Hill of Hachilah

1 Samuel 26

Saul would not amicably release his post as king; David would not forcefully take it. The position had been given to, then taken from Saul by God. The root reason why Saul would not cease his homicidal hunt for David is the same reason God revoked the kingship from him: Saul refused to heed God's counsel; a godly nation cannot be led by a godless king.

It was not because Saul was an imperfect person. All fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23. David was not an exception. David was imperfect. But David obeyed God. If Israel had a leader that obeyed God, they would be led into blessed places. The judgement with which their king would shape and define their nation would be informed by a perfect God.

Saul did not obey God, but losing the kingship was not a personal punishment so much as it was a divine tweak to ensure that the righteously led nation, born of Adam, Abraham, and Jacob would continue through generations. Generations that would carry scripture and this holy, wholly separate (from the way of the world), lifestyle straight to Jesus' birth and beyond. Changing the heart and life and world of countless multitudes.

Saul and three thousand men pursued David through the wilderness once again. Once again, God positioned David, the prey, to have the upper-hand. It would have been so easily, and presumably tempting, for David to end the seemingly ceaseless threat on his life. He could have committed the act and reasonably labeled it self-defense. Breathed his first breaths without constant vigilance for the enemy behind his shoulder. Instead, David chose to respect God's timeline. He chose to live longer as a hunted, innocent man because above all of that, he was a blessed man. A protected man. A man, by God, chosen to be king.

David's restraint should remind us of 1 Peter 5:10, in which we learn that our tribulations construct our character thus and prepare us for God's plan. Though terminal, Saul's position as king was sanctioned by God. David was humble enough to appreciate that it was not his authority to determine that end date, even if it meant further misery.

Is it not, in misery, that we either learn or abandon that which will determine the outcome of our situation? Is it not reasonable to see that David, while chased like a vole by a cat, had the opportunity to learn how to be king? He learned to seek counsel from God. He learned to take direction from God. He saw the state of the character of a person who had never learned those things. He witnessed how imperative it is to a nation that a king not cling to personal pursuits. He learned patience and perseverance. He learned how to lead; he learned how even a rag-tag army led, ultimately, by God very much renders the mightier army the underdog.

As there was no shortage of opportunity for growth for David, there is none for us. God is our provision and shelter as we are starved and rain upon by tribulation. We are students before his hearth even in cold and vulnerable physical, emotional states. If we allow ourselves to be. 

Saul did not. He was ashamed of himself. His desperation ate away at him, inside and out. He was a void; a bag of tumultuous wind. He lived as slave to his desire for status, power, wealth, ego. He lived in such a way that caused everything that mattered to him to die. Ashamed of himself, time and again, Saul refused to learn. He refused to abandon his plan, his methods, his timing and trade them for God's. 

Having gained entrance easily, and standing outside of a sleeping Saul's tent, David reprimanded Saul's men for their poor protection of their king. David refused to forcefully take the crown, he refused to inherit it by a lapse in an army's duty. It would be handed to him by God or he would not have it at all. Not out of ego, but humility. He would not take what God had not unequivocally determined to be his at the precise time the determined it.

And even Saul blessed David for this, and knew David would prevail over him. David's ability to place God over self was a testament even to Saul of strength not weakness. Trusting God is not inaction... it is the most active one can be. It is an internal restructuring of character, a battening of the hatches, as the world lashes and coaxes you to yield.

Are we not all David, hunted, prey to an adversary? Hunted by our own base instincts? Anger hopes to claim us. Desire, pride, greed. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us, in no uncertain terms, that our adversary prowls around, seeking to devour. Will be be devoured or we will be shaped by God? Can we withstand the growing pains, of resisting the adversaries of life, of exercising trust in God? For if we resist our adversary, it will flee, James 4:7.

Our adversary... the devil and everything that the word figuratively encompasses: Depression, disillusionment, anger, greed, arrogance, injustice, corruption, deception, danger...

How do we resist? We choose, in every moment and thought, interaction and act, what is sanctioned by God. Justice. Patience. Mercy. Discernment. Humility. Kindness. Wisdom. Harmlessness. Not to be doormat but a door, through which those who receive your righteous behavior might pass. In strength we resist when we yield not to the adversary but God, who is our strength most especially when we have none, 2 Corinthians 12:10.

We do not allow a hunter, an adversary,  (in any of its manifestations) to determine us prey. We are not prey, forced into hasty, scrappy, corrupt, hopeless or retaliatory behavior. We are children of God capable to repel whatever negative force in our life tries to lash and coax us away from righteous behavior and trust in God's choices and timing. We are not pieces moved haphazardly, we are not mere victims or byproducts of the bad things or people that happen to us, we are beloved and strategically placed by God when we allow ourselves to be, when we allow ourselves to see. To listen. To follow God to our precise place in His plan.

Hold Your Fire

1 Samuel 25

There was a prosperous sheep rancher named Nabal during the time of a sheep harvest. Nabal was married to a good, understanding and beautiful woman named Abigail but he was a churlish (rude, in a mean-spirited way) and evil man.

The sheep harvest was a time of abundance, feast and good-will traditions. For this reason, David felt that it would be a fair time to approach Nabal about a business matter. David sent ten men to greet Nabal and to deliver this message: (paraphrased) peace to you, your house and everything that you have. We have protected your sheep and your flock, (none went missing or were harmed) and now that it is the season for you to shear (thus make money from that flock) we request compensation for our protection.

Immediately Nabal mocked David, "Who is David?". It is unlikely that Nabal did not recognize David's name: David had several famous victories over the enemy Philistines. There were songs sung about David in the streets (1 Samuel 18:5-7). Nabal accused David of being a rebellious servant of the king. This was untrue, but even if Nabal had been misled to believe that David was rebellious, (more likely his greed attempted to avoid bills due), he owed David for a service performed. Instead, Nabal refused to give any food or water to David's camp, whom he declared strangers unworthy.

When David's ten men returned to him with Nabal's response, David's response was hot anger. He told his men to equip their swords. The first attempt to deal with Nabal, David sent an non-threatening, ten men with a message. This time, four hundred men would go with swords.

Pause here to consider David's response. It was a violent overreaction most probably due to ego. Innocents would die due an ill-received personal insult? We have so much to learn from the best of David, but we have just as much to learn from the worst of him. Bloodthirsty retaliation should not be in our toolkit. We will all be personally insulted. We will all receive unfair treatment. But how will we respond? Will we immediately sell ourselves as slaves to our temper? For our temper then will act hotly, hastily in a way that is no better than the initial affront!

The ancient context might make these concepts seem abstract, but though the world has changed much, humans not at all. It requires spiritual wisdom and strength to consistently respond to circumstances in life with grace and patience and even-temperament. We pray for God to avenge us on matters small and great... not out of malice or desire for harm on another person, but out of desire restoration on our behalf and correction for the one responsible for the affront.

Resuming the story: Nabal was an impossible man; he could not be reasoned with and his own servants knew it. They therefore explained the situation to Nabal's wife, Abigail. Abigail was reasonable. She listened. She gathered facts and witness statements. She determined the appropriate response and compensation. Nabal, the greedy, arrogant, hot-head, did none of this. He insulted David and the result, as Abigail was informed, would be disastrous. David and his men were on their way to settle the score.

Abigail hurried and collected hundreds of loaves of bread, bottles of wine, sheep, corn, raisons, and cakes of figs. She loaded these onto donkeys and sent her servants ahead of her (without her husband's knowledge or consent). As Abigail came down the hill on her donkey, she successfully intercepted David.

