Who's side are you on, David? Can people see Who we represent, in our lives? Can there be any mistake? Was David truly seeking to do the Lord's will, here, or was his motivation to protect his life by hiding from Saul? Yes, God had commanded the total destruction of His enemies, but was that His preference? Can we trust God's Word in Hosea 6:6 (NIV): "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings."? We know that God used His enemies in mighty ways, too, and typically extended mercy to the faithful, regardless of their nationality. "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15, NIV) God's Word is so powerful, that much of it can have multiple meanings. This one is about money, but can be about serving other "gods" as well. “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money." (Matthew 6:24, NLT) This one goes beyond money. Our self-preservation can be a form of self-worship, if we are not careful. "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:" (Exodus 34:14, KJV). We are not to worship ourselves, but we are also not to neglect ourselves. "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" (1 Corinthians 6:19, NKJV) We should live a balanced life for God: "When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God." (1 Corinthians 10:31, CEV)
Achish trusted David and said to himself, "He has become so obnoxious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant for life." (1 Samuel 27:12, NIV)
Who's side are you on, David? Can people see Who we represent, in our lives? Can there be any mistake? Was David truly seeking to do the Lord's will, here, or was his motivation to protect his life by hiding from Saul? Yes, God had commanded the total destruction of His enemies, but was that His preference? Can we trust God's Word in Hosea 6:6 (NIV): "For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings."? We know that God used His enemies in mighty ways, too, and typically extended mercy to the faithful, regardless of their nationality. "But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:15, NIV) God's Word is so powerful, that much of it can have multiple meanings. This one is about money, but can be about serving other "gods" as well. “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money." (Matthew 6:24, NLT) This one goes beyond money. Our self-preservation can be a form of self-worship, if we are not careful. "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:" (Exodus 34:14, KJV). We are not to worship ourselves, but we are also not to neglect ourselves. "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" (1 Corinthians 6:19, NKJV) We should live a balanced life for God: "When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God." (1 Corinthians 10:31, CEV)
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"So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even on him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth." (1 Samuel 19:23, NIV)
Saul's heart was set on killing David simply because of an evil spirit within him. Neither of these reasons are enough to keep the Holy Spirit from doing a great work within him. God can do a great work in our lives, whether we allow Him to or not. I believe He will do greater things yet, though, if we are willing servants. After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most." (1 Samuel 20:41, NIV) A potentially fatal friendship. Even now, in a world of chaos, what are we willing to sacrifice for our friends and family's well-being? David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath." (1 Samuel 21:12, NIV) He could run, but he could not hide! God's work in David's life was so great that everyone knew about it, friends and enemies alike! "All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him." (1 Samuel 22:2, NIV) There were still some who believed that God would do more great work through David! "So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there." (1 Samuel 23:13, NIV) There is a time for war and a time for peace, a time to fight and a time to withdraw. What we truly must seek is God's direction for every moment of our lives so we can know which time is which. He said to his men, "The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord 's anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord." (1 Samuel 24:6, NIV) Our earthly battles are not the same as the heavenly battles. The new testament response to how to treat one another is to love one another and to find blessing in being a peace maker, to represent the Grace of Christ to draw others to Him. "Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him." (1 Samuel 25:17, NIV) So many things that I like about this entire chapter, but this one is about second chances and all those who were part of this redemption. We see the wisdom of David's servant who spoke to Abigail, we see her wisdom and the provisions that God had allowed her to use to bring peace. We see David's anger turn to mercy. "Then Saul said to David, "May you be blessed, David my son; you will do great things and surely triumph."So David went on his way, and Saul returned home." (1 Samuel 26:25, NIV) The mighty Saul had been restored as a man of God! It's been a long, hard journey, but God continues to be victorious. No matter what you've been through, no matter what "evil spirits" you've had to fight off, God will not give up on you. As long as you are still breathing, it's not too late. We also know that persecution and martyrdom are very real and we may be facing one or the other at any given time, if not both. May we know that even when things look to be otherwise, we are under God's protection. We can be bold in the faith, trusting Him for His good works. May we also consider how we treat our brothers and sisters in the world, not just in Christ. I love "1Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. 2Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. 3Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." (Hebrews 13:2 but I had to include 1 and 3, NIV) "But Samuel replied:"Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." (1 Samuel 15:22, NIV) We are the Lord's creation, each individual and unique; His handiwork. We are told throughout Scripture that He wants none to perish, that He does not delight in the suffering of His people. He wants a relationship with each of us but does not force us. He doesn't even force His favour on us: "Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him." (1 Samuel 16:14, NIV) We need to actively and continuously seek the presence of the Lord or we risk being exposed to temptation or torment. This is a very troubling passage. "an evil spirit from the Lord"? Does God have an evil spirit? I can't imagine. My best thought is that He withdrew His protection from Saul. We'll see later that He did this just temporarily... |
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