A Very Short Obituary

# 338 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 25:1-3, “Then Samuel died; and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him at his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran. (1 Sam 25:1) Not much of an obituary. Samuel died and was buried and the people mourned. Can you imagine such a short obituary in the newspaper today for a man of Samuel's stature? Just think about his life! First of all, his miraculous birth to the barren Hannah. God speaking to him as a young man in the middle of the night in the temple. My favorite thing about Samuel is found in 1 Sam 3:19. It was said of him that “he did not let any of the words of the Lord fall to the ground.”! What a legacy! Someone who did not waste the Word of God! Oh how quick I am to let God's Word come in one ear and go out the other! Samuel served as the spiritual leader in Israel at a time of great change. It was a period of transition from the ruling by judges to the ruling of a king. His entire life was spent as a mentor, an intercessor, a prophet to God's people, and he did it with complete integrity ( See 1 Sam 12) It was Samuel that God used to select and anoint David as Saul's replacement, and taught us the invaluable lesson that God doesn't look at the outside of a man, but the inside. He looks at the heart! All of these great things to say about Samuel, but God writes the obituary, not us, and He says, “Samuel died.” That's it. Why so short? Why not? This short obituary should remind us all of the brevity of life: Jas 4:14b says, “For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. And we read in Ps 102:3 For my days are consumed like smoke, And my bones are burned like a hearth. And in Job 7:7a, “Oh, remember that my life is a breath!” The real journey for our soul takes place in eternity. This short obituary for Samuel should cause us all to consider our final destination. Where will you spend it? Be like Samuel and don't allow God's words to fall to the ground. Ac 16:31says, “"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved,” O Lord, death comes to all of us, grant us the saving faith we need to spend eternity with You.

Weep Because of His Mercy!

# 337 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 24:16-22, “So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 17 Then he said to David: "You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. 18 "And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the LORD delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. 19 "For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. 20 "And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. 21 "Therefore swear now to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father's house." 22 So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold. Saul lifted up his voice and wept. He had been acting in such a way that he deserved death at the hands of David. Faced with the reality that it had been in David's hands to kill him, Saul now breaks down and weeps and acknowledges his wrongdoing to David. He sees how merciful David has been toward him and he weeps. And he says, “what kind of man when he finds his enemy will let him get away safely?” I remember my own brokenness before the Lord at the time of my conversion. I had rejected Christ and had become an enemy of the cross, and was behaving in such a way that I deserved His just punishment. Then I, like Saul was caught in my behavior, and I wept and I lifted up my voice before the Lord in repentance. As I received the Lord's forgiveness and believed it, I was overwhelmed by the thoughts of His mercy. What kind of God let's an enemy like me, off safely? Only the merciful God whom the Bible says is, “gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. (Ps 145:8) It turns out that Saul's repentance was temporary, he was soon back to his old ways. O God, guard my heart from returning to my old ways, let me weep because of your mercy, and not because I got caught in my sin.

Pray For and Love Your Enemies

# 336 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 24:12-15, "Let the LORD judge between you and me, and let the LORD avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. 13 "As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.' But my hand shall not be against you. 14 "After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? 15 "Therefore let the LORD be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand." ( 1 Sam 24:12-15) David confronts Saul who has been pursuing him relentlessly. He has showed him the piece of Saul's robe that he had cut off in the cave, letting Saul know that he had the option of ending the pursuit by taking Saul's life. But he didn't and he didn't because he knew the truth of Ro 12:19, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.” David was going to trust God to be the judge between the two of them. He quotes an ancient proverb that in essence says, “even if the wicked pursue revenge, I won't.” Then he says, “look I am as harmless as a dead dog or a flea, why are you wasting time and resources on this chase” Why don't you just trust God to work it all out.” How true in our own lives. We allow our own enemies to consume our time and resources with wasteful thoughts and worries, and some times even plotting ways to get even. How foolish in light of this account of the rift between David and Saul. Don't miss the point here, let God take care of your enemies! Jesus gave us all the direction we need concerning our enemies. He said in Mt 5:44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, If this strategy does not result in the winning over of your enemy do not fear. God sees. He knows. De 32:35 says, “Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them.' Father, I pray for those who struggle with enemies, help them to take that first step of praying for them, trusting You for the results.

