Archives for April 2025

OVERVIEW:

David spares Saul’s life again; David lives in the land of the Philistines and defeats many enemies; Saul consults with a witch regarding going to war; David recovers his family and the families of his soldiers who are kidnapped; Saul’s sons are killed in battle; Saul takes his own life.

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

After Nabal died, at the end of chapter 25 in yesterday’s reading, David took his widow, Abigail, to wife. David was a man with so many talents and abilities, and had such a good heart, however, it is fleshly violations such as this that will ultimately blossom into a snare of epic proportions in his life down the road. When God prophesied hundreds of years earlier, in Deuteronomy 17, that Israel would get to the place that they would want an earthly king like the other nations of the world, one of the key stipulations God made abundantly clear even then, was that a king in Israel “shall not…multiply wives to himself.” (Deuteronomy 17:16–17) David had already been anointed by Samuel for kingship in Israel (16:1–13), but before he can even be installed into the office as the nation’s leader, he has already violated one of God’s key stipulations.

Perhaps it was that lapse in judgment that spilled over into his decision to return to the land of Ziphites, placing him into harm’s way by getting in the direct path of his irrational and unpredictable enemy, Saul, once again. By God’s grace, He caused a “deep sleep” to fall upon Saul and his band of 3000 soldiers, and by taking Saul’s spear and water bottle while he was sleeping rather than taking his life, David is able to prove to him, again, that he did not aspire to kill him. (26:7–12)

It should be noted that the PHYSICAL condition of “deep sleep” that God poured out upon Saul and his men is actually a graphic picture of a condition that God pours out upon people SPIRITUALLY. Isaiah 29:10–11 talks about “the spirit of deep sleep” that causes a person’s spiritual eyes to close, and the Bible to become as if it were sealed to them. It is apparent, biblically and practically speaking, that God chooses to pour out this spirit upon people because they willfully choose to close their eyes to the truth of God’s word that has been revealed to them. In Matthew 13:15, Jesus talked about people whose “eyes they have closed; lest at anytime they should see with their eyes.” We must be very careful in what we communicate to God, through our lives, that we really want, because God will gladly, though sadly, oblige. Pharaoh hardened his heart, and God helped him to get what he wanted as God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. People in the last days communicate to God that they want a lie by rejecting the truth of God when it is revealed to them, and God will give them the lie they told Him they wanted, and they will believe the lie of the antichrist. (2^nd Thessalonians 2:8–12) People close their eyes to God’s truth, and God will help them in the process, and He will close their eyes! (Isaiah 29:10–11; Matthew 13:15) Once again, we all might do well to ask ourselves what it is that our lives are actually telling God that we want! We all might need to ask ourselves, is there any area in our life where we are willfully rejecting truth that has been revealed to us?

Note also in today’s reading, that one of the most admirable qualities David possessed was how he regarded GOD’s authority in his life, and how that translated into how he regarded MAN’S authority in his life. Samuel had anointed David king while Saul still held the office. David, however, never manifested a sense of entitlement; he never directly or indirectly sought to undermine the king’s authority; neither did he seek to rally followers to stage any type of insurrection against Saul’s regime. Though God had promised to deliver Saul into David’s hand, David made for absolute certain that that deliverance would not come from his own hand! On several occasions, David articulated that he would “not stretch forth his hand against the Lord’s anointed.” (1^st Samuel 24:6; 26:9, 11, 23) In other words, regardless of his own anointing, as long as God allowed the previously anointed king to sit on the throne, David wasn’t going to be party to any action to remove him. David operated off of biblical principles that, at that time, were yet to be recorded in God’s word: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1), and “He hath made every thing beautiful in his time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

In chapter 27, David puts himself into another precarious situation, this time by taking refuge in enemy territory, and ends up lying to the king. Chapter 28 is another sad chapter in the Bible, and yet another of the sad chapters in Saul’s life. When we first met him in 1^st Samuel chapter 9, Saul “STOOD…higher than any of the people.” (9:2; 10:23) God had set before him a future that was incredibly bright and promising. By chapter 28, however, he has “STOOPED” lower than any of the people. (28:14) He is literally on his face in front of a demonically-empowered witch, asking her to help him know his future because God was no longer communicating with him or to him. Oh, the depths to which sin can take us! Saul asks her to call up Samuel from the dead, and surprisingly enough, Samuel does appear to Saul! It was even surprising to the witch and, by the sound of her voice (28:12), even freaked her out!

This passage, as you can imagine, has been the subject of many theological discussions and debates. Perhaps the simplest explanation for what actually happened with Samuel’s appearance to Saul is that he was there, not because of the witch’s power, but because God sent him there to deliver a message that He wanted Samuel to deliver to him.

