Journey through the life of Saul & David - 38. God is in control!

The men of Ziph went to Saul in Gibeah and betrayed David to him. They said, he is in the strongholds of Horesh and whenever Saul was ready they would hand him over.

Saul blessed them since he was happy that at last someone was concerned about him.

Saul reinsured things Since he knew that David was a very crafty person.

Meanwhile, David and his men had moved into the wilderness of Maon because he heard that Saul was searching for him.

But Saul kept after him in the wilderness too. Saul and David were now on opposite sides of a mountain.

Just as Saul and his men came close to David and his men, an urgent message reached Saul that the Philistines were raiding Israel again.

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

Ever since that time, the place where David was camped has been called the Rock of Escape. (1 Samuel 23:19-28 NLT)

To Ponder:

Isaiah 43:1-2 says, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. 

Yes! Though we walk through tough times in life, we might feel that we are done for. But He will show us an escape route. So take courage!!!

Recap on David's Life!!

          David was a shepherd boy and Samuel anointed him. From that day, the spirit of the Lord was on David.

         The spirit of the Lord left Saul and a tormenting spirit of fear and depression came upon Saul.

        David first met Saul to play the harp for him to help him drive the spirit.

        Then he became Saul's armor-bearer.

        David then killed Goliath the Philistine giant with just a pebble because God was with him.

The reward he got was, he was exempted from paying tax and that he could marry Saul's daughter.

Saul became jealous of David when the people sang Saul killed thousand and David killed ten thousand.

So when David was playing the harp Saul hurled his spear on David.

Saul said he would give his daughter to David if he proves himself as a warrior by giving him 100 Philistines foreskins. But David gave 200 foreskins instead. He was made the commander of 1000 people.

Michel, Saul's daughter loved David and married him.

Though David is a small shepherd boy, we see here how God step by step took him into the palace and lifted him up.

Even today God has separated us and anointed us. He will lead us to step by step into His divine purpose in our life which we might have not imagined or even thought of. So don loose heart looking at the present situations.

Journey through the life of Saul & David - 37. Fellowship with Godly people!

David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness and in the hill country of Ziph.

Saul hunted him day after day, but God didn’t let Saul find him.

One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him.

Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God.

Jonathan reassured him not to be afraid and that his father will not find him.

And David will only be the king of Israel no doubt, and Jonathan will be of support to him and his father too is well aware of it.

So the two of them renewed their solemn pact before the LORD. Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh. (1 Samuel 23:14-18 NLT)

To ponder:

If God is by our side we need not fear. No man can touch us. God loves us very much that He sends people like Jonathan in our life when we are depressed and frustrated to encourage us and put back the confidence in us. Praise God !!!

Apart from Bible reading and prayer, fellowship with godly people is very important. When we go through trials in our life there would be times when we cannot read the word or sit and pray. At such times fellowship with godly people will help us a lot to live a Godly life.

Journey through the life of Saul & David - 36. Run to Him always

The Philistines were at Keilah stealing grain from the threshing floors.

David asked the LORD, if he should attack them? the LORD told him to save them. But David’s men were little hesitant, so David asked the LORD again, and again the LORD replied, that He will help them conquer. So they went to Keilah and slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock.

When Abiathar fled to David at Keilah, he brought the ephod with him. Saul came to know that David was at Keilah so he said God handed over David to him ,for he has trapped himself in a walled town!

So Saul took his army to Keilah to capture David and his men. He knew Saul’s plan and told Abiathar, the priest to bring the ephod and ask the LORD what he should do.

Then David prayed, if the leaders of Keilah would betray him to them ? And if Saul would go over there. The LORD said that He would surely come. Again David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah betray David and his men to Saul?” And the LORD replied, “Yes!" So David and his men—about 600 of them now—left Keilah and began roaming the countryside.

Word soon reached Saul that David had escaped, so he didn’t go to Keilah after all. (1 Samuel 23:1-13 NLT)

To ponder:

Though David committed a sin and faced the consequences, he did not move away from God. Each and every time he enquired God of what he should do and then only took decisions.

The Lord also never let him down, but patiently answered each time. Our God is a patient, loving father. With arms open wide, He expects His children to run to Him always! Do you run to God for every decision you make?

Journey through the life of Saul & David - 35.The Slaughter of the Priests!!!

