David- An Earnest Prayer

By Mary Vee
II Samuel 12

From David's Journal

The Lord sent Nathan to tell me something important, I wrote to you about it the last time. Click here to read the story.

Why did God send a prophet to tell the king of his chosen nation a message in story form? God wanted to open my eyes to the great sin I had committed. 

I became greedy and took another man's wife. To cover my sin I sent the husband to battle and ordered the captain to place the woman's husband where he would be killed. He, of course, died. Months later,the man's wife gave birth to my child.

And now the baby lay in a bed nearby. The little one had a terrible illness which could kill him. This was the punishment God gave me. The moment I heard of the baby's sickness I fell to the ground, crying, pleading with God for the child life. I lay there on the earth, refusing to get up for food or meeting or conversation.

Oh, Lord, hear my aching heart. 

I fasted, devoting every moment to asking God's grace, to change His mind and save the life of the child.

The elders came to me. They tried words to console me, brought food, to get me to get up from the ground. They didn't understand my ache. My need to plead to devote every bit of strength to pleading with the Lord.

Seven days later, servants stood near the room. They whispered softly, but I could tell from the tone that the child had died. 

"Is the child dead?" I asked.

"Yes, my lord, he is dead."

I pressed my body up from the earth and stood. God had answered and now I needed to go back to my duties. I washed, anointed myself, changed my clothes to present myself clean before the Lord and walked to the house of the Lord and worshiped Him for a long time.

Praise your Name, oh Lord my God.

I didn't dance, but I sang and praised Him with my whole heart. After a time I walked back to my house and asked for food. My servants hurried to the kitchen and brought me something to eat right away. 

The servant's eyes had grown wide, as if surprised. He said, "I don't understand. You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died you got up from the ground and ate food."

"While the child was alive," I said, "I fasted and cried to God. I said to myself, 'Who can tell whether the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live?' But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he will not come back to me.

I went to my wife, Bathesheba, and comforted her.

This is a Psalm I have sung. You call it Psalm 19

How clearly the sky reveals God's glory!
    How plainly it shows what he has done!
 Each day announces it to the following day;
    each night repeats it to the next.
 No speech or words are used,
    no sound is heard;
 yet their message^[b] goes out to all the world
    and is heard to the ends of the earth.
God made a home in the sky for the sun;
     it comes out in the morning like a happy bridegroom,
    like an athlete eager to run a race.
 It starts at one end of the sky
    and goes across to the other.
    Nothing can hide from its heat.

 The law of the Lord is perfect;
    it gives new strength.
The commands of the Lord are trustworthy,
    giving wisdom to those who lack it.
 The laws of the Lord are right,
    and those who obey them are happy.
The commands of the Lord are just
    and give understanding to the mind.
 Reverence for the Lord is good;
    it will continue forever.
The judgments of the Lord are just;
    they are always fair.
 They are more desirable than the finest gold;
    they are sweeter than the purest honey.
 They give knowledge to me, your servant;
    I am rewarded for obeying them.

 None of us can see our own errors;
    deliver me, Lord, from hidden faults!
 Keep me safe, also, from willful sins;
    don't let them rule over me.
Then I shall be perfect
    and free from the evil of sin.

 May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you,
    O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer!

********************************
photo courtesy of visualbibleimages.com  scripture from the Good News Translation

1. Who had God sent to speak with David.
2. What sin did David do?
3. When the baby became sick, what did David do?
4. Who tried to comfort him?
5. What happened to the baby?
6. When David heard the news what did he do?
7. David's servants were surprised when he asked for food. David gave this explanation:

David-Nathan Tells Me A Story

Mary Vee
II Samuel 12

David Thoughts

Nathan the prophet asked to speak with me one morning. I of course invited him in to my chambers.

"Here, sit with me and tell me what is on your mind."

Nathan sat and accepted a drink. "I have a story to tell."

I liked hearing stories and was grateful he came to tell me one. "Yes, please go ahead."

