Bent Oak Church

Chapters 21-24 provide us with the final image of David. Like so much of his life, it is a mixed bag. Complicated stories, deep friendships and honest prayer before God. At the center of this image are David's final words, a psalm. And in that psalm four titles which have come to define David: psalmist, anointed, exalted, and son. Those titles walk leave us with the final image of David; a li...

Chapters 19 and 20 bring the chronological story of David to a conclusion. David, having defeated Absalom's rebellion makes his way back to Jerusalem. Our expectations are of fanfare: victory parades, speeches of reconciliation, and the restored hope of a divine throne—a man after God's own heart. But the story takes a bizarre and unexpected turn. Your expectations are dashed as the stor...

The conflict has been inevitable; David and Absalom will face off in battle. But David's men won't let him join the fight. David is dismissed from his own story. He is forced to acknowledge that his own future is not in his hands. Worse, David faces an impossible situation. To save his life will mean the death of his son. To save his son will mean the loss of his life. 

Thomas Paine famous expressed, "These are the times that try men's souls." The crisis doesn't make the man, it reveals him. David's faith was immerging through the conflicting advice he was forced to navigate. Now we turn to Absalom. Absalom with face a critical decision between his two advisors. It will prove to be a time that will, in fact, reveal his soul. Absalom choos...

As David flees Jerusalem, he encounters various individuals. Some speak of faithfulness, others violence, and Shimei comes with words of condemnation. As David passes, Shimei shots down curses. We don't like to surround ourselves with people like Shimei. In looking for advisors, we prefer affirmation and positivity. But David is willing to hear Shimei's words. As one commentator put it,...

The consequences of David's sins are real and painful. But Absalom seems most angered by the fact it hasn't cost David the throne. For all that David has done, he continues to be God's chosen king. Absalom see's God's faithfulness as injustice and is determined to take the throne for himself. 

David was honest in the confession of his sins. And though God's first words were forgiveness, he was also told that the sword would not depart from his house—there would be consequences. That's hard to hear. We hope that forgiveness means a way out of the consequences. But David's life challenges our view of forgiveness and shows us a better way.

God wouldn't allow David to live a divided life. God sent for Nathan and Nathan delivered a powerful message to the King—you are the man! With that simple realization, David's world is forced back into its proper place, aware of God. David responds with confession and breathtaking faith.

It's not an easy chapter to read. The story of David's fateful night with Bathsheba will have repercussions for many chapters to come. But for those who have paid careful attention, we aren't entirely surprised. Slowly David's character has been developing into two selves: a public image and a private reality. Deeper than his adultery, David's life has become disengaged fr...

Join us in celebrating Easter, the resurrection of our Lord.

Join us for our annual Good Friday communion service.

Barry Kinzer begins our passion week observations with a message on Palm Sunday.

We have been surprised by David's kindness. In chapter ten, his kindness stretches even to his enemies, the Ammonites. But that kindness is rejected—thrown back at him as a humiliating insult. The limits of David's love is put to the test. The Bible holds no naive or sentimental ideas about love. Love always leaves us vulnerable and often makes our lives far more complicated. But in the...

God was giving David victory wherever he went. It got David thinking about a promise he had made years ago. David had promised never to forget his friend Jonathan. So David went looking for someone from Jonathan’s house to whom he could show kindness. David’s kindness is an important word in the Hebrew bible—hesed. David is in a unique position to help us better understand this word, both by his k...

David has come a long way from hiding in caves in the wilderness of En Gedi. Now he sets in a palace of cedar. But that got him thinking. David lives in a palace, but the ark is in a tent. David has an idea. He will build a house for God, a temple as impressive as his palace. There is one problem with his plan; God won't allow what David is doing to obscure what God is doing. 

The ark's return to public worship was a monumental event in Israel's history. For too long it had been in hiding. David was determined to give it a place of honor in his new city of Jerusalem. The parade that day must have been awe-inspiring. 30,000 of David's finest troops worshiping and singing as the ark rolled along guided by Uzzah and Ahio. Everything was going so well until t...

David was finally crowned king. His first move was to secure a new capital city, Jerusalem. The chapter moves from success to success—captured cities and military conquest, children and royal palaces. But subtly another story is developing beneath the surface. David's life and motives are more complicated than we initially realize.

As Israel's civil war drags on across years, David faces a test, patience. Everywhere he is surrounded by desperate and determined men. Betrayal, deception, manipulation, assassination, politics, bartering over the lives of women and concubines, trials and judgments, death sentences and executions. It is into this complicated moment David is called to follow and to wait on the Lord.

Israel is without a king. It doesn't take long for conflict to break out. Abner and Joab find themselves jockeying for power. Their angling and scheming suggest something profound about competition. Our tendency to compare ourselves to others often leads to competition that too frequently turns violent.

Saul is dead. David receives the news. We would expect him to quickly seize the throne. Now was finally his moment. His advisors must have urged him to act quickly. But David does something unexpected. David writes a poem; he writes a poem in honor of Saul and Jonathan. David teaches Israel to lament.

Linda Bates shares her story of how God revealed himself through faithfulness and healing.

Ron Replogle shares his story of how God revealed himself through faithfulness.

Trent Selsor shares his story of how God revealed himself through the testing of faith. 

It is done. With those words, God declares are things are made new. What follows is the incredible and unexpected reworking of all things: bodies, creation, work... All things are made new. Revelation 21-22 is a remarkable conclusion to not only the book but the entire storyline of the Bible.

You wouldn't have predicted the Millennium or Satan's release. Having finally beaten the forces of evil at Armageddon, we expect the story to draw to a close, but it doesn't. In the full knowledge and experience of Christ's rule, humanity still believes the lie and turns away from God. The final moments of earth are not a vindictive God determined to crush those who oppose him,...