1. What do I learn about God?
2. What do I learn about man?
3. Is there an example to follow?
4. What does God want me to believe?

2 Samuel 10; 1 Chronicles 19; Psalm 20

2 Samuel 10

10In the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him as king.

²David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father. When David’s men came to the land of the Ammonites,

³the Ammonite nobles said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending men to you to express sympathy? Hasn’t David sent them to you to explore the city and spy it out and overthrow it?”

⁴So Hanun seized David’s men, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away.

⁵When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back.”

⁶When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench in David’s nostrils, they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth Rehob and Zobah, as well as the king of Maacah with a thousand men, and also twelve thousand men from Tob.

⁷On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men.

⁸The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.

⁹Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans.

¹⁰He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother and deployed them against the Ammonites.

¹¹Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you.

¹²Be 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.”

¹³Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him.

¹⁴When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were fleeing, they fled before Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab returned from fighting the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.

¹⁵After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they regrouped.

¹⁶Hadadezer had Arameans brought from beyond the River ; they went to Helam, with Shobach the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.

¹⁷When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan and went to Helam. The Arameans formed their battle lines to meet David and fought against him.

¹⁸But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also struck down Shobach the commander of their army, and he died there.

¹⁹When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with the Israelites and became subject to them. So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.

1 Chronicles 19

19In the course of time, Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son succeeded him as king.

²David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father. When David’s men came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to express sympathy to him,

³the Ammonite nobles said to Hanun, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending men to you to express sympathy? Haven’t his men come to you to explore and spy out the country and overthrow it?”

⁴So Hanun seized David’s men, shaved them, cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks, and sent them away.

⁵When someone came and told David about the men, he sent messengers to meet them, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back.”

⁶When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench in David’s nostrils, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram Naharaim, Aram Maacah and Zobah.

⁷They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and charioteers, as well as the king of Maacah with his troops, who came and camped near Medeba, while the Ammonites were mustered from their towns and moved out for battle.

⁸On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men.

⁹The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city, while the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.

¹⁰Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans.

¹¹He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother, and they were deployed against the Ammonites.

¹²Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to rescue me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will rescue you.

¹³Be 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.”

¹⁴Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him.

¹⁵When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were fleeing, they too fled before his brother Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.

¹⁶After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they sent messengers and had Arameans brought from beyond the River, with Shophach the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.

¹⁷When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan; he advanced against them and formed his battle lines opposite them. David formed his lines to meet the Arameans in battle, and they fought against him.

¹⁸But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He also killed Shophach the commander of their army.

¹⁹When the vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him. So the Arameans were not willing to help the Ammonites anymore.

PSALM 20

¹May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.

²May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.

³May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. Selah

⁴May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.

⁵We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the Lord grant all your requests.

⁶Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand.

⁷Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

⁸They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.

⁹O Lord , save the king! Answer us when we call!

1. What do I learn about God?
2. What do I learn about man?
3. Is there an example to follow?
4. What does God want me to believe?

Psalm 50, 53, 60, 75

PSALM 50

¹The Mighty One, God, the Lord , speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to the place where it sets.

²From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.

³Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages.

⁴He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people:

⁵“Gather to me my consecrated ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”

⁶And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah

⁷“Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you: I am God, your God.

⁸I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.

⁹I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens,

¹⁰for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.

¹¹I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine.

¹²If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

¹³Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,

¹⁵and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”

¹⁶But to the wicked, God says: “What right have you to recite my laws or take my covenant on your lips?

¹⁷You hate my instruction and cast my words behind you.

¹⁸When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers.

¹⁹You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit.

²⁰You speak continually against your brother and slander your own mother’s son.

²¹These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face.

²²“Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue:

²³He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”

PSALM 53

¹The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their ways are vile; there is no one who does good.

²God looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

³Everyone has turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

⁴Will the evildoers never learn- those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on God?

⁵There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread. God scattered the bones of those who attacked you; you put them to shame, for God despised them.

⁶Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!

PSALM 60

¹You have rejected us, O God, and burst forth upon us; you have been angry-now restore us!

²You have shaken the land and torn it open; mend its fractures, for it is quaking.

³You have shown your people desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger.

⁴But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow. Selah

⁵Save us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.

⁶God has spoken from his sanctuary: “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of Succoth.

⁷Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet, Judah my scepter.

⁸Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”

⁹Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?

¹⁰Is it not you, O God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies?

¹¹Give us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless.

