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.

2SAMUEL 11-12:
David showed kindness to Jonathan's only living son. Then we heard the story of how suspicion caused offense, which led to all-out war with the Ammonites. And David was victorious again against the Arameans and Ammonites. Today I want to highlight some important realities: God is watching. Our sins may be forgiven, but there will still be consequences.

PSALM 111:
This beautiful psalm of praise is an acrostic poem in Hebrew.

ROMANS 14:
In yesterday’s reading, Paul taught us to submit to rulers and government officials, then he urged us to love one another and lead holy lives. Now chapter 14 covers the divisive area of rituals and traditions.

NLT Translation notes:
2Sam. 12:14 Nevertheless, because you have shown utter contempt for the [0//word of the] Lord by doing this, your child will die. (The Hebrew text doesn’t seem to contain ‘word of’.)
Rom. 14:1 Accept other believers who are weak in [the way they believe//faith], and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.
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].
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.
11 For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the LORD, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will [confess and give praise//declare allegiance] to God. ’”
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.

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 9-10:
David realized the incongruity that he was living in a beautiful cedar palace while God's dwelling place was in a tent. Then God gave Nathan the prophet a long message for David. He told him that his dynasty would last forever and that his son would build God’s temple. David’s beautiful prayer of response is recorded for us. Then God gave a string of stunning military victories to David.

PSALM 110:
The first verse of this short psalm is one of the most repeated verses of the New Testament. It certainly was very important for the early Christians. And the 4th verse becomes an important theme of the book of Hebrews.

Re-reading ROMANS 13:
We are now solidly in the middle of the practical part of this letter. Today we hear the part about obeying government authorities and our obligation to love everyone. I especially like the section at the end contrasting light and dark, and taking up our spiritual weapons.

NLT Translation note:
2Sam. 9:8 Mephibosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, “Who [am I,//is] your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?”
====
Rom. 13:14 Instead, [let us become more and more like the Lord Christ Jesus, so that when people see us, it is like seeing Him.//clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.] And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.
[The literal is ‘put on the Lord Jesus Christ’. And I’m not ‘putting you on’! This is one case where that English idiom could almost get in the way. It is somewhat debatable if NLT is accurate in adding ‘presence’. It does allow them to keep the clothing figure. Our PET translation drops the clothing figure entirely, but probably is closer to the meaning received by the original readers.]

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 7-8:
At last, David became the king of all Israel, then the Lord gave him two great military victories over the Philistines. Then, after a botched attempt, David moved the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. He danced with all his might before the Lord.

Psalm 109b:
When you feel that you are surrounded by people who gang up against you and slander you, then this is the psalm for you. Note that Jesus would have had every right to pray like this from the cross, but He didn’t! In the NLT, verses 6 through 19 are translated as a long quote of slander against the Psalm-writer, David.

ROMANS 13:
Remember my challenge to you about Romans 12:1? Did you discover where the opening ‘Therefore’ goes back to?

Romans 12 is one of the most beautiful of all of Paul’s practical teaching chapters. He deals with the basics, ending with the most basic of all: “Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good.” Chapter 12 teaches us about how to evaluate ourselves and how to use our spiritual gifts, and how to respond to people who do wrong to us. Key to all of this is the first two verses. Let’s remind ourselves of those verses before reading chapter 13.

Romans 12:1-2 PET
[The PET (Plain English Translation) is how our Plain Indonesian Translation (TSI) sounds if translated into English.]
1 Based on all I have said before now about the various ways God has been so kind to us, it's only proper that we return His kindness! We should all think like this, “Lord, I give my body to you as a sacrifice”— even though we actually continue to live. A decision like that amounts to a holy sacrifice which pleases the Lord.

2 This means that we can no longer follow a bad lifestyle like what has become the habit of worldly people. But let's surrender our bodies as sacrificial offerings to God, and He will renew our minds— so that we can know what His will is for us, and what is best in every situation. By that I mean we can understand and choose what is good and what is most proper for us, along with what pleases the Lord.

NLT Translation notes:
Ps. 109:20 May those curses become the LORD’s punishment
for my accusers who speak [such] evil of me.
30 But I will give repeated thanks to [You//the] LORD,
praising [You/him] to everyone.
31 For [You stand//he stands] beside the needy,
ready to save them from those who condemn 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 5-6:
General Abner defected to David, but it cost him his life on the same day at the hands of Joab, the commander of David's forces and the brother of the slain Asahel. One result was also that Ishbosheth was murdered by two army captains who thought that they would be rewarded for doing David a favor.

PSALM 109a:
If you feel that you are surrounded by people who gang up against you and slander you, then this is the psalm for you. One of the verses in this psalm was quoted by Peter about Judas in Acts 1. You are certainly given permission by this Psalm to pray for vindication and justice, but contrast this with what Romans 12 says about praying for your enemies— which we also read today. Note this: In the NLT, verses 6 through 19 contain a long quote of slander against the Psalm-writer, David. Or, in GNT, those verses are part of David’s prayer for vindication.

Re-reading ROMANS 12:
Chapter 12 marks the beginning of the practical part of Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians. This part packs a big punch, and verses 1-2— which form the topic sentence for this section, are must-memorize verses. If everything that Paul said before now is true, then THIS is the logical and appropriate response of how we are to live. This is how we ought to respond to God's wonderful kindness to us. And these two verses reveal a major truth about how the transformation of our minds takes place, and what must happen if we are to discern God's will in our decisions.

NLT Translation notes:
Ps. 109:20 May those curses become the LORD’s punishment for my accusers who speak [such] evil of me.
30 But I will give repeated thanks to [You//the] LORD,
praising [You/him] to everyone.
31 For [You stand//he stands] beside the needy,
ready to save them from those who condemn them.
====
Rom. 12:1 And so [/therefore], dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all [the merciful things] he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
[See the GNT translation notes for how we translated verses 1-2 into Indonesian.]
3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the [true beliefs//faith] God has given us.
6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much [belief//faith] as God has given you.

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 3-4:
In yesterday's story, David was anointed as king over his own tribe of Judah, while all the rest of Israel followed Saul's son, Ishbosheth. Ishbosheth was not a strong leader, but was put in place by Abner, the general. Joab was David's military commander. In the first battle, it is significant that Abner killed Joab's brother Asahel. David's troops decisively won their first battle in the civil war.

PSALM 108:
This is a psalm of exalted praise, and a song asking God for military victory.

ROMANS 12a:
Yesterday at the end of Romans 11, we came to the end of the long parenthesis. God is seen as both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who refuse to believe. Belief is not something that just happens without our control. It is an act of the will to believe. That is why the stubborn disbelief of the Israelites is called 'disobedience'.

This chapter marks the beginning of the practical section of Romans. In other words, this part shows the way we should live based on the teachings given in the chapters before.

NLT Translation notes:
Ps. 108:6 Now [please] rescue your beloved people.
Answer and save us by your power.
7 [O] God [You have//has] promised this by [your/his] holiness:
“I will divide up Shechem with joy.
I will measure out the valley of Succoth.
13 With [your help, O God,//God’s help] we will do mighty things,
for [you/he] will trample down our foes.
====
Rom. 12:1 And so [/therefore], dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all [the merciful things] he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
3 Because of the privilege and authorityc God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the [true beliefs//faith] God has given us.
6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much [belief//faith] as God has given you.

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.