TODAY’S READING: I SAMUEL 22-25
OVERVIEW:
David is a fugitive from Saul and runs to Nob,Gath, Adullam and the wilderness; David spares Saul’s life; Samuel dies; Abigail spares Nabal’s life.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
David was a great “man of God” in the truest sense of the word. He excelled as a musician, warrior, writer, and inspiring leader. But when God paints a picture of a believer, He paints with all the human frailties and frustrations included, so that we don’t misunderstand the struggles that always accompany greatness. For some time, David struggled to keep his head above water. When is the last time you had to dodge a javelin? When is the last time you faked insanity so that you could survive among your enemies? Knowing he was God’s choice as king was little consolation while David was on the run from the armies of Saul. No wonder so many of the Psalms connect with us in our greatest time of need! (i.e. Psalm 100)
So, who would have blamed David for taking advantage of the most fantastic of coincidences when Saul, flanked by 3000 soldiers, “happens” upon the very cave in which David is hiding? Here David could have “read” God to say just what his own good men whispered in his ear; that this had to be the day when the Lord promised to deliver Saul into his hands. Oh, he was tempted. But David resisted to hear anything other than the clear message God would later send through the events only He could orchestrate to bring David into the kingdom. David even worried that he had flunked the spirit of the test by embarrassing the king. His sensitive heart pleased God. How sensitive are we to God’s working in, around, and through our lives? James 1:17-20
In Chapter 25, all of us who have ever worked for a genuine fool take great hope. Abigail saves her fool of a husband, and for this God blesses her richly. Simultaneously, we learn that “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans12:19). David’s reaction to King Saul was correct, and he was saved from his weakness to seek vengeance against a fool by Abigail’s wise handling of the situation. Many would have thought themselves powerless to stop a small army, but Abigail was “a woman of good understanding,” who new when to “make haste.”
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
By DAVID’S REFUSAL TO TAKE THE KINGDOM BY FORCE, OR BEFORE GOD’S APPOINTED TIME – I Sam. 24:10-13 (John6:15- Christ refused to become king ofIsraeluntil God’s appointed time.)
By ABIGAIL’S EFFORT TO MAKE PEACE BETWEEN DAVID AND NABAL – I Samuel 25:21-28 (II Corinthians5:19– God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself).