Month: September 2021

Whatever we’re called to do and able to do, we should keep doing as long as God permits.

David had spared Saul’s life twice because he was the Lord’s anointed king – he wouldn’t lift his hand against him. But David believed Saul would try to kill him again, so he took the drastic step of going to live among the Philistines, Israel’s sworn enemies. While David was there, he and his men continued to raid the territory of their enemies, but they never let anyone else know what they’d been doing. 1 Samuel 27:9, 11 David had to keep his 600 men ‘fighting fit’, so he raided and plundered the enemy camps, but secretly. Some of us may be called to do things that only the Lord knows about, but David and his men kept active as best they could. This may be a call to some of us to renew our service for the Lord today, don’t wait or waste more time. Serve where you can and while you can. God is faithful.

Saul could no longer hunt David and the Philistines gathered to attack Israel. Saul was in great fear and was no longer hearing from the Lord, ‘either by prophets or by dreams’ (two recognised ways of receiving guidance, don’t discount them). 1 Samuel 28:15 So Saul turned to the witch at Endor, even though he’d expelled mediums and  spiritists from the land. She called up Samuel for Saul and he got the message that he and his sons would be with Samuel tomorrow. Saul’s hour had come, he was going to leave the scene of time and David hadn’t taken his life, though it had been put in his hands twice.

David was sent away by the Philistine leaders and so returned to his home base at Ziklag, to discover the Amalekites had raided them and taken their families and plundered their goods. David’s men were so angry they wanted to stone him, the price of leadership when things don’t go well! He sought the Lord and once again God told him to pursue them and he would be successful. David did it and two things happened. Two hundred of his men were too tired to go on and waited with the supplies at the Besor Ravine. The second was that they found an Egyptian slave, who’d been left for dead, whom they revived and he led them to the Amalekite raiders. God gave David the success he so desperately needed, unlike Saul. Despite the anger of some of his men against those who had stayed at the ravine, David insisted that God had given the victory and all would have an equal share. 1 Samuel 30:24, 25 It makes a big difference whether we claim the victory from our own hands, OR SEE IT AS THE HAND OF THE LORD!

David sent gifts of the plunder from the Amalekite army to many places, he didn’t keep it all for himself. David had a better attitude than many of those around him.

²⁶ When David reached Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah,

It’s interesting that the first place David sent gifts to, Judah, was the first place he was crowned king. We’re going where we’re giving!

God bless and keep you today.

Are we willing to submit to God’s plan for our lives, even in severe trials? David was a man who proved in the trials of life that God could trust him. 1 Samuel 26

Once again some people, the Ziphites, went to Saul and told him where David and his men were staying – they betrayed him. Saul took his 3000 chosen men and despite his previous encounter with David in the cave, set out to kill him. Saul wouldn’t allow David to live and be a threat to his kingship, even though David had vowed not to harm his family. Sometimes people will do anything to hold on to power – but true power comes from God alone.

¹² Wealth and honour come from you;
    you are the ruler of all things.
In your hands are strength and power
    to exalt and give strength to all.
¹³ Now, our God, we give you thanks,
    and praise your glorious name. 1 Chronicles 29

The words of David when he made preparations for Solomon to build the Temple.

David would eventually be the man God used to initiate the building of His Temple in Jerusalem, (the first place on earth for men to worship the living God) but first he had many trials and much opposition to endure.

David and his 600 men were in the desert of Ziph, not trusting in walls and gates to protect/trap them. They stayed in the open where they had freedom to move quickly. Saul and his army had camped by the roadside, near the hill of Hakilah and during the night had fallen asleep.

David and Abishai went down into the camp and found Saul sleeping, surrounded by his army. Once again Abishai wanted to kill Saul with his spear but David refused to ‘raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed’. 1 Samuel 26:11 Instead they took his spear and water jug and went to a nearby hill, some distance from the camp. They began to call out to the army from there and Saul recognised David’s voice. Saul realised that David had been right beside him in the dark and could have taken his life.

12 They were all sleeping, because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep.

God gave Saul into David’s hands a second time. It was as if He was saying, are you sure you won’t take matters into your own hands, against this man who’s hunting you down, but David didn’t touch Saul. He left the situation with God.

²³ The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord gave you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. ²⁴ As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble.’

The account ended with Saul blessing David. It could have ended with Saul lying with Abishai’s spear in him and bloodshed. Soon after this David left Israel and lived in the land of the Philistines for over a year, but God eventually brought him back to reign as king over the whole land.

Just because God allows an opportunity for us to get back at someone doesn’t mean we should. Much better to let God fight for us and accept His outcome.

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God bless and keep you today.

