I Smell A Rat
Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 15 – 17 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 23 – 24; Proverbs 12; Psalms 56 – 60
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 48:1 & 2
Read a previous post from this passage – “Let Him Curse“
Read the “0412 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!” – (2 Samuel 15:3-4)
In today’s reading, we see the gradual rise to power of Absalom, David’s son. Absalom has developed into a calculating, sneaky, and conspiring rebel, who slowly stole the hearts of the people of Israel away from their God-chosen leader. In the verses above, he is standing in the gate and pulling people aside before they go into the king. He befriends them and promises them that if he were the king things would be different, things would be better. No doubt, he is bad-mouthing the king to everyone who would listen. Absalom is a snake; a rat. He has done nothing on his own; he has built nothing, conquered nothing. Instead, he is a destroyer and a stealer of that which belongs to another man.
I have observed people like this throughout the years. They steal wives away from husbands; they steal the hearts of children away from fathers; they steal churches away from pastors. They tell the wife who may be having some struggles in her marriage that if he were her husband, he would never mistreat her. They do the same to church members. They want people to come to them. They usually use flattery. They always tear down God-ordained authority. Beware of the Absalom’s of life. God is never for them. Even when it looks like they have all the right answers, you need to stay faithful to the Lord and be supportive of the leaders that God has given you.
Additional note from the passage – In yesterday’s devotion we discussed that David’s problem with Absalom was caused because of his sin with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12:10). You will notice from the reading today that there was a man, named Ahithophel, who was once David’s friend and counselor who turned against David and instead offered his advice to Absalom (2 Samuel 15:31). Ahithophel was Bathsheba’s grandfather (see 2 Samuel 23:34 and 2 Samuel 11:3). Could it be that Ahithophel’s betrayal was yet another result of what David did to Bathsheba?
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Samuel by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.
Amnon Had A Friend
Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 12 – 14 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 21 – 22; Proverbs 11; Psalms 51 – 55)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 47:1
Read the “0411 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this passage – “The Consequences of Sin”
“But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah David’s brother: and Jonadab was a very subtil man.” (2 Samuel 13:3)
This is another tragic story in the Bible of a man who blew it because he allowed someone into his life that influenced him away from the will of God. Amnon was one of David’s sons and he was in love with his half sister, Tamar. Whether or not this was a wholesome attraction is a matter for another debate. Nevertheless, Amnon didn’t know what to do about it but he had a “friend” that did. This friend, however, was not the kind of friend your parents would like for you to run with. This was a sneaky guy (subtil). This was the kind of guy that acts like an “A” honor roll student when he is around your folks, but when he has you alone he is bringing out dirty magazines and dope. Amnon’s “good friend,” Jonadab, convinces Amnon to trick the king into bringing his daughter Tamar into the lair of Amnon. Unfortunately, as a result of this counselor’s advice, Amnon eventually ends up dead because of what he does to Tamar.
There are two applications that we can make here:
1 Jonadab is like the devil. He is a liar and a deceiver, and he will always try to seduce you into going against the will of God. Notice how Jonadab just convinces Amnon to do what he already wants to do. He just had to give him a little nudge. Satan knows your temptations and he throws them in front of you, nudging you to yield to them. And he always plays both sides. Notice later on in the chapter how Jonadab is defending the guy who kills Amnon (vs. 32 – 35). The Devil convinces you to sin and then he accuses you to God.
2 Jonadab is also a type of some of the friends that you and I might have in our life. And we know who they are. They are the people who are not concerned about the will of God; they live for themselves and they are always trying to get you to join them. Identify the Jonadabs in your life and remove them. Surround yourself with people who will tell you to do what’s right, which is what a true friend does.
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Samuel by Phil Erickson with 5 comments.
Fake News
Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 8 – 11 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 19 – 20; Proverbs 10; Psalms 46 – 50
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:6
Read the “0410 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Then said David, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon. And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?” (2 Samuel 10:2-3)
In our passage today from 2 Samuel 10, we read about some “fake news” that initiated a war between Israel, and the people of Ammon. Nahash, the king of Ammon who was a friend to David, had died. David wanted to send his condolences to Hanun, the deceased king’s son. David sent some ambassadors into the land of Ammon to pay David’s respects to Hanun. Unfortunately, Hanun’s counselors misinterpreted David’s intentions. They thought David sent the men into Ammon to spy out the land for a future conquest. This simply was not true – it was fake news. The Ammonites humiliated the servants of David and sent them back into Israel, naked and with their beards cut off. This “fake news” originating from some wicked men in Ammon ending up causing a war between Israel and Ammon, which resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of men.
