May 19-23
[M] 2 Samuel 13-14; Acts 28
[T] 2 Sam 15-17; Psalms 3, 63; Romans 1
[W] 2 Sam 18-20; Psalm 34; Romans 2
[T] 2 Sam 21-23; Psalm 18; Romans 3
[F] 2 Sam 24; 1 Chr 21; Romans 4
Dwell Plan Day 101-105 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF
Notes from Jon & Chris
Monday
2 Samuel 13-18 | When we read this whole Absalom narrative, we instinctively identify with David—the wounded father, the rightful king. But Scripture often holds up a mirror, and if we look closely, we’re more like Absalom than we care to admit. Absalom was handsome, persuasive, and deeply rebellious; he stole hearts and plotted against the very one who loved him most. In our sin, we too reject God’s authority and grasp for control, trying to take the throne of our own lives. Absalom’s rebellion is not just a political coup—it’s a picture of our spiritual condition. But where Absalom’s story ends in ruin, the gospel tells us of a King who was betrayed, not to condemn rebels, but to save them through His own sacrifice.
Acts 28:31 | The narrative just ends! It doesn’t wrap anything up, finish the details of the characters’ story arc, or answer all the questions that arise! But that’s the point. All of Scripture is written like this. It’s really all about our God and His kingdom. It’s His “character arc” that we follow, learning who He is as He reveals Himself through His words and actions. You may have heard of a church planting organization called Acts 29. It was a good work of God for a time, and it really captured this sense of an incomplete narrative in the book of Acts by taking on that name “Acts 29”. Pretty cool idea! We are the continuing story of God’s kingdom!
Acts 28 | The book of Acts ends without a clear resolution—not because the story is unfinished, but because the mission of the church continues. Luke leaves Paul preaching in Rome as a reminder that the gospel is still advancing through God’s people across every generation. We are part of that same story, carrying the message of Christ to the ends of the earth. One day, the final chapter will be written when Jesus returns and the story ends in glory, with Christ reigning in the new heavens and new earth among His redeemed people.
Tuesday
Romans | Today, we begin the Book of Romans. Instead of writing an introduction to this book myself, I thought it’d be better to let the late great R.C. Sproul do it. This is the intro from his commentary on Romans that was adapted from a sermon series he preached where he went through this book verse by verse.
On the first page of Romans in my Greek testament, I have scribbled at the top of the page a few significant dates. The first one is the year AD 386. In the latter part of the fourth century lived a young man whose father was a pagan and whose mother was a devout Christian. This young man had devoted himself to immorality. He had already sired one illegitimate son, yet his mother continued to pray for his soul and sought the counsel of her pastor, Bishop Ambrose of Milan.
This young man was pacing one day in a garden where a copy of the New Testament was chained to a lectern. As he was walking, he overheard children playing in the grass, singing a refrain to one of their childhood games: Tolle lege, tolle lege, which means “take up and read.” So this young man, whose name was Aurelius Augustine, went to the Scriptures that were there. He allowed the volume of sacred writ to fall open where it would, and in the providence of God it fell open to Romans 13. Augustine’s eyes fell on this passage:
And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. (Rom. 13:11–14)
As Augustine read these words, the Spirit of God took them and pierced between joint and sinew, bone and marrow, to the very depths of this young man’s soul. By the power of the Word of God with the Spirit attending it, Augustine was converted to the Christian faith, and we know him today as Saint Augustine of Hippo.
Later in church history, in 1515, an Augustinian monk who had diligently pursued his doctoral studies in the works of Augustine was consigned to a university to be the professor of biblical studies. He had already delivered his first series of lectures on the book of Psalms, and now his task was to teach his students the book of Romans. As he was preparing his lectures on Romans and studying this epistle’s first chapter, he found a notation from an ancient manuscript of Augustine defining the righteousness of Christ. Augustine said that when Paul speaks of the righteousness of God in Romans 1, it is not the righteousness by which God himself is righteous, but the righteousness that he freely gives to those who put their trust in Christ. For the first time in his life, Martin Luther, whose conscience had been wounded by the burden of the law of God that daily exposed his relentless guilt, understood the gospel of Christ. The doors of paradise swung open and he walked through, and it was from Paul’s teaching on the doctrine of justification by faith alone that Luther stood against the whole world in the sixteenth-century Reformation.
Another date I have scribbled in my Greek testament is the year 1738, when a man who was already ordained to the ministry in the Anglican church in England was listening to a message being delivered outside in London at Aldersgate. He mentioned later that as he was listening to the words of Romans, he felt his heart was strangely warmed. He said that was the moment of his authentic conversion, and it defined the life and ministry of John Wesley for the rest of his days.
