GIANTS OF THE FAITH:
DAVID, PART ONE
(I Samuel 16-31)
I Samuel 16: Samuel was grieved by
the turn of events with Saul. When the LORD saw that Samuel was
grieved over Saul, the LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you
grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over
Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the
Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” Notice that Samuel himself is no longer in a position to lead
Israel, and Saul has failed the LORD and Israel miserably as their
king. But the LORD sends Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint a new king
from the house of Jesse. Samuel obeyed the LORD's instructions and
came to Bethlehem. He was met by the elders of the city. So Samuel
said to them that he came in peace to sacrifice to the LORD and
urged them to consecrate themselves coming with him to the sacrifice.
He consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
Jesse began to roll out his sons for Samuel's inspection. Samuel was impressed with Eliab, Jesse's eldest son, but the LORD told Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or
on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the
Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but
the Lord looks on the heart." Notice that this was not the
first time that the LORD had rejected the firstborn in the past. Jesse continued to bring his sons forward, one by one. All of them
were rejected one by one. The story takes an unexpected turn here.
Since seven in the Bible represents completion, one would think that
the seventh son should be the one chosen. Instead, the seventh son
is also rejected leaving us with no more sons, except for the
youngest, David. Samuel asked Jesse, “Are all your sons here?”
And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is
keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him,
for we will not sit down till he comes here.” And he sent and
brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was
handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.”
Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of
his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that
day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
In contrast, the Spirit of the LORD had
left Saul. As if that were not enough, God permitted a harmful
spirit to torment him. When Saul's servants saw that this evil
spirit was tormenting him, they advised him to find a man that was
good in playing the lyre, so that when the evil spirit was upon him,
he could play and ease Saul’s suffering. So Saul asked his
servants to find such man. One of the young servants said he knew
that one of Jesse's sons was skillful in playing, a man of valor, a
man of war, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the
Lord is with him. I Samuel 16:18.
Saul immediately sends for David so he
came and served Saul. Saul loved David greatly. David also became
Saul's armor-bearer. Saul asked Jesse, David's father, to allow him
to remain and serve him since David had found favor in his eyes.
"And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David
took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and
was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him."
I Samuel
16:23.
There is another interesting contrast
between David and Saul: When Saul first appears in I Samuel 9,
remember he had lost his donkeys. Saul is portrayed as an
incompetent herdsman. On the other hand, David is portrayed as a
very skillful shepherd who doesn't leave his sheep even when a man as
important, a prophet, as Samuel comes to town. David is obviously
the shepherd who cares, tends and protects his sheep, like a later
shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ.
THE PHILISTINES
The Philistines were in constant
conflict with the Israelites during this period of history. The
Philistines lived in Southwest Canaan along the Mediterranean Sea as
well as in the Shephelah. The Shephelah was the area between the
coast and the mountains of Judea. Whoever controlled the Shephelah
also controlled the region. Most of the Israelite/Philistine battles
were fought in the Shephelah.
It is not clear exactly where the
Philistines came from. Some speculate or suggest that they were the
'Sea Peoples' of Crete known in Egyptian lore, who attacked Egypt
around 1293-1185 BC, during the 19th Dynasty. Remember the Sea
People were repulsed by Ramesses III around 1182-1151 BC, during the
20th Dynasty. They then resettled in Canaan making it hard for the
Israelites to get rid of them.
The Philistines had five major cities: Gaza, Ashkelon and Ashdod on the Mediterranean coast. Ekron and Gath
in the Shephelah. The Philistine cities were joined in some sort of
confederacy in which all the city rulers had equal power.
Like all other Gentile nations, the
Philistines also worshiped many gods. Some of them were adopted from
Canaanite traditions. Their chief god was Dagon. It is believed he
had the body of a fish and the head of a man.
The Philistines were skilled in making
pottery as well as master iron workers. The Israelite weapons were
inferior by comparison since they were still using bronze. The
Israelites suffered a great deal when they had to do battle with
them.
In modern language a "philistine"
is a low or despised person who knows nothing of refined culture or
art. He is also one who despises or destroys culture or art. Interesting!
David Enters the Scene: David was
sent by his father, Jesse, to check up on his three older brothers
and carry food to them on the battlefield. His father Jesse had told
him, " Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted
grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your
brothers. Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the
commander of their thousand, and look into the welfare of
your brothers, and bring back news of them. For Saul and
they and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah, fighting
with the Philistines.”
The next morning David arose early and had someone tend his sheep while he went with supplies and did as his father had said. David then went into the battle zone leaving his cargo with the other army provisions. He ran to his brothers to greet them when this "giant" Goliath spoke the same words of threat and challenge and David heard them. Again, when all the men of Israel heard these words, they fled and were all afraid. Apparently, these words of challenge were repeated daily. Goliath challenged them and wanted to know why no one had accepted the challenge. David was amazed at their cowardice. Since it was evident that they had no faith that their Jehovah God could give them victory over such a giant, David asked the men of Israel, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” I Samuel 17:26b.
When Goliath drew near to meet David,
David ran quickly to the battlefield to fight this "giant." Then David put his hand in his bag where he had the five smooth
stones, taking but one stone which he slung so hard and true that it
struck Goliath in his forehead making him fall to the ground, either
knocking him unconscious or killing him instantly. If the stone did
not kill him, what came next certainly did: David used Goliath's own
sword to cut off this giant's head and offered the head to king Saul.
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. Israel's army chased them all the way back to Ekron and Gath. Then
the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines plundering their
camps. David then took Goliath's head to Jerusalem and put the sword
in his tent. When Saul noticed that David was going against the
Philistines, he said to his commander, "You inquire whose son
the youth is." When David returned from killing the
Philistines, Saul's commander, Abner took David along with Goliath's
head in his hand to Saul. Then Saul said to David, "Whose
son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son
of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.” I Samuel 17:58. It is a
fact that David's courage and trust in God made him unique,
different from ordinary men.
