The Plan

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

THE PLAN

1 Sam 23:19-29

19 The Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, "Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon? 20 Now, O king, come down whenever it pleases you to do so, and we will be responsible for handing him over to the king." 21 Saul replied, "The LORD bless you for your concern for me. 22 Go and make further preparation. Find out where David usually goes and who has seen him there. They tell me he is very crafty. 23 Find out about all the hiding places he uses and come back to me with definite information. Then I will go with you; if he is in the area, I will track him down among all the clans of Judah." 24 So they set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Desert of Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon. 25 Saul and his men began the search, and when David was told about it, he went down to the rock and stayed in the Desert of Maon. When Saul heard this, he went into the Desert of Maon in pursuit of David. 26 Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them, 27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Come quickly! The Philistines are raiding the land." 28 Then Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. That is why they call this place Sela Hammahlekoth.   29 And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of En Gedi.

NIV

The best laid plans of man are no match for the plan of God. We are not even sure we can use the word match as “Who is man, that you are mindful of him,” and to consider that any of our plans could possibly have any chance against the plan of God is a more accurate view of what we see in this narrative. Saul has received the most definite information about David’s hiding place, and the Ziphites believe they have the perfect plan to hand David over to Saul. But just as Saul is closing in on David and his men, God intervenes with his plan as he had decided David is to be king over all Israel. It was not David’s plan, nor was it Saul’s plan, and it was not the plan of the Ziphites. We can make all sorts of plans that we may think are so good, and that will be a benefit for ourselves or maybe even for someone else. But do our plans line up with the will of God? We believe it is best to always put our plans on hold until we stand, sit, kneel, lie prostrate, or however our method of being before the Lord, God Almighty, the creator of heaven and earth, is, and seek his counsel, so that his plan becomes our plan. We have the Holy Spirit within us so that we can hear his voice, his thoughts, and sense his plan per the Father and the Son. Because Jesus calls us friends, He has given us the major plan for our lives. Yet, as we live in this material or physical world, and require a certain amount of content for our daily, or even our years of life, as to our direction in which we should head. We make so many choices throughout our days, such as where we live, what kind of car we buy, or what we do for a living, what kind of career or job we pursue, and where we attend church, as well as a host of other choices. But what does the Lord want us to do? Where does He want us to live, and to do for a living? Where does he want us to fellowship in worship with others? Even the plans of the church are at stake. Do the leaders make their plans, or do they seek the plan of God? This may seem a radical way to live, but we need to be mindful that our ways are not His ways, so we need to line up our ways according to His, for we know if we are trying to live by our plans, God will intervene to accomplish his plan. 

Strength in God

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

STRENGTH IN GOD

1 Samuel 23:14-18

14 David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands. 15 While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life. 16 And Saul's son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. 17 "Don't be afraid," he said. "My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this." 18 The two of them made a covenant before the LORD. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh.

NIV

We are amid Saul hunting for David with the intent of capturing all his men, and ultimately killing David. Perhaps Saul thinks that if he killed the man who had been anointed as the king of all Israel, then he could remain on the throne and continue to live like a king. If that was the intent of Saul, then he was driven by self-centeredness, which is motivated by wickedness or just plain evil. We know from what the scripture tells us that Saul’s heart had gone to the dark side, harboring murder in his heart. However, there was also Jonathan, the son of Saul, who loved David and was loyal to him, having made a covenant with him. Now we see Jonathan finding David and helping him find strength in God. Jonathan affirmed the fact that David was or would be the king over all Israel and that David would sit on the throne. Jonathan also told David that he would be second in command. But the story is about Jonathan showing up to help David find strength in Elohiym, the supreme God, but also the magistrate, or judge. This was a different word used for God than the normal LORD, or Yahweh. However, our lesson is about strengthening others in the Lord. Because we can only see the outside or personality of other believers, we cannot know their hearts; only the Lord knows each heart. We can endeavor to strengthen their walk with Jesus. Jonathan may have known that David was a little down, and questioning the LORD as to why Saul was trying to kill him, or that David was growing weak in his faith, because they were covenant brothers, and they laid open their hearts to each other. We may not have that advantage with other believers, being transparent with each other so that we know the concerns or heart pains, if we can use that expression, of other believers. However, no matter how strong or weak another’s heart might be, we can still make an effort to help them find strength in God. What is also interesting is that Jonathan helped David find strength in God, which meant Jonathan had strength in God, for without his strength in God, he could not have helped David find strength in God. Then, we need to know our strength in God before we help others find that same strength. 

