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 18:8-9
8 And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?” 9 And Saul eyed David from that day on.
As we ventured in our last post through David’s victory march and Saul’s development of a nasty case of envy, we made note that envy was not a possession thing, it was a character/skill thing. To be envious is to experience, even to feed a resentful awareness of someone else’s superiority.
With that understanding, we can see that Saul could do two things. Admit this envy as the sin it is, or succumb to it. As we know, Saul was not a man of self control, and he will seek to solve his problem through the use of his power as king.
Let’s remember that if Saul was simply jealous, he could take the possession from David that was causing the jealousy. But remember – Saul wasn’t jealous – he was growing envious, which in my opinion is a much bigger foe.
Envy is such a terrible foe. Envy’s victims are twofold, for the obvious victim in this case is David, but the real victim is Saul, for as we will see in future posts, Saul is driven crazy with envy, and never finds satisfaction, never attains his goal of obeying the dictates of this unsatiable envy. David the future king of Israel was entering into a trial based on Saul’s envy, a trial that would bring him to the edge of his grave.
I cannot resist reminding my reader that there was another King that was delivered up to the Romans by the chief priests out of envy.
Mark 15:10 For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up.
With the Lord, we know that the chief priests were successful in quieting the voice of the Lord initially, seemingly satisfying the demands of their envy, only to have the Savior rise from the grave, and forcing a greater decision upon the priests. Repent or destruction. Thankfully many of the sect of the Pharisees converted, yet some would live to see the fruits of their decision on the nation of Israel, and personally suffer their own destruction.
Back to David in our last verse, when the author stated that Saul eyed David from then on, it is fully understood that he has it in for this young shepherd warrior, this young man who has served him, this young man who delivered the nation from it’s greatest threat.
Yes, this envy would cause David much pain. But for Saul, like the chief priests in Jesus day, would cost him mounting frustration, and eventually his life!
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.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 60:6 God has spoken in his holiness: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Vale of Succoth. Psalm 60:7 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet; Judah is my scepter. Psalm 60:8 Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
After assuring his reader in the last portion of Psalm 60 that there is a place of refuge to run to; that God is a banner for those who seek Him, David then goes on to state God’s actions.
David was a big picture guy, having his eye on the future of God’s plan and did not let the current set back hold him back. This is a difficult lesson, for as we are pressing forward, we will always have setbacks, disappointments, discouragements, and delays. In our battles, we should not be surprised by difficult times entering our lives, even understanding that the Lord Himself is allowing these difficulties. During those times of difficulties, we must be big picture people, looking to the end game, the purpose for which He has brought us into the game.
The regions David refers to in our verses start in the northern portion of Israel, with each region zigzagging back and forth over the Jordan as the author moves his finger south down the map of Israel.
Each of these regions are described as God’s possessions. This fact that David reminds us of is instructive for it reminds us that we are not the owners, but only stewards, and that as the Owner, God will have his way of working His plan with those people in the regions He speaks of.
It is God’s land. Military setbacks are inevitable, but by remembering the land is the Lord’s and the big picture of God’s victory, David finds solace and relief to continue another day. Please understand – David’s current struggle is not being minimized, but in relation to the goal of God, David has found the perspective He needs.
Are you going through a valley, a difficult time, where it appears you have lost major gains in the Christian walk? Consider the big picture, and understand that God has an end purpose for our lives.
Love God and His Son, be patient, look to the big picture and hang on!
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 18:6-7 6 As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. 7 And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”
Ok, we have three participants in this short story. We have David, who had struck down the Philistines, King Saul who was “with” David, and the women.
Yes – the women.
They meant well, but it did cause a problem. Were the women trying to cause difficulty for David, trying to “stir the pot”? Absolutely not, if I read this properly. They were rejoicing that Israel was victorious and they knew that young shepherd soldier, who was all the rage in Israel, was the reason Israel was so successful. Yes, the women were simply rejoicing, with seemingly good motives, seeking to receive the victorious back to the land!
Yet, for David, this seemingly awesome reception and acknowledgement by the some of the nations women, set up a situation that would lead to attempts on his life, for there was a wee little man, (though head and shoulders above all his subjects), that could not accept the praise being given to David.
But that may not be entirely accurate.
It might not be that the praise given to David was the problem, but that Saul wasn’t receiving top billing, that King Saul was not the most important man in the parade.
It is not that King Saul was jealous, for that emotion is typically associated with possessions, or of a third party in a relationship. I suppose jealousy may apply here, but I think a more accurate word to describe Saul’s emotional constitution would be envy.
Envy and jealousy are sometimes thought of as synonymous, but I would submit to my reader that envy speaks to a resentful awareness of someone else’s superiority. It isn’t so much a possession thing but a character/skill that allows the nasty emotion to rise to the surface!
David was a skilled warrior. King Saul was one who sent men out to battle. Poor Saul wasn’t quite happy with his lot in life.
And the women, in all their innocent exuberance, brought out the envy residing in Saul, with force. It would become all controlling!
There were times when the Lord was praised by someone in the gospels, and He commanded them to be quiet. I never understood that for many years, thinking that everyone should know, that everyone should hear of all His works. That was until I settled down in my mind and thought of situations like we are looking at in this passage.
Good intentions of truthful witness can have dire circumstances. Of course Jesus was aiming for the cross, but it would be on His time schedule, and not someone else’s.
He was in control of every element of His ministry, the good, the bad and the innocent exuberance! Jesus was in control of His revealing at every moment. Jesus understood the heart of man like no other, and orchestrated His own crucifixion through the reactions of men’s dark hearts.
What an amazing Savior!
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.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 60:4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you, that they may flee to it from the bow. Selah Psalm 60:5 That your beloved ones may be delivered, give salvation by your right hand and answer us!
David is recounting the goodness of God and it is instructive to recognize, that he was experiencing setbacks militarily. Not only military setbacks, but he calls out God in the earlier passage, stating God had been very harsh, making the land quake, tearing it open, making the nation stagger with what they had experienced. Let’s read the previous verses once more and consider what David was going through. Remember – he was claiming God was the One who brought about the following difficulties.
Psalm 60:2-3 You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open; repair its breaches, for it totters. You have made your people see hard things; you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.
David was definitely in a low point, a struggle that was not merely a military issue, but a God issue.
A difficult passage to understand, yet as David ponders the goodness of God, I sense he is speaking of a remnant that will look to God, that a banner has been set up for, for those who fear God and will flee to. Yes the nation (physical) has experienced great trial here, but in the midst of this trial, those who fear God recognize the banner set out in front of them, that they can appeal to, that they can flee to, and hide under the Shadow of the Almighty.
Will all seek out the banner of God? David does not answer this, yet in the midst of difficult time, even times brought about by the Father, He is still our cover, our refuge, our banner to gather about.
