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]!
====
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.
====
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.

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.

GNT Translation notes:
Rom. 14:1 Welcome those who are weak in [their beliefs//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 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 a sin.

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.

GNT Translation notes:
2Sam. 9:8 NLT 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 PET Instead, [let us become more and more like the Lord Christ Jesus, so that when people see us, it is like seeing Him.//NLT 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. I don’t feel that NLT is accurate in adding ‘presence’. It does allow them to keep the clothing figure— but at the expense of significantly changed meaning! Our PET translation drops the clothing figure entirely, but probably is closer to the meaning received by the original readers. The GNT has done a good job also in representing a different interpretation of the meaning.]

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. I don’t feel that NLT is accurate in adding ‘presence’. It does allow them to keep the clothing figure, but at the expense of significantly changed meaning. Our PET translation drops the clothing figure entirely, but probably is closer to the meaning received by the original readers.]

2 SAMUEL 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!

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.

GNT Translation notes:

2Sam. 8:18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of David's bodyguards, and David's sons were [royal advisers//priests].

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 very long quote of slander against the Psalm-writer, David. Or, in GNT, these 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.

GNT Translation notes:

[God works a miracle in us by renewing our minds. What must we do first? Our PET translation helps readers make the connection:]

Rom. 12:1 PET-Based on all I have said before now about the various ways God has been so kind to us, it is 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 PET 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 God's will for us is, 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 whatever pleases the Lord.

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.

Translation notes:
1 I have complete confidence [in You], O God! I will sing and praise you! Wake up, my soul!

7 From [your//his] sanctuary [O God, You have//God has] said, “In triumph I will divide Shechem and distribute Sukkoth Valley to my people.

11 Have you really rejected us? Aren't you going to march out[ O Lord] with our armies?

13 With [You, O God,//God] on our side we will win; [You//he] will defeat our enemies.

ROMANS 12:
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.

Translation notes:

1 So then, my friends, because [God has shown such great mercy to us in many ways//of God's great mercy to us] I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.

3 And because of God's gracious gift to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you should. Instead, be modest in your thinking, and judge yourself according to the amount of [belief//faith] that God has given you.

6 So we are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us. If our gift is to speak God's message, we should do it [in accordance with what we believe//according to the faith that we have];