I Samuel 18: This chapter begins with
Jonathan's pledge or covenant of friendship with David. Jonathan's
soul was knit to the soul of David and Jonathan loved David as
himself. What a beautiful friendship of loyalty and unconditional
love! David and Jonathan's relationship was more like father to son
than brother to brother since Jonathan is apparently older than
David. This is just how it seems to me. Jonathan gave David his
royal robe as a sign to indicate Jonathan's understanding that David
was the one that God had chosen to be king and lead Israel. This is
amazing since Jonathan was the heir apparent since he was King Saul's
firstborn son. One would think that Jonathan himself would be
contending for the throne of his father. When Jonathan yielded to
David, it indicated an act of "true" friendship and
self-denial. I love Jonathan's loyalty to David, his beloved and true friend!
MICHAL: It is interesting that
although Michal married David and received her father's blessing,
Saul later took her away from David giving her to another man,
probably because she loved David and helped him escape when Saul set
an ambush to kill him. David demanded after Saul's death that Michal
be returned to him. David may have done this out of love for her,
although Michal's husband also loved her deeply, II Samuel 3:16. He
may have demanded her return to right the first great wrong that Saul
had committed against him.
When David fled, he went to Samuel the
Prophet at Ramah. David told Samuel everything that Saul had tried
to do to him. Both went to Naioth and stayed there. When Saul found
out that David was hiding there, he sent a group of soldiers to
capture David. The group encountered Samuel with a group of prophets
prophesying. The Spirit of the LORD came upon the soldiers so they
begin to prophesy also. When Saul found out, he sent messengers or
soldiers a third time, but they also began to prophesy. Finally,
Saul himself went after David, and he also began to prophesy
stripping off his clothes until he came to Naioth in Ramah before
Samuel. He remained naked all day and all night. So everyone began
asking if Saul was among the Prophets. I think this was God's way of
calling Saul's attention to the wickedness of what he was doing to
David. It was a gentle and also humiliating way for God to expose
the wickedness of what he, Saul, was doing.
Jonathan then says to David, “The Lord,
the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father
about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if
there is good feeling toward David, shall I not then send
to you and make it known to you? If it please my
father to do you harm, may the Lord do so to
Jonathan and more also, if I do not make it known to you and
send you away, that you may go in safety. And may the Lord be
with you as He has been with my father. If I am still
alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of the Lord,
that I may not die? You shall not cut off your
lovingkindness from my house forever, not even when the Lord cuts
off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” Jonathan sealed this with a covenant with the house of David saying,
“May the Lord require it at the hands of
David’s enemies.” David's promise to Jonathan is fulfilled in II Samuel 9. Jonathan made David vow again because of
his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life.
David and Jonathan agreed on a signal that would alert David if it was not safe to return to Saul's table. This is what Jonathan said to David about the signal, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be empty. When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself on that eventful day, and you shall remain by the stone Ezel. I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target. And behold, I will send the lad,saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the lad, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come; for there is safety for you andno harm, as the Lord lives. But if I say to the youth, ‘Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ go, for the Lord has sent you away. As for the agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, the Lord is between you and me forever.”
I Samuel 23: When David heard that the
Philistines were attacking the city of Keilah, slaughtering everyone, David asked the LORD if he should go attack the Philistines and save the city. The LORD's reply was YES, He said,“Go and attack
the Philistines and deliver Keilah.” Now David's men tried to
persuade him to not go, but he went again and inquired of the LORD. The LORD to David, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give
the Philistines into your hand.” Afterwards David and his men
fought the Philistines and struck them. David killed all including all their
livestock. When Saul heard that David was in Keilah, he sent all his
forces to kill him, but David fled into the wilderness and took
refuge in the strongholds. Even though Saul sought David
continually, God did not deliver David into Saul's hands. Jonathan
went to the wilderness of Ziph. When he found David he encouraged
him in God. These are Jonathan's words of encouragement to David,
“Do not be afraid, because the hand of Saul my father will not find
you, and you will be king over Israel and I will be next to you;
and Saul my father knows that also.” They again made a
covenant before the LORD and then each went their own way.
I Samuel 24: When Saul heard that
David was hiding in the wilderness of Engedi, he took three thousand
men and went after David. On the way he saw a cave and went there to
find rest. Saul did not know that David was in that cave. Notice
that David and his men were in the innermost part of the cave.
David's men said to him, “Behold, this is the day of
which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold; I am about to
give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems
good to you.’” When Saul went to sleep, David had the
chance of his life to make things right, to have his revenge putting
an end to his horrible ordeal of exile. But David did not walk by
his emotions. He truly wanted to do God's will. David never
seriously considered killing Saul since David still considered Saul
to be Israel's anointed king. Instead David cut off a piece of the
royal robe to prove that he was in the cave and could have killed
him. David had a tender conscience and even this small insult
disturbed him. He said to his men, "Far be it from me because
of the Lord that I should do this thing to my lord,
the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him,
since he is the Lord’s anointed.” He persuaded
his men with these words not allowing them to do anything against
Saul. When Saul woke up he left the cave.
When Abigail was told by one of the
young men that David had sent messengers from the wilderness to greet
her husband, Nabal, and that he had scorned them. Nabal had made the
biggest mistake of his life by insulting David, so Abagil decided to
intervene for her foolish husband. Nabal was not an approachable
man. He was a worthless man, a fool. Abigal hurriedly loaded all
the requested provisions onto some donkeys and set out to meet David,
I Samuel 25:18. When Abigal saw David she approached him bowing to the ground taking to
herself all of her husband's blame. She pleaded with David that he
not listen to the foolishness of her husband making it clear to David
that she was not present when his messengers came to talk to her
husband. Abigail advised David not to kill him. This is what
Abigail said, "Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord lives,
and as your soul lives, since the Lord has restrained you
from shedding blood, and from avenging yourself by your own
hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek evil against
my lord, be as Nabal. Now let this gift which
your maidservant has brought to my lord be given to the young men
who accompany my lord. Please forgive the
transgression of your maidservant; for the Lord will
certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord
is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil will not
be found in you all your days. Should anyone rise up to
pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my lord
shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your
God; but the lives of your enemies He will sling out as
from the hollow of a sling. And when the Lord does
for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning
you, and appoints you ruler over Israel, this will
not cause grief or a troubled heart to my lord, both by having
shed blood without cause and by my lord having avenged
himself. When the Lord deals well with my lord, then
remember your maidservant." I Samuel 25:26-31. Abigail
acknowledged that David would be king some day and reminds him that
it is David, her lord, who is fighting the battles for the LORD and
that the LORD was going to protect him and avenge him. What a remarkable woman of
FAITH, DISCERNMENT and WISDOM. Her words of WISDOM and DISCERNMENT
won David over!