He said, "All right. There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he had bought, and gave the best care he could. The little lamb grew u with him and his children. It ate from his table and drank from his cup. It slept in his lap and was like a daughter to him. 

"A traveler came to the rich man's home. The rich man wanted to treat the guest well, but did not want to offer any of his own flock to be used as food. He went to the poor man's house and took his one and only lamb. He had the lamb prepared as food for his guest."

The rich man in the story made me angry. If Nathan is talking about a real person, this man needs to be punished. I raised my fist, "As the Lord lives, the man who has done this will die. And he will give to the poor man four times the value for the lamb because he did this awful deed with no pity."

Nathan leaned forward. "You are the man! The Lord God of Israel says, "I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that wasn't enough I would have given you much more! Why have you hated my law?

"You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword and you have taken his wife to be your wife. I will bring trouble against you from your own house. I will give your wives to your neighbors. What you did in secret, I will do before all Israel."

He was right. I bowed my head in shame. "I have sinned against the Lord."

Nathan stood. "You won't die for this sin, but the baby will die."

My heart ached because of my terrible sin. I sang this Psalm to the Lord (Psalm 57)

Be merciful to me, O God,
    because of your constant love.
Because of your great mercy
    wipe away my sins!
 Wash away all my evil
    and make me clean from my sin!

 I recognize my faults;
    I am always conscious of my sins.
 I have sinned against you—only against you—
    and done what you consider evil.
So you are right in judging me;
    you are justified in condemning me.
 I have been evil from the day I was born;
    from the time I was conceived, I have been sinful.

 Sincerity and truth are what you require;
    fill my mind with your wisdom.
 Remove my sin, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
 Let me hear the sounds of joy and gladness;
    and though you have crushed me and broken me,
    I will be happy once again.
 Close your eyes to my sins
    and wipe out all my evil.

 Create a pure heart in me, O God,
    and put a new and loyal spirit in me.
 Do not banish me from your presence;
    do not take your holy spirit away from me.
 Give me again the joy that comes from your salvation,
    and make me willing to obey you.
 Then I will teach sinners your commands,
    and they will turn back to you.

 Spare my life, O God, and save me,
    and I will gladly proclaim your righteousness.
 Help me to speak, Lord,
    and I will praise you.

 You do not want sacrifices,
    or I would offer them;
you are not pleased with burnt offerings.
 My sacrifice is a humble spirit, O God;
    you will not reject a humble and repentant heart.

 O God, be kind to Zion and help her;
    rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with proper sacrifices
    and with our burnt offerings;
    and bulls will be sacrificed on your altar.

*******************************************
To read more about David's sin go to II Samuel 11

1. Who came to visit David?
2. Why did he visit David?
3. What did the rich man do to the poor man?
4. What punishment did David want to give the rich man?
5. Who did David say was the rich man?
6. What punishment did God give David
7. What is Psalm 51 about?

Hudson Taylor-Laughing in the Face of Death

By Mary Vee

From J. Hudson Taylor's Notes

click on image to learn more about junks

Last week I told about my first venture from Shanghai. If you missed part one to this story you can click here for part one

I'd learned a few phrases of Mandarin, watched other missionaries dress, eat, and walk, and felt I could leave the comfort of my lodgings. We hired a boat for one day and floated up the river to meet people and tell them about Jesus.

The trip back did not go as expected.

Our boat scooted in range of imperial army's guns surrounding Shanghai. We repeated one of the hymns loud and strong, hoping the army could hear our voices and realize missionaries occupied the boat not spies.

As we sang the last words of the chorus, our junk pulled into view of the largest imperial vessel of them all. Apparently they could not hear our songs. 

A deep gong rang from the ship as an alarm. The soldiers ran to their gun stations ready to fire at us.

The problem with traveling with two other missionaries who grew up in different places than I was not knowing the same hymns. Quarterman bellowed out "Blow Ye the Trumpet, Blow!" I had never heard the hymn. 

When Quarterman finished his hymn I sang one I knew. Of course the other two didn't know it. We looked like three bumbling singers trying to sing a song we all knew.

