The next day they brought 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 male lambs as burnt offerings to the LORD. They also brought liquid offerings and many other sacrifices on behalf of all Israel. They feasted and drank in the LORD’s presence with great joy that day. And again they crowned David’s son Solomon as their new king. They anointed him before the LORD as their leader, and they anointed Zadok as priest. So Solomon took the throne of the LORD in place of his father, David, and he succeeded in everything, and all Israel obeyed him. All the officials, the warriors, and the sons of King David pledged their loyalty to King Solomon. And the LORD exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel, and he gave Solomon greater royal splendor than any king in Israel before him. So David son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. He reigned over Israel for forty years, seven of them in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem. He died at a ripe old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth, and honor. Then his son Solomon ruled in his place. All the events of King David’s reign, from beginning to end, are written in “The Record of Samuel the Seer”, “The Record of Nathan the Prophet”, and “The Record of Gad the Seer”. These accounts include the mighty deeds of his reign and everything that happened to him and to Israel and to all the surrounding kingdoms.
1 Chronicles 29:21–30 NLT
The records of Samuel and other prophets are likely the sources for 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Chronicles
Dear readers,
As we close the final chapter of our 60-part series on The Life of David, we find ourselves reflecting on the remarkable journey of a shepherd boy who became a king, a poet, a warrior, and a man after God’s own heart. David’s life, chronicled in the sacred texts and echoed through the annals of history, stands as a testament to the complexities of faith, leadership, and human frailty.
From his humble beginnings in Bethlehem to his final days in Jerusalem, David’s life was marked by profound highs and lows. He faced giants, led armies, composed psalms, and danced before the Ark of the Covenant with unbridled joy. Yet, he also grappled with personal failings, family strife, and the consequences of his actions. Through it all, David remained a man deeply committed to God, seeking forgiveness, offering praise, and showing us the beauty of a life dedicated to divine purposes.
David’s legacy, passed on to Solomon, reminds us that our own journeys are interwoven with both victories and challenges, and that our lives can have an impact far beyond our time. As we reflect on David’s story, may we find inspiration in his faith, courage, and heart for God. May his life encourage us to pursue God with the same fervor, humility, and devotion.
Thank you for joining us in exploring the life of one of the most iconic figures in biblical history. May the lessons from David’s life resonate with you, guiding and inspiring your own walk with God.
-Bumble & ChatGPT
PS: If you wonder how ChatGPT could help write these devotions, take a look behind the scenes here: https://bit.ly/how-lod02-written
PSS: We will follow the https://vayhub.us/rdpt22/rules to determine the final winning team
Last devotional for the finish! If you are remaining competitive, answer both questions. Share with your friends: “1) With a mix of truth and fiction in this devotional series, which fictional element stretched the truth the most for you, and why you think so? 2) Also, after reading comments from other teams on the website throughout the series, which one was your favorite, and why?”
1. I think the fictional element that stretched truth the most for me are the feelings conveyed by the biblical figures of all the different readings. To me it made the stories in the Bible a lot more entertaining and interesting to read. It also helps me to understnad what these biblical figures may be feeling at that time. It made doing the devotions a lot more fun. It’s my first time doing devotions so I wasn’t sure if these are how devotions normally are or not but it was really fun reading the letters that, to me, further delved into what the figures may be experiencing at that moment.
2. I like reading all the different comments from other teams during this series because it gave me different perspectives to look at and reflect upon. However the one that stood out to me the most is when Jenney called out Bumble for making the devotional question too hard yesterday! Hahahahaha
hahhaha Daisies, thanks for reading!
1)To me, I don’t feel there are many fictional elements in this devotional series. I can see most of the reading are applicable to our live. The things that are fictional to me is that I can not see myself being in the position of King Saul or David and the situation they faced is way harder than I have ever faced. In reality, I could be making a lot of money and then temptation will come. And the solution would obviously be seeking for God’s help. Not too much truth stretched. But situations would be different in each of our lives.
