the watcher

1 Kings 3:3-5 Solomon loved the Lord and followed all the decrees of his father, David, except that Solomon, too, offered sacrifices and burned incense at the local places of worship. The most important of these places of worship was at Gibeon, so the king went there and sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings. That night the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream, and God said, “What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!” What will you do with an opportunity, an open cheque? A great opportunity it is when the One who can do all things asks: "What do you want, Ask, and I will give it to you?" This is a very rare opportunity, even in scriptures, we can count how many times this kind of opportunity has come from a human to another, and this is the only record when it has come from the Lord Almighty to a single person. If the king, president or sovereign ruler of your nation asks you this type of question, what will you ask for? If the richest person alive asks you this type

1 Kings 2:24,27,34,44 The Lord has confirmed me and placed me on the throne of my father, David; he has established my dynasty as he promised. So as surely as the Lord lives, Adonijah will die this very day!” So Solomon deposed Abiathar from his position as priest of the Lord, thereby fulfilling the prophecy the Lord had given at Shiloh concerning the descendants of Eli. So Benaiah son of Jehoiada returned to the sacred tent and killed Joab, and he was buried at his home in the wilderness. The king also said to Shimei, “You certainly remember all the wicked things you did to my father, David. May the Lord now bring that evil on your own head. One great mistake people make is to choose the wrong side. Forming alliance with the wicked is committing yourself to their destruction when their punishment comes. Listen, if you place yourself in the camp of those who battle against God's own, you just invited destruction for yourself. How are you sure that person/people you hate is not love

1 Kings 2:2-4,12 “I am going where everyone on earth must someday go. Take courage and be a man. Observe the requirements of the Lord your God, and follow all his ways. Keep the decrees, commands, regulations, and laws written in the Law of Moses so that you will be successful in all you do and wherever you go. If you do this, then the Lord will keep the promise he made to me. He told me, ‘If your descendants live as they should and follow me faithfully with all their heart and soul, one of them will always sit on the throne of Israel.’ Solomon became king and sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established. David had finished his work on earth, it was almost time to leave. An error would have been committed, thank God for observing eyes of people like prophet Nathan, who took drastic steps that led to David crowning Solomon as king. 1st lesson, it is good to keep godly relationship of people who can stir you to the right path when you or things you contro

1 Kings 1:30,40,49-50,52-53 your son Solomon will be the next king and will sit on my throne this very day, just as I vowed to you before the Lord, the God of Israel.” And all the people followed Solomon into Jerusalem, playing flutes and shouting for joy. The celebration was so joyous and noisy that the earth shook with the sound. Then all of Adonijah’s guests jumped up in panic from the banquet table and quickly scattered. Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, so he rushed to the sacred tent and grabbed on to the horns of the altar. Solomon replied, “If he proves himself to be loyal, not a hair on his head will be touched. But if he makes trouble, he will die.” So King Solomon summoned Adonijah, and they brought him down from the altar. He came and bowed respectfully before King Solomon, who dismissed him, saying, “Go on home.” Adonijah son of David as we saw yesterday went ahead to proclaim himself king. This he did while his father, the king, was yet alive without his consent. Yes David

1 Kings 1:5-6 About that time David’s son Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, began boasting, “I will make myself king.” So he provided himself with chariots and charioteers and recruited fifty men to run in front of him. Now his father, King David, had never disciplined him at any time, even by asking, “Why are you doing that?” Adonijah had been born next after Absalom, and he was very handsome. We cannot be wiser than God. He is the Creator and the scriptures record that everything He made was good. We begin to have problems when we move away from His will, creating our own will which could lead to outright rebellion. Not taking us too far from the topic, let us remind ourselves of how and why God created us. Genesis 1:26-27,31 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” So God created human be

