Over the past year a friend of mine has been incarcerated. He has many more years to go in his sentence. During my weekly visits, we’ve talked a lot about the question, “What is justice?” How do participants in the criminal justice system know if the punishment fits the crime? In today’s post, as weContinue reading “Was David’s use of the death penalty just? – 1st Samuel 31—2nd Samuel 2:7, Part 2”
Tag Archives: david
How David was shamed by the Philistines, and it turned out to be a good thing – 1st Samuel 28-30, Part 4
This week we welcome guest blogger, Kirk Marks. Kirk retired from a long career in pastoral ministry, denominational leadership and theological education. He now works in global fair trade. The armies of Philistia and Israel are gathering, facing off. War is about to erupt. As we reviewed in the previous post, though David and hisContinue reading “How David was shamed by the Philistines, and it turned out to be a good thing – 1st Samuel 28-30, Part 4”
How Christians can avoid getting sucked into outrage culture – 1st Samuel 26 & 27, Part 5
We Christians are known for practicing the ethics of the Kingdom of Jesus: truth-telling, humility, selfless sacrifice, generosity, hope, peacemaking, and the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Or are we? Sadly, across our country some Christians have chosen anger, meanness, spite, bitterness, and attack. We American Christians far too often in recent years, haveContinue reading “How Christians can avoid getting sucked into outrage culture – 1st Samuel 26 & 27, Part 5”
How could David slaughter men and women…and lie about it? – 1st Samuel 26 & 27, Part 4
In the previous post, we read something very dark about David, who was supposed to be a man after God’s own heart. In 1st Samuel 27, we learned that David and his men go out on raids, slaughtering people. Men and women. Also, David clearly didn’t want his new king, the Philistine, Achish, to knowContinue reading “How could David slaughter men and women…and lie about it? – 1st Samuel 26 & 27, Part 4”
How David’s fugitive years finally came to an end – 1st Samuel 26 & 27, Part 3
In 1st Samuel chapter 27, verses 1-4, after David and Saul and their soldiers part ways, David still doesn’t believe that Saul has given up hunting him. As we learned in the previous post, Saul sounded repentant, but now in 1st Samuel 27, verses 1-4, David thinks Saul will change his mind and start huntingContinue reading “How David’s fugitive years finally came to an end – 1st Samuel 26 & 27, Part 3”
Why is it so difficult to admit we are wrong? – 1st Samuel 26 & 27, Part 2
Do you like to admit you are wrong? The biblical concept of repentance involves admitting that you are wrong, and generally-speaking, we humans don’t like to admit we are wrong. As we have been studying the life of David through the account in 1st Samuel, for a few weeks now, we’ve been following the storyContinue reading “Why is it so difficult to admit we are wrong? – 1st Samuel 26 & 27, Part 2”
David’s compelling rationale for not killing Saul (though Saul wants to kill him) – 1st Samuel 26 & 27, Part 1
When my oldest son was in Kindergarten, he would come home reporting to us what movies other kids in his class were allowed to watch. My wife and I were astounded at those parents. How could they allow their kids to watch such movies with such intense themes? We were certainly not allowing our twoContinue reading “David’s compelling rationale for not killing Saul (though Saul wants to kill him) – 1st Samuel 26 & 27, Part 1”
Who are the difficult people in your life? – 1st Samuel 26 & 27, Preview
Who are the difficult people in your life? Who comes to mind? Could be a family member. Could be a coworker. A client. A team member. A friend. A friend??? Why would we be friends with difficult people? But we are sometimes, aren’t we? Would anyone in your life think that you are difficult inContinue reading “Who are the difficult people in your life? – 1st Samuel 26 & 27, Preview”
In God’s mission, do the ends justify the means? – 1st Samuel 25, Part 5
Have you heard the phrase, “the ends justify the means”? This common statement suggest that if we are pursuing a good goal, we might need to use not-so-good methods to achieve that goal. All that matters is achieving the goal. The goal, in other words, is so important that we can allow for inappropriate behaviorContinue reading “In God’s mission, do the ends justify the means? – 1st Samuel 25, Part 5”
How the practice of listening can keep us from disaster – 1 Samuel 25, Part 4
David is in a rage, believing a man named Nabal has disrespected him. David and his men, armed to the teeth, are advancing on Nabal to slaughter Nabal and his servants. But suddenly, Nabal’s wife, Abigail, shows up and pleads with David to stop. In the previous post, we observed Abigail’s genius diplomacy and communicationContinue reading “How the practice of listening can keep us from disaster – 1 Samuel 25, Part 4”
Engaging Scripture 