I Samuel 26: This chapter reminds us
of I Samuel 24. Saul came after David again. David encountered
another chance to kill Saul. David refused to stretch out his hand
against the LORD's anointed king. David came on Saul while he was
sleeping. David took only Saul's spear that was beside his head
and the jug, but spared his life one more time. David left without
anyone knowing it or seeing him.
Saul and his sons die (I Samuel 31):
CONCLUSION: We have briefly considered the beginnings of the kingdom of Israel. Although there have been dark chapters, the beauty of the FAITH of two men, Samuel and David, brings us the joy that could be appreciated only in the context of the things that they suffered.
Our next study will consider the golden age of David's reign in the Book of II Samuel.
Luci
DAVID AND GOLIATH (I Samuel 17)
When David was still a very young man,
the Philistines along with the Israelites were at war in the valley
of Elah (in the Shephelah). The Philistines stood on one side of the
mountain while the Israelites stood across the valley on the side of
the other mountain. Then a champion warrior among the Philistines
named Goliath whose height was about nine feet tall; clothed with
scale armor which weighed about six hundred shekels of iron. His
armor-bearer was also with him. Apparently this giant wore armor and
was armed to the teeth. He was quite intimidating. Goliath then
challenged the Israelites to choose a man among themselves to come to
him and fight him. Goliath said, "Choose a man for yourselves
and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me
and kill me, then we will become your servants; but if I prevail
against him and kill him, then you shall become our servants and
serve us.” Not one soldier in Israel, not even King Saul, was
willing to fight against this Philistine "giant." The
Israelites were dismayed and afraid when they hear Goliath's threat.
In the eyes of all present, Goliath appeared to be unbeatable.
David Enters the Scene: David was
sent by his father, Jesse, to check up on his three older brothers
and carry food to them on the battlefield. His father Jesse had told
him, " Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted
grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your
brothers. Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the
commander of their thousand, and look into the welfare of
your brothers, and bring back news of them. For Saul and
they and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah, fighting
with the Philistines.”The next morning David arose early and had someone tend his sheep while he went with supplies and did as his father had said. David then went into the battle zone leaving his cargo with the other army provisions. He ran to his brothers to greet them when this "giant" Goliath spoke the same words of threat and challenge and David heard them. Again, when all the men of Israel heard these words, they fled and were all afraid. Apparently, these words of challenge were repeated daily. Goliath challenged them and wanted to know why no one had accepted the challenge. David was amazed at their cowardice. Since it was evident that they had no faith that their Jehovah God could give them victory over such a giant, David asked the men of Israel, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” I Samuel 17:26b.
When Eliab, his oldest brother, heard
David, he got angry at David and rebuked him harshly. He accused
David of having a wicked heart and being insolent. It is no wonder
that such an attitude and behavior should have kept Jehovah God from
choosing Eliab as king. Remember that Eliab was present when Samuel
anointed his younger brother, David, in his place. He was definitely
jealous of David.
When Saul heard of David's words, he
sent for him. David then said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail
on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this
Philistine.” But Saul replied, "You are not able to go
against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are but a
youth while he has been a warrior from his youth." In return
David said to Saul, “Your servant was tending his father’s
sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I
went out after him and attacked him, and rescued it from
his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized him by
his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant
has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised
Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies
of the living God.” David reassured Saul saying again,
“The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and
from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this
Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be
with you.” There was no doubt in Saul's heart that David
could defeat and overcome this "giant." So Saul clothed
David with his, Saul's garment putting a helmet on his head. David
was all clothed with armor. David tried to walk with his sword, but
it was difficult so he took them off. One thing to note is that
among the Israelites, only Saul had armor like Goliath's; made of
iron, I Samuel 13:22. David refused the armor and chose five smooth
stones from the brook, putting the stones in the shepherd's pouch
which he had. With his sling in his hand he then approached this
"giant" Goliath along with his armor-bearer.
When Goliath looked and saw that David was a young man with a handsome appearance, he began to mock him. Goliath cursed David by his gods and mocked him for his lack of weaponry. He jeered at him. In response to all this, David said, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.” I Samuel 17:46-47. These words of David, his faith, his act of courage and trust in our Jehovah God penetrate the inner parts of my soul!!!
When Goliath looked and saw that David was a young man with a handsome appearance, he began to mock him. Goliath cursed David by his gods and mocked him for his lack of weaponry. He jeered at him. In response to all this, David said, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the Lord will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.” I Samuel 17:46-47. These words of David, his faith, his act of courage and trust in our Jehovah God penetrate the inner parts of my soul!!!
When Goliath drew near to meet David,
David ran quickly to the battlefield to fight this "giant." Then David put his hand in his bag where he had the five smooth
stones, taking but one stone which he slung so hard and true that it
struck Goliath in his forehead making him fall to the ground, either
knocking him unconscious or killing him instantly. If the stone did
not kill him, what came next certainly did: David used Goliath's own
sword to cut off this giant's head and offered the head to king Saul.