King Saul immediately sent for Ahimelech the priest and his family.

When they arrived, Saul shouted at him, that he conspired with David against him. By giving him food and sword and consulted God for him and also encouraged him to kill Saul. Though He knew David was running away from him yet he didn’t tell him a word.

Ahimelech replied that among his servants there was no one as faithful as David. He was the captain of the bodyguards and a highly honored member of his household. It was not the first time he consulted for him and he knew nothing about the plot against him.

Saul said that Ahimelech should surely die, along with his entire family! So he ordered his bodyguards to kill the priests of the LORD.

But Saul’s men refused to kill the LORD’s priests. Then the king said to Doeg, to do it. So Doeg turned on them and killed them that day,

Eighty-five priests in all, still wearing their priestly garments died.

Then he went to Nob, the town of the priests, and killed the families—men and women, children and babies—and all the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats. Only Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David.

When David heard that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD, David exclaimed that he knew it that Doeg would tell Saul when he saw him there that day.

He felt bad that he caused the death of all the priests and families. So he requested Abiathar to stay there with him.

David said that he will protect Abiathar with his own life. ( 1 Samuel 22:11-23 )

To Ponder:

Because of one man's mistake, a whole community of priests and their families were murdered.

David wouldn't have thought that his small lie would have such devastating consequences.

We too sometimes casually speak lies for FUN, but Bible says in Proverbs 26:18-19 "Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon is someone who lies to a friend and then says, “I was only joking”.

Journey through the life of Saul & David - 34. God's eyes are always watching us!

So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there.

Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men.

Then David went to Mizpeh in Moab, where he asked the king, to allow his dad and mom to live there until he knew what God is going to do for him.

So David’s parents stayed in Moab with the king during the entire time David was living in his stronghold.

One day the prophet Gad told David, “Leave the stronghold and return to the land of Judah."

So David went to the forest of Hereth. The news of his arrival in Judah soon reached Saul.

At that time, king Saul was sitting under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, holding his spear and surrounded by his officers.

Saul shouted to his officers that if David promised every one of them fields and vineyards? Has he promised to make them all generals and captains in his army? Is that why everyone conspired against him?

Since no one told him when his own son made a pact with David and no one felt sorry for him, Saul felt bad thinking of his own son—encouraging David to kill him.

Then Doeg, the Edomite, who was standing there with Saul’s men, spoke up, he said that when he was at Nob, he saw David talking to the priest Ahimelech and he gave him food and sword.

To ponder:

A right time when Saul was upset, Doeg exposes what he saw earlier.

When we commit a sin, we might think we were clever enough. But God is in control. We will be helplessly caught in the enemies hands and our true identity would be exposed, so beware!

Journey through the life of Saul & David - 33. Lord watches over our lives!

David escaped from Saul and went to King Achish of Gath.

The officers of Achish were unhappy about his being there. They asked him was that David, the king of the land?

Wasn't he the one the people honored with dances and singing, "Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousand".

David heard these comments and was very afraid of what King Achish of Gath might do to him. So he pretended to be mad, scratching on doors and drooling down his beard.

King Achish asked his men, why they brought a madman to him, already there were enough around.

He din wish someone like that to be His guest? (1 Samuel 21:10-15 NLT)

King Achish and his officers were scared to give shelter for David. To save his life he pretended to be a madman, so they left without harming him.

To ponder:

Are we going through a desperate situation like this?

Depend on God and not on your own strength.

The LORD himself watches over you! The LORD stands beside you as your protective shade.

The LORD keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. (Psalms 121:5, 7 NLT)

Journey through the life of Saul & David - 32. Daivd lies to Ahimelek!

David went to the town of Nob to see Ahimelech the priest.

Ahimelech trembled when he saw him and asked him why he was alone?

David replied that the king had sent him on a private matter.

He asked what was there to eat? If there were five loaves of bread?

The priest said there was no regular bread but only the holy bread was there, which can be had only if the young men have not slept with any women recently.

Don’t worry, David replied. Since he never allows his men to be with women when they were on a campaign. And since they stay clean even on ordinary trips, how much more on this one!

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 was just been replaced that day with fresh bread. Now Doeg, the Edomite, Saul’s chief herdsman, was there that day, having been detained before the LORD.