¹²With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.

PSALM 75

¹We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds.

²You say, “I choose the appointed time; it is I who judge uprightly.

³When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm. Selah

⁴To the arrogant I say, ‘Boast no more,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horns.

⁵Do not lift your horns against heaven; do not speak with outstretched neck.’ “

⁶No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt a man.

⁷But it is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another.

⁸In the hand of the Lord is a cup full of foaming wine mixed with spices; he pours it out, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to its very dregs.

⁹As for me, I will declare this forever; I will sing praise to the God of Jacob.

¹⁰I will cut off the horns of all the wicked, but the horns of the righteous will be lifted up.

1. What do I learn about God?
2. What do I learn about man?
3. Is there an example to follow?
4. What does God want me to believe?

2 Samuel 8-9; 1 Chronicles 18

8In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the control of the Philistines.

²David also defeated the Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought tribute.

³Moreover, David fought Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his control along the Euphrates River.

⁴David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses.

⁵When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them.

⁶He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought tribute. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.

⁷David took the gold shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.

⁸From Tebah and Berothai, towns that belonged to Hadadezer, King David took a great quantity of bronze.

⁹When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer,

¹⁰he sent his son Joram to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Joram brought with him articles of silver and gold and bronze.

¹¹King David dedicated these articles to the Lord , as he had done with the silver and gold from all the nations he had subdued:

¹²Edom and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek. He also dedicated the plunder taken from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³And David became famous after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

¹⁴He put garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.

¹⁵David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people.

¹⁶Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;

¹⁷Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was secretary;

¹⁸Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were royal advisers.

9David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

²Now there was a servant of Saul’s household named Ziba. They called him to appear before David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” “Your servant,” he replied.

³The king asked, “Is there no one still left of 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 crippled in both feet.”

⁴“Where is he?” the king asked. Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”

⁵So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.

⁶When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor. David said, “Mephibosheth!” “Your servant,” he replied.

⁷“Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.”

⁸Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?”

⁹Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family.

¹⁰You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

¹¹Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons.

¹²Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all the members of Ziba’s household were servants of Mephibosheth.

¹³And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was crippled in both feet.

1 Chronicles 18

18In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its surrounding villages from the control of the Philistines.

²David also defeated the Moabites, and they became subject to him and brought tribute.

³Moreover, David fought Hadadezer king of Zobah, as far as Hamath, when he went to establish his control along the Euphrates River.

⁴David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses.

⁵When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them.

⁶He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought tribute. The Lord gave David victory everywhere he went.

⁷David took the gold shields carried by the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.

⁸From Tebah and Cun, towns that belonged to Hadadezer, David took a great quantity of bronze, which Solomon used to make the bronze Sea, the pillars and various bronze articles.

⁹When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer king of Zobah,

¹⁰he sent his son Hadoram to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Hadoram brought all kinds of articles of gold and silver and bronze.

¹¹King David dedicated these articles to the Lord , as he had done with the silver and gold he had taken from all these nations: Edom and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek.

¹²Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

¹³He put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The Lord gave David victory everywhere he went.

¹⁴David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people.

¹⁵Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;

¹⁶Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Shavsha was secretary;

¹⁷Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were chief officials at the king’s side.

1. What do I learn about God?
2. What do I learn about man?
3. Is there an example to follow?
4. What does God want me to believe?

Psalm 25, 29, 33, 36, 39

PSALM 25

¹To you, O Lord , I lift up my soul;

²in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame, nor let my enemies triumph over me.

³No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame, but they will be put to shame who are treacherous without excuse.

⁴Show me your ways, O Lord , teach me your paths;

⁵guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.

⁶Remember, O Lord , your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.

⁷Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you are good, O Lord .

⁸Good and upright is the Lord ; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.

⁹He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

¹⁰All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant.

¹¹For the sake of your name, O Lord , forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

¹²Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord ? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

¹³He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.

¹⁴The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.

¹⁵My eyes are ever on the Lord , for only he will release my feet from the snare.

¹⁶Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.

¹⁷The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish.

¹⁸Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins.

¹⁹See how my enemies have increased and how fiercely they hate me!

²⁰Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.

²¹May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.

²²Redeem Israel, O God, from all their troubles!

PSALM 29

¹Ascribe to the Lord , O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

²Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

³The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.

⁴The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic.

⁵The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

⁶He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.

⁷The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.

⁸The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

⁹The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

¹⁰The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever.