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. Israel's army chased them all the way back to Ekron and Gath. Then
the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines plundering their
camps. David then took Goliath's head to Jerusalem and put the sword
in his tent. When Saul noticed that David was going against the
Philistines, he said to his commander, "You inquire whose son
the youth is." When David returned from killing the
Philistines, Saul's commander, Abner took David along with Goliath's
head in his hand to Saul. Then Saul said to David, "Whose
son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son
of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.” I Samuel 17:58. It is a
fact that David's courage and trust in God made him unique,
different from ordinary men.
DAVID IN SAUL'S COURT (I Samuel 18-20)
Chapters 18-20 of I Samuel relate
David's fall from grace with Saul.
I Samuel 18: This chapter begins with
Jonathan's pledge or covenant of friendship with David. Jonathan's
soul was knit to the soul of David and Jonathan loved David as
himself. What a beautiful friendship of loyalty and unconditional
love! David and Jonathan's relationship was more like father to son
than brother to brother since Jonathan is apparently older than
David. This is just how it seems to me. Jonathan gave David his
royal robe as a sign to indicate Jonathan's understanding that David
was the one that God had chosen to be king and lead Israel. This is
amazing since Jonathan was the heir apparent since he was King Saul's
firstborn son. One would think that Jonathan himself would be
contending for the throne of his father. When Jonathan yielded to
David, it indicated an act of "true" friendship and
self-denial. I love Jonathan's loyalty to David, his beloved and true friend!
David continues playing the harp for
King Saul. With David's victory over Goliath and the later victories
over the Philistines, David began gaining favor in the eyes of his
people. This honor and praise toward David sadly became a stumbling
block for King Saul. Saul became jealous of David; of the love of
the people of Israel toward David. So Saul turned bitterly against
David. It is outrageous what jealousy can do. It destroys! In the
midst of Saul's raves and fits against David, Saul tried to spear him
twice, but David escaped from his presence both times.
When the LORD departed from Saul but
remained with David, Saul began to be afraid of David. This made
Saul remove David from his presence by appointing him as his
commander. The LORD was prospering David and the LORD was with
David. Unfortunately when Saul noticed that David was prospering
greatly, Saul became apprehensive. Saul began to be obsessed with
getting rid of David. But all Israel and Judah loved David. One of
Saul's strategies was to offer his daughter Merab to David. Of
course David would have to agree to fight valiantly many battles for
the LORD. With his strategy, Saul was hoping that David would die in
battle. But David refused to marry Merab.
When Saul found out that his daughter
Michal had fallen in love with David, Saul tried the same strategy
again. He offered David his daughter’s hand in marriage. Not bad
for a former shepherd boy! Saul hoped to use this offer as a snare
since he could now put the hand of the Philistines against David. Saul compelled his servants to lie, saying that Saul and the servants
loved him. Then David said to them, "Is it trivial in your sight
to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and
lightly esteemed?" So the servants reported to Saul what David
had said to them. Saul told his servant to tell David that he did
not expect a rich man’s dowry. The king would accept a dowry of
one hundred Philistine foreskins. To get the foreskins, David would
have to kill the Philistines. Saul hoped that David would die trying
to accomplish this terrible task. But God was with David and David
brought not just one hundred but two hundred Philistines foreskins.
Finally, the arranged marriage took place. Michal loved David and
this made Saul more afraid of him. Saul became David’s enemy
continually. Most importantly, David behaved wisely, more than
Saul's servants since the LORD was with him. I Samuel 18:30b says,
"David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of
Saul. So his name was highly esteemed."
MICHAL: It is interesting that
although Michal married David and received her father's blessing,
Saul later took her away from David giving her to another man,
probably because she loved David and helped him escape when Saul set
an ambush to kill him. David demanded after Saul's death that Michal
be returned to him. David may have done this out of love for her,
although Michal's husband also loved her deeply, II Samuel 3:16. He
may have demanded her return to right the first great wrong that Saul
had committed against him.
I Samuel 19: Saul demanded that
Jonathan and his servants kill David. Jonathan who loved David and
was loyal to him exposed his father's wicked plans to kill him. Jonathan urged David to stay away and hide himself from his father's
presence. Apparently, Jonathan was able to keep Saul off David for a
while, but unfortunately this did not last. Jonathan tried with his
heart to persuade his father speaking well of David. Jonathan said
to Saul his father, "Do not let the king sin against his servant
David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have
been very beneficial to you." For he took
his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and the Lord brought
about a great deliverance for all Israel; you saw it and
rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by
putting David to death without a cause?” Jonathan convinced
his father. Saul then vows saying, “As the Lord lives, he
shall not be put to death.” Then Jonathan informed David of
his father's words. Jonathan brought David back to Saul as
previously.
God was with David and every time he
went to fight the Philistines, David defeated them bringing victory.
One day as David was playing the harp for Saul, an evil spirit
entered into Saul as he was holding his spear. Saul tried to pin
David to the wall with the spear, but David slipped away from his
presence, so Saul stuck his spear with the wall. David escaped
fleeing one more time. Saul never gave up trying to hurt and kill
David. He sent a messenger to David's house to watch him and put him
to death the next morning. With Michal's help, David was able to
escape through a window. When Saul's messengers came for David she
lied saying he was sick. Saul again sent his messengers to capture
David. When the messengers entered the room they saw a household
idol that Michael had laid on the bed with goat's hair in his head
covered with clothes in order to deceive them. Saul became very
angry with Michal and began questioning her. In reply to the
question, Michal responded, “He said to me, ‘Let me go! Why
should I put you to death?’” She must have lied because she was
afraid of her father.
When David fled, he went to Samuel the
Prophet at Ramah. David told Samuel everything that Saul had tried
to do to him. Both went to Naioth and stayed there. When Saul found
out that David was hiding there, he sent a group of soldiers to
capture David. The group encountered Samuel with a group of prophets
prophesying. The Spirit of the LORD came upon the soldiers so they
begin to prophesy also. When Saul found out, he sent messengers or
soldiers a third time, but they also began to prophesy. Finally,
Saul himself went after David, and he also began to prophesy
stripping off his clothes until he came to Naioth in Ramah before
Samuel. He remained naked all day and all night. So everyone began
asking if Saul was among the Prophets. I think this was God's way of
calling Saul's attention to the wickedness of what he was doing to
David. It was a gentle and also humiliating way for God to expose
the wickedness of what he, Saul, was doing.
