David’s Wives Are Captured

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 30:11-15

11 They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink,
12 and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.
13 And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago.
14 We had made a raid against the Negeb of the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
15 And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band.”

David, on a rescue mission to retrieve (hopefully) the wives and children of his soldiers, and his own loved ones, stops to feed a stranger.

Now get the picture in your head of David and his four hundred men marching on a mission of reclaiming their loved ones. Focused, broken hearted and yet hopeful, David and his army were on mission from God. A mission on which God specifically promised they would overtake those who took their loved ones.

8 And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.”

So what is the effect of this promise? Were they full of anxious activity, moving about without concern of others, finding every advantage in gaining on the enemy? Were they considering the promise of God as being contingent on marching “double time”, getting to the enemies camp without delay?

It seems not.

Of course I imagine if there were no “distractions”, I am sure David and his men would continue on the hunt for those they were after, but at one point, they found a stranger, an Egyptian. They stopped their pursuit for the sake of a single poor man, dying in the way.

They could have dropped off a portion of sustenance to the man and continued on their march, but David and his men stopped and showed kindness to this stranger.

• They gave him bread.
• They gave him water
• They gave him figs
• They gave him raisins

It seems that this act of kindness and generosity was not dependent on retrieving information from the starved man, since he had not informed the group of his identity, or of his past until after the food had been provided.

Yes, it seems David had come back to the Lord and was walking in the steps of kindness and generosity, simply out of obedience to his God.

And out of this obedience, God provided information that strengthened David and his army. God provided to David a treasure trove of information that would eventually enable him to find the Amalekites straightway, even to their very camp, having been given information from this stranger.

Two great lessons can be found in this passage.

a Loss of Anxiety

God’s promise, if received and accepted by the believer, does not produce anxiety but a confidence in seeing it come about. Yes, we are involved in cooperating with the Lord in working out the plan He has, but He is the One who provides, guides and gives us the freedom to show mercy to others in the midst of a mission.

the time for mercy

Let us not forget that in the midst of the big picture, in the midst of large projects or missions, we as believers are never to consider showing mercy as an act of rebellion to God.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

To take time to show mercy in the midst of an important project, possibly a time sensitive project, or even a mission provided by God Himself, will not find God’s displeasure.

He seems to find joy in the midst of us providing mercy to others.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

David’s Wives Are Captured

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 30:7-10

7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8 And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.”
9 So David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed.
10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men. Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.

Let’s consider the last time our record of David’s life spoke of him calling on the Lord. I am simply thinking of the record we have in 1 Samuel.

Let’s see now.

The last time we see David asking God for guidance was in 1 Samuel 23. He was centered on God during this period of his life, constantly seeking God’s guidance. Forgive me for presenting almost the entire chapter, but it is good to see David’s utter reliance on God at this early time in his flight from Saul, and his rescue of Keilah from the Philistines. Consider.

1 Now they told David, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.”
2 Therefore David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
3 But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”

But that isn’t enough. He needs God again.

4 Then David inquired of the LORD again. And the LORD answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.”
5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

Now he needs help because of Saul, his very own father in law and the king of Israel. Oh Lord – is Saul coming? Do I need to prepare?

9 David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.”
10 Then David said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account.
11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.”

Ok, David has rescued Keilah, finds out that Saul is on the hunt and now needs to know where the Keilahites stand? Will they surrender David to Saul?

12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will surrender you.”
13 Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition.
14 And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.

What a flurry of prayer, seeking God in many matters, and so many answers, and note that some answers included more information than was originally requested for.

The Lord is good to His people.

Then nothing. After 1 Samuel 23, nothing until todays passage. I have not found any verses or passages that speak of David praying or inquiring of the Lord after this time.

Now of course I do not want to make a point out of a vacuum, but might it be that after “David strengthened himself in the Lord”, that strengthening was in actuality his returning to a position of weakness, of admitting his need for the Lord. Could it be that to be strengthened in the Lord was his returning to a dependance on the Lord, of seeking guidance from the Lord.

Ok – Big picture here, and some conjecture on my part, but might it be that in strengthening himself in the Lord, David found the ultimate strength through humility, weakness, confession and admission of sin?

We may think the expression “strengthening himself in the Lord” as describing a man who was already a strong, vibrant leader, and simply adding to his strength by reaching out to God.

We may think that. We may think that but we may simply be thinking wrongly. Can we not hear the apostle Paul screaming over the din, that to be strong is to be weak.

2 Corinthians 12:10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

To be strengthened in the Lord is to be weakened in self. As mentioned in an earlier post, David is now ready to be king, and in that readiness, he seeks God for guidance. Let’s reread the passage in today’s post, watching David find his strength.

1 Samuel 30:8 And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.”
1 Samuel 30:9 So David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed.

David set out in obedience, after he inquired!

As an aside, it seems this was the start of a more consistent seeking of the Lord’s guidance by David. Consider the following passages, that we will address in the coming posts as they occur.

2 Samuel 2:1 After this David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the LORD said to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.”
2 Samuel 2:2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

2 Samuel 5:17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold.
2 Samuel 5:18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
2 Samuel 5:19 And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the LORD said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.”

2 Samuel 5:22 And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
2 Samuel 5:23 And when David inquired of the LORD, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees.
2 Samuel 5:24 ESV – And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the LORD has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.”
2 Samuel 5:25 ESV – And David did as the LORD commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.

2 Samuel 21:1 ESV – Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.

David, the man after God’s own heart was back. And was he going to get things done! Things were going to change, and it was through his willingness to seek the Lord, to ask of the Lord, to admit he didn’t have all the answers, to confess he was in the way, and that God needed to direct him.

My friend, if you are in the middle of a drought, a period when the Lord seems far away, a period where you find relying on yourself to be sufficient, take heart in the experience of David.

David was a mercenary, a lying thief that killed men women and children to keep his secrets from others. I imagine him to be in heaviness of thought, justifying his actions and struggling at night with his conscience. He was in bad shape!

Yet he found strength by an admission of weakness and sin. He found the Lord to be a faithful and loving God, a God who accepts sinners, a God who is ready to lead when we get out of the way.

David found his God, and remembered that He is a really awesome God. A God who answers sinners in their contrition and confession.

May we find strength in Him.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

David’s Wives Are Captured

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 30:1-6
1 Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag. They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire
2 and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way.
3 And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.
4 Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep.
5 David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
6 And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

Let’s remember the situation, the recent history coming up to this raid on Ziklag, David’s city in southern Philistia.

David left Israel, running from King Saul who was hunting him down. He approached Achish, a king of the Philistines and somehow found favor in the kings sight. Eventually Achish gave the town of Ziklag to David and his men to settle in, and as they settled, David and his men began the raids of the southern towns.

Now as we know from recent reading, David did not play gentle with these towns he raided. Killed everyone in sight, so that no one would know of his activities. For Achish, David spoke of raiding the towns of Israel, which surely pleased Achish. Anything to weaken those Israeli’s!

Yet David was raiding, thieving and killing everyone in the southern towns he invaded, towns that were south of Philistia, but not Israeli.

The activities were brutal, relentless, and covered over with the silence of the victims.

Through the Amalekites, the nation that was to be destroyed by the Israeli’s back in Saul’s reign, David suffered the loss of his city, his family and his outpost.

But note the severe mercy of the Lord in verse 2.

(the Amalekites) had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire
2 and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way.

Though David also raided towns to the south, when the Amalekites attacked his city, they provided mercy to that city by NOT killing one soul. David killed every soul. For David to enter your town meant certain death. He could not allow his lies to be exposed. He was as an angel of death if he visited your city!

The Amalekites, though the sworn enemy of God, acted more righteously than the future king of Israel. David killed women and children. The Amalekites simply took them all away.

The world is upside down!

Not only had David lost his family, but due to David’s decision to take his army to the Philistine’s area, all of Ziklag was defenseless, and his entire army lost all their loved ones.

The town was lost, families were ripped apart, the army had just travelled 3 long days to get home, only to be shocked with the destruction of their homes, their city and their families. At this time, no one knew of the condition of their families, it is not as though the Amalekites left a note behind telling them all is well with the women and little ones! For all the men of David knew, the families were suffering a fate worse than death, even to the point of death! Not knowing surely was the worst situation to be in.

David was on the very edge! He was facing a mutiny, a rising up of those who had resorted to him, who had suffered much by following him, and had been faithful to him though associated with the enemy of the state.

But now it was time for a stoning! The time of weeping was over, the time for anger was rising up!

Imagine the state of David. He knows he has been out of favor with God, that he has many enemies, and that he is walking a tightrope in relation to the king of the Philistines. Saul is never going to give up, and he has just lost his family, and all of his soldiers families.

Now he was going to die! By the hand of his own! All the promises were to be snuffed out, by the lifting of a stone over his life. And why go on? He has done enough damage, so much has gone wrong.

But he strengthened himself in the Lord!

At his lowest point in life, after all the running and hiding, after joining the enemy of Israel, and then being rejected by them, after seeing his town burnt to the ground. after having his family taken from him, after his own sought to end his life, he had One resource, One person he could turn to.

But he strengthened himself in the Lord!

I had previously noticed this verse a few times, as I read the Old Testament in the past, but never considered the absolute utter lowness of David’s condition at the time of this strengthening. He had lost it all, and was again at the edge of the grave, looking down and waiting for the hammer to fall.

But he strengthened himself in the Lord!

He was strong in himself before, but the humbling actions of the Lord in a believer’s life can be a severe mercy. David was full of himself, the crafty man who could deceive kings, who could lead men, who could destroy whole towns. But the end had come. In the middle of a burned out town, without any of his loved ones and amongst a furious crowd, he was now at his lowpoint.

But he strengthened himself in the Lord!

Why would the Lord consider such a wretch?

