Read today’s scripture.
What do you learn about God’s faithfulness in trials?
What encourages you in these Psalms?
1 Samuel 18.
After the triumph of killing Goliath and chasing the Philistines all the way home, Saul enquired who David was and immediately conscripted him into royal service. No more shepherding for David. Then the two young men in Saul’s court met and bonded – Jonathan and David – two young heroes with hearts aligned to God’s glory in Israel. Jonathan was the heir-apparent, and David was already anointed as the next king, but that didn’t matter. They became the best of “BFF” (best friends forever).
David (now in Jonathan’s correctly sized armor, went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him. His men loved him; the people loved him; and Saul’s servants loved him. The “women of the city” met him after his raids, singing songs of joy, and dancing, playing tambourines, and other instruments.
“Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his tens thousands.”
Saul was so proud! NOT!!
He was terrified that David would take his kingdom. The evil spirit came on him and he raved. He “eyed David” as he played the lyre, and many times hurled his spear at him to kill him. He was jealous because God had taken His Spirit from him and given Him to David.
Finally, Saul removed David from his presence, making him commander of a thousand hoping the Philistines would perhaps kill him. King Saul told David he could marry his daughter Michel if he would kill 100 Philistines. No problem! David brought back evidence of TWO hundred killed. Saul realized God was with David, and that his daughter loved him, he was even more afraid and became David’s enemy continually.
1 Samuel 19.
King Saul plotted continuously to kill or have David killed. His son, Jonathan tried to intercede for his friend, but David’s life was always in danger in the court. The king even tried to get Michel, David’s wife, to let some men kill him in his sleep. But she tricked them and David escaped.
David even lived with the old Samuel for a while. When Saul heard this, he sent messengers to take David. Three times he sent them, but the Holy Spirit came on them and they prophesied. Finally, Saul went himself and the same thing happened to HIM. And … this is totally weird … Saul took off all his clothes and lay naked all day and night.
Seriously!! And we called Ludwig of Bavaria “the mad king.”
1 Samuel 20.
David returned to the court secretly and asked Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father that he seeks my life?”
Jonathan argued back, “Far from it! You shall not die. Behold my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so!”
“Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death!”
Jonathan: Whatever you say, I will do.”
Then David reveals a plan to test Saul’s heart. David will go hide and not appear at the king’s table at dinner. Jonathan is to make an excuse for him, if the King notices. Then, the test. If Saul is okay with the excuse, then well. But if he is angry, then they both will KNOW that he is planning to harm David.
Jonathan agrees, and sets up a signal system. He’ll shoot some arrows into the field and send his boy after them. If he says “closer” David will know it’s safe. If he says, “Go farther,” they both will know the king wants to kill David.
They agree. (Do they “pinkie-swear?”)
The short of it is that Saul indeed was angry and lashed out at Jonathan, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your shame, and to the shame of your mother. For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, YOUR KINGDOM WILL NOT BE ESTABLISHED! Go and bring him to me, for he shall surely DIE!!!” THEN SAUL THREW HIS SPEAR AT JONAHAN!! (but missed.)
Now, Jonathan was angry. And grieved. And disgusted at his father. But he went out the next morning with the arranged signal. “Go farther!” he told the boy. (And David.)
David and Jonathan met and pledged their friendship forever: to each other AND to their offspring too. (Watch for the proof of this later.) Then David left for good.
Psalm 11
"In the LORD I take refuge:
how can you say to my soul,
"Flee like a bird to your mountain,
for behold, the wicked bend the bow;
they have fitted their arrow to the string
to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart...
Psalm 59
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God
protect me from those who rise up against me;
deliver me from those who work evil,
and save me from bloodthirsty men.
For behold, they lie in wait for my life;
fierce men stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
O my strength, I will sing praises to You,
for You, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love."
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1 Samuel 21.
David is on the run, with a few men. They come to Nob, one of the towns where the priests live. David LIES and tells Ahimelech the priest, that he’s on a mission for the king and is meeting some of the men in a little while. But he’s out of food. He asks the priest for five loaves of bread. The priest has the bread, but it has just been removed from the Tabernacle (and replaced with fresh loaves), and only priests are supposed to eat it. But….
The priest decides that if David and his few men are “holy” or clean, not having been with women, that “necessity rules” and he should give it to them. He does.