Let us remember that in no difficulty or trial, God is not there for us.
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 18:1-5 1 As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. 3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5 And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.
David has just vanquished the giant, having come out of nowhere to fight Israel’s battle.
A king, who was a literally a giant of a man amongst his people wasn’t taking the challenge. He didn’t seem to be affected by the slurs against the nation of Israel’s God. Politically, he sought someone to rescue him from this national embarrassment through the provision of gifts, his daughter and tax relief.
So a young shepherd shows up, simply being obedient to his father’s wishes, bringing sustenance to his brothers. After hearing the circumstances of the battle the Israelites were in the midst of, David takes action. Having conquered the enemy, the King asks again about David, but specifically about whose son this young man is.
As an aside, it is interesting to note that Saul was sending out a boy to battle, not concerned about his family, or who he was. This is the nature of a ruling class. Subjects are to be used for the needs of those in charge. After the victory, when Saul asks whose son this warrior is, was it to fulfill his commitment to grant tax free status to the family, or to find a resource he could take advantage of for future battles? I will leave it to my reader to decide.
Nevertheless, David was summoned and presented before the king. And a new character in David’s life appears. An Israeli prince by the name of Jonathon.
Let’s consider Jonathon for a moment. He has already established himself as a victorious, faithful soldier of the nation, a man who is a leader, as seen in his conquest of the philistine garrison is 1 Samuel 14. Not only did he take on a challenge due to opportunity and not by command – for you see Jonathon wasn’t commanded by the king to take on the garrison, but he saw opportunity and trusted God for a victory. As a matter of fact, Jonathon didn’t let his father know of his escapade.
1 Samuel 14:1 One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.
Also, take note of Jonathon’s attitude as he spoke to his armor bearer in 1 Samuel 14:6
…It may be that the LORD will work for us, for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving by many or by few.”
It must seem obvious that when these two men met for the first time, a bond of fellowship was recognized between them. They were of kindred spirits, both men who sought ways to see God at work, who had faith in the Living God, and who risked their lives to exhibit this faith.
Surely Jonathon had heard of David, for David had been in the royal court for short periods of time prior to this, trying to satisfy both the king and his father with his presence. This was about to end, for the king was looking to take this young man from his family for his own service. David was to be in the kings court permanently.
Verses 3 & 4 speak of Jonathon and David’s connection, of Jonathon’s commitment to David, of his being bound together with David. The soul’s of these two men were “tied together” at this time, and we do not need to make any crazy assumptions beyond a friendship based on a “knitting together” of their souls.
Jonathon’s gift of supplying the robe to David was an act of the highest honor for a prince to perform. Not only did Jonathon provide this honor of supplying his robe, he went so far as to give David his armor his sword his bow and his belt.
The robe, it seems represents the royal status of the prince, and the remaining items the equipment of the soldier being sent out for the nation. Jonathon provided David the equipment he needed. For the king was keeping David near, to send him out representing the nation in battle. And as can be expected, David was successful where ever he went for the king.
And the people loved him.
The servants of Saul loved him.
Jonathon loved him.
But as we will find out, a small man like Saul began to hate him.
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.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 60:1 To the choirmaster: according to Shushan Eduth. A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.
O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; you have been angry; oh, restore us. Psalm 60:2 You have made the land to quake; you have torn it open; repair its breaches, for it totters. Psalm 60:3 You have made your people see hard things; you have given us wine to drink that made us stagger.
Many place this psalm in the early years of King David’s reign. 2 Samuel 8:1-8, 2 Samuel 10:1-19 and 1 Chronicles 18:11-13 describe many of the battles referred to in the first verse, and how David and his army conquered vast areas of geography and multiple kingdoms in the area.
And yet, this psalm speaks of rejection, of God’s anger with His people, of the lands quaking and the people seeing hard things. How can this be? Was not King David’s battles against the neighboring nations successful during his early days? Militarily, he dominated the region, expanding the kingdom to the boundaries never experienced by the nation before.
And yet we have this psalm, where it appears God is angry with the nation, that there are setbacks to the victory march. The first verse speaks of their defenses being broken. Defenses? David was on the march, acting offensively in battles. For his defenses to be broken, speaks of loss in battle, of a set back.
The people of God have been made to see hard things, they are staggering about, as if a drunken stupor. And in all this description, David is assigning blame to none else but God. Over and over again in this first three verses, David assigns the actions his military are experiencing to God.
For God is angry. The reason for His anger is not clear but David is in trouble and is begging for restoration.
We sometimes succumb to the thought that the fight of faith is a walk in the park. That we go from victory to victory, with nary a scratch being suffered.
This Psalm reminds us that though the arc of the believers life is of victory, and we may be assured that the church wins in the end, during our pilgrimage, we must be prepared for setbacks, disappointments and losses. There will be times of intense battles, where we not only do not gain ground, but actually are set back on our heels, losing ground, becoming disillusioned, disappointed, and discouraged.
These are times of vulnerability, where we need to be prepared, steeled against the emotional blast of failure. Fellowship with faithful brothers is a strength that we have been provided and we need to take advantage of, not only for ourselves, but to provide to those we know and love.
Yet, there are times when we are alone with God, when it is a battle with Him, seeking to find His will, His desire and to bend the knee to His direction. This time of isolated struggle with God, even as pictured by Jacob in his wrestling with God, brings us out of it, possibly crippled but stronger.
Are you experiencing a wrestling match with God? A time of apparent defeat in your relation with the Master? Does it seem God is angry and you are confused with the reaction of God to your decisions and life choices?
The only thing I can suggest is that you do not let go. Do not walk away from the One who is challenging you, pruning you, wrestling with you. He is expanding your relationship with Him, extending your impact and preparing you for bigger battles. Ensure your approach to Him is without any known sin in your life (You know if there is sin going on!) and keep chasing in the midst of confusion
He truly is good, and if there is some doubt, hang on, until the clouds disperse!
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.
The passage before us is the set up for the famous chapter telling the story of a young shepherd taking out a giant of an enemy! Even the most unread Christian has heard of the story. It is very familiar to many, but as we venture through, I believe we will see some details and truths that will be a blessing and challenge for us to consider.
55 As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.” 56 And the king said, “Inquire whose son the boy is.” 57 And as soon as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 58 And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite
Coming off the victory over Goliath, David was getting his gear together, that is his sling and stones, and here comes Abner, the commander of the Israeli army.
It appears the previous discussion Saul had with David concerning taking the giant out was dismissed by the king, or at the very least, the victory required the king to find out more about David. After all, the subjugation of Goliath brought with it certain rewards from the king.