He had become of no use, a man who had turned his back on the law of God, who led others to do likewise, and had placed his family in danger.

Why would the Lord consider such a wretch?

Because David was finally at a point where God would become his all in all, where David’s self strength had been worn out, drained, and seen for what it is.

David was ready to become King!

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

The Philistines Reject David

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 29:6-11

6 Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the LORD lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you.
7 So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.”
8 And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
9 And Achish answered David and said, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’
10 Now then rise early in the morning with the servants of your lord who came with you, and start early in the morning, and depart as soon as you have light.”
11 So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

Ok I’m confused again.

Achish, after the lords of the Philistines had rejected David from joining the battle against Israel, is incredibly apologetic to his once greatest enemy, the Israeli soldier who had killed Goliath.

He apologizes to David that he could not participation in the killing of Israeli soldiers in battle, referring to the Lord as his witness.

Get this picture in your mind. A heathen king claiming the name of God, not some generic name of God, but the personal name of God (Jehovah). He claims the name of God in his declarations to a backslidden Israeli, a future king of Israel, claiming David is the victim of his Philistine lords mistaken judgement. Achish claims David is innocent of any of the slurs of the lords of the Philistines.

It is amazing how far the perception of Achish is from the truth.

And where does Achish get off in using the name of the Lord in his apology? Why does he not swear by his god, that fish headed god called Dagon? Has he converted over, or is he simply playing politics, seeking to keep David in his good favor?

No matter, for we don’t know the motives of the man who has been so deeply deceived by the future king of Israel. David’s subterfuge, though putting him in a very difficult position, has completely duped this uncircumcised king.

But the pressure of the lords of the Philistines has provided David an out.

Even as he is provided an out from fighting his own countrymen, people God has promised he would rule over some day, David pushes back.

“But what have I done?” David asks.

He pushes the point even as the king has given him the out. David continues to force Achish to speak of his commitment to the Philistine king.

So what is going on? A possible understanding is that David is weighing his options. There is no guarantee that the Philistines will loose the battle, so I suppose David is simply covering his bases. I suppose David may be thinking of two outcomes for the battle ahead.

Israel wins the battle

If the Israeli army triumph’s Saul will have the option to continue looking for David. David still needs protection. Hopefully Achish survives!

Philistines win the battle

But if the Philistines win, David can maintain status quo. No changes needed, keep on deceiving the king and killing the people of the south. Except for one factor. There is a wrinkle if the Philistines win though. Saul may be dead, and there will be a power vacuum. Might David be showing some reluctance to take on the greatest responsibility God calls a man too, considering the sinful, deceiving, killing lifestyle he has adopted?

One person is loosing the battle

In our passage this morning, we find David is backsliding, wanting to conform to the world, seemingly wanting to be on “Team Philistine”. He still has farther to fall, but for this period in David’s life, the Lord is setting a stage that will provide David an opportunity he mustn’t miss.

Very soon, David will come to the end of his rope. Not yet, but very soon.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

The Philistines Reject David

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 29:1-5
1 Now the Philistines had gathered all their forces at Aphek. And the Israelites were encamped by the spring that is in Jezreel.
2 As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear with Achish,
3 the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me now for days and years, and since he deserted to me I have found no fault in him to this day.”
4 But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here?
5 Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”

In this passage we return to David, though it was critical, as we shall find out later, that we understood the condition and future of Saul in his last days.

Saul had been rejected by God. God had actually become the enemy of King Saul.

We find in this passage David is rejected by the Philistines.

It seems the world was completely out of order, but within 24 hours, all would be straightened out. Saul would be violently taken from the throne, and the rightful king would be on his way to the kingdom.

But before we get there, let’s take a few minutes to consider David’s situation. Thinking back, we find David has visited Achish, king of the Philistines, was able to wrangle a city from the hands of Achish for his family and men to live in, and been performing some “complete” raiding of areas south of the nation of Philistia. Complete, I say, as when he raided an area, he decimated it, killing every living soul.

Now we may ask ourselves how David was able to ingratiate himself into the favor of King Achish. It seems it was only a matter of deception, for when Achish would ask what David had been up to, he merely lied, telling Achish that he had been raiding the nation of Israel. Of course the deception was just the tip of the iceberg, for David had become a bit of a cut throat rebel, killing every soul he entered for the sake of bounty and secrecy. (Life of David – 21.03)

Achish was in the palm of David’s hand, having found in David a man that seemingly turned on his people, and now was a committed Philistine. He had been completely hoodwinked, for he was using David and his men for the Philistines last defense, the ring around the king that would make the last stand if Israel broke though.

It seems this last minute review of the forces by the commanders of the Philistines prior to the battle, even as they are on the battlefield, provided the deliverance David sought to get out of this bind.

Although the turn of events favored David’s eventual return to the nation of Israel, what might have happened if David and his men had entered battle with the Philistines? It seems obvious, that he and his men would turn on Achish, supporting Saul in his battle. After all he was to be, by the promise of God, the future king of Israel. He couldn’t fight against his own people. But if Saul were to win, possibly due to David’s forces, David lost, for he may be captured by Saul and killed, or have no place to escape to, having turned on Achish, his Philistine benefactor.

David was in a very difficult situation!

The commanders of the Philistines provided the solution. They were, in this story, the only ones who were truly for the Philistines, who were critical thinkers, and had not been drawn into David’s story telling! Of course, with David’s storytelling to Achish, he also provided the goods of the latest attack. Might that be the reason Achish was so ready to take David’s side? Or was David simply that good of a liar?

Nevertheless, David and his men were rejected from entering battle against the tribes of Israel. He will be sent back to the city of Ziklag. The conflict for David had been resolved by his own enemies.

And the last logical argument that the commanders of the Philistines provided Achish is the gossip of some Israeli women, that early on in David’s career with King Saul, created the very condition he had been running from for years.

1 Samuel 29:5 Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances,
‘Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”

This comparison, elevating David above his king, had been offered by some women after David had struck down that giant called Goliath, a soldier of the Philistines. It was a ditty that stuck, that hung on, that became international, at least between Israel and Philistia.

David had been running from what was intended to praise him for years. Saul had been chasing him, intent on taking out the competition. The saying became so popular, so associated with the prowess and ability of David, that the Philistines had kept record.

The Philistines had remembered that fateful day when an snotty nosed little upstart teenager killed their champion. For the Philistine commanders to know he resided in their country must have been hard for them to swallow, but to allow that man into the heart of their battle troops was unacceptable.

In the midst of all this back and forth, David was rescued from a situation where he couldn’t win. Even as David had backslidden in deception and violence, he was taken care of by the hand of God, through personalities and situations he had no influence over. He was simply a passive receiver of the power and influence of God in the enemy camp.

Saul had been rejected by God. His disobedience to God though given the highest privilege in the nation by God, drove him to finally seek out an ungodly medium. He was informed of his past and future. He was doomed and God was no where to be found.

David had been rejected by the Philistines. He too had been promised the throne of Israel by God, and had sought to live amongst the ungodly in an effort to stay alive. His lying, thieving and murderous ways were a low point in his life, but there was one difference for David. Though backslidden, and far from the life he may have expected as a follower of God, God was still looking out for Him, still coordinating circumstances and situations that favored the warrior king.

The difference for these two men was access to God. Both men had proven to be willing to lie, thieve and murder for their own purposes, but God was keeping His promise to both men. He promised to take the kingdom from Saul, and to give it to David.

He was actively keeping his Word.

God is continuing to keep His Word, and all His promises to His Warrior King, the One who lived amongst the ungodly, amongst liars, thieves and murderers, yet was unstained of sin. His access to the throne of Israel, like David, was through suffering, yet there was a difference. Whereas David was rescued while in sin, the sinless Jesus was not rescued from the penalty of sin. Death took Him violently and the apparent defeat lasted for days.

Though Jesus was not saved from the cruel death of the cross, His deliverance from the grave, His resurrection gives each of us hope, providing each of us access to God.

Romans 5:2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Trust Him Follow after Him. He is our only Hope.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

Saul and the Medium of En-dor

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

This passage has got to be one of the most difficult to comprehend, to understand the combination and depth of news Saul received is simply beyond my ability to grasp.

He is done. As you read, consider this man named Saul, and his last day on earth.

1 Samuel 28

20 Then Saul fell at once full length on the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night.
21 And the woman came to Saul, and when she saw that he was terrified, she said to him, “Behold, your servant has obeyed you. I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to what you have said to me.
22 Now therefore, you also obey your servant. Let me set a morsel of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.”
23 He refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his servants, together with the woman, urged him, and he listened to their words. So he arose from the earth and sat on the bed.
24 Now the woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly killed it, and she took flour and kneaded it and baked unleavened bread of it,
25 and she put it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.

He fell full length on the ground.

He collapsed, and well he should, for if any heard the declaration Saul heard, there would be no hope left, no reason to look forward, but only that the worst of possible outcomes had now come to fruition. The rebellion of Saul was about to reap it’s wages. This night of Saul, he faced the consequences of rejecting His God.

It was declared previously that Saul had lost his kingdom to David. This was news he had heard, but surely sought to ignore it, pushing it off to tomorrow, or thinking of it in the far flung future, or even considering the message to be less lethal, less condemnatory than when he first heard it.

He would loose the kingdom. That news he may have buried in his thoughts years back, but he had physically survived, he had stayed on the throne, even thinking possibly that he had avoided the consequences of his rebellion.

This night though, this night of Saul, he came face to face with the worst of all news. Saul has just been reminded of the result of his rejection and rebellion against God.

One of these truths are devastating, but to be told the following must have been been a mind numbing, heart crushing, breath taking experience. To only fall face down on the ground seems to be an understatement.

Consider the message Saul heard on this night, this night of Saul.

• His kingdom would be lost.