¹¹The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.

PSALM 33

¹Sing joyfully to the Lord , you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.

²Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.

³Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

⁴For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.

⁵The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.

⁶By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.

⁷He gathers the waters of the sea into jars ; he puts the deep into storehouses.

⁸Let all the earth fear the Lord ; let all the people of the world revere him.

⁹For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.

¹⁰The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.

¹¹But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.

¹²Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord , the people he chose for his inheritance.

¹³From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind;

¹⁴from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth-

¹⁵he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.

¹⁶No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.

¹⁷A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.

¹⁸But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,

¹⁹to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

²⁰We wait in hope for the Lord ; he is our help and our shield.

²¹In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.

²²May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord , even as we put our hope in you.

PSALM 36

¹An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes.

²For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin.

³The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good.

⁴Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not reject what is wrong.

⁵Your love, O Lord , reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies.

⁶Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O Lord , you preserve both man and beast.

⁷How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.

⁸They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights.

⁹For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.

¹⁰Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart.

¹¹May the foot of the proud not come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.

¹²See how the evildoers lie fallen- thrown down, not able to rise!

PSALM 39

¹I said, “I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence.”

²But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased.

³My heart grew hot within me, and as I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:

⁴“Show me, O Lord , my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.

⁵You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath. Selah

⁶Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.

⁷“But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you.

⁸Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools.

⁹I was silent; I would not open my mouth, for you are the one who has done this.

¹⁰Remove your scourge from me; I am overcome by the blow of your hand.

¹¹You rebuke and discipline men for their sin; you consume their wealth like a moth- each man is but a breath. Selah

¹²“Hear my prayer, O Lord , listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping. For I dwell with you as an alien, a stranger, as all my fathers were.

¹³Look away from me, that I may rejoice again before I depart and am no more.”

1. What do I learn about God?
2. What do I learn about man?
3. Is there an example to follow?
4. What does God want me to believe?

2 Samuel 7; 1 Chronicles 17

7After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him,

²he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.”

³Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴That night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:

⁵“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in?

⁶I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling.

⁷Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ‘

⁸“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel.

⁹I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth.

¹⁰And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning

¹¹and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. ” ‘The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you:

¹²When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹³He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

¹⁴I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men.

¹⁵But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.

¹⁶Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me ; your throne will be established forever.’ “

¹⁷Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

¹⁸Then King David went in and sat before the Lord , and he said: “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord , and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

¹⁹And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign Lord , you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign Lord ?

²⁰“What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Sovereign Lord .

²¹For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

²²“How great you are, O Sovereign Lord ! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.

²³And 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?

²⁴You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, O Lord , have become their God.

²⁵“And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised,

²⁶so that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you.

²⁷“O 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 offer you this prayer.

²⁸O Sovereign Lord , you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.

²⁹Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign Lord , have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”

1 Chronicles 17

17After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.”

²Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with you.”

³That night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:

⁴“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build me a house to dwell in.

⁵I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another.

⁶Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders whom I commanded to shepherd my people, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ‘

⁷“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock, to be ruler over my people Israel.

⁸I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men of the earth.

⁹And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning

¹⁰and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies. ” ‘I declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you:

¹¹When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹²He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.

¹³I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor.

¹⁴I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.’ “

¹⁵Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

¹⁶Then King David went in and sat before the Lord , and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

¹⁷And as if this were not enough in your sight, O God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men, O Lord God.

¹⁸“What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant,

¹⁹O Lord . For the sake of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.

²⁰“There is no one like you, O Lord , and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.

²¹And who is like your people Israel-the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?

²²You made your people Israel your very own forever, and you, O Lord , have become their God.

²³“And now, Lord , let the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised,

²⁴so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, ‘The Lord Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel’s God!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you.

²⁵“You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you.

²⁶O Lord , you are God! You have promised these good things to your servant.

²⁷Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Lord , have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever.”

1. What do I learn about God?
2. What do I learn about man?
3. Is there an example to follow?
4. What does God want me to believe?

Psalm 89, 96, 100, 101, 105, 132

PSALM 89

¹I will sing of the Lord ‘s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.

²I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

³You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant,

⁴‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.’ ” Selah

⁵The heavens praise your wonders, O Lord , your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.

⁶For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord ? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings?

⁷In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared; he is more awesome than all who surround him.

⁸O Lord God Almighty, who is like you? You are mighty, O Lord , and your faithfulness surrounds you.

