Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Apr 17th Use It Or Lose It

Today’s Passage – 1 Kings 3 – 5 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Mark 5 – 6; Proverbs 17; Psalms 81 – 85)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 89:1

Read the “0417 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Read previous posts from this passage – “Wisdom” and “Almost Heaven.”

“1 And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants unto Solomon; for he had heard that they had anointed him king in the room of his father: for Hiram was ever a lover of David. 2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, 3 Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet. 4 But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent. 5 And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name. 6 Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.” (1 Kings 5:1-6)

These passages in 1st Kings are very familiar to the people of our church as we have been studying this book on Sunday evenings. I have previously written devotions on the subject of Solomon’s wisdom but for this blog I want to examine this topic again from a slightly different perspective. Studying King Solomon’s life has always been very frustrating to me because it is mind-boggling to think that somebody with so much divine wisdom and potential for success in leading God’s people could eventually get to the place where he is making very unwise decisions. By the time Solomon’s reign as king ends, the nation of Israel has enemies again, both from within and without, and they are on the brink of a civil war.  

In the beginning of Solomon’s reign he wanted only to please the Lord and serve the people, which is how he got the wisdom in the first place. God gave it to him because Solomon’s main request in life was to be able better serve God’s people. He asked God to: “Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?” (1 Kings 3:9). As long as Solomon was using God’s wisdom to fulfill God’s will, he continued to make good decisions. Unfortunately, we know that somewhere along the way Solomon veered off of the path.

As I was contemplating this passage, I wondered when exactly it was that Solomon strayed away from the will of God. Could it be that it was after he had completed the Temple? In the text above from chapter five, we see Solomon very busy coordinating the purchase and delivery of some of the necessary materials for constructing the Temple. During those negotiations, Hiram from Tyre commented on how wise Solomon was:

“And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly, and said, Blessed be the LORD this day, which hath given unto David a wise son over this great people.” (1 Kings 5:7)

As long as Solomon was fulfilling God’s will for his life, his wisdom was being put to good use. However, it is possible that Solomon’s unwise decisions began after he had completed the construction of the Temple. In other words, when he was no longer putting his wisdom to good use, doing something for the Lord, his godly wisdom went away. I am not saying that Solomon was no longer intelligent; he obviously was a brilliant guy, but he was no longer applying that intelligence to the service of God, and he became unwise. Since he was not using his wisdom for good, God took it away.

David also made a very unwise decision when he was out of the will of God, not staying busy doing what he should have been doing. 2 Samuel 11 records that the sin with Bathsheba took place while David was idle on his rooftop in Jerusalem, instead of being with his men on the battlefield. Some have argued that David was forbidden by his men to actually be on the front lines as he was too valuable a man to lose in a battle (2 Samuel 21:17). This may be true but David could have been behind the lines somewhere running his armies. He even could have been taking an active role in the battle from the capital of Jerusalem, but he should not have been hanging out seeking pleasure at his house. Even Uriah the Hittite knew better than that. When he was called home and had the opportunity to spend pleasurable time with his wife, he refused because Israel was at war. 

Here is the application. You are less likely to make life-altering and unwise decisions when you are busy doing something productive for the Lord. You should be fighting something like David should have been doing, or you should be building something like Solomon was doing before he got himself into trouble. The summer is approaching, and summertime is a time, at least for me, when the schedule eases up a bit. I have a lot more time on my hands and have plans to do some pleasurable things with my wife and family. I will be taking some vacation time. This is all good and right, but I also need to be careful that when I am not doing some scheduled recreational or even restful things, that I still stay busy serving the Lord. There are a lot of good things that I could and should be doing; things that will advance the cause of Christ. My fear is that if I am not using the wisdom and energy that God has given me for His glory and for the good of God’s people, He may take it away.

Retirement is also a dangerous time. Retired people need to stay busy and productive. If you are retired, you should have more time to serve the Lord. You may not have the energy or health to be able to do all that you used to do, but you can certainly do something. Stay busy for the Lord. Use that wisdom, energy, and time that the Lord has given you in the twilight of your life for Him, or you may just lose them.