I Samuel 20: I definitely love this
chapter! Here, we can see a beautiful story of loyalty and
unconditional love between two extraordinary friends "of like precious FAITH." David fled and came to see Jonathan saying,
"What have I done? What is my iniquity? And what is my sin
before your father, that he is seeking my life?” Jonathan in
return said, “Far from it, you shall not die. Behold, my father
does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me.
So why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!” Then David vowed saying to Jonathan, “Your father knows well that I
have found favor in your sight, and he has said, ‘Do not let
Jonathan know this, or he will be grieved.’ But truly as
the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is hardly
a step between me and death.” So Jonathan says to David,
“Whatever you say, I will do for you.” David asked
Jonathan to let him go and hide himself until the third evening. David asks Jonathan to deal with him kindly since he had made a
covenant with him before the LORD. Jonathan asks David to go into
the field.
Jonathan then says to David, “The Lord,
the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father
about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if
there is good feeling toward David, shall I not then send
to you and make it known to you? If it please my
father to do you harm, may the Lord do so to
Jonathan and more also, if I do not make it known to you and
send you away, that you may go in safety. And may the Lord be
with you as He has been with my father. If I am still
alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of the Lord,
that I may not die? You shall not cut off your
lovingkindness from my house forever, not even when the Lord cuts
off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.” Jonathan sealed this with a covenant with the house of David saying,
“May the Lord require it at the hands of
David’s enemies.” David's promise to Jonathan is fulfilled in II Samuel 9. Jonathan made David vow again because of
his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life. David and Jonathan agreed on a signal that would alert David if it was not safe to return to Saul's table. This is what Jonathan said to David about the signal, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be empty. When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself on that eventful day, and you shall remain by the stone Ezel. I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target. And behold, I will send the lad,saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I specifically say to the lad, ‘Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,’ then come; for there is safety for you andno harm, as the Lord lives. But if I say to the youth, ‘Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ go, for the Lord has sent you away. As for the agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, the Lord is between you and me forever.”
David hid in the fields and when the
new moon appeared, Saul sat down to eat. David's place was empty. It was on the third day of the new moon with David's place empty that
Saul said to his son Jonathan, “Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” Jonathan then replied, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem, for he said, ‘Please let me go, since our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to attend. And now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me get away that I may see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”
Saul became very angry at Jonathan
saying, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know
that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the
shame of your mother’s nakedness? For as long as the son
of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be
established. Therefore now, send and bring him to me, for he must
surely die.” But Jonathan refused saying to his father, "Why
should he be put to death? What has he done?” This loyalty to
David provoked Saul to anger. He tried to kill Jonathan with his
spear. Jonathan was furious at his dad's wicked bloodlust to kill
David. He left the table and did not eat because he was grieved over
David.
David and Jonathan met as they he had
agreed. Jonathan brought a child with him whom he asked to run and
find the arrows he was about to shoot. This is the signal that they agreed upon to alert David to the danger at the royal table. As the child was running, Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him. When the child had come close to where Joanathan had shot the arrow, he called and said to the boy, "Is not the arrow beyond you?” This was the signal that David could not return to the royal table. Jonathan asked the child to hurry and go. The child retrieved the arrow and gave it to Jonathan. Notice that the child was not aware of
anything. Only David and Jonathan knew about it. Jonathan gave the child his weapons and asked him to take them to the city. When the child was
gone, David showed up bowing his face to the ground three times. David and Jonathan wept and kissed each other, David weeping the
most. I cannot help but to tear! This is touching!! Afterwards,
Jonathan tells David, "Go in safety, inasmuch as we have sworn to
each other in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord will
be between me and you, and between my descendants and
your descendants forever." David left while Jonathan went into the city. This chapter is touching, beautiful and sad at the same
time. Their farewell makes me cry big tears!!!
DAVID AS A FUGITIVE (I Samuel 21-31)
When David realized that it was no
longer safe for him to remain anywhere near Saul, he fled for his
life. For years Saul stalked David, who had to flee the palace that
had become his home. At times he had to go so far as to live in
caves in order to preserve his life from the wickedness of Saul. Some of the most beautiful Psalms were written during David's dark
times in life when he was being hunted like an animal. In one of
those Psalms David wrote, "I cried out to You, O Lord;
I said, 'You are my refuge, My portion in the land of
the living. 'Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low;
deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.
'Bring my soul out of prison, so that I may give thanks to Your name;
the righteous will surround me, for You will deal bountifully
with me." Psalm 142:5-7. Also, we read of this in Psalm 57
when David fled from Saul to hide in the cave, "Be gracious to
me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in You;
and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until
destruction passes by .... My soul is among lions; I must
lie among those who breathe forth fire, even the sons of men,
whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp
sword. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your
glory be above all the earth. They have prepared
a net for my steps... My heart is steadfast, O God, my
heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises!... For
Your lovingkindness is great to the heavens and Your truth to
the clouds. Be exalted above the heavens, O God; let Your
glory be above all the earth." David knew well he
was the right king for Israel, but he had to hide to save his own
life in order to accomplish what God had planned for him to do. More
than once David had the opportunity to attack and kill Saul, but
because he diligently wanted to do God's will, David chose to spare
Saul's life. In summary, David had the following traits of greatness:
- David walked by faith and not by sight.
- David trusted in the LORD.
- David was a man of extraordinary COURAGE.
- David did not walk by his emotions.
- David was not enslaved to the desires of his flesh.
- David was totally devoted to His Jehovah God .
- Saul lacked faith in God.