David was still angry; he said: (paraphrased) it seems that everything I have done for Nabal was in vain; he returned me evil for good. Therefore, God should return evil to Nabal and everything that belongs to him. Abigail jumped down from her donkey and ran to meet David. She bowed down to the ground in front of David and began an earnest apology. She explained that Nabal was a fool (in fact, that is the etymology of his name) and that she was not there to receive his ten men and arrange appropriate compensation. She took responsibility, and implored David to consider her interception as God withholding him from bloodshed, from avenging himself with his own hand.

She asked for forgiveness and revealed that she had brought compensation for David. But more than that, Abigail, seems to have been sent by God to cool David down and prevent him from an action he would surely regret. She lauded David for his success and blessing (all due to his righteous character). She knew, and reminded David, that God would establish him as king. And as king, would David want, on his conscience, this bloodthirsty response to Nabal's insult?

Do not be so egotistical as to require instant retaliation, none among us are exempt from injustice. Why tarnish or prevent good work done in yourself? We pray to God for blessing. Blessing comes with responsibility. It requires character. How tragic, to receive a blessing long prayed for only to realize it is undeserved! What torment, to live with a guilty conscience. Allow God to be your Abigail, your wise counsel. The one who intercepts you from doing something you will regret. Instead of instant emotional and physical reaction, pause and consult God. Allow Him to reveal an objective picture, the greater picture. Exercise restraint. You will respond wisely, appropriately when you do so.

Finally, David cooled. He blessed God for sending Abigail to him; he blessed the advice and Abigail, for preventing him from bloodshed and selfish vengeance. He admitted that without the intervention, he would have killed Nabal and his men. He accepted all that she brought him and encouraged her to return home safely. So she did; she returned to find Nabal feasting and drunk. In the morning, when he was sober, Abigail told him everything. Nabal's heart turned into stone, his heart died and so did Nabal. The Lord avenged David and caused Nabal to die.

When David heard about Nabal's death, he expressed gratitude to God for avenging him. This may seem somewhat drastic. Did Nabal deserve to die for insult and refusal to pay for a service rendered? It seems like the answer is: no. In previous chapters, God gave David permission to kill men. David was a soldier and many enemies died at his hand, his orders. Yet God held David back from killing Nabal and his men. Is the difference the personal nature of the insult? Perhaps yes, Jesus taught us to not retaliate against personal affronts (Matthew 5:43-48). As children of God, we are encouraged to allow God to balance the scales of justice in our personal lives.

And maybe the reason why God enabled Nabal to swiftly die of natural causes was because of previous, greater offenses. At the start of the chapter, it was explained that Nabal was churlish and evil in his doings. Nabal was guilty of lifelong, repeated offenses devoid of repentance. He also served as a literal and symbolic barrier to God's plan. Despite his imperfection, David was a faithful man of God and during his lifetime, he would progress the kingdom. Evil cannot thwart this greater purpose. But also, on an individual scale, God's children can count on Him to defend them and mete out justice, judgment on their behalf.




As an aside (because it is included in the chapter, albeit briefly), David then took the widowed Abigail as his wife. This seems prudent, as Abigail was a good and faithful woman. She could provide David wise counsel and he had established a precedent for actually taking it. But, David then took another wife. And technically, David already had a wife: Saul's daughter, Michal (though Saul had taken her away and remarried her to someone else). David's infatuation with women, certainly with one woman, would result in the worst mistake of his life... but that is a sermon for another time.

Least in the Kingdom

1 Samuel 24

Hunted by the king, David fled from home to wilderness after wilderness, to cave after cave. God chose David to replace Saul, but Saul would not acquiesce. He did not want to relinquish the throne. His infatuation with the power and status of the role overtook his character and his responsibilities as a king and man. Entirely out of alignment with (the freedom of) God's will, Saul was enslaved by his own. God's will is freedom because it releases us from a task that is too big for us. Without God, we are not equipped to manage the demands of life. 

Our bodies consistently want things that do not fulfill our spirit. Unchecked desire is torment. The only peace, the only true form of freedom is found in alignment with the will of God. When we relinquish control to Him two major changes occur, we: (1) release anxiety and discontentment and despair (2) adopt trust, hope and joy. This happens because a relationship with God is built on an understanding of His character and faithful nature over time. He is wisdom! He is justice! He is meticulously generous.

Saul nearly foamed at the mouth with the desire to kill David. But Saul had once loved David and David was innocent of crime, so happened? Saul stopped, or perhaps never started, to seek fulfilment of the spirit. He chose to serve his body rather than God. And his body, like our bodies, want selfish, void things like power and prominence. It is not our body's natural inclination to readily agree with or even understand Jesus' statement in Luke 9:48, "... he that is least among you all, the same shall be great." Only through joyful subservience to God can we accept and even thrive in the concept that as the least we are the greatest version of ourselves.

Understand that by "least" Jesus did not mean unseen, unheard, unloved. We are seen, heard and deeply loved by God, even in our imperfection. God distributes spiritual gifts to each person (1 Corinthians 12:1-11) in divine assurance of individuality. Nobody is least important; each member is a crucial appendage of the whole body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).

By "least" Jesus meant that we should endeavor to develop inherent selflessness. With complete faith that God will provide what we need, we can focus on what others need. We can follow Matthew 6:33 in faith that life lived in accordance with God's will will provide all that we need. And if we live with that faith, we do not have to live selfishly. We do not have to constantly try to procure things or elevate ourselves to feel relevant or worthy of some obscure status society has set. Instead, we can roll up our selves and do the work of God. Every day, with every interaction. 

The alternative is to devolve into some version of Saul. So obsessed with worldly status that every role and relationship held is destroyed. Unconcerned with the life's greater purpose: a vapid, tormented life. The shiniest stone in a pathway God plans to melt and pave over. Relevance in the Kingdom of Righteous, born of humble productivity on Earth, is the only worthwhile status. Anything else is a varying degree of superficiality.

Regardless of Saul's resistance, God would remove him from the throne. God enabled David escape Saul several times; but this time, David had the opportunity to capture (and kill) Saul. David had arguable reason to seek revenge on Saul, and even to kill him: Saul had attempted to murder him on several occasions (self-defense), murdered innocents who associated with David (justice), and forced him to leave his home, wife and hard-won reputation behind (restitution).

David crouched in the cave, unseen by Saul, in complete control of the situation and with Saul wholly vulnerable. Goaded by his men to finally take revenge! David stood and slashed at Saul's... robe, then felt instant regret. Instant regret not because of his restraint but because of his lack of it. David regretted raising his weapon at all. In those moments, Saul exited the cave.

David did not believe that it was his right to harm Saul, as he had been anointed by God as king. That role had since been given to someone else, David himself, but that did not make it David's duty to dispose of him. David held his men back from attacking Saul. David allowed Saul to leave, then he followed. This was David's opportunity to speak to Saul, (paraphrased): 

Where did you hear that I wanted to harm you? The Lord put you right in front of me, my men urged me to kill you, but I spared you. See, I have a piece of your clothing in my hand. I cut it off but did not kill you. Now you can see and know that I plot no evil toward you and have not sinned against you... yet you hunt my soul to take it. The Lord can judge between us, and he can avenge me, but I will not harm you. For as the ancient proverb states, wickedness proceeds from the wicked. But my hand will not harm you. After whom does the king of Israel come? After a dead dog, after a flea. The Lord therefore be judge, and plead my cause, and save me from you.