1 Samuel 15:17 The LORD has done to you as he spoke by me, for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David

• His army, that of Israel would be defeated, given to the enemy by God.

1 Samuel 28:19 Moreover, the LORD will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines,

• He no longer has access to God.

1 Samuel 28:16 .. the LORD has turned from you

• His son’s, representing any hope of continuing a dynasty on the throne of Israel, will die tomorrow.

1 Samuel 28:19 … tomorrow … your sons shall be with me.

• He would be given to the Philistines by God tomorrow.

1 Samuel 28:19 Moreover, the LORD will give … you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me.

• He will die tomorrow.

1 Samuel 28:19 tomorrow you … shall be with me.

• He has acquired the ultimate enemy.
  • This has got to be the very worst of all the list!

1 Samuel 28:16 .. the LORD has … become your enemy

Personally, I am surprised he got up. For what reason? What purpose did he have left? What hope could he muster in his mind or heart?

He eventually ate some unleavened bread, and walked into the night.

His desire to find out his future caused this final night of Saul to be filled with remorse, hopelessness and a forsakenness indescribable. Driven by fear, he entered his final night, ending up fully alone, and for the next dozen or so hours of his existence, he would know there was no future for his kingdom, no future for his family, and no future for his own life.

On top of all that news, and while experiencing fully the deep sorrow and pain from hearing the truth, he was barred from reaching out to God, for God had become his enemy.

How dreadful. How utterly dreadful. What a terrible and utterly horrific night Saul experienced!

What can be said from this horrible story. What benefit or encouragement can we find? Only that of a warning, of the importance of understanding the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom, the blessing of bowing before Him while we can, acknowledging He is great and all powerful.

Do not let the day come when you have to face your sin all alone. Turn to the One who took your pain, your sin, your hopelessness, remorse and forsakenness.

Repent and turn to the Lord Jesus, the One who can rescue each of us from our “night of Saul”.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

Saul and the Medium of En-dor

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.”
16 And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the LORD has turned from you and become your enemy?
17 The LORD has done to you as he spoke by me, for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David.
18 Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day.
19 Moreover, the LORD will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The LORD will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.”

Saul keeps hitting walls. The one “person” Saul turns to, Samuel the prophet, is ticked off at him disturbing him in his rest.

Nevertheless, Saul starts in with his problems. Not sure about you, but if a spirit were to appear to me, my problems would definitely be the least of my concern. Now whether that speaks of my lack of connection with the spirit world, or the immensity of Saul’s problems, I will let you decide.

Given that, Saul’s problems are fairly massive! He is in great distress!

Philistines are on the War Path

The immediate physical threat Saul is facing is a large Philistine army, already in the nation of Israel, chomping at acquiring more and more of the nations land. As mentioned in earlier posts, the Philistines have been very aggressive in their troop movements, and it seems there has been no comparable effort on Saul’s part to resist.

Even now, as his army, all of his army are facing the enemy, he realizes he is no match to the greater strength of the Philistines. And then there is the rumor that David is with them, the same David that will sit on Saul’s throne. That has got to be rumbling around in his thoughts!

God has departed from him

Yes, the Philistines are knocking on the door, asking for the victory over the weakened nation of Israel. A king that is preoccupied with a challenger, and who has rejected the nation’s God.

Saul rejected God. Now God has departed from him. And he knows it. He admits it. He admits it to the prophet.

God does not answer him

Not only has God departed from King Saul, but he admits that no matter how hard he tries, God will not answer his requests. God will not respond to the pleas of the king, even when the nation is on the brink of defeat!

Samuel, ever the man committed to truth gives no solace, but only clarifies the problem and Saul’s eventual fate.

Samuel reminds Saul that God has become his enemy. Wow. Harsh truth. Where is the love Samuel?

We are so thankful that God is the God of love, that His mercies are fresh every morning, and that His faithfulness extends from the east to the west, yet I was stumped when I first came across this concept of God being an enemy. If this is a new concept to my reader, may I suggest a post I wrote a few years back – The Lord’s Enemy. It seems God will become an enemy if we so choose!

Not only does Samuel tell Saul of God being his enemy, but that the kingdom has been (past tense) torn from him. He is a man living on borrowed time, a paper tiger with his destiny set.

Samuel gives us, and Saul, the reason for this abandonment, this refusal to assist, this action of rejection on the part of God. The reason?

Because Saul kept the best animals for sacrifice to the Lord. You remember the story. God had told Saul, through Samuel, to completely destroy Amalek.

1 Samuel 15:3 Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” 

No matter how you judge this action, it is clear that nothing related to the nation of Amalek was to survive the scourge of Saul reigning down on them. This was the command of God.

Saul went religious. Saved some animals to sacrifice to God. What a righteous man! A righteous man that sealed his own doom! And not only his own doom, but that of his sons, and the nation of Israel. For our sin always affects those we are closest to.

Is there any hope for such a desperate situation? For Saul and his sons, no hope at all. This is a very dark day in the life of Israel!

If only there was a savior for Israel. No one would suspect he was one who had suffered, had lost his family and friends, was rejected by his own nation, and was persecuted by those in power.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

Saul and the Medium of En-dor

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.”
9 The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the necromancers from the land. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death?”
10 But Saul swore to her by the LORD, “As the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”
11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”
12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.”
13 The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.”
14 He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage.

Let’s remember the situation.

Saul is scared, really frightened by the massive force of Philistines coming to make war with Israel. He has no resources to rely upon beyond his army. Given his reaction to the battlefield, his army must have been significantly less than the army he is facing. He may also have heard rumors of a certain Israelite in the camp of the Philistines by the name of David. That, I imagine, was very troubling.

On top of this, the location had a history. Shunem, where the Philistines had encamped, belonged to the tribe of Issachar and was south of the valley of Jezreel. This indicates that the Philistines had entered Israeli territory and were itching to take more land.

A previous battle with the Philistines in this same locale, under the leadership of Eli the judge, did not go well, with Eli’s sons dying, the Israeli army being defeated and the Ark of the Covenant being taken from the people of God.

Things were not stacking up good for Saul.

As mentioned in the passage, he started looking for a witch, a medium, one who could channel dead spirits. As luck would have it, Sauls servants found a medium at En-dor, a location that was just beyond the Philistine encampment at Shunem. His encampment was south, the witch was north, and the Philistines were just to the west.

So off with the royal garb and crown, and on with other garments, Saul and two of his men headed north, past the Philistines and under cover of darkness, knocked on the mediums door.

After reassuring the medium of the safety of the situation, she brought up Samuel, or at least a spirit that mimicked Samuel. (When you are dealing with a medium, what can you trust?) Also note that she was willing to trust this “stranger” regarding the safety of the action. She just seems real sketchy at this point, but then again, when you deal with the dead, verification of truth claims probably are low on the priority scale. She just trusted this stranger, not knowing this stranger was Saul until after “Samuel” came out of the earth.

The witch spoke of an old man wrapped in a mantle. Saul made the claim it was Samuel.

A question to my reader. Was it Samuel or a deceiving spirit? Let me know your thoughts.

No matter what, this passage literally yells at me that when the Lord is not in the middle of the situation, you just don’t know who you can trust.

Trust is such a fragile commodity for if you provide it to everyone, you will be burned and not able to exercise it due to the disappointments of previous trusting.

A wife that can be trusted is a beautiful thing. I have been blessed with a wonderful lady who I trust wholeheartedly.

My children – I don’t deserve them, for they are trustworthy, loving young men and women who have proven themselves over and over again.

A Christian brother or sister that can be trusted is a precious find, and though believers are a family, conflicts and priorities may produce times when trust is broken. Communication to restore relationship, and then to eventually able to exercise trust is critical.

The passage above brings two people together that have never met, that in the past were on opposite sides of an issue, and due to special circumstance are forced together by a man’s desperate and trembling heart. It is a bad situation ripe for defeat, disappointment and deception.

And they both trusted each other! How desperate of a situation, and how unnecessary for them to be in such a situation. But that is not true! It was necessary for Saul to trust the medium, and for the medium to trust Saul, for they had both rejected the only One who can be trusted fully.

Only due to rejecting the living God is such a situation forced on a person. Trust God, or you will be forced to trust someone or something else at a time that is forced upon you.

May God give us wisdom and strength for a daily decisions.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

Saul and the Medium of En-dor

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

3 Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land.
4 The Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa.
5 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly.
6 And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.
7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a medium at En-dor.”

Did we not witness the death of Samuel three chapters back? His passing was recorded in 1 Samuel 25:1

Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah. Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

The repetition of this fact may be reminding us of the loss of spiritual leadership God’s people were suffering under. The nation had a king who was in rebellion against God, a king who had chased off the hope of the nation, a king that would hold on to the throne at all costs! Things were not looking good!

As an aside, and to set up the story of Saul’s final grasp on his kingdom, we are reminded that king Saul had outlawed mediums and necromancers in the land. It is safe to assume that Saul set the lay down in response to the prophet Samuel, who knew the Word in rejected the practice of contacting the dead.

Samuel sure was a pesky influence on king Saul!

As Saul ventured farther and farther away from the God of Israel, he found the distance he suffered was insurmountable, that the God of Israel had become “deaf” to his cries of help. And Saul needed help!

The Philistines were on his doorstep, and they were looking pretty fearful. Saul, the natural leader of the nation, the man who has led the armies of Israel into battle, was not exhibiting bravery once he saw the Philistines

He was afraid

This fear mentioned of Saul spoke of astonishment, awe, even reverence. The Philistines were bringing their best and it was intimidating Saul to his core.

His heart trembled greatly

Our author describes Saul’s heart as trembling greatly, of being struck with terror, shuddering at the sight of this army in front of him. Saul had brought the entire army of Israel to the battlefield and yet the enemy caused him terror. Saul had no reserves in his army, or in his personal life to deal with such a challenge! Saul was in no shape to face this enemy.

