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MAY 16
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.
Please Read
the Following Disclaimer
I'm writing the Reading Notes to and
for those who are following a One Year Bible and are 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, that is, 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 and important discipleship manual we have and it is the 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, or whom we are to be following. 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, as disciples, 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, making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a more descriptive
commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary (BKC).
I read the BKC in doing background for the Reading Notes and refer to it quite
often. I also make reference to maps or charts in the BKC, though I will only
note where those resources can be found. Often you can do a search for these
and find them in Google books. Buying both volumes of the Bible Knowledge
Commentary would be a good idea.
I am not endorsing any particular
One Year Bible translation; in fact, I read something you probably don't, Die
Revidierte Lutherbibel, 1984. Unless noted, all Scripture quotes are from the
ESV Bible.
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. Often there is a breadth of opinion on certain events, both
historical and prophetic. Many of my views come from my church background,
theological training and my personal study.
I'm
doing this with discipleship in mind, meaning, I'm writing out thoughts that
will keep discipleship and our growth as disciples applied to what we are
reading. Remember, the real focus of the Reading Notes is to be a
supplement, a disciple’s commentary, giving motivation and insight so that we
will keep following our Lord in the harvest, reaching the lost and making
disciples, who make disciples. Being in
the Word every day, sitting at Jesus’ feet, learning directly from Him, is the
essential essence of being and making disciples.
May the Lord bless you as you follow Him in the
harvest, reaching the lost and making disciples, who make disciples. Dan
If you would like documents
containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
If you would like a full
presentation of discipleship read Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples.
Or if you are struggling with
insomnia and would like a long boring dissertation on disciple making, these
can both be found on https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes.
Reading Notes ©, Dan Kachikis
2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
The One Year Bible © by
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton Illinois 60189
The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version® (ESV®) Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of
Good News Publishers.
All charts/graphics/outlines
from the Bible Knowledge Commentary are used with the permission of David C.
Cook.
© 1983, 2001 John F Walvoord and Roy B Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary is published by David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Publisher permission
required to reproduce.
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