⁹You rule over the surging sea; when its waves mount up, you still them.

¹⁰You crushed Rahab like one of the slain; with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.

¹¹The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth; you founded the world and all that is in it.

¹²You created the north and the south; Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.

¹³Your arm is endued with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.

¹⁴Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.

¹⁵Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, O Lord .

¹⁶They rejoice in your name all day long; they exult in your righteousness.

¹⁷For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn.

¹⁸Indeed, our shield belongs to the Lord , our king to the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁹Once you spoke in a vision, to your faithful people you said: “I have bestowed strength on a warrior; I have exalted a young man from among the people.

²⁰I have found David my servant; with my sacred oil I have anointed him.

²¹My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him.

²²No enemy will subject him to tribute; no wicked man will oppress him.

²³I will crush his foes before him and strike down his adversaries.

²⁴My faithful love will be with him, and through my name his horn will be exalted.

²⁵I will set his hand over the sea, his right hand over the rivers.

²⁶He will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock my Savior.’

²⁷I will also appoint him my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth.

²⁸I will maintain my love to him forever, and my covenant with him will never fail.

²⁹I will establish his line forever, his throne as long as the heavens endure.

³⁰“If his sons forsake my law and do not follow my statutes,

³¹if they violate my decrees and fail to keep my commands,

³²I will punish their sin with the rod, their iniquity with flogging;

³³but I will not take my love from him, nor will I ever betray my faithfulness.

³⁴I will not violate my covenant or alter what my lips have uttered.

³⁵Once for all, I have sworn by my holiness- and I will not lie to David-

³⁶that his line will continue forever and his throne endure before me like the sun;

³⁷it will be established forever like the moon, the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah

³⁸But you have rejected, you have spurned, you have been very angry with your anointed one.

³⁹You have renounced the covenant with your servant and have defiled his crown in the dust.

⁴⁰You have broken through all his walls and reduced his strongholds to ruins.

⁴¹All who pass by have plundered him; he has become the scorn of his neighbors.

⁴²You have exalted the right hand of his foes; you have made all his enemies rejoice.

⁴³You have turned back the edge of his sword and have not supported him in battle.

⁴⁴You have put an end to his splendor and cast his throne to the ground.

⁴⁵You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with a mantle of shame. Selah

⁴⁶How long, O Lord ? Will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire?

⁴⁷Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all men!

⁴⁸What man can live and not see death, or save himself from the power of the grave ? Selah

⁴⁹O Lord, where is your former great love, which in your faithfulness you swore to David?

⁵⁰Remember, Lord, how your servant has been mocked, how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations,

⁵¹the taunts with which your enemies have mocked, O Lord , with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.

⁵²Praise be to the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.

PSALM 96

¹Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord , all the earth.

²Sing to the Lord , praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.

³Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

⁴For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.

⁵For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

⁶Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

⁷Ascribe to the Lord , O families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

⁸Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts.

⁹Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.

¹⁰Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.

¹¹Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it;

¹²let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;

¹³they will sing before the Lord , for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.

PSALM 100

¹Shout for joy to the Lord , all the earth.

²Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

³Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his ; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

⁵For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

PSALM 101

¹I will sing of your love and justice; to you, O Lord , I will sing praise.

²I will be careful to lead a blameless life- when will you come to me? I will walk in my house with blameless heart.

³I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me.

⁴Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil.

⁵Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, him will I put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, him will I not endure.

⁶My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he whose walk is blameless will minister to me.

⁷No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence.

⁸Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land; I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the Lord .

PSALM 105

¹Give thanks to the Lord , call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

²Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.

³Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

⁴Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

⁵Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

⁶O descendants of Abraham his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

⁷He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.

⁸He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,

⁹the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.

¹⁰He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

¹¹“To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.”

¹²When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it,

¹³they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.

¹⁴He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:

¹⁵“Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”

¹⁶He called down famine on the land and destroyed all their supplies of food;

¹⁷and he sent a man before them- Joseph, sold as a slave.

¹⁸They bruised his feet with shackles, his neck was put in irons,

¹⁹till what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the Lord proved him true.

²⁰The king sent and released him, the ruler of peoples set him free.

²¹He made him master of his household, ruler over all he possessed,

²²to instruct his princes as he pleased and teach his elders wisdom.

²³Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.

²⁴The Lord made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes,

²⁵whose hearts he turned to hate his people, to conspire against his servants.

²⁶He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen.