Soldiers from the ship shouted at us. I would tell you what they said if I could have understood them. Between the noise and my little knowledge of Mandarin, I had no clue.

We were singing, they were shouting, no one understood. I realized how ridiculous we all looked and broke into laughing. I couldn't help myself. It was like a teenage giggle fest, laughing and not able to stop. Quarterman and Edkins couldn't help themselves either. They laughed too.

This did not make the imperialist soldiers happy. They must have thought we were laughing at them.  Never laugh at a soldier standing on a warship with loaded guns.

One soldier leaned over the side. "Who goes there?"

Our boatman cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted, "White devils."

Oh, that didn't sound good. Edkins and I yelled, "We're from the Great English nation."

Quarterman, the American, hollered, "From the Flowery flag country." This was one phrase the Chinese used for Americans.

The soldiers asked a few more question then finally let us go by.

Well, that certainly put an extra helping of excitement on our trip down the river. My heart returned to normal speed as my foot stepped into my home.

Did the adventure scare me away from missionary work in China? No. It did quite the opposite. I saw God perform a miracle. He also told me, through the whole incident, He wanted me alive for at least one more adventure.

J. Hudson Taylor

Do you have any questions?

David-Fights For a Just Cause

By Mary Vee
II Samuel 10, I Chrinicles 19, Psalm 60

From the Journal of A Spy in King David's Court

courtesy of visualbiblealive.com

To say King David became angry at King Hanun for disgracing his men would be like saying the sun is a dot in the sky and does little.

King David is a man of honor, patience, kindness, and dedication to God. He is also a man of war, ready to fight for a just cause. When I reported Hanun's disgraceful treatment of his loyal soldiers, David communicated quite clearly to Hanun he had become a stench in Davi'd nostrils.

King Hanun wisely became terrified. He spent a thousand talents of silver (thirty-seven tons) to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram Naharaim, Aram Maacah, and Zobah. These  were men from the north in Mesopotamia. The men, in turn hired thirty-two thousand chariots and charioteers, as well as Maacah with his troops.

Maacah camped near Medeba and the Ammonites gathered their troops to prepare for battle. Medeba is in Moab, across the River Jordan and south, by the Dead Sea.

Does this sound like storm troopers being sent to fight David and his men? Hanun sounded the "I'm totally scared of David, his soldiers, and his God" cry. Hanun made sure he could destroy David and his army by placing the Ammonites on the north, and Maacah's men to the east and south.

I reported to David the call to battle. He immediately sent for Joab and ordered him to prepare the entire army of fighting men to defend our people. 

The Ammonites came out of their cities and drew up in battle formation while the kings who arrived from other places formed in the open country.

Joab sent word back to David, "There are battle lines in front and behind. I have selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. I put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai, my brother, and deployed them against the Ammonites."

"If the Arameans are too strong for me, then Abishai agreed to rescue me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for him, then I will rescue him. I gave him this command "Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight."

The battle began. Joab and his troops advanced to fight the Arameans. The wimps fled, running away like little mice. When the Ammonites saw the strong Arameans had fled, they turned and ran away from Abishai and his men. God set fear in their hearts for the sake of His people.

The battle did not end here. Come back next time to read what the Arameans tried next.

Here is a Psalm we sing:    Psalm 2

Why do the nations plan rebellion?
    Why do people make their useless plots?
 Their kings revolt,
    their rulers plot together against the Lord
    and against the king he chose.
 “Let us free ourselves from their rule,” they say;
    “let us throw off their control.”

 From his throne in heaven the Lord laughs
    and mocks their feeble plans.
 Then he warns them in anger
    and terrifies them with his fury.
 “On Zion,^[a] my sacred hill,” he says,
    “I have installed my king.”

 “I will announce,” says the king, “what the Lord has declared.
    He said to me: ‘You are my son;
    today I have become your father.
 Ask, and I will give you all the nations;
    the whole earth will be yours.
 You will break them with an iron rod;
    you will shatter them in pieces like a clay pot.’”

