2 Samuel

This morning I finished reading 2 Samuel.  These are my notes from the book.

• An Amalekite comes to tell David of Saul & Jonathan's passing and says he killed Saul because his injuries were so great
• David has the Amalekite killed for he confessed to killing Saul
• David writes a song for Israel in mourning of Saul & Jonathan
• David, his wives & men went to Hebron & Judah; there they came and appointed him King of Judah
• Saul's son was king of Israel
• Israel & Judah met & had a contest - field of knives
• David & Saul's followers fought for a long time; David's strengthened, Saul's weakened
• David had 6 sons at Hebron
• Ish-Bsheth (Saul's son) spoke badly of Abner (Main leader of Saul supporters, against David)
• Abner was ANGRY and decided to help David instead
• David agreed as long as he brought Saul's daughter, David's wife
• Abner was to reunite Israel
• Joab & the army were unhappy
• David left Abner go in peace
• Joab killed ABner to repay Abner for killing his brother
• David mourned for Abner & for his evil death by Joab
• Abner's death frightened Saul's army
• 2 captains in the army killed Ish-Bosheth in his sleep at home in bed
• They brought his head to David who had the captains killed for killing an innocent man
• David became King at 30 years old
• David took Jerusalem as the City of David
• His strength grew because the Lord was with him & the city built up
• David took more wives there and had 11 more sons
• Philistines came to see David & king & as the Lord guided, defeated them twice
• David & his men went to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem
• When the oxen hauling it stumbled, Uzzah touched the Ark as though to steady it & God killed him there
• Fear led David to put the Ark in someone else's house & they were blessed
• After 3 months, David returned for the Ark & brought it to Jerusalem rejoicing & dancing all the way
• Michal (Saul's daughter, wife of David) wasn't pleased with his dancing - she didn't understand it was praise to the Lord, she never had children
• David wants to build a temple for the Ark so it is no longer in a tent
• Nathan's vision - shoed God's promise for David's future generations; his son will build a house for the Ark & God with be with his family
• David prays in thanksgiving of his goodness & for his blessings for his family
• David defeated the Philistines & Moab & more - Lord gave him victory
• David gave the Lord what he took from those lands
• David looked for anyone left in Saul's family, Jonathan's son Mephibosheth was lame in both feet but found through a servant, Ziba, of Saul's
• David gave the land of Saul back to his family for Ziba to tend
• Mephibosheth ate at David's table
• Ammonite King died & son came into power; David sent men for comfort
• Ammonites saw it as a spy mission & shamed men before sending them away
• Ammonites knew they'd angered David & hired Arameans to fight with them - David defeated all

In my own thoughts and thinking through this piece of the story, I thought about how fear led the Ammonites to be proactive in protection and set a bad tone for the interaction.  If they'd been open and receiving of David's act of comfort, a different relationship and result could have occurred.  As a parent and a person, I completely understand where the Ammonites were coming from and I think we have this response to things regularly.  We need to learn from this and be more open to people.  Maybe I should parent more this way?

A theme I noticed in 2 Samuel was that the Lord is good and will lead and do what is right.

• When kings went to war, David stayed back
• One night from his roof, he saw a woman bathing, Bathsheba, Uriah's wife
• David sent for her; they had sex
• Later, Bathsheba sent notice to David she was pregnant
• David sent for her husband Uriah & sent him home to his wife
• Uriah didn't go home as his men at war were in tents & fighting so he shouldn't be enjoying his home; he slept outside the palace with the other officers
• David had Uriah to dinner & got him drunk, but he still didn't go home to his wife
• David sent Uriah to the front lines to be killed
• Bathsheba cried for her dead husband, then became David's wife
• God didn't like what David did
• Nathan went to David with story of a rich man with a visitor to feed; he didn't want to use his animals so he took the poor man's only lab to kill and feed the visitor
• David was angered by the story; Nathan reminded him what he did to Uriah was wrong & punishment would follow
• David & Bathsheba's son got very sick, David fasted & prayed, but after 7 days it died
• David comforted Bathsehab and they had another son, Solomon

David, speaking of his dead baby boy: "Someday I will go to him, but he cannot come back to me." - 2 Samuel 12:23

• Joab & David conquered Rabbah
• David's som Amnon raped his half sister Tamar, Absalom was furious and 2 years later, killed Amnon over the rape, then Absalom ran away
• Joab sends a woman to talk to King David about her 2 sons; one killed the other and she wanted to save the one that killed the other for her husband's family name; it was all to change David's perspective
• David has Absalom brought back from away for murder, but doesn't allow him to see the King
• After 2 years, Absalom seeks the King, but is ignored twice, so he burns Joab's field, then Absalom goes to the King
• Absalom stole the hearts of the Israelites by waiting at the gates to greet them as they came to the King for 4 years
• Then he asked to go to Hebron to worship, but took many men to challenge Israel
• David led his people out of Jerusalem to save them
• As David & his people traveled away, David was helped by some & scorned by others
• Absalom took advice from trusted advisors (Ahithopheh & Hushai) to challenge David
• He followed Hushai - who warned David through Jonathan & Ahimaaz that hid in a well to be safe from Absalom
• Ahithophel killed himself when his advice wasn't accepted (but went to his hometown and left orders for his family & property)
• David & Absalom go to war
• Absalom's head get caught in a tree while riding his donkey; the donkey runs out & he is stuck
• David's army finds him & a man told Joab
• The man refused to kill the King's son so Joab & others do
• David hears the news of Absaloma and mourns his son
• Joab tells David that his mourning for his son is having a bad impact on his arm & people; they feel David cares more for their enemy than them