2) Everyone’s comment are great and unique. The one that stand out to me the most is Don’s comment. oct 19 “Although early in sobriety this mantra serves to help in our fight to against the obsession to drink or use on a daily basis, I’ve come to learn the real significance and value of a life lived one day at a time. Each day we have a choice. We can choose to go on living a life of “self will run riot,” opting to serve our own selfish desires, as Saul did. Or we can “make a decision to turn our will and our life over to God’s care,” as Jonathan did.”He comments are very insightful and positive. The comment is very structured.
From Teri
I found that all the fictional elements stretched the truth and like Rose, I didn’t like reading the fictional part as much knowing that it’s fictional. I prefer reading the passage that is from the Bible.
The post that I really like from the other teams is from Don on 11/17/23 “How Do We Navigate Through Suffering and Faith. I like how Don talked about his own experience relating to this message” God’s redemptive power works through our brokenness, weaving our pain and our failures into a tapestry of grace that speaks of His unfailing love and mercy”. Because of his experience with addiction, Don has gone through much pain and suffering which gave him a unique perspective to help others in recovery come to know “God’s grace and find hope in Him”. I can imagine how difficult it was for Don but his reliance on God has brought him out of the darkness and to be able to stay in the light.
For me personally, I appreciate very much that Don had tried to help my cousin with his addiction. Addiction is a great demon and although others try to pull you out of the pit, you have to want to climb out. Unfortunately at this time, my cousin is not ready to climb out even with help. All we can do is to continue to pray for him.
Sorry I digress but just wanted to share my appreciation to Don and others who tried to help my cousin this year.
Yay! We are done with our devotions! Great job team elderly!
The fictional element that significantly deviated from the truth occurred when Rizpah consoled David upon the death of his son Absalom. This portrayal stretches the truth quite far, as according to 2 Samuel 21, it appears that Absalom died before her own son. How she could console David when her son was still alive at that time. Reading this felt like watching a K drama.
I found Roger’s devotion on 11/1 particularly moving, especially when he remarked, “…And to think Jesus did all this for us when he died upon the cross is mind-blowing (as Don already alluded to). Being taught the depths of God’s love for us makes me want to be a better version of myself….” It’s truly awesome to hear the perspective of someone who isn’t a Christian but has discovered the profound love of God. It serves as a reminder that we, as Christians, should never take this love for granted.
1) I don’t have enough knowledge about this field, but I really like the POV in our devotional series. When I read the Bible, I don’t fully understand what they wanted to convey. However, with Bumble’s perspective in the devotions, I learn a lot and gain a deeper understanding of the Bible, broadening my thinking.
2) I’m very impressed by Lucky’s devotion on Nov 14, 2023. It was about suffering, and he illustrated some good points that reminded me of what I need to do to be different from people who don’t believe in God. He went very deep in that devotion, and I think I learned a lot from it. These lessons can be applied in my life too.
1. I couldn’t read through all of the devotion, but when I read the highlighted parts such as David knocking Goliath down and the sins that David committed, I think there was not too much of a stretched truth between the Bible and the letter written by Pastor Bumble (and AI?).
2. Throughout this devotional series, my favorite comment is from Hoa. I cannot choose the best one because her comments are always solid and offer a different or deeper perspective than mine. However, if I were told to choose, I would say the devotion about “Who can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves?” because not only did she mention how great God is but also about us as humans on Earth.
(from Vincent)
Wow its finally coming to an end! I truly believed each devotion’s letter never strayed from the biblical points. The one that stretched the truth the most for me was Bathsheba’s letter to David. I believe Pastor PP made a point that David did not care for her as to remember more than that she said “I am pregnant.” Everything said in the letter seemed like a stretch to me, although I did enjoy the responses. I enjoyed all the responses in “What does Grace look like?” Seeing peoples personal stories on how strangers and people changed their lives was pretty inspirational. Thanks everyone here for their thoughtful insight, input and perserverance. Even if we did not win, you all helped me individually. Good job guys! God is good.