 Now listen to this warning, you kings;
    learn this lesson, you rulers of the world:
Serve the Lord with fear;
     tremble  and bow down to him;
     or else his anger will be quickly aroused,
    and you will suddenly die.
Happy are all who go to him for protection.

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1.  Why did King Hanun spend a thousand talents of silver?

2.  What did he do to David (answer in the last post)

3.  Who was afraid, Hanun or David?

4.  What did David do when he heard about the call to battle?

5.  What sneaky battle plan did Hanun's armies use?

6.  Joab, the captain of David's army decide to _________ the army.

7.  Joab told Abishai to ________________

8.  What happened in the battle?   (it's okay, you can laugh)

David-Snakes and Rotten Guys

By Mary Vee
II Samuel 10, Psalm 105

A Journal Entry from One of David's Men

King David is an honorable man. 

He remembers and blesses those who have been kind to him. He never forgets. And if the person is no longer alive, he gives the blessing to his children. Like what he did for Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son.

David received news about the death of King Nahash of the Ammonites. His son, Hanun, succeeded him as king. Since King Nahash had shown kindness to David in the past, David wanted to send a group of his best men to give his sympathies to the son, King Hanun.

I was one of the honored men to go.

We arrived at King Hanun's palace the next day and were asked to wait in a room until announced. I stood by the door and overheard King Hanun's men whispering.

They said, "Those men who came in the name of King David are not here to honor King Hanun. They say King David wants to express sympathy for the loss of his father, King Nahash. I'll tell you why they came. They want to explore and spy out our country to set up a battle plan and overthrow us."

I knew we were in big trouble. Their thoughts were wrong. We really came in David's name to give sympathies, but they didn't believe us.

The door burst open. Guards yanked us to a room deep in the earth. They shaved our beards, the honor of a Hebrew man, cut off the back side of our clothes and sent us away in disgrace.

I have never been so humiliated in my life. The men with me ran from bush to tree to hide our shame. 

Along the way, we met a group of friends, men from David's army. They called to us. 

We lifted our head from our hiding place. "We're over here."

They ran to us with open arms. "David heard what happened. He understands how you feel. Come with us. We have made arrangements for you to stay in Jericho until your beards have grown."

I didn't know what to say. I felt very grateful for King David's quick act of kindness, but my shame wouldn't let me speak. My friend pressed his hand on my shoulder. "You're going to be fine, brother. We'll take care of you."

I looked at him, and although I couldn't smile, I managed to say, "Thank you."

I wasn't surprised at all that David sent our friends to help and that he made arrangements for us in Jericho. He is a kind and compassionate king who thinks of the needs of his people.

How blessed we are that God chose David as our king.

Thank you, God.

This is one of the Psalms we sing:  Psalm 105

Hallelujah! Thank God! Pray to him by name!
      Tell everyone you meet what he has done!
   Sing him songs, belt out hymns,
      translate his wonders into music!
   Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs,
      you who seek God. Live a happy life!
   Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works;
      be alert for signs of his presence.
   Remember the world of wonders he has made,
      his miracles, and the verdicts he's rendered—
         O seed of Abraham, his servant,
         O child of Jacob, his chosen.

   He's God, our God,
      in charge of the whole earth.
   And he remembers, remembers his Covenant—
      for a thousand generations he's been as good as his word.
   It's the Covenant he made with Abraham,
      the same oath he swore to Isaac,
   The very statute he established with Jacob,
      the eternal Covenant with Israel,
   Namely, "I give you the land.
      Canaan is your hill-country inheritance."
   When they didn't count for much,
      a mere handful, and strangers at that,
   Wandering from country to country,
      drifting from pillar to post,
   He permitted no one to abuse them.
      He told kings to keep their hands off:
   "Don't you dare lay a hand on my anointed,
      don't hurt a hair on the heads of my prophets."