We are living in a day where we are literally bombarded with information, coming at us from every direction and perspective. Unfortunately, much of the news we are receiving is at best slanted, or, at worst, totally false. The catch phrase of the day is “fake news.” The official definition of the term would probably be any news that is not true. In today’s culture, though, “fake news” is probably any information that I don’t agree with or like. We see it on the news channels every day. Turn to Fox News, and you will hear mostly positive news regarding the Republican Party, but if you turn to CNN or pretty much all of the other stations, you will not hear anything good about them. Even when they are commenting on the exact same news event, there is a wide disparity as to what is reported as truth.
Social media is also replete with “fake news.” People are duped every day into believing (and reposting) some of the most outrageous claims, without making any attempt to verify whether or not they are true. Some of these lies, or exaggerations, are silly and fairly harmless, but others can be very serious and cause a great deal of harm.
Christians, we need to be very careful that we are not “sucked in” to believing all of these unsubstantiated stories that are flying around in the airwaves and on the world-wide web. And we need to be especially mindful that we do not participate in the furthering of “fake news.” God’s people are supposed to be people of the Truth. If you absolutely feel compelled to share something with others, share the Bible with them. The Word of God is always true. Just a thought!
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 4 comments.
Patience
Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 4 – 7 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 17 – 18; Proverbs 9; Psalms 41 – 45)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 34:1 – 4
Read the “0409 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from today’s reading – “Check With God First.”
“5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who lay on a bed at noon. 6 And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him under the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. 7 For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night. 8 And they brought the head of Ishbosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, which sought thy life; and the LORD hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed. 9 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the LORD liveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, 10 When one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings: 11 How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth? 12 And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.” (2 Samuel 4:5-12)
“1 Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. 2 Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel. 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.” (2 Samuel 5:1-5)
David was anointed by God through the prophet Samuel to be king over all of Israel about twenty years or so prior to his actually becoming the king. He had many opportunities to hasten the timing of his actually becoming the king, but David was patient. He knew that God would eventually do for him what he promised that He would do. He had two opportunities and the human justification to take out his predecessor Saul. After all, Saul was trying desperately to kill David so David would just have been defending himself. However, twice David stated that he would not put forth his hand against the Lord’s anointed (See 1 Samuel 24 and 26).
In our reading today, in chapter four, Saul’s son, Ishbosheth, was assassinated by some of his own men because they thought that was what David would have wanted. Remember, Ishbosheth was made the king by Abner after Saul’s death. David has the assassinators assassinated for what they did. David understood that God was working and moving, and that the people of Israel were moving in the direction of recognizing him as God’s choice to be king over Israel. Some people within the kingdom, however, were not willing to wait; they wanted to take matters into their own hands to make it happen.
It can be very frustrating for a leader to wait for God to work out His will. We often want to take the reins out His hands and make things happen for ourselves. There is a fine line between moving forward in His will and getting ahead of God’s will, or worse, getting out of God’s will, in order to move forward. David’s men were willing to murder the King of Israel so that David could take his place on the throne that he would eventually occupy anyway. David was willing to wait; to do it God’s way.
“35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Hebrews 10:35-36)
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with no comments yet.
Stay in the City of Refuge
Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 15 – 16; Proverbs 8; Psalms 36 – 40
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 25
Read the “0408 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there under the fifth rib, that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.” – (2 Samuel 3:27)
These first few chapters of the Book of 2 Samuel make for some exciting reading, as well as for some valuable truth. In our verse above, we see the murder of Abner by Joab and Abishai his brother. To fully understand what is happening here, there is an underlying principle that we must learn, as well as some additional background information.
First let me give you the principle. The city where this killing took place was Hebron, which was known as a City of Refuge. You can read all about the cities of refuge in the Book of Numbers 35:9 – 34; and Joshua 20. In a nutshell, though, a city of refuge was a place where somebody could flee to for safety. You see, the law in Israel stated that if you killed somebody in wartime, or if you unintentionally killed somebody (not for cases of pre-meditated murder) that the family of the dead person could avenge the blood of their relative without any legal action being taken against them. But, if the person who committed the “manslaughter” could get inside one of the six cities of refuge, then he would be granted safety and refuge as long as he remained in the city; but if he was to leave the city at any time, he was fair game for the revengers of blood.