Inquire

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

INGUIRE

1 Sam 23:1-14

23:1 When David was told, "Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors," 2 he inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" The LORD answered him, "Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah." 3 But David's men said to him, "Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!" 4 Once again David inquired of the LORD, and the LORD answered him, "Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand." 5 So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah. 6(Now Abiathar, son of Ahimelech had brought the ephod down with him when he fled to David at Keilah.) 7 Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, "God has handed him over to me, for David has imprisoned himself by entering a town with gates and bars." 8 And Saul called up all his forces for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. 9 When David learned that Saul was plotting against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod." 10 David said, "O LORD, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. 11 Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, tell your servant." And the LORD said, "He will." 12 Again David asked, "Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?" And the LORD said, "They will." 13 So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there. 14 David stayed in the desert strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.

NIV

We are in the times of Saul chasing  David with the intent to kill him. Again, we see the rage of Saul because the LORD was no longer with him; instead, his heart had turned to the dark side, motivated by hatred, jealousy, or evil. However, our story is about David and how he constantly inquired of the LORD. Within this narrative, he inquired four times. Once, if he were to go and attack the Philistines, second, he inquired about attacking the Philistines. David inquired of the LORD about the plans of Saul and if he was coming to attack him. Then he inquired if the people of Keilah would hand him over to Saul. Each time David asked the LORD a question, the LORD answered him. What stands out to us is that David was not asking for anything other than guidance in his daily life. Should he do this, or that? Will they do this or that? What should he do next? Your Word is a lamp unto my feet, a light onto my path, O Sovereign Lord. This is the lesson we need to take to heart, to always inquire of the Lord as to what our next step should be. Sometimes we get so invested, almost to the point of being distracted by trying to be a good Christian, or by doing all the right things we think a good Christian should be doing, that we miss out or ignore time to inquire of the Lord. We can see that the LORD answered David clearly as to what would happen and what he should do. We wonder if there are times when we either don’t want to inquire of the Lord, or simply forget to inquire because we are too interested in what we want to do, or think we are doing what the Lord wants. But, unless we take the time, if it is just a moment, for we are not told how long David spent in his inquiring of the LORD, then we will hear from Him as to what our should be our next step. However, to do that, we must take to heart the fact that His word is a lamp unto our feet, and a light onto our path. Then we would always  inquire. 

You Will be Safe With Me

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

YOU WILL BE SAFE WITH ME

1 Sam 22:6-23

6 Now Saul heard that David and his men had been discovered. And Saul, spear in hand, was seated under the tamarisk tree on the hill at Gibeah, with all his officials standing around him. 7 Saul said to them, "Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he make all of you commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? 8 Is that why you have all conspired against me? No one tells me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is concerned about me or tells me that my son has incited my servant to lie in wait for me, as he does today." 9 But Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul's officials, said, "I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech son of Ahitub at Nob. 10 Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him; he also gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath the Philistine." 11 Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelech son of Ahitub and his father's whole family, who were the priests at Nob, and they all came to the king. 12 Saul said, "Listen now, son of Ahitub." "Yes, my lord," he answered. 13 Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, giving him bread and a sword and inquiring of God for him, so that he has rebelled against me and lies in wait for me, as he does today?" 14 Ahimelech answered the king, "Who of all your servants is as loyal as David, the king's son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard and highly respected in your household? 15 Was that day the first time I inquired of God for him? Of course not! Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his father's family, for your servant knows nothing at all about this whole affair." 16 But the king said, "You will surely die, Ahimelech, you and your father's whole family." 17 Then the king ordered the guards at his side: "Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me." But the king's officials were not willing to raise a hand to strike the priests of the LORD. 8 The king then ordered Doeg, "You turn and strike down the priests." So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. 19 He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep. 20 But Abiathar, a son of Ahimelech son of Ahitub, escaped and fled to join David. 21 He told David that Saul had killed the priests of the LORD. 22 Then David said to Abiathar: "That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your father's whole family. 23 Stay with me; don't be afraid; the man who is seeking your life is seeking mine also. You will be safe with me."

