David is not yet secure on his throne, and risks alienating his supporters by his grief over Absalom. Joab, his key ally, is forced to rebuke him (verses 5–8). The loyalty of the northern tribes, who would rebel against David's grandson and be...

David's troubles are not over yet; he has to deal with another rebellion. Again, it is the northern tribes who prove disloyal. Amasa, to whom David has given the command of the army, is evidently not up to the job (verse 5); David falls back on ...

Some Bible stories are extremely difficult for us today, reflecting as they do an understanding of God that we cannot share. In this story, God sends a famine on Israel because of the guilt of the house of Saul for his treatment of the Gibeonites.

This chapter is a psalm of praise to God for keeping David safe in his troubles. It's also in the book of Psalms (Psalm 18). It uses vivid imagery drawn from storms and floods to depict the trials of David's life – and our own – and por...

At this stage of 2 Samuel David's life is drawing towards its close, though there's still more drama to come. This chapter pays tribute to his mighty warriors; it reads like our own stories of chivalry from the Middle Ages, where brave knig...

On the face of it, there's nothing wrong with a king taking a census. A prudent monarch needs to know how many soldiers and taxpayers he has. In this story, the element of sinfulness isn't explained. The writer ascribes what happens to God&...

This psalm is a communal lament by the temple musicians (the sons of Asaph), probably at a time when disaster had fallen upon the northern tribes. Coming together to lament before God, the Israelites recognise that they need God first and foremost, a...

This well-known psalm beautifully describes the psalmist's longing to be in God’s house, the temple in Jerusalem. The pilgrim even sounds jealous of the sparrows and swallows that nest there.

Sometimes we face a rebuilding moment in our lives and communities – a rebuilding and repairing of our relationship with God and other people. It sometimes comes at a time of crisis or change and it can be hard to face or see beyond. Today’s psal...

This is an individual lament, ascribed to David. In it, David seems to be in a desperate situation where he fears for his life. Despite this, rather than dwelling on his own danger, David spends most of the psalm meditating on God’s divine nature a...

This psalm is another individual lament. It is particularly significant as it is right in the centre of the book of Psalms and it is the only lament which is without any hope – it’s as if the psalmists want to bring us to our lowest point before ...

Psalm 89 is a Royal Psalm, one of a selection of psalms which all feature content concerning the relationship between God and the king. For example, some relate to coronations, some appeal for aid before battle, and some are for royal weddings.

With the reign of King Solomon, the united nation of the Hebrews reached the height of its power. His rule is presented as a golden age of peace, wealth and security given by God, symbolised by the building of a magnificent temple.

From the biblical account, it looks as though Solomon lived a life marked by conspicuous consumption. There was nothing he denied himself; it was bling on a scale that would make a Russian oligarch look a little dowdy.

The writer of 1 Kings ascribes Solomon's spiritual downfall to the many foreign women he took as wives or concubines. No doubt many would have been acquired as status symbols or in the course of diplomacy, but there was still a strong element of...

The judgement God promises because of Solomon's behaviour falls not on the king, but on his son Rehoboam. The loyalty of the northern tribes of Israel to the house of David had always been fragile. After they entered Canaan and in the time of th...

A prophet from Judah has confronted Israel's new king, Jeroboam, and asserted God's authority over him. As a symbol of God's rejection of Jeroboam's regime, he is not to accept hospitality on his way home. A foolish old Israelite ...

King Jeroboam has rejected God and instituted the worship of two golden calves in an attempt to control his new country's religion. When he's faced with urgent questions of life and death, though, he realises that only the Lord can help him.

Unlike his father Abijah and his grandfather Rehoboam, King Asa clamped down on idolatry and 'remained faithful to the Lord all his life' (verse 14). He was also generous to the Temple, making gifts of gold and silver to replace those lost ...

1 and 2 Kings were originally one book, so 2 Kings picks up where 1 Kings concluded. In chapter 1 we encounter five men: Ahaziah the king, Elijah the prophet and three army captains. The last lines of 1 Kings tell us all we need to know about Ahaziah...