Now let’s look at the background to this story. Chapter two tells us that Joab and Abishai had a brother named Asahel that was killed by Abner during a previous battle. Naturally, Joab and Abishai had never forgotten what Abner did to their brother, and even though the act was committed during a time of war, they wanted Abner to pay for their brother’s death. The problem was, however, that they had to get him outside the gate of the city. Notice our text tells us that Joab pulls him aside, in the gate, to speak with him quietly (privately). But why would Abner willingly leave the protection of the city in order to speak with a man that wanted him dead? Because Joab had deceived him into thinking that he meant no harm. As soon as he gets him outside, however, he kills him.
Now let’s make an application. The city of refuge is a picture of the will of God; and Joab is a picture of the devil. The devil cannot touch us directly as long as we are inside the walls of the will of God, so what he does is try to lure us out of the city so that he can kill our ministry for the Lord. The moral to the story is: stay inside the city. Don’t stray from God’s perfect will for your life. Don’t let Satan convince you that life will be better outside of the walls of the city. Stay in the Word of God; stay in the prayer closet; stay in church; stay out soul winning; stay separated. Stay in the City!
Posted in Thoughts from 2 Samuel by Phil Erickson with 3 comments.
Encouragement from the Lord
Today’s Reading – 1 Samuel 28 – 31 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers read – Matthew 13 – 14; Proverbs 7; Psalms 31 – 35)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Ephesians 4:32 (Fast)
Read the “0407 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” – (1 Samuel 30:6)
In our passage this morning, we see David and his men returning home to Ziklag, and discover that the city was burned to the ground and their wives and children were gone. At this point they have no idea what these Amelekites had done to their families, but I am sure that David and his men suspected that they were either being slaughtered or, at the very least, abused. The men were naturally distraught. At times like these, people want to blame somebody, and since David was their leader, he bore the brunt of their wrath. Remember, these were men that loved David, and risked much by following him. This was certainly a great test of David’s leadership. But how was David supposed to help his men, when he was also distraught due to the loss of his family. It is very hard to encourage and lead people when you yourself are discouraged; and David is perhaps at the lowest point of his life here.
The last sentence in the verse tells us what got David back up to where he could do something to help these people who were relying on him for leadership. “…David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” It is not easy to turn to the Lord for encouragement when you are down. Honestly, I can speak from experience when I say that sometimes I want to just wallow in the mire of discouragement. Have a little pity party, so to speak. But, that will not help anybody. David didn’t stay down; he got back up. He received encouragement from the only source available at the time. Remember, his loyal men wanted to stone him at this time. David went to the Lord, and the Lord gave him the answers that he needed; and in a very short time, they had recovered their families, not to mention their possessions. However, none of that would have happened if David would have just stayed down.
This passage is a great encouragement for us today. Personally. I have battled with discouragement. I guess, like David, I needed to get up, go to God, and get back in the battle. And, when I got encouragement from the Lord, then I was be able to give some encouragement to the people around me.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 4 comments.
Avenge Not Yourselves
Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 22 – 24 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 9 – 10; Proverbs 5; Psalms 21 – 25
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Matthew 6:33
Read the “0405 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this passage – “I’ve Got Your Back.“
“4 And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily. 5 And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt. 6 And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD. 7 So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.” (1 Samuel 24:4-7)
In today’s reading, we saw that King Saul is becoming increasingly unstable in his insecurity and obsession with David. In chapter 22, Saul had all the priests of Nob and their families killed because he thought that they had intentionally helped David. In chapter 23, Saul pursues after David in Keilah, a city that David had just delivered from the armies of the Philistines. It was revealed to David by God that even though David had saved the people of Keilah from the Philistines, they were still going to turn him over to King Saul. It is sad to think that people will do whatever is necessary to protect themselves, even betray a good friend.
In chapter 24, Saul and three thousand of his men pursued after David in the wilderness of Engedi. In Engidi David had a perfect opportunity to kill Saul but refused to do so. He spared his life and stated that he would not “stretch forth [his] hand against [Saul].” David is still thinking clearly and he is following the will of God even though he is under tremendous pressure to react in the flesh because of Saul’s insane and unwarranted obsession and jealousy of David. David chooses not to act in vengeance against King Saul and instead turns him over to the Lord. David trusts that God will take care of Saul in his own time. Note – David will have another opportunity to eliminate Saul in chapter 26, but will again refuse to do so.
