Lament and Rejoice

 DEVOTION

2^ND SAMUEL

LAMENT AND REJOICE

2 Sam 1:13-20

13 David said to the young man who brought him the report, "Where are you from?" "I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite," he answered. 14 David asked him, "Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the LORD's anointed?" 15 Then David called one of his men and said, "Go, strike him down!" So he struck him down, and he died. 16 For David had said to him, "Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, 'I killed the LORD's anointed.'

17 David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, 18 and ordered that the men of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):

19 "Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights. How the mighty have fallen! 20 "Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice. 21 "O mountains of Gilboa, may you have neither dew nor rain, nor fields that yield offerings [of grain]. For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul — no longer rubbed with oil. 22 From the blood of the slain, from the flesh of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied. 23 "Saul and Jonathan — in life they were loved and gracious, and in death they were not parted. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. 24 "O daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and finery, who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold. 25 "How the mighty have fallen in battle! Jonathan lies slain on your heights. 26 I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother; you were very dear to me. Your love for me was wonderful, more wonderful than that of women. 27 "How the mighty have fallen! The weapons of war have perished!"

NIV

First, was it right for David to have this Amalekite struck down because he followed the orders of Saul and killed him straight out before the chariots of the Philistine were just about upon them, and they would abuse Saul. However, as far as David was concerned, this Amalekite was the one who killed God’s anointed. Again, a culture we do not understand, for we live in a different time and place and under the rule of law. Yet, David then mourned the loss of Saul and wrote a sonnet, a lament that was written in the book of the upright, as this word Jashar, in the Hebrew, means upright, correct, right, and that is also how the Septuagint states it, the book of the upright. It appears that David’s lament was to point to Saul, Jonathan, and the rest who had fallen as upright men of Israel. It is most appropriate to begin anything by first giving praise to the glory of the LORD. Then, to give honor to the slain, those who have died in battle. How the mighty have fallen. We are not the army of Israel who fought against the Philistines, but nevertheless, we fight a battle against the dark forces of this world and the rulers and principalities and the forces of evil in the heavenly, or spiritual realm. Therefore, we should first give all the glory to the Lord when one of us warriors of the Lord has been slain by death. David did not want the slaying of Saul and the army to be proclaimed in the cities of the uncircumcised, lest they rejoice. We have seen evil lift its ugly head, with the striking down of the innocent, because of the hatred evil has for the children of God. Although even the uncircumcised did not applaud, they did not condemn the evil, but the method evil used. However, when we gather around one of our fallen, there is no question that a mighty warrior of the Lord has gone home. Yes, we may lament because we are without them, as David laments over Jonathan, who was a brother to David, who loved him more than the love of a woman. It is right that we can mourn because we are left behind, but we also should rejoice for a warrior of the Lord has been slain by death, and has left their body to journey into the presence of Jesus. Therefore, lament and rejoice. 

The Crown

 DEVOTION

2^nd SAMUEL

THE CROWN

 

2 Samuel 1:1-12

1:1 After the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days. 2 On the third day a man arrived from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and with dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him honor. 3 "Where have you come from?" David asked him. He answered, "I have escaped from the Israelite camp." 4 "What happened?" David asked. "Tell me." He said, "The men fled from the battle. Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead." 5 Then David said to the young man who brought him the report, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?" 6 "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa," the young man said, "and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and riders almost upon him. 7 When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, and I said, 'What can I do?' 8 "He asked me, 'Who are you?' "'An Amalekite,' I answered. 9 "Then he said to me, 'Stand over me and kill me! I am in the throes of death, but I'm still alive.' 10 "So I stood over him and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive. And I took the crown that was on his head and the band on his arm and have brought them here to my lord." 11 Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. 12 They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