And God was nowhere to be found.

It is to Saul’s credit (minimally) that he sought out the Lord in this time of terror, but no matter his many pleas or much begging, through various methods, he was not heard by the God of Israel.

He had been abandoned by God.

1 Samuel 28:6 And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.

At Saul’s greatest time of need, God was gone. Abandoned by the God who chose him as king. No response to his pleas, in the face of his greatest fears, the heavens were still, the Lord quiet and still.

This surely is a black mark on the faithfulness of God, as many may claim. Yet let us consider the past, for Saul surely had fought against the Lord in his seeking to retain the throne.

He disobeyed in the matter of the Amalekites. He sacrificed that which was against the command of Samuel. He had been informed by the prophet that the kingdom would be taken from him. He actively persecuted the anointed son of Jesse, whom he knew was his successor.

Saul knew it was over years back, when Samuel had clearly informed him of the loss of his kingdom after the fiasco with the Amalekites.

1 Samuel 15:28 And Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.

Now we are witnessing the grasping of a man who knows he has been in rebellion, a man looking for help from the very One who has declared his end.

How desperate! How utterly depressing for the former king of Israel, to face such a challenge and have no resource to lean on. He had no spiritual assistance at all.

Maybe.

Well, if one god doesn’t answer, maybe another god will come to his rescue. After all, he is a desperate man, not a discriminating king at this point. He had made his choice years back, and at this point in his life, the early choices he made are simply being acted out in real time before our eyes.

A witch. Get me a witch he says! I’m desperate, and I am driven by fear. I need help and I don’t care where I get it.

My friends, this is the lesson of Saul.

Isaiah 55:6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near

Do not wait. Make your choice today for God and not your self, Do not wait for tomorrow, for the days passed for Saul, and the door was shut. Listen to and obey the One who may be sought, while He is near. Do not reject His leadership today, thinking tomorrow you will still have opportunity.

Now is the day of salvation.

2 Corinthians 6:2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

My friends, Saul is an example to us all, that early choices for self make later choices for God impossible. The earlier you make good choices for God and His Son, the greater you will know of His peace and presence, and the confidence gained from walking with the Savior will be invaluable.

Choose you this day whom you will serve. If you do not actively and openly choose God, eventually you may be resorting to the door of a witch! As we will see in our next few posts, this goes from bad to worse for the king of Israel.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

Saul and the Medium of En-dor

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 28:1-2
1 In those days the Philistines gathered their forces for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Understand that you and your men are to go out with me in the army.”
2 David said to Achish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.” And Achish said to David, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”

Let’s remember what David has just accomplished with Achish. He has used Achish to provide the city of Ziklag as a base for excursions into the south, allowing David to attack and kill every soul in the town attacked, and then, when informing Achish of his whereabouts and accomplishments, speaks of the raids as upon the very people of Israel, Achish’s arch enemies and David national home.

No wonder Achish was convinced that David would be his servant for ever, for he understood (falsely) that David had turned on his own people and that he had committed multiple atrocities against his own nation.

Well, it appears the chickens are coming home to roost. As my wife often states – Be sure your sin will find you out! Achish is finding in David a tremendous resource, a resource that can “obviously” be trusted, for all he knows.

At this time in David’s life, David was a story teller, a salesman, a conman that worked his enemy. And he was now in between a rock and a hard place. And David made the statement, almost the only thing he could say at this time. Somewhat non-committal, somewhat generic!

Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.

What else could he say? He was up to his neck in deception, and was facing the man he deceived, the man who would kill him if he found out the truth. He couldn’t appeal to Saul for “extradition”, trying some diplomacy thing. That is ludicrous. He couldn’t call on his own army, for 600 men were no match against the Philistine army, and he surely felt he couldn’t count on God for assistance in battle. What else could David do at this point but to be non-committal, generic and without any promise of success

Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.

Yes, Achish would know what his servant can do. What ever that means!

Have you met any who might provide a generic promise, some vague statement that sounds good, but when analyzed and considered after the fact, you realize the message was empty.

Kinda like saying “It is what it is”, or “Time, being what it is”, or “Wherever you are, that’s where you’ll be”. Statements like this may sound profound, but when you sit back and think of them, they convey nothing worthwhile.

I think David resorted to this type of message because he realized he was in trouble! He couldn’t commit, and he couldn’t confess! He had to confuse, or at least confound!

It must have seemed like this situation he was in was fast becoming a trap, and he himself was to blame for much of it. He needed time, and he really needed to have some time in front of God.

That is the solution, is it not? Do you find yourself in a sticky wicket? Whether self inflicted or not, we have a God who is approachable in times of difficulty. If we are becoming non-committal, generic or confusing with others in an effort to avoid a problem or situation, rest assured that we will need to face God eventually and be committed, specific and clear as to our situation.

Its just a matter of time! But He is there for us, for He is not a God of confusion, but of peace.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

David Flees to the Philistines

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 27:

10 When Achish asked, “Where have you made a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Kenites.”
11 And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines.
12 And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.”

In our last post, we found that David may have slipped into a bit of senseless murdering and thieving, a bit of abuse and treachery on a people to the south of the land of Philistia.

There may have been a justified reason David unleashed such seemingly harsh, murderous treatment on those of the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. There may have been motivation that could be found in the Word of God. David may have been basing his actions on God’s written commands. (Come on Carl – that is too much!) For those not following this series, consider Life of David – 21.03.

I naturally want to see David as an image of the Christ, a man who did all things right and was never struggling with his fallen nature. The previous passage may be describing such a case, that he was a man struggling, or it may be he was acting according to known revelation of God’s will. That is for the reader to consider.

Our passage this time may not provide us that luxury of affording the future King of Israel, the man after God’s heart, the warrior for Yahweh, a pass in regards to following the will of God.

In this passage, David simply deceives the one who was protecting him. Although he actually went into the regions south of Ziklag, killing all and taking booty, he tells Achish, the king of Gath that he had actually killed those of his own nation.

Note that twice this passage speaks of David killing every man and woman.

1 Samuel 27:9 And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive…

1 Samuel 27:11 And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath….

Now in verse 11, we find that David had an ulterior motive for killing every soul in every encampment, town and village he visited. He was ruthless to save his own skin. He would not allow anyone to possibly speak to Achish about his actions.

1 Samuel 27:11 And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’”

He may have been performing the will of God in annihilating the “inhabitants of the land from of old” (vs 8), but it seems he may have also had alternate motives. Mixed motives that seemed to allow him to openly deceive the king he asked refuge from. Deception of the king who provided him and his army an entire city to settle in.

Somehow, I can’t seem to find a good light for David to stand in with this passage. He is looking bad – really bad in this tale. A murderous warrior, completely decimating towns and villages, deceiving his protector, and waiting for his competition to keel over and die.

Some say that the believers life is to be stellar, without blame, and without fault. Surely this is the call of God for each believer, the goal of each believer’s life without exception. Yet we see in David a life that has some very dark spots. At times like this, we see failure, shame and sin in a hero of the Old Testament.

We must remember that David was a sinner, and in this passage he gives ample proof of that state of being. But we also must remember that David was a saint, for he eventually got right, lived properly before God under the known will of God, and died a man who sought the Lord.

For us today we must not let a life of sin keep us from the Father of Jesus. We all need to face our sinful heart we live with, confess this before the Lord, and ask for strength to resist our evil desires.

But before I close, I would like to stress that our motivation is critical though. We can not simply resist. We can not resist those evil desires without the Lord’s strength and Word. We are completely without strength in resisting our own dark heart. The emphasis of our lives is that we are to actively seek the Lord, begging for His mercy and strength, wholly relying on His ability to protect us in the midst of our trial.

After all, it is all about Him, and not us.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

David Flees to the Philistines

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 27:

8 Now David and his men went up and made raids against the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt.
9 And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish.

First thing to consider is who in tarnation are the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. Let’s consider their regions first.

As you can see, these three areas seem to be easy pickings for David, since he can make a day trip into one of these areas, do some slaughtering, indiscriminate killing of men, women and children, and then head back to the comfort of his home in Ziklag. No that is incorrect. It wasn’t indiscriminate killing. It was the entire population of any town that fell under David’s eye.

Forget about the location – that seems so unimportant when we read of the slaughter David took part in. What is going on with this man after God’s own heart?

Is there something I am missing in this scenario?

As David was being pursued by Saul, he wrote of his thirst for God in Psalm 63.

Psalm 63:1 A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Next thing we read, he has escaped Saul’s clutches, moves to Philistine, and appears to become a senseless cut throat murderer, thieving things and killing everyone?

As my wife says – Make that make sense!

Could there be some justification in David’s actions? Let’s head back into the Pentateuch, the book of Deuteronomy, and consider the first couple of verses of chapter 7.

Deuteronomy 7:1 “When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you,
Deuteronomy 7:2 and when the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.

To “devote them to complete destruction” is synonymous to eradicate, eliminate, devote, destroy utterly, completely destroy, dedicate for destruction, exterminate. There is no easy, or palatable way of saying this. God was telling the Israelites to completely remove from the land those who were living there by death!

The Lord did not shy away from this command, but once more directed the Israelites to a mission of complete annihilation of those in the land.

Deuteronomy 20:16 ESV – But in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes,
Deuteronomy 20:17 ESV – but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the LORD your God has commanded,

The author of 1 Samuel speaks of these people as inhabitants of the land from of old.

8 Now David and his men went up and made raids against the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt.

Might this phrase be added by the author as a nod to the old mission, where Israel was to take out these inhabitants?

Now we all know that the mission had not been completed, that though Joshua completed taking all the promised land, (Check out Joshua 11:23), this did not mean that the command of God in Deuteronomy 7 and 20 had been accomplished. Joshua conquered the people of the land. They were not to remain alive. Some survived.

