Jun 17, 2022
SAMUEL 17:
Yesterday we heard how Saul's servant, Ziba,
showed his loyalty and helped David on his way. And how Shimei from
Saul's family cursed and persecuted David all along the way. No
wonder David was exhausted after that hike. David refused to put
him to death or to punish him. (But we find out later that he
didn't forget about Shimei.) David's friend, Hushai, joined himself
to Absalom, as David asked him to do. And Nathan’s prophecy to
David was unknowingly fulfilled through Ahithophel’s advice to
Absolom.
PSALM 116:
This
is a poem sharing a personal experience. Though this poem is not
attributed to David, what we read here could be his prayer during
and following what we are reading about in 2nd Samuel
17-18.
John 1a:
I
always look forward each year to reading the Gospel of John. John’s
Gospel is different from all the other gospels. John was probably
very young when he became Jesus’ follower, perhaps 25 years old.
But he seems to have waited until very late in life to begin
writing, perhaps when he was 85 years old. This was long after the
other Gospels and even the epistles were written. The title he
gives himself in this book is ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved’. This
doesn’t mean that Jesus didn’t love the other 11!
GNT Translation notes:
6 [CEV] [How kind You are,
Lord!— //You are kind, Lord,] so good and
merciful.
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John
1:2 From the very beginning [the Person who is called] the Word was
with God.
19 The Jewish authorities in
Jerusalem sent some priests and Levites to John to ask him, “[Whose
position are you assuming?//Who are you?”]
21
“[Whose role are taking//Who are you], then?” they asked. “Are you
Elijah?” “No, I am not,” John answered. “Are you the Prophet?” they
asked. “No,” he replied.
27
He is coming after me, but I am not good enough [to be the servant
who unties//even to untie] his sandals.”