Apr 14th God Doesn’t Forget

Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 20 – 22 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 27 – 28; Proverbs 14; Psalms 66 – 70)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 51

Read the “0414 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“Then there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.” (2 Samuel 21:1)

Remember back in 1 Samuel when King Saul was mad at the priests because they had helped David (See 1 Samuel 21 & 22). Saul ended up killing all of the priests (85 of them) and then proceeded to wipe out Nob, the city that the priests lived in. What Saul did to the priests and to their families was bad enough, but there was also a group of people who lived in Nob as servants to the priests who were not Israelites: they were Gibeonites. Now, you may also remember from the book of Joshua that the Gibeonites were the people who tricked Joshua into making a covenant with them. Joshua promised these people with an oath that Israel would let them live, and in return the Gibeonites would be Israel’s servants. God never forgot that covenant, so when Saul (acting on behalf of Israel) broke the covenant and slew the Gibeonites living in Nob; God held them (Israel – not just Saul) accountable. God doesn’t forget, even when we want to. Here, an entire nation is suffering for the decision of one man.

We should be admonished when we read passages like this. First of all, we should realize that our actions affect more people than we think; and we should carefully consider the outcome on others around us from the decisions we make today as well as the impact they will have on future generations. Secondly, we need to think about any unfinished business we may have with God or other people. We are so quick to promise things; but so slow to deliver the things that we promise. God never forgot the promise that Israel made with the Gibeonites.

Note – A separate thought from this passage of Scripture. Notice in 21:8 that five of  the ”sons of Saul” (actually grandsons) that were to be killed were possibly the adopted sons of Michal, David’s first wife. These sons were actually her nephews, the sons of her deceased sister, Merab (1 Samuel 18:19). Michal had lived a troubled life due to men who had used her for their own gain. Saul promised her to David and reluctantly gives her to be his wife; later Saul took her back and gave her to another man; After Saul’s death, when David is in power, he takes her back, away from a man that really loves her; and now here she is losing her sons.

Apr 13th Absalom’s Rebellion by Lexi Parker

Today’s Passage – 2 Samuel 18 – 19 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

Second Milers also read – Matthew 25 – 26; Psalms 61 – 65; Proverbs 13

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 47:1

Read the “0413 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the king’s son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom.” (2 Samuel 8:12)

In the verse I’d like to focus on, we’re at the end of Absalom’s rebellion against his father, King David. I’ll just briefly recap the backstory for anyone unfamiliar with this passage.

Back in Chapter 13, Absalom’s brother, Amnon, raped their sister Tamar, out of wicked lust. Though King David was upset, nothing had really been done to Amnon. Absalom had been plotting his revenge ever since. So, after two years, Absalom took matters into his own hands by planning a dinner with the king’s sons and having his servants murder Amnon when his heart was “merry with wine”. After his brother is murdered, Absalom flees.

After a series of events, King David forgives Absalom, and Absalom comes back home.
But his intentions were not of peace and restoration. He began stealing the hearts of the people of Israel, in plans to steal the throne. Right after King David hears this news, he flees with his mighty men.During this time, Absalom takes the liberty to disrespect his fathers throne in any way he can. King David knew Absalom would do whatever it took to follow through with this plan, including taking the life of his own father. But, David had a spy on the inside named Hushai, who acted as a servant to Absalom and devised a plan that ultimately led to the victory of David and his men taking back the throne.

So here’s where we get to the part that matters. In the heat of all of this, King David instructs the three men leading up the war teams (Joab, Abishai, and Ittai) to deal gently with his son.

“And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.” (2 Samuel 18:5)

So boom. The Battle starts, and in the next few verses, Absalom gets caught up in an oak tree. Hanging like a fish on a hook. A man sees this happen, and reports to Joab.

“And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.” “And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? And I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle.” (2 Samuel 18:10 – 11)

The man replies with this.