Then David asks if he has a spear or sword. He has no weapon, David says, and lies again, “for the king’s business required haste.” Turns out, that’s where Goliath’s sword – that David killed the giant with – is being kept. The priest unwraps it and gives it to David. Then David went off towards the Philistine city of Gath.
But… a certain man had been detained there, named Doeg, the Edomite. He saw and heard it all, and decided he could use it to get in good with King Saul.
Meanwhile, David went to the Philistine king in Gath, perhaps looking to be a mercenary for him. But that king’s servants remembered how David had killed a lot of Philistines. So David did not approach King Achish, but instead acted like a crazy man, making marks on the gate and drooling into his beard. (Was he copying Saul??)
“What do I need with another madman!” the king said. So David was able to escape the town.
1 Samuel 22.
David fled to the cave of Adullam, about midpoint between Gath and Jerusalem. His family heard about it and came. Also, about 400 men who “were in distress, in debt, and bitter in soul” gathered to him as well. He became their captain.
Meanwhile, King Saul was sitting under a tamarisk tree at his home in Gibeah with his spear in his hand. Suddenly he complains to “the people of Benjamin” (his tribe), “No one disclosed to me when my son made a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of YOU is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred you up against me. Boo-hoo!”
Somehow, Doeg is there and sees his opportunity. “I saw the son of Jesse (does no one call him David?) at Nob making a deal with the priest. He gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath.”
Oh yeah? Then the king summoned Ahimelech and all his father’s house and the priests of Nob. Saul accused them of treason. The priest objected, reminding Saul that David was the king’s son-in-law, captain of his guard and honored in his house. And… this wasn’t the first time he’d inquired of the LORD for David. But Saul said they all were going to die.
“Bodyguard, kill the priests!!” But they would NOT kill the priests of the LORD.
“YOU, Doeg, you kill them!” And the Edomite killed all 85 priests. He also killed all the people and animals in the city of Nob.
Only Abiathar, the priest’s grandson escaped and went to David. And David mourned his own actions. “I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house!” And he told Abiathar to stay with him.
1 Samuel 23.
It was told to David that the Philistines were attacking a small town in Judah. David inquired of the LORD twice. (Did Abiathar have the Umin and Thummin?) And the LORD told him to go attack the Philistines and save the town. HE would give the Philistines into their hand. So David obeyed and saved the town. AND captured the livestock. (Yum, meat!)
But Saul learned that David was in the town and summoned his troops to war against them. David asked Abiathar to again use the ephod to enquire of the LORD. Would Saul come down and make war? YES. Would the people of the town give David up? YES.
So David and his now 600 men, left. It seems they might have gone all the way down to the stronghold of Masada in the wilderness, and to other places to escape the Mad King Saul.
“Saul sought David every day, but God did not give him into his hand.”
Oh, Wait! While David was hiding in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh, Jonathan appeared and “strengthened his hand in God.” He said, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. YOU shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father knows this.”
THEN, those people of Ziph went to Saul and told him where David was hiding.
“You are blessed, for you have compassion on me!” said Saul Yeah, right!
The Ziphites led him to David and Saul was closing in on David, when …. a message came that the Philistines were attacking his land. Darn! He had to turn back and go after the Philistines.
Therefore, that place was called, “The Rock of Escape.” Then David went up and lived among the strongholds of Engedi.
1 Samuel 24.
After Saul fought the Philistines for a while, he returned to Engedi, bringing 3K chosen men with him to find David. As he passed a cave, he had an urge to relieve himself. He went into the VERY CAVE where David was hiding to “take a dump.”
David’s men whispered that now was his chance to rid Israel of the mad king. But David said, “God forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed.” And instead of cutting off his head, David took a corner of his robe with his knife. And (yes, hard to believe) Saul left the cave without an inkling that his life had just been spared.
Then David came out of the cave and looked at Saul and his army camped below.
“My lord, the king!” he called. They all looked up, flabberghasted.
“Why do you listen to the words of men who say I am seeking your harm. Today, the LORD gave you into my hands in that cave. See! See the corner of your robe in my hand? I could have killed you, but I didn’t.”
Saul twirled around to see the missing corner on his robe and gasped. “David, you are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. So may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. Now I know that you shall SURELY be king. SWEAR TO ME by the LORD, that you will not cut off my offspring after me or destroy my name out of my father’s house.”
“I swear it,” said David.
Saul went home. David and his men went up to the stronghold. (Masada?)
Wow.
What a story of protection and provision. Of mistakes and God’s endless grace!
Morning Meditations 