²⁷They performed his miraculous signs among them, his wonders in the land of Ham.

²⁸He sent darkness and made the land dark- for had they not rebelled against his words?

²⁹He turned their waters into blood, causing their fish to die.

³⁰Their land teemed with frogs, which went up into the bedrooms of their rulers.

³¹He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.

³²He turned their rain into hail, with lightning throughout their land;

³³he struck down their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their country.

³⁴He spoke, and the locusts came, grasshoppers without number;

³⁵they ate up every green thing in their land, ate up the produce of their soil.

³⁶Then he struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their manhood.

³⁷He brought out Israel, laden with silver and gold, and from among their tribes no one faltered.

³⁸Egypt was glad when they left, because dread of Israel had fallen on them.

³⁹He spread out a cloud as a covering, and a fire to give light at night.

⁴⁰They asked, and he brought them quail and satisfied them with the bread of heaven.

⁴¹He opened the rock, and water gushed out; like a river it flowed in the desert.

⁴²For he remembered his holy promise given to his servant Abraham.

⁴³He brought out his people with rejoicing, his chosen ones with shouts of joy;

⁴⁴he gave them the lands of the nations, and they fell heir to what others had toiled for-

⁴⁵that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Praise the Lord .

PSALM 132

¹O Lord , remember David and all the hardships he endured.

²He swore an oath to the Lord and made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:

³“I will not enter my house or go to my bed-

⁴I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids,

⁵till I find a place for the Lord , a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”

⁶We heard it in Ephrathah, we came upon it in the fields of Jaar :

⁷“Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool-

⁸arise, O Lord , and come to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.

⁹May your priests be clothed with righteousness; may your saints sing for joy.”

¹⁰For the sake of David your servant, do not reject your anointed one.

¹¹The Lord swore an oath to David, a sure oath that he will not revoke: “One of your own descendants I will place on your throne-

¹²if your sons keep my covenant and the statutes I teach them, then their sons will sit on your throne for ever and ever.”

¹³For the Lord has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling:

¹⁴“This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it-

¹⁵I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor will I satisfy with food.

¹⁶I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints will ever sing for joy.

¹⁷“Here I will make a horn grow for David and set up a lamp for my anointed one.

¹⁸I will clothe his enemies with shame, but the crown on his head will be resplendent.”

1. What do I learn about God?
2. What do I learn about man?
3. Is there an example to follow?
4. What does God want me to believe?

Psalm 1-2, 15, 22-24, 47, 68

PSALM 1

¹Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.

²But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.

³He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

⁴Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

⁵Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

PSALM 2

¹Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain?

²The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed One.

³“Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.”

⁴The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.

⁵Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

⁶“I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.”

⁷I will proclaim the decree of the Lord : He said to me, “You are my Son ; today I have become your Father.

⁸Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

⁹You will rule them with an iron scepter ; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

¹⁰Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.

¹¹Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.

¹²Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

PSALM 15

¹Lord , who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?

²He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart

³and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman,

⁴who despises a vile man but honors those who fear the Lord , who keeps his oath even when it hurts,

⁵who lends his money without usury and does not accept a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things will never be shaken.

PSALM 22

¹My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?

²O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.

³Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel.

⁴In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them.

⁵They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

⁶But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.

⁷All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

⁸“He trusts in the Lord ; let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”

⁹Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast.

¹⁰From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.

¹¹Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.

¹²Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

¹³Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me.

¹⁴I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me.

¹⁵My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death.

¹⁶Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.

¹⁷I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me.

¹⁸They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.

¹⁹But you, O Lord , be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

²⁰Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs.

²¹Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

²²I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you.

²³You who fear the Lord , praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

²⁴For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.

²⁵From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.

²⁶The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him- may your hearts live forever!

²⁷All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord , and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,

²⁸for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.

²⁹All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him- those who cannot keep themselves alive.

³⁰Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord.

³¹They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn- for he has done it.

PSALM 23

¹The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

²He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

³he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

⁴Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

⁶Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

PSALM 24

¹The earth is the Lord ‘s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;

²for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.

³Who may ascend the hill of the Lord ? Who may stand in his holy place?

⁴He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.

⁵He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior.

⁶Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob. Selah

⁷Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

⁸Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.

⁹Lift up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.

¹⁰Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord Almighty- he is the King of glory. Selah

PSALM 47

¹Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.

²How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth!

³He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.

⁴He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. Selah

⁵God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.

⁶Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.

⁷For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.