David's words stunned Saul to a moment of clarity and shame, (paraphrased): 

Is this you, my son David? Saul wept. You are more righteous than I am, you have rewarded me good when I have rewarded you evil. Today is proof you have be kind to me, the Lord brought me to you, but you did not kill me. For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go away unharmed? The Lord will reward you good for your choices today. Now I know that you will surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. Promise me that you will not kill my family after my death, or destroy my family name.

David promised and Saul went home.

We learn from David to let the Lord avenge us. We do not need to resort to evil behavior to restore justice to our lives. We need only to, like David, relinquish control, to allow God's will to supersede our own. Saul resisted and fought God's will... and lost the kingdom. David subjected himself to it... and won the kingdom. 

How was David least in this situation? If he even felt it at all, he suppressed the bodily desire: to avenge himself, to remove a serious and dangerous threat to his life; to oust the person who stood in the way of his promotion. If it was God's will that he remain in the wilderness and Saul to (for now) remain on the throne, David would not protest. He had enough ease of mind in God's ultimate plan, enough presence of mind, to resist a wicked, hasty, selfish action. Least in that he did what was right rather than what seemed most immediately beneficial to him.

Accommodate God

1 Samuel 23:6-29

To the point of ruthless delirium, Saul was infatuated with power and status. It caused him to disregard God, neglect his responsibilities and harm the people he cared about. We have as much to learn from him as we do from David. Similar to David, Saul came from humble beginnings and was an unlikely choice for king. But he lacked a heart for God and thus got swept up by the world.

In Matthew 16:25, Jesus stated: For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? 

Saul never lost his life for God. He gained, gained, gained but never dedicated any of it, and certainly not his soul, to God or His purposes. Our individual agenda should always be secondary, (or even better: altogether irrelevant,) to God's plan.

The notable difference between Saul and David: David dedicated himself to be a servant of God's will; Saul dedicated himself to his own will, and thereby enslaved himself to his desires. Had he relied on and learned from God, Saul would have been able to overcome the selfishness, hostility, jealousy, ego and all other character flaws and corrupt tendencies and bad inclinations that he had.

David loved and was obedient to the Lord and the Lord protected David; despite Saul's dogged efforts to kill him, David continually escaped. And David's continual dependence on God allowed him to cling to the best of himself. He was able to overcome the emotions he, reasonably, could have felt: anger, despair, retaliatory. 

The same was true for David's best friend, Saul's son, Jonathan. According to tradition, Jonathan was supposed to be king after Saul. Instead, God chose David. Jonathan loved the Lord and chose to celebrate David as God's chosen. Jonathan loved his best friend and God more than status, power or tradition of the world. He trusted God to distribute justice, to alter his life to accommodate His plan, even if it meant he would never have the power or status he grew up thinking would be his.

Saul pursued David through the wildernesses of Ziph and Maon and onto a mountain. Saul and his men were one side, David and his on the other. Saul's men surrounded David; he was trapped. Then suddenly came a messenger to Saul: the Philistines had rerouted to continue their attack on the city David had just defended. Saul had to abandon David, disassemble his trap of men, and turn to fight the Philistines. Once again, God provided David escape.

Save Keilah

1 Samuel 23:1-5

David is informed of an enemy attack on a city in the lowlands of Judah. Recently escaped from the homicidal king, David is, seemingly, in no position to answer this threat. He has at this point amassed a small army, but they lack the number, might and experience of the king’s army. However, unlike the king, David is not distracted by selfish pursuits. The defense of Judah is his priority, immediately after his first priority: obedience to God. It is why God chose David as the king's imminent replacement.

Before action, strategy or even fear, David’s reaction to crisis is to consult God: Shall I go and smite these Philistines? Imagine if our first response to a crisis was to turn to God, as if He were visible in the room, to shift our eyes from the messenger to God, leaving no room for fear in split second trust in God and say: what are my orders? A spiritual soldier's question to the Righteous General.

David received his response from God in a somewhat less subtle manner than we generally seem to receive ours; His response was immediate and definitive: Go and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah. But David’s relationship with God was strong; since he was a boy facing a giant, David had undiluted faith in God’s goodness and ability. 

Practically, the more likely we are to follow God’s advice, the more likely He will be to give it. And as sure as God spoke the answer to David, He will place His answer in our heart, gut, mind, soul. Faith in Him and reason within the parameters of His righteous way, will provide the clear response we yearn to have.

Despite having only a rag-tag, and rather small, assemblage of people (that could only generously be labeled an army), God’s affirmative answer was enough for David to commit to the cause. It was not enough for David’s men. They felt their insufficiency, keenly; they were not confident even within their stronghold, never mind out in lowland city against a trained and ruthless army. And so for them, David returned to counsel with God and received the reassurance his tiny, haphazard army wanted: Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

It seemed not to have occurred to David to ask God if he would win; he seemed only to wonder if he should go. In previous chapters, David scoffed at the idea that God could ever lose; that invites us to believe that David knew, by the Hand of God, he and his small army would defeat the Philistines; he did not need to hear God explicitly say it. But maybe it invites us to believe something else, too… perhaps the outcome did not matter to David. Perhaps God saying: arise, go, meant that the journey, adventure, trial would be worthwhile.

In a sense, spoken directly to our souls at conception, at birth, and as we grow and enter new stages, new phases of life, God says: arise, go. And it does not matter so much, the outcome, because if our eyes are fixed on God, the journeys, the adventures, the trials will be worthwhile. If, like David, our instinct is to consult God in the split second after life-altering news and circumstance (and even in the small or general stuff), we can rely on God to guide, protect and provide. Fixed on God, every moment and interaction is a blessed lesson and therefore no day, no journey is a waste. Every day, we are better equipped to arise and go at it… if we trust like David.

Plenty of us trust like David’s men; we will go if victory is ensured. In David’s heart, with God, victory is assured… whether or not it is the victory we anticipated. Almost none, maybe actually none of us think: “Hey, I think I’ll try this new job! Maybe I’ll fall on my face and maybe this whole thing will blow up in my face cause me to learn so much about myself and life that I’ll come out wiser and more productive than ever! With more faith and gratitude than ever!” Or, “I think I’ll become a parent so that it will completely alter life-as-I-know-it and force me to learn selflessness and resilience like I never imagined!”

Of course not. Instead, we think: “Hey, I think I’ll try this new job. I could make more money than ever. I can make my own hours. I won’t be micromanaged. I won’t have to deal with the problems of my current job anymore… etc. etc.” Or, “I want to have a boy/girl! I won’t make the same mistakes my parents made. I’ll have a ballerina. I’ll have a soccer player. I won’t let my kid overuse technology. Won’t it be so fun to have a little you, or a little me?”

How many of us instead pray: “Dear God, please catalyze the life-trials that will better my character and ultimately result in the life you want for me.”? And yet, that is the very reason why we are here.

 

Maybe David never specifically prayed that either but he was prepared for it… for whatever outcome, if God chose the path. He was prepared to live life in obedient service to God, as a conscientious student of God, with fervent love and ardent faith in Him. We render any outcome a victory if we live in such a way.

David and his men went to Keilah and saved the people. God clinched the victory. When circumstances arise, ask God to chart you through or away from them as He sees fit. To Him be deeply connected; together you will actively love thereby save so many, while He actively loves and saves you, if you consistently ask for and follow, trust God's counsel.

