Wednesday, September 23, 2026

GOD in the Old Testament - 1 Kings - Part 1

1 Kings 1:16-18 
Bathsheba bowed down, prostrating herself before the king.
    "What is it you want?" the king asked.
    She said to him, "My lord, you yourself swore to me your servant by the LORD your God: 'Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne.' But now Adonijah has become king, and you, my lord the king do not know about it."
 
1 Kings 1:29-30  
    Then the king took an oath: "As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, I will surely carry out this very day what I swore to you by the LORD, the God of Israel: Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he will sit on my throne in my place."
 
1 Kings 1:36-37  
    Benaiah son of Jehoiada answered the king, "Amen! May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, so declare it. As the LORD was with my lord the king, so may he be with Solomon to make his throne even greater than the throne of my lord King David!"
 
1 Kings 1:47-48  
"Also, the royal officials have come to congratulate our lord King David, saying, 'May your God make Solomon's name more famous than yours!' And the king bowed in worship on his bed and said, 'Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has allowed my eyes to see a successor on my throne today.' "
(see all 1 Kings 1)
 
1 Kings 2:1-4  
    When the time drew near for David to die, he gave this charge to his son.
    "I am about to go the way of all the earth," he said. "So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the LORD your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go and that the LORD may keep his promise to me: 'If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.' "  
(see 2 Samuel 7:8-17)
 
1 Kings 2:23-24  
    Then King Solomon swore by the LORD: "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if Adonijah does not pay with his life for this request! And now, as surely as the LORD lives--he who has established me securely on the throne of my father David and has founded a dynasty for me as he promised--Adonijah shall be put to death today!"
(see all 1 Kings 2) 
 
(parentheses are mine) 
 
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Limited to 15 verses per post.

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

GOD in the Old Testament - 2 Samuel - Part 15

2 Samuel 22:7  (continued) 
    "In my distress I called to the LORD;
        I called out to my God.
    From his temple he heard my voice;
        my cry came to his ears."
 
2 Samuel 22:22  
    "For I have kept the ways of the LORD;
        I am not guilty of turning from my God."
 
2 Samuel 22:30-33  
    "With your help I can advance against a troop;
        with my God I can scale a wall." 
 
    "As for God his way is perfect:
        The LORD's word is flawless;
        he shields all who take refuge in him.
    For who is God besides the LORD?
        And who is the Rock except our God?
    It is God who arms me with strength
        and keeps my way secure."
 
2 Samuel 22:47-49  
    "The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
        Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior!
    He is the God who avenges me,
        who puts the nations under me,
        who sets me free from my enemies.
    You exalted me above my foes;
        from a violent man you rescued me."
(see all 2 Samuel 22)
 
2 Samuel 23:1  
    These are the last words of David:
 
    "The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse,
        the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High,
    the man anointed by the God of Jacob,
        the hero of Israel's songs: ...
 
2 Samuel 23:3-5  
    "The God of Israel spoke,
        the Rock of Israel said to me:
    'When one rules over people in righteousness,
        when he rules in the fear of God,
    he is like the light of morning at sunrise
        on a cloudless morning,
    like the brightness after rain
        that brings grass from the earth.'
 
    "If my house were not right with God,
        surely he would not have made with me an 
            everlasting covenant,
        arranged and secured every part;
    surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation
        and grant me my every desire."
(see all 2 Samuel 23)
 
2 Samuel 24:3  
    But Joab replied to the king, "May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?"
 
2 Samuel 24:24  
    But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing."
(see all 2 Samuel 24) 
    
(parentheses are mine) 
 
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Limited to 15 verses per post.

Monday, September 21, 2026

GOD in the Old Testament - 2 Samuel - Part 14

2 Samuel 15:24-29  
    Zadok was there, too, and all the Levites who were with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until all the people had finished leaving the city.
    Then the king said to Zadok, "Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the LORD's eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. But if he says, 'I am not pleased with you,' then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him."
    The king also said to Zadok the priest, "Do you understand? Go back to the city with my blessing. Take your son Ahimaaz with you, and also Abiathar's son Jonathan. You and Abiathar return with your two sons. I will wait at the fords in the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me." So Zadok and Abiathar took the ark of God back to Jerusalem and stayed there. 
(see all 2 Samuel 15)
 
2 Samuel 16:23  
    Now in those days the advice Ahithophel gave was like that of one who inquires of God. That was how both David and Absalom regarded all of Ahithophel's advice. 
(see all 2 Samuel 16 - 17)
 
2 Samuel 18:28  
    Then Ahimaaz called out to the king. "All is well!" He bowed down before the king with his face to the ground and said, "Praise be to the LORD your God! He has delivered up those who lifted their hands against my lord the king."
(see all 2 Samuel 18)
 
