I Samuel 21:9-10
“The priest said, ‘The sword of Goliath, the Philistine you killed at Oak Valley—that’s here! It’s behind the Ephod wrapped in a cloth. If you want it, take it. There’s nothing else here.’ ’Oh,’ said David, ‘there’s no sword like that! Give it to me!’”
“‘I only have the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah,’ the priest replied. ‘It is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. Take that if you want it, for there is nothing else here.’ ‘There is nothing like it!’ David replied. ‘Give it to me!’”
Real life hits David in the face as he escapes. Hungry and weaponless, he was powerfully afraid. Now his trust in God must make a quantum leap, and he fails his first attempt. In preceding verses, he lies instead of telling Ahimelech the truth and it will have grave consequences. Finding Goliath’s sword and its memories was God’s reminder of faithfulness. He provided then, in the face of overwhelming odds, and would again. Even in this failure to trust, God provided David a reminder of his trustworthiness. Our God is powerful, more than a match for real life.
Lord, I see in creation your power and majesty. Sometimes it’s hard to translate that into the dark recesses of my life. Grace me to trust you no matter my circumstances. I need to remember you, who set them upon me for your good purpose, are far greater than they. Fear gets in the way. Please help.
I Samuel 20:40
“Jonathan gave his quiver and bow to the boy and sent him back to town. After the servant was gone, David got up from his hiding place beside the boulder, then fell on his face to the ground—three times prostrating himself! And then they kissed one another and wept, friend over friend, David weeping especially hard.”
“As soon as the boy was gone, David came out from where he had been hiding near the stone pile. Then David bowed three times to Jonathan with his face to the ground. Both of them were in tears as they embraced each other and said good-bye, especially David.”
David loses his last connection to his earlier life, his best friend Jonathan. Life has turned surreal. Those who walk through deep valleys know this kind of disengagement, observing their own catastrophe. God has given David a hard landing, brutal but solid. From now on David will lean on God alone, discovering him more than able to fill the space left by the lost. It’s not such a bad place to be.
Lord, thank you for teaching me you are the only sure thing in my life. You always provide for me, regardless of my inner or outer turmoil. Keep the memories of your faithfulness close at hand the next time I enter free fall, that I discover anew a solid landing.
I Samuel 19:18
“David made good his escape and went to Samuel at Ramah and told him everything Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel withdrew to the privacy of Naioth.”
“So David escaped and went to Ramah to see Samuel, and he told him all that Saul had done to him. Then Samuel took David with him to live at Naioth.”
God provided a bridge for David from royal favorite to outlaw. David ran to God’s prophet Samuel and received the comfort, resolve and confidence he needed for the next phase of his life. God knew David’s future and the need to grow quickly into a leader and administrator. David’s life was very hard at this point and about to get harder. God stool in the gap, giving what David needed for the next step.
Lord, looking back I can see you standing in the gaps in my life. Thank you for that faithfulness. May I always trust in it. I expect you will continue to challenge me in faith and conduct. Make me ready!
I Samuel 19:1&7
“Saul called his son Jonathan together with his servants and ordered them to kill David. Jonathan sent for David and reported to him everything that was said. … Then he brought David back to Saul and everything was as it was before.”
“Saul now urged his servants and his son Jonathan to assassinate David. But Jonathan, because of his strong affection for David, told him what his father was planning. … Then he brought David to Saul, and David served in the court as before.”
Saul is the picture of a man losing touch with reality. He has listened to the wrong voice, whose intent is only to deceive and destroy. Reality, is Jonathan and David’s love and loyalty. Satan has twisted facts into conspiracy. Jonathan is successful, this time, at bringing his father back to the truth. But the Devil once invited in rings the doorbell with increasing frequency, digging the hole of lies ever deeper. Even still God loves Saul and longs for his return. No one is beyond God’s saving reach. Hope never fails.
Lord, help me to remember this when face to face with those who are repellant in their wickedness. Your love and power are great enough to save anyone. Let me resist fear of the enemy and wage war against him instead. May I see your love for the unlovely, be your agent in fighting for the salvation of any soul.
