1 Samuel 18:5-19:24
1 Samuel
18:5-30
Vs. 5-9
This fighting lasted weeks, if not months. During this time Saul promoted
David. The kid was a natural and apparently people followed him. When the
fighting was over they came back to Gibeah, the birthplace of Saul and now his
royal residence. You also know of Gibeah from the last chapters of Judges. Very
ironic that this rebellious king, from the tribe of Benjamin, made this the
capital, or royal city, of Israel.
On the way
back from the battle, they would have gone near Jerusalem, David with Goliath's
head in hand, and then up to Gibeah. In this procession, with crowds lining the
road along the way, the women broke out in song. The fact that this was their
song indicates that there were weeks between Goliath and this victory march.
News had circulated; the new hero's name was known and now it had become part
of an irritating little song.
V. 9 From
this day on Saul began to hate David and the evil spirit began to return. It is
possible that 4-5 years pass by from the killing of Goliath to David fleeing
for his life from Saul.
This is
the grungy history of Israel. It is also the grungy history of redemption. You
would think that since the world and its people are going to hell, we
Christians could all be friends, be of the same spirit and get the job done.
Not so. Growing as a mature disciple means witnessing this kind of "in
fighting," but still keeping your passion for Christ and His/our mission
burning brightly. There can be a lot of jealousy and ego in the church and in
the harvest. Paul, himself, mentioned the jealousy aimed at him in Philippians
1.
Vs. 10-11
Apparently, during the time of the fighting, Saul and David became
reacquainted. When they returned, Saul was having more difficulty with that
evil spirit; and David took up his old job of playing the harp (lyre) as he had done
years earlier. I'm not sure if it means that David evaded him twice on this
occasion, or if it means that in all of David's dealings with Saul there were
two times he tried to kill David. There will be one more narrow escape just
around the corner.
Vs. 12-16
It is interesting that Saul got to the place of not being able to stand David's
presence. As an ordinary commander, David would fall into obscurity; but unlike
Saul, the Spirit was with David and David was bold, taking the initiative.
Notice the mention in v. 16 of Israel and
Judah. This will become more important later.
Vs. 17-19
One of Saul's daughters had been promised to the man who killed Goliath. Saul
was making David wait, hoping the Philistines would kill David. When that
didn't work, Saul broke his own vow and didn't give Merab to David.
This vow
put Saul in a hard situation. Saul knew that God's hand was on David, so he
wanted David dead. Plus, if David married one of Saul's daughters, David would
be in the family and would have some right to the throne. That would be
horrible.
Vs. 20-29
Michal was not a consolation prize. She loved David and was probably closer to
David's age. With Merab, it would have been like making your 30-year-old
daughter marry a 19-year-old. David would have been her "Boy Toy." In
the case with Michal, it would have looked better. But the same problem existed
here; David had to die and he couldn't become part of the family.
V. 27 It’s
good that this story doesn't make it into children's Sunday school lessons. It
is interesting to wonder if they took the time to really circumcise the dead soldiers.
Some think that David just castrated them, but it says he brought the
foreskins. Circumcision would have been less macabre, and it would have added a
psychological fear factor to fighting Israel. Of course, death was bad enough,
especially the real reality of death - stepping before a judge you're not ready
to meet.
Because of
Saul's insane jealousy and bitterness, I'm sure this ruined every day of his
life. It finally drove him to very violent and insane acts.
V. 30 This
is giving us the passage of time. In this verse David goes from a 15-year-old
to an 18- or 19-year-old.
1 Samuel
19
Vs. 1-7
Apparently Saul resolved to kill David and goodhearted Jonathan tried to help
David. There may not have been any big battles, so that David's achievements
were a minor but constant irritant. Jonathan wasn't yet aware how deeply his
father's ego and insecurity had been roused. It often happens with us. We try
to speak peace to someone and it seems to work, only to discover that the issue
is much deeper than we realized.