Cave of Adullam

This sermon: 1 Samuel 21; 1 Samuel 22

ACTIONS, CHOICES HAVE IMPACT AND CONSEQUENCE

1 Samuel 21:1-9; 1 Samuel 22:6-23

Saul pursued David in effort to kill him. David fled Saul in haste. He had no time to plan, no time to pack supplies or weapons. This period of David's life was as much a beginning, perhaps more, as was his confrontation of Goliath. For in this period of his life, David would learn and grown in full dependence on God. Up until this point, David had every reason to trust God. Life had only ever went well for him: he was chosen out of six other brothers and countless men as Israel's next king, beloved and celebrated by the people, feared by his enemies, supported by his best friend and wife. Deep down, was David still that humble boy who trusted God enough to slay a giant?

Initially, David scrambled. He left his whole life behind in a hurry; if he wanted to keep his life, he was forced to leave without a plan. He fled to a placed called Nob to see a man named Ahimelech, a minister of God's temple. David needed food. Immediately, Ahimelech was confused. It was strange to see David without company. Important in society as David had become, he no longer traveled alone.

David lied. He pretended that he had been sent on stealth mission by king Saul. He pretended that his men were hidden in specific locations. David then requested bread from Ahimelech. Ahimelech explained that he only had the holy bread, bread set aside for communion with God but that he would give some of the old, replaced, holy bread to David.

David thought he was conducting this business in secret, but as he requested a weapon from Ahimelech, an enemy overheard. Doeg, from Edom, the chief herdsmen for Saul watched as Ahimelech handed David the sword of Goliath the Philistine. David took it, "there is none like that; give it to me." From there, David fled. And so did Doeg, to Saul.

Furious and desperate to find David, Saul harassed his men for their loyalty to David. But Doeg stepped forward with news. He reported his sighting of David in Nob with Ahimelech. Saul summoned Ahimelech and accused him, "why have you conspired against me?" But David had lied to Ahimelech; when he helped David, he thought David was acting on Saul's orders. Ahimelech told Saul that he was unaware that David had lied, that Saul was in pursuit of David, but Saul still decided to punish Ahimelech. He ordered his men to kill him.

But Saul's servants would not kill Ahimelech. Saul had lost his mind; he was supposed to closely follow God, to uphold His commandments in the kingdom, but instead had made an order to murder innocent men of God. Even his servants knew better than to do it. But when Saul ordered Doeg to kill the innocent men, Doeg did so without hesitation.

ACCOUNTABILITY AND REPENTENCE DEVELOP CHARACTER

1 Samuel 21:1-9; 1 Samuel 22:6-23

Eighty-five innocent men were killed not just because of Saul's ruthless evil, but because of David's lie. A man named Abiathar escaped to find David, to tell him what had happened. When David heard, he admitted his guilt. He had seen Doeg that day, and knew that he would tell Saul. He admitted fault: his actions contributed to the death of all those people, Abiathar's family. David promised to protect Abiathar. David made a grave mistake but held himself accountable for it; and began to make what reparations he could. Two qualities that will serve any of us when we make mistakes.

It is important that we rely on God, especially in desperation. It cannot be escaped that the righteous sometimes die, on earth, at the hand of the unrighteous. The righteous will at times be harmed in some way by the actions of the unrighteous. But as children of God, it is our responsibility to consider how our actions might perpetuate that.

David did not need the bread; God would provide (Matthew 4:4). David did not need Goliath's sword, he needed to equip the sword of the Lord (Ephesians 6:17). David was about to be king; he needed to learn how to be responsible for the people. He needed to learn how to provide for the people. All of that wisdom and ability could only come from dependence on God. He needed to learn this lesson as a lonely man in the wilderness before his mistakes affected a vast multitude.

GOD IS OUR REFUGE

1 Samuel 22:1-5; Psalm 57

David departed and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Within the book of Samuel, we do not hear much from David's heart about this time... but do from the book of Psalms. In Psalm 57, we can understand why God chose David as the next king and described him as a man after God's own heart. From his place of despair, David spoke, praised and prayed to God:

1 Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. 2 I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. 3 He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. 4 My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. 5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; let thy glory be above all the earth. 6 They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.7 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. 8 Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early. 9 I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: I will sing unto thee among the nations. 10 For thy mercy is great unto the heavens, and thy truth unto the clouds. 11 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: let thy glory be above all the earth.

God is our refuge, whether we are in a cave or a palace. Literally, and figuratively. He is the haven in which consult, and are ministered by, Him. Our prayer, our communication with Him is essential! Our relationship with Him is built in the personal moments, in the refuge of communion with Him on a moment-by-moment, day-to-day basis. We learn from His wisdom, we are guided by His steps, we are protected by His arms, we are sustained by His love and righteousness, we are saved by His grace.

AN EFFECTIVE LEADER FOLLOWS GOD

1 Samuel 22:1-5

David's family met him in the cave of Adullam. And then, unexpectedly, many others arrived. People who were in debt, people who were discontented. David foreshadowed Jesus' arrival, His leadership over the despairing multitudes. David became a captain over them, about four hundred men. David would learn to lead, as a leader who followed God; to be a captain over whoever God chose. David was not perfect, but he loved God and learned to lean on him at all times.

God sent a prophet to direct David out of the cave to the land of Judah. David listened and let himself by directed by God.

Go In Peace

1 Samuel 20

GO IN PEACE

1 Samuel 20:1-42

King Saul was determined to kill David. Due to his own disobedience, God revoked the kingdom from Saul. When Saul realized that David was God's chosen to take his place, Saul began to resent David. Saul's repeated, attempted murder caused much strife within David and even with Saul's own son, Jonathan. David was innocent, and had only ever helped and cared about Saul, his family and the kingdom. He did not deserve to be targeted for murder; he did not deserve to be forced into exile. Nevertheless, Saul's ruthless pursuit made it necessary. 

While at dinner, King Saul inquired after David's absence. When he found out that David had been allowed out of his sight, he raged! He even attempted to kill Jonathan, his son. Jonathan then, passed a message on to David: he must flee, permanently. Jonathan and David, who loved each other as deeply as brothers, said their goodbyes. Jonathan told David to "go in peace."

We are sometimes reluctant to leave situations, opportunities, or relationships. We resist and resent the circumstances that do not seem fair to us. But we can learn from Jonathan and David here to go in peace, to accept that God will move us around the board, so-to-speak, to ultimately put us in the position we need to be in to triumph. A step backward or sideways is actually a step forward when God determines it is necessary. It was not an easy decision, David had to leave his whole life behind, his family, and seemingly, all of the progress he had made in life.

As we will see, David is about to enter the most crucial stage of his life. In the wilderness, in flight from Saul, David will strengthen and hone the faith that made him central to the Bible. The faith that will rescue Israel from the faithless king before him, the faith that will invite God to protect Israel from the masses of enemies around it.

Our crucial stage in life is within our own wilderness, too. Under the pressure of injustice, grief, or whatever our struggle is, is where we build the faith to follow God out of it. We mine resources in that place with faith as our pickaxe and we leave it with refined material, the character and faith that we need to reach God's highest potential for us. But we have to be willing to go in peace, to leave the situation, opportunity or relationship that just is not meant to be.

If God wanted David to remain in the kingdom at that time, nothing could have forced him out. Trust that God will not allow you to be moved from a place He wants you to stay. If it isn't right, do not force it, do not fight it. Pray always for direction from God. 

The Innocent Party

1 Samuel 19

REMAIN THE INNOCENT

1 Samuel 19:1-17

King Saul began to plot against David's life. He even told his son and servants that they should kill David. But David had the protection of God, the love of his friends, and respect from the people. He was faithful to God, a brave and capable soldier, and most importantly: he was innocent. Saul wanted his successor to die, not David specifically. Saul had once greatly loved David, and remembrance of that love left him conflicted. One day he would try to kill David, the next he would swear not to kill David. 

