Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from 2 Samuel chapters
5 through 7. Chapter 5 Then all the tribes of
Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying,
Indeed, we are your bone and your flesh. Also,
in time past, when Saul was king over us, you
were the one who led Israel out and brought them
in. And the Lord said to you, You shall shepherd
my people Israel and be ruler over Israel. Therefore
all the elders of Israel came to the king at
Hebron, and king David made a covenant with them
at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed
David king over Israel. David was thirty years
old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty
years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven
years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned
thirty -three years over all Israel and Judah.
And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against
the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who
spoke to David, saying, You shall not come in
here, but the blind and the lame will repel you,
thinking, David cannot come in here. Nevertheless,
David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the
city of David. Now David said on that day, Whoever
climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats
the Jebusites, the lame and the blind, who are
hated by David's soul, he shall be chief and
captain. Therefore they say, The blind and the
lame shall not come into the house. Then David
dwelt in the stronghold and called it the city
of David. And David built all around from the
mellow and inward. So David went on and became
great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him.
Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David
and cedar trees and carpenters and masons, and
they built David a house. So David knew that
the Lord had established him as king over Israel,
and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake
of his people Israel. And David took more concubines
and wives from Jerusalem after he had come from
Hebron. Also more sons and daughters were born
to David. Now these are the names of those who
were born to him in Jerusalem. Now when the Philistines
heard that they had anointed David king over
Israel, all the Philistines went up to search
for David. And David heard of it and went down
to the stronghold. The Philistines also went
and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim.
So David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall
I go up against the Philistines? Will you deliver
them into my hand? And the Lord said to David,
Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines
into your hand. So David went to Baal -perazim,
and David defeated them there. And he said, The
Lord has broken through my enemies before me
like a breakthrough of water. Therefore he called
the name of that place Baal -perazim. And they
left their images there. and David and his men
carried them away. Then the Philistines went
up once more, and deployed themselves in the
valley of Rephaim. Therefore David inquired of
the Lord, and he said, You shall not go up, circle
around behind them, and come upon them in front
of the mulberry trees. And it shall be, when
you hear the sound of marching in the tops of
the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly.
for then the Lord will go out before you to strike
the camp of the Philistines. And David did so
as the Lord commanded him, and he drove back
the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer. Again
David gathered all the choice men of Israel thirty
thousand. And David arose and went with all the
people who were with him from Bela Judah to bring
up from there the ark of God, whose name is called
by the name the Lord of hosts, who dwells between
the cherubim. So they set the ark of God on a
new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab,
which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ayah, the
sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. And they
brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which
was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God.
And Ayah went before the ark. Then David and
all the house of Israel played music before the
Lord on all kinds of instruments, of fir wood,
on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines,
on sistrums, and on cymbals. And when they came
to Nahon's threshing floor, Uzzah put out his
hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for
the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord
was aroused against Uzzah. And God struck him
there for his error, and he died there by the
ark of God. And David became angry because of
the Lord's outbreak against Uzzah. And he called
the name of the place Perez Uzzah to this day.
David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he
said, How can the ark of the Lord come to me?
So David would not move the ark of the Lord with
him into the city of David. But David took it
aside into the house of Obed -Edom the Gittite.
The ark of the Lord remained in the house of
Obed -Edom the Gittite three months, and the
Lord blessed Obed -Edom and all his household.
Now it was told King David, saying, The Lord
has blessed the house of Obed -Edom and all that
belongs to him because of the ark of God. So
David went and brought up the ark of God from
the house of Obed -Edom to the city of David
with gladness. And so it was, when those bearing
the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, that
he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. Then David
danced before the Lord with all his might, and
David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and
all the house of Israel brought up the ark of
the Lord with shouting and with the sound of
the trumpet. Now as the ark of the Lord came
into the city of David, Michal, Saul's daughter,
looked through a window and saw King David leaping
and whirling before the Lord, and she despised
him in her heart. So they brought the ark of
the Lord and set it in its place in the midst
of the tabernacle that David had erected for
it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace
offerings before the Lord. And when David had
finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings,
he blessed the people in the name of the Lord
of hosts. Then he distributed among all the people,
among the whole multitude of Israel, both the
women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread,
a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. So all
the people departed, everyone to his house. Then
David returned to bless his house, and Michal
the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and
said, How glorious was the king of Israel today,
uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids
of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly
uncovers himself. So David said to Michal, It
was before the Lord. who chose me instead of
your father and all his house, to appoint me
ruler over the people of the Lord over Israel.