NIV

Nothing is more terrible than being under the influence of evil. The heart of Saul has turned to the darkness that was infested with hatred, jealousy, and murdering priests, men of God, the whole family of Ahimelech, eighty-five in all,  because Ahimelech gave David bread. Although many of Saul’s servants would not strike a hand against the priests, maybe they still feared God, but this Doeg, the Edomite, could not have been a God-fearing man, for he was the one who killed all the priests. Interestingly, God allowed this kind of evil man to be recorded, having evil men in his word. There is a purpose for us to read about this kind of evil in the hearts of men, so that we can open our hearts to the examination of the Lord, asking, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” These were the words in one of David’s Psalms, as we believe David was a man of faith, a man of God who loved the LORD and wanted to do everything the LORD asked of him. God testified concerning David that he was a man after His own heart. When we see how David responds to Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, when he escaped and found David. David told him, “Don’t be afraid, you will be safe with me”. Jesus has told us many times, “Don’t be afraid”, in many different situations, like in the storm on rough seas, as he stood can calmed the wind and waves. Jesus has command over all the earth and over all our lives. We have no reason to live in fear and anyone or anything, for the world might be able to take our bodies, that is, kill our bodies, but our soul belongs to Jesus. In fact, the world, or the order established by God as a result of Adam’s sin, is that we should die. We know it was God’s intent that Adam should be an eternal being, but sin intervened and death became man’s fate. However, God was not finished, as he established a way before the foundation of the earth for man to be redeemed through Jesus. So, as we are now a person of God, a holy nation, a royal priesthood, a people belonging to God, accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are now once again an eternal being. We accept those words of our Lord, “Don’t be afraid”, and we can hear Jesus tell us, “You will be safe with me”.

 

What Will He Do

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

WHAT WILL YOU DO

1 Sameul 22:1-5

22:1 David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and his father's household heard about it, they went down to him there. 2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him. 3 From there David went to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, "Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?" 4 So he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was in the stronghold. 5 But the prophet Gad said to David, "Do not stay in the stronghold. Go into the land of Judah." So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.

NIV

We cannot be certain why there were so many who were distressed, in debt, or discontent, or why they were in such situations. It is possible that all these men described in this verse were set against the tyranny of Saul, seeing that the LORD had left him and that he was nothing more than a mean ruler, seeking the death of David and anyone who crossed him. Although David was on the run from Saul, when his brothers and the whole household, his father and mother, all the servants came to him, he was concerned for their well-being. We can be sure that if Saul had found any of David’s family, he would have had them killed or held them hostage until David surrendered himself to the hand of Saul. However, David had already surrendered to the hand of God, and because of that, he honored his father and mother, as the LORD had commanded through the law he gave to Moses. David wanted them to be in the protected stronghold of the king of Moab. That is one truth we can always trust that we should honor our father and mother. Sometimes it is difficult when they break faith with God and live in the darkness, as we grow up under an abusive parent. Nevertheless, we should honor them, however that looks. The second truth that stands out to us is that David wanted to learn what God would do for him. David had already been anointed, and he had the power of God upon him, yet he still wanted to know what God would do for him. Although we know what God has done for us by sending Jesus to take all our sins upon himself on that cross, and die in our place, was buried and then was raised from the dead, as the firstborn of many who would be raised from the dead. He has already prepared a place for us, and we know that Jesus is coming back to get us. We know God has done all that and so much more. He has provided for us and led us to places we should be. We ask that question, as David did. “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, that you have taken me this far?” Yet, we should and are continuing to seek the face of our Lord, wanting to learn what God will do for us now. How will he lead us now? What will he accomplish for us, in us, and through us? Sure, we cannot ask for him to predict our future, yet we ask, What will you, O Sovereign Lord, do for us next?” “What will you do in our lives?” 

Facade or Transparency

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

FAÇADE OR TRANSPARENCY

1 Samuel 21:7-15

7 Now one of Saul's servants was there that day, detained before the LORD; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul's head shepherd. 8 David asked Ahimelech, "Don't you have a spear or a sword here? I haven't brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king's business was urgent." 9 The priest replied, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that one." David said, "There is none like it; give it to me." 10 That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath. 11 But the servants of Achish said to him, "Isn't this David, the king of the land? Isn't he the one they sing about in their dances: "'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'?" 12 David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. 13 So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. 14 Achish said to his servants, "Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? 15 Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?"