This willingness to restrain himself from vengeance that David exemplified in the Old Testament was also taught by the Lord in the Sermon on the Mount.
“43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)
It was also taught by Paul in his Letter to the Romans:
“19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. 20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. 21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:19-21)
If you and I are living for God, there will be people who the Devil will raise up to attack us. Not everyone will applaud us for doing the right thing. There may even be carnal believers who will oppose what we are trying to do. Worse yet, there you may have friends that will turn against you like the people of Keilah did to David.
When we are persecuted for righteousness sake, we need to follow the example of David and not attack back. Hopefully, our enemies will turn to the Lord in repentance and faith, but even if they don’t, we can be sure that God will always do what is right regarding our enemies. He will take care of the situation. We just need to leave it in the Lord’s hands.
The Lord said when He was being crucified: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).
Martin D. Niemöller once told of his incarceration at Dachau. His cell was in plain view of the gallows. Day after day he watched men and women go to their deaths. He could hear their cries, curses, and prayers. He declared that the gallows became his best teacher. Through that horrible experience he was haunted by two questions: “What will happen on the day they lead you there and put you to the test? When they put that rope around your neck, what will be your last words? Will they be, ‘Father, forgive them’ or will they be ‘Criminals! Scum?’ ”
Niemöller said that if Jesus had cried out in vengeance, there would have been no New Testament, no church, and no Christian history.[1]
[1] G. Curtis Jones, 1000 Illustrations for Preaching and Teaching (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1986), 95–96.
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
I’ve Got Your Back
Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 22 – 24 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 9 – 10; Proverbs 5; Psalms 21 – 25
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Matthew 6:33
Read the “0405 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.” – (1 Samuel 22:23)
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” – (John 15:4-7)
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” – (Hebrews 13:5)
In our passage today (Chapter 22), we read about King Saul slaughtering eighty-five of the priests of God from the city of Nob, along with their wives, children, and even their livestock. Saul had completely lost his mind, and had become completely consumed with destroying David, and anyone he imagined to be complicit with him, whether he had any evidence to back up his suspicions or not. Saul was convinced that the priests were secretly helping out David, so he murdered all of them, save one who escaped. Abiathar was the sole survivor of the massacre at Nob, and he escaped to tell David what had happened. That is when David tells Abiathar to stay with him where he will be cared for and protected from their mutual enemy.
David, in this story, is a wonderful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are pursued by an enemy that hates us because he hates our Saviour. Yet, God offers us the same protection that was pictured here with David and Abiathar. Abiathar lost his family, his home, and his safety all because of his association with David. David felt responsible for all that Abiathar lost, so he took him in. He would see to it that Abiathar was provided for and protected as long as he was with him. Is this not what we have in Christ? He provides for our needs, and protects us from those that would harm us. This is not to say that no “bad” things will ever happen to us, but we can be sure of the fact that no harm will come to us without first being authorized by Him; and if He puts His stamp of approval on it, it will be for His glory, and/or our good; and He promised that He will never give us more than we can handle.
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Samuel by Phil Erickson with 8 comments.
Obsession
Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 19 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 7 – 8; Proverbs 4; Psalms 16 – 20)
“And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.” – (1 Samuel 22:18-19)
Chapter 22 of 1 Samuel is perhaps one of the saddest chapters in the Bible. King Saul has all of the priests of Nob slain because he thinks that they are complicit with David. Saul is now totally out of control. He is completed obsessed with David and he is allowing his imaginations to completely run wild. Let me back up and review the story. David is on the run from King Saul. He enters into Nob, the city where the priests of God lived, looking for bread for himself and his men. David does not tell Ahimelech the priest the truth, which was wrong. He tells the priest that he is on a top secret mission for the king, which required haste, and that is the reason that he did not have time to get food before he left. Ahimelech and the other priests are completely innocent. The priests give David some of the old shewbread from off of the altar and they also give him the sword of Goliath which was being stored in the city of Nob. There was an evil man, named Doeg, in the city that day and he observed what had happened, and then went and told Saul.