Yet it did not matter whether Saul decided to kill David or not because David had protection from God. The tumult within Saul's spirit was a personal journey with God, important and instructional scripture itself, but it would not block or ever deter God from placing His chosen on the throne. 

Another attempt at David's life evaded, he arrived home just to realize that Saul's messengers were on their way to take David. Michal, David's wife, urged him to flee for his life; David followed her advice and she used tricks to buy him time when the messengers arrived.  But David's decision to flee was not made from fear. He chose not to kill Saul; He chose not to defend himself. He chose to let God defend and protect him.

Moreover, David cared about Saul. Despite having plenty reason to hate him, David did not want to harm him. He remained innocent; God is a buckler to them that walk uprightly, Proverbs 2:7. God supports the righteous. This particular matter is life and death, but the lesson can be applied to less dire issues. We do not need to return evil for evil; rudeness for rudeness; impatience for impatience. It requires effort, it requires spiritual fortitude, but always endeavor to be the innocent party.

(We must note that David did not hang around to be abused and murdered by Saul. He left and, we will see, relied heavily upon God and prayer to preserve him. In our effort not to copy the bad behavior of our enemy, we are not choosing to allow it.  Also remember that there is precedent and support of self-defense in the Bible).

GODS PLAN CANNOT BE DERAILED 

1 Samuel 19:19-24

David fled, and escaped, and went to Samuel (the prophet through which God chose David as Saul's successor). Saul pursued David even there. He sent three sets of messengers, three separate times, to capture and kill David. Each time, the messengers abandoned their mission. The Spirit of God set upon each set of messengers and caused them to prophesy. After three failed attempts, Saul traveled to David himself. But when he arrived, the Spirit of God set upon even Saul and even Saul prophesied! Against his own agenda!

Not for the first or last time in scripture, we see that even enemies of God bow to His plans. No matter how mighty, no matter how numerous, no matter how clever or determined their own will, each bend to God's will. In Matthew 8:29, two evil spirits came into the presence of Jesus and quaked: "And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?"

Note that God's enemy is afraid of him, is aware that their destruction is imminent, inevitable, scheduled. The text does not say particularly what was prophesied, but we know the main point: David would be king. We have a choice: align our minds and behavior with God's will, which will not be derailed, or plot and flail and condemn ourselves with our own crooked agenda which will be.

Wise In the Word

1 Samuel 18

TO FOLLOW GOD IS TO BE LED INTO NEW PLACES

1 Samuel 18:1-4

There is an easy-to-misunderstand message in Luke 14:26-28. Jesus explains that a person can only ever follow Him if they are willing to put him first. Our first priority must be Jesus, above everyone else, even our family. (Understand that to put Jesus first is to put your family in the best position they can possibly be in)! The reason a person must put Jesus first is because often, His itinerary and His word is in direct contradiction to what is planned and said around us. Reflect on Jesus' life: he often taught people the opposite of what they had been told before. If you do not put Jesus first, you might resist to enter new places. You might waver on His commands.

David left his old life behind. A shepherd, the youngest son of eight was absorbed into another household. It was necessary that David accepted this. It was all part of God's process to position David as Israel's next king. Indeed God called David into an unfamiliar place but He provided the comfort he would need to settle there. David and King Saul's son, Jonathan, became brothers. From Jonathan, David received a bond stronger than any he had with anyone else, even his own brothers. Essentially, Jonathan (who in previous chapters revealed himself to be a man of great faith) accepted David as the adopted-son of Saul, the heir to the throne, so-to-speak. 

WISE BEHAVIOR CLIMBS RANKS

1 Samuel 18:5-7

It may be difficult to see how single interactions can add up to anything substantial. We are encouraged in scripture to be patient, to be merciful, to be wise, to be harmless, to have compassion; we think about those things as big, general ideas. But actually they are each advice to guide us properly through each interaction that we have each hour. When we behave wisely (wise in the word and way of God) we a drawn up into new ranks.

Such was the case for David. Wherever Saul sent him, he behaved wisely. His behavior revealed that his character was capable to command armies. David was accepted by God, by the king, by the king's people, and by the people. They sang and danced in the streets after his defeat of their enemy. They each heaped responsibility onto his shoulders, and he could handle it, because he lived in accordance with God's will.

A FRIEND TO GOD INHERITS HIS ENEMIES

1 Samuel 18:8

David's behavior made him a friend to many. But King Saul began to see his fate unfold; the kingdom had been stripped from him by God due to his faithlessness. Saul had been disobedient to God, unwise in his behavior, and it became clearer and clearer to him that David was God's replacement. Jealousy and anger began to fester within Saul.

If a person truly wishes to follow Jesus, to stand for God, their faith must be pure. If the fawning crowds and the songs in the streets is what actually draws a person to the cause of Christ, they will be met with a swift and harsh surprise! Remember that in-between the crowds that grabbed for Jesus and kissed His feet were powerful, manipulative enemies who absolutely hated Him and tried thwart Him at every turn. If a person is "in it" to be served, rather than to serve, they will meet the same fate as Saul. 

David was poised to step into royalty, power, and wealth. But with that, he inherited nations of enemies. Satan himself was after Jesus, and anyone in His line. No one should ever feel discouraged from being a friend-to-God; those who truly love and trust Him will be eager to defy God's enemies! And they will trust that they can indeed resist them, having submitted to God, because God as told them so: James 4:7.

DO NOT RESIST WHAT GOD WILLS

1 Samuel 18:9-12

For Saul to leave his post with any dignity, he should have acquiesced to God's plan. Instead, he allowed jealousy and stubborn resistance to turn him into a monster, a monster against a person he genuinely greatly loved (1 Samuel 16:21). 

Jesus taught us to make God's plan our first priority for situations like this. God is the hero of the story; if we are removed from our post because God has chosen a more efficient way, then let our last service to the kingdom be humble acceptance of His plan. In doing so, we will find redemption, we will be given new purpose wherein we can further serve God. God battles the powers and principalities of great evil, must he also battle us? Will we require Him to trek through our own insubordination?

Twice, Saul threw his javelin at David and attempted to murder him... to thwart God's plan to replace him. Twice, he failed. Saul's selfish fears were confirmed; David was God's choice; God protected David from Saul. The Lord was with David. Saul threw his javelin with far greater passion than he ever served the Lord with. He lamented his loss of status more than the loss of God.

GOD PESEVERES YOU THROUGH SNARES THROWN IN YOUR PATH

1 Samuel 18:13-19

The spear did not work, so Saul tried to throw snares in David's path. He sent David away to battles and hoped that he would die. But David remained wise in the word of God and God remained with David. All of Israel and Judah came to love David, their champion. The more the people loved David, the more Saul resented him. Saul failed to kill David, so he continued to send David into battles for the enemy to kill.

God continued to persevere David through each battle; Saul duplicitously promised marriage to his daughter to David if David would continue to fight the Lord's battles. Saul hoped never to have to follow through with this promise. Yet David was humbled by Saul's offer: "Who am I, and what is my life,... that I should be son in law to the king?" David fought and won valiantly, but Saul reneged his promise and marriage his daughter to a different man.

Saul failed once again, however, for it was his other daughter, Michal, who loved David. Yet Saul tried to use this as another opportunity to ensnare David. David remained humbled to be considered eligible to be son in law to the king. To earn her as wife, Saul required one-hundred foreskins of the Philistines (an impossible task, Saul thought). David did not hesitate, he brought back two-hundred. Again, Saul had to admit that God was with David. David married Michal, and she loved him. His reputation continued to increase in esteem.