David asked Ahimelech, that if he had a spear or sword?

The king’s business was so urgent that he didn’t even have time to grab a weapon!

Ahimelech replied that he only had the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom David killed in the valley of Elah. It was wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod.

For there was nothing else there. David replied “There was nothing like it!” and he asked for it (1 Samuel 21:1-9 NLT)

To ponder:

David lies to the priest saying that the king sent him. In desperate times do lies come out of your mouth?

We might think we are smart but we do not realize that God has prepared Doegs to watch us and to trap us.

So beware of speaking lies !!! God hates a lying tongue.

Journey through the life of Saul & David - 31. Jesus the true friend!

The next morning, as agreed, Jonathan went out into the field and took a young boy with him to gather his arrows.

He asked the boy to run so that he can find the arrows as he shot them. Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. When the boy had almost reached the arrow, Jonathan shouted that the arrow is still ahead and that he should hurry and need not wait. So the boy quickly gathered up the arrows and ran back to his master.

Jonathan and David only understood the signal. Then Jonathan sent the boy back and met David who was hiding near the stone pile.

David bowed three times to Jonathan with his face to the ground. Both of them were in tears as they embraced each other and said good-bye, especially David.

At last Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, for they have sworn loyalty to each other in the LORD’s name. The LORD was the witness of the bond between them and their children forever.” Then David left, and Jonathan returned back .(1 Samuel 20:18-42 NLT)

To ponder:

Proverbs 17:17 says, A friend is always loyal. Proverbs 20:6 says, Many will say they are loyal friends, but who can find one who is truly reliable?

Jesus told them, “Tonight all of you will desert me" in Matthew 26:31. It is human that when we face times of desperation everyone will be bothered about their own life more than others.

But praise God we are blessed with the Holy Spirit, who will abide with us and will not leave us in our desperate times. Romans 8:26 says, "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness". Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in words.

Journey through the life of Saul & David - 30. Jonathan helps David!

Jonathan asked David to wait near the stone pile in the field where he was hiding.

He said that he will come out and shoot three arrows to the side of the stone pile as if he was shooting at a target.

Then he would send a boy to bring the arrows back. If he said that the arrows are on this side, then it is that all is well, and there is no trouble.

But if he said to go farther—the arrows were ahead of him, then it meant that he must leave immediately, for the LORD is sending him away.

Jonathan said that the LORD would help them keep their promises to each other, for he has witnessed them.

When the new moon festival began, the king sat down to eat. He noticed that David was not present but he said to himself that David must have been ceremonially unclean.

But when David’s place was empty the next day, Saul asked Jonathan, that why David was not present.

Jonathan replied, that David asked permission to go Bethlehem to attend a family sacrifice.

Saul boiled with anger at Jonathan since he understood that Jonathan was trying to make David the king instead of him.

He said that by doing so he was only shaming himself and his mother.

So he ordered Jonathan to kill him.But Jonathan asked his father, what did David do that he should deserve such punishment.

Saul immediately hurled his spear at Jonathan, intending to kill him. Then at last Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David.

So Jonathan left the table in fierce anger and refused to eat on that day, for he was crushed by his father’s shameful behavior toward David.

To Ponder:

Many times we too get angry when we are helplessly crushed in our spirit.

When our loved ones behave shamefully, we would have tried our best to make them understand and realize things, but to no avail!

But God says today, you will not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for trouble. For we are people blessed by the LORD and our children

Journey through the life of Saul & David - 29. Love others as yourself!

David asked Jonathan, that how he would know if his father was angry still?

So Jonathan asked him to go out to the field with him ...

He promises to inform David about his dad's mindset that if he wished to kill or if he was fine with him.

He also requested David to treat him with the faithful love of the LORD as long as he lived. Not only that, even If he dies, he wished his family to be treated with the faithful love.

So Jonathan made a solemn pact with David, And Jonathan reaffirms his vow of friendship again, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself. (1 Samuel 20:10-17 NLT)

To Ponder:

In Matthew 22:37-39 Jesus said, ‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second was equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Do we love our neighbor as we love our own self?

Let's analyze ourselves and set right our life.

Matthew 7:12 says, Do for others what you want them to do for you. No one likes to be hurt so why hurt other?

Just as you like to be shown love, show the love of Christ to someone today !!!