1 Samuel 17:25 …the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.”
Before I get into this list of rewards, lets consider the general tenor of the king’s motivation. He did not call upon the nation to rise up for God, for the honor of the true King, but appealed to the basest desires of the nation. Money, status and financial freedom from taxation. He was looking for mercenaries amongst his people. The more I ruminate on this method, the less surprised I am of how the “army of Israel” acted after David did his thing. They half heartedly chased the Philistines for a short time, and then came back to the battle site to get things, to plunder the Philistines camp, now that there was no opposition.
Great riches
Great riches would be provided to the man who gained victory over the enemy of Israel. The king would take of the national treasures, (that which was gained by taxation of the people) and give it to the one who would do the armies job. Yes I know I am being harsh, for the army of Israel was likely a volunteer unit at this time is the history of Israel, but the provision of great riches most likely was on no material impact on Saul
Kings daughter
Speaking of material impact on Saul, this reward brought with it the status of belonging to a royal family. It is a kind of fading glory, especially when considered what David knew of his future.
Nevertheless, as we know of the eastern culture in those days, the eldest daughter would be presented first, and per 1 Samuel 14:49, Merab would be first in line for marriage.
It turns out that Saul began the process of providing Merab to David, but hesitated, even reneging on the promise.
1 Samuel 18:19 But at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.
During this potential offering of Merab, Saul began to attach conditions to the offer of his daughter. Had he forgotten so soon that the conditions for marrying his daughter had already been performed?
Saul is not looking good in this instance, for he is needing more concessions from David to receive his bride, and then changes the promise of Merab as a bride for David, giving her to Adriel the Meholathite.
Eventually, Michal would become David’s wife, after more conditions were laid on David by Saul. Go kill a hundred Philistines, and bring back proof, their foreskins, and then I will fulfill the promise I made to you when you killed Goliath, with my second daughter.
Wow – this reward was becoming quite the privilige!
Fathers house free in Israel
This last reward may have been realized by Jesse, but I can find no evidence in the Word that Saul kept this promise. Nevertheless, this reward is similar to the first promise of great riches, in the fact that it cost the king nothing of his personal wealth, but simply made the nation with less resources. Now of course I am assuming the king separated his wealth from that of the nations coffers, but of this I do not know.
Nevertheless, with the previous faithfulness Saul exercised in the previous rewards, I have a sense that Jesse may not have realized this benefit, until a new king came on the scene!
It is a good thing that David had kept his eyes on the prize on not the rewards, for Saul’s rewards were fading, or not even realized.
No – David kept his eyes on the prize!
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.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 59
14 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. 15 They wander about for food and growl if they do not get their fill. 16 But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. 17 O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.
As we come to a close on this amazing psalm of David, of how this shepherd boy turned fugitive turned to the living God for deliverance, protection and redemption in the face of a murderous, bloodthirsty king, one truth rings out in my mind.
David returns to recounting the activities of those who are hunting him down, describing them as dogs, howling and prowling, growling to get their fill of violence. The continual return of these assassins every night proves of their determination. Of their hunger to kill.
They are growling, making the noise of a starving, ravenous dog, controlled by their base appetites.
David sings. The one in persecution sings. The one who is on the brink of torture or to be laid in a grave, he sings. Even as he is in the midst of this persecution, notice that David speaks of the Lord as having been a fortress for him, is a present day refuge for him. He speaks of the Lords steadfast love being shown to him.
Remember the state of affairs he is in. The assassins are still out there howling and growling – David is presently experiencing the steadfast love of God.
Praise God from whom all mercies flow! He is good and He is good all the time!
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.
The passage before us is the set up for the famous chapter telling the story of a young shepherd taking out a giant of an enemy! Even the most unread Christian has heard of the story. It is very familiar to many, but as we venture through, I believe we will see some details and truths that will be a blessing and challenge for us to consider.
50 So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. 51 Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. 52 And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron. 53 And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp. 54 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
David killed Goliath unconventionally. David spoke of his God unconventionally. David served his enemies unconventionally. Heck – even the name David is unconventional in the Word. There is only one David, and there is only One Jesus. But suffice it to say, I will leave the parallels for my other series called Jesus in the Old Testament.
Everyone used a sword. David used a sling. As soon as that stone hit the mark on Goliath’s head, David took the opportunity and used the giants very own weapon against him. Yes – David knew he didn’t need a sword since he would eventually use Goliath’s. Yes – Goliaths sword was used to cut off Goliath’s head.
He who lived by the sword literally died by his own sword in this instance!
Now as soon as the mighty army of Israel knew it was safe to come out and play, they pursued the frightened Philistine army to Gath and Ekron. This distance is between 6 and 10 miles (as the crow files) and the text speaks of pursuing or chasing. Is it that the mighty army of Israel did no fighting, just chasing? I am no military commander, but when you have an army fleeing, would not this be the time to strike, to decimate the enemy, to take advantage of their fear. Was the army of Israel too tired, too wore out, too emotionally drained to actually fight? I am too sarcastic at times!
It seems the army simply chased them away, only to come back to get things! To plunder an empty camp, to get things. Wow.
As I read the passage one more time, I must correct myself. I assumed it was the army of Israel who chased the Philistine army, but the army of Israel isn’t referred to in this passage. It is the “men of Israel and Judah (v52) and the “people of Israel” (v53) that were active after David killed the giant and sent the Philistine army running. The last time the term “army” was use din the chapter was back in verse 21!
Yes the people came back from chasing the Philistines, only to get stuff, things, possessions. What a tremendous victory for the nation, a stunning revealing of a young warrior, and the people return after a bit of a chase to get things.
David brought the head of Goliath to Jerusalem. He had mastered the enemy and did not take it to his home, so that he could gloat over his victory, but to the capital city of Jerusalem, where the nation turned to for leadership and strength.
In a very real sense, David gave the nation the victory, not only in reality but also in symbology. Goliaths head was a symbol of the strength the victor had over the enemy, and David took it to Jerusalem.
He served the nation and not himself, in that the head of Goliath would represent the victory for the nation of Israel.
I suppose he figgered the “people of Israel” would bring him some of the plunder! (Again with the sarcasm!)
What a comparison between a lowly shepherd boy and the mighty warriors of Israel!
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.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 59
11 Kill them not, lest my people forget; make them totter by your power and bring them down, O Lord, our shield! 12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter, 13 consume them in wrath; consume them till they are no more, that they may know that God rules over Jacob to the ends of the earth. Selah
David is on the brink of death, with one foot tottering over the grave. He has assassins pursuing him, lurking about, working with spies throughout the nation, hunting him down and seeking his death.
And yet David speaks of his enemies mouth, their lips, and their pride. This fact, at face value confused me, for I would have thought David would bring to God the actions these bloodthirsty men were in the midst of doing against him. Yet reference to their speech is scattered throughout the passage.