2 Samuel 24:21-25 “Why have you come, my lord the king?” Araunah asked.David replied, “I have come to buy your threshing floor and to build an altar to the Lord there, so that he will stop the plague.” “Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish,” Araunah said to David. “Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and you can use the threshing boards and ox yokes for wood to build a fire on the altar. I will give it all to you, Your Majesty, and may the Lord your God accept your sacrifice.” But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the lord my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen. David built an altar there to the lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord answered his prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped. A lot of manipulators and  mammon worshippers who are acclaimed ministers have used these verses to c

2 Samuel 24:1,3,14, 24-25 Once again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a census. “Go and count the people of Israel and Judah,” the Lord told him. But Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God let you live to see a hundred times as many people as there are now! But why, my lord the king, do you want to do this?” “I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands.” But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the lord my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen. David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord answered his prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped. We learn from David to stay with the Lord no matter what

Samuel 23:1-2,5-6 These are the last words of David:  “David, the son of Jesse, speaks— David, the man who was raised up so high,  David, the man anointed by the God of Jacob,  David, the sweet psalmist of Israel. “The Spirit of the Lord speaks through me; his words are upon my tongue. “Is it not my family God has chosen?  Yes, he has made an everlasting covenant with me.  His agreement is arranged and guaranteed in every detail.  He will ensure my safety and success. But the godless are like thorns to be thrown away, for they tear the hand that touches them. David was not the first to be anointed king in Israel, he was the second after Saul.  What stands out with David was that he made good his anointing. He didn't allow it to get to him so much as to become proud and arrogant. He knew whose he was and he ensured that he gave God His honour at all times. Why do we then wonder when the Lord was favourable to Him and made him the lineage to the coming Messiah and till today he stand

2 Samuel 22:3, 26-28 ,50 my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence. “To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. You rescue the humble, but your eyes watch the proud and humiliate them. For this, O Lord, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing praises to your name. Most times we find ourselves blaming God for this or that, we look out for those who come against us or are enemies to us. However we forget the main culprit - ourselves! The first person to check before anyone else is Yourself. This is one error man has been making from the beginning. Let us look at the first family. Sin was committed for Adam had disobeyed God. However, when God called out to Adam enquiring where he was, he was quick to point the bl

2 Samuel 21:2-3,6 So the king summoned the Gibeonites. They were not part of Israel but were all that was left of the nation of the Amorites. The people of Israel had sworn not to kill them, but Saul, in his zeal for Israel and Judah, had tried to wipe them out. David asked them, “What can I do for you? How can I make amends so that you will bless the Lord’s people again?” So let seven of Saul’s sons be handed over to us, and we will execute them before the lord at Gibeon, on the mountain of the Lord.”“All right,” the king said, “I will do it.” Saul's actions even after death was affecting his descendants negatively. His wrong choices were now bringing about an annihilation of his generation. We cannot emphasize this enough, be careful how you live your life, do not take rash decisions. Your decisions should not be based on emotions, sentiments, anger or even pride. They should be well thought out and as believers, let it be by the leading of God's Spirit in us. Ephesian

2 Samuel 20:1-2,22 There happened to be a troublemaker there named Sheba son of Bicri, a man from the tribe of Benjamin. Sheba blew a ram’s horn and began to chant: “Down with the dynasty of David!  We have no interest in the son of Jesse. Come on, you men of Israel, back to your homes!” So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba son of Bicri. But the men of Judah stayed with their king and escorted him from the Jordan River to Jerusalem. Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice, and they cut off Sheba’s head and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the ram’s horn and called his troops back from the attack. They all returned to their homes, and Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem. One thing I always avoid as much as possible is repeating the mistakes of others. Sheba saw how Absalom ended from his rebellion and treason against David who was the anointed king, yet he went ahead to stir a rebellion. How did he expect it to end? There are actions

2 Samuel 19:19-21, 23 “My Lord the king, please forgive me,” he pleaded. “Forget the terrible thing your servant did when you left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind. I know how much I sinned. That is why I have come here today, the very first person in all Israel to greet my Lord the king.” Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, “Shimei should die, for he cursed the Lord’s anointed king!” Then, turning to Shimei, David vowed, “Your life will be spared.” Be careful how you treat those who are going through tough times. Do not say what you are not sure of, caution yourself not to laugh at their predicament or to  cause more grief. As believers we carry the heart of God, for His Spirit lives within us, we must therefore show His characteristics. Galatians 5:22-23,25 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Since we are living by the