I could mention the impact of Romans on John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, and a host of others throughout church history, but as we come to it now, I simply remind you that God has richly blessed those who have devoted themselves to the study of this book.
Romans 1:11-12 | Paul’s humility is the way he leads. It’s the Spirit’s work in Paul, leading out of love and grace.
Romans 1:18 – 3:21 | Paul uses an outline technique by using repetitive phrasing. So “the wrath of God revealed” is parallel with “the righteousness of God made manifest.” This is a structure for you to see the development and completion of Paul’s thoughts.
Romans 1:18-32 | There is a progression of unbelief, rebellion, and immorality. Paul makes this point of an inevitable descent into moral madness. All cultures and humans experience this in one way or another.
Wednesday
2 Samuel 19 | After David’s sin, the rest of the story of 2 Samuel is dark and disturbing. Family horror fills David’s life, seeing the death of his sons—the deepest of all parental fears. But the worst of it is David himself. He seems weak and pathetic. Even though he knows the forgiveness of his sins and writes poetry that captures and foreshadows Jesus’ love for sinners in Psalm 51, he’s broken. He can’t seem to figure out how to discipline his family or lead with strength. It might be a feature of multiple wives. One key fracture line in many marriages is how to raise the kids. One parent is too patient for the other and another parent is too harsh. It often leads to arguments and stalemates on child rearing. Imagine if you had twenty wives having that discussion and tension. It would be overwhelming and unmanageable.
But there seems to be something deeper going on. Watching the unfolding of the results of his sin seems to have immobilized him. No “inquiring of the Lord” any longer. In this chapter, after Absalom’s death, Joab tells David off about his self-pity and lack of leadership. Joab is family, so perhaps that’s why he can talk to David like that. Joab is certainly no angel. He’s a hard-bitten general. But he speaks with some clarity into David’s life. His frustration with David is bitter. But what’s the lesson here for us? In ministry you do see this pattern happen. Folks who know God get into some sin they shouldn’t be messing with. That sin grows through cover up and fear into something that wrecks lives and families and churches. Then there’s repentance! Exposure and revelation lead to embarrassment and a turnaround. But then it just feels like there’s no more power in that person’s life. Almost as if their confidence has been shattered. Demoralized and discouraged, they will often drift in and out of churches, immobilized by a sense of guilt and shame that they can’t shake. David’s is a cautionary tale in this way. Believers can be forgiven horrible sins, but the wounds they inflict on themselves and others are terrible. Limping and grieving, their spiritual lives often lack power for the rest of their lives.
2 Samuel 20 | In this chapter, Israel is once again in turmoil as Sheba leads a rebellion against King David. After all the pain of Absalom’s uprising, this new revolt reminds us how fragile human kingdoms are and how quick our hearts are to resist God’s chosen king. Sheba’s cry, “We have no portion in David,” echoes the deeper rebellion in every human heart—we often say the same about Christ, rejecting His rule in favor of our own way. Joab’s ruthless tactics to end the rebellion show how human justice is often swift but flawed, filled with ambition and bloodshed. The chapter ends in uneasy peace, but not true restoration. That kind of peace would never come through David—or any earthly ruler—but only through the Son of David. Jesus, the true King, enters our rebellion not with a sword, but with a cross. And through His death and resurrection, He brings the lasting peace our hearts truly long for.
Romans 2 | As you read the opening chapters of Romans, you’ll notice how much emphasis Paul places on sin and the breaking of God’s law. He starts this way because we can’t truly understand the good news of the gospel until we’ve faced the bad news about ourselves. Paul wants us to see just how deep our guilt runs so that we can truly feel our need for grace. The law pulls back the curtain on our rebellion and strips away any illusion of self-righteousness. Only then are we prepared to see Christ—not merely as a wise teacher, but as the Savior our broken hearts desperately need.
Romans 2:24 | Paul quotes this from the prophets. They were tired of how embarrassing to God the behavior of His people could be. Although it was written about Israel, it seems like it might fit the modern American church at times.