- Saul allowed his flesh to rule and have complete dominion over him.
- Saul was carnal minded.
- Saul did not trust in God.
- Saul lacked wisdom. His biggest failure was to rely on in his own poor, fleshly and foolish judgment rather than on God.
- Saul failed to stop and consider the Lordship of the LORD in wanting to do HIS WILL.
I Samuel 21-22: David fled and
received help from Ahimelech the priest who gave him consecrated
bread, the showbread, from the Tabernacle to eat. The priest also
gave the sword of Goliath to David since he had no sword or weapon. David then arose and fled from Saul. David went to Achish king of
Gath. And the king's servants said to David, "Is this not David
the king of the land? Did they not sing of this one as they
danced, saying, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten
thousands’?" Now, when David heard these words he took them to
heart and feared the king. David pretended to be mad or insane
before the king in order to escape.
In Chapter 22, David fled and went to
the cave of Adullam, but when all of his father's household heard
they came to see him. Everyone came to him and joined David. There
were about four hundred men who joined David. David then left from
there to Mizpah making a petition to the king of Moab, “Please
let my father and my mother come and stay with you until I
know what God will do for me.”
David then left the king of Moab
commending his family to the king’s care. Saul went mad when he
heard that Ahimelec and all the priests helped David. Saul ordered
that all the priest be killed for helping David. He also ordered his
servants to kill David's entire family including both men and
women, children and infants; also oxen, donkeys, and sheep. All were
to be struck with the edge of the sword. Such ATROCITY! It is
hard for me to read this part without being deeply disturbed!! It is amazing what jealousy and hatred can do to a man's
heart! Only Abiathar, Ahimelec's son, was able to escape fleeing
after David. David reassured him that he would be safe with him.
I Samuel 23: When David heard that the
Philistines were attacking the city of Keilah, slaughtering everyone, David asked the LORD if he should go attack the Philistines and save the city. The LORD's reply was YES, He said,“Go and attack
the Philistines and deliver Keilah.” Now David's men tried to
persuade him to not go, but he went again and inquired of the LORD. The LORD to David, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give
the Philistines into your hand.” Afterwards David and his men
fought the Philistines and struck them. David killed all including all their
livestock. When Saul heard that David was in Keilah, he sent all his
forces to kill him, but David fled into the wilderness and took
refuge in the strongholds. Even though Saul sought David
continually, God did not deliver David into Saul's hands. Jonathan
went to the wilderness of Ziph. When he found David he encouraged
him in God. These are Jonathan's words of encouragement to David,
“Do not be afraid, because the hand of Saul my father will not find
you, and you will be king over Israel and I will be next to you;
and Saul my father knows that also.” They again made a
covenant before the LORD and then each went their own way. I Samuel 24: When Saul heard that
David was hiding in the wilderness of Engedi, he took three thousand
men and went after David. On the way he saw a cave and went there to
find rest. Saul did not know that David was in that cave. Notice
that David and his men were in the innermost part of the cave.
David's men said to him, “Behold, this is the day of
which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold; I am about to
give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems
good to you.’” When Saul went to sleep, David had the
chance of his life to make things right, to have his revenge putting
an end to his horrible ordeal of exile. But David did not walk by
his emotions. He truly wanted to do God's will. David never
seriously considered killing Saul since David still considered Saul
to be Israel's anointed king. Instead David cut off a piece of the
royal robe to prove that he was in the cave and could have killed
him. David had a tender conscience and even this small insult
disturbed him. He said to his men, "Far be it from me because
of the Lord that I should do this thing to my lord,
the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him,
since he is the Lord’s anointed.” He persuaded
his men with these words not allowing them to do anything against
Saul. When Saul woke up he left the cave.
David went out of the cave and called
Saul saying “My lord the king!” Then David bowed with his
face to the ground in reverence saying, "Why do you listen to
the words of men, saying, ‘Behold, David seeks to harm
you’? Behold, this day your eyes have seen that
the Lord had given you today into my hand in the cave,
and some said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you;
and I said, ‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he
is the Lord’s anointed.’ Now, my father,
see! Indeed, see the edge of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut
off the edge of your robe and did not kill you, know and perceive
that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands, and I have not
sinned against you, though you are lying in wait for my life to
take it. May the Lord judge between you and me,
and may the Lord avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be
against you." Such an amazing man of faith and devotion to the
LORD, David is! Surely David is a man who does justice, kindness and
walks humbly with His LORD. When David had finished speaking, Saul
asked David, “Is this your voice, my son David?” When Saul
realized the MERCY that David had shown to him, he lifted up his
voice and wept. Saul said to David, “You are more righteous than
I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly
with you. You have declared today that you have done good to
me, that the Lord delivered me into your hand
and yet you did not kill me. For if a man finds
his enemy, will he let him go away safely? May
the Lord therefore reward you with good in return for what
you have done to me this day. Now, behold, I know
that you will surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel
will be established in your hand. So now swear 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
household.” Afterwards David swears an oath, and Saul leaves.
I Samuel 25: Samuel the prophet died
and they all cried and mourned his death. He was buried in Ramah.
David fled to the wilderness of Paran. He met a rich and foolish man called
Nabal. Nabal insulted David so his wife Abigail pleaded for
restraint. The LORD struck Nabal dead and David married Abigail.
GIANTS OF THE FAITH: ABIGAIL (I Samuel
25)
This beautiful story is like a breath
of spring air after so much conflict, war, death, rivalry, darkness,
affliction and betrayal. David was hiding in the wilderness: this
became the pattern of life for David. He met a wealthy business man
named Nabal whose name means "fool," and his beautiful,
intelligent and wise wife named Abigail. By the way, she is one my
favorite Bible characters. Nabal was a Calebite and his business was
in Carmel. He was a harsh and evil man in the way he dealt with
others.