The account of the death of Saul is also the subject of considerable debate. The debate centers around the fact that there appears to be two contradictory accounts of how it actually happened. In 31:4–6, the account reveals that after being wounded in battle, Saul fell on his own sword and took his own life before the enemy was able to taunt him and/or torture him. However, in 2^nd Samuel 1:2–10, the account the Amalekite reports to David is that Saul had fallen on his own sword, and though he was greatly wounded, Saul was convinced that his injury wasn’t going to kill him, so he asked the Amalekite to “finish the job,” as it were. The Amalekite tells David that he personally believed that Saul was going to die from his self-inflicted wound, so he saw no harm in putting Saul “out of his misery”, so to speak.

So, which account is right? Is this actually a contradiction in the Bible?

Let’s be clear. If this is a contradiction in our Bible, the best thing any of us could do is close our Bible right now and never open it again! Then, we ought to take this tool, the “365 Days of Pursuit”, and use it as kindling for our next bonfire, spending as much time as is necessary trying to find something productive to do with our lives that makes us happy, because the reality is we’re all in a lurch! (1^st Corinthians 15:32) If this is a contradiction, then the entire Bible is a sham, and nothing more than a worthless piece of unreliable literary trash! It is not the word of God, but is, in fact, the words of men! In other words, it is the exact opposite of what 1^st Thessalonians 2:13 says it is!

Obviously, these two accounts of Saul’s death are NOT a contradiction in the Bible because there are NONE! As in these two accounts, there sometimes may be “apparent contradictions” in the Bible, but there are NO contradictions! It is in very fact, the perfect, inspired, infallible, inerrant word and words of God! (Proverbs 30:5–6; 1^st Thessalonians 2:13) The “apparent contradictions” that are in the Bible can usually be unraveled by simply employing basic reasoning skills, and/or by simply comparing Scripture with Scripture. (1^st Corinthians 2:13) In this particular “apparent contradiction,” the answer is very simply that the story that the Amalekite told David in 2^nd Samuel 1 was simply a fabrication. He may have concocted the whole story to make him look heroic in the eyes of David, and/or to give explanation for why he had Saul’s crown and arm band in his possession. His fabrication, however, ended in his death. (2^nd Samuel 1:15)

Perhaps the best way to summarize the book of 1^st Samuel is for us to hypothetically take a sheet of paper and divided into two columns. At the top of the first column, we would title it: “What NOT to do.” At the top of the second column, we would title it: “What TO DO.” In the first column, we would explain the lives of two key characters: Eli and Saul. In the second column, we would explain the lives of two other key characters: Samuel and David. That is basically the practical essence of the entire book. The beautiful thing about our God, is that He graciously allows us the privilege of choosing the column from which we will conduct our lives!

If someone were to read a written account of our lives over the past several years, like we have done with these four men in 1^st Samuel, would they place us in the “What TO DO” column, or the “What NOT to do” column?

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

Through the URIM, which was used to determine God’s will — 1^st Samuel 28:6 (Hebrews 1:1–2 – Today, Christ speaks to us, to reveal His will, through His Spirit as we read His word. God… “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son…” Hebrews 1:2)

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:

After escaping from Achish in yesterday’s reading, chapter 22 begins with David entering the cave called Adullam. When news travels as to his whereabouts, it’s interesting that the “down and outers” fled to where he was. They are described in 22:2 as those in distress, in debt, and/or discontented. David became somewhat of a makeshift leader of over 400 of them initially, the number soon growing to about 600! (23:13) As the old saying goes, “Misery loves company!” David could certainly relate to their situation and they could certainly relate to his! David cries out to the Lord in song during this time, and the songs are recorded in Psalm 54 and 142.

It is apparent that David is thinking that if Saul did end up killing him that he might well seek to do the same to his parents, so he seeks to bring them into the protective care of the king of Moab. That seemed a fitting place since David’s father’s grandmother, Ruth, was actually a Moabitess. After securing their protection, David exits to secure his own place of protection. God sends the prophet, Gad, to specifically tell David to get himself back into the land of Judah.

When Saul gets word of what David was doing and where he was headed, he is filled with rage against his own men and throws a little “pity-party” for himself. (22:7–8) He accuses them of conspiring against him, and berates them for not informing him of the covenant Jonathan had made with David sometime earlier. (18:3; 20:16)

Then, no doubt seeking to suck up to the enraged king, one of Saul’s key leaders, Doeg, tells Saul that David enquired of the Lord in Nob, then he went to Ahimilech the priest, and how Ahimilech had ministered to David. Saul commands his foot-soldiers to annihilate Ahimilech, and anyone there who was wearing a priestly garment, but they refused to kill them. Saul then commanded Doeg to do it, and by the time it was all said and done, he alone had killed 65 priests in cold blood. Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped with the “ephod” (an instrument used at this time through which God revealed His will) and went to inform David of the fate of his fellow priests of the house of Ahimelech. David tells Abiathar to stay with him, knowing that Saul would certainly seek to take his life.

