1 Samuel 21 - Faith and Compromise

David, a man after God's own heart, has seen God do tremendous acts protect him from the wrath of Saul.  He even has the promise that He is to be the next King after Saul.  Yet, after confirming with Jonathan that Saul is bent on seeing David dead, he flees for his life.  On the run, he goes to Nob where he has an encounter with Ahimelech the priest.  David lies about why he is there, claiming to be on a secret mission from Saul the King.  David was in Saul's inner circle so Ahimelech had no reason to doubt.  David even convinces Ahimelech to give him the showbread that was consecrated.  David, a man of great faith and strong character wasn't afraid to take down Goliath, but Saul's wrath was a very different thing.  David would face anyone who defamed God, but he did not defend himself against one who hated him.  In fact, it was his respect for Saul and his position that made confrontation so difficult.

David could have told the truth.  In fact the outcome might have even been better (more on that in the next chapter).  He could have told Ahimelech that Saul was in pursuit and he desperately needed sanctuary.  He could have asked Ahimelech to pray with him for God's protection, certainly God had done that in the past.  But...he didn't.  In the face of overwhelming circumstances, David placed his trust in the spear of his old foe Goliath and not only lied to the priest, but ran to Gath, the place of the Philistines hoping that Saul wouldn't chase him there.  Yet, he was even afraid of the Philistines because of the reputation he had for being a man of war - he would certainly not be welcomed there.  David then played the role of a madman hoping that no one would see him as a viable threat but would leave him alone.

As we read this chapter, we almost want to break out in prose, "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive."  David lost his faith for a moment in God and tried to devise some clever plan to keep himself from his king and the enemies of Israel.  We read this story and say to ourselves, David, David, David, couldn't you have held onto your faith just a little longer?  You were with a priest!  Certainly, if anyone would hear your case he would have!  If anyone might have sought God for you and protected you, he would have.  Yet, you lied in fear.

I would like to think that I too am a woman of faith.  When I read this chapter, I see how quickly I might even do the same thing David did.  We have seen God work in our lives if we have accepted the offer of salvation.  We couldn't have even come to understand we needed a Savior if God hadn't done a work in our lives.  But we also live in a world that can be hostile toward Christians.  We live in a world where we may not be appreciated by those in power.  We may feel that we need to devise some strategy for escaping notice or we will find ourselves the butt of jokes and mistreatment.  How quickly our faith turns when we are faced with confrontation and hostility.

Compromise will always seem like a viable option when we are challenged to live our faith.  The world doesn't see God for who he is and the world confronts our faith daily.  David later found redemption, but he could never undo the compromise and the results of it.  David is here in scripture as an example to us so that we can know that even the great men of faith have their moments.  We are in good company, yet we need to press on and place our faith in the only power that saves.  Our feeble efforts may work for a moment, but the compromise can have ripples that last a lifetime.  God's glory and reputation here are at stake if we call ourselves Christian.  Phillipians 3:14 reminds us ot press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us.

My dear Christian friend, when we are tempted to compromise, choose the acts of faith instead.   There may be conflict and turmoil, but we will see God's hand of protection and blessing if we will choose him over our own devices.

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him.

1 Samuel 20 - In God's Hands

God had just done a miraculous act in the protection of David.  Saul had pursued him, but was thwarted by God and caused to prophesy day and night.  Yet David realizes the threat is continued from Saul and very real.  In this chapter we see that both David and Jonathan place their fate in the hands of God and call upon God to be their witness, yet God does not prevent them from encountering conflict and and needing continued protection.  As the days grow darker for Christians, we can see that David provides a great example of a right response to undeserved hate and dependence on the Lord for his security.  I am struck by the phrase repeated in this chapter, "The Lord is witness between you and me" an affirmation of loyalty, and sincerity between these two friends depending on God.  As we trust in the Lord for our own circumstances, we rely on His witness to be our mark of dependence upon Him.

