Psalm 22 provides remarkably detailed prophecies regarding the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. This is all the more staggering, given that it was written by David 1,000 years before Jesus was born. David wrote "by the Holy Spirit" (Mark 12:36) and was a prophet who saw the Messiah's death and resurrection long before they happened  (Acts 2:30). The sheer precision with which these prophecies were fulfilled reminds us: God keeps His Word. It also reminds us of the importance of the sufferings, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. This was the very means by which lost sinners could be saved from their sins; "Christ died for the ungodly" (Rom. 5:6).

Over recent decades, the farming industry has changed a lot - with major advances in technology. However, some thing haven't changed - such as the statement: "You reap what you sow." What a farmer sows in a field, that's he will reap. Paul says that this principle applies in our lives - it is an unbreakable and unstoppable law. "He that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption" (Gal. 6:8). We can wonder - what does this mean and what does it look like? 2 Samuel 3 gives us a vivid illustration, from which to learn. 

This is a tragic chapter. The enemies of Israel had invaded the land. God  provided a deliverer - King David. However, rather than channelling their energies against their enemies - the Children of Israel are fighting ... each other. All the while, what must the Philistines be thinking? Any time the arm of the flesh is flexed, self takes priority - and the results are ugly. This passage teaches us the true depravity of the human heart and makes us long for the Messiah was died to forgive us and to change from the inside out.

The unfolding drama of 2 Samuel can suck us in ... David is God's choice to replace King Saul. The Holy Spirit has come upon David, empowering him to deliver Israel from their enemies. At the end of Saul's reign, Israel suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Philistines. You'd think, then, that the nation would flock to support God's anointed deliverer, right? Wrong. He is initially rejected by the majority. The Scriptures don't afford us the luxury of being spectators who stare at these events. God Anointed (Messiah) has come to deliver us from our enemies of sin, death, hell and Satan. He has single-handedly defeated them through his life, death, and resurrection. Have you believed in Him?

Do you ever find yourself wondering why God seems to work so slowly? Or why advances in the Kingdom of God often seem so small? Or why every advance involves such a struggle? Surely, David had such questions. However, in 2 Samuel 2, God had him process these questions in Hebron: the place where Abraham had been buried some 1,000 years previously. What a spot to wait! David was reminded: God may seem slow and progess may seem small - but God was fulfilling every promise He'd given to Abraham! Some 1,000 years after David, people were still waiting for the fulfilment of God's promises for a Messiah. And, while it might have seemed slow in their eyes: the Lord Jesus came. God is faithful. Are you waiting? Wait at Hebron where you're constantly reminded, God is faithful.

For a Christian, life isn't all lived in the sunshine. In today's study, we find David grieving the loss of Saul and Jonathan. The passage shows us the searing pain of grief; David's heart has been torn. It also shows us the priority of grief - David does nothing to pretend he isn't grieving, rather he takes time to grieve. Other things can wait. Finally, it shows us how David processes his grief - he works through his grief by writing out a lament. This isn't a one off in his life; in fact, over 1/3 of the Psalms fit into this category of lament - it is the largest category of all. There is an entire book in the Bible called Lamentations! In this passage, we see God inviting us to pour out our pain and confusion to Him. Ultimately, we are pointed to the "man of sorrows ... (who was) acquainted with grief." The Lord Jesus, "bore our sorrows" and wept openly at the funeral of his friend, Lazarus. What a friend we have in Jesus!

In the Christian life, we can be desperate to know God's will. If a door is closed, should we try to open it? What if more than one door is open before us - which should we choose? All the while, we can have our own notions about which door we want to walk through - imagining what it would be like on the other side and fancying that we know best. We can find ourselves in quite a muddle.

In this opening chapter of 2 Samuel we are reminded of a clear lesson from 1 Samuel - the priority of worship. At times, this was a hallmark of David's life while being noticeable by it absence from Saul's life. David finds that as He worships and waits, God is relentlessly and faithfully working out His purposes - slowly, but surely.