NIV

The first question concerns the behavior of David. Why would he act like a madman when he came into the presence of Achish, the king of Gath? If Achish’s servants knew who David was, why was he so afraid of being known as the mighty warrior? From what we can garner from our research, we find this was the city of Goliath, the Philistine, and David was wearing Goliath’s sword. Surely, as he was alone and in the presence of the king of the city of Philistines, he must have felt his life was in danger, and the only course of action was to appear as a madman. The Hebrew word is translated as to shine, boast, in the positive sense, but also to make a fool or to act like a madman in the negative sense. This was a pure act on the part of David, changing his behavior so as to appear like he was crazy, so he could make an escape from this dangerous situation. But what can we learn from this that would apply to our lives? Certainly, we would not think it is appropriate to act like a madman. In fact, it is not appropriate to act differently from who we are. The question is whether we put on this front, or façade, depending on whose presence we are in. Do we act differently depending on who we are with? First thing, we must be truthful to ourselves as to who we are. We cannot pretend to be someone we are not. We know we are just sinners saved by grace. We know that God has forgiven our sins, but the fact remains that we still must deal with the sin in our lives. If we act holy and righteous, are we lying to others or ourselves? Although it is true that God had declared us holy and blameless in his sight, as he sees us through the blood of Jesus, we know that in our flesh we are not truly as holy and blameless as God sees us. How can we act any differently than who we truly are? Yes, we are a child of God, yet we still deal with our flesh, or “self”, and our failures, weaknesses, inabilities, and simply put, our sin. Let us not have those facades, those fake fronts, but live transparently before God and people. So the question is, do we live with a façade or with transparency?

The Consecrated Bread

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

THE CONSECRATED BREAD

1 Samuel 21:1-6

21:1 David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he met him, and asked, "Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?" 2 David answered Ahimelech the priest, "The king charged me with a certain matter and said to me, 'No one is to know anything about your mission and your instructions.' As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever you can find." 4 But the priest answered David, "I don't have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here — provided the men have kept themselves from women." 5 David replied, "Indeed women have been kept from us, as usual whenever I set out. The men's things are holy even on missions that are not holy. How much more so today!" 6 So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, since there was no bread there except the bread of the Presence that had been removed from before the LORD and replaced by hot bread on the day it was taken away.

NIV

Was it lawful for David to lie to save himself from starvation? Saul had not given David any commission, but Saul did want David dead, so David asked the priest for bread, and the only bread available was the shewbread. From the text, we understand that this showbread had already been taken from the presence of the temple and replaced with new hot bread; however, the bread was now only to be eaten by the priests. David lied again about being alone, as Ahimelech must have thought he would have attendants with him, being the son-in-law of the king. The Gospel of Mark provides a clue, as Jesus makes reference to David and his companions eating the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat. As Jesus came through the line of David, and it was prophesied that David’s throne would be forever, and Jesus is the high priest, we would think Jesus meant that it was right for David, being the forefather of Jesus, in a sense, to eat the consecrated bread. But what lesson do we learn that can apply to us? We know that God has made us into a royal priesthood, and that would mean we have the right to eat the consecrated bread, metaphorically, for there is no tabernacle or temple with all the furnishings, including the table of shew-bread. However, God has consecrated us, making us a sacred temple where the Spirit can dwell. In addition, Jesus is the bread of life, which would be consecrated bread and thus when we receive communion together as the temple of the Holy Spirit, we eat the bread of life, the body of our Lord, as he told his disciples, the bread is his body given for them, so we are eating the consecrated bread of life. Of course, we are not physically starving as David was, but we might see that we could be spiritually starving if we are not a part of or in union with Jesus. We can see this in eating the bread of life in a way other than as communion. We need to consume all of Jesus, that is, take all of him within our soul and Spirit, being full of Jesus, digesting his every word, his every teaching, his very being. This might be seen as being full of the Spirit, which is different than being religious or doing religious activities. This would be living under the influence and power of the Spirit, being full of Jesus, the consecrated Bread of Life.