Reading through this chapter we see that David in speaking with Jonathan identifies Saul has a continued threat against his life for no real reason; 1 Samuel 20:1.  David asks Jonathan to be his ambassador before the king to see if his place is secure or if he should flee.  Notice that David, though secure in his relationship with the Lord, didn't just put himself in harms way.  He was cautious and sought to know true motives.  He designed a test to see if the king would respond favorably without having to place himself in danger.

David displayed wisdom in dealing with the hatred he faced.  He did not presume that God would merely put a force field around him to protect him against real threats.  We too need to be wise in our interactions with an increasingly anti Christian culture.  We want to do right and influence our world for the Lord, but we also need to be aware that there is opposition that could threaten our safety.

Jonathan also placed himself in the Lord's hand and took a stand to remain loyal to David even if it placed him in opposition to his father the king.  Jonathan realized that David was God's chosen person to assume the leadership of the nation and felt no threat from his friend.  Jonathan also wisely realizes that he cannot directly reach out to David and communicate with him for fear of revealing his position and placing his own life in danger with his father so he organizes a way to communicate whether the way is safe for David or if David should flee (1 Samuel 20:18-23).

Even though Jonathan was trusting God to unfold His plans in the life of David and himself, he also knew to act wisely and recognize the danger they faced.  No doubt, God could have intervened to stop the hostile acts of Saul even has he had done with Goliath, but God chose to allow Saul to continue offering him an opportunity to repent and find reconciliation with the Lord.  

As long as we live on planet Earth, we will see hostility, evil and conflict.  How we respond to this conflict will indicate how much we really do believe and trust in the Lord.  We should not be unwise and place ourselves in harms way to presume upon the Lord's goodness, but in active dependence we should bring our situation before the Lord and ask him for wisdom for the day.

As the days grow darker, we know that the Lord's return is eminent.  All the more reason to be purposeful and wise as we reach out to a lost and dying world.  Our calling is to serve the Lord no matter where we are placed.  Not all placements are pleasant, but all are purposeful and necessary to accomplish God's purpose in our lives and in the lives of the people touched by our service.  David actively served the Lord in difficult circumstances.  Will we?

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him.

1 Samuel 19 - Response to Leadership Failure

We are commanded to obey authority.  It is God's order given to us that we might have peace.  There are instances however, in scripture, where earthly leaders may command something contrary to God's direction.  We then must give priority to God's authority.  Saul puts out three hits on David because of his insecurity.  David had done nothing to draw the ire of Saul, but yet there was incredible animosity on Saul's part.

In the first hit on David's life, Jonathan, (David's friend and Saul's son) was ordered to kill David.  Jonathan could have diverted his activity and avoided the order, or he could have not warned David, but murdering an innocent man was against God's law.  He does warn David and attempts to sway his father the king to choose right.  Saul swears by the Lord that he will not kill David.  David is invited back into the king's home and resumes his duties.  Jonathan loved David and he loved his father.  He feared the Lord and worked to restore peace.

In the second instance, we learn that after war had broken out and David successfully fought off the Philistines, that an evil spirit came upon Saul and twisted his thinking about David.  David was playing the harp for Saul when Saul attempted to kill him.  The spear missed and David knew he had to flee.  Michal, David's wife, Saul's daughter let David down through a window to escape at night since the guards had orders to kill him in the morning.  Michal used idols in the house to make it appear that David was in bed, claiming he was ill.  The guards report to Saul (I guess it isn't in good taste to kill a sick man).  Saul ordered the guards to bring David that he could kill him, but the guards discovered the deception.  Saul was furious.  To save face, Michal claims that David threatened her live if she didn't help which seems to turn his ire back to David.

Word got back to Saul that David had fled to Samuel at Ramah, so Saul send men to capture him.  on their way to Ramah, they saw prophets prophesying with Samuel and the Spirit of God came on them and they prophesied as well.  Saul sent men three times with the same result.  Finally, Saul went to Samuel's place and the Spirit of God came on him as well and he prophesied day and night.