“And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand shekels of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against the king’s son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touch the young man Absalom. Otherwise, I should have wrought falsehood against mine own life: for there is no matter hid from the king, and thou thyself wouldest have set thyself against me.” (2 Samuel 18:12 – 13)

I can’t help but applaud this man for separating the hype of battle, and his own emotional investment, from what he was told by the king to do. And I get it, naturally, I am very much on the side of “off with their heads”, but that wasn’t the order. This man knew even though Absalom chose the wrong way, and soon would get what was coming to him; that didn’t mean he should take matters into his own hands. Even when those matters would even seem right according to human reasoning.

In application to our own lives, you may have every reason to blow somebody’s spot up, but remember child of God, the way you go about things STILL matter. This man chose to, despite what he might’ve felt, and might have been humanly deserved, follow through with the king’s order. He states that ten shekels of silver mean nothing when it comes to doing the right thing. It may all look justified in your mind, or even the mind of others, but there’s a way to slaughter your spiritual giants in life. Run it by God and see what He tells you. Even if you don’t like the answer, and it may seem the “weaker option” in your eyes, trust that God knows all things, and He’s got it under control. Let wisdom and discretion take hold.

“How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!” (Proverbs 16:16)

Apr 12th The Saturday Morning Post – One To Care And One To Curse

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

Read the “0412 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And when David was a little past the top of the hill, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and an hundred bunches of raisins, and an hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine. And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses be for the king’s household to ride on; and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, that such as be faint in the wilderness may drink.” (2Samuel 16:1-2)

“And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, thence came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera: he came forth, and cursed still as he came. And he cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left. And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial: The LORD hath returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son: and, behold, thou art taken in thy mischief, because thou art a bloody man.” (2Samuel 16:5-8)

Good morning. Two different kinds of people come to king David at the beginning of 2Samuel 16: one to care and one to curse: one to build up and one to tare down: one to encourage and one to discourage: one to edify and one to destroy. God’s Word teaches us to try and restore those who have fallen, but many will kick a person when He’s down.

“Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.” (Proverbs 12:25)

How hard could it be to speak a “good word” and encourage someone. These days: hard. In the second miler readings, in Matthew 24, Jesus talks about the love of many shall become cold…

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Matthew 24:3-12)

We may have to encourage ourselves as David did…

“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.” (1Samuel 30:6)

Didn’t anyone realize that the Amalekites had taken David’s wives also, and that he was hurting as much as his men were? They should be comforting each other, but they talked of stoning David.

In a world where a child can’t pray in school for his or hers food: a world where sexual perverseness and hatred is running rampant: a world where it’s okay to say allah, buddha, and not Jesus Christ (unless it’s being taken in vain) the love of many will wax cold… but be encouraged… and be a Ziba, not a Shimei.

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1Theselonians 4:13-18)

“We’ve been told:

God’s done warned us:

Jesus is coming soon.”

(Blind Willie Johnson 1897-1945: Jesus Is Coming Soon)

Peace.

Apr 10th 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!

Apr 9th 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 of 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)

Apr 7th 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 where they 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 verse 6 tells us what David did to get back up so 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.

Apr 5th 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.

Mar 29th The Saturday Morning Post – Have You Heard God Today?

Today’s Passage – 1 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 – Revelation 10 – 12; Proverbs 29; Psalms 141 – 145)

Read the “0329 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD. And the LORD appeared again in Shiloh: for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD.” (1Samuel 3:19-21)

Good morning. The LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the Word of the LORD. Have you heard God today?

“And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.” (1Kings 22:19)

Have you heard God today?

“As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.” (Psalm 18:30)

Have you heard God today?

“For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.” (Psalm 33:4)

Have you heard God today?

“And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.” (Acts 13:44)

Have you heard God today?

“The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army.” (Ezekiel 37:1-10)

O ye dry bones, hear the Word of the LORD. Have you heard God today?

Peace.

Mar 27th The Craziest Story in the Bible

Today’s Passage – Judges 20 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Revelation 4 – 6;  Proverbs 27; Psalms 131 – 135)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song –  Psalm 89:1

Read the “0327 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from today’s passage – “Right in Their Own Eyes.“

Judges 19 – 21 is really one very long and very strange story, a saga really, involving a civil war within Israel. All of Israel set out to destroy the tribe of Benjamin, all because of a bizarre event that was described in chapter 19. The root cause of the problems within these chapters is the same as what caused the problems in the previous chapters. The first verse of the story and the last verse say it all.

