2 Samuel 10:7 (KJV) The High Cost of Assumptions

2 Samuel 10:7 (KJV)

And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men.

Sometimes—and I think this happens especially often in the Old Testament historical books—the Bible records events without assigning them a moral value. What unfolds in this chapter is tragic from beginning to end. It is fact. It is history.

The Bible does not say that David was blessed in these victories. It does not say he was right in all that he did. Much of what he did was simply what had to be done. It certainly was not what he wanted to do.

That shapes my conclusion for this difficult chapter: much of it could have been avoided with better communication.

The chapter begins with sincere intention. David wanted to comfort Hanun after the death of his father. He did so by sending servants. That was a common and accepted practice. A busy man of importance often sends representatives to attend the funeral of another notable figure.

Recently, a man important in my own world passed away. At his funeral were pastors from all over the country. I noticed that one person of significance was not present. He did send two representatives, but they left—not only quickly—but before the service had even concluded. The thought was there, but there was also a message.

Perhaps none of this would have happened had David gone himself.

Then Hanun listened to his advisers without so much as consulting David’s servants. A wiser leader would have delayed judgment and sought clarification.

The remainder of the chapter is driven by what was heard, assumed, or feared. No one attempted to resolve the matter through communication before turning to violence.

In the end, David was victorious. Scripture records that.
But the outcome remains far more tragic than it ever needed to be.

Communication does not always resolve differences—but it is almost always the right place to begin.

#BibleReflection #OldTestamentLessons #LeadershipAndWisdom #BiblicalHistory #TruthFromScripture

The High Cost of Assumptions: How Poor Communication Turned Good Intentions into Tragedy

Looking for clear Bible answers in a noisy world? 📖
Scripture doesn’t just record victories—it reveals why conflict happens and how it might have been avoided. 2 Samuel 10reminds us that assumptions and silence can turn good intentions into tragedy.

👉 Read the Bible carefully. Think biblically. Live wisely.

💬 Question for you:
Where have you seen assumptions—rather than communication—cause unnecessary conflict, either in Scripture or in life?

⬇️ Share your thoughts in the comments. Let’s learn together.

🔎 For more plain Bible teaching, historical context, and practical Christian answers, visit marvinmckenzie.org
📌 Follow for more Scripture-based insight and encouragement ✝️

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
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2 Samuel 10:7 (KJV) The High Cost of Assumptions

Romans 11:11 (KJV) Have They Fallen Forever?

Romans 11:11 (KJV)

I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

Contrary to the doctrine of the Calvinists, I am confident that God has no desire that any should “fall.” There is no one beyond God’s love. There is no one God would not receive to Himself.

Whether Jew or Gentile, what is true of one is true of all. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Christ died for all. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Here is the crux of the situation, though: God only accepts us by the election of grace. No amount of work can save, and no part of grace can be of works.

So God 

• blinds the eyes,
• diminishes the riches,
• casts away the traditional people of God,
• and breaks off the branches—

all to provoke them to jealousy and bring them, eventually, to grace.

That is the plan of God, the will of God, the election of God.

Grace, not works.

Have you felt like you’ve been cast away? Have you wondered if you may not be among the elect?

Fear not.

Ephesians 2:8–9 (KJV)
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.

It is not of you. It is of God, and it is for everyone.

Just accept this grace, this gift. Just believe His promise.

Romans 6:23 (KJV)
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

• It’s not up to you to believe.
• It’s not up to you to work up faith.
• It’s not up to you to turn over a new leaf.

It’s only up to you to accept the gift of God of eternal life.

And God will do anything to bring you to the place where you will accept it.

#GraceNotWorks #Romans11 #ElectionOfGrace #SalvationByGrace #WhosoeverWill

Have They Fallen Forever? Grace, Election, and God’s Plan

Looking for clear Bible answers about grace, salvation, and election—without confusion or tradition mixed in? 📖✨
Romans 11:11 reminds us that God’s plan is rooted in grace, not works, and that no one is beyond His reach.

👉 Read the passage. Think it through. Believe God’s Word.
👉 If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re “cast away” or truly invited, the Bible speaks plainly.

❓ Question for the comments:
Do you believe salvation is entirely by grace, or do people still try to earn what God freely gives?

📌 For more straightforward Bible teaching and clear gospel answers, visit marvinmckenzie.org 🌐
Let God’s Word settle what opinions never can.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Romans 11:11 (KJV) Have They Fallen Forever?

Romans 10:15 (KJV) God’s Biblical Pattern for Preaching

Romans 10:15 (KJV)

And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

It is sometimes in the most obvious things that we fail to see—and by doing so, reject—the plan and will of God.

Romans chapter 10 is all about spiritual conversion—salvation in the biblical sense. It is true that Israel was in a world of hurt in those days.