   Then he called down a famine on the country,
      he broke every last blade of wheat.
   But he sent a man on ahead:
      Joseph, sold as a slave.
   They put cruel chains on his ankles,
      an iron collar around his neck,
   Until God's word came to the Pharaoh,
      and God confirmed his promise.
   God sent the king to release him.
      The Pharaoh set Joseph free;
   He appointed him master of his palace,
      put him in charge of all his business
   To personally instruct his princes
      and train his advisors in wisdom.

    Then Israel entered Egypt,
      Jacob immigrated to the Land of Ham.
   God gave his people lots of babies;
      soon their numbers alarmed their foes.
   He turned the Egyptians against his people;
      they abused and cheated God's servants.
   Then he sent his servant Moses,
      and Aaron, whom he also chose.
   They worked marvels in that spiritual wasteland,
      miracles in the Land of Ham.
   He spoke, "Darkness!" and it turned dark—
      they couldn't see what they were doing.
   He turned all their water to blood
      so that all their fish died;
   He made frogs swarm through the land,
      even into the king's bedroom;
   He gave the word and flies swarmed,
      gnats filled the air.
   He substituted hail for rain,
      he stabbed their land with lightning;
   He wasted their vines and fig trees,
      smashed their groves of trees to splinters;
   With a word he brought in locusts,
      millions of locusts, armies of locusts;
   They consumed every blade of grass in the country
      and picked the ground clean of produce;
   He struck down every firstborn in the land,
      the first fruits of their virile powers.
   He led Israel out, their arms filled with loot,
      and not one among his tribes even stumbled.
   Egypt was glad to have them go—
      they were scared to death of them.
   God spread a cloud to keep them cool through the day
      and a fire to light their way through the night;
   They prayed and he brought quail,
      filled them with the bread of heaven;
   He opened the rock and water poured out;
      it flowed like a river through that desert—
   All because he remembered his Covenant,
      his promise to Abraham, his servant.

    Remember this! He led his people out singing for joy;
      his chosen people marched, singing their hearts out!
   He made them a gift of the country they entered,
      helped them seize the wealth of the nations
   So they could do everything he told them—
      could follow his instructions to the letter.
   Hallelujah!

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1.  Who is Nahash? What happened to him?
2.  What did David want to do, and why?
3.  Who else had David treated this way?
4. Who is Hanun?
5. What did Hanun's advisor think about David's men?
6. What did Hanun do to David's men?
7. What did David do when he heard the news?
8. Was the storyteller proud or disappointed in his king?

Hudson Taylor-Singing for Safety

By Mary Vee

From Hudson Taylor's Notes

click on picture to learn more about a junk

I'd finally come to the place where I felt comfortable enough to leave Shanghai and venture further into China.

I can't take full credit. Two missionaries invited me to go with them on an adventure  down the Huangpu River to the city of Woosung.

The location didn't matter. I mattered. I felt like a butterfly sprouting from a cocoon. I had studied the Shanghai dialect of Mandarin and helped a missionary doctor for several months. I wanted to do missionary work of my own. (Sounds kinda like a two year old, huh?). Well, I did. I came to China to be a missionary, not a leech. 

I was brave, ready to see something beyond the coast where I had landed. Anxious to tell others about Christ, but not foolish. I didn't go by myself. 

I travelled with Joseph Edkins and John Quarterman, both missionaries.  One English, the other American. We gave away Bibles and booklets to men and women traveling on junks, a junk is a Chinese sailing boat. see the picture above.

The captains of the junks promised us the Bibles and booklets would be read by those on board, then would be given to others they met at distant ports.

My first trip away from the safety of the city. I felt like dancing and singing praises to God like King David. I had a chance to tell and share God's Word.

link to take a river boat cruise on the Huangpu

We turned our junk around and headed back to Shanghai at sunset. Thats when the problems started. 

The imperial army still surrounded the city. Generals planted warships in the river to prevent the enemy from entering the country from the ocean. During the day we had no problems leaving Shanghai and sailing up the river, the imperialist saw we were not rebel spies. At night, however, they would not recognize us. 

The army would shoot first and look in our boat second. A little late for us.