“…there was no king in Israel…” (Judges 19:1)

“In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25)

Not having an earthly king in Israel was not the problem. The problem was that God had been dethroned, and his Word was not being used as the ruling principles to govern life. People were doing what they wanted, instead of what God in His word said was right to do. There was no king, but there was no godly leadership in the land pointing people in the right direction. The result was that the nation divided and drifted further and further away from the will of God.

Practical Point – Whenever a nation drifts away from the principles found in the Word of God, it will devolve into a selfish, immoral, and idolatrous disaster.

“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12)

Whenever a family, or even an individual Christian, drifts away from the Bible, he will wander on a sea of uncertainty, and will find himself far away from the blessings of God.

In chapter nineteen, we saw the bizarre provocation that instigated the civil war that breaks out. A woman from Israel had been brutally gang raped left to die by the men of Gibeah, a city that belonged to the Tribe of Benjamin. This took place only after the woman’s husband had refused to allow the men to have sex with him, which was what they really wanted.

The man sent word to all of Israel about what had happened in Gibeah by sending to each of the tribes a part of the body of his concubine.

In chapter twenty, we will read about the problem that was caused in Israel because of what took place in Gibeah – a civil war, and a bloody and brutal civil war at that.

All of this happened because Israel is operating outside of the teachings of God. They are doing their own thing. They are making it up as they go.

“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” (Proverbs 14:12)

Here in chapter twenty, we will see Israel wake up and realize how sinful their nation had become, and they come out against Gibeah and Benjamin to purge out this heinous sin from within her borders.

I        Israel Combines Forces to Confront Benjamin (vs. 1 – 17)

Verse 1 – Notice that Israel was finally unified again. (“all”, “as one man”) Instead of everyone doing their own thing, now Israel is doing one thing together. (See also vs. 8 and 11)

“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;” (Philippians 1:27)

“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

Notice the phrase, “from Dan even to Beerheeba.” Dan was the northernmost part of Israel and Beersheba was geographically the furthest south. You may remember that Dan was formerly called Laish but was conquered by the tribe of Dan in Judges 18.

Notice also that all of Israel is gathered in Mizpah, which was only about five miles to the north of Gibeah.

Verse 2 – Notice there were nearly a half-million soldiers from all the tribes, which is a large army. It took this heinous act from chapter nineteen to wake the nation out of their slumber and move them into unified action.

Verse 3 – Notice that the Benjamites were aware of the impending attack. I am certain that the Levite whose concubine was killed sent out a piece of her body to Benjamin as well. Besides that, an army of 400,000 could not possibly be gathered 5 miles away from Gibeah without the Benjamites being aware of what was going on. Mizpah itself was a city within the borders of the territory of Benjamin.

The leaders of the tribes that were assembled all investigate further the crime that had taken place in Gibeah.

In vs. 4 – 7, the Levite rehashes the story, but does not embellish. It states concisely what had been done.

Notice in v. 7 that he asks the same question that was asked in the last verse of chapter nineteen: “consider of it, take advice, and speak your minds.” Apparently, Israel had considered what had happened and was still considering it here and were now counseling among themselves as to what they should do.

There were many violations of the Law within Gibeah in this case, and each was punishable by death:

1. The Men of Gibeah were guilty of Sodomy.

“If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.” (Leviticus 20:13)

2. They were also guilty of adultery. Even if adultery was consensual, it was punishable by death.

“If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.” (Deuteronomy 22:22)

3. They were also guilty of rape.

“But if a man find a betrothed damsel in the field, and the man force her, and lie with her: then the man only that lay with her shall die: But unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing; there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death: for as when a man riseth against his neighbour, and slayeth him, even so is this matter: For he found her in the field, and the betrothed damsel cried, and there was none to save her.” (Deuteronomy 22:25-27)

4. They were guilty of being “sons of Belial.” (Judges 19:22 – see Deuteronomy 13:12 – 18) Belial means “worthless, good for nothing, or wicked.” Basically, it means that they have completely abandoned God.