NIV

This is a strange account for when Saul fell on his own sword, he did not die instantly, for we are told that an Amalekite had asked Saul what he could do, and Saul told him to stand over him and kill him, for he was in the throes of death but was still alive. This Amalekite took Saul’s crown and arm band, the symbols of a king, and brought them to David. Why would David and his men mourn over Saul’s death? But their mourning was also for Jonathan, a dear covenant friend of David, and the whole of the Israeli army. What do we learn from this narrative that we can apply to our lives? We could see with the Amalekites falling to the ground paying honor to David, that it would be good for us to pay honor to those who are leaders of our land, that is, they stand at the helm. However, it would be better to see that we bow low to the ground to pay honor to our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Son of God, and to the Father and the Spirit. Who am I, Oh Sovereign Lord, that you have taken me this far? We may not bow physically face down on the ground before you, but we bow ourselves, our hearts and minds, paying you honor, glory, giving you all the praise and honor for, first, who you are, second, for all you have done, for us, in us, and what you will and are doing through us. You, oh Lord, are above all things, Sovereign, Lord of heaven and earth, you are at the helm of our lives. The Amalekite brought David the crown and the arm band of a king. We have already been given the crown of righteousness, because we are in Jesus, and the crown of life, because of Jesus, and we will receive the crown of glory when we stand before Jesus on that last day. What a glorious day that will be, when our Jesus we will see, when we look upon his face, the one who saved us by his grace, when he takes us by the hand and leads us through the promised land, what a day, glorious day that will be. Oh Sovereign Lord, we bow before you and crown you, all hail the name of Jesus, we crown him, crown him, crown him Lord of all. Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul. We bow ourselves before you and are crowning you our Lord.

Disrespect and Respect

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

DISRESPECT AND RESPECT

1 Sam 31

31:1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. 3 The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically. 4 Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me." But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5 When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. 6 So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day. 7 When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them. 8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan. 11 When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard of what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all their valiant men journeyed through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them. 13 Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

NIV

We have come to the end of Saul and his three sons, ending his reign over Israel with no opportunity to have one of his sons ascend to the throne. However, this was the plan of God, for he had already torn the kingdom from Saul and given it to David. God was still gracious to Saul, allowing him to die in battle rather than an old, weak, and feeble man forfeiting any dignity, having a servant care for his basic needs. In those days, death as a warrior was honorable. This is our hope as we desire to breathe our last as a warrior for Jesus, dying in battle. Personally, I would hope to stand firm in the pulpit and leave my body, ascending in the spirit into the presence of my Lord. That is to be caught up in the air to meet my Lord, as we like to call being raptured. But if it is simple to breathe my last, let me stand firm until the end of this life. We would hope this is the desire for all our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Let us continue the battle against the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world, and against the forces of evil in the heavenly realm. The Philistines may have stripped Saul of his armor, but no one will ever be able to strip us of our armor, for we wear the armor of God. The Philistines disrespected Saul by cutting off his head and hanging his body on a wall. Of course, Saul showed contempt and disrespect for David, as he had pursued him with the intent of killing him. Although David, even when he had the chance to kill Saul, did not, continuing to show respect for Saul as the king. Let us live a life of respecting others with the hope that as we live respected as a warrior for Jesus, fighting the battle against the evil or dark powers of this world, taking our stand against the forces of evil in the heavenly realms, that is the dark spiritual forces and evil schemes of the devil and his evil minions, we will face our last breathe standing firm, taking our stand, and standing our ground. Although the Philistine showed disrespect, the people of Jabesh Gilead, Israelites, took Saul’s and his son’s bodies down and gave them a proper, respectful burial. This is the way it should be, giving respect to those who waged that war for Jesus. 

Sharing

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

SHARING

1 Sam 30:21-31

21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Ravine. They came out to meet David and the people with him. As David and his men approached, he greeted them. 22 But all the evil men and troublemakers among David's followers said, "Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go." 23 David replied, "No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the LORD has given us. He has protected us and handed over to us the forces that came against us. 24 Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike." 25 David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this. 26 When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, "Here is a present for you from the plunder of the LORD's enemies." 27 He sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir; 28 to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa 29 and Racal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; 30 to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach 31 and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where David and his men had roamed.