When David heard that Nabal was
shearing his sheep, he sent a group of young men to Carmel to greet
him on his behalf, to wish him well and give his blessings. When the
young men spoke to Nabal, they spoke on David's behalf according to
all that he had commanded them to say. When Nabal heard David's
words, he said he did not know who David was and who his father was.
You see David asked Nabal to provide his young men with bread, water
and meat from his livestock. This is an honorable request: David
could have stolen what he wanted, but David did not intend to abuse
his fellow Israelites, so instead he humbly and politely asked for
provisions.
Nabal refused David's request for
provisions. Nabal said, “Who is David? And who is the son of
Jesse? There are many servants today who are each breaking away from
his master. Shall I then take my bread and my
water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give
it to men whose origin I do not know?” With these words Nabal
was insinuating that David was a runaway slave. It is strange that
Nabal would say that he had not heard of David's victory over
Goliath since these news had to have been widely published in Israel. Maybe Nabal felt that it was safe to insult David
since David was out of favor with the king. Only a "fool" would not know about David's story and who he was. So David's young
man returned to the encampment. When David heard what Nabal had to
say regarding the matter and his insults, David rose up in anger and
said to the men, “Each of you gird on his sword.” So
David and his men strapped on their swords and gathered together to
go and fight. David was apparently ready to slaughter Nabal and all
his household.
When Abigail was told by one of the
young men that David had sent messengers from the wilderness to greet
her husband, Nabal, and that he had scorned them. Nabal had made the
biggest mistake of his life by insulting David, so Abagil decided to
intervene for her foolish husband. Nabal was not an approachable
man. He was a worthless man, a fool. Abigal hurriedly loaded all
the requested provisions onto some donkeys and set out to meet David,
I Samuel 25:18. When Abigal saw David she approached him bowing to the ground taking to
herself all of her husband's blame. She pleaded with David that he
not listen to the foolishness of her husband making it clear to David
that she was not present when his messengers came to talk to her
husband. Abigail advised David not to kill him. This is what
Abigail said, "Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord lives,
and as your soul lives, since the Lord has restrained you
from shedding blood, and from avenging yourself by your own
hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek evil against
my lord, be as Nabal. Now let this gift which
your maidservant has brought to my lord be given to the young men
who accompany my lord. Please forgive the
transgression of your maidservant; for the Lord will
certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord
is fighting the battles of the Lord, and evil will not
be found in you all your days. Should anyone rise up to
pursue you and to seek your life, then the life of my lord
shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your
God; but the lives of your enemies He will sling out as
from the hollow of a sling. And when the Lord does
for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning
you, and appoints you ruler over Israel, this will
not cause grief or a troubled heart to my lord, both by having
shed blood without cause and by my lord having avenged
himself. When the Lord deals well with my lord, then
remember your maidservant." I Samuel 25:26-31. Abigail
acknowledged that David would be king some day and reminds him that
it is David, her lord, who is fighting the battles for the LORD and
that the LORD was going to protect him and avenge him. What a remarkable woman of
FAITH, DISCERNMENT and WISDOM. Her words of WISDOM and DISCERNMENT
won David over!
After David heard Abigail's words of
WISDOM and DISCERNMENT, he blessed her along with her WISDOM. When he set out against her husband Nabal, his motives were
evil. Instead of David being offended by these admonitions from a
mere woman, David praised God instead for His divine interventions,
blessing Abigail and finally sending her home in peace. I Samuel
25:32-38.
Abigail ran home to tell her husband
but apparently he was holding a feast like the feast of a king.
Nabal had gotten drunk. So Abigail decided to wait until the next
morning when he was sober. The next morning Abigail told Nabal all that she had spoken to David. Apparently Nabal had a stroke and died ten days later, I
Samuel 25:36-38.
When David heard that Nabal had died,
he said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has pleaded the cause
of my reproach from the hand of Nabal and has kept back His
servant from evil. The Lord has also returned the evildoing
of Nabal on his own head.” He then sent a proposal of
marriage to Abigail which she accepted. David rescued her from
widowhood by marrying her. What a wonderful, provider and protector
God we serve!
I Samuel 26: This chapter reminds us
of I Samuel 24. Saul came after David again. David encountered
another chance to kill Saul. David refused to stretch out his hand
against the LORD's anointed king. David came on Saul while he was
sleeping. David took only Saul's spear that was beside his head
and the jug, but spared his life one more time. David left without
anyone knowing it or seeing him.
When Saul realized that David had had a
chance to kill him again but refrained, he said, “I have sinned.
Return, my son David, for I will not harm you again because my life
was precious in your sight this day. Behold, I have played the fool
and have committed a serious error.” David replied, "The Lord will repay each man for his
righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord delivered
you into my hand today, but I refused to stretch out
my hand against the Lord’s anointed. Now
behold, as your life was highly valued in my sight this day, so
may my life be highly valued in the sight of the Lord, and may
He deliver me from all distress." Then Saul blessed David
again. They went their separate ways. Saul was a man ruled by his own passions and desires of the flesh. Sadly, this led him to
his own destruction. This is very sad!
I Samuel 27: When it became evident to
David that he was going to perish one day at the hands of Saul, he
decided to flee to the land of the Philistines. David thought that by doing this, Saul was not going to find him and will eventually give up on him. I cannot fathom how desperate
and insecure David must have felt in his own country, Israel. Pure
desperation!! David and his six hundred men crossed over and went to
the land of Achish the king of Gath. When Saul found out that
David had fled to Gath, the land of the Philistines, he stopped pursuing him.
David tries to assure the king that he
is on their side. So the king gave David the city of Ziklag which
belonged to the kings of Judah. David lived there for one year and
four months.
While David was in Gath, he and his men
quietly raided the Geshurites and the Girzites (Philistine towns)
and the Amalekites. David attacked that whole region killing
everyone, men and women, taking away all the livestock and clothing. Afterwards when he returned, Achish said to David, “Where have
you made a raid today?” David would tell him that he had
been raiding the southern regions of Judah or their allies. Achish
believed him, thinking in his heart, “He has surely made
himself odious among his people Israel; therefore he will become my
servant forever.”