I Samuel 18:45-47
“David answered, ‘You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel’s troops, whom you curse and mock. This very day GOD is handing you over to me. I’m about to kill you, cut off your head, and serve up your body and the bodies of your Philistine buddies to the crows and coyotes. The whole earth will know that there’s an extraordinary God in Israel. And everyone gathered here will learn that GOD doesn’t save by means of sword or spear. The battle belongs to GOD—he’s handing you to us on a platter!’”
“David replied to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies- the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off you head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!’”
We hear the exciting story of David and Goliath from our early years. Then, the emphasis was on David’s trust in God. As adults we learn the basis for that trust. It was borne of reading God’s law and learning who God is. It is remarkable to hear these great truths coming out of the mouth of an adolescent, but that is what the Spirit can do through a willing heart. We today should speak out more, as David, in zeal for God’s honor. David understood God cannot be mocked and the battle is the Lord’s to fight. He grasped the reason the Spirit would work mightily that day, so “The whole earth will know there is an extraordinary God in Israel.” This is the Bible’s purpose; God reaching out to us, sharing himself, telling us what went wrong and what he has done to fix it. This story isn’t about David and Goliath, it is about the God-of-the-Angel-Armies.
Lord, you are a holy God mighty to judge and to save. Our sin repels you but does not extinguish your love for us. So, you made a way through Jesus. Grace me to live this hope and light that others may know it too. May my heart catch David’s zeal for you honor.
I Samuel 18:30
“Whenever the Philistine warlords came out to battle, David was there to meet them—and beat them, upstaging Saul’s men. David’s name was on everyone’s lips.”
“Every time the commanders of the Philistines attacked, David was more successful against them than all the rest of Saul’s officers. So David’s name became very famous.”
The Lord gave David success at everything he did. Perhaps David thought the time was at hand when the Lord’s anointing would be fulfilled. But David did not continue to rise. Instead, his life went sideways, for 10 years. It was as if God gave David a deposit on his kingship to hold him steady through his exile. It is the same with us. God gives each believer his spirit as deposit, guaranteeing our place in his family. It is for us, as it was for David, a promise of better things to come.
Lord, you ask great patience of us. I see in David story your wisdom in this. Give me grace to wait upon you in my life, especially when it goes sideways.
I Samuel 17:38-39
“Then Saul outfitted David as a soldier in armor. He put his bronze helmet on his head and belted his sword on him over the armor. David tried to walk but he could hardly budge. David told Saul, ‘I can’t even move with all this stuff on me. I’m not used to this.’ And he took it all off.”
“Then Saul gave David his own armor – a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before. ‘I can’t go in these,’ he protested to Saul. ‘I’m not used to them.’ So David took them off again.”
David was not trapped by familiarity, was willing to try new things. He also had sense to stand upon what had worked for him in the past. Familiarity becomes idolatrous when it is our security. At the same time wisdom says it’s silly, in extreme moments, to abandon the tried and true for the magical new. Many things in life call us to operate on this knife edge. It is impossible, but not with God. As with David, the secret is to know, by prior experience, we can trust his preparation for what he calls us to do.
Lord, keep me ready. Make me able to respond in an instant, without hesitation, to your commands. Give me wisdom to know when and how to leap forward with you.
I Samuel 17:28
“Eliab, his older brother, heard David fraternizing with the men and lost his temper: ‘What are you doing here! Why aren’t you minding your own business, tending that scrawny flock of sheep? I know what you’re up to. You’ve come down here to see the sights, hoping for a ringside seat at a bloody battle!’”
“But when David’s oldest brother, Eliab, heard David talking to the men, he was angry. ‘What are you doing around here anyway?’ he demanded. ‘What about those few sheep you’re supposed to be taking care of? I know about your pride and deceit. You just want to see the battle!’”
Choosing God’s way often leads us to these kinds of situations. Eliab was still smarting from the sting of being overlooked at Samuel’s anointing of David. When David was called to step outside Eliab’s firstborn leadership, insecurity became jealousy. Jealousy manipulated the facts, turning right motivation into wrong. Resist the siren call to bow to other’s opinions, good or bad. Instead, having chosen God, keep your ear tuned to him.
Lord, so many things call for my attention. In the heat of the moment, it is hard to pick the right one. Help me to choose wisely before I am even aware of the choosing.
I Samuel 17:26-27
“David, who was talking to the men standing around him, asked, “What’s in it for the man who kills that Philistine and gets rid of this ugly blot on Israel’s honor? Who does he think he is, anyway, this uncircumcised Philistine, taunting the armies of God-Alive?””
“David asked the soldiers standing nearby, “What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the Living God?””
David says two things that illustrate the essential human condition. “What’s in it for me,” is the self speaking. “How dare he insult the armies of the living god,” is the Spirit at work in the anointed king of Israel. In the next verses David goes on to slay this giant Philistine. God worked through David because it served God’s purpose, not because David had the perfect attitude.
Lord, I am so weary of this tug of war with my self, this daily battle filling every moment. Forgive me when I give in. May I always be willing to do your work in any instant. Keep this raging self within under your control.
I Samuel 16:15-16
“Saul’s advisors said, ‘This awful tormenting depression from God is making your life miserable. O Master, let us help. Let us look for someone who can play the harp. When the black mood from God moves in, he’ll play his music and you’ll feel better.’”
“Some of Saul’s servants said to him, ‘A tormenting spirit from God is troubling you. Let us find a good musician to play the harp whenever the tormenting spirit troubles you. He will play soothing music, and you will soon be well again.’”
Moderns would call Saul’s affliction depression, running short of neurotransmitters. Depression can be black, but this plus demonic oppression is annihilating. Biblically there are only these two spiritual forces. Saul turned from God’s goodness and evil remained.
Diversion helps us cope with mental and physical pain. (Saul’s advisors found the anointed king to heal the apparent king and just so God worked behind the scenes for his purpose.) When the wound is deep many things can divert, and intense, unrelenting, pain makes it hard to think clearly. The frantic search for diversion from haunting pain leads to addiction. All are addicted to something in various degrees. We may choose a culturally approved or a rebellious form. Regardless, addiction/diversion can only serve itself. Healing requires turning to the God who made us, sees inside us. We trust in him alone because we know he is the only hope.
Lord, you are my only hope. I walk atop this sea of illness, like Peter on the water, because you hold my hand. Only you fill the emptiness of my pain with joy and thanksgiving. You turn my affliction on its head and fill me with good things. I am amazed!
I Samuel 16:14
“At that very moment the Spirit of GOD left Saul and in its place a black mood sent by GOD settled on him. He was terrified.”
“Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting spirit that filled him with depression and fear.”
Some verses are hard to understand, and this is one. How could a wholly good God send evil? He didn’t have to. Saul was terrified at the Spirit’s leaving. He hadn’t felt that way for a long time. In the spiritual world there are forces apart from God. It didn’t take them long to find a room swept clean and waiting, (Matthew 12:44). Israel still thought Saul was their king. Saul knew otherwise but didn’t want to know. He turned aside from our good God and found misery. Why would anyone want to do the same? But we do, repeatedly. Those who walk by faith learn to continually check their orientation to the path. Is a good God still the reference point?
Lord, may I never lose my way like Saul. Keep warning me when I step off the path. I only want to walk your way.
I Samuel 16:13
“Samuel took his flask of oil and anointed him, with his brothers standing around watching. The Spirit of GOD entered David like a rush of wind, God vitally empowering him for the rest of his life. Samuel left and went home to Ramah.”
“So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.”
Before Christ the indwelling Holy Spirit was experienced by prophets, priests and kings. Christ became humanities advocate when he died on the cross. Now, those who believe he endured the agonizing penalty of our sin in his death by crucifixion likewise experience this filling. With sin atoned we now have intimacy with our creator. Still we, like the prophets, priests, and kings of old, choose to step away from this blessed relationship and do it our way. God loves and gives freedom. When freedom leads to license and wandering, God’s spirit within us hurts as surely as we when earthly relationship go awry.
Old Testament record of David’s life is full of stepping away from God. It is comforting to read when we do the same. God did not abandon David and he will not abandon us. His Spirit within continues to woo, calling the believer back to fulfill their ultimate purpose, relationship with and delight in himself.
How did David’s brothers and Jesse’s household respond to David’s anointing, this evidence of God’s provision and will? It must have greatly unsettled. Those with God toward hearts rejoiced. Those full of self, did not. Which are we?
Lord, I believe. Help me with my unbelief. Forgive my sins. Keep my heart toward you. Call me back when I wander. Return me to yourself. I want no other destiny.