So along comes David, and he is in a hard place. He is a warrior, not a farmer or a business man, and warriors go to war, fight in battles, lead men to victory. Sitting in Ziklag may not have been a favorable situation for David. But what if he though he could work a favorable outcome for his future kingdom right under the nose of his enemy. Was he not destined to take Israel that next step in obedience to God, completing God’s command? Maybe his motivation was zealousness for the Lord, that he sought to honor God by devoting some of the people in the regions south of him. After all, what is a warrior to do?

What thinkest the reader? Is this a potential motivation for David? Could we see this as simply the working out of an opportunity David saw to work out the command of God in Deuternomony?

Or had David simply become a cut throat rebel, killing and stealing to satisfy his need of action? Had he simply turned into a mercenary, a vicious one at that, killing every living soul in whatever town he entered?

What ever my reader may suppose, when we get to our next passage, where King Achish starts asking about the spoils he is bringing back, David slips from being a man of truth to a man who slips into deception. This slipping for David eventually leads to a situation that requires the salvation of the Lord, for no other than God can help this poor man.

I don’t know about you, but this passage is difficult to comprehend, no matter how you look at it.

However we see this portion of the Word, it is best to remember that every saint – even David – has periods where they are placed in hard spots, difficult circumstances that require very difficult decisions to be made. For David, I can not tell in this passage if his motivations were for the glory of God, or for his own self gratification and escape.

I am very glad that we have One Judge, One Master, who knows our weakness, who knows our struggles, who ministers to us in the midst of seeming failure.

He is God, and He takes care of saints, though they may act like a sinner occasionally.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

David Flees to the Philistines

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

5 Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?”
6 So that day Achish gave him Ziklag. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.
7 And the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.

Although Ziklag is mentioned earlier in the Word, it is first mentioned here in relation to David’s life. The city was first granted to the tribe of Judah in the days of Joshua, but then assigned to the tribe of Simeon at a later date.

Archeologists and historians have not identified the location of Ziklag specifically, with two or three places being discussed amongst those looking. Generally, the city is thought to be in the south of the land granted to Israel, but at the time of our passage, was under the authority of a Philistine king.

In our last post, David and his mighty men approached Achish for assistance in avoiding Saul. The time they resided with King Achish in the royal city of Gath is not revealed, but once word got out that Saul had called off the hunt for David, David sought to find an alternate place of operations.

In approaching Achish, David represented himself as a capable military leader, with his men in order and his own reputation spreading amongst the people of the area. No longer is Achish seeing a lone, mad man with spittle running down his beard, but a capable and confident man leading a rebellion against Saul, the king of Israel.

1 Samuel 21:13 So he (David) changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard.

Word must have spread that David was in line for the throne, and that his past endeavors showed evidence of success after success. Achish may have understood the hand of God on David more so than Saul, and in seeing this favor, found it politically advantageous to house David’s people for a time, eventually providing an entire town for David and his men. Of course Achish probably did not understand that David would eventually become a major player in the geo-political world in a few short years. And that David would actually become a “secret” thorn in Achish’s side during his time in Ziklag.

As for Ziklag, this was a most fortunate decision by Achish, for David became a savior for this town also. Ziklag would enter into the story of David in the future, and become a non disputed part of Israel from this time forward.

During the last period of David’s hiding from Saul, God provided a foreign king to offer to David a city that rightly belonged to the nation of Israel. David would use this city as a base of operations for the next sixteen months, providing him a base for operations in the south of Israel, against his national enemies, while living in the land of an enemy, a Philistine king.

Does that not sound familiar? Are we not residing in a land hostile to the good news, hostile to the King we follow? As we live in the midst of a culture and society that has rejected Jesus, God continues to protect and guide His people. In the midst of our pilgrimage, we have the protection of God, even when the circumstances are unexpected, and our associations surprising.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

David Flees to the Philistines

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 27:1-12
1 Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.”
2 So David arose and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
3 And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow.
4 And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought him.

In our last post, we watched as the existing king of Israel and the future king of Israel faced off after some very embarrassing circumstances for Saul and Abner, along with some very good logic provided by David, the future king.

During the discourse, Saul confessed his sin towards David, and invited him home. (How sweet!)

David, on the other hand provided an argument to Saul of the current situation that was unanswerable, much like the Son of David often provided to those who sought His life!

During this speech of David, and in the middle of one of his claims, he mentioned that if men had stirred up Saul to persecute David, the end result, which was horrendous to David, would be that

1 Samuel 26:19 ….they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’

The men who had stirred up Saul was intending to drive David from the God he loved, from the temple where he sought the Lord, and into a land that was foreign and without the God of Israel.

In our passage today, we find that David refused the kind offer of Saul to return to Israel, and it’s general populace, (along with being within Saul’s grasp at any moment), but that he left the nation completely, knowing Saul was not to be trusted at all, that his words were to be rejected.

So we find David resorting to Achish, king of Gath, in the land of the Philistines.

Now if you have a good memory, this isn’t the first time David has went to Achish. Early on in David’s fleeing from Saul, David showed up at Achish’s doorstep, seeking some refuge of a type. For a brief reminder consider reading 1 Samuel 21:10-15, or Life of David – 12.01 and 12.02

This time, David flees Israel to enter the land of Dagon, the fish god, bringing his 600 men, with their families into pagan territory.

This strategy of David is not uncommon for those who follow the Lord, disappearing for a time to allow their enemies to be taken care of.

Did not the parents of Jesus go into pagan territory to keep the future King of Israel, and Savior of the world safe from a wicked king in Israel? David removed himself from Saul’s grasp, and in doing so, would never interact with him again.

What turmoil David must have endured, for we know that he literally cut himself off from his family, for he had lost his wife Michal to Saul’s instability, he lost access to his best friend Jonathon, all of the relationships he has forged while fighting for Israel under Saul’s kingship were done, other than those he was now traipsing into foreign land. Certainly a time of David’s life that offered him the temptation to despair.

On top of all his turmoil, he would no longer enter the temple, no longer be where the Lord resided, and to be before Him. He would be amongst weak, foreign, lifeless god’s who mocked the True God and His followers.

David’s strategy worked, for we see in the 4th verse, Saul no longer sought David, since he had fled to Gath.

Could we conclude that when David claimed the men that forced him to the land of other gods, that in reality, those men, or that man was to be cursed for doing so?

Let’s reread 1 Samuel 26:19

1 Samuel 26:19 Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant…. if it is men, may they be cursed before the LORD, for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’

David was delivering Saul his own curse, in that Saul was the reason David fled his nation, and had entered Philistia, a land that was rife with other gods.

Saul intent may have been to corrupt David, but we know that he came out of Philistia stronger and more passionate for the will of God than when he entered. We shall see David enter struggle after struggle, disappointment topped with despair, but he came out of the land of the Philistines ready to reign and to bring glory days to the nation.

What man planned for evil, God used for good. Does that sound familiar? Very much so, for God orchestrates our lives through the good and the bad, to bring about His will.

The best example of this is of course the Lord Jesus, for He entered the worst possible condition, that is the taking of His life, the violent removal from the land of the living, to only arise to greater glory, greater authority and greater power.

He did not stay in the land of the dead, but arose to provide entrance into the land of the living for all His followers.

May we give thanks to our Son of David, no matter our own situation. If it be difficult, look to Him, for He is orchestrating the good even as we follow Him.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

David Spares Saul Again

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 26:21-25

21 Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly, and have made a great mistake.”
22 And David answered and said, “Here is the spear, O king! Let one of the young men come over and take it.
23 The LORD rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the LORD gave you into my hand today, and I would not put out my hand against the LORD’s anointed.
24 Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the LORD, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation.”
25 Then Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

Here we go again.

Saul confesses his error before David, somewhat in similar fashion as he did in 1 Samuel 24:16-21. There are differences though. Other than an admittance that he had sinned, and the invitation for David, his son to return to the family, Saul only speaks of his living the life of a fool. How utterly sad.

Then Saul tries a different tack. He invites David back into the fold. This is very revealing, for I imagine (and that is all this is – my imagination) that Saul is thinking – if I can’t capture this threat to the throne, maybe I can convince him to come back, that my invitation will be sufficient to entice him into my surroundings.

Saul may be sincere, but I fear not. Is it not true that once a man’s word is broken, which Saul has proven on capable of on numerous occasions, only a foolish man would trust enticing words from him.

Proverbs 25:19 Trusting in a treacherous man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth or a foot that slips.

Yes Saul is untrustworthy, and may be sensing his own failures.

This turns out to be Saul’s last interaction with the future king of Israel. A future king that sought to have his kingdom built on allowing God to place him on the throne, and not through acts of violence or treachery.

David understood the truth of the Lord’s faithfulness, of how the Lord reward’s us out of our decisions in life. Living a life of self centered desire, walking over others to get ahead, and focusing on my own wants will lead to a life God cannot bless. With that said, it must be reiterated that in all things God is abundantly gracious to us in our circumstances, no matter our decisions, yet it is for us to act properly for the blessings to be released in greater ways.

David said he would not put out his hand against Saul, and that Saul’s life was precious in his sight.

Is not David expressing God’s own thoughts towards His enemies, and expressing the very actions of the Son of God as he proved God’s thoughts. He did consider our lives precious, and not only kept death from falling on us, but took the death we deserved. He is of course the Son of David, and in His life, He exhibited decisions David made here with added grace and added mercy, culminating in His own sacrifice.

Consider verse 24 in relation to God honoring David’s life due to David honoring Saul’s life. David looked to God for salvation from tribulation, and protection.

1 Samuel 26:24 Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the LORD, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation.”

Alas, not so with the Son of God, at least in regards to His earthly life. He went through death, even as He saved others, even to save others.

