Scripture

“No!” David said.” For who can remain innocent after attacking the Lord’s anointed one?”

Observation

Saul takes 3000 of Israel’s elite troops and resumes his hunt for David.

David goes over to Saul’s camp under the cover of darkness. David takes Abishai with him into the camp.

They find Saul asleep in his tent with a spear and a jug of water next to his head. David takes the spear and jug and sneaks out of the camp.

He wakes up Saul’s men and points out that he again has had a chance to kill Saul, but refuses to lift a hand against the Lord’s anointed one.

Application

This verse is often used in the context of church disputes, particularly those involving a pastor.

While there are times when it is right for a congregation to dismiss a pastor, the general principle is that we should not undermine, attack, or move against the “Lord’s anointed one.”

Even in this case, where David is being hunted down by a demon possessed King Saul, David refuses to attack the Lord’s anointed.

Rather than attacking a pastor that you disagree with, we should try to see what God is doing in the situation. Is the pastor actually doing or saying what is necessary? Is there some lesson the Lord is trying to teach us? How can I use this situation to grow in my love for the Lord?

When it does come to a point of removing a leader, the church must always act in a way that honours Christ. Everything must be done accordance with God’s order and, above all, love must reign.

Prayer

Lord, conflict is hard at times. Please help me to handle disagreements in a way that honours you. Amen.

Scripture
“When the Lord has done all he has promised and his made you leader of all Israel, don’t let this be a blemish on your record. Then your conscience won’t have to bear the staggering burden of needless bloodshed and violence.”

Observation
David moves to the wilderness of Maon. A man named Nabal owns property near the town of Carmel.

David sends some messengers to see if Nabal will provide him with supplies. They remind him that when his shepherds were staying with David’s people, they protected the shepherds. Nabal is sneering in his refusal.

David’s men tell David what has happened, and one of Nabal’s servants tells Abigail, Nabal’s wife about the encounter. While David is on his way to slaughter Nabal’s household, Abigail gathers as much food as she can, and goes to seek mercy from David.

When Abigail tells Nabal what she has done, he has a stroke and dies a few days later. David asks her to marry him which she does.

Application
Foolish acts can weigh us down for a lifetime if we are not careful. Abigail pleaded with David to keep his conscience clear of bloodshed, lest this act define for the rest of his life.

Every day we hear of someone who lashes out in a moment of rage killing someone, ruining their own life as well as taking the other life. Just the other day two teenagers were killed on a local dam in a boating accident caused by an uncle’s momentary lapse of judgement.

To follow the Lord means that we let him be our guide and director. Sometimes we have to subdue emotional responses. Other times we must take care to listen to of the moment by moment leading of the Holy Spirit.

Prayer
Father, please help me to subject everything to you, and to walk with your wisdom and in your ways. Amen.

Scripture

And Saul said to David, “You are a better man than I am, for you have repaid me good for evil.”

Observation

Saul resumes his hunt for David in the wilderness of En-gedi. On one occasion, Saul goes into a cave to relieve himself, while David and his men are hiding further in the same cave. David cuts off the hem od Saul’s garment despite his army urging him to use the opportunity to kill Saul.

When Saul leaves the cave, David call out to him and questions why Saul has been hunting him. David shows him the strip of garment demonstrating his loyalty to Saul.

Saul admits that David is the better man, having repaid good for evil. David promises that when he becomes king he will look after Saul’s family. So SAul goes home, but David and his men remain in their stronghold .

Application

The way of the world is to repay evil for evil, tit-for-tat, revenge and honour killings. The way of God is to repay good for evil.

When someone wrongs us, intentionally or otherwise, we should swallow our desire for revenge and all manifestations of anger. We should forgive them and, then, if we have an ongoing relationship, seek to bless them.

The best way to defeat an enemy is to turn them into a friend. This is what God has done for us. We were once enemies of God, but through Christ, we are now friends of God. The fight is over. We are reconciled to him.

Prayer

Thank you Lord for redeeming me, for turning me from your enemy into your friend. Please help me to deal in the same way with people who set themselves against me. Amen.

Scripture

So Saul quit chasing David and returned to fight the Philistines.

Observation

David hears that the Philistines are stealing grain at Keilah. David asks the Lord if he should go and defend Keilah, and the Lord says to go.

When Saul hears that David is at Keilah, he mobilises the army to go and capture him. The Lord warns David that the man of Keilah will hand him over to Saul, so he and his men flee to the hill country. Although Saul hnts him day after day, the Lord protects David.