In chapter 23, David gets word that the Philistines were fighting against God’s people in Keilah, and he immediately seeks to know the will of the Lord concerning smiting them. God unhesitatingly tells David to go for it! David’s men, however, wanted confirmation from the Lord about it, and God confirms that He would deliver them into their hands. Just as God had said, David and his men defeated them with a “great slaughter.” (23:5)

When Saul heard the news that David and his men were shut in the gated and barred city of Keilah, Saul is so spiritually disoriented that he viewed it as his “God-given” opportunity to put an end to David’s life. As David inquired of the Lord as to whether he should stay in the city and trust the people of Keilah to protect him, God reveals to him that he better get out of the city while he could! David departed into the wilderness of Zish and hid out in a mountain, as Saul sought daily to kill him.

At a time when David was tired, discouraged, and afraid, God used Jonathan to come out into the wilderness to where David was to speak words of encouragement to him. What a beautiful way 23:16 describes it: “And Jonathan…strengthened his (David’s) hand in God.” Oh, may God use each of us to carry out the ministry of strengthening the hand of those around us in God! Can you think of someone that could use that strengthening ministry from you today?

The Ziphites send word to Saul of David’s whereabouts, and conspire with Saul to help him find him. (23:19) As Saul is in hot pursuit of David (23:20–26), a messenger comes to Saul bearing news that he needed to return because the Philistines had invaded the land. (23:27–28) When David heard that Saul had departed, he made his safe haven a cave called Engedi. (23:29)

When Saul returns to seek David in chapter 24, Saul has brought 3000 soldiers with him that were constantly surrounding him. Saul, however, “just happens” to enter into the very cave where David and his men were hiding in the pitch darkness of the sides of the cave. He has entered the cave alone “to cover his feet”, as it were (an expression the men of that day used to refer to relieving themselves), and to take a short nap. Oh my, what an opportunity for David to finally be able to rid himself of his enemy! With all that David had faced in dealing with Saul’s rage, in our humanness, it would be hard to fault David had he taken advantage of this unbelievable twist of fate, as his enemy lay alone, unprotected, literally within arm’s length! David might well have interpreted this opportunity as God communicating to him the very thing David’s own good men were whispering in his ear, that this was THE DAY, and this was THE WAY, the Lord intended to deliver David from Saul’s irrational and unreasonable pursuit.

Though David was certainly tempted, David refused to listen to anything other than the clear message that there would be another time when God Himself would provide David’s deliverance from Saul, and his rise to the throne through events that only God Himself could orchestrate. David even worried that he had failed the spirit of the test by embarrassing the king by cutting off a small piece of his clothing to let him know that he could have killed him had he simply chosen to do so. Once again, David’s sensitive heart pleased God. Once again, may David’s sensitivity to the Lord’s perfect will for his life cause us to examine just how sensitive we are to carrying out the perfect will of God for our lives. God was able to use the realization that David had the perfect opportunity to take Saul’s life but refused, to appease Saul at least for the time being!

In Chapter 25, all of us who have worked for a bona fide, biblical “fool” take great hope. (Note that the name “Nabal” actually means “fool”! Like so many biblical characters, he certainly lived up to his name!) Abigail saves her “fool” of a husband, and for this God blesses her abundantly. Many would have thought themselves powerless to redirect an army like David’s, but Abigail was “a woman of good understanding” (25:3) who knew when to “make haste”! (25:18)

Through this passage we are reminded of the biblical principle and mandate that “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.” (Romans 12:19) David had trusted God in not taking out vengeance upon Saul, but was about to blow it by seeking vengeance against Nabal. God uses Abigail’s wise handling of the situation to avert David’s vengeance against her husband. Within a matter of two weeks, God had already exercised His vengeance against Nabal, and he was no more! Oh, may we learn to trust God to deal with the enemies that surround us, rather than seeking to deal with them ourselves in the power of the flesh!

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

By DAVID’S REFUSAL TO TAKE THE KINGDOM by force, or before God’s appointed time — 1^st Samuel 24:10–13 (John 6:15 – Our Lord Jesus Christ refused to become king of Israel until God’s appointed time.)

By ABIGAIL’S EFFORT TO MAKE PEACE between David and Nabal — 1^st Samuel 25:21–28 (2^nd Corinthians 5:19 — God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.)