Lessons we can take from this passage are:

1.  An earthly leader deserves respect, but is not of higher importance than God
2.  God's command supersedes any king's order
3.  No king can thwart the plan of God
4.  God's people may not avoid conflict, but their security is assured

God could have intervened to confront Saul and protect David at any time, but He chose to allow Saul to act on his choices.  When our leaders choose evil, we must remain on the side of right (we can know right by applying God's word to our hearts).  God's direction is always right.

We are all commanded to give our authorities the respect their office deserves, but if our authorities act contrary to God, then we must rightly obey God and where possible encourage our leaders to do the same.  It is hard to speak out for God when the world runs counter to his commands, but we belong to Him and He will never let us out of His care, even if we must go into hiding.  We can trust God to stand between us and hostile forces after we have done what we can and committed our way to Him.

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him.

A Nation Divided

Let's face it; our nation is more divided than ever.  Races divided claim that each side is bigoted and exercising special privilege.  We hear sexism rants particularly from women who believe their path up the corporate ladder is thwarted by men who receive undue favor.  Men treat women and speak of women in demeaning ways.  Police are opposed in the neighborhoods and it is considered OK to resist arrest and expect no consequences.  Politics divide people all types of ways; guns, schools, right to life, same sex marriage, transgender identity, public programs and more.  The distance between us grows and grows.  But God divides our nation based on only one distinction; are you redeemed or not?

We have a lot more in common than we care to admit.  While God made each one of us unique and equipped us with a mind and special abilities to be used to benefit ourselves, our community and to glorify Him, we also have a sin nature that joins us together.  We all have within us the seeds of sin that can and do manifest themselves.  No matter how hard we try, we cannot shake this demon nature of ours and for that reason God sent the world a Savior named Jesus Christ.

When we look at our divisions, we more often than not are holding ourselves above another viewpoint claiming superior intellect and moral rightness.  Many of the divisions aren't issues for God at all.  God made all races and his son died for everyone who will accept the free gift of salvation.  God made the sexes man and woman each with their own characteristics and designed to work together functioning in marriage as one unit.  God formed the child in its mothers womb and loves that child even before it breathes its first breath.  It is only God who can claim moral rightness, our place is to fall in line with His declarations or stand against them.

We all like to believe that we are worthy of God, but in fact the Bible tells us that each of us has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  It tells us if we have sinned even just once we have made ourselves a reproach to God and unable to redeem ourselves no matter how much good we may do moving forward.  We are all deplorable sinners without any hope at all - until Jesus paid the price for our sin, we were all doomed to eternity away from God.  Now that Jesus has bridged the gap between men and God we do have a great hope for our nation.  We can all enjoy fellowship with God and have His Spirit reside in us if we will but admit our sin and agree with God that we have offended His laws, His plans and His purposes.  We can acknowledge that the only one who was perfect before God was Jesus alone and believe that His death and resurrection are sufficient to pay the price for our failures.  We can ask God to come inside us and clean house; chipping away at our character flaws and replacing our own nature with His.  Then we can receive that redemption promised.

With our nation divided it is clear more than ever that we need Jesus.  Some very passionate people hold views that are against God and may be standing on the edge of eternity without any hope.  Now more than ever the redeemed need to extend a hand of fellowship to those who are unsaved and offer them both friendship and encouragement.  There is a choice still to be made even though the president is selected - that choice is who will be King of your life?  Will we drift through life seeking our own will and pleasures or will we seek God's will and find eternal joy?  Our nation is divided, but we can be united once again; but only in Christ will we find true unity.

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him!

1 Samuel 18 - Serving Difficult Leaders

Have you ever found yourself doing a job for someone who had no appreciation for your contribution?  Has a boss expressed personal disdain for you making service difficult?   If so, you can identify with David in his service to King Saul. 

