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.”

GNT Translation notes:

Rom. 15:1 We who are strong in [our belief in Christ//our belief in the freedom we have because of our union with Christ//the faith] ought to help the weak to carry their burdens. We should not please ourselves.
2 Instead, we should all please other believers for their own good, in order to build them up in [believing//the faith].
3 For Christ did not please himself. Instead, as the scripture [quotes the Messiah’s words to God//says], “The insults which are hurled at you have fallen on me.”
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.

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.

GNT Translation note:
[The psalmist uses ‘his name’ as a metonymy for God himself. To us in English, it sounds like idolatry to praise a name rather than the Person of God Himself.]
Ps. 113:1 Praise the Lord! You servants of the Lord, praise [him//his name]!
2 May his name [be held in reverence//be praised], now and forever.

[Another way is to just go directly to the topic of the metonymy: “May He be praised …”
3 From the east to the west [let the name of the Lord be held in reverence//praise the name of the Lord]!
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Rom. 15:1 We who are strong in [our belief in Christ//our belief in the freedom we have because of our union with Christ//the faith] ought to help the weak to carry their burdens. We should not please ourselves.
2 Instead, we should all please other believers for their own good, in order to build them up in [believing//the faith].
3 For Christ did not please himself. Instead, as the scripture [quotes the Messiah’s words to God//says], “The insults which are hurled at you have fallen on me.”
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.

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.

GNT Translation notes:
Ps. 112:7 He is not afraid of receiving bad news; his [belief in God//faith] is strong, and he trusts in the Lord.
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Rom. 14:1 Welcome those who are weak in [their belief//faith], but do not argue with them about their personal opinions.
2 Some people's [beliefs allow//faith allows] them to eat anything, but the person who is weak in [their belief//the faith] eats only vegetables.
8 If we live, it is for the Lord that we live, and if we die, it is for the Lord that we die. So whether we live or die, [(or do anything else,)] we belong to the Lord.
15 If you hurt others because of something you eat [— by eating it right in front of them], then you are no longer acting from love. Do not let the food that you eat ruin [a//the] person for whom Christ died!
23 But if [you//they] have doubts about what [you//they] eat, God condemns [you//them] when [you//they] eat it, because [your//their] action is not based on [your beliefs//faith]. And anything that is not based on [belief//faith] is sin.