2SAMUEL 15:
In our last reading, we heard how Joab creatively arranged to persuade David to bring Absalom back from exile. And how eventually David agreed to let Absolom meet him directly.

PSALM 114:
This poem praises God for the miraculous deliverance from Egypt.

Re-reading ROMANS 15:
Chapter 15 of Romans comes to this summary sentence in verse 13: “May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your [believing//faith] in him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

NLT Translation notes:
Rom. 15:6 Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord [Christ Jesus//Jesus Christ]. (similarly in 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 18, 27)
13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you [fully believe//trust] in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
22 In fact, my visit to you has been delayed so long because I have been preaching in [those//these] places.
23 But now I have finished my work in [those//these] regions, and after all these long years of waiting, I am eager to visit you.
30 Dear brothers and sisters, I urge you in the name of our Lord [Christ Jesus//Jesus Christ] to join in my struggle by praying to God for me. Do this because of your love for me, given to you by the Holy Spirit.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

2SAMUEL 14:
There is more than one way in which David did not obey God’s instructions for kings. The big one of course is the Bathsheba affair, but God had already said that kings should not have lots of wives. David’s daughter Tamar was raped by her half brother Amnon. And after two years, Absolom (Tamar’s brother) murdered Amnon.

PSALM 113:
This is a song praising our incomparable God.

ROMANS 15:
Paul continues what he was ‘on about’ in yesterday’s reading. We must accept other believers even though we don’t agree on prohibitions, practices, or rituals. Disputes over these things often come from our differing backgrounds.

NLT Translation notes:
Rom. 15:6 Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord [Christ Jesus//Jesus Christ].
9 He also came so that the [non-Jews//Gentiles] might give glory to God for his mercies to them. That is what the psalmist meant when he wrote:
“For this, I will praise you among the [non-Jews//Gentiles];
I will sing praises to [you/your name].”
[The psalmist uses ‘your name’ as a metonymy for God himself. To us in English, it sounds like idolatry to praise a name rather than the Person Himself.]
10 And in another place it is written,
“Rejoice with his people,
you [non-Jews//Gentiles].”
11 And yet again,
“Praise the LORD, all you [non-Jews//Gentiles].
Praise him, all you people of the earth.”
12 And in another place Isaiah said,
“The heir to David’s throne will come,
and he will rule over the [non-Jews//Gentiles].
They will place their hope on him.”
13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you [fully believe//trust] in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
16 I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you [non-Jews//Gentiles]. I bring you the Good News so that I might present you as an acceptable offering to God, made holy by the Holy Spirit.
18 Yet I dare not boast about anything except what Christ has done through me, bringing the [non-Jews//Gentiles] to God by my message and by the way I worked among them.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

2SAMUEL 13:
Yesterday we heard of David's moral failure with Bathsheba. That sin led to the death of the noble husband of Bathsheba, Uriah. Nathan gave one of his most stunning prophecies. David immediately and utterly repented. Even so, the baby son of Bathsheba and David son died. I mentioned yesterday that sin always has consequences, even when there has been forgiveness. Another lesson from this story is that one sin leads to more sin.

PSALM 112:
Like Psalm 111, Psalm 112 carries similar themes with the book of Proverbs. Verse 9 is quoted in the New Testament.

Re-reading ROMANS 14:
I am very happy that Paul didn't just give the churches a list of the celebrations and days that Christians were to consider as sacred. He did not give us a list of foods to not eat. That would have been the easy thing to do. To me it is a proof of God's inspiration that Paul does the counterintuitive thing: He tells us each to decide as our conscience dictates before God. Paul was not interested in establishing a man-made religion. The things that matter are “living a life of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” And when choosing our actions, let our conscience be our guide.

NLT Translation notes:
Rom. 14:1 Accept other believers who are weak in [way that they believe//faith], and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.
Rom. 14:5 In the same way, some think one day is more holy than another day, while others think every day is alike. You should each be fully convinced [in your decision about this matter//that whichever day you choose is acceptable].
Rom. 14:8 If we live, it’s to honor the Lord. And if we die, it’s to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, [(or do anything else,)] we belong to the Lord.
Rom. 14:13 So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.
Rom. 14:15 And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it [right in front of him]. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.
Rom. 14:23 But if you have doubts about whether or not you should eat something, you are sinning if you go ahead and [eat/do] it. For you are not following your convictions. If you do anything you believe is not right, you are sinning.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.