Consider
vs 3 fierce men stir up strife against me.
vs 5 those who treacherously plot evil
vs 7 bellowing with their mouths
vs 7 with swords in their lips
vs 7 “Who,” they think,“will hear us?” .. speak out plans of destruction
David is looking for God’s recompence upon those who speak evil towards him. This recompense comes in two forms for David.
The first is that those planning and speaking of his destruction are to be scattered. He is looking to God for their plans to come to nought. The first request is that they not be killed, but to be scattered. The evil plans are to be frustrated and those planning his destruction to wander away from this focus of their existence
The second recompense is for those planning David’s death to be consumed. When I see the word consumed, I automatically think of something used up, to be spent, eaten up. To consume in my culture is to use a finite product to its useful end, with it being of no use (or of no existence) upon consumption.
Is that David’s thought here? Somewhat, but what I understand is that this term in the Hebrew (כָּלָה kâlâh, kaw-law Strongs H3615), speaks also of completion, finishing or accomplishment.
So when David is looking for God to consume them in wrath, what is the message? Is David hinting at the idea that God has placed these men in David’s life on purpose, as training material for the future king, and that God will bring about a completion of the work these bloodthirsty men are allowed to perform, in order to train David?
Is that the message?
If so, this speaks of David’s understanding of God as much more than a singular relationship with himself, but that God is also One who orchestrates the entire creation to perform His good will.
No matter how you understand verse 13, it is difficult. If I have captured in a small way the actual understanding David had, it speaks of David’s faith in a greater way than simply seeking protection and deliverance from God in his present circumstances. David is expressing an understanding of a New Testament believer, with a revelation that few Old Testament saints were privy to.
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.
The passage before us is the set up for the famous chapter telling the story of a young shepherd taking out a giant of an enemy! Even the most unread Christian has heard of the story. It is very familiar to many, but as we venture through, I believe we will see some details and truths that will be a blessing and challenge for us to consider.
48 When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 49 And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
Ok – Here is where the rubber hits the road! Both of the combatants has had the chance to speak their mind, to try to intimidate their enemy, to correct their adversary, to warn their opponent, but now is when we find out who was simply speaking great swelling words!
David allows the giant to make the first move, to initiate the conflict. Might there be in this little detail the desire of David to come to peaceable terms with the enemy?
Is it not true that the man (or woman) of God is to seek peace, to be a peacemaker? Even in this tiny reference to David allowing Goliath to make the first move, we may see this principle come to light.
It seems to me that Psalm 120:7 typifies the attitude of the godly man.
I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!
One other tidbit that catches my eye, being the procrastinator that I am, is that once the conflict starts, David is all in. The passage speaks of David running quickly to the battle line. He ran to his imminent death, or so it must have appeared to those about him. What a suicide mission! What a fool, for the army of Israel did not understand David. The Philistine army didn’t understand David. The giant didn’t understand David.
The entire world heard a man boast of great things for his God, and then appeared to act on his claims! How audacious! He ran into the face of death, actually believing what he spoke of.
No hesitation, no delay. Time for planning was over, and the time for action was upon him. Too bad for the moment when it appeared he was doomed.
But that is the Christian life, is it not? We are not to walk by sight but by faith. We need to know who our God is, understand His ways, follow His lead and act on it!
I have a friend at work who will review and review, check every option, discuss and coordinate…. I often refer to this condition as paralysis by analysis. My friend, we have no way to know how all the options and possibilities will work out, but we do have the privilege of knowing the One who has all the possibilities worked out and has promised His oversight, even in those times when we sense a failure.
Once the battle begins, once Goliath takes that first step, run to it, not away from it. Whatever the battle entails, go into it with the faith David exhibits here, knowing the God of Israel.
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.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 59
8 But you, O LORD, laugh at them; you hold all the nations in derision. 9 O my Strength, I will watch for you, for you, O God, are my fortress. 10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
David, in our last post, spoke of his enemies, those bloodthirsty dogs prowling and howling, speak great swelling words of destruction on the shepherd boy. Everything was mounted up against David, and all appearance of deliverance evaporating in front of his very eyes.
His physical eyes that is. He saw the state of things, his situation. He didn’t minimize the problem. He described it without hesitation and laid it all out in front of the Lord.
When we are in a stressful situation, even a dangerous situation, we mimic David well most times. We speak to God about all the troubles we have, the danger that may (or may not) be out there. All the negative aspects in our life comes out of our heart and into the airspace.
Yet David did not stop there, and neither should we. He recalled who God is, for David claimed God as his..
Strength
David claimed God as his strength, his power , his might. As a young man with the government after him, he must have surely felt helpless. No hope of escape or of a path to freedom and security. David looked to God for his strength.
As an aside, it is very interesting that at the coronation of David, another Psalm was written, with a phrase that is reminiscent of David’s thoughts in Psalm 59.
Psalm 2:4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.
David’s experience in Ps 59 may have led to the fantastic passage describing the kings of the earth and the rulers being against the True King. He speaks of the Lord as laughing in the heavens, as both those of the nations and of Israel fight against the Anointed. He reveals to us that this effort to stop the Anointed from His mission must be mock worthy in God’s eyes. How foolish it must seem for anyone to fight against God!
David looked to His strength and realized God was not wringing His hands with fret and worry. His strength was simply shaking His head and laughing! Amazing
Fortress
David claimed God as his fortress. David returns to the concept of elevation or height here, for the term fortress speaks not only of a refuge, but of a high place, a high fort. We visited this concept earlier when David spoke of his enemies rising up against him in verse 1, and David looked to God to protect him, or to lift him up over the reach of his enemies.
For our God to be our fortress in the way David is thinking, is to be beyond the reach of our enemies. Danger may be present and visible, but if we are looking to God for protection, we are looking for His ability to keep us out of the reach of our enemies influence and capture.
This begs the question regarding how believers experience suffering and persecution. Yet we need to recall that the protection God provided His Son was deliverance out of death, not from it. This refocus of deliverance is what gives the believer the ability to endure, for the protection God provides may include physical, emotional or mental suffering. This does not negate the protection God provides, and if we see this as a lack on God’s part, we need to refocus our faith.
He is the protector and our fortress!
God
David finally claims the God of Israel as his God. He is not one of many, but the only one in front of God now, and has the attention of the King of the universe. This, if it were not so common in David’s life and throughout the New Testament, should shock us. That the eternal God of creation, the One who is over all things, may be considered to be My God.
Beyond this astounding fact, David claims that his God has a steadfast love for him. How audacious! How presumptive! Who do you think you are David?
But this is not the point! It has nothing to do with who David is, but who our God is. This speaks of the nature and character of the Creator / Redeemer.
His nature is to love. To express steadfast love. His love is not the type that considers if the recipient is worthy of His love. Does He count all the good as opposed to the bad of the recipient, and then judges whether He will shed His love on him? This isn’t the God of the Bible. When we were without strength, even as enemies, He died for the ungodly.