The truth is still the truth, for as we read in verse 23

1 Samuel 26:23 The LORD rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness…

Jesus has been rewarded for a sinless life and a sacrificial death, by way of being raised from the dead, and being lifted to the highest position. He is the King, and as Saul spoke the last words to David, may the same be considered for our Savior.

1 Samuel 26:25 ESV – Then Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.”

Jesus succeeded in all His actions, and is the Most Blessed!

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

David Spares Saul Again

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 26:17-20

17 Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king.”
18 And he said, “Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands?
19 Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the LORD who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering, but if it is men, may they be cursed before the LORD, for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’
20 Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the LORD, for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.”

David has demolished Abner with words. He has nothing left at this time, being shamed in front of his men, and in fron t of the king, whom he is directly responsible for. A terrible situation for Abner.

Saul now takes the lead in conversing with David.

David lays the base complaint out. Why are you after me? What have I done to you to make this way? What evil have I performed? Make it make sense King Saul, for I am still unsure what I have done to deserve this.

And without waiting for response from Saul, David continues with an either / or statement that leaves Saul in the dust.

• The Lord is stirring you up to chase me.
• Men are stirring you up to chase me.

A simple either / or argument. Nothing brought into the discussion that is emotion laced, with feverish arguments, personal attacks, screaming, shouting and cursing, (although being separated by the fields, I am sure the voices were raised to be heard). I get the impression that David is addressing King Saul from a standpoint of logic. Not a discussion based on emotion, as all dependence of David being related to Saul, and of their personal relationship has been clearly jettisoned at this point!

The Lord Stirring Saul

First suggested reason David provided to Saul, as to his reason for hunting him down, is that the Lord is behind this action. Did David seriously consider this to be a possibility, for he had been crowned by God, had been informed of Saul having lost the kingdom, and was being led by God through this persecution.

But consider the wisdom of David in this offering. Saul must come to a point where he is to be shaken from any assumption he is doing the Lord’s work. If David has done anything offensive to God, and Saul is seeking the Lord’s will, a sacrifice may be performed to make things right.

The solution in David’s mind was based on the revealed will of God. For Saul, this option was simply unacceptable to agree to, since a sacrifice would allow David to live, and provide Saul no righteous opportunity to eliminate this young upstart!

Men stirring Saul

Only other option was that men were stirring up Saul to take David out of the picture. When I say men, I am including Saul as a source of the stirring up, and think David is simply offering this argument to honor the king.

If this continual effort to cut David’s life short is “of men”, of which Saul is providing ample evidence of being controlled by, the option is only worse for Saul.

v 19 …may they (whichever man is responsible for this injustice) be cursed before the LORD, for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’

Both David and Saul understand that the war is strictly between two men, two kings, a worldly king and a non-worldly king. Between righteousness and non righteousness.

And David makes it clear.

If this continual persecution is of man, they are to be cursed of the Lord, for this aggression towards David is the commitment of extreme prejudice, jealousy, envy, hatred and self preservation. Nothing righteous or of God can be found in this action, for it drives a man of God away from the very God he is to worship. David is forced to leave the promised land to enter foreign lands, and if he is able to be in Israel, he can not be near the temple.

For David, all things centered around God. His argument before the king of Israel was logical and plain, provide straight forward conclusions to the two options provided, and left Saul without any response.

Consider the strength of David in his communication to the most influential men in Israel, Abner and Saul, and how he stripped them both of any ability to defend themselves in their actions.

The Son of David was only greater in His delivery of questions, of His provision of options within a situation, and of His conclusions to situations faced by those who hunted Him. He strictly and consistently appealed to truth, and left His opponents without response.

All of this is so awesome, for I too love to strip those who may be my enemy of any response to an argument. I often thought of myself as one who brought the gun to a knife fight, metaphorically speaking, when entering a discussion with one I may disagree with.

This is sin. Note that David showed respect to the King, and sought to dull the argument when possible without taking the sting out of the point being made. (I refer to David speaking of “men” goading on Saul when all knew the motivation was sourced from Saul himself!

For the believer, the weapons of our warfare are not characterized by pride, self worship, competitiveness, or the abuse of truth.

We are to speak the truth in love, even when addressing our enemy, realizing we are fighting for the person we are speaking to, and not against him or her.

Remember my friend, we follow the One who is full of GRACE and TRUTH. A massive challenge to present the truth in grace can only be met when we are constantly listening to His guidance and voice.

Are you listening or formulating arguments?

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

David Spares Saul Again

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 26:13-16

13 Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill, with a great space between them.
14 And David called to the army, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner answered, “Who are you who calls to the king?”
15 And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord.
16 This thing that you have done is not good. As the LORD lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the LORD’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is and the jar of water that was at his head.”

David’s beef is with Saul, but in this portion of Scripture, David takes on Abner.

Let’s take a moment to consider who Abner is.

First off, he is the “general”, or commander in chief of Saul’s troops. He is first cousin to the king, and he it is who brought David to Saul after his giant killing! He eventually became a king maker when Saul’s army was defeated at Gilboa, and setting up Saul’s (weak) son Ish-bosheth, he essentially became a power broker in the Northern Kingdom.

It is assumed he was at the battle of Gilboa, in which his king died, and for a period of 7 years, was the military leader David would have to face when war broke out between Israel (Ish-bosheth) and Judah (David).

One other item that seems pertinent to this short time considering Abner is the type of culture he existing in. Israel, and the surrounding nations were based on an honor/shame based society. Throughout the Word, shame appears twice as often as guilt. Honor appears over 115 times in the Old Testament. All this to provide a background to David’s message to Abner – not King Saul.

David – “Will you not answer, Abner?”

Although this is the literal translation, and provides us the formal request from David to discuss the previous (unknown) entrance and theft of the Kings spear and water bottle, I really like the NLT, where it catches, what I think was David’s intended message

David – “Wake up, Abner!” (NLT)

Of course Abner responds, hopefully understanding that the camp had been infiltrated with the spear and jug gone!

Abner – “Who are you who calls to the king?”

Again, the NLT brings out a possible intent of the response from Abner.

Abner – “Who is it?”

Having opened up a line of communication, David brings his volleys of questions, all based on the shame associated with failing to guard the king.

David – “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy the king your lord.

Abner, David implies, you have a reputation of being a man’s man, a fighter, a general, a leader. Is this true? You have a reputation that is unlike any other in Israel. You are the top of the pile, the confidant of the king, the protector of the throne! No one in Israel is like you.

If that is true, why did you let down the guard, ignore the safety of the King. As a matter of fact Abner, by allowing the enemy in the camp, it appears the enemy has more respect for the king than you. The enemy, (David and his cohort), only took a weapon, which could have easily been used against the king, and a jug of water. They respected the king’s life, even proving their allegiance to the king over your own.

What shame! What an utterly devastating attack on Abner!

David continues with Abner, pronouncing a death sentence on him, depending on the Lord for the timing and occurrence. Death was deserved.

David was kicking sand in Abner’s eyes and he did it very effectively. All the camp of Israel, all 3,000 soldiers of Ahab, may have heard this message. If not, the rumor mill would provide the details for all to know.

Abner received a gut punch to his life at this time is his military career. I wonder how it all washed out in the end, as Abner and David face off in future conflicts.

Let me ask my reader. Golly – let me as my reader a bunch of questions!)

• Do you think we as a society have walked away from a honor/shame based society?
• How about as God’s people?
• Do you personally relate to the social valuation of honor and shame for your life?
• Might the assigning of shame perform any benefit to the bearer of it?
• Could this shift be related to the hardening of our conscience as our society slips further and further from the Word of God?

Thoughts that keep me up at night. Have a good day, and be thankful for a God who is honorable, and seeks to keep us from shame! May His name be praised!

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

David Spares Saul Again

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 26:6-12

6 Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”
7 So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him.
8 Then Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.”
9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the LORD’s anointed and be guiltless?”
10 And David said, “As the LORD lives, the LORD will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish.
11 The LORD forbid that I should put out my hand against the LORD’s anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.”
12 So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul’s head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen upon them.

A deep sleep. Oh what a wonderful gift from God to have a deep sleep. Especially for Saul, for this provided an opportunity for David’s expression of mercy to be performed.

Imagine David and Abishai sneaking into the camp, and one of Saul’s 3,000 men stirs, wakens and alerts the camp. The entire army is about to wipe David and Abishai off the earth! All of David’s intentions would go up in smoke! But let us start the passage starts. David is looking for a volunteer to enter the camp of the enemy. Abishai, a willing soldier, and David’s nephew jumps on this opportunity.

Now a bit of understanding of who Abishai was. He was a most honored commander of the second rank of David’s officers, a giant killer like his uncle (2 Samuel 21:15-17), the brother of Joab and Asahel, and eventually took part in the killing of Abner, which David condemned, even pronouncing a curse on him. He was a mighty man of valor and was experienced in battle, to the point of wielding his spear to kill 300 men in battle (1 Chronicles 11:20, 2 Samuel 23:18). In one battle, Abishai killed 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt (1 Chronicles 18:12). Talk about your killing machine – this guy was an ultimate soldier!

So naturally it is safe to assume that by entering the camp of king Saul, Abishai was intending to spill some blood! As this is the first time Abishai shows up in the narrative, he may not have been in the cave when David showed mercy to the king previously.

I love it where Abishai asks so politely to murder the king. He is so committed to David, that even the actions he wants to do, for the sake of David, is subject to David’s wishes and not his own nature of the “killing machine” we find later in his life!

1 Samuel 26:8 Then Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.”

David stops Abishai, relating his decision to the anointing on Saul as being a government ruler, a king over Israel. Saul’s life continued on this occasion based on the status, or calling he received from God, and not his personal character or righteous/unrighteous acts.

David saw three viable options of Saul’s death.

• The Lord will strike Saul
• His day will come to die
• He will go down in battle

Remember now, that David has received the anointing to be the next king. Could he not reason that Saul had lost the status of rightful king, no longer being the anointed? That as the called of God, David represented God and may act as the Lord’s representative, striking Saul?