On one occasion, Saul and his man begin closing in on David, but Saul receives word that the Philistines are attacking Israel again. He quits chasing David to fight the Philistines.

Application

It is clear that while Saul should have been fighting the Philistines and removing them as a threat to the nation, he instead engaged in a time-consuming hunt for David. He was obsessed with the wrong enemy.

There are many Christians who are in the same category. The heresy hunters go over every word written or spoken by their self declared enemies in order to prove how wrong they are. They don’t fight satan or the enemies of christians. No, they are obsessed with the wrong enemy.

Rather than fighting christian brothers and sisters, we all need to spend our time and energy taking the battle to satan. We do this by sharing the gospel with friends, by loving those who are hurting, by fighting for justice for those whom the system neglects.

Make sure you are fighting the right battles.

Prayer

Lord, please show me how to fight your battles and how to defeat your enemies in the Spirit. Amen.

Scripture

Since there was no other food available, the priest gave him the holy bread –  the Bread of the Presence that was placed before the Lord in the Tabernacle. it had just been replaced that day with fresh bread.

Observation

 David goes to the town of Nob to see the priest Ahimelech. David asks him for food. As there is no other food available, Ahimelech gives him the holy bread, the Bread of the Lord’s Presence.

David then asks him for a weapon. Ahimelech give him the sword that David had used to cut off Goliath’s head.

Then David moves on to Gath, but the King of Gath doesn’t want him there.

Application

 The holy bread was not supposed to be eaten by anyone other than the priests. Yet David was allowed to do this, something that Jesus later alluded to.

It is good to have principles and practices, but there are times when we have to move beyond the rules and see what God really wants us to do.

Jesus had many arguments with men who were locked into a legalistic way of thinking. He healed on the Sabbath because God is more interested in compassion then rule keeping .

We have to let the love of God guide us in every situation .

Prayer

Lord, you fed David in an unorthodox way, and you allowed the priest to do this. Please help me to understand your will in every encounter. Amen. 

Scripture

Jonathan made David reaffirm his of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

Observation

David flees from Saul and meets up with Jonathon. He is afraid for his life as Saul has repeatedly threatened to kill David .

Jonathan does not believe this to be true. The next few days are the New Moon Festival, so Jonathan tests Saul during this time. When he mentions David’s name, Saul flies into a rage, throwing a spear at Jonathan.

Through a prearranged signal, Jonathan gives David the message to flee from Saul. David and Jonathan reaffirm their love for one another. David goes into hiding.

Application

Some people in the homosexual lobby try to claim the relationship between David and Jonathan as a sign that God is in favour of homosexuality. This is complete nonsense because two people can have deep affection and love for one another without any hint of sexual attraction. To treat this passage in this way is to completely misunderstand the meaning of the word love.

It must have really torn Jonathan to be at the centre if this rift between his father the king and David the anointed successor.

When we are in this position, the Lord can sometimes use us to reconcile people. At other times, all we can do is try to remain faithful in the midst of opposing forces.

It takes discernment and determination to stay firm in the Lord at these times

Prayer

Lord, please give me your wisdom when I am caught up in other people’s conflicts. May I be a sign of your presence. Amen.

Scripture

On the way to Naioth in Ramah, the Spirit of God came even upon Saul, and he began to prophesy all the way to Naioth.

Observation

Saul urges his servants and Jonathan to assassinate David. Jonathan talks to his father about this, and persuades him that he should not do it. Saul relents for a time .

Some time later, under the influence of a tormenting spirit, Saul again e tries to kill David. David flees, so Saul sends soldiers to arrest him. Michal tricks them and allows David to flee to Ramah to see Samuel.

Saul sends troops to Naioth where David is living. As they approach Naioth, they see Samuel leading a company of prophets. The Spirit of God comes upon the troops and they prophesy.

Saul goes to Naioth, and the Spirit falls on him also, causing him to prophesy.

Application

Saul was on his way to murder David, the man chosen by God to be the king. And the Spirit of God came upon him.

This is very odd. Did the Spirit come upon him to overcome him, to subdue him, or to convict him of sin? We are not told.

People sometimes say that God cannot abide the presence of sin, but he is much tougher than that. If this were true, God would have abandoned the Earth long ago. Jesus could never have taken on human form and lived amongst a sinful people.

The Spirit of God comes upon Saul, and Saul prophesies. We would expect that Saul would have to think seriously about his relationship with the Lord and how he was acting towards towards David. Apparently he did not. Even even though Saul was now a prophet, he was far from God.