2 Samuel 18:10,14-15,17 One of David’s men saw what had happened and told Joab, “I saw Absalom dangling from a great tree.” “Enough of this nonsense,” Joab said. Then he took three daggers and plunged them into Absalom’s heart as he dangled, still alive, in the great tree. Ten of Joab’s young armor bearers then surrounded Absalom and killed him. They threw Absalom’s body into a deep pit in the forest and piled a great heap of stones over it. And all Israel fled to their homes. There is always a repercussion for every decision we take. This is why in wisdom, we think of the consequences before we take an action. One would wonder what led Absalom to arise against his father the king who was God's anointed. Yes, he may have had a well thought plan, but: Proverbs 19:21 You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. His plan may have been great, he may have won the heart of the people and of the wise counselor of David but he was working against God's anointed, so he

2 Samuel 17:1,4,7,14,23 Now Ahithophel urged Absalom, “Let me choose 12,000 men to start out after David tonight. This plan seemed good to Absalom and to all the elders of Israel. “Well,” Hushai replied to Absalom, “this time Ahithophel has made a mistake. Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “Hushai’s advice is better than Ahithophel’s.” For the Lord had determined to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, which really was the better plan, so that he could bring disaster on Absalom! When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey, went to his hometown, set his affairs in order, and hanged himself. He died there and was buried in the family tomb. Be careful who you fight against. Don't get yourself in a war against others, you may not know if you are fighting against God's own. Ahithophel had a gift: 2 Samuel 16:23 Absalom followed Ahithophel’s advice, just as David had done. For every word Ahithophel spoke seemed as wise as though it ha

2 Samuel 16:5-7, 11-12 As King David came to Bahurim, a man came out of the village cursing them. It was Shimei son of Gera, from the same clan as Saul’s family. He threw stones at the king and the king’s officers and all the mighty warriors who surrounded him. “Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!” he shouted at David. Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “My own son is trying to kill me. Doesn’t this relative of Saul have even more reason to do so? Leave him alone and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to do it. And perhaps the Lord will see that I am being wronged and will bless me because of these curses today.” David knew he was going through all these troubles because of the wrong he did. He had been warned. 2 Samuel 12:9-12 Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. From this time on, your family will live by the

2 Samuel 15: 13-14 ,31 A messenger soon arrived in Jerusalem to tell David, “All Israel has joined Absalom in a conspiracy against you!” “Then we must flee at once, or it will be too late!” David urged his men. “Hurry! If we get out of the city before Absalom arrives, both we and the city of Jerusalem will be spared from disaster.” When someone told David that his adviser Ahithophel was now backing Absalom, David prayed, “O Lord, let Ahithophel give Absalom foolish advice!” David had forgiven Absalom and showed him mercy for killing his son who was also Absalom's brother as a revenge for the evil act against Tamar. How did Absalom repay him? He conspired to overthrow him and in so doing forced him out of the throne and the land. David was not a stranger to running away from attack against his life, but this time it was from his own son. Let us remember that David was still paying for the great abomination he did. However, as we discussed yesterday, the one used as a tool for

2 Samuel 14:14,33 All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him. So Joab told the king what Absalom had said. Then at last David summoned Absalom, who came and bowed low before the king, and the king kissed him. Have you ever been reconciled to one you have offended? Have you reconciled with anyone who has offended you? It brings a sort of relief and a burden is taken away from your heart.  Jesus said: Matthew 5:9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. We are not to dwell on the offences, though we learn from it and take cautions but we should not keep grudges neither should we allow bitterness. No matter what has been done against you even as evil as what Absalom did, a revenge that brought about the death of David's son, we should yet be able to forg