Psalm 2:1, Why do the heathen rage and the people plot in vain? Why indeed, for the wrath of the enemy of God is futile, and the plots against God's plan will fail. God will persevere us through our part in His plan when we remember that He is the hero of our story; if humbly, wisely serve, we will not forget, and we will always have a part.

Paw of the Bear

1 Samuel 17

ABSOLUTE FAITH IS THE ABSENCE OF FEAR

1 Samuel 17:1-30

The enemy army had a proposal: fight and defeat our fiercest soldier, win the battle. The King of Israel, Saul, and the tribes of Israel looked down from the mountain into the valley. They saw the Philistine, Goliath, and were 'dismayed and greatly afraid.'

Battle was imminent; there was not a soldier of Israel willing to face Goliath. From among the soldiers, Jesse sent his youngest son home to tend their sheep. Perhaps he was worried for his youngest son, perhaps he wanted him out of the way during the war, but unknowingly, he sent home the only person who was not afraid. David returned home to shepherd the family flock. Meanwhile, Goliath presented himself (and his offer) to the Israel army every morning and every evening for forty days.

Time passed and Jesse once again sent David on a mission: this time to bring provisions to his brothers in the army. Among the company of soldiers, David overheard camp-talk that whoever could defeat Goliath would win the favor of the king: riches, and marriage to his daughter, favor for his whole family. David stood in disbelief, he could not understand why soldiers had not jumped at the chance to face Goliath. Not only was the prize outstanding, the philistine in the way of it was no match for the 'living God.' 

No other person had thought in such a way. In fear, they immediately avoided the philistine's proposition. In an instant, each individual measured themselves against Goliath and foresaw defeat. But David, in an instant, measured Goliath against God and foresaw victory. And in an instant, his brothers and the people around him thought him a fool. His brothers called him prideful, reckless, nosy. David did not understand their harsh reaction; he never said that he could easily defeat Goliath, he said that God could. Why should we be afraid of anyone, any-thing as children of the living God?

FAITH IN THE FACE OF FEAR IS A TESTIMONY OF GOD

1 Samuel 17:31-37

In Matthew 15:7-11, Jesus spoke of hypocrites. He spoke of people whose mouths praised God but whose hearts did not. David is an example of the precise opposite: his heart praised God, evidenced by his lack of fear or intimidation of Goliath, and it flowed through his mouth. 'And when the words were heard which David spoke' they were told to King Saul.

King Saul sent for David. He was likely intrigued by the boldness of the words, perhaps even desperately hopeful, and wanted to hear them for himself. But when he saw David, that he was a youth, he lost whatever spark of intrigue or desperate hope he had. He told David that he was not able to defeat Goliath. This was not, technically, a false statement. Yet David presented his case, a testimony of God:

34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.37 David said moreover, The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the Lord be with thee. 

1 Samuel 17:34-37 

Duly note that David gave God credit for the victory. Moreover, he suggested that Goliath provoked a certain indignation. One man scared the whole army of Israel? Their fear would not be the testimony of God for it would be a false one. What does it say to others about God when we, people who claim to believe in Him, with our actions do not actually believe in Him at all? How could we ever draw people out of their fear and into the strength of God that way?

GOD IS YOUR ARMOR 

1 Samuel 17:38-40

David's testimony stirred Saul to action; the king began to arm his armourbearer. It foreshadowed what God had already prophesied: David would replace Saul as king. But the king's armor was not the protection David needed, for David wore the armor of God.

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: 18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ephesians 6:11-18

In fact, David decided not to bring the sword Saul gave him. He was not familiar with it, it would only be a burden. Instead, he brought the (above-mentioned) sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Indeed David planned to walk into the battle armed with trust in every word God has said. You do not need to be a master swordsman to fight on behalf of the Lord; God has given you gifts that through His might will accomplish the mission. David picked five smooth stones out of a nearby brook and put them in his humble shepherd's bag. He picked up his sling.

FAITH PLACES YOU IN A BATTLE GOD HAS ALREADY WON

1 Samuel 17:41-52

David stood in the valley, the massive philistine walked toward him. Goliath looked at David with distain; he was insulted that Israel had sent an adorable youth to face him. He was insulted that David had not brought a sword; he cursed him and challenged him to step forward to be killed, to be fed to the birds. It does not matter when a fierce enemy curses and promises certain defeat, for the angel of the Lord encamps around the believer who reveres Him in such a way that they fear no one else!

Unfazed by the brutal man, David spoke: "You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." (1 Samuel 17:45) David boldly told his enemy that his weapon was faith, his strength was God. Humbly, David explained even to the philistines that their might was no match for the least likely of Israel, if that least likely person showed up with God.

David continued:

46 This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. 

1 Samuel 17:46-47

Imagine the reactions of both armies as this young, adorable boy spoke these audacious words entirely undaunted! Perhaps with a smirk or a snarl, indignation at the insult, the Philistine arose and took his final steps toward him. David ran toward the enemy army, grabbed a stone from his bag, loaded his sling and shot it directly into the big man's forehead. The power of the Lord sunk it into Goliath's forehead and he fell on his face to ground. David ran forward once again, stood on the Goliath, took his sword and killed him with it.

The Philistine army, who had placed all confidence in Goliath, watched the youth  so efficiently, so effortlessly kill their fiercest champion... and fled. Ran for their lives. The Israel armor took off after them, finally emboldened enough to pursue the fleeing army. David had been emboldened to run toward them as the approached. They were brave when the enemy seemed weak; David was brave when the enemy seemed strong. Still, that faith-filled bravery was (is!) a testimony to the enemy as well as to the believers: the battle is the Lord's (1 Samuel 17:47).

FAITH INHERITS THE POWER OF GOD

1 Samuel 17:53-58

Israel returned from the battle, victorious. Saul watched David; he asked the captain of the guard: whose son is this youth? David had shown such nonchalance, unruffled feathers in the face of an enemy grown, battle-hardened men had feared. It was no wonder that Saul was shocked, awed and interested; surely he could not have been the only one! No wonder he wanted to know more. Eventually Saul asked David himself, and David answered that he was the son of Jesse. Through Jesse and David's lineage came Jesus. Most importantly, David was a son of God.

And so are we. We are children of God, therefore, with faith like David, we will be delivered out of the paw of lion, out of the paw of the bear (1 Samuel 17:37) when we follow after the lamb, when we face the philistine.

Purpose In God

1 Samuel 16

GOD'S PLAN IS IN CONSTANT MOTION

Samuel 16:1-6

Human flaw and failure do not render God's plan stagnant. The man who preceded David as king, Saul, came to be rejected by God. Saul had been called and qualified by God through the prophet Samuel, but because of his disobedience, God revoked his kingship. Samuel lamented the unfortunate events but ultimately Samuel's obedience to God enabled him to move forward with God's plan.

Fervent faith, ardent hope, zealous obedience... these are the traits which keep us relevant and functional within God's plan. But apathy, dejection and arrogance ensure that we will never be. Whichever we choose, God's plan muscles, adeptly, on. Saul allowed himself to be hesitant rather than resolute in the trust and execution of God's plan. He let go of the plow, so-to-speak, but the ground would still be tilled.