Maybe. I know many may use this reasoning, in order to get an end result they wish for, but David was exercising faith in God in this act of mercy, and establishing the importance of stability within his own kingdom based on God’s will for the nation. God would raise and lower kings on His timetable and manner.

David, in the middle of 3,000 men, and with the king, his greatest enemy at his feet, took the time to explain his faith to his nephew. Again, David establishes his faith in front of his men, a faith that allows for mercy, a faith that is counter cultural, and that seems ridiculous. Why waste this opportunity?

David took the spear and the water jug. The Lord kept the army of Saul asleep. And I can just imagine Abishai scratching his head as he follows his Master through an army intent on killing them.

There will be times in our lives, at least in my life, where I have been completely flummoxed at what God was doing. As I sought to follow Him through an army of enemies (both physical and spiritual), I scratched my head bald for trying to understand.

But He is the Master and though some experiences may be confusing, some experiences may be counter cultural, some experiences against our nature, and some experiences seem to be opportunities lost, there is One whom we need to follow, whether we understand or not.

After all, Jesus is the anointed, ever living King! Let’s trust Him as we are in the midst of multiple enemies, living for Him.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

David Spares Saul Again

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 26:1-5
1 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?”
2 So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
3 And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness,
4 David sent out spies and learned that Saul had indeed come.
5 Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment, while the army was encamped around him.

The Ziphites are at it again. They want the kings favor, and have travelled once more to Gibeah to rat out David. See Life of David – 16.02 for the Ziphites earlier effort to provide information to King Saul of David’s whereabouts. As a matter of fact, David and his men are very close to the previous location in 1 Samuel 23:19. were he and his men were hiding amongst the Ziphites in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon?

This time, the Ziphites reveal that David is east of Jeshimon. I add a map to let my reader remember that to rat out David required a sizable effort on the part of the Ziphites to travel to Gibeah where the King resided. They had to travel over 26 miles (as the crow flies) to deliver David.

For some reason (desperation, or indifference) Saul did not require verification of the Ziphites information. Last time he sent them home to get more information. This time he simply gathers his 3,000 man army to take on David.

This story is so reminiscent of the earlier effort on David’s life. In that “battle”, David showed mercy to Saul when he had provided an opportunity of vulnerability. Do you remember Saul entering the cave to “concentrate”, in the very cave David and his men were in. Do you remember David stealthily cutting a piece of the kings robe off? Do you remember how Saul reacted to this mercy of David?

Repentance.

Saul repented of his actions based on the mercy of David. So why is he going to do the very same thing he repented of, supposedly repenting in front of his army not long before. As mentioned earlier, Saul was driven by jealousy, and was uncontrolled in his actions. Obviously Saul was not the leader he should be, and this encounter would also provide a chance for Saul to be humbled in the sight of his army.

David had spies actively checking the area for trouble, and sure enough, they found Saul and his army in the general location, providing information to David of the danger. Remember last count, David’s men number 600. Saul has 3,000. Saul has 5 times the men David has. Obviously the wisest action on David’s part is to flee, to find a location other than next to Saul. Saul didn’t stick to his word from the previous encounter. Surely his words were empty, and this constant harassment would never end until one of these men had passed on.

The constant threat of Saul and his army must have been so tiring for David. The temptation to cause pain or suffering to the king surely would be escalating. David had a choice to make.

End it here, take a stand and fight, or run.

But that is a false dichotomy. There is another option for David in this instance. We will get into that option in the next post, but for now, let us remember that when faced with a seeming decision between two choices, it is often true that other options are available. It is not always an “either/or” condition that we are restricted to for decision making. Implied limits on choices actually harm us in our decision making efforts

David was not restricted to two options, but was open to a third, bolder move. Can you guess what it was?

In our daily lives, when we may be presented with an either/or choice, take a moment and consider alternative actions, alternative actions that would honor God, exercise wisdom and reflect a love for your neighbor.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

David and Abigail

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 25:39-42

39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the LORD who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The LORD has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife.
40 When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.”
41 And she rose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”
42 And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife.

Consider the last 2 to 3 weeks for Abigail. She was the wife of a wealthy, though foolish man, who was in the midst of harvest, bringing in bounty from the fields. She lived the life of privilege, having five young women tend to her every need. Since no offspring is mentioned, she may have been a very young woman, with much to look forward to.

Her husband appeared to be completely in control of his business. He had many workers providing help for the harvest and seemed to experience every good thing God could provide.

When resistance, or difficulty came to the household, she could rest easy, for Nabal was not one to let anyone simply take advantage of the business or household. It was just a few days back when she witnessed her husband upbraiding some young soldiers as they came “begging”, and may have thought nothing of it.

Then a servant comes to her and shatters her idyllic life. An army was approaching, 400 men with swords, being led by a man that was highly successful at winning battles against experienced armies. What chance did Nabal’s household have? And this approaching army was coming for blood, simply because Nabal spoke foolishness.

Her actions showed her to be wise, acting quickly to head off a massacre. She led a small contingent of Nabal’s household, taking with her gifts of food, into a confrontation with the approaching army. Things may have turned out very poorly for her, but she met a man that could be reasoned with.

Her actions impacted David’s resolve to inflict massive damage and death on her masters household, and allowed God to bring about a focused, end result. Nabal’s death was at the hand of God, and the household was spared the bloodshed it seemed at one point destined to experience.

Abigail had kept her household safe. Although she lost a husband, there is no record of her assuming the property rights and taking over the business. It was a possible outcome that she would then take Nabal’s place of leadership in the business. Rare but possible.

Now shift over to David. He had been a man on the run, and his family life was simply non-existent. He witnessed a woman who exercised great wisdom and humility, having saved him from a huge mistake. He had been denied his first wife, Mical, by his father-in-law, and realized that Abigail had recently become a widow.

Does it not make sense that he take her as his wife, for the very simple reason of relieving her of her widowhood? He initiated the death march on Nabal, and though God finished the work, Abigail experienced the fallout of widowhood.

Consider the courtship of David and Abigail. Servants told her to be his wife. That’s it. No wooing, no romance, no mystery of relationship. Get over here woman – be my wife!

Abigail submitted to the servants message and became David’s wife. It seems this action of taking wives was to become an issue for David. In our very next verse, we find that David found another woman and he “took her” also.

1 Samuel 25:43-44

43David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives.
44 Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.

Herein begins the wife taking life of David.

Michal	1 Samuel 18:20-27 1 Samuel 19:11-17 1 Samuel 25:44 2 Samuel 3:13-14
Ahinoam of Jezreel	1 Chronicles 3:1 2 Samuel 3:2 2 Samuel 2:2
Abigail of Carmel	1 Chronicles 3:1 2 Samuel 2:2 2 Samuel 3:3
Macaah, daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur	1 Chronicles 3:2 2 Samuel 3:3
Haggith	1 Chronicles 3:2 2 Samuel 3:4
Abital	1 Chronicles 3:3 2 Samuel 3:4
Eglah	1 Chronicles 3:3 2 Samuel 3:5
Bathsheba	2 Samuel 11 – 12 1 Kings 1

These are his wives that we know of. Concubines were part of David’s life also. This “taking of wives” caused David much heartache in his future reign. Where did he get this idea that it was an acceptable way to live before the Lord? Did not Samuel provide guidance for this part of his life.

Deuteronomy 17:17 And he (the king) shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

Could David have been ignorant of this direction from his God? Did he see multiple wives as the “normal” lifestyle due to his spiritual mentor Samuel having many wives? That is not possible since there is no mention of Samuel having any wife little lone multiple wives.

So where did the future king get this idea? Was it just that he was virale, needing the attention of more than one wife? Was it a power play to extend his influence over other nations? (Notice Maacah, was of the kingdom of Geshur)

Was it that Saul provided an example of multiple wives? For all of Saul’s weaknesses, he restrained himself to one wife, Ahinoam, and one concubine Rizpah.

David took Abigail, and followed suit with seven other women. Who knows how many concubines. Why he took so many wives we may never know, except for Bathsheba, but we will get to her eventually. Family strife was the norm for David, and eventually it would bring him to the brink of loosing his kingdom.

David and women. A point of weakness in this man of God!

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

David and Abigail

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 25:36-38

36 And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light.
37 In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
38 And about ten days later the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.

She saved the day. Abigail saved the day for Nabal and his household. David had been turned back. David’s rage had been assuaged. Nabal and his foolishness might seem to have been given a pass, at least from his view point.

He may have felt that he was invincible, that David would not so much as attempt to retaliate. After all, he was Nabal, a wealthy man, not unlike a king, and that that by the mere complaint of his voice he could set a standard, avoid his cultural responsibility, and not fear a resulting backlash. No one would dare to hurt Nabal!

Nabal was about to face reality after the wine faded, for after the party, where he was enjoying the multiple fruits of his, (and others) labors, Abigail spoke truth to him. The judgement of an army coming to wipe out the house of Nabal shook Nabal, and the Word speaks of his heart dying within him becoming as stone. Surely this was not the end for Nabal, for the passage tells us he died ten days later.

So what happened to Nabal when Abigail told him of the gift given to David, and of his brush with death. How did Nabal handle the near extermination of his household? What went on in his mind when he realized a woman saved his life? Did he go off sullenly? Did he act out in a childish way, pouting over the happenings of the last 24 hours, in conflict over not having his own way?

It is often true that a fool, when danger is avoided, will continue on in his foolishness. Unless a fool becomes wise, he is a fool. Was he simply upset with the loss of control of Abigail? Of the lost assets that she took to David? Of his inability to lead the household safely? Of his selfishness in his decisions?