2 Samuel 13: 12-16 “No, my brother!” she cried. “Don’t be foolish! Don’t do this to me! Such wicked things aren’t done in Israel. Where could I go in my shame? And you would be called one of the greatest fools in Israel. Please, just speak to the king about it, and he will let you marry me.” But Amnon wouldn’t listen to her, and since he was stronger than she was, he raped her. Then suddenly Amnon’s love turned to hate, and he hated her even more than he had loved her. “Get out of here!” he snarled at her. “No, no!” Tamar cried. “Sending me away now is worse than what you’ve already done to me.”But Amnon wouldn’t listen to her. Hear, hear, beware, do not be the tool for evil, do not provide yourself as the source of offence. Listen to Jesus the Christ: Matthew 18:7 (kjv) Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! Matthew 18:7 “What sorrow awaits the world, because it tempts people to sin. T

2 Samuel 12:5,7 David was furious. “As surely as the Lord lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel, says: The study of the scriptures, even the bible as we have it today, is a life long experience that you cannot exhaust in a lifetime. Many have not yet exhausted a mega-minute part of it, yet they have already run ahead to seek other books. In doing this many have missed their way and become more confused or totally out of order. Look at our reading for today in the book of 2 Samuel chapter 12. We see Nathan coming. with God's message to David concerning the terrible deeds he did, we read about these deeds yesterday. What do we learn? Child of God, begin judgment with yourself! We find it very easy to push the accusation to someone else, to see that other person's fault or error, however, we are not ready to look at ourselves to correct our wrong. Listen, most times when you p

(2Samuel 11:1-27) 2 Samuel 11:1,4-5,15,26-27 In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem. Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned home. Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, “I’m pregnant.” The letter instructed Joab, “Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.” When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. When the period of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to the palace, and she became one of his wives. Then she gave birth to a son. But the Lord was displeased with what David had done. If

(2Samuel 10:1-19) 2 Samuel 10:3-4,6,18-19 the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun, their master, “Do you really think these men are coming here to honor your father? No! David has sent them to spy out the city so they can come in and conquer it!” So Hanun seized David’s ambassadors and shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their robes at the buttocks, and sent them back to David in shame. When the people of Ammon realized how seriously they had angered David, they sent and hired 20,000 Aramean foot soldiers from the lands of Beth-rehob and Zobah, 1,000 from the king of Maacah, and 12,000 from the land of Tob. But again the Arameans fled from the Israelites. This time David’s forces killed 700 charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers, including Shobach, the commander of their army. When all the kings allied with Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they surrendered to Israel and became their subjects. After that, the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites. David'

2 Samuel 9:3,7-8,12-13 The king then asked him, “Is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show God’s kindness to them.”Ziba replied, “Yes, one of Jonathan’s sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.” “Don’t be afraid!” David said. “I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!” Mephibosheth bowed respectfully and exclaimed, “Who is your servant, that you should show such kindness to a dead dog like me?” Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. From then on, all the members of Ziba’s household were Mephibosheth’s servants. And Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet, lived in Jerusalem and ate regularly at the king’s table. Especially in some poor countries some churches have promoted this ideology of "my helper". This refers to someone who God sends to take one out of poverty and bring

2 Samuel 8:1-2,6,15 After this, David defeated and subdued the Philistines by conquering Gath, their largest town. David also conquered the land of Moab. He made the people lie down on the ground in a row, and he measured them off in groups with a length of rope. He measured off two groups to be executed for every one group to be spared. The Moabites who were spared became David’s subjects and paid him tribute money. Then he placed several army garrisons in Damascus, the Aramean capital, and the Arameans became David’s subjects and paid him tribute money. So the Lord made David victorious wherever he went. So David reigned over all Israel and did what was just and right for all his people. I have always said that when the Lord decides specifically to bless a person all the opposition against it doesn't matter. For scriptures says: Ephesians 4:6 one God and Father of all,  who is over all, in all, and living through all. When He decides to bless a man woe unto anyone who dares to op