⁸God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.

⁹The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.

PSALM 68

¹May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him.

²As smoke is blown away by the wind, may you blow them away; as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God.

³But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.

⁴Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds – his name is the Lord – and rejoice before him.

⁵A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.

⁶God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

⁷When you went out before your people, O God, when you marched through the wasteland, Selah

⁸the earth shook, the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.

⁹You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance.

¹⁰Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor.

¹¹The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it:

¹²“Kings and armies flee in haste; in the camps men divide the plunder.

¹³Even while you sleep among the campfires, the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver, its feathers with shining gold.”

¹⁴When the Almighty scattered the kings in the land, it was like snow fallen on Zalmon.

¹⁵The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains; rugged are the mountains of Bashan.

¹⁶Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign, where the Lord himself will dwell forever?

¹⁷The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.

¹⁸When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you received gifts from men, even from the rebellious- that you, O Lord God, might dwell there.

¹⁹Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah

²⁰Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign Lord comes escape from death.

²¹Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins.

²²The Lord says, “I will bring them from Bashan; I will bring them from the depths of the sea,

²³that you may plunge your feet in the blood of your foes, while the tongues of your dogs have their share.”

²⁴Your procession has come into view, O God, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary.

²⁵In front are the singers, after them the musicians; with them are the maidens playing tambourines.

²⁶Praise God in the great congregation; praise the Lord in the assembly of Israel.

²⁷There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them, there the great throng of Judah’s princes, and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.

²⁸Summon your power, O God ; show us your strength, O God, as you have done before.

²⁹Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings will bring you gifts.

³⁰Rebuke the beast among the reeds, the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations. Humbled, may it bring bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war.

³¹Envoys will come from Egypt; Cush will submit herself to God.

³²Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord, Selah

³³to him who rides the ancient skies above, who thunders with mighty voice.

³⁴Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel, whose power is in the skies.

³⁵You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!

1. What do I learn about God?
2. What do I learn about man?
3. Is there an example to follow?
4. What does God want me to believe?

2 Samuel 5:11-25; 2 Samuel 6; 1 Chronicles 13-16

¹¹Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David.

¹²And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

¹³After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him.

¹⁴These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

¹⁵Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

¹⁶Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.

¹⁷When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold.

¹⁸Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim;

¹⁹so David inquired of the Lord , “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The Lord answered him, “Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you.”

²⁰So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me.” So that place was called Baal Perazim.

²¹The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.

²²Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim;

²³so David inquired of the Lord , and he answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.

²⁴As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.”

²⁵So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

6David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all.

²He and all his men set out from Baalah of 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 that are on the ark.

³They 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

⁴with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it.

⁵David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord , with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals.

⁶When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled.

⁷The 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.

⁸Then David was angry because the Lord ‘s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.

⁹David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?”

¹⁰He was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.

¹¹The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household.

¹²Now 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 down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.

¹³When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.

¹⁴David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might,

¹⁵while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

¹⁶As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord , she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord .

¹⁸After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty.

¹⁹Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.

²⁰When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”

²¹David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord , who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord ‘s people Israel-I will celebrate before the Lord .

²²I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”

²³And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

1 Chronicles13-16

13David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.

²He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our brothers throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us.

³Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul.”

⁴The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.

⁵So David assembled all the Israelites, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim.

⁶David and all the Israelites with him went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord , who is enthroned between the cherubim-the ark that is called by the Name.

⁷They moved the ark of God from Abinadab’s house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it.

⁸David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, cymbals and trumpets.

⁹When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled.

¹⁰The Lord ‘s anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.

¹¹Then David was angry because the Lord ‘s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.

¹²David was afraid of God that day and asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?”

¹³He did not take the ark to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.

¹⁴The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house for three months, and the Lord blessed his household and everything he had.

14Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons and carpenters to build a palace for him.

²And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.

³In Jerusalem David took more wives and became the father of more sons and daughters.

⁴These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

⁵Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet,

⁶Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,

⁷Elishama, Beeliada and Eliphelet.

⁸When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went out to meet them.

⁹Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim;

¹⁰so David inquired of God: “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The Lord answered him, “Go, I will hand them over to you.”

¹¹So David and his men went up to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, God has broken out against my enemies by my hand.” So that place was called Baal Perazim.

¹²The Philistines had abandoned their gods there, and David gave orders to burn them in the fire.