Thursday
2 Samuel 21:1–14 | This is one of those passages that makes modern readers uncomfortable, especially those of us shaped by Western ideals of individual rights and fairness. The idea that seven of Saul’s descendants are executed to atone for his past sin against the Gibeonites feels deeply unjust to us. We instinctively ask, Why should children suffer for the sins of their father? But in the ancient Near Eastern context, there was a strong sense of communal identity—leaders represented their people, and consequences often extended beyond the individual. God honors covenants, even those made generations earlier, and this story reminds us how seriously He takes justice and promises. At the same time, we’re shown a picture of deep sorrow and costly reconciliation—especially in Rizpah’s long vigil for her sons. Her grief compels David to act with compassion, gathering the bones of Saul and Jonathan to give them a proper burial, bringing closure to a broken story. This passage leaves us wrestling with justice, mercy, and the cost of peace. But ultimately, it points us to Jesus; the one who, though innocent, bore the consequences of sin on behalf of others. In Him, justice and mercy finally meet, not through the death of Saul’s sons, but through the death of God’s Son.
Romans 3:11-18 | What is the biblical view of sin and the brokenness of humanity? This string of Old Testament quotes sums up the Bible, and it isn’t pretty. Notice the corruption is head to toe in the quotations.
Romans 3:21-26 | This is the heart of the whole Bible here, with more theology and gospel truth than could be summed up in a hundred volumes. You will grow and gain wisdom and increase in worship if you meditate on these verses deeply. This is our God’s heart for us; this is what faith is. And this is what Christ dying on a cross meant. These verses have awakened men for thousands of years. Pray that the Spirit will awaken you through these words, because that is your deepest hope.
Friday
2 Samuel 24, 1 Chronicles 21 | David makes a critical mistake by taking a census of Israel, revealing his trust in numbers and military strength rather than in God. Though it seems like a practical decision, it exposes a deeper spiritual failure: relying on human effort instead of divine provision. We often fall into the same trap when we measure our worth or security by what we can achieve, rather than resting in God’s grace. Like David, we slip into a kind of works-based thinking, believing that our efforts can earn or secure God’s favor. But God’s mercy is not something we can count, earn, or control—it is freely given. David repents and offers a costly sacrifice, and it is there, on that altar, that God’s wrath is turned away. This foreshadows the greater sacrifice of Christ, who rescues us from the weight of works-based living by offering Himself as the final and perfect offering.
1 Chronicles 21 vs. 2 Samuel 24 | Different accounts are sometimes used to criticize your Bible. Don’t let it get to you. If it all agreed, down to every detail, the critics would say it was all forced to agree–which would be fair if it was all identical! Human accounts always have variations. Always, because of how differently we see things, how differently we express what we see, and how different our goals can be. Many “variations” in the story are the result of actual different accounts, not made-up facts. Sometimes the variations are due to manuscript errors. How did the numbers of the census get different between 1 Chronicles 21 and 2 Samuel 24? We don’t know. There have been copies upon copies over the past 3,000 years. That doesn’t mean the text isn’t reliable or inspired. Far from it. It just means the text we have in our Bibles, what our God has preserved for us, isn’t “magically” perfect. And that’s a good thing. It’s perfect beyond that, and even despite that. God allowed discrepancies to enter into the textual record to keep us from worshiping the text rather than Him. It’s His mercy to keep us from idolatry, otherwise we’d simply worship our Bibles rather than the Creator. We are always tempted to do that.
With that assumption in place, looking at the differences in the accounts becomes compelling. Instead of looking for details to disbelieve, you start reading details for insight into the writer and his goals.
When we compare the accounts, we see they both include the supernatural, but Chronicles describes the angel in more detail—describing how Araunah and his kids saw it too, just like David did. The writer of Chronicles also includes the wonderful little detail of the angel sheathing his sword.
What’s going on here? We can’t be sure, but we can try to be discerning. Who needs to hear more about angels? Is it folks without hope, struggling to rebuild their ancestral homes in Palestine, with all the great biblical heroes just being ancient history? That’s the writer of Chronicles! But the writer of the book of Samuel has a different audience. It’s the same general subject matter: a history of God’s people from when they first started having a monarch, but these folks in Babylon have a lot more of Jerusalem to remember. These stories are more hard-nosed, including much of the failures of David and Solomon, with a much less romantic perspective.
What are the biblical writers teaching us? Know your audience when you communicate—that’s what love looks like. Know their fears, their unbelief, and their worship. Then you’ll know what details are important for them to know. Thankfully, between the Old Testament national histories and the New Testament gospel histories, we get varying accounts to teach us this wisdom.
Romans 4:17 | One of the most abstract statements about God in the Bible and one of the most important. He is the God that deals with what is NOT. That’s what He creates and what He works with, because then He alone gets the glory. This is what faith is: it’s a NOT. It’s just a trusting belief, and that in itself is nothing. But the person we believe in, the “object” of our faith and trust—He’s the one who makes our faith create something.