NIV

Sharing the plunder equally did not sit well with those who fought and gained all the plunder, but David would not have that selfishness among his men. Although the two hundred stayed behind to safeguard the supplies, they were entitled to the same share of the plunder. We wonder because of what the apostle Paul said in his letter to the Thessalonians, that if a man does not work, he should not eat, and why David shared the plunder with the men who did not fight.  Is this a controversy in the scriptures? It cannot be, for God Almighty is the author of all scripture; it is all God breathed. The two hundred may not have fought, but they were still part of the six hundred men who followed David, and staying and guarding the supplies could still be considered a form of work that would qualify them to share equally with the plunder. But then David also gave some away to the elders of Judah and the people in all those towns where David and his six hundred men roamed. Those people in those towns or cities must have aided David and his men, giving them food and supplies, as they came to each place. This lesson is all about sharing, giving, paying back, rather than being selfish. When we consider how much the Lord has given us, how much plunder of this world he has added onto us, it would be wise for us to share a portion back to him. This is the system of the tithe that we learn from the scriptures, such as Abraham giving a tenth to Melchizedek. However, according to what we see David did, should we be sharing our plunder with each other, our fellow warriors in Christ? In some sense, we do that with those who have been called into the mission field. We do give a portion of our plunder to some of them. Are we doing what the Lord would have us do, or are we doing what we think is best? We know David was a man after God’s own heart, that he was upright and generally cared about all his men and shared the plunder equally and made that a statute and an ordinance for Israel from that day to this. We just do not do that in our culture, as we have lived more by the system of “Each man for himself”. Of course, there are exceptions where wealthy people have given to various charities or causes that seem right and just. But the basic principle of our land is, if a man does not work, he does not eat. How have we become this kind of people? Then again, we do not raid other countries and capture plunder, although we have gone to war in other countries, but not to capture plunder. Nevertheless, maybe we should consider the idea of sharing with those who did not fight. Maybe we do in a sense, when we share our time and energy for the benefit of others. Maybe we are sharing equally when we do things together for the benefit of the kingdom of God. Maybe we are sharing together when we gather around the word of God and share our insights with each other. Maybe we are sharing our faith in worship. Maybe we are sharing when we equally encourage everyone, or when we equally share the gospel. Let us share the gospel equally. 

Winning the Battle

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

WINNING THE BATTLE

1 Sam 30:9-20

9 David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some stayed behind, 10 for two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the ravine. But David and four hundred men continued the pursuit. 11 They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— 12 part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights. 13 David asked him, "To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?" He said, "I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. 14 We raided the Negev of the Kerethites and the territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag." 15 David asked him, "Can you lead me down to this raiding party?" He answered, "Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them." 16 He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. 17 David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. 18 David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. 20 He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, "This is David's plunder."

NIV

The LORD told David to pursue the Amalekites, and he would have success, and that is exactly what happened. Of course, we are not surprised by this because whenever the LORD speaks about something we are to do, and we do it, we have success. David indeed had to fight the Amalekites from dust to the evening of the next day, which would have been a full day of battle, but he was successful and retrieved all the women and children, including his two wives. We might have to do battle for some time until we overcome whatever we are fighting against. But, we will have success as long as we first ask the Lord what we are supposed to do, just as we learned from David, as he asked the LORD if he should pursue the Amalekites. If we attempt to win in the flesh or gain some ground in the world, we could become successful in the standards of the world. But if we are to do battle against the forces of evil, we had better seek the counsel of the LORD. We know it is the will of God that we battle the war that wages within us. Although He has declared us holy and blameless in His sight, we are not flawless. Although He removed our sin as far as the East is from the West, we are not without sin. Yet, he does want us to overcome those areas in our lives where we miss the mark. True, we may not commit those heinous crimes against mankind, but we still may battle jealousy, envy, pride, gossip, lust of the eyes, or self-degradation, or think too highly of ourselves than we should. Sometimes we just fail in our relationships with others, saying what we shouldn’t or responding in the wrong way. But we know the Lord would want us to pursue holiness and righteousness, which is only found in Jesus. Therefore, we always need to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and if we do, we will succeed in our quest to overcome the enemy within and the enemy of the world we battle. Ultimately, we will win the battle and have complete success as we step into the presence of our Lord. 

Strength and Insight

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

STRENGTH AND INSIGHT

1 Sam 30:1-8

30:1 David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, 2 and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way. 3 When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 5 David's two wives had been captured — Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. 7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue."

