Joab ignored Absalom’s first request for a meeting. Then Absalom sent a second, which Joab promptly set aside as well. So Absalom sent a message in all caps by SETTING FIRE TO JOAB’S FIELD OF BARLEY.

Joab showed up at Absalom’s house a few minutes later.

Absalom moved people to action. The stories about him reveal a strong leader—popular, handsome, and creative. But Absalom also harbored a dark nature—shrewd, conniving and manipulative. His rash acts brought tremendous pain and upheaval to his father David and the nation of Israel.

Absalom torched the barley field that brought Joab running, and finally Joab followed through on Absalom’s request that he set up a meeting with the king. Absalom got what he wanted, even if he used Joab in the process.

Sometimes a rash act gets results, but rarely in my experience does a rash act gain me any friends.

I Samuel 14 in week twenty-one of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Dominik Kiss

David’s remorse and lack of defensiveness when responding to the Lord in Psalm 51 smacks me out of my religious coma. Written after his confrontation with the prophet Nathan over the Bathsheba affair, David sought the Lord for mercy and forgiveness.

Unlike David, I tend to wheedle my way out of responsibility.

One of the most popular theories of the last hundred or so years frames people as basically good. Born with a pure nature, only a traumatic upbringing, or lack of education, or a warped society turns an innocent child into a sinful adult. We are all good at our core (but please lock the door on your way out).

David cut through all that pablum. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. David recognized his need for the Lord. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God.

David laid on his face without excuse. Have mercy on me, O God…you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Unvarnished truth helps me deal seriously with the sin in my life.

David’s uncompromising view of reality pushed him toward the only being in the universe who could make him whole. Create in my a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

David didn’t bargain or make excuses, but extended the only offering acceptable to the Lord. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart. David hoped for the mercy of God.

Which is the best any of us can do.

Psalm 51 in Week twenty of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by Maksym Kaharlytskyi

Our day of waterskiing started under a brilliant sun and blue sky. After a few turns that worked us further down the lake, we noticed a change. Dark clouds bunched to the west and we felt an ominous wind. We immediately turned for the dock.

Me, my wife and my brother-in-law watched the storm stalk us as the boat pounded through choppy water, racing for shelter. Just as we sighted the dock, the storm engulfed us. A hot July afternoon disappeared into a pounding curtain of heavy rain and thunder. Visibility dropped to a few feet, so we slowed the boat to a crawl. Covered with our only protection—beach towels—we hunched down and endured.

Several frightening minutes passed before the squall left us alone. Finally the sun shone again and the water steamed off our backs. Solid ground welcomed us like an old friend.

Paul and his companions also suffered in the midst of a horrific storm. For fourteen days the winds tossed them around the Mediterranean, a cruise gone terribly wrong. Miraculously, even after the ship wrecked, everyone on board survived.

Storms arrive as unwelcome guests. Some blow through quickly, others last longer, and a few settle in and get comfortable. None are welcome. Storms come and we must deal with them as best we can.

Paul endured the storm by seeking the Lord and encouraging his friends. Always a good recipe for dealing with storms—friends and the Lord.

Acts 27 in week twenty of reading the Bible cover to cover

Photo by JOHN TOWNER