David is getting his eyes off himself and back on who his God is.
One last item to consider in this passage.
David speaks of meeting with God in a previous passage, and now recalls this time he needed for a huddle, for a review. He speaks of God, out a steadfast love, meeting with him, to review the conditions he is experiencing and to see the state of affairs he is in. How this worked out with David is unknown, but we can confidently say that He has come down, He has met with us, He has experienced our condition on earth and He has lived through it!
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.
The passage before us is the set up for the famous chapter telling the story of a young shepherd taking out a giant of an enemy! Even the most unread Christian has heard of the story. It is very familiar to many, but as we venture through, I believe we will see some details and truths that will be a blessing and challenge for us to consider.
41 And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. 42 And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. 43 And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.” 45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
We would do well to remember that warfare during David’s time was completely different than warfare today. These days we do some saber rattling, but for the intent of testing the waters, or to get some allowance from the enemy.
In David’s time the battle was established, and the combatants faced each other, with both men given the opportunity to speak of their battle plans, or at least of their intent in battle. Such is the case in this instance. Goliath, the Philistine speaks first, with derogatory statements, calling David a “dog” and speaking of his fighting methods as “sticks”. After this slight cast upon David, the intelligent Philistine falls to the calling of curses upon David. It is always a sign of weakness when a man (or woman) reverts to cursing. It is as if they have no argument of substance and fall back to simply attacking the person and not the cause.
It is interesting to say the least that when we read that Goliath “cursed” David, the term has roots in meaning to be slighted, or trifling. Goliath, when he cursed David, it was to his person, not his methods, and the cursing brought out Goliaths contempt for David. He considered David of little consequence, of no threat, no significance.
Goliath simply underestimated his enemy, for he made two mistakes.
First he looked at the size of David. This is a common mistake for those who defy God, for God chooses the weak, the insignificant, the unimpressive.
Secondly, he looked at the physical enemy when he should have looked at who David represented! The God of Israel, the One who took on the nation of Egypt and utterly destroyed them, who provided for a nation through the desert travellings, and who established a nation in a foreign land.
Those who do not understand who God is underestimate who they are responsible to. Dear reader – Do you consider Goliath one who ignored the God of the Bible, or was he honestly ignorant of who David represented? Let me know your thoughts in the comments
Planning & Faith
It occurred to me this morning that David was very well prepared for this meeting. Not only did he retrieve his stones at the brook (in full view of the enemy), but was ready with a battle plan, specific to the situation he was facing, with not only the actions he would take, but he would also speak of the purpose of his actions.
David intended to strike Goliath down, and to cut off his head. David would then provide a feast for creation of the bodies of the armies of the Philistines. Ever the overachiever, David was not satisfied with victory over his opponent, but also over his nations enemy. This wasn’t a grudge match in David’s mind – it was much bigger!
David laid out his actions simply and to the point, but the bulk of David’s message to the giant was of his purpose in the battle. The nation of Israel was to have one purpose and David understood this. Israel was to be a shining light for the nations, drawing them to the God of Israel. To draw men, truth has to be understood, and David’s battle would expose to all that the God of the Bible, the God of the nation of Israel is real.
You see – claiming a truth and living a truth may be separate activities for a believer. David was providing evidence that the God of Israel was knowable
1 Samuel 17:46 …that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
David intended one more outcome from this confrontation. Not only would the knowledge of the Lord be provided, but that the knowledge of His ways would also be evident. God saves unconventionally, for our manner of warfare (such as sword or spear, or in our culture, fighter jets or Abrams tanks) is not the way God works.
1 Samuel 17:47 …all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear
It is interesting that David seems to indicate two audiences. First – all the earth would know there is a God in Israel. Secondly – that all this assembly would know of the Lord’s ways, the manner in which He saves.
Is there a knowledge that is reserved for those in the assembly, for those who have come to know the God of Israel, entering into the assembly/congregation? Only upon knowing the God of Israel, can we begin to know of His ways.
As a believer, I entered into the assembly decades ago, and have been learning of His ways ever since. It is good to remember that it is a privilege to enter into the workings of the Lord, to watch His ways and to seek to follow.
Is this not the Lord’s will for each of us to know the God of Israel, the One who came to earth and suffered for us? As we watch Him walking amongst His people, teaching simple (shocking) truths, and serving those who would hurt him, we should come away realizing we have far to go in truly imitating Him.
If you are ignorant of the Lord, reach out to Him. Call on the name of Jesus.
If you know Him, seek His ways, learn of His methods and how He related to those He rubbed shoulders with.
The only thing I ask for you is to not be a Goliath! A seeming winner in the eyes of the world, but in reality, what a looser!
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.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 59
6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city. 7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips– for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
David’s enemies, those bloodthirsty men, came back each evening, diligently searching for their victim, howling like dogs! Howling as a frustrated hunter, these men of blood are reduced to the actions of a mere animal, growling and howling to gain some advantage. They are seeking an advantage to find their victim, hunting throughout the city, disturbing others and bellowing with thier mouths.
For these men to “bellow” is descriptive, for it includes the image of belching, of vomiting up a sickness that is internal to each of these hunters.
Is it not true that a man’s speech reveals his heart? That which is in a man comes out in his speech. For these men, to vomit out a message reveals their heart. How true the words of the Master when He taught such a hard truth!
Mark 7:21 -23
For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
And what was the message these hunters spoke?
“Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
Their speech further confirms the state of their heart, for they are claiming that no one will hear them in their efforts to chase down and kill the innocent shepherd boy. Their question (out of their heart) is revealing that in their opinion their is no God, that there is no one that could hear them making their plans of death, that though they speak with daggers in their lips (murderous words!) they are safe from any repercussions.
As we consider this, let us remember that those with murder in their hearts did not only exist in the time of David.
Again I refer my gentle reader to the Lord’s message above, speaking of the source of murder, and that it is a heart issue.
from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder
In Matthew 5, He provides us the truth of how anger is equivalent to murder, how we all have this tendency resident within us.
Matthew 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ Matthew 5:22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
My friends, consider this sobering truth, that our hearts, though redeemed, continues to have a darkness that needs to be resisted through the power of the Spirit of God.
And we must remember, those outside of the Body of Christ need rescuing from this horrible existence. May the Lord guide us to meet with those who are in need of the gospel today.
Though they may speak murder, we are to speak peace.
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 17:38-40
38 Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, 39 and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.
Saul did what every king would do. Seek to protect his investment. Provide what he could to help. Give his new soldier every worldly advantage.
What struck me this morning is that David allowed him to provide these supposed benefits. Saul clothed David with armor. Heavy armor for a young teen who was not experienced in wearing it!
There is one additional place in the Bible that speaks of a helmet of bronze and a coat of mail. It was the description of what Goliath wore when he entered into battle.