NIV

This was a sad time for all six hundred men who followed David, for their home city was burned and plundered by the Amalekites. Their wives and children had been taken, and that could have been the hand of God, for in many raids, every living thing was killed. David and all his men wept bitterly and loudly for the loss of their loved ones until they had no strength left to weep. We cannot imagine that the men were so angry with David that they were talking about stoning him. But David found the strength in the LORD his God. This is one of our lessons, but there is another lesson as well. The second lesson is when David inquired of the LORD. Within this first lesson, we find that we can always find strength in the LORD. When Moses sang his song, he said, “The LORD is my Strength.” In one of David’s Psalms, he sang, “The LORD is my strength and my shield”. Habakuk said, “The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go in the heights.” And then we have those famous words of Paul, “ I can do all things through Him, who gives me strength”. We think we are getting the point that although we have no strength, even for the smallest things in life, we can turn to Jesus, and He will give us the strength to run like deer, to soar like eagles’ wings, to reach heights we never imagined we could. The second lesson is all about inquiring of the Lord. David needed to know what he was to do, and rather than making his own decision, he wanted to know what the Lord thought about the situation and whether he should pursue the Amalekites. Of course, the LORD answered him. We know that if we inquire of the Lord as to what we should do, he will answer. The question is always before us: do we make our own choices in life based on our desires, or our thinking that it is the best choice for our lives, or do we inquire of the Lord about any and all choices or decisions that we are faced with? “Oh, Lord, what am I to do?” “Lord, should I do this?” These types of inquiries should be our way of life, but is it? Let us find the strength in the LORD, and the direction for our everyday situations, and choices, for the Lord will give us strength and insight.

 

Faults

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

FAULTS

1 Samuel 29:1-11

29:1 The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, and Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel. 2 As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish. 3 The commanders of the Philistines asked, "What about these Hebrews?" Achish replied, "Is this not David, who was an officer of Saul king of Israel? He has already been with me for over a year, and from the day he left Saul until now, I have found no fault in him." 4 But the Philistine commanders were angry with him and said, "Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master's favor than by taking the heads of our own men? 5 Isn't this the David they sang about in their dances: "'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'?" 6 So Achish called David and said to him, "As surely as the LORD lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until now, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don't approve of you. 7 Turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers." 8 "But what have I done?" asked David. "What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why can't I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?" 9 Achish answered, "I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of God; nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, 'He must not go up with us into battle.' 10 Now get up early, along with your master's servants who have come with you, and leave in the morning as soon as it is light." 11 So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

NIV

The key to this entire chapter lies in the exchange between David and Achish. It is interesting to know the locations of Aphek and Jezreel, and they are not very close in proximity, with Jezreel being located near the Jordon and Aphek in a northern direction, and closer to the Mediterranean Sea. Marching towards battle would take hours, so this would be why there was plenty of time for the discussion between the Philistine rulers and Achish and then between Achish and David. But the key is that Achish found no fault in David; in fact, he tells David that he was as pleasing as an angel in his eyes. It appears David has changed his mind about Saul and now would take the opportunity to fight against him, but we can also see the hand of God at work in David through the Philistine rulers. The LORD does not want David involved in the destruction or death of Saul, for the LORD has planned how Saul would die, and by sending  David back, he would not fight against the people he would soon rule over as their king. This also shows us the loyalty of David, in some sense; however, we wonder if this was not David’s plan to cozy up to the Philistines so they would take Saul’s life, and he could ascend to the throne. Yet, David had many opportunities to kill Saul, and he did not. But we think our lesson is about the fact that Achish did not find any fault in David. First, we believe it would be best if we took on the attitude of Achish. Surely, David is not a perfect man, but Achish, even if he was looking, did not find any fault in David. This would give us the clue that we should not even be looking for one fault in another. If we love them, then according to God’s definition that he gave Paul to write in the letter to the Corinthians, we will not even look for one fault in another. If we are living with love in our hearts, perhaps we should see others as pleasing in our eyes as an angel of God.  Secondly, David asked, what had he done, what had Achish found that was against him? This could also be a clue as to how we should live. We should be aware so as to not offend someone, or live with a heart of love so that others would not find any fault in us. The problem is that we are flawed humans, and we make mistakes, as unfortunate as that is. Sometimes we operate from our emotions rather than from our faith or our obedience to the Lord. We would think the Spirit would speak up and influence our actions, reactions, words, and responses. But do we get in the way, that “self “ popping up, wanting its own way? It is a war that wages within, we do want, we do not want to do, and we don’t do want what we want to do. Oh Lord, help us be who you meant us to be, for we know you find no fault in us, because you removed it as far as the East is from the West. Let us see any faults in us and none in others.