Saul sends for Ahimelech and the rest of the priests and asks them what had happened. Ahimelech rehearses the matter before Saul exactly as it did happen, but Saul does not believe him. Saul then orders the death of all the priests of God. Saul’s insecurity regarding David has completely usurped his ability to reason logically. His imagination is in total control and his imaginations are being fed by the Wicked One. The Bible says that we are to cast down imaginations:
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” – (2 Corinthians 10:5)
Saul’s insecurity began and took root as jealousy because of David’s successes. God obviously had his hand upon David and Saul knew it. Saul also knew that God no longer had his hand upon him. Saul’s insecurity affected the entire kingdom. Many people died because of it. Notice that Saul’s insecurity caused him to imagine that these priests were his enemies, and they were not. His insecurity also caused him to forget about his real enemies, which were the Philistines and some of the other nations surrounding Israel.
Can you relate to any of this? Have you ever imagined that people were against you without really knowing that they were? Have you ever saw a group of people gathered together without you, and imagined that they were talking about you? Have you forgotten that your enemy is Satan, not your friends and family members? Perhaps you are a little insecure yourself. You need to confess that as sin, because it is sin, and ask God to help you deal with it. Remember that God loves you just as much as he loves everyone else, and he has a wonderful plan for your life. Keep your eyes upon him and forget about what He is doing with other people. As Jesus told Peter, “What is that to thee?” Get control of your imaginations before you totally lose it too.
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Samuel by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
There is Still a Cause!
There are still some giants that need killing!
Today’s Passage – 1 Samuel 17 – 18 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 5 – 6; Proverbs 3; Psalms 11 – 15)
Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Isaiah 51:11
Read the “0403 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
“And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause?” – (1 Samuel 17:29)
The account of David and Goliath is one of the most familiar passages in the Bible. Even people who know little about the Bible or the Christian faith know something about this story. It is the classic story of the underdog. We love to cheer for the underdog; we love to see the guy that nobody thought could possibly win, come up from behind and win the game. However, the truth is that David was not participating in a game. He was literally fighting for His life, the lives of the men in God’s army, and for the sovereignty of Israel as a nation.
Because of the familiarity of most people to this story, I will not take the time to review it. If you by chance are not familiar with the account, make sure you read the passage. It is one of those passages that reads very easy. You will not have any trouble at all understanding what the Bible is saying. I would like to point out a few things about David, however:
1 David was a man of great faith. David’s faith overshadowed his fear. Any man in his right mind would be afraid of a guy as big and as powerful as Goliath, yet David could not see how this man could possibly conquer God. David knew that He was fighting the Lord’s battle, and He knew that God was well able to take down Goliath. Goliath may have been big compared to David, but he was less than nothing when compared with David’s God.
Take a moment and consider now what Goliath’s you are facing in your life today, such as this COVID-19 virus with all of the pain and suffering it is causing. They may seem insurmountable, but if they are standing in between you and God’s cause, you must believe that God is able to overcome them.
2 David was a man of great fondness for God. David didn’t like what this big, ugly Philistine was saying about God and God’s people. It made him mad. I believe in this case we could say that David’s anger was really righteous indignation. Though we certainly should never allow our anger and passion to cause us to sin, we should still get riled up about some things; and our anger should cause us to take action. For instance, when you hear someone blaspheming your God, you should say something about it. People ought to know where you stand.
3 David was a man who made many foes. I am not referring to the Philistines, either. David’s brother, Eliab, became angry with him; and later King Saul became very jealous of him, and even sought to kill him on a number of occasions. You would think doing right would make you everybody’s hero; however, many will become your enemy the minute God puts you in the spotlight. I am sure Satan didn’t take his eyes off of David after this either.
4 David had a very good friend. When you decide to live for God, you may be marked an enemy by some, and even dismissed as a fanatic by others; but there will be some – maybe only a few – who will want to be your friend. Saul’s son, Jonathon fell in love with David because of the stand that David took that day.
David took a great risk, humanly speaking, when he entered into the ring with Goliath; but God forever changed the life of David as a result of his great faith. God is looking for more risk takers today: men and women who are willing to stick their neck out to live by faith for God. There was only one young man that was willing to risk his life in a fight against a 9-foot giant that day in Judah, and there will certainly not be many today who will demonstrate that kind of faith; but by God’s grace, I want to be a man of faith like David was. I hope you do too.
Posted in Thoughts from 1 Samuel by Phil Erickson with 2 comments.