¹³Once more the Philistines raided the valley;

¹⁴so David inquired of God again, and God answered him, “Do not go straight up, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.

¹⁵As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.”

¹⁶So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army, all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

¹⁷So David’s fame spread throughout every land, and the Lord made all the nations fear him.

15After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

²Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever.”

³David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it.

⁴He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites:

⁵From the descendants of Kohath, Uriel the leader and 120 relatives;

⁶from the descendants of Merari, Asaiah the leader and 220 relatives;

⁷from the descendants of Gershon, Joel the leader and 130 relatives;

⁸from the descendants of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the leader and 200 relatives;

⁹from the descendants of Hebron, Eliel the leader and 80 relatives;

¹⁰from the descendants of Uzziel, Amminadab the leader and 112 relatives.

¹¹Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab the Levites.

¹²He said to them, “You are the heads of the Levitical families; you and your fellow Levites are to consecrate yourselves and bring up the ark of the Lord , the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it.

¹³It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.”

¹⁴So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves in order to bring up the ark of the Lord , the God of Israel.

¹⁵And the Levites carried the ark of God with the poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord .

¹⁶David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers to sing joyful songs, accompanied by musical instruments: lyres, harps and cymbals.

¹⁷So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel; from his brothers, Asaph son of Berekiah; and from their brothers the Merarites, Ethan son of Kushaiah;

¹⁸and with them their brothers next in rank: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel, the gatekeepers.

¹⁹The musicians Heman, Asaph and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals;

²⁰Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah were to play the lyres according to alamoth ,

²¹and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and Azaziah were to play the harps, directing according to sheminith .

²²Kenaniah the head Levite was in charge of the singing; that was his responsibility because he was skillful at it.

²³Berekiah and Elkanah were to be doorkeepers for the ark.

²⁴Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer the priests were to blow trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also to be doorkeepers for the ark.

²⁵So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of units of a thousand went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom, with rejoicing.

²⁶Because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord , seven bulls and seven rams were sacrificed.

²⁷Now David was clothed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and as were the singers, and Kenaniah, who was in charge of the singing of the choirs. David also wore a linen ephod.

²⁸So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts, with the sounding of rams’ horns and trumpets, and of cymbals, and the playing of lyres and harps.

²⁹As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she despised him in her heart.

16They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God.

²After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord .

³Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each Israelite man and woman.

⁴He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord , to make petition, to give thanks, and to praise the Lord , the God of Israel:

⁵Asaph was the chief, Zechariah second, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals,

⁶and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.

⁷That day David first committed to Asaph and his associates this psalm of thanks to the Lord :

⁸Give thanks to the Lord , call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.

⁹Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.

¹⁰Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

¹¹Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

¹²Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

¹³O descendants of Israel his servant, O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

¹⁴He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.

¹⁵He remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,

¹⁶the covenant he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.

¹⁷He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

¹⁸“To you I will give the land of Canaan as the portion you will inherit.”

¹⁹When they were but few in number, few indeed, and strangers in it,

²⁰they wandered from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.

²¹He allowed no man to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:

²²“Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”

²³Sing to the Lord , all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day.

²⁴Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

²⁵For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.

²⁶For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.

²⁷Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place.

²⁸Ascribe to the Lord , O families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength,

²⁹ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

³⁰Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

³¹Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”

³²Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!

³³Then the trees of the forest will sing, they will sing for joy before the Lord , for he comes to judge the earth.

³⁴Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; his love endures forever.

³⁵Cry out, “Save us, O God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, that we may glory in your praise.”

³⁶Praise be to the Lord , the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Then all the people said “Amen” and “Praise the Lord .”

³⁷David left Asaph and his associates before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister there regularly, according to each day’s requirements.

³⁸He also left Obed-Edom and his sixty-eight associates to minister with them. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah, were gatekeepers.

³⁹David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the Lord at the high place in Gibeon

⁴⁰to present burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering regularly, morning and evening, in accordance with everything written in the Law of the Lord , which he had given Israel.

⁴¹With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the Lord , “for his love endures forever.”

⁴²Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals and for the playing of the other instruments for sacred song. The sons of Jeduthun were stationed at the gate.

⁴³Then all the people left, each for his own home, and David returned home to bless his family.

1. What do I learn about God?
2. What do I learn about man?
3. Is there an example to follow?
4. What does God want me to believe?

1. What do I learn about God?
2. What do I learn about man?
3. Is there an example to follow?
4. What does God want me to believe?