Prayer

Lord, it is sobering to think that a man can be far from you but still manifesting the presence of the Holy Spirit. Please help me to maintain a pure heart before you. Amen.

Scripture

Saul was afraid of David, for the Lord was with David and had turned away from Saul.

Observation

David and Jonathan meet, and they instantly form a strong friendship .

David does everything successfully that Saul commands him. When David and Saul return from battle against the Philistines, the women sing, “Saul has killed thousands, and David tens of thousands.” This makes Saul jealous.

A tormenting spirit comes against Saul. He raves like a madman, and tries twice to kill David.

Michal falls in love with David. Saul offers Michal to David for the bride price of 100Pphilistine foreskins. Saul reasons that David will be killed by the Philistines. David and his men go and kill 200 Philistines. So David marries Michal.

Application

Fear and jealousy start to consume Saul. He can see how successful and popular David is, and he becomes afraid for his own position.

This kind of deception is a favourite tool of the devil. He stirs up negative emotions such as fear and jealousy to keep us isolated from other people. When we are isolated, he can amplify the emotions and make us quite irrational.

Saul had no cause to be afraid or jealous of David. David was loyal and had no desire to depose him. But satan is the father of lies, and Saul swallowed the deception.

Even though the Lord had rejected Saul as King over Israel, Saul could have repented of his sins and drawn close to the Lord. He could have been protected from his feelings of fear and jealousy. Instead, he chose to isolate himself and believe the lies rather than seeking the truth.

What a sad outcome this was. Many people follow a similar trajectory as they ignore the call of the Lord on their lives.

Prayer

Father, please help me stay close to you. Help me to always walk in the light of your word and the discernment that comes from your Holy Spirit. Amen.

Scripture

David replied to the Philistine, “You come to me with sword, spear and javelin, but I come to you in the Name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies – the God of the Armies of Israel whom you defied.”

Observation

David, at his father’s request, leaves the flocks to take supplies to his brothers in Saul’s army. There he sees that a giant named Goliath taunts the Israelites, demanding that someone come out to fight him.

David finds out that the king has promised his daughter and exemption from taxes to the man who defeats Goliath. He volunteers and discovers that Saul’s armour and sword are too heavy for him.

So David responds to Goliath’s taunt. He frames Goliath’s challenge as a defiance against the Lord. Armed with just his sling, David kills Goliath. Emboldened by this, the Israelite army massacres the fleeing Philistines.

Application

David recognises that the Philistines’ hostility to Israel was not just a military or political issue, but a matter of spiritual warfare. They were not fighting against flesh and blood, but against the Lord of Heaven’s hosts.

He could go without armour or sword because his trust was in the Lord. He knew that the battle belonged to the Lord.

Similarly, our battles are not in the flesh, but in the spirit realm. We must fight these battles in the spirit realm using the gifts and weapons of the Holy Spirit.

Whether it is family or work issues that overwhelming us, it is the Lord’s battle. Human wisdom will not give us victory, but the power of the Holy Spirit will.

Prayer

Thank you Lord that, as I put my trust in you, then you will help me to overcome the giants in my life. Amen.

Scripture

The Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Observation

The Lord sends Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as king. Samuel takes a heifer with him and invites Jesse and his sons to a sacrifice.

Samuel looks of each of Jesse’s son’s in turn, thinking they must be the Lord’s anointed servant, but the Lord rejects each one. Finally, Jesse sends for his youngest son David, and the Lord tells Samuel to anoint him as the next king.

The Spirit of the Lord has left Saul, and he is tormented by a spirit of depression and anxiety. Saul’s servants send for David to come and play music for Saul to soothe his spirit. David becomes Saul’s armour-bearer and is greatly loved by him.

Application

The Lord does not judge us by our outward appearance, but by what is in our hearts.

People made all sorts of judgements about people they have never met based on their appearance – ethnicity, clothing, apparent wealth, and so on. In fact, the fashionable ideology of Critical Race Theory says that everything about a person is determined by race.

God looks at your heart, the “content of your character” as Martin Luther King described it. Everything else is secondary .

If you love the Lord, it doesn’t matter whether you are short or tall, fat or thin, young or old, European or Asian. These things are secondary to our love for the Lord and our desire to walk in the ways of Jesus.

Prayer

Lord, thank you that you love me for the person you created me to be. Thank you for your unfailing love. Amen.