Join us as we discuss the crucial role of consistent faith and spiritual discipline. We’ll uncover lessons from David’s life, emphasizing the importance of waiting on God’s timing and seeking His guidance in leadership. This episode also advocates for daily Bible reading as a source of spiritual strength and guidance, offering practical steps for integrating scripture into your daily routine.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. We join Alan J. Huth as he shares Bible passages and comments from over 30 years of his personal Bible reading journals.
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Today we are in 2 Samuel chapter 5, and we welcome back our guest reader for 2 Samuel, Vicki Bustos, chaplain of the Ezra Project, and the founder of Open Book Ministries, a women’s ministry dedicated to mentoring young Christian women in the Word of God. Vicki will share all 25 verses of 2 Samuel chapter 5. 2 Samuel chapter 5
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Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, Behold, we are your bone and flesh. In times past when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel. So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron. before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off, thinking, David cannot come in here. Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. And David said on that day, Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul. Therefore it is said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house. And David lived in the stronghold, and called it the city of David. And David built the city all around from the millow inward. And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him. And Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house. And David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he came from Hebron. and more sons and daughters were born to David. And these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem, Shammuah, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibar, Elishua, Nephe, Jephiah, Alishamah, Eliud, and Alephalet. When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the valley of Rephraim. And David inquired of the Lord, Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand? And the Lord said to David, Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand. And David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. And he said, The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking flood. Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim. And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away. And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the valley of Rephaim. And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, You shall not go up. Go around to their rear and come against them opposite the balsam trees. And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself. For then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines. And David did as the Lord commanded him and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.
SPEAKER 01 :
Back in 2007, I wrote in my Bible reading journal, Samuel’s prophecy is finally fulfilled as the rest of Israel makes David king. It took many years, but God’s word is true. We need to be patient and allow God to unfold his plan for our lives. Quoting verse 10, David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of hosts was with him. And verse 12, and David realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel. And I concluded my journal entry by writing, give God the glory, the credit, and ask him what to do, and then do it. Verse 4 says, David was 30 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 40 years. At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah 33 years. Anointed by the prophet Samuel as a teenager, his leadership preparation was long, probably at least a decade. I know, as a young man, I was impatient and aspired to leadership too quickly. If you are a young person listening, God certainly may be preparing you for leadership. But don’t be impatient. Learn from David. Wait on the Lord and see His hand in your experiences, good or bad, that you’re going through on your way to leadership. It paid off for David. it’s probably going to pay off for you. Let’s look at those great verses once again, verse 10 and verse 12. Verse 10, And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him. If you want to rise in leadership, be sure the Lord, the God of hosts, is with you. And verse 12, And David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. Because David never took matters into his own hands, Because he would not allow the voices of men or the actions of men to deliver the kingdom to him, he knew the Lord had given him the kingdom. And notice too that David doesn’t talk about himself here. He says God exalted the kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. So if you’re in leadership or you’re aspiring to be in leadership, think about the great lessons we’ve just learned from this chapter. One, be sure that the Lord, the God of hosts, is with you. Two, don’t take matters into your own hands, but allow God to establish you as a leader. And three, remember your leadership is not about you. It’s about the people you serve and the God who put you in the position in the first place. Lastly, as you lead, follow David’s lead. He inquired of the Lord regularly. Ask God questions and then wait for his answers as you lead. Father, we thank you that you placed David in leadership over your people for some 40 years. And Lord, for any of us in leadership, we thank you that you and you alone place us in the positions that we have. So remind us, Lord, through this passage to inquire of you before we make decisions that affect the people that we lead. We trust you, Lord. Lead, guide, and direct us so we can lead according to your will and your way. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. You know, sometimes we need a plumb line, a true north, a solid basis of truth to live life. We’re not going to find it in the media or in social media or Google or your friends, but it is available right at your fingertips. Pilate asked Jesus in John 18, 38, what is truth? The chapter before, Jesus had answered the question in his prayer to God for his disciples. In the 17th verse, Jesus pleads with the Father, sanctify them in the truth, thy word is truth. So what would it be like if everyone, everywhere, read the Bible every day? Wow, it might be heaven on earth. What would it be like if every Christian read the Bible every day? Would we be better ambassadors for Christ? What would it be like if everyone in your community read the Bible every day? Would we have greater impact in our communities? And what would it be like if you personally read the Bible every day? Could you use a closer walk with Jesus? Could you use a light unto your path and a lamp unto your feet to walk through this life? Could you use a spiritual power surge in your life? Matthew 22, 29, Jesus speaking to the Sadducees said, You are mistaken not understanding the Scriptures or the power of God. Yes, the Scriptures can give us power to live this life. So I’m going to give you three easy action steps to make the Bible worth your time each and every day. Number one, commit to daily Bible readings. Commit to seek God and His Word daily, every day. And if you miss a day, start again the next day. Change your belief about God’s Word to behavior in God’s Word. Use any of our Ezra Project resources to help you. Visit EzraProject.net to get an Ezra Project Bible reading journal or one of our day-by-day through the Bible books. Commit today and visit EzraProject.net for easy-to-use resources for your daily time in God’s Word. Number two, be intentional. Decide what you want out of your Bible readings. I got to visit the headquarters of Back to the Bible once in Lincoln, Nebraska. And in one hallway down one side, they had scribbled all the reasons people say they don’t read the Bible. On the other side were all the reasons people do read the Bible. And I want to give you some of those to encourage you. On that wall, it said, God wants me to. Yes, God wants you to read the Bible. Do you want to meet with him daily? Because he’ll meet with you every day through his word. Number two, it changes me. Where could you be in one year with more Bible reading in your life? Number three, it improves my outlook on life. Yeah, turn out the bad news and saturate yourself with good news from the Word of God. Number four, it keeps me grounded. Yes, when the storms of life come, and they will, can you stand? Yes, you’ll stand better and more solid because you’re in the Word of God. Next, it keeps my heart soft. Yeah, Nehemiah 8, when people heard the word, they wept and they worshipped. You will do the same as the word softens your heart. Lastly, on the wall it said, it keeps my daily focus on God. Yeah, that’s a great reason to read the Bible. You’ll gain the spiritual power to live life in our secular world. And then thirdly and lastly, feed your soul. Let God minister to your soul. Hebrews 4.12 says the Word of God pierces between your soul and your spirit, between joints and marrow, and is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of your heart. Nothing else goes that deep. I don’t know where the place is between my soul and my spirit, but I want to put the Word of God there each and every day of my life. I hope you do too. God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word.