Or did he taste in truth the reality of his close escape, the danger he and his household came so close to experiencing, the result of his foolish, rash and proud remarks against the future king of Israel? Might he have suffered a stroke from the stress of the news?

The Word simply states

37 … his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.

How to interpret this may be beyond the intent of this post. But the vengeance David was about to exact on Nabal was performed by the Lord, for he had ten days left. Death was on his doorstep, and would provide another instance where the future king of Israel would see the work of God on his behalf.

38 And about ten days later the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.

Nabal’s death also provided an opportunity for Abigail that may not have been expected when she first thought of her saving effort. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Nabal’s death is a grim reminder that living for self is a path to destruction. A fool can (and is) courting death without realizing the danger he is in.

There are many that reject the counsel of God Almighty to their own detriment, living a life of self assured safety, but ignoring a message of a real danger, a very real declaration of judgement, and that has couched within the judgement, the greatest news ever offered.

This message is a message that resulted in the death of the Only Wise One, to convert fools into followers. As my grandchildren often say, that is a pretty sweet deal.

That is true!

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

David and Abigail

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 25:32-35

32 And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me!
33 Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand!
34 For as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.”
35 Then David received from her hand what she had brought him. And he said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition.”

At the beginning of the chapter, Samuel had passed from this earth. And David arose. He arose, but not in the manner that placed him in a good light. He appeared vengeful, spiteful and angry over a rebuff from a fool. Yes he deserved some payment for the protection, for his men had provided for Nabal’s servants, but this reaction of strapping on swords and taking 400 men with him to kill everyone in Nabal’s house – well that just seems wrong! So wrong!

And David was going to shed blood! A lot of blood! Until a woman of wealth came to divert him from the path of destruction he was on.

Consider – If he had continued on to massacre the household of Nabal, how could his kingdom be established in righteousness? Also, this act of murder would provide Saul all the more impetus (or at least excuse) to hunt him down as a criminal within the kingdom.

Truly this act, if had come to an end with blood dripping from his sword, would have seriously impacted the future kingdom of Israel. David would have a stain on his person before his inauguration, with this massacre always overshadowing him.

But David met this woman, and he and his army were stopped short. David appears to have taken the time to understand Abigail, abandoned his anger fueled march on Nabal, and began to listen to a woman with some gifts.

And God spoke to David.

Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel

David immediately understood the error of his ways and praised God, the God of Israel. Of course he would hear the voice of God in her message, for she spoke humbly, accepting blame and elevating God in her argument to restrain him and his forces. She aligned David with the Lord and His battles, implying possibly a question as to this future battle (with Nabal) and how it relates to God’s mission for him and the nation he would rule over.

Blessed be your discretion

David goes on to bless Abigail’s discretion. Now in my mind, when the term discretion comes up in a conversation, I think of carefully handling an embarrassing history someone in the group may have. To show discretion is to show wisdom in revealing a truth. Some truths, when revealed, are only painful, cause division and force an alternate reaction to a situation.

So was Abigail being described as discrete by David in hopes that this story would not be “blabbed about” by her? Is the discretion mentioned by David evident in her communication when they first met?

That is for my reader to consider, but in some of the message she brought to David, her discussion on her husband was not very discrete. Calling your husband a fool, even if true, would not be considered discrete in my mind. She may have revealed a bit of a tendency to speak her mind without discretion previously, and David may be speaking to her in an “advisory” manner.

Blessed be you

David, in the end, knew she saved him from a terrible mistake. She brought not only wisdom, but the food that was needed by his troops.

Eventually, she would be blessed by joining the royal family.

As I close on this passage, I can’t help but refer to the ending of verse 33, where David restates Abigail’s intentions on meeting him

33 …who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand!

Back in our last post, in verse 31, Abigail spoke of her intent in coming to David as preventing his personal harm.

Abigail spoke to David, wishing him to “have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord working salvation himself”

Working salvation for himself. When I hear that in this context, as I mentioned in the earlier post, all I hear is revenge! David was seeking revenge on Nabal.

Now of course this may be since I have been considering the topic of revenge in previous posts, yet it fits in this discourse between two saints.

For David to listen to a woman of Israel speaks well of him, for he was willing to listen, to repent and to obey a woman!

Woah Carl – the future king of Israel obeyed a woman? This is going a bit far. Yet if the messenger carries truth, the messenger, though a woman or a man, (or a donkey) is of no consequence. David admitted to the truth, and confessed this to Abigail.

David said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice, and I have granted your petition.”

Truth will be recognized by the saint willing to hear.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

David and Abigail

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 25:23-31

23 When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground.
24 She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant.
25 Let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.
26 Now then, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, because the LORD has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal.
27 And now let this present that your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord.
28 Please forgive the trespass of your servant. For the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord is fighting the battles of the LORD, and evil shall not be found in you so long as you live.
29 If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the LORD your God. And the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling.
30 And when the LORD has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince over Israel,
31 my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord working salvation himself. And when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.”

Abigail absolutely shines in this passage.

Sacrificial

Consider her sacrificial act. She willingly take the place of the wicked, assuming the guilt of Nabal’s actions, even requesting all the guilt to fall only on her, her very willingness to intervene between a fool and judgement is so Christlike it would be foolish to ignore this picture of our Lord.

Humble

Consider her humility in approaching David, and her regarding her own husband as a fool, making a point of describing his foolishness as being so thorough that even his name describes him perfectly. To be called Nabal in the Hebrew tongue is to be called Fool, for it is the same word!

Courageous

She knew David was on the hunt for blood. Consider her bravery in approaching a man set on vengence! David was a man of renown throughout the nation, known for his ability to kill tens of thousands. He was a soldier par excellence!

Consider that David was on the hunt for all the men (vs 22) in Nabal’s household. Strictly speaking, Abigails physical life was never on the line. Though we are not sure this was Abigail’s understanding, her stepping out to confront this deadly problem was definitely not common for a lady to undertake.

Servant

Consider her stance as a servant. Her reference to being David’s servant in verse 24 (2x), 25, 27, 28, and finally in verse 31, speaks of her recognizing her place before the future king. Though she is the wife of a mega rich man, (though he be a fool), it is quite amazing of a woman of means, willing to submit to a future king and provide gifts to an army coming to kill the household!

Repentant

Though Abigail did not take part in the rejection of David’s men, we find in verse 28 that she did beg for forgiveness as if she herself performed the rejection!

This general truth is often seen in those who seek the favor of God. Consider Daniel, at the end of the captivity, when he prayed to God confessing the sins of the nation of Israel, as if he had committed the sins himself!

Abigail took on a position few take, and that is of assuming guilt of others and asking for mercy!

A savior

Abigail was a type of savior for David, for she recognized that if David came to shed blood, it would be a stain on His kingdom, and provide “grief or pangs of conscience” for the killing. She stepped forward to interrupt David’s foolish behavior. Yes, the actions may have been somewhat self preserving for Abigail, and she performed this act to save Nabal and all his house, but she also recognized that David was a victim in this scenario.

He was acting out of anger, and this would not work the righteousness of God into his life. As she is speaking of this truth, she let slip a phrase that is amazing.

vs 31 …my lord shall have no cause of grief or pangs of conscience for having shed blood without cause or for my lord working salvation himself.

Did you catch it? David was working a salvation for himself. How well spoken is this lady! Might she have also said that he was merely seeking revenge? For that is what David was venturing to perform. He made a judgement on a situation based on a perceived (or actual) injustice, then unilaterally determined a punishment based on his feelings. The final step in this process of revenge was to take action on his judgement and execute the justice!

She came to David with a sacrificial, humble, courageous, repentant spirit, taking the position of a servant, and became a type of a Savior for David.

She was one impressive woman! Wonder if her spirit impacted David in any way?

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David and Abigail

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

1 Samuel 25:18-22

Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.
19 And she said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
20 And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them.
21 Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good.
22 God do so to the enemies of David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.”

Abigail exercised wisdom quickly. She had the means and the methods required. Not only did she have access to bunches of food on hand, food that was available at a moments notice, but it seems Nabal’s inventory was such that this removal of these mass quantities of food didn’t set off any alarm for Nabal.

Now of course those who may have been assigned to the accounting of Nabal’s assets may have understood the situation, and covered for Abigail, but this only speaks of the wisdom of the servants in combination with respect towards Abigail.

Either Nabal had so much stockpiled food that this large removal didn’t impact his balance sheet appreciably, or there was a coverup, in order to protect Nabal, and his entire house. After all, the servants understood that harm was coming to get them!

1 Samuel 25:17 Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.”

Abigail jumped on this situation, short circuiting the obvious request from Nabal, for she knew her husband, that he would not allow any asset to leave his inventory.

Abigail was in rescue mode. David was in retaliation mode. He was looking for blood.

Even before Abigail approached him, David seemed to be reiterating the wrong that Nabal had inflicted on him. I suppose for David,it was an unwritten agreement, or a socially accepted manner of helping those who needed help, that would result in some type of reward, even creating an obligation.

Of course, a man of Nabal’s stature was able to ignore obligations without any serious social impact. So what if people looked at him with a glare. He was filthy rich! And still breathing.

But maybe not for long, for though the socially accepted manner of renumeration was rejected, David seemed a fall back response was to wreak havoc and inflict vengeance on Nabal. He seemed to go dark fast, thinking Nabal’s response warranted extreme blood letting violence. After all, it could be argued, this is simply justice working itself out!

That is a problem!

Revenge is off limits to God’s people, and just yesterday I wrote a short post on it. Kind of providential, but if you are interested, please check out Let Me Tell You a Story – Revenge and Justice. Revenge and justice only relate to one another when the justice is based on our own fickle law system that favors our condition and provides no mercy to any one else.

David was in the wrong in this instance, and he seemed to be revelling in it.

But not to worry – some woman on a donkey was coming to straighten him out in a most unexpected manner.

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Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible