Hello everyone, you are doing awesome at the reading challenge. We are almost finished with 1 Samuel and will soon be at our half-way point. Continue to push yourself to read even when your tired, even when you are wanting to slack a day. They say it takes 21 days to create a habit. Hopefully over the course of this challenge there will be some new habits created when it comes to reading the Scriptures.
Today's reading is 1 Samuel 23-24
Chapter 23:
My biggest take-away from this passage is that David inquires of the LORD to seek his next move. It wasn't like he couldn't just act out of his instincts, and even when he did ask the LORD questions, he had to continue to ask them because he was only getting one step answers. One step answers mean you only know what God wants you to do the next step, you have to trust and wait for Him to reveal the next one. Over the course of this chapter, David asked God several times what the next step was. I think I need to rely more on God for those next step answers, even the small ones.
Chapter 24:
This passage is one of the most interesting twist in the David and Saul saga. Saul is pursuing after David to kill him, yet when he discovers that David could have killed him, he is humbled to the point of weeping. David could have finished off the guy trying to end his life, but instead, he refused to touch the LORD'S anointed. What I love about this is that David knows that he is anointed to be the next king, but rather than taking matters into his own hands, he refused to touch the one whom God has chosen, and up to this point, has kept in power. My take-away from this is that God works through authority and structure, even when I don't always like those in power (ex: the Southern Baptist Convention), but I have to trust that God will bring about change and new leadership on his timing.
What were your thoughts?
This is one of those passages that reminds me that knowing God is so important. By my measures David should have killed Saul. David is the anointed King of Israel, Saul is a waste and an ungodly ruler of God's nation, he is hunting David, and he is using the bathroom in David's hideout, totally disrespectful! BUT, David knows God and knows God will handle things. The bottom line is you don't mess with the one God anointed as king, even if the anointing has been removed. God will work things in His time and His manner. This one is tough for me to understand and live out, but waiting on the Lord is a very important part of our faith we need to actively use.
ReplyDeleteQuestion for the day: What do you think God was teaching David during this time in his life?
Take Away Is much the same as Chad's & Erik's....what I did come away with the most was from Ch.24...Is that the lesson that Saul learned was b/c of David's actions & how he repaid "good for evil"..through this Saul caught a glimpse of what God was doing...I only wish that most Christians today had the attitude of David when it comes to those in leadership roles in our country...and really know and believe that God has a plan and nothing happens to thwart His plan!
ReplyDeleteMy First thought...This was a good turn for David. This time he consulted God's priest Abiathar. And requested the ephod. Which was a garment worn as a symbol of God's presence and with in the pouch on the ephod was the casting stones for determining God's will. This in itself is a mystery.
ReplyDeleteWhat I see is that we can move in sequence with God on many things in our lives, because we have walked with Him. Yet, there are times that we need to remember,in essence our ephod, the Bible. The answers to how we proceed in any given situation is written there for those who will "call for it".
Second thought..Our enemy is always looking for ways to destroy us. But God is aware of his ever move. When we are confronted with his presence, we must learn to not take matters into our hands, but rather learn to do what Jude said that Michael the archangel said to the devil..." The Lord rebuke you.".
I see David has learned some valuable lessons.Before,he let circumstances dictate his actions.Now I see David praying for direction,and he does so four times in just the first few verses,yeah! Helping the city of Keilah fight Philistines should have been a job for Saul to do,right? But,Saul is distracted by his own agenda and is blinded by his own arrogance,he doesn't see who his real enemy is.Obviously word had gotten out what happened in Nob and one can hardly blame the people of Keilah for being willing to give David up to Saul.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest impression I got from today's reading was about friendships. Funny how Saul has left his city and palace and is wandering around like an idiot trying to be covert and discover where David is hiding and Jonathan goes straight to him. Ha,ha, What a great friend,what an encouragement he was to David!!!He reminds David of God's plan and His faithfulness and then they pray together.
I found it "funny" in a sad way how Saul is like a dog with a bone. He gets word his country is invaded,goes back home to fight the real enemy only to return after to pick up the hunt on David again.Hello...think God is trying to get your attention here Saul?Thankfully he's always "a day late and a dollar short".Really, what must the neighbors think? I wouldn't go next door to have a fight with my husband.
But back to friends. These rag-tag folowers were loyal for the fight but their advise to kill Saul when he came into the cave was unwise. Sometimes friends can give advise on what they think we want to hear. Often we are quick to claim something is God's Will especially when it's something we want to have or something we want to do.David shows so much character.He isn't going to do shortcuts,or further his success by taking advantage of this opportunity.This is a test of his true heart and it shows he is sensitive to God's Will and timing.
There are plenty of instances in the bible where God makes His promises and man's ways are not God's ways and so then there is a big mess that follows.For example: Abraham hurrying ahead of God and having a son Ishmael.
There was a question in my mind as to why David feared and ran. I don't believe he was afraid to fight because he fought wars all the time.When he did fight, he called on the Lord for help. I think David's fear is explained in Ch.24:6
He knew he couldn't fight back,his "hands were tied". he knew he had the promise but he didn't have permission to act on it.
Saul is pathetic.He's sorry and he's weeping,but his words are only an apology offering regrets and shame,but still he doesn't truely repent.There is more to repentance than just saying we messed up. How many times did Pharoah say my bad? He even agreed that God was righteous, but he never really repented. Also,the people supposedly repented and turned from their wickedness on several occassions,but left their high places and idols intact.
Repentance means a change of heart,mind,direction,attitude..If Saul was truely repentant,he should have offered restitution. Say,hey David,come back home.Let's kill the fatted calf.. Basically he just cried "uncle" and asked for David to make him a promise for the future of his household.
David's faith and obedience cost him.He was surrounded by 600 men, but he had only one true friend.
I need to be the right with God so I can be the right kind of friend to others.
The biggest thing I took away from this passage was that we should ask God what to do before proceed into challenging situations. Sometimes the answer isn't what we might have expected and/or what we want to hear so it is tempting to proceed how we see fit. We must put our faith in God and trust that he knows what is best for our lives and he will be with us as long as we listen to him,
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