2 Samuel 19:26-27  
    He said, "My lord the king, since I your servant am lame, I said, 'I will have my donkey saddled and will ride on it, so I can go with the king.' But Ziba my servant betrayed me. And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. My lord the king is like an angel of God; so do whatever you wish."
(see all 2 Samuel 19 - 20)
 
2 Samuel 21:14  
    They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul's father Kish, at Zela in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that God answered prayer in behalf of the land.
(see all 2 Samuel 21)
 
2 Samuel 22:1-3  
    David sang to the LORD the words of this song when the LORD delivered him from the hand of his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said:
    "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
        my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
        my shield and the horn of my salvation. 
    He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior--
        from violent people you save me."
(2 Samuel 22 continues tomorrow) 
    
(parentheses are mine) 
 
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Limited to 15 verses per post.

Sunday, September 20, 2026

GOD in the Old Testament - 2 Samuel - Part 13

2 Samuel 9:3  
    The king asked, "Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?"
    Ziba answered the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet."
(see all 2 Samuel 9 - 11)
 
2 Samuel 12:7  
    Then Nathan said, "You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.' "
 
2 Samuel 12:15-16  
    After Nathan had gone home, the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David, and he became ill. David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground.
(see all 2 Samuel 12 - 13)
 
2 Samuel 14:11-14  
    She said, "Then let the king invoke the LORD his God to prevent the avenger of blood from adding to the destruction, so that my son will not be destroyed."
    "As surely as the LORD lives, not one hair of your son's head will fall to the ground."
    Then the woman said, "Let your servant speak a word to my lord the king."
    "Speak," he replied.
    The woman said, "Then why have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this does he not convict himself, for the king has not brought back his banished son? Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him."
 
2 Samuel 14:16-17  
"Perhaps the king will agree to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who is trying to cut off both me and my son from God's inheritance."
    "And now your servant says, 'May the word of my lord the king secure my inheritance, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil. May the LORD your God be with you.' "
 
2 Samuel 14:20  
"Your servant Joab did this to change the present situation. My lord has wisdom like that of an angel of God--he knows everything that happens in the land."
(see all 2 Samuel 14) 
    
(parentheses are mine) 
 
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Limited to 15 verses per post.

Saturday, September 19, 2026

GOD in the Old Testament - 2 Samuel - Part 12

2 Samuel 6:2-4  
He and all his men went to Baalah in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it.
 
2 Samuel 6:6-7  
    When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out his hand and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.
 
2 Samuel 6:12  
    Now King David was told, "The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God." So David went up to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.
(see all 2 Samuel 6)
 
2 Samuel 7:22-24  
    "How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. And who is like your people Israel--the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, LORD, have become their God."
 
2 Samuel 7:25-26  
    "And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, 'The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!' And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight." 
 
2 Samuel 7:27-29  
    "LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, 'I will build a house for you.' So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever."
(see all 2 Samuel 7 - 8) 
    
(parentheses are mine) 
 
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Limited to 15 verses per post.

Friday, September 18, 2026

GOD in the Old Testament - 2 Samuel - Part 11

2 Samuel 2:26-28  
    Abner called out to Joab, "Must the sword devour forever? Don't you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?"
    Joab answered, "As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning."
    So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore. 
(see all 2 Samuel 1 - 2)
 
2 Samuel 3:8-11  
    Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said. So he answered, "Am I a dog's head--on Judah's side? This very day I am loyal to the house of your father Saul and to his family and friends. I haven't handed you over to David. Yet you accuse me of an offense involving this woman! May God deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the LORD promised him on oath and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David's throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba." Ish-Bosheth did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him.
 
2 Samuel 3:33-35  
    The king sang this lament for Abner:
 
    "Should Abner have died as the lawless die?
        Your hands were not bound,
        your feet were not fettered.
    You fell as one falls before the wicked." 
 
    And all the people wept over him again.
    Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!"
(see all 2 Samuel 3 - 4)
 
2 Samuel 5:9-10  
    David took residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terrace inward. And he became more and more powerful, because the LORD God Almighty was with him.
(see all 2 Samuel 5) 
    
(parentheses are mine) 
 
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Limited to 15 verses per post.

Thursday, September 17, 2026

GOD in the Old Testament - 1 Samuel - Part 10

1 Samuel 29:8-9  
    "But what have I done?" asked David. "What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why can't I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?"
    Achish answered, "I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God; nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, 'He must not go up with us into battle.'"
(see all 1 Samuel 29) 
 
1 Samuel 30:6-8 
David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God.
    Then David said to Abiathar the  priest, the son of Ahimelek. "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?"
    "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue."
 
1 Samuel 30:25-19  
    David asked him, "Can you lead me down to this raiding party?"
    He answered, "Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them."
    He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating and drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back.
(see all 1 Samuel 1:30 - 31) 
    
(parentheses are mine) 
 
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Limited to 15 verses per post.