Edkins suggested we sing hymns, loud and strong to let the soldiers know we were missionaries. What a good idea. The three of us sang our favorite hymns, at the top of our voices. Not exactly the three part harmony of a professional trio, but we tried. 

We stopped singing after passing the last vessel to catch our breath and pat each other on the back. "That went better than expected." 

We sat back and enjoyed the beautiful river view until our boatman shouted at us. "Start singing again. Hurry!" His face clearly showed trouble loomed ahead. The last boats we saw must not have been the imperialist vessels after all. 

A military vessel stared at us from ahead with guns turned straight at our boat.

Sorry, I need a breath. I'll continue next week.

J. Hudson Taylor

Do you have any questions?

David-"Is There Anyone Left?"

By Mary Vee
II Samuel 9

David's Journal

photo courtesy of Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0
United States License

Here I sit in Jerusalem, the city God conquered for the Israelites inside my palace, which God had the king of Tyre send supplies and workers to build for me.

God gave plans for a Tabernacle and chose my son to build the structure.

Now what should I do? Surely there is something else I could do to give honor to God.

I stood at the window overlooking the city and wondered what to do. No battles to fight. Hmmm.

Then the promise I gave Jonathan years ago popped in my mind. A promise to care for any of his descendants. That's it! Oh, this will be a fun job. I called a meeting of all my advisors to begin the task.

"I need to know if there is anyone still left from the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake."

One of the advisers nodded. "Ziba was a servant in Saul's house. He would know."

"Good. Bring him to me at once."

Later that morning Ziba came to my chambers. "Are you Ziba?" I asked.

"Yes, I am your servant."

"Good. Tell me, is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show God's kindness?"

"Yes, my lord. There is still a son of Jonathan. He is crippled in both feet."

"Really? Where is he living?"

"He is at the house of Makir, son of Ammiel in Lo Debar."

Hmmm, Lo Debar was on the other side of the Jordan and up near the Sea of Galilee. "He should be brought here to live. Thank you for your help."

I called for my servants. "Go to the house of Makir, son of Ammiel in Lo Debar and get Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan. Be careful, his feet are crippled. Bring all his belongings so he may live here in the palace with me."

I couldn't believe how excited my heart felt. Songs of praise to God flooded my mind. Bringing Mephibosheth to the palace was the right thing to do. I stood by the window, watching, waiting for him to arrive. And then I saw the caravan approach. I wanted to see him right away, but knew he'd need time to settle into new quarters.

Some time later, a servant approached my chambers. "My lord, Mephibosheth is here."

"Mephibosheth!" I ran to him with my arms stretched wide for a hug. I think I might have frightened the young man.

He bowed. "Your servant."

I backed away to ease him. "Don't be afraid. I will show you kindness because of your father, Jonathan who was my good friend. I will give back to you all the land which belonged to your grandfather, Saul. You will always eat at my table."

Mephibosheth looked at guards then back at me. He bowed again. "What am I that you should notice a dead dog like me?"

I don't think he believed me. I called for Ziba to join our conversation. When he arrived, I said, "I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. You and your sons, and your servants are to farm the land for him. Mephibosheth is to always eat at my table."

Mephibosheth looked up at Ziba. His concerned eyes changed to a happy smile.

Ziba nodded then faced me. "Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do."

The seats closest to the king are normally reserved for special people, like family. I didn't give Mephibosheth a seat at the end of the table or any unimportant seat. He sat close to me, with my sons. I ordered my servants to treat him as one of my sons.

author's note: I especially like this story. It reminds me of the time God will call all His adopted children to join Him at his table. He is waiting for us even now. When we go to heaven, He will welcome us with a special warmth and love, more than we have ever known. And we will eat at His table and live in heaven with His son forever more.

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1.  What had God given David?
2.  What did David want to do?
3.  What servant helped David with information?
4.  What did Ziba say?
5.  What did David chose to do?
6.  What gifts did David give Mephibosheth and why?
7.  How was Mephibosheth to be treated in David's house?
8.  What clues does this story tell us about God?