Vs. 8-10
Another battle with the Philistines, another victory for David, and incurable
brooding and jealousy for Saul. Oh yeah, David, "Watch out for that
spear."
Vs. 11-24
From this point on, David will be running from Saul. It will be about 17 years
before David becomes king of the entire nation. During these next ten years,
for eight and a half of them he'll be on the run, living in caves, living in
the open country, hiding from Saul. Things will settle down, and then David
will simply be hiding from Saul. Finally Saul will make another run at David
and David will keep from killing Saul. David will realize that Saul will never
change and never give up. Then he'll go to the territory of the Philistines and
live in Ziklag for a year and a half. After these ten years Saul will die in
battle and David will be made king of Judah in Hebron while a seven-year civil
war rages with the followers of Saul. Finally, when David is 37 he will become
king of the entire nation. David is now about 20 years old. This will be a very
intense time in David's life, and God will develop his heart in this trial.
We've seen God do this with Joseph and Moses. David will become great and we'll
get some good psalms.
V. 13 Some
translations say, "idol," but this was just some decorative statue,
like a replica of that statue by Michelangelo, "David." Apparently
they had "yard art" back in those days too.
V. 17 This
lie was unnecessary and who knows how it was used to spread a false report
about David. Eventually, Saul would give Michal to another man. Why didn't she
just say she loved David and that her father was wrong?
Vs. 18-24
This was a strange way to stop Saul, but really, it was an attempt to give Saul
another chance to repent. It was a sign to show that God would never allow Saul
to kill David. The insanity here is that even though Saul knew he was
powerless, he persisted even when he knew that God was opposing him.
As disciples, we should realize that we are
reading redemptive history. It is sad and tragic, but it is God's working to
save and redeem lost people. So, we shouldn't feel too badly if our journey
looks something like this. Paul said to Timothy in 2
Timothy 3:12-13, Indeed, all who desire
to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and
impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Even in
Paul's day there was a certain amount of resistance from Jerusalem and there
were pharisaical Christians who followed him, disrupted his work, persecuted
him, confused those new to faith and who tore churches apart. Paul had to deal
with a lot of "friendly fire." Following the Lord in the harvest and
making disciples for Him is worth it all.
John 8:31-59
Vs. 31-33 So what does it mean that these Jews
(Jewish leaders) believed in Jesus? Satan believes in Jesus, too. Judas
Iscariot must have believed in Jesus to have stayed with Him. John 2:23-25 says, Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover
Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But
Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people
and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in
man.
This is a
good question to ask, because it is obvious that belief doesn't mean you are
saved. After Jesus reigns 1000 years on earth, people will still reject Him.
It's insane, but true. King Saul knew and believed a lot. He believed in God
and he knew David would be the next king, but he fought against it and became a
madman. Belief doesn't mean saving faith. Submission, following, obeying, and
doing are in the true definition of what it means to be saved. "He who
hears my word and does it," is the real formula. Jesus said many would
come to Him on seeing Him in heaven and claim they belonged to Him, but He will
say that HE NEVER knew them. In Matthew 9, Jesus healed two blind men, saying, Do you believe I am able to do this?
They said, Yes Lord. Then He sternly
charged them, See that no one knows about
it. But they went away and spread His
fame through all that district. They believed, but didn't obey.
In v. 31
Jesus said it, If you abide in my word,
you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will set
you free.
V. 33 And
they not only argued with Jesus, but they were wrong. In reality, Israel
belonged to Rome. But what they didn't grasp was their bondage to sin. The
leaders knew of Isaiah 53. If they hadn't had an irrational hatred for Jesus,
they might have been able to think this through.
Vs. 34-38
This is a very important passage of Scripture. Like Paul in Romans 7, Jesus is
describing sin as a force within us. Only the Son can make a person free. There
are no exceptions.
