Happy Father's Day Sabbath!
Question of the Day: What is one thing you learned from your dad?
This week we are looking at the 26th chapter of 1 Samuel. I will confess that when Chris asked what the lesson was about I said, "The same thing it has been about for the last several weeks. I'm ready for David to become King and have a new challenge. Something other than Saul trying to kill him."
But even the title in the bible for this chapter states that this is going to be an "again" lesson. We have already been here once before. So should we skip it?
I don't think so. There are many times in each of our lives when things seem to be repeating. There are times when we find ourselves back in similar situations, struggling with seemingly the same challenge. Why? Obviously there isn't an answer, because very situation is completely different. So we will study the "AGAIN" chapter and see what God has for us.... AGAIN!
David Again Spares Saul’s Life
26 The Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which faces Jeshimon?”
Let's stop for a moment. How many times now have people been telling Saul where David is. I'm not sure how much David was aware of this but do you ever feel like everyone is against you.
When we feel attacked, or left out or "turned in" what does our reaction tend to be?
Do we ever let our feelings justify behavior that isn't what we have been called or asked to do?
I think it is important to pay attention to what David must have been feeling because it adds another layer as we are challenged reading this chapter.
2 So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph, with his three thousand select Israelite troops, to search there for David. 3 Saul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah facing Jeshimon, but David stayed in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul had followed him there, 4 he sent out scouts and learned that Saul had definitely arrived.
So not only was David being "ratted" out, but Saul also brought who with him to search and kill David?
These were the best of the best. The select. They were no joke.
Do you ever feel like the select, those trained to destroy you are after you? Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you try, no matter how hard you work to get away from, addiction, hurts, financial holes, disorganized mess, or whatever it is that what is "coming after you" is winning?
This past week I saw a TV show that followed a couple people through a year of struggling to get past a life taking addiction. Sometime it seems that the storm of family dysfunction, hurts, substances and the like are "the select." It leaves the person seemingly "helpless." Do you ever feel that way?
So how does David respond to this select army? Does he go deeper into a cave? Does he run? Let's continue reading.
5 Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of the army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the camp, with the army encamped around him.
The past few weeks as I have been facing some difficult stuff in my own life, I can honestly say that this is exactly what I saw... let me explain. David needed to get to Saul, but Saul was surrounded by the select. It was Saul who was chasing him. It was Saul who was incharge. To stop what was happening to him, David needed to get to Saul. As I have been working to get rid of some of the challenges in my life, I have had to wade through an army of the "select" to get to the real issue. It is easy to get stuck in the muck of the "select" and never make it to the real issue. So how did David get to Saul? This is the beauty of this AGAIN story.
6 David then asked Ahimelek the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, “Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?”
“I’ll go with you,” said Abishai.
7 So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him.
8 Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I won’t strike him twice.”
9 But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless? 10 As surely as the Lord lives,” he said, “the Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. 11 But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let’s go.”
12 So David took the spear and water jug near Saul’s head, and they left. No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping, because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep.
So how did David get to Saul?
1. He asked if someone was willing to go with him.
If you are struggling, ask for help. Ask if someone is willing to go with you.
2. How were they able to get to Saul? What happened to the "select?"
If we are trying to get through the select, we must remember that not only do we need to ask for help but we must believe that God will render the most powerful "select" powerless when He goes with us.
I told you these past few weeks I have been struggling with some stuff in my own life. The facts are no matter how hard I work at it, I get no where. When I ask Him to walk with me, then and only then are the "select" rendered powerless.
3. What did David do when he got to Saul? What did his partner tell him? There are a couple points that I think are important to pay attention to.
1. No matter how big the core issue is. No matter simple it may seem to end it. Don't try to take it into your hands. Remember who it was that helped you get there and let HIM eradicate it. David knew that if Saul was to be eradicated it wasn't to be at his hand or the hand of his partner. The only one to take Saul out was God.
To really end the running, to really get rid of what is attempting to kill us, we have to, we must let God do His work.