In yesterday’s blog we considered the place of the anonymous servant who warned Abigail about how David’s men had been insulted by her husband, Nabal (meaning fool or folly). These events may also speak to something much more significant in the Word of God.

The unknown servant directed Abigail to David the one chosen to be King. The Holy Spirit will always direct us and give Glory to Jesus our coming king. That’s a good test for determining if something is truly of God, does it glorify Jesus, or something else? Might be the Flesh or perhaps a different spirit, or even a mixture. The Holy Spirit will always glorify Jesus, that’s His role. He is the anonymous third member of the Godhead.

Abigail met David and his men in the ravine, a place where there was no chance to bypass one another. God is always looking for us before we look for Him. The Holy Spirit arranges the situation in our individual lives where and when we meet Him. Abigail came face to face with David and his forces in a place where there were no other options for her. David was coming to execute Judgement.

Abigail fell on her face before David and pleaded with him not to shed blood nor to avenge himself on Nabal. Abigail interceded with Him to show Mercy and not Judgement. She gave him the supplies she’d brought to him and honoured him as the King in waiting. She acknowledged that ‘Lord would make for him a lasting dynasty’ 1 Samuel 25:28

‘And when the Lord your God has brought my lord success, remember your servant.’ 1 Samuel 25:31

Abigail finished her impassioned speech with a personal plea that David would remember her when he became king.

Abigail is surely a ‘Type of the Church’, pleading with God to withhold Judgement and extend Mercy to people who don’t acknowledge nor honour Him.

David granted her request, accepted the gifts she offered him and blessed her for stopping the shedding of blood. ‘He told her to go home in peace’. David exercised compassion, accepted her offerings and extended Mercy because of her plea to those who didn’t deserve it. David is a Type of the Lord.

Nabal is the other person named in this chapter. He had worldly wealth and influence but was surly and mean. The servant (Holy Spirit) who spoke to Abigail said;

‘He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him.’ 1 Samuel 25:17

Nabal can be a Type of the Old Nature (mean and ugly) and also the wicked rulers of the present age. Abigail told Nabal what had happened and he turned to stone. God struck him about 10 days later and he died. It was God Himself who slew Nabal, not man. Nabal had to die for Abigail to become David’s wife and live a new life with him. The old had gone and the new had come. Jesus will come for His bride on the chosen day and all the meanness and madness of this life will be ended.

God bless and keep you today and until He comes.

 

Servants, unknown and unnamed people who often play important parts in God’s plans. 1 Samuel 25

‘Now’ Samuel died and all Israel mourned 1 Samuel 25:1 ‘Then’ David moved down to the Desert of Maon. V2

Samuel had died and Israel mourned him but for David and his 600 men, life moved on in the desert again. While David was in the desert he heard that Nabal, whose shepherds and flocks he’d protected, was shearing his sheep. He sent ten of his young men to greet and bless Nabal and ask for a gift at this festive time, but Nabal (whose name meant fool or folly) insulted them and David. They reported back to David and he told 400 of his men to put on their swords, he was going to attack Nabal and slaughter his whole household. David had held back from harming King Saul, but Nabal was going to feel the full force of his wrath.

¹⁴ One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, ‘David sent messengers from the wilderness to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. ¹⁵ Yet these men were very good to us. 1 Samuel 25

One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal’s beautiful and intelligent wife what had happened.

¹⁷ 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

They warned her that something needed to be done immediately to avert disaster. Abigail gathered up a substantial gift of food and wine for David and his men and set out to meet him and appease his anger. We read this account and applaud Abigail for stopping David from shedding the blood of Nabal’s family. The first person to become aware of the danger, however, was the watchful servant. That servant sounded the alarm that saved the whole situation.

Similarly, in the healing of Naaman by the prophet Elisha, it was a young Israeli slave girl who told her mistress where her master could be healed. 2 Kings 5 Events unfolded with a miraculous cleansing of Naaman’s leprosy after he humbled himself before the prophet and the Lord. The position of the young servant in Naaman’s house was vital to his healing.

Jesus first miracle at the wedding feast in Canaan, when the water turned to wine, it was the servants who understood what had happened.

⁴ ‘Woman, why do you involve me?’ Jesus replied. ‘My hour has not yet come.’

⁵ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ John 2

⁸ Then he told them, ‘Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.’

They did so, ⁹ and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realise where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. John 2

Servants and those with servant hearts get to be on the inside and to know things that God has done or will do. ARE WE WILLING TO SERVE IN ORDER TO SEE GOD’S PLANS UNFOLD IN OUR DAY? He’s still the God of miracles and His greatest ones may still be ahead of us.

God bless and keep you today.