You Are Being Watched

# 331 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 23:22,23 "Please go and find out for sure, and see the place where his hideout is, and who has seen him there. For I am told he is very crafty. 23 "See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides; and come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. And it shall be, if he is in the land, that I will search for him throughout all the clans of Judah." (1 Sam 23:22,23) The Ziphites have come to Saul and told him that David is hiding in the hills of their country and they offer to turn him in. Please note the extreme interest Saul is taking in asking the Ziphites to observe David. “Go and find out for sure,” “See the place where his hideout is,” talk to eyewitnesses who have actually seen him there, “Take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides,” “come back to me with certainty!” In other words I want a full and accurate report of what David is up to. Remember that Saul serves as a type of the devil and the Ziphites as demons, and this portion of Scripture gives us a good picture of one of their tactics tactics that they use against you and I. They meticulously observes us. Remember too, that he and his demons are all fallen angels, and one of the things that all angels are capable of doing is observing. The Bible tells us that there is great rejoicing in heaven amongst the angels when they observe one sinner coming to repentance. (Lk 15:10) and in 1 Pet. 1:12, we are told that angels have a desire to observe the workings of salvation on human beings. Angels, good and bad observe. You and I are being watched constantly by demons who, like the Ziphites, report back to their king. The devil knows all to well the weaknesses of my flesh, he has been observing them for over 67 years. He uses these weaknesses to tempt me in every fashion to sin and rebel against God. He sees my wayward glances. He sees when I turn to other things to handle my pain rather than God, and he is more than willing to put them in front of me, in hopes of turning me away from God. He indeed goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, but praise Jesus! I am able to overcome him and his devices because He who is in me is greater than he who is in the world! Father, help me to overcome temptation today.

Who's Right? Who's Wrong?

# 330 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 23:19-21 “Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is David not hiding with us in strongholds in the woods, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? 20 "Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of your soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king's hand." 21 And Saul said, "Blessed are you of the LORD, for you have compassion on me. ( 1 Sam 23:19-21) The Ziphites have turned on David. On one hand you have to admire their biblically based loyalty to the king, note their respectful address to Saul, “O king” but on the other hand you have to be concerned about their ignorance concerning David's innocence and his role as God's chosen successor to Saul. Note too, Saul's delusion that God is with him as he pronounces a blessing on the Ziphites for turning on David. Our country is in the midst of great moral debates at this time. It's not the first time we have had such a dilemma. The civil war was among other things, a debate about biblical morality. Both sides thought they had the Word of God on their side. Today two of the main moral issues seem to be centered on the matter of abortion and sexual lifestyle. Again both sides believe they have the Bible on their side. If the Ziphites were around today, (and they are in a figurative sense) they would not only give proper honor to the king, (the government) which is a good thing, but they would also turn a blind eye to the government policies that actively pursue the legalization of abortion and seek to provide an environment where deviant sexual lifestyles are allowed to flourish. It's one thing to respect the government, still another to not hold them accountable to immoral legislation. The proper response is to respect the government but at the same time point people to the truth. So who's right? Who has the truth on their side? The answer to that question is found in Isa 8:20, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Sort it out through prayerful searching of the Scriptures, asking the Holy Spirit to shed light on these subjects, then lovingly and respectfully act on the courage of those convictions, trusting God for the results. Remembering that as bad as it may seem, the wrong shall never prevail. Father, guide us through the moral dilemmas we face in this life.

An Agent of Encouragement

# 329 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 23:14-18, “And David stayed in strongholds in the wilderness, and remained in the mountains in the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand. 15 So David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. And David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in a forest. 16 Then Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God. 17 And he said to him, "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. Even my father Saul knows that." 18 So the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. And David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his own house. ( 1 Sam 23:14-18) David flees to the cover of the forested mountains of Ziph and God kept him safe there. How is it that Saul couldn't find him, but Jonathan could? The answer is fairly simple, God wanted Jonathan to find Him. He put it on Jonathan's heart to seek David. All Jonathan had to do was take a step of faith into the woods, confident that God would make the connection and he did. This connection had purpose. God wanted to give David some encouragement through Jonathan, and he did. Jonathan reminded David of God's promises to him, concerning ascending to the throne, and yes, people who appear to be as strong as David need encouragement from time to time. And that encouragement comes from reminding them of the promises of God as found in Holy Scripture. Ps 119:28 says, “My soul melts from heaviness; Strengthen me according to Your word.” God's Word is a source of strength and who knows if God doesn't want to use you as an agent of strength as you bring a word to someone in need of encouragement today. Jonathan stepped out in faith with a word of encouragement for his friend David. Is there a brother or sister who needs encouragement from you today? Is there a promise of God's that they need to be reminded of? Step out in faith with Jonathan and bring it to them. Father, if there be anyone in need of consolation today, keep my eyes and ears open and give me the Word they need to hear.

