Today’s Reading:
Read 2 Samuel 5:11-25; 2 Samuel 6:12-15; I Chronicles 15:1-4; I Chronicles 16:8-36
What Do you remember learning about the Ark of the Covenant? Make a list of everything your family remembers. God gave Moses specific instructions on how to build it and where to place it in the tabernacle (Exodus 25). Then the Ark of the Covenant was where the presence of God rested, and the Israelites followed it as they crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land (Joshua 3-4). Later, we learn that the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant (I Samuel 4).
David recognized how important the Ark of the Covenant was and how it represented the presence of God among His people. David led the Israelites to bring the Ark of the Covenant to the city of Jerusalem, a place where the people could worship God. It was a big job for David, but he was able to accomplish this because of two specific things:
- David inquired of the Lord…. Before David moved forward with his plan to move the Ark of the Covenant, he asked the Lord what he should do. (2 Samuel 5:19, 5:23)
- David did exactly what the Lord commanded him. (2 Samuel 5:25)
After the Ark was established in Jerusalem, David led the people in worship and thanked God for all he had done.
Application/Prayer:
When you make a decision as a family, what are the steps you take? Spend some time discussing as a family the importance of following David’s example and inquiring of the Lord and then obeying exactly as the Lord leads. Thank God for his guidance in your family.
April Memory Verse:
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
Romans 10:9-10
Using the daily reading prompts from George H. Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life, here’s how to use this devotional:
- Bring your Bible! Your kids need to see that everything you are reading to them or learning about comes from an actual Bible!
- Each day starts with a reading prompt. Read the selection as a family. If your kids are readers, encourage them to read along with you.
- After you’ve read the passage, read the short devotional thought that goes along with each passage.
- Prayer and application are important any time we read God’s word! After each devotional, there is a challenge to help apply what your family has read that day.
- There is a reading for six days of the week. The last reading of the week is a Gospel Conversation Prompt to help you connect the reading from the week with God’s plan for salvation.
Other Resources:
April memory verse coloring sheet
April Fill-in the blank activity