The
allusion to the slave and the son in v. 35 could be looking at the difference
between Ishmael and Isaac, or between the law and grace. One was the son of the
promise and the other was the son of the slave woman. Apparently this symbol
must have been a part of Jewish teaching, because Paul will pick up on it in
Galatians.
V. 38 But
Jesus picks up on the idea of father
and presses the point home.
Vs. 39-40
If Abraham were their father, they would have received the truth as Abraham
had. This is very interesting. Jesus was the angel of the Lord who visited
Abraham and told him that he and Sarah would have a child. Abraham received
that truth. So here is Jesus, who had talked with Abraham, being treated like a
liar for telling the truth. This is a very ironic moment. When Jesus presented
Abraham with the truth, Abe listened.
They still
hadn't figured out who their father was.
Vs. 41-43
The irony only went deeper. In claiming God was their Father they were sadly
wrong. I'll bet Jesus smiled sadly when He said this. If they had loved God,
they would have been in love with Jesus.
V. 43 This
verse is not only an explanation of the rebellion of man and result of sin, but
it makes you wonder if Satan can bear to hear God's Word.
V. 44 This
is an amazing description of the leaders who hated Jesus. They never thought
that their desire to kill Jesus and lie about Him came from the devil. They
proved they were his followers and children by so completely imitating and
obeying his desires.
Vs. 45-47
Anyone who does not hear and follow Jesus is not of God, regardless of how
moral he acts or how much "god speak" he utters. Jesus is the one and
only.
Vs. 48-51
Now the Jews, usually meaning the
Pharisees and leaders, take the lead in the confrontation. Notice the contrast
in what is said here. They accuse Jesus of being demon-possessed and He still
offers them eternal life. Verse 51 is discipleship, true belief and saving
faith all rolled into one sentence.
Vs. 52-59
Now we are back to Abraham. It really is amazing, that when these leaders
wanted to be perceptive, they could do it. They understood the logic of what
Jesus just said. They thought they had trapped Him, but they were about to get
their hearts challenged.
V. 58
Jesus called Himself “Yahweh,” when He said, I AM. We miss this because of the language construction, but they
got the point. This will be revisited in chapter 10 where they say they wanted
to kill Jesus; because, He, being a man, made Himself (declared that He was)
God.
Psalm 112
A
wonderful psalm.
Vs. 1-4 In
keeping with both the OT and NT readings, note that this blessed person fears the Lord and greatly delights in His commandments. Loving/fearing the Lord and
following His Word are connected. This man is known or blessed with what
follows in vs. 2-4.
Vs. 5-9
Verse 5 describes the outward life of this person who loves the Lord as mentioned
in v. 1. It is his relationship with God that allows him to be generous with
others. He has stability and a firm foundation in the affairs of life because
of his trust in the Lord.
V. 10
Doesn't this remind you of Saul or even the Pharisees? If you are for yourself,
then seeing God blessing others and removing His blessing from you makes you
mad. It can even ruin your teeth.
Proverbs 15:12-14
So
apparently a wise person accepts reproof, takes courage in all things because
of God's love which makes him glad, and then he seeks even more to understand
God and to follow Him better.
There are
many things that the Lord uses to reprove or humble us, but if our hearts
belong to Jesus and we are following Him in the harvest, we would call that
"pruning." That sorrow doesn't last long since we are living for the
Father's glory, to bear much fruit. We know why we're here and what this life
is about. The sorrow of life doesn't affect us the same way if we are abiding
in our Lord.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year
Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't
work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/
and click on “Every
Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are
following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple,
following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship
culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging
each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make
disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here
or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some
explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My
comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on
Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups
will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with
and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the
harvest.
If you would like a complete description of this model
of being and making disciples you can find it in my book: Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is
still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's
keyed to the NIV, so the result is the commentators are constantly telling you
what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in
fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is
encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the
comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding,
that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but
only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
Send comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like documents containing an entire month
of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download
these to use on your computer or to print.
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