• Politically, they were occupied and oppressed by the Romans.
• Religiously, they were divided.
• Socially, they were angry with the world and with one another.

But spiritually, they were dead and did not know it.

History tells us that within just a few years of this writing (and possibly even at the time Paul penned these words), the factions of Phariseeism and Sadduceeism would become so radicalized that they attacked one another. Then, in A.D. 70, the Romans would practically annihilate them, tearing Jerusalem to the ground.

I am certain Paul could sense and see this coming and would have been deeply concerned. But that is not the point of the chapter. His concern for Israel was spiritual.

Then, as the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul transitions from the Jews to the people of the world.

• People are saved only through the hearing of God’s Word.
• People hear God’s Word through preaching.

And here is the point of our text:

• Preachers go only if they are sent.

John Gill writes, “There is no proper, rightful, regular, and lawful preaching of the word without a mission, which is either extraordinary or ordinary…” He describes the extraordinary mission as that of the apostles, and the ordinary as that of pastors and teachers. He speaks at length about the gifts of the Spirit bestowed upon those whom God is calling to this work, and then writes of the mission: “…which is given by the churches of Christ, after due trial and examination of gifts, and a serious consideration of the matter, and that in the most solemn manner; and this is what may be properly called a preacher’s mission, and none but such who are in this way sent out ought to preach the Gospel.”

Let God authorize us and guide us to the work of preaching through the church He has placed us in—or else let us hold fast to our place in the local church until such guidance and authority are approved.

#SentToPreach #FaithComethByHearing #BiblicalMissions #ChurchAuthorized #GladTidings

God’s Biblical Pattern for Preaching: Biblical Missions Start with the Church, Not the Individual

Looking for clear Bible answers in a confused religious world? 📖
Romans 10 reminds us that salvation comes by hearing God’s Word, and God has an order for how that Word is preached.

Too many voices speak today—but not all are sent. Scripture still matters. Truth still has authority. The local church still plays a central role in God’s plan. ⛪

Question for you:
👉 According to the Bible, who has the authority to send a preacher—and why does it matter?
Drop your thoughts in the comments. 💬

If you’re searching for plain Bible teaching, faithful to Scripture and grounded in truth, visit marvinmckenzie.org 🌐
You’ll find resources designed to help you understand the Bible, not just talk about it.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Romans 10:15 (KJV) God’s Biblical Pattern for Preaching

2 Samuel 7:2 (KJV) Good Intentions Must Wait on God

2 Samuel 7:2 (KJV)

That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.

Things seem to move quickly once David is king of all Israel. It is not long after the ark of the covenant is brought to Jerusalem that David begins thinking it ought to dwell in a house—some form of structure befitting its relevance to the people of God.

But David had learned.

This time he consults the prophet before stepping into his well-intentioned project.

It is worthy of note that we learn the prophet also has things to learn. No man of God is perfect. He must go to God for direction just as anyone under his care must do. What looked like an obvious “yes” was, in fact, a “wait” once God was consulted. David’s inclination was correct, but his timing was off. This would not be his project to construct, but one that would fall to his son.

It is also worth noting that David followed the prophet’s instructions even after it became obvious that the prophet himself had not been perfectly in tune with God at first. There is something deeply wrong when people reject the leadership of their pastor simply because they discover he is not perfect. His office is more than honorary. He is not merely the groundskeeper of the church. God uses him despite his humanity. To reject or ignore his counsel simply because you are aware he is not without error is, in itself, a grave error.

And it is also worth noting that this event results in one of the most important prophecies and promises in the Word of God. Here we learn that of David’s seed would come the Saviour.

Well-intentioned David would not build the Temple.
Zealous and excited Nathan had to eat some of his own words.

But the chapter ends on a fulcrum that establishes the eternal destiny of men.

None of us do anything perfectly. Learn. Submit to God. Follow His plan.

It’s worth it.

#GodsTiming #PastoralAuthority #DavidicCovenant #WaitOnTheLord #FromPromiseToMessiah

Good Intentions Must Wait on God: Authority, Timing, and the Davidic Promise

Looking for clear Bible answers in a confused world? 📖
God’s Word doesn’t just tell us what to do—it teaches us when to act and when to wait.

If you’ve ever wondered why God sometimes delays even good plans, 2 Samuel 7 gives us timeless truth about God’s timing, pastoral authority, and His greater purposes ⏳👑

💬 Question for you:
Have you ever had something that seemed right, but God asked you to wait? What did you learn from it?

Join the conversation in the comments 👇
And if you’re searching for Bible-based teaching without compromise, visit 👉 marvinmckenzie.org 🌐
More studies. More Scripture. More answers—straight from the Word of God. ✝️

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7000 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

2 Samuel 7:2 (KJV) Good Intentions Must Wait on God