Saul became jealous of David after he killed Goliath the Philistine. David had become the nation's hero and it was clear God's favor and His spirit was upon David. Saul knew his reign was over but refused to relinquish authority under Samuel. He became paranoid about who would take his power from him and evil spirits plagued him. It was difficult for David to soothe Saul with the harp when he was seen as no threat; now David was seen by the king as an enemy. 

Note two traits David exhibited in his service to God under Saul's leadership:

1.  He did not become swayed by praise. As he returns to the palace with Saul, the women sing a tune giving credit to Saul for slaying thousands and to David for slaying tens of thousands, (1 Samuel 18:7). David did not let this praise go to his head. David had already been anointed King by Samuel, but he was content to wait for God's timing to assume his position as King. David knew that God's praise was more important than the people's. David simply continued to serve to the best of his ability. 

2.  David did not let Saul's hostility defeat him. David did not depend upon kind words or affirmations for his service.  God would reward him in due time if he conducted himself well. He didn't storm out of the kings palace and go his way. He continued in faithful service even as his work was despised by the King. What a difficult place to be, yet sometimes God may even call us to serve in difficult circumstances so that He may receive greater glory. 

Notice that God sends several special blessings in David's life. He is promoted (verse 5) and he has the companionship and deep affection of both Jonathan and Michal, Saul's son and daughter. Having good friends to support you as you face difficulty is a true blessing from God. Jonathan feels one in spirit with David not just brotherly love but a common service to God. So strong was the bond between them that they forged a covenant between them to watch over one another. Friendships like this are rare and should be treasured. 

While Saul did not work to David's best interest, David did not use this as an excuse to return animosity or to avoid the King. He continued to serve Saul with all his might and trusted the Lord for his protection. 

If you have been called to a place of difficult service, guard your mind that you do not become discouraged but commit yourself to serve the Lord well wherever he has placed you. Our reward is from the Lord and not from men. 

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him. 

1 Samuel 17 - David or His Brothers

This is a familiar story from scripture that we have heard since our youth. The story of how David defeats Goliath. As I read through the story anew, I see there are applications for our faith and our stewardship that we can apply if we dare take the challenge. 

David is very busy running between his father's house caring for the flocks and Saul's palace soothing his tormented soul with the harp playing. His brothers join the Israelite army poised to defend against the threat of the Philistines. One of the characteristics of the nation Israel was that they were far too content to live peaceably among their enemies. They didn't attempt to confront generally unless they had a leader who was led by the spirit and emboldened by God to defeat surrounding enemies. 

In this case, the battle comes to Israel and the armies are assembled to play defense against a stronger force than themselves. Saul no longer had the advice of Samuel available to him and God's spirit had left him. Saul definitely was facing a losing battle. His men knew it too because as Goliath taunted, the three oldest brothers of David backed away in fear.  This did not look good. No human way possible to get out of this battle alive. 

David was told by his father to take provisions for his brothers to the front line and return word of their welfare to his father. David being a young boy would not be seen as a threat and would be granted access to the front. David overhears the taunts and is stirred in his heart. How could the men of Israel allow such offense, why would they not stand against such vulgarity?  David's brothers attempt to discourage him and even display a bit of disdain at David's arrogance that he would go up before Goliath as Israel's champion. 

David displays great faith and courage to confront the enemy who was clearly stronger, more experienced and better equipped than David. David didn't just abandon his skill and reason, but he applied them in faith depending on God to deliver both him and the nation from the threat of the enemy Philistines. David had been prepared for this battle by his prior experience with defending the flocks. Now the army stood in the place of sheep and David would be their shepherd. 

David give his purpose for going against Goliath. It isn't to secure their way of life or to win a victory to bolster his sense of self. His purpose is clear in verse 47, "All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."  God would receive the glory and it would bolster the faith of his own people and would stand as a lesson to those who opposed God and his people. No one would have to wonder about the reality of Gods existence or the power He had to overcome any threat. 