1 Samuel 17:5 He (Goliath) had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze.
King Saul sought to level the playing field for David. The king supplied the same protection and weaponry the enemy had.
But David put it off. He actually took the king’s armor off. What a strange thing to do in the eyes of the king. He rejected the king’s protection. But you see he had to take the armor off in order to retain the protection he sought.
He had not tested this new fangled armor. But he had tested the sling and staff. His hours of being all alone in the field with his sheep afforded him time to master his skills and gain confidence in his chosen method of warfare. He was not a carbon copy of every other man on the field that day. He was one who was comfortable being different! This speaks of David’s stability and self knowledge, of his willingness to stand on his convictions.
Don’t be afraid to be different! Do not be conformed to the giant!
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.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 59
3 For behold, they lie in wait for my life; fierce men stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD, 4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Awake, come to meet me, and see! 5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Rouse yourself to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
David continues in our passage speaking of his enemies as lying in wait for his life. These enemies have been previously described as bloodthirsty, and in following verses as fierce, even as dogs. They are on the hunt for a victim, but not just any victim. They aren’t seeking blood of just any victim. They have their eye on the future King of Israel. They are looking for innocent blood, blood that has no cause of death in it, but that he is the future king.
David is speaking relatively, for he is not claiming sinless perfection in front of God, but that in relation to the current king of Israel, he has brought no reason for this persecution. He has committed no sin against the current king. He has no way to remedy this situation, for the entire cause of this persecution is sourced out of a man of jealousy, an insecure man who has walked away from God. David has no opportunity of resolving this conflict since Saul will not seek peace.
Saul wants David’s blood. And David wants God to come see.
Now of course God sees the situation. He clearly sees the situation, from every conceivable vantage point and in every possible way. But David is asking for a conference, a time to get together for a “huddle”, a time of communication and review. David needs to get his head straightened out, to hear of the situation from God, to know of God’s accompaniment with him in this endurance run.
David even goes so far as implying that God is asleep and that He needs to rouse Himself. What audacity of the man to speak to God in such a way.
And yet when trials come our way, do we not question God’s attention. It is so common for us to claim that God is missing, that He is somewhere else, or that He is not paying attention to our experience. We may offer up formal prayers acknowledging His presence, but sometimes couched within those prayers are hints that we have our doubts, even though the promise of His being with us in scattered throughout the written Word.
David made his concerns crystal clear. You are my God, and I need you. I need Your attention in this matter. Come to deliver me oh my God. Deliverance was provided, for David received God’s protection from death in multiple instances and in various ways. Over an extended period of time. Yet David was entering a time of persecution and of being on the run, all the while under God’s protection.
Sometimes the protection provided does not look as we may have wanted, but God is faithful.
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 17:31-37
31 When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him. 32 And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. 36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”
First thing to notice in this passage is the humility and servanthood of the next king of Israel. His concern is with the hearts of the soldiers out there facing this degrading situation. Unlike Eliab, who tore down his own brother in front of strangers, David seeks to build up strangers in front of the king. So many differences between those two son’s of Jesse!
We see David’s attitude of willingness to take care of problems as we saw earlier in this passage, when he rose up early to come the the front. He didn’t drag his feet, or find ways to avoid unpleasant tasks. My goodness – he is committing himself to go fight a giant here!
The giant that Saul and his army experienced was much much larger than the giant David saw. For the army, Goliath was invincible. The army had the attitude much like the 10 spies who came back from spying out the promised land, and spoke of large grasshoppers. It is not possible!
Yet David did not. Remember three things about David that he has in his life that those in the army lacked.
Experience
David was not a trained warrior, and for that we can be thankful. He had found his niche in combat skills by watching over his father’s sheep. His experience was with hand to hand combat if necessary, and had practiced with the sling in order to protect his sheep. He took his responsibility over his father’s sheep very seriously, and was prepared for when the enemy came, whether it be a lion or a bear!
Passion
His experience was worthy of impressing the King, but what stands out for myself is the passion young David communicated to the king. He chased after the bear and the lion, not willing to give an inch when it came to his sheep! His passion for the sheep garnered their protection and the killing of any enemy. This passion easily and naturally escalated when it came to His God. He was one who would not allow the giant to defy the armies of the Living God!
Spirit of God
Most importantly, and without a doubt the major influence in David’s reaction to this uncircumcised giant, was that David was filled with the Spirit of the Lord since his anointing. How could he not be aghast at the defamation of God by this heathen giant? How could he not seek to strengthen those who were cast down, who were shamed and hurting? He was of a different nature, more than simply a shepherd boy with skills and passion, but the one who would lead the nation to heights of dominance they had never experienced!
David cared for his fellow Israeli’s, even those who had mocked him, attributed evil intentions or shamed him.
Let no man’s heart fail because of him (Goliath). David had many motivators for this challenge, but the one that warms my heart is the concern he had for his fellow Israeli’s.
How much more has the Greater David expressed His love for us as we are downtrodden, overwhelmed and discouraged. He has taken on the giant of death and the devil, and in our daily lives provides encouragement and strength.
He will not let any man’s heart fail because of a giant.
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.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
Psalm 59
1 To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when Saul sent men to watch his house in order to kill him.
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me; 2 deliver me from those who work evil, and save me from bloodthirsty men.
The psalms of David’s heart are sometimes not associated with a specific time in his life. Not so with this psalm. This is specifically the time when the assassination plot was initiated against the shepherd boy by the King of Israel. Let us consider the passage that describes the condition David is in when He pens this psalm.
1 Samuel 19:11-12
11 Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” 12 So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped.
David is on the run! This is unbelievable in David’s mind, totally unexpected, for as he speaks with Saul’s son Jonathon after this, he reveals his confusion.
1 Samuel 20:1
Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”
Psalm 59 is David’s heart after this shocking development in his life. From becoming a national hero, and the future king of Israel, David plummets to a fugitive, on the run from his own people, expecting a spear through the heart or a sword falling on his neck. He is a dead man.
Except for one hope! His God.
Twice he looks to God, to his God for deliverance, once for defending and finally for salvation. Each of these verbs are telling!
Deliver
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God… (v1)
deliver me from those who work evil (v2)
David’s request for deliverance from his enemies (those who work evil) may be understood as David requesting God to snatch him away from the situation, or to take him away from the danger. His request has the sense of being without any self assistance, as one who is without any resource to perform the escape. David is helpless in this request, and he looks to God for his deliverance.
Protect
Protect me from those who rise up against me (v1)
To “protect” in this verse is a surprising concept for a 21st century believer, for it speaks of the one being protected as being set on high, to be in accessible, to be too high for capture.