Therefore I will play music before the Lord,
and I will be even more undignified than this,
and will be humble in my own sight. But as for
the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by
them I will be held in honor. Therefore Michal,
the daughter of Saul, had no children to the
day of her death. Now it came to pass, when the
king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord
had given him rest from all his enemies all around,
that the king said to Nathan the prophet, See
now I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark
of God dwells inside ten curtains. Then Nathan
said to the king, Go do all that is in your heart,
for the Lord is with you. But it happened that
night that the word of the Lord came to Nathan,
saying, Go and tell my servant David, thus says
the Lord, Would you build a house for me to dwell
in? For I have not dwelt in a house since the
time that I brought the children of Israel up
from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved
about in a tent and in a tabernacle. Wherever
I have moved about with all the children of Israel
have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the
tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd
my people Israel, saying, Why have you not built
me a house of cedar? Now therefore, thus shall
you say to my servant David, Thus says the Lord
of hosts, I took you from the sheepfold. from
following the sheep to be ruler over my people
over israel and i have been with you wherever
you have gone and have cut off all your enemies
from before you and have made you a great name
like the name of the great men who are on the
earth moreover i will appoint a place for my
people israel and will plant them that they may
dwell in a place of their own and move no more
nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them
anymore as previously, since the time that I
commanded the judges to be over my people Israel,
and I have caused you to rest from all your enemies.
Also the Lord tells you that he will make you
a house. When your days are fulfilled and you
rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed
after you, who will come from your body, and
I will establish his kingdom. He shall build
a house for my name, and I will establish the
throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his
father, and he shall be my son. If he commits
iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of
men and with the blows of the sons of men. But
my mercy shall not depart from him, as I took
it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
And your house and your kingdom shall be established
forever before you. Your throne shall be established
forever. According to all these words and according
to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
Then King David went in and sat before the Lord.
And he said, Who am I, O Lord God? And what is
my house that you have brought me this far? and
yet this was a small thing in your sight, O Lord
God. And you have also spoken of your servant's
house for a great while to come. Is this the
manner of man, O Lord God? Now what more can
David say to you? For you, Lord God, know your
servant. For your word's sake and according to
your own heart, you have done all these great
things to make your servant know them. Therefore
you are great, O Lord God, for there is none
like you, nor is there any God besides you. according
to all that we have heard with our ears. And
who is like your people, like Israel, the one
nation on the earth, whom God went to redeem
for himself as a people, to make for himself
a name, and to do for yourself great and awesome
deeds for your land, before your people, whom
you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, the nations
and their gods. For you have made your people
Israel, your very own people forever, and you,
Lord, have become their God. Now, O Lord God,
the word which you have spoken concerning your
servant and concerning his house, establish it
forever, and do as you have said. So let your
name be magnified forever, saying, The Lord of
hosts is the God over Israel. And let the house
of your servant David be established before you.
For you, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have
revealed this to your servant, saying, I will
build you a house. Therefore your servant has
found it in his heart to pray this prayer to
you. And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your
words are true, and you have promised this goodness
to your servant. Now therefore let it please
you to bless the house of your servant, that
it may continue before you forever. For you,
O Lord God, have spoken it, and with your blessing
let the house of your servant be blessed forever.
I hope you enjoyed today's reading as much as
I did, and I look forward to seeing you again
tomorrow to continue on our journey. God bless
you and have a great day.