Anointed By Appointment

# 335 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 24:8-11, “David also arose afterward, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, saying, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed down. 9 And David said to Saul: "Why do you listen to the words of men who say, 'Indeed David seeks your harm'? 10 "Look, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD'S anointed.' 11 "Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. (1 Sam 24:8-11) Again, catch the words of respect for authority. Twice David calls Saul his lord. He refers to him again as God's anointed, and even calls him father! (Still another authority figure!) Remember, David had lived in Saul's house for quite some time, and had regarded him as a father figure! But it's not only his words of respect, note that David also stooped down with his face in the dirt to show honor to the king. I know many of you are probably tired of me harping on this idea of respect for our political leaders. But ask yourself this question, “Who's doing the harping? Who keeps making the point time after time in Scripture? Who is it that evidently wants us to understand this about those in authority over us? Ro 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. To be appointed by God is to be anointed by God and David knew that. He also knew that when the time came to depose Saul, it would be God's doing, not his. Oh, and that little piece of robe? It should remind Saul of his vulnerability, and make him think twice about how he governs those under his authority. “Father forgive me for those times I spout off over your appointed and anointed leaders.”

David Pranks the King

# 334 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 24:3-7, “So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) 4 Then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.'" And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe. 5 Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. 6 And he said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD." 7 So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way. (1 Sa 24:3-7) There's no way to sugar coat this, although many have tried to do so. Some commentators say that Saul went in to the cave to catch a nap, but the needs of Saul here are the fact that nature calls and Saul went into the cave to answer the call. We've all been there and know full well that we are pretty much defenseless in that situation. David's men realize this and whisper excitedly to David, “c'mon, he is ours for the taking!” But rather than kill Saul, David sneaks up on him and snips off a piece of Saul's robe. As soon as he did it, he was cut to the heart! Why? Why did the Holy Spirit convict him of wrongdoing? Because Saul was still God's anointed. He still held the office of king. He was still in authority over David and this act of David's was reeking with disrespect for the office. David understood that his little boyish prank was a prank against God Himself, and he was cut to the heart. This incident with David and Saul is another example to us as Christians of the importance of respecting those in authority over us. Let us learn from it and rather than badmouth those in authority, let us learn to good-mouth them in prayer. Father bless and protect our leaders, give them the guidance they need to rule.

Waiting In the Wings

# 333 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 24:1-3, “ Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, "Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi." 2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. 3 So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) (1 Sam 24:1-3) “Now it happened.” No it didn't, when you see these words in Scripture, pay attention. It didn't “just happen,” God caused this to happen. This incident has God's providence written all over it and therefore leaves us with some important lessons! Imagine all the emotions going through David and his men as they were hiding in this cave. They can see Saul coming, and they retreat silently to the recesses of the cave, afraid to breathe less they be found out. What would you do? What would your emotional state be? David wrote two Psalms about this experience. Psalm 57 and Psalm 142, in both Psalms he begins by asking for God's mercy. In Ps 57:,2 1we read, “Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me, For my soul takes refuge in you. Yes, in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge, Until disaster has passed. And in Psa 142:1,2, “ I cry with my voice to Yahweh. With my voice, I ask Yahweh for mercy. 2 I pour out my complaint before him. I tell him my troubles. Here's the thing about a cave. There typically is only one way in and therefore only one way out. David and his men were trapped. If Saul discovers them and sounds the alarm, David and his men are toast. Ever feel like that? Ever feel like you are trapped in a cave with no way out. Have life's circumstance put you into a situation that is pressing in on you? Don't panic! Do as David and his men did. Ask for the Lord's mercy, then wait it out in the shadow of the wings of God. He loves you, He will protect you, He will see you through, delivering you from the evil designs of the enemy. Father I pray for those who are feeling pressed today. Shelter them in Your wings and deliver them.

The Lesson of the Wilderness

# 332 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 23:24-29, “So they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon. 25 When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David. Therefore he went down to the rock, and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon. 26 Then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. So David made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men were encircling David and his men to take them. 27 But a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Hasten and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!" 28 Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; so they called that place the Rock of Escape. 29 Then David went up from there and dwelt in strongholds at En Gedi. ( 1 Sam 23:24-29) David gets drift of Saul's plans and heads for the wilderness. The wilderness is the place where we, the church need to be. It is the place where we learn to be entirely dependent upon God. There is nothing in the wilderness that is able to sustain the necessary basics of life, like food and water. When the Israelites wandered in the desert, where did they get their food and water? They God it from God's miraculous supply of manna, and the rock that Moses struck. God wants His church to learn the lesson of living completely dependent upon Him, because, that is the essence of grace. In Revelation Re 12:6 we read, “Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.” The woman here is a picture of God's true church, living by grace, (dependent upon God) being fed by His Word until the Lord returns. How did Jesus put it? “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" (Mt 4:4) Observe what happened after David spent time in the wilderness. God placed himself squarely in the form of a mountain between David and Saul, and then created a diversion that delivered David from Saul. Learn the lesson of the wilderness. Trust God, feed on His Word, and know that He will protect you from the evil one, just as he protected and delivered David. Father, help us to trust in You and not lean on our own understanding.