THE DEATH OF SAUL (I Samuel 28-31)
In this section we find another
"chiasm" in which the first section matches the fifth
section and the second section matches the fourth section. Notice
that the center section stands alone as the climax of the story.
Chapters 28-31 cover the death of both
Saul and Jonathan in battle. David remained respectful of Saul even
in Saul's death. Remember all the afflictions that David had to
endure at the hands of Saul. Although David should have been
rejoicing finding relief and victory as the next king, he was
determined not to rejoice over the calamity of Saul. David even
wrote a special song in memory of Saul and his son Jonathan. He
wrote:
"Your beauty, O Israel, is slain on your high places! How have the mighty fallen! Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult. O mountains of Gilboa, let not dew or rain be on you, nor fields of offerings; for there the shield of the mighty was defiled, The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, and the sword of Saul did not return empty. Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life, and in their death they were not parted; they were stronger than lions. O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. How have the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan is slain on your high places. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; you have been very pleasant to me. Your love to me was more wonderful than the love of women. How have the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!"
"Your beauty, O Israel, is slain on your high places! How have the mighty fallen! Tell it not in Gath, proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult. O mountains of Gilboa, let not dew or rain be on you, nor fields of offerings; for there the shield of the mighty was defiled, The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, and the sword of Saul did not return empty. Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their life, and in their death they were not parted; they were stronger than lions. O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. How have the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan is slain on your high places. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; you have been very pleasant to me. Your love to me was more wonderful than the love of women. How have the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!"
With the loss of Jonathan, his beloved
friend, David's grief and sorrow was more than doubled. It was
unbearable for him. This moves me deeply! It makes my eyes tear. I know how painful it is to mourn the death of a loved one!
The Witch of Endor predicts Saul and
his sons will die (I Samuel 28):
It happened in those days that the Philistines camped in Shunem and when Saul saw the camp of the Philistine he was overcome with fear. He went and prayed to the LORD, but the LORD did not listen either by dreams, prophets or Urim, casting lots. So he decided to consult a woman who was a medium. She was a witch, a medium, from the town of Endor. Saul wanted to find out if he was going to defeat the Philistines who were gathering their forces against him. He asked this witch to bring up Samuel for him. When the witch saw Samuel she panicked and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul.” Saul says to her not to be afraid and insisted that she tell him what she saw. After she had finished describing Samuel to Saul, he knew it was Samuel, so Saul bowed his face to the ground in reverence of him.
It happened in those days that the Philistines camped in Shunem and when Saul saw the camp of the Philistine he was overcome with fear. He went and prayed to the LORD, but the LORD did not listen either by dreams, prophets or Urim, casting lots. So he decided to consult a woman who was a medium. She was a witch, a medium, from the town of Endor. Saul wanted to find out if he was going to defeat the Philistines who were gathering their forces against him. He asked this witch to bring up Samuel for him. When the witch saw Samuel she panicked and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul.” Saul says to her not to be afraid and insisted that she tell him what she saw. After she had finished describing Samuel to Saul, he knew it was Samuel, so Saul bowed his face to the ground in reverence of him.
Samuel was angry at Saul for disturbing
him and bringing him back. Saul replied saying that he was very
distressed over the Philistines waging war against him because God
would not answer him. Samuel then told Saul that he and his sons
would die on the battlefield the next day. Saul then fell on the
floor trembling because of the words of Samuel. There was no strength
in him since he had not eaten anything. The witch insisted that he
eat but he refused. He and his men left that night.
David's family is taken by the
Amalekites (I Samuel 29-30:1-6):
Meanwhile, David was marching behind
the Philistines toward the battlefield with Saul. He had convinced
the Philistine king that he would fight beside the Philistines.
However, the Philistine king sent David away when his men grew afraid
that David might betray them. They were quite right! Now when David
and his men returned home to Zilag, he found out that the Amalekites
had taken captive their wives and children and had burned their town. David and his men wept bitterly that day!
David defeats the Amalekites: (I Samuel
30:7-17):
The Amalekites had attacked, killed and
betrayed the Israelites for years since they first left Egypt. Let
us not forget that the LORD had promised that He would utterly
destroy them, the Amalekites. The fulfilment of that promise had
long been delayed. David and his men finally fulfill the LORD'S
curse on the Amalekites.
David's family is rescued from the
Amalekites: (I Samuel 30:8-31):
David and his men rescued the women,
the children and everything else the Amalekites had taken. They divided the spoils.
The Philistines attacked Israel and the
Israelites fled. In the battle of Mount Gilboa, the Philistines
killed Saul's three sons, including David's beloved friend, Jonathan.
Saul found himself badly wounded and refused to fall into the hands
of the enemy. He asked his armor-bearer to kill him but he refused . Saul took his own sword and fell on it killing himself. When his
armor-bearer saw that Saul had killed himself, he likewise fell on his
sword that he might die with him. That day Saul died, his three
sons, his armor-bearer and all his men. When the Israelites heard
that Saul had died along with his sons and so many others, they fled. The Philistines then came and lived there. What a tragedy!!
INTERESTING FACT: Timbrel (often
translated Tambourine)
The Timbrel was
an ancient percussion instrument used for worship. This instrument
was like a simple tambourine in the form of a disc with bells or
metal discs that were fastened around it. It was also decorated with
ribbons. It could be shaken or tapped with the hand. The timbrel
was used in the Old Testament for celebrations, worship and praise.
We can read of this in Exodus 15:20; 2 Samuel 6:5; Psalm 81:2. It
was played most often by women.
CONCLUSION: We have briefly considered the beginnings of the kingdom of Israel. Although there have been dark chapters, the beauty of the FAITH of two men, Samuel and David, brings us the joy that could be appreciated only in the context of the things that they suffered.
Our next study will consider the golden age of David's reign in the Book of II Samuel.
Luci