Notice Davis is asking to be lifted up (protected) against those who are rising up against him. They are seeking to find advantage in their position over David, and yet David seeks God to being him to a higher point, a position of being unreachable, beyond their grasp
Save
save me from bloodthirsty men. (v2)
David cuts to the chase in this verse, for he speaks of those men who are against him as bloodthirsty. His enemies are rising up against him and working evil, are doing so from a blood lust, a desire to kill.
David clearly understands the situation. He is looking to God, his God for deliverance, to cheat these bloodthirsty men from any success. And we know that God, his God came to his rescue. David eventually became king. Eventually! You see, David may have been as young as 19 on the night Saul’s men came to get him. Eleven years later, he ascended to the throne. Over a decade of protection through numerous close calls, near misses and terror inducing events.
God’s protection and deliverance in David’s life was in the midst of many trials.
It may be good to remember this as we enter into trials and struggles in our own walk with the Master.
God protects and we trust. And we are called to continue to trust, in the midst of the trials, the close calls and the terror inducing events, for God is good, and He is good all the time!
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 17:28-30
28 Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.” 29 And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” 30 And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before.
No matter how you cut it, Eliab is a piece of work in this passage. He fully exposes himself in front of the army, and before his brothers face, his attitude of superiority over David, his condescending tone, his judgement of intent. Eliab does not look good in this passage.
First off, He rejects David’s attendance. Why have you come down? Why are you here? Never mind that David was sent, Eliab assumes David came to stir the pot, to cause trouble, that David came of his own volition.
Secondly, Eliab tries to shame David, by speaking of “those few sheep in the wilderness” that he cared for. If it was but a few sheep, this speaks of David’s faithfulness, yet we do not know if there was any truth to this slur of Eliab’s. Was it a few sheep, or dozens of sheep. Not the issue to be honest, for Eliab was working the same warfare as Goliath at this point, a warfare that attacked and denigrated the opposition. But the difference here is that Eliab is family! At least in the physical sense.
Finally, Eliab judges David’s intentions, his heart, the motivations that drove David to come to the battle field. Remember, David came at the behest of his father, to provide sustenance for his brothers. David came to the battlefield as a servant, but Eliab assigned evil intentions to his younger brother, while in the middle of frustrated soldiers that were being shamed.
Truly, Eliab was rejected by God as the next king, based on character traits that may not have been obvious at the time. It seems these character traits are starting to become evident, and Eliab has no problem expressing his disfavor of his own brother in the midst of a gang of soldiers. Yes Eliab had his issues. And it seems his rejection by God was well warranted. He simply was not good leadership material. Gosh – he wasn’t even good brother material!
After David’s declaration of taking on the giant, and Eliab’s tongue lashing of David, the rumor mill cranked up in activity and the news reached the king.
We have a soldier willing to take on the giant! Bring him to the King!
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.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
David has described his persecutors in last weeks passage, and by extension has described our heart and potential actions also. Out of this treasonous and evil choice of life, David begs God for true justice, for justice that can be provided from the only true Judge.
Psalm 58
10 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked. 11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.”
Throughout this psalm we have seen David battle with his frustration, with injustice, with crying out to God for action. Let’s remember David’s situation. He has been recently declared by God and His prophet Samuel, in the presence of his family, to be the next King of Israel. He has saved the nation from extreme embarrassment by defeating the giant Goliath. He has served both father and King with multiple tasks. And now he is on the run, being chased by the King and ignored by his family.
I get the message of verse 10, and the joy of seeing vengeance on an enemy. I really do! There have been times in my life when we have been treated poorly and unjustly, and eventually the Lord brings about a turnaround in the situation, with the persecutor becoming a victim. I found joy in the rescue of the Lord, and to be blunt enjoyed seeing the one suffer.
For some reason, I am finding that even though justice is deserved, and may be meted out, that in those circumstances when I see a fairness exacted I experience less joy, less happiness, less satisfaction. Don’t get me wrong – to have the Lord rescue me or my loved ones is an exhilarating experience, but if it entails a required discipline on another, even an enemy, my relative joy is diminished.
To see my enemy suffer is not a joy. I am not sure where David’s head was when he wrote this, especially referring to bathing his feet in the blood of the wicked. It may have some oriental implication I don’t understand, or he may be simply expressing the natural response of a man under tremendous pressure.
It is beyond me, and may reveal my immaturity in the Lord.
But lets stand back and consider these last two verses, that the joy may not necessarily be in the bloody foot bath, but in the fact that there is a God who judges the earth. There is a judge who will defend the helpless, and put right those actions that are evil.
And yet there is a higher thought that nags at me.
Is it not the same Judge of all the earth that was judged, condemned, tortured, mocked, ridiculed, and crucified by those who are the wicked, unjust and cruel of the land.
And yet He asked for their forgiveness.
Yes He is the Greater David, the One who pulls all of us to higher ground, who reveals the merciful heart of the Father, who provides forgiveness to us who should identify with Saul more than David.
We are truly a blessed people to have the Greater David as our Guide, Leader, Savior and Teacher.
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 17:24-27
24 All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid. 25 And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.” 26 And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 27 And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”
I can imagine that at this point, in David’s mind, he had decided he was going to kill Goliath. It was a settled conviction for David, a decision he made when the giant defied the armies of the Living God. Note that the men amongst him (his brothers?) merely referred to the armies being defied, without any reference to the Living God. This is what separated David from the rank and file of the nations armies.
But David also had a strategy for this opportunity. Yes he would kill the barbarian, the uncircumcised giant. No debate on this outcome. He would face the giant and with God’s help defeat him.
But the news of three benefits from the king were freely shared amongst the army. I am sure King Saul reminded the army of this opportunity, hoping someone would step forward. The men of Israel spread the news – the reward the king would offer was three fold, and it was a generous offer!
Great riches
The kings daughter in marriage
The family’s house free in Israel. – no taxes
So great were these rewards, that David needed some clarification, so he asked again what would be granted to the man who defeated this enemy. Can you imagine what this news would do for the young shepherd? First he is anointed king, and now he has the opportunity to gain riches (become a name in Israel), marry into royalty (which would become a hindrance eventually) and provided tax free living for his father.
This opportunity to gain wealth, connections and status in the nation must have signaled to David that God was continuing to guide him into great things.
Of course this is not completely parallel for the believer today, for we are not to be enticed by the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes or the pride of life. In no way am I suggesting David was fueled by these desires, but the rewards may position him to be on a trajectory to fulfill (at least in his mind) his future coronation into the Kingship of Israel.
No matter, for David’s mind and heart were set. We cannot see all the ruminations within this young mans mind, but one thing was certain. He was going to take care of this problem!
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.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
David has described his persecutors in last weeks passage, and by extension has described our heart and potential actions also. Out of this treasonous and evil choice of life, David begs God for true justice, for justice that can be provided from the only true Judge.