When David wins the victory against Goliath, the army is encouraged that God is on their side and they pursue the wnemy with great vigor and defeat them thoroughly. 

As I read this story, I see that we have a choice as we face overwhelming circumstances in our own lives. We can choose to be like David and use our thinking, our skill and our faith to confront the enemy head on and win a great victory for God. With our focus on the only one who can save against the trials we face hear and deliver us from our own sin and the sinful state we live in, we can do more than any human effort can accomplish. If God is for us, who can stand against us?  

Alternatively, we can be like David's brothers and the rest of the army, living in fear because of the great threat to their security and never turning to God for their help. We Christians belong to God, but often when confronted with a trial,  we act as if we are defeated already; knowing our own strength is insufficient. If we only engage in the battles we can win in our own strength, we never are elevated to see God's hand at work. We never can say that the battle is the Lord's because we never give it to Him. 

David did encourage the army to step out in faith because of the victory that God gave over Goliath. As a David in this world, we encourage other believers to trust in God even more than they have. But we must not give into the doubts about God's loving care for us. 

In our financial lives we live out our faith in God as out provider. Do you have an overwhelming debt or expenses way beyond your ability to overcome?  Turn to God for the battle is the Lord's and He is more than able to supply your needs. Don't turn off your intellect and skill however. God may use that even in giving you deliverance. Our skills have been developed by God through the past trials we have faced. Now is the moment hat God may show the world that He is very real and more than able to overcome any challenge. 

If you have in the past been timid in your faith like the Israelite army, take courage from the example of David and move in faith, bringing your trial to the Lord. Pray for his help and then act in the next right thing to do. 

This story gives us a reminder of the great God we serve and should strengthen us as we face conflict and trials. I hope you will take the challenge to stand for God in a world that has disdain and even hatred for God. We are his people and we are not forgotten. Our Lord reminds us that He I'll never leave us or forsake us. 

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him. 

1 Samuel 16 - King or Servant

Saul has been deposed by God and is no longer God's chosen. Yet, he clings to his title even though the Spirit of God has left him and an evil spirit torments him. So strong is the power of the world over our souls. Even Samuel fears for his life if Saul knows of a new king being appointed. 

David is consecrated as King of Israel, yet does not boldly take the position from Saul, but joins his palace as a servant to soothe Saul when the evil spirits torment. 

David might have questioned God's plan. Did God really appoint him King?  How would this take place given that the former King still lives and claims authority?  

God ordered David's steps to place him in service to the King even as He he was ordering David's reign over Israel. Young David had a first hand view of Saul's operations to learn the good and the bad; the strengths and weaknesses.   He was planted inside Saul's domain to serve the one he had already deposed. When Jesus came here to earth, he was God made flesh, our King and our Lord, yet he took upon himself the form of a servant and humbled himself even unto death for our redemption. David is a living prototype of Jesus for the people of his day, demonstrating that greatness comes in humble service where God has placed you. 

When God orders our own careers, He doesn't remove all barriers to our success, but He may choose to place us right in the midst of the barriers so that we can learn and grow from them. It may have seemed odd to David that he would be placed into servitude even as he was appointed King, but God was there in the midst writing David's story; and so He is with us. Day by day, God writes the story of our lives keeping us in His care as we navigate the mire of life. 

One thing we can rest in is this. God has said, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future"  (Jer 29:11).   This message from God was given to His people years after David while they were in captivity. Yet God had not forgotten them as He had not forgotten David. And so it is for us that if we are of Christ, we are chosen out of this world to serve a Master the world cannot understand. He works through our obstacles to demonstrate His faithfulness so that the world around might see and believe and so that we might grow stronger in our own faith. 

Have you been commissioned by God to some purpose?  Know that God has ordered today just for you - to increase your skill and wisdom and to grow your faith in the one who provides everything we need for service. 

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him.