Archive for month: November, 2024

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 2:12-32.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

2 Samuel 2:12-32 (NIV)
12  Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon.
13  Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.
14  Then Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.” “All right, let them do it,” Joab said.
15  So they stood up and were counted off–twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David.

On verses 12-32:  Here we see a showdown between David’s men led by Joab and Ish-Bosheth’s men led by Abner.  After a dramatic and bloody standoff between 24 men at the Pool of Gibeon (v13-16), Joab’s side ends up fighting and defeating Abner’s side (v17).  Abner’s side lost 360 men (v31) while Joab’s side lost only 20 soldiers (v30).

Among all the men that died in battle that day, the most noteworthy was Joab’s brother Asahel.  Verse 18 says that Asahel was fast (“fleet-footed as a wild gazelle”).  

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 1:17-27.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

2 Samuel 1:17-24 (NIV)
17  David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan,
18  and ordered that the men of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):
19  “Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen!

On verses 17-24:  Saul had caused so much trouble for David personally.  But notice that David did not treat Saul’s death as an occasion for rejoicing.  Rather he led all of Israel in mourning for Saul and Jonathan.  David even pens a lament (a song of mourning) for Saul and Jonathan and orders everyone in the nation to learn it (v18-19).  When you read David’s lament for Saul, notice that David doesn’t mention a single bad thing about Saul.  Rather, he speaks about Saul in only positive ways:

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is 2 Samuel 1:1-16.  As usual, I encourage you to open your Bible and read the passage yourself first.  See what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help. Then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go! 

2 Samuel 1:1-16 (NIV)
1  After the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days.
2  On the third day a man arrived from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and with dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him honor.
3  “Where have you come from?” David asked him. He answered, “I have escaped from the Israelite camp.”

On verses 1 to 16:  A young Amalekite runs to David with news that Israel’s armies have been defeated and that Saul and Jonathan have died.  The Amalekite also brings the crown and royal band of King Saul to David, claiming that he personally handed Saul his final death blow at Saul’s request.  David and his men mourn, weep and fast over the death of Saul and Jonathan, as well as for the defeated armies of Israel.  Then David orders one of his men to strike the Amalekite down, saying, “Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I killed the LORD’s anointed.'” (v16)