Psalm 58
6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD! 7 Let them vanish like water that runs away; when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted. 8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime, like the stillborn child who never sees the sun. 9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!
In our last post, David described the wicked one, the one who refuses correction, the one who is fully loaded with venom, ready to attack, the one who seeks their own desires above all else.
David turns a corner with this portion, for he is now seeking justice on those who are persecuting him. He is asking the Lord for retribution on the wicked for the suffering he has experienced due to their wicked plans against him. Can you feel the frustration he is experiencing. He faithfully served the King, saved the nation from the Philistines in slaying Goliath, ministered to Saul in his sickness, and is now on the run for his life.
Persecuted, not due to anything he has done, other than the Lord choosing him for the throne of Israel. David’s heart for God, and God’s response in anointing him for the throne of Israel brought about his life of being on the run, of being but a step from the grave.
Can you feel his frustration? What is going on? Surely being chosen by God will only bring blessing and honor into David’s life. Surely there is something wrong with this picture! Surely God is not acting correctly, not providing the justice needed, and David begins to describe to God the ways these men are to be treated. David is looking for his God to deliver him, to execute justice upon those who are unjustly smearing his name, chasing him down and ruining his life.
In these verses, David writes numerous descriptions of how God should judge the wicked, all of which lead to their destruction. Note that David is pleading with God, but David’s actions reflect his faith in God, his belief that God truly is the Judge of all the earth, and that even the timing of justice is in God’s hands.
I can’t help but think of a time I chatted with my best friend and she spoke of her desire to lash out at her boss over an injustice. There was no doubt about the injustice, and yet she had not said anything, nor taken any hasty actions. This situation, though a microcosm of David’s experience, has some parallels. And thankfully, as she is wont to do, just needed to express her feelings, share how she felt, and then reconsidered how Jesus would respond. (She took donuts to work with her to be a blessing!)
As we face injustice, it is good for us to be honest with the Lord in our prayers. Trying to come to God with a “face on” will help no one, and God is not deceived. David fully expressed his desires for these wicked men, yet would not hurt the Lord’s anointed.
David expressed his anger and frustration with God, yet was under God’s control in his day to day life. He was under persecution for doing right, for being right, and yet no retaliation, no seeking of revenge against Saul.
Consider the Greater David. Consider His actions toward those who unjustly mocked Him, ridiculed Him, defamed Him, beat him, whipped Him and crucified Him. Did He seek justice, or ask the Father to forgive them?
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 17:19-23
19 Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. 20 And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry. 21 And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army. 22 And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers. 23 As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.
David was a responsible young man, always ensuring those assignments to which he could not attend to, were taken care of. Note that prior to leaving for the front, he left the sheep with a keeper. As he entered the encampment area, he assigned a keeper to care for the provisions he brought for his brothers.
Note also, that David rose early, indicating a willing spirit, for he didn’t stay in bed, sleep in, act the sluggard, but rose early and performed his assigned tasks. This enthusiasm, it turns out was instrumental for David to arrive at the camp, just in time to hear Goliaths rant. To be with his brothers as they were subjected to psychological warfare.
The soldiers were being worn down, with this assembly of the ranks before the enemy required with a daily formation and approach, only to pull back, to take the mental hit and go back to the camp, licking their wounds.
This time a young man, a teenager, a future king, a shepherd, heard the rant from the enemy. At this point, everything changes! And Goliath might better start measuring his coffin, for he is a dead man!
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.
My wife and I are reading through the Psalms in our evening reading and occasionally a nugget of the Psalms jumps out of the page. Don’t you love it when, after years of reading the “Old Book” passages become alive, reinforcing old teachings or simply warming your heart.
This is the book of Psalms, and it is rich.
I pray I can communicate a portion of the blessing we receive from this wonderful book.
David provided the core, foundational problem of mankind in last weeks post, of the heart of the ruler, and the violence that flows from the rulers heart through his hands and to the victims.
In todays post, David will continue to describe wicked man, those men who sought him out, chased him with the intention of death, those who hated him without cause. He is also describing those amongst whom we live, those who have gained breath from birth, those we love and cherish, even ourselves – if we are honest with ourselves.
Although uncomfortable, let us read the following passage.
Psalm 58
3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. 4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear, 5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter.
If we are honest with ourselves.
It is a difficult message, when I see my little grandchildren cooing and gurgling, to believe that within those cute little ones, their lies a heart that is bent to selfishness.
It is hard to admit that each of us, as we gain breath, have a desire to satisfy own own heart and none else. Though David’s description is speaking of those who were in full bloom of their sin, they began with a self centered spirit. These enemies of David had potential to either follow after or fight against their estrangement, their isolation from others, and especially from God the Father. These particular men followed after their estrangement. We all do. It is natural. It is normal. It is inevitable.
If we are honest with ourselves.
The wicked come fully weaponized. The wicked have venom. They do not need to gain a source of venom, but come fully equipped with poisonous intent.
Story time
As I was walking though my office yesterday, a peer had his radio on, volume low, and barely discernible, but I caught a phrase in a song that we repeat to ourselves constantly.
I believe people are good. I believe I am good.
Even as I heard that, I felt good. I enjoyed that message. I thought highly of myself. I have done some good things in life, therefore I am good, right?
My friends, I am not trying to say every human is as evil as Hitler in their actions, but we all are capable of great self deception, and easily able to justify evil acts, all the while thinking we are good.
If we are honest with ourselves.
Note that the wicked do not hear the voice of the charmers, or the enchanter. They refuse any counsel or direction. They stop their ears, intentionally refusing to hear of any alternate message, of any correction or rebuke.
At this point, David’s description of mankind is desperate. A fully weaponized individual that refuses any direction, being directed only by a heart that seeks it’s own desire
Let’s be honest with ourselves my friend. If we have ever veered from the perfection of God, (and we all have), we belong to the group David is describing here. Venomous individuals seeking their own. Individuals with a heart that spews out violence.
Is there no hope? Surely we are without any ability to correct our ways, for our only influence is the heart we were born with, that we are controlled by, that devise our plans and direct our actions. No wonder Paul cried out…
Romans 7:24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Let us remember that the main issue in this Psalm is the search for the true Judge of all the earth. David is describing a judge (or ruler) vying for control over our lives. In his description of those against him, he condemns us all, for his description is the description of my own heart.
But am I being to harsh, too judgmental, to negative? Jesus himself sealed this truth when He described the heart of man in Matthew 15:18-19
But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.
We have a heart that seeks it’s own. The true Judge is One who has the heart we think we have, that is, a heart that is the very definition of right, that has been pieced for us, that has drawn us to Him.
Seek Him. Listen to Him. Do not stop your ears from His counsel. Seek His heart, for His heart is a heart of mercy, forgiveness, love, patience, kindness wisdom.
Considering the Bible 