If you are following The Plan, you should be reading through 2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, and Psalms.

Well, I must admit the past week has had some pretty difficult reading.   The bulk of our readings in 1 Chronicles has been around genealogies and it is sometimes difficult to stay focused when reading these passages.  But we should stay focused, even among these genealogies, or we miss this:

• Numerous times we read of "men of valor"  who are "skillful in war."  God heeds their prayer when they put their trust in Him, but when we read what ultimately becomes of these men of valor and war, the result is always the same.  They are taken into captivity for their unfaithfulness.  Usually by this Tiglath-Pileser fellow.  This also complicates things a bit, because we are reading in Chronicles of events (like the Babylonian and Assyrian captivity) which have not occurred yet in our narrative.
• There are several interesting passages that go unexplained.  Like this one from the genealogy of the tribe of Judah - "The son of Carmi was Acher, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the accursed thing."  What was the "accursed thing?"  If you find out - please let me know.
• Note that the Chronicler details the genealogies of 12 tribes, but if you are a fan of Dan or Zebulun I have bad news for you.  Their genealogies are not present.   Instead, the author focuses on the 1/2 tribe of Manasseh and the Levites. There is also a lot of focus on the contrasts between Saul / Gibeon and David / Jerusalem.  I suspect this is because the author is contrasting faithfulness and unfaithfulness and preparing us for what comes next - which is the construction of the temple in Jerusalem. 
• Another interesting (and recently very, very famous) passage is from Ch4.  "...And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, 'Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!'  So God granted him what he requested."  This is the famous Prayer of Jabez, which inspired a best selling book by Bruce Wilkinson, another not-best selling book that says you should "Pray like Jesus, not like Jabez," and a bit of a controversy around what is called the "Prosperity Gospel."

So, as 1 Chronicles established the genealogy of David, we begin 2 Samuel and the ascendancy of David as King of Israel and the establishment of Jerusalem as its capital. 

Saul is killed by an Amelikite, who clearly thought he was being merciful to Saul.  But David thinks otherwise and has him executed - "Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have killed the Lord's anointed.'"  

BTW, There is a similar story when Rechab and Baanah kill Ish-bosheth (who is Saul's son and heir to his throne, thanks to Abner, whose death at Hebron leaves Ish-bosheth without protection).  When they deliver their news to David he says -  "As surely as the LORD lives, who has delivered me out of all trouble, 10 when a man told me, 'Saul is dead,' and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news!  How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!"  So don't go doing David any favors by killing off his enemies.

David writes a great song as he laments the death of Saul and Jonathan.

Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights.
       How the mighty have fallen!

.......

How the mighty have fallen!
       The weapons of war have perished!"

David is anointed King, fights a protracted war with the House of Saul until Abner and Ish-Bosheth die (see note above),  and Israel begins to rally around David - "Then all of Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying 'Indeed we are your bone and your flesh.'" 

David then moves on Jerusalem, takes the city (thanks Joab) and establishes his rule there.   Thereafter, it becomes known as the "City of David" (funny how that happens) and from this point forward,  instead of being just another backwater town of the  Jebusites,  Jerusalem becomes a very big deal.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is a short story about Benaiah, David's chief body guard in 1 Chronicles 11.   "He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day."  I like this passage because I read a book about it called (surprisingly), In a pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day.   Great book.  You should read it.

As if that weren't enough - we read through several of the Psalms - and there some great Psalms here. 

In Psalm 102, David is praying and seems to be forshadowing what will come.  Read this (slowly):

This will be written for the generation to come,
         That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.
1For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary;
         From heaven the LORD viewed the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
         To release those appointed to death,
To declare the name of the LORD in Zion,
         And His praise in Jerusalem,
When the peoples are gathered together,
         And the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.

The "groaning of the prisoner,"  "release those appointed to death," "declare the name of the LORD in Zion," ....sound familiar? 

An in Psalm 103 we have one of those famous snippets of Scripture:

"...as far as the east is from the west,
       so far has he removed our transgressions from us."

This is a famous enough verse that it is used in numerous hymns and songs, traditional and contemporary, including this one by the Casting Crowns.

 So here we are - David is King of Israel.  Jerusalem is his capital.   "Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the City of David. And David built all around from the Millo and inward. So David went on and became great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him. "

And here is something we haven't read before "...For there was Joy in Israel."

Blessings.

Keep Reading.

Pray.