DAY ONE HUNDRED-TWENTY NINE
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May 8
Devotional
“Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “since I intend to show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all your grandfather Saul’s fields, and you will always eat meals at my table.” 2 Samuel 9:7 CSB
There is an image of kindness and grace that is shown in today’s verse. David is offering a place at the table for Mephibosheth, the grandson of his predecessor, Saul. His lineage and his physical disabilities would have easily excluded him from this invitation, but it wasn’t about him, it was all about David. In the same way, this picture of acceptance and restoration is a shadow of what God has offered you. God looks beyond what you might see in yourself, and He sees you for who you are in Him. You can’t do anything for this invitation, you can only receive it. Once received, you can approach the table with confidence, knowing that God’s kindness and grace are sufficient. What’s keeping you away from where God is inviting you to be? Accept the gift of His invitation and experience His presence today.
2 Samuel 8 CSB
David’s Victories8 After this, David defeated the Philistines, subdued them, and took Metheg-ammah from Philistine control. 2 He also defeated the Moabites, and after making them lie down on the ground, he measured them off with a cord. He measured every two cord lengths of those to be put to death and one full length of those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David’s subjects and brought tribute.
3 David also defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his control at the Euphrates River. 4 David captured seventeen hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers from him, and he hamstrung all the horses and kept a hundred chariots.
5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to assist King Hadadezer of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand Aramean men. 6 Then he placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became David’s subjects and brought tribute. The Lord made David victorious wherever he went.
7 David took the gold shields of Hadadezer’s officers and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 King David also took huge quantities of bronze from Betah and Berothai, Hadadezer’s cities.
9 When King Toi of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, 10 he sent his son Joram to King David to greet him and to congratulate him because David had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Toi and Hadadezer had fought many wars. Joram had items of silver, gold, and bronze with him. 11 King David also dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had dedicated from all the nations he had subdued— 12 from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Amalekites, and the spoil of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
13 David made a reputation for himself when he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites in Salt Valley. 14 He placed garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David. The Lord made David victorious wherever he went.
15 So David reigned over all Israel, administering justice and righteousness for all his people.
16 Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was court historian;
17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests;
Seraiah was court secretary;
18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites;
and David’s sons were chief officials.
2 Samuel 9 CSB
David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth9 David asked, “Is there anyone remaining from the family of Saul I can show kindness to for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 There was a servant of Saul’s family named Ziba. They summoned him to David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
“I am your servant,” he replied.
3 So the king asked, “Is there anyone left of Saul’s family that I can show the kindness of God to?”
Ziba said to the king, “There is still Jonathan’s son who was injured in both feet.”
4 The king asked him, “Where is he?”
Ziba answered the king, “You’ll find him in Lo-debar at the house of Machir son of Ammiel.” 5 So King David had him brought from the house of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.
6 Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul came to David, fell facedown, and paid homage. David said, “Mephibosheth!”
“I am your servant,” he replied.
7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “since I intend to show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all your grandfather Saul’s fields, and you will always eat meals at my table.”
8 Mephibosheth paid homage and said, “What is your servant that you take an interest in a dead dog like me?”
9 Then the king summoned Saul’s attendant Ziba and said to him, “I have given to your master’s grandson all that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You, your sons, and your servants are to work the ground for him, and you are to bring in the crops so your master’s grandson will have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, is always to eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
11 Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do all my lord the king commands.”
So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table just like one of the king’s sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. All those living in Ziba’s house were Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 However, Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king’s table. His feet had been injured.
2 Chronicles 18 CSB
Jehoshaphat’s Alliance with Ahab18 Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and he made an alliance with Ahab through marriage. 2 Then after some years, he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria. Ahab slaughtered many sheep, goats, and cattle for him and for the people who were with him, and he persuaded him to attack Ramoth-gilead, 3 for Israel’s King Ahab asked Judah’s King Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?”
He replied to him, “I am as you are, my people as your people; we will be with you in the battle.” 4 But Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “First, please ask what the Lord’s will is.”
5 So the king of Israel gathered the prophets, four hundred men, and asked them, “Should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war or should I refrain?”
They replied, “March up, and God will hand it over to the king.”
6 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord here anymore? Let’s ask him.”
7 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man who can inquire of the Lord, but I hate him because he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.”
“The king shouldn’t say that,” Jehoshaphat replied.
8 So the king of Israel called an officer and said, “Hurry and get Micaiah son of Imlah!”
9 Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, clothed in royal attire, were each sitting on his own throne. They were sitting on the threshing floor at the entrance to Samaria’s gate, and all the prophets were prophesying in front of them. 10 Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah made iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord says: You will gore the Arameans with these until they are finished off.” 11 And all the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “March up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the Lord will hand it over to the king.”
Micaiah’s Message of Defeat
12 The messenger who went to call Micaiah instructed him, “Look, the words of the prophets are unanimously favorable for the king. So let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.”
13 But Micaiah said, “As the Lord lives, I will say whatever my God says.”
14 So he went to the king, and the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to Ramoth-gilead for war, or should I refrain?”
Micaiah said, “March up and succeed, for they will be handed over to you.”
15 But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the Lord?”
16 So Micaiah said:
I saw all Israel scattered on the hills
like sheep without a shepherd.
And the Lord said,
“They have no master;
let each return home in peace.”
17 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he never prophesies good about me, but only disaster?”
18 Then Micaiah said, “Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the whole heavenly army was standing at his right hand and at his left hand. 19 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice King Ahab of Israel to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ So one was saying this and another was saying that.
20 “Then a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord, and said, ‘I will entice him.’
“The Lord asked him, ‘How?’
21 “So he said, ‘I will go and become a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’
“Then he said, ‘You will entice him and also prevail. Go and do that.’
22 “Now, you see, the Lord has put a lying spirit into the mouth of these prophets of yours, and the Lord has pronounced disaster against you.”
23 Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came up, hit Micaiah on the cheek, and demanded, “Which way did the spirit from the Lord leave me to speak to you?”
24 Micaiah replied, “You will soon see when you go to hide in an inner chamber on that day.”
25 Then the king of Israel ordered, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the king’s son, 26 and say, ‘This is what the king says: Put this guy in prison and feed him only a little bread and water until I come back safely.’”
27 But Micaiah said, “If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he said, “Listen, all you people!”
Ahab’s Death
28 Then the king of Israel and Judah’s King Jehoshaphat went up to Ramoth-gilead. 29 But the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal attire.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle.
30 Now the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone at all except the king of Israel.”
31 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they shouted, “He must be the king of Israel!” So they turned to attack him, but Jehoshaphat cried out and the Lord helped him. God drew them away from him. 32 When the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
33 But a man drew his bow without taking special aim and struck the king of Israel through the joints of his armor. So he said to the charioteer, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded!” 34 The battle raged throughout that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot facing the Arameans until evening. Then he died at sunset.
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