In vs. 8 – 17, the people of Israel are determined to go up against Benjamin. They first attempt to get Benjamin to turn over the guilty men, but Benjamin refuses to do so. Though Benjamin is grossly outnumbered (16 to 1), they are dug in and determined to fight. Note – it is hard to believe that there were not at least some people who would want to do the right thing and turn over the guilty parties. Yet, it seems that they are just as unified in their defense of the wicked, and the Israelites were to condemn them.  

Notice that among the soldiers of Benjamin there were seven hundred left-handed stone slingers that could hit “at an hair breath, and not miss.” This would be an extremely powerful force. David took down a nine-foot giant with a sling and a stone.

II        Israel is Crushed Twice Even After Consulting with the Lord (vs. 18 – 25)

This part of the story is very difficult for me to wrap my head around. Twice, the Lord is consulted by the Israelites, and twice the Lord answers in the affirmative, but still the Israelites lose two big battles, and thousands of men are killed.

Perhaps they did not consult with God soon enough. Maybe they should have sought God before they made their plans. Perhaps they didn’t ask God the right questions.

Verse 18 – the house of God is likely a reference to the Tabernacle, which was in Shiloh. (Judges 18:31; 1 Samuel 1:9 – See Map) Some say, the reference here is to Bethel, and claim that the Tabernacle was located there at this time. The phrase, “house of God” is translated from the Hebrew words, “bayith ‘elohiym.”

First, they ask God which tribe should go up first. The answer is Judah. The Levite was originally from Bethlehem, which is within Judah.

Verses 19 – 21 – The Israelite’s lose the battle and 22,000 men.

In verses 22 – 25, the Israelites ask, “shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin, my brother?” The Lord tells them to go, but they lose again – this time eighteen thousand men.

The Israelites lose 40,000 men in the first two battles, where the Benjamites only lose 1,000.

Why would God allow them to lose, especially after consulting with Him?

1. He wanted them to remember just how bitter the consequences of sin are. Remember, the Israelites were just as much to blame as the Benjamites were. They had gotten away from God also.
2. He wanted them to feel the pain and experience the terribleness of a civil war.
3. It took several hard steps for sin to get into Israel, and it will take several hard, costly, and painful steps to get the sin purged out.

III       Israel Finally Conquers Benjamin After Conferring with the Lord a Third Time (vs. 26 – 48)

This time, Phinehas consults God at Shiloh, and asks: “Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease?” (v. 28) This not likely the same Phinehas as is mentioned in Exodus, Numbers, and Joshua, unless this story is chronologically out of order, and occurs very early in the time period of the Judges. There were probably many men named Phinehas that descended from the line of Eliazar. Remember, the period of the Judges was a period of approximately 330 years from 1380 BC. To 1050 BC.

This time, the Lord tells them to go, and promises victory, which He did not do previously.

The Israelites use the same battle plan that they used in their final battle against Ai. They draw the men of Gibeah out of the city, and when they are out of the city, another army enters the city and sets it on fire. When the men of Gibeah see the fire, they turn around to help the city, but now they have attacker in front of them and behind them.

Illustration – Colonel Joshua Chamberlain of the 20^th Maine at Gettysburg, at the Battle of Little Round Top. He had to hold the flank, because if the enemy broke the flank, they would have gotten behind the Union Lines.

The Men of Gibeah lose 25,000 in this battle, and with the 1,000 that they lost in the first two battles, they were down to 600 men, who hid up in the rock Rimmon for four months.

All the men (and apparently, the women) of Benjamin, besides these 600 will be killed.

In chapter 21, we will see how the people will rebuild the tribe of Benjamin. The story in chapter 21 is almost as bizarre as the story so far in chapters 19 and 20.

However, the people are still doing their own thing – they are following that which is right in their own eyes. You see, there was no king in Israel – not even God.