In His 'Parable of the Tares', Jesus compared the world to a field (Matthew 13). The spirit and children of God are active in the world, sowing good seed: they implement justice, challenge injustice, uncover deception, disassemble corruption, and protect human rights. All of it direct obedience to the word of God; action within His plan: faith with works (James 2:14). The plan, God's plan, to take care of the people here that earth might become for all an opportunity to see and be, to receive and contribute to, the emulation of Jesus' hope for humanity.

God did not implement Saul as king on a whim without a purpose. The tribes of Israel begged for a man-king (1 Samuel 8) and God relented. Humanity needs leadership that is obedient to God; He is the Great Light, the only light that can triumph against the darkness within and around us. Saul as king, the prophets before him, and David after him were spokes in the wheel that God turned to carry humanity ever to a better quality of life. Good seeks to replace foolishness with wisdom, selfishness with generosity, fear with hope, corruption with righteousness and since humanity has failed time and time again to follow God directly, despite humanity's failure time and time again to follow God directly, He has named us fellow-workers with Him(1 Corinthians 3:9). Fellows of the plow, planters of seeds... but should we neglect our part, we lose our part, but God's plan does not lose its pace.

But the lesson here is not all in caution. We do not depend on humans, who can be wonderful... but can also be flawed and unmoving. We depend on God; He is flawless and in constant, righteous motion. We are His cause and it is in full motion toward heaven, supporting and providing and protecting us while we are still here on earth. A person may be a cog in the machine, an essential part to the purpose of God, but the clogs, the clots, get flushed out so that the living water keeps flowing.

The application of the lesson in our daily lives is first to retain hope. God's ultimate purpose is your well-being, the development of your character and the quality of your life. If you have claimed Jesus, Jesus has claimed you, and presented you to God (Matthew 10:32).  You are never alone in a room, in a feeling or in a situation. The complication, the injustice, the plight in your life is not your permanent state. 

Second, do not neglect to obey the Lord. David received his place as king because Saul neglected to obey God. Saul experienced terrible sorrow; to give up your place in God's plan is to live with a void that cannot be filled. The only fulfilment that actually soothes and satisfies the soul is that which comes from faith and purpose in God. Everything, everyone else will fall short of providing contentment, comfort for your spirit. Do not stop stepping forward with the Lord, there is no greater loneliness! 

Saul and David are scriptural examples. Directly linked purpose with God. God has not chosen us to be monarch over His people. But we are leaders all the same. Called by Him to truth and righteousness. Called by Him to Jesus' standard of behavior as we live and interact with the world. Called by Him to discernment, that we would foster objectivity within our perspective so that we can see lines clearly marked between right and wrong, peace and evil. 

We may not personally liberate a city or topple a nation but God has purpose for us that to Him is just as important, if not more so. Remember that Jesus goes after the one, lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7). With your mind on God, your heart committed to His cause and your limbs and lips obedient to His way, you are personally able to help Him with that one, lost sheep...that seemingly lost cause, lost person that is important enough for Jesus Himself to pursue. How?  Through your humble example as a person after God's own heart, like David. Not as a king, not as a preacher or teacher or authority in any way but as Jesus, a servant. A servant not to a person, a slave to nobody and no-thing, but a servant of God declared a fellow-worker with Him (1 Corinthians 3:9)! Bold, beloved, but also humble and hardy; wise as a serpent, harmless as a dove (Matthew 10:16). Ready and aware for the inevitable opportunity to serve God in His ever moving plan. 

(It is always important to note when speaking about the distribution of mercy to humanity: self-care. Remember that Jesus was wise as a serpent, harmless as a dove. From babe to adult, God was consulted about Jesus' movements. Jesus did not allow His disciple to harm even the ear of His enemy (Luke 22:50-51) but neither did He allow even a flawed woman to be stoned (John 8:7). Do not allow anyone to abuse you or your generosity. Consult God about your movements and about how to distribute the resources you have, even your listening ear, your friendship, so that no one can take advantage of what is meant for God's cause).

 Many of God's children will benefit from your active faith but by none of them are you controlled! 

THE LORD LOOKETH ON THE HEART

Samuel 16:7-13

No pageantry necessary. God does not choose His prophets, disciples, or people of purpose by anything but their character. 

After God set Samuel in motion again, no more to lament about Saul but to anoint God's next choice, Samuel went to meet a man named Jesse's sons. When the sons arrived, Samuel looked at the first son's countenance and thought 'surely' he would be chosen. God rejected him. Samuel had looked at the outward appearance but God had looked at Eliab's, the first son, heart. It was not fit for the kingdom; Eliab must not have possessed the qualities Jesus tried (and still works) to instill in us. God knew that Eliab would ultimately fail in God's purpose. Jesse continued to parade seven of his sons before Samuel but each were rejected by God.

It was not until Jesse fetched the least likely son that God made an affirmative decision. God chose the youngest son, David, a shepherd. David was a handsome youth, but we know that is not why God chose him. We know from Samuel's perspective that David had at least one other brother who was also handsome... yet he was rejected by God. Two important things we learn from God's choose: God does not choose based on outward appearance; and God does not reject based on lower status.

It did not seem even to occur to Jesse to bring David to Samuel. Jesse brought seven of his sons but left David with the sheep. After God rejected the seventh son, it was Samuel who initiated David's retrieval. A man may not have deemed David eligible, but God's superior intellect did. 

It may not occur to anyone, it may not even occur to ourselves, that we are eligible to be chosen by God for purpose. But we are aware of one important thing. The one thing we know about David's character is something God said before we meet David: he was a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22). If our inward self is after God's own heart we possess the quality that convinced God to choose David.

The caution is that we have been raised in a global society that places large, almost total, emphasis on outward appearance. Less and less do we determine a person based on the content of their character. Less and less do we love or chastise ourselves based on the content of our character. If we held others and our own inward character to such high standards as we hold for outward appearance we would be an entirely different people.

But whether or not we search the character of a person, God does. The people you choose to follow, applaud, allow into your life are seen by God. Their inward self is known by Him; your inward self is known by Him. Be and surround yourself with the person(s) God would choose. Someone after His own heart in the way that they treat others! In the values they hold dear. Who you choose to be matters as much as the behavior you allow from others.

Whether or not we develop our own character, God will. The stubborn will resist, the arrogant will ignore, but life will present opportunities for growth and the wise will be humbled. Life will present you with problems and God is, has, the specific tool for each one. Our desperate attempts to fix the problems within and around us: loneliness, depression, disillusionment, with the outward appearances social media and modern day teach us will fail as instruments of happiness. You do not need to be or pretend to be the perfect couple captured in front of the picket fence, the trendy world traveler, the brainiest in the classroom, the wealthiest at restaurant, the fastest on the team, the uncontested recipient of the award... you just need to be humble before God. Acknowledge that it is your inward self that matters then let Him identify the weak spots, and make them strong His way.

In future sermons, we will remember that David had severe weak spots... but ultimately, his inward self was after God's own heart. As long as that is true, God will always see it. And of all the eyes that will ever see you, none will ever see you as God sees you. They do not have the soul piercing-perception, they will not reflect such depth of compassion. Value what His eyes see in you, forget about all the rest. And above all else that can happen to you in this life, you want to be seen by God. You want to cultivate what He has determined is good within you, you want to uproot everything else.

GOD'S PLANS UNFOLD IN UNEXPECTED AND MULI-PURPOSEFUL WAYS

Samuel 16:14-23

God was direct, but merciful and fair with Saul. Saul's behavior caused God to revoke the kingdom, and further consequence was deep distress in Saul's soul. So troubled was he that his servants offered to search for a harpist that might help soothe him. With Saul's acquiescence, they found a clever harpist. A clever harpist, a valiant man and a capable soldier all in one: David.

