judah . After Solomon, Israel split into two kingdoms: The southern kingdom , known as Judah , was made up of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin . The northern kingdom , or Israel , consisted of the remaining ten tribes. In the south, kingship continued through the line of David—from David to Solomon, to Rehoboam , and onward. In contrast, the kings of the northern kingdom came from various tribes, though many are thought to be from Ephraim , but their lineage is less clearly recorded. 2. God’s Covenant with Judah God made a covenant with the tribe of Judah that the royal line would never cease . Genesis 49:10 – “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.” The word “scepter” here symbolizes kingship . This is God’s promise that a ...