This feeling against David is still a rampant feeling in human emotions today.  Culture today sees caring for one as not caring for another, which is wrong.  An example currently seen is #blacklivesmatter and #bluelivesmatter.  I believe both have worthy campaigns and causes to change the culture of today's society.  I do NOT see it as all lives don't matter.  But that there are issues and racial norms in our society that need to be deconstructed!

• David returns to Jerusalem
• Judah & Israel have some tension
• Sheba leads Israel away from David
• David goes to Jerusalem, locks up his slave women in the house & doesn't sleep with them - they are fed, but live like widows until death

Slave women were for sex too.  This makes me heart sad.

• David sent Amasa to gather folks, but he took too long
• Joab leads them after Sheba & kills Amasa on the way
• They begin to destroy the city when a wise woman stops them, reminds them of their history & importance agrees to throw Sheba's head over the wall to them - she rallies her people with wise words & does this
• There was a food shortage & the Gibeonites were offered help from David as payment for Saul's hart against them
• They wanted 7 sons of Saul to hang & David provided
• Rizpah protected their hung bodies from birds & wildlife through harvest
• Then Saul & Jonathan's bones were brought back & buried with the 7
• War again with the Philistines; they protected David as he tired; then he stayed out of battle so they could always have their great leader
• David's song of praise
• Tales of men of great accomplishment in David's army
• David sent men to count the people, it took 9 months and 20 days to count them
• David was sinful in his request to count his army so he was give 3 choices for punishment
• 3 years hunger
• 3 months enemies
• 3 days of disease
• Disease came & an angel of God killed
• David built and alter & make sacrifices for disease to leave

Old Friends

Over the weekend I was able to head out to the childhood home of a dear friend of mine.  Her mom and brother still live there and we were friends growing up.  Molly lives across the country now, and has for awhile now!  But I am glad I get to see her every few years when she's back in town. 

We've grown apart and back together a few times over the years and we certainly haven't been close all those years, but we've always been friends.  Email has brought us a little closer together again than we have been in awhile, and for that I'm grateful.  I admire what she's done over the years and what she's doing with her little family now.  You're doing well my dear!

It was so sweet to see my little girls and her little girls playing together in the yard.  And I hope to see you again in time!

Elinore - School!

Elinore has grown this summer in many ways.  She's grown much taller this summer; she's lost the toddler look; she's learned and advanced in her vocabulary and we know she's a very smart cookie.  But none of that can tame her fears about preschool starting soon.

She just had the realization that in a few short weeks she's going to preschool and she is not ready.  In her words, "but mom, I can't go to school yet, I'm still small!"  As she continued down this path, she also said, "mom, I can't go to school, I don't know my letters yet!"  We've been talking a lot about what going to school will look like for her, and who she'll know in the school building. 

We're looking forward to getting her class list so maybe she'll know a classmate or two.  She does like that she knows her brothers will be in the same school with her and will ride the bus home with her.  And she knows some of their friends, so she likes that too. 

She'll attend bus safety training soon, so we'll see how that goes!  I'm anxious for her on the bus because she is small and it's a big bus!  But I'm glad she has a very short ride home and won't be on the bus for long. And Daddy or I will be there to meet her at the driveway!

I think she'll really enjoy school once she gets into it, but I remember being a preschooler attached to my mom's legs and crying in the morning, so I hope she does better than that.  I wasn't a day care kid, but she still cries a couple times a week at the sitters too.  I think one key for me will be making sure she's well rested!

We pray for peace for her through the transition.  And I think we'll start to pray for some bravery too!

Ruth Update

Ruth is seriously a funny little girl.  She's still working on talking, but she's got a few words in her vocabulary that she uses when she wants to, which isn't very often!  Or when she uses them it isn't very useful, but she's still highly effective at getting her point across when she wants or needs something!

She's been trying to wink some, which comes out as the cutest little wrinkled blink face.  It makes us smile.  :)

She is super sweet that if Elinore gets hurt of is upset and you tell Ruthie, she'll go give Elinore a hug and a pat on the back.  Those two girls are close buds, and they always hug and snuggle before bed. 

Ruth is usually very good at following directions and loves to throw things away, even things that aren't trash.  But she's also good at pulling things out of the trash too. 

She LOVES to play outside.  She's an angry little girl who will pull on your finger and point to the door time and time again until you finally take her outside; then all is well with the world.  Outside is her favorite place to be.