Saul sent for David; he unwittingly invited God's choice king into the kingdom. Initially unencumbered by that knowledge, Saul came to greatly love David. He elevated David to armourbearer, a trusted attendant. So, in providing Saul the harpist and attendant that brought peace to his distress, God also provided David a front row seat the the workings of the kingdom and the opportunity to earn it in a fair and knowledgeable way, as we will read.

Saul will come to resent David's presence but his love for David will not dim. It becomes clouded, but it never dies. It will complicate the process and subsequently provide David the opportunity for growth as a man and as a faithful servant of God. God understands people and has decided that the most efficient way to progress His kingdom is to use our flaw, and others' flaw, as catalysts for personal growth.

Who would have expected that the new king would soothe the old king, the one unwilling to give up his title? Who would have thought that the old king, by pursuing to the death the new king, would cause him to become kingly? In what better manner could David learn the inner workings of a kingdom than by serving the departing king first, without the pressure of the role? How would David, an unknown, the youngest son, a shepherd, be accepted as king other than by invitation to lead armies... to become famous for cutting through them with the sword, the slingshot of the Lord?

God's plans indeed unfold un unexpected and multi-purposeful ways. Keep your eyes peeled, keep your hearts pursuit of God, because God's plans for you will completely redirect the world's lackluster path for you. You just need to be alert and ready to capture the opportunity. Trust God to orchestrate every circumstance for your good (Genesis 50:20), and simultaneously, for His Kingdom's advancement.

THE WHOLE DUTY OF MAN, PART 1

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: 

Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Ecclesiastes 12:13

During our sojourn here on earth, there comes a point at which a person wonders about the nature and purpose of life. Many people become quite lost in their quest to answer questions about life and their purpose in it. Some follow only seemingly-sage advice, flimsy guidance, even if well-meaning, from people who are similarly lost. Others try to "find" themselves, and roam aimlessly, wasting their time with experiments. But children of God decide who they want to be: an emulation of Jesus, and then become it. Children of God follow truly-sage advice, firm guidance, matter of fact direction from scripture itself. When concerned with the existential, The Book of Ecclesiastes is where to go to sort it all out.

• I AM BUT A LITTLE CHILD

1 Kings 3:5-14 

Ecclesiastes was written by Solomon. At the onset of his kingship, Solomon requested wisdom from God. And God, pleased with his selfless request, granted it... and much more. God granted Solomon so much wisdom and wealth, time and resource, that Solomon was able to comprehensively discover the value and vanity of life. In this book, he shares his results. With Solomon's results, we learn how not to waste our time with the vain things in life. There is daily and lifelong purpose in the words of the former king, for the days of life when we feel purposeless or see purposelessness and need the scaffolding of scripture as support.

• ALL IS VANITY

Ecclesiastes 1-2 (Solomon's existential crisis)

Solomon began the book in rather a low place. A low place, and a place not unfamiliar to people living today. For though much has changed in the world, very little (or less) has changed in the human heart, mind, body and soul. For as we live and operate within our families, communities and societies, whatever they look like and whatever time period they exist it, we feel the same feelings. We each undertake a physical, emotional and spiritual journey. 

Solomon observed that generations come and go. Come... and go. Our lives are as real and immediate and intimate as millions before us... but they have passed as we will pass. We keep no memory of them, the future generation will have no memory of us... in this moment. And yet, this moment has meaning. And purpose. It has value and is worthy to be enjoyed and appreciated. It matters, as past moments mattered, for it leads to an eternal kingdom. These moments sculpt and tailor us for life with God, after earth. The limited, precious time here prepares us for time-irrelevance there.

The pressure of the quickness of life here causes us to learn crucial lessons... or squander those opportunities away. We choose. We choose either vanity, the pursuit of things and status in the eyes of ego and men. Or, we choose substance, the pursuit of spirit and status in the eyes of humility and God.

Each moment used to prepare ourselves for eternal union with God is a moment captured, utilized, to make a place, a person, a relationship, a community, a region, a nation, a world here on earth better. Each individual, in their emulation of Jesus, is capable of injecting peace into turmoil, order into chaos, patience into frustration, kindness into cruelty, morality into depravity. These daily opportunities contribute to individual growth of character, which in faith qualifies us for even more responsibility, even higher skill and capability, that then contributes to the state of the world through servitude to God.

• A TIME TO EVERY PURPOSE UNDER HEAVEN

Ecclesiastes 3

Life does not often seem like a smooth trajectory. We make a mistake, have a lapse in judgement, and then learn. In that particular area. Then we do the same in another area, and it can feel like we are juggling multiple, different colored balls. We learn not to drop the green ball, but then drop the blue and yellow balls... and suddenly it does not feel that we have accomplished anything or grown in any significant way.

But Solomon tells us that there is a season and a time for ever matter under heaven. Surely the broad understanding of this is that God has a plan and a timeline for humanity and the host of heaven. But then Solomon makes it relevant to the individual; there is a time "to be born, and a time to die;... a time to weep, and a time to laugh;...a time to seek and a time to lose...". And if we accept this simple fact that life will be a journey of twists, inclines, and declines, we can then focus on God's ability and promise to persevere us through all of it.

What are those colored balls? Anything, everything. We might manage to discipline ourselves into generosity, when before we had a tendency of selfishness. At the same time, we might still fail in a whole other area: ex. tendency to fear, quickness to anger. Life is multifaceted and there's no shortage of lessons to learn. That can feel impossible, overwhelming. But Solomon reminds us that there is a time to seek, and a time to lose. There is a time to try and fail, so to speak. It is all part of a process God has created and placed each of us in. 

• GOD-GIVEN TASK

Ecclesiastes 3:9

In 1 Kings 3:12 God explained that he gave Solomon wisdom and understanding unlike any person before or after him. We have to take advantage of this gift to humanity, from God, through Solomon. If Solomon gives the directive, in Ecclesiastes 3:12, to be joyful and to do good as long as we live (and he does give this directive) we have to remember its source: God, then trust that it is sage advice, and follow it! 

Be joyful. Do good. 

Does it say: be joyful when you have ample reason to be joyful and no reason not to be joyful? No. Does it say: do good when you have the time, the resources, and a deserving recipient? No. Instead, with these simple words, God via Solomon exhorts us to be tenaciously optimistic (and optimism as a Christian is realism); that is: to choose joy no matter what, with the strength to do so from our understanding of God and our relationship with Him. And to do good... in every moment, with whatever resource you do have in any place that or person that needs it. No stipulations. No fine print. 

Be joyful. 

Do good.

Opportunities for both will come to the servant of God who will host them. Naturally, there will be times when sadness is appropriate. But we must always stoke that joyful fire that is love and trust for God within us. Remain joyful in the fact that God will not allow you to permanently lose anyone, anything, any opportunity, that is good and dear to you.

• FROM DUST TO DUST

Ecclesiastes 3:16

A prescription of humility will solve a multitude of problems, including our concern now: existentialism. On one hand, we are children of God! Servants of the most high! Participants in the pursuit of righteousness endeavoring toward kingdom of Heaven! Purpose and direction enough for any spirit. On the other hand, we are like the animals. Our bodies are made from the raw materials around us and will return to the earth. Each individual is important to God, a crucial part of the whole body... but out individual body returns to dust. It is our spirit, our impact, that is eternal. 

Therefore God, via Solomon, tells us that nothing is better than that man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. To be joyful and do good... work, assignments, to fill the spirit of self and others rather than ornament the body.