Bring Hither the Bible

# 328 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 23:6-13, “Now it happened, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, that he went down with an ephod in his hand. 7 And Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. So Saul said, "God has delivered him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars." 8 Then Saul called all the people together for war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. 9 When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, "Bring the ephod here." 10 Then David said, "O LORD God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake. 11 "Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O LORD God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant." And the LORD said, "He will come down." 12 Then David said, "Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?" And the LORD said, "They will deliver you." 13 So David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go. Then it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah; so he halted the expedition. (1 Sam 23:6-13) Abiathar had fled from Saul and his men before they slaughtered the city of Nod and more importantly he took the ephod with him. The ephod contained the Urim and Thummim these two stones were given by the Lord to the Israelites to determine the will of God or direction in various situations. Saul did not have them David did. Saul was guided by whim and his own imagination, David was guided by God. For the most part these stones were used like lots and would give answers to “yes” and “no” questions. Using this method, David determines that the threat is very real and he needs to leave the city now! We no longer need the Urim and the Thummim. God has given us another place to turn to in order to find answers for our dilemmas. It's called the Bible, and when rightly read will provide all the answers we need. When we are faced with choices about how to live as Christians, we would do well to look to the ayes and nays of Scripture. As Matthew Henry's stated in his commentary on this passage, “Bring hither the Bible.” Father, thank You for Your Word, may we turn to it, rather than our whims and imagination as we seek guidance for living in Your kingdom.

Persistent Prayers

# 327 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 23:1-5, “Then they told David, saying, "Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors." 2 Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" And the LORD said to David, "Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah." 3 But David's men said to him, "Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?" 4 Then David inquired of the LORD once again. And the LORD answered him and said, "Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand." 5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah. ( 1 Sam 23:1-5) Keilah was a city that the Lord had given to Judah in the days of Joshua. Word comes to David that the Philistines were attacking it and robbing them of their harvest. But, why should he care? He has enough trouble with Saul hot on his heels. Why stir up still another enemy against him? Yet, since this situation was brought to his attention, he thought it wise to ask God if he should get involved and seek to rescue the citizens of Keilah. This is good advice for us as well. When “out of the ordinary” circumstances are brought to us from out of the blue. Why not take time to bring it to the Lord in prayer. Perhaps He wants you involved in some way or fashion. David got an immediate response from God. “Go and save!” But this wasn't good enough for his men. They needed further reassurance and so David inquired of the Lord again. Again he gets a positive response and a sure promise of victory. “ Go! I will deliver.” Still another lesson for us here. God is not afraid of your doubts. He is aware of your fears. He didn't roll His eyes at David for coming back a second time. He knows our frailties as humans and is more than willing to hear our persistent prayers. Father thank You for understanding, thank You for being patient.

Every Believer Needs To Hear This

# 326 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 22:19 Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep-with the edge of the sword. 20 Now one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the LORD'S priests. 22 So David said to Abiathar, "I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused the death of all the persons of your father's house. 23 "Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe." The destruction of an entire city including women, infants, and animals. It was the Old Testament practice of “putting to the ban” which we have discussed in earlier Du-votionals. (See Du-votionals # 200-203) Saul attempts to play God here as he decides that any sign of loyalty to David is worthy of this punishment. An escapee runs to David with the news, and after David expresses his lament over his inadvertent role in the slaughter, he says something that every believer needs to cling to. He says , “"Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe." What a picture of the epic battle between God and Satan. Satan sought to devour the Son of God, as we read in Re 12:4b, “And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.” Having failed in his effort to devour the Christ, the devil has now turned his attention to the followers of Jesus, and if it were up to him, he would annihilate every, man, woman, child, and God-created creature on earth. But just as David assured Abiathar, Jesus assures us: “With ME you shall be safe.” Be like Abiathar beloved. Fear not. Stay with Jesus. The devil will roar and create fearful situations for you too. He wants you to bolt...don't do it. Stay with Jesus and you will be safe. Joh 10:29 says, "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. Father thank You for Your protection from the evil one.

God Means What He Says

# 325 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 22:18, “And the king said to Doeg, "You turn and kill the priests!" So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod. ( 1 Sam 22:18) Saul's men had refused his order to kill the priests and so he orders Doeg the Edomite to do the job. This killing of the priests of the house of Eli, was in the cards a long time ago. If you recall, God had passed judgment on the house of Eli because he and his sons had profaned the priesthood. We read about it in 1Sa 3:12,13, "In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 "For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. This ought to be a very sobering passage for all of us. God's judgment is to be taken seriously. He means what He says! He told Eli that this would occur to his offspring and when God's timing was right, he used Saul to carry it out. One may cry “foul” at this point and protest that Ahimelech and the other priests did nothing wrong, in fact, they were just trying to protect David. “That's not fair God!” But be careful, In Ro 9:14,15 we read, “What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not! 15 For He says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion." Remember, our lives here on earth are but a vapor. None of us have any clue as to when God will call us home. Rather than questioning God's ways in the here and now, we should be more concerned about His final say regarding the hereafter. Though Ahimelech and the others were taken out of this world on short notice, if they had faith in the coming Messiah, (and I suspect they did) they had nothing to fear. How about you? Are you trusting Jesus? God means what He says concerning His Son. He is the way the truth and the life and no one can come to the Father except through Him! (Jn 14:6) Father, we all deserve Your judgment, spare us through faith in Thy beloved Son Jesus!