We saw earlier in this beautiful story of David, when he took things into his own hands. How did that work out for him?
2. His partner was a support to him and David needed him, but when he suggested something that David knew wasn't the will of God, he had to listen to God. Even those who are willing to support us, willing to walk through the "select" with us, at times let their desire to help us and protect us, get in the way of what we know is God's will. Listen to God!
Now is a good time to revisit how David must have felt at times. With everyone turning him in, Saul in constant pursuit, 3000 "select" soldiers trying to kill him, how easy it would be to let your partner, cut out the core issue, Saul. It would be so easy to justify, to rationalize the obvious. How many times do we let our hurt, our anger, justify our actions. Arguably David would simply be defending himself.
David was willing to let God free him! He was brave enough to walk through the "select." He didn't run and hide from it. He was also brave enough to take the spear and the jug, and leave Saul there peacefully sleeping. He was brave enough to trust that God would take care of the issue.
Are we brave enough? Are we brave enough to face the "select" and even braver to let God take care of the core issue?
13 Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away; there was a wide space between them. 14 He called out to the army and to Abner son of Ner, “Aren’t you going to answer me, Abner?”
Abner replied, “Who are you who calls to the king?”
15 David said, “You’re a man, aren’t you? And who is like you in Israel? Why didn’t you guard your lord the king? Someone came to destroy your lord the king. 16 What you have done is not good. As surely as the Lord lives, you and your men must die, because you did not guard your master, the Lord’s anointed. Look around you. Where are the king’s spear and water jug that were near his head?”
17 Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is that your voice, David my son?”
David replied, “Yes it is, my lord the king.” 18 And he added, “Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what wrong am I guilty of? 19 Now let my lord the king listen to his servant’s words. If the Lord has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. If, however, people have done it, may they be cursed before the Lord! They have driven me today from my share in the Lord’s inheritance and have said, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ 20 Now do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the Lord. The king of Israel has come out to look for a flea—as one hunts a partridge in the mountains.”
21 Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Come back, David my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool and have been terribly wrong.”
22 “Here is the king’s spear,” David answered. “Let one of your young men come over and get it. 23 The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. The Lord delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed. 24 As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble.”
25 Then Saul said to David, “May you be blessed, David my son; you will do great things and surely triumph.”
So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.
This last section brought me comfort this week. At one point when I was wanting to eat my way through the struggle, I literally stood and told my "addiction" what a failure it was. I let it know that it had failed to get me! It had failed to conquer. I had gotten to the real problem and I was turning it over to God.
Perhaps the most important lesson this week, is to honor God by letting him to do the work. In letting him and NOT taking things into our own hands we ultimately honor HIM.
It is my prayer that each of us can pray, "may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble." He wants to deliver us. Will you let him do the work?
This past weekend we had a wonderful time with Andrew at his graduation. At one point he was telling us about their rattle snake. The quick story is this... They had a third sighting of a large rattle snake on their deck under a pool chair. Andrew tried to find something to kill it but couldn't come up with anything other than a broken broom handle, so they called animal control. They said they would be right out and to try to keep it there until they arrived. So with the pool net he would poke the snake if it ever started to move. He had to do this for 45 minutes while they waited. When animal control came, he was a huge strong muscular man. He also exclaimed that this was the largest rattler he had seen outside of the desert. He got the snake catcher and went after the rattler. The rattler, broke his way out of the (way to small) snake catcher or wand. The snake then headed into the pool. Andrew used the net to try to keep it at the edge of the pool. Then the animal control guy went to the truck for his shovel. It tried and tried to cut off the head of this snake, and it took three or four repeated attempts at repeatedly using the shovel to kill the snake. Andrew reflected that if he had tried himself with his little broken broom handle to kill the snake, the snake would have won.
The snake is trying to get to all of us. No matter what you are struggling with let God take care of the snake. Let Him, don't try to do it on your own! If you do, the snake might win!
Comments
Post a Comment