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MAY 19
1 Samuel 24-25
As we read about David on the run, we get very little sense of the
difficulty this presented for David or his followers. Over the 10 years he
lived on the run in virtual exile in Israel, and then in Ziklag, it had to have
taken a toll on all of them, with their emotions and tempers running the gamut.
I'm sure he had people "encouraging" him saying, "Don't worry,
this will only last a few months. The people know what's going on. Maybe
they'll do something. Maybe God will do something." Don't you hate it when
people do that? God doesn't always pay on Friday, or this year, for that
matter. In the meantime, this "chase" was becoming something of a
cultural phenomenon. Everybody, even the Philistines, knew about it. The Lord
will encourage David at the most unexpected times and by the most unexpected
means. This will be a good lesson for us, too, to simply follow in the harvest
and let God give us recognition and encouragement as He sees fit.
This map might be a help. “David’s Flights From Saul,” Bible
Knowledge Commentary-OT, p. 452. It’s located at the end of this document.
1 Samuel 24
Vs. 1-7 This was not only unexpected, but David’s reaction was also
unexpected. I’m sure David loved or respected Saul, but more than that, David
respected the Lord’s sovereign choice of anointing Saul. It looks like David
himself was surprised at how the Spirit stung his conscience. David’s men also
got a good lesson in godliness and following the Lord.
V. 3 I have never heard a good explanation for the expression
"covering your feet," (you should have a note saying what the literal
words are), so here is my theory. When a guy stands and empties his bladder,
depending on the target surface and wind direction, he usually gets his feet
wet, but only notices it if he's barefooted or wearing sandals. They wore
sandals in those days. Apparently someone came up with the idea of covering
their feet and the phrase caught on and became an expression like "going
to the john" or "going to the place where even the Kaiser has to go
on foot" (i.e., without his horse…it's German…oh, forget it). You get the
idea.
I can't imagine that David had all 600 men in the cave, but certainly a
scouting party.
Vs. 4-7 You can imagine the pressure on David. All the discomfort and
stress of running, and here, with one good slice and the battle is over. I
don't know what good influences there might have been on David to develop his
heart, but the Spirit was with David and, in this instance, He smote David's
heart. Remember too, that David was also anointed. He could have done a lot of
rationalizing. But here, the Spirit led him. The respect David shows here to
God and Saul, and his willingness to stand against the voice of the people
(unlike Saul) is what made him a leader and model to his men. In the German it
says that David used hard words to steer his men away from this plan of action.
And I wonder if Saul was deaf. I can’t imagine David arguing with his men in a
cave making no noise unless they were doing pantomime.
Vs. 8-22 To me, the most significant thing that comes out of this is
Saul's sad confession that he knew David would become king. In other words,
Saul knew he was fighting God. In v. 21, as he makes David swear not to kill
his family, he all but admits that he knows God will prevail.
Notice that this was very public. In v. 2 we are told that Saul brought
3000 of his best men. They all heard him confess his guilt and declare that
David would become king. What a funny thing for God to arrange. Yet, in spite
of this public declaration, Saul will still irrationally pursue David, and so
will the leaders and men who heard what had just been said.
Sin, this same kind of sin, is in us. Rationality and education can
only go so far and these will always give way to the vicious sickness in our
souls. Our problem is spiritual, so the cure must be spiritual. We have been
given a new spiritual life, but still we need our meds, the Word, daily. Until
the Lord takes us and frees us completely from this body of death, we
desperately need the Word, the Spirit, and following Christ in the harvest.
1 Samuel 25
This chapter is given entirely to the story of David and Abigail. So,
what is this chapter really about? Is this a romance? If you ask me, and I know
I'm hopeless, every year when I read this, I wish David would have just hung
with Abigail. I know God is sovereign, so Solomon had to come, which meant
Bathsheba would have been David's wife eventually (without David killing
Uriah). So then, if this isn't a romance, what is the point of the story?
Vs. 1-8 We have no clue here as to the passage of time. It could have
been days or years. David apparently attended Samuel’s funeral. David must have
been living a very public life, as we’ll see in a few verses. If you use the
map of David’s Flight From Saul, follow line 14 up to Ramah. That would have
been the funeral. Then follow line 15 down to Maon. As only a shepherd could,
David guarded Nabal’s (Nabal means fool) flocks and his shepherds. Wrongly,
David felt that Nabal owed him something. Since the man was rich and David had
rendered a service, he could have been generous. I think it is a little
irrational that David demanded a payday and was willing to kill.
Vs. 9-13 I guess you could call this a tale of two hot-heads.
Vs. 14-17 This guy was the unsung hero of this story. I’ve never
noticed him before. Notice his advice to Abigail. I had to smile when he called
Nabal a worthless man.
Vs. 18-22 Abigail and Nabal apparently complemented each other. He was
a fool and she was very wise. She was not only bringing a lot of stuff, but she
sent servants on ahead so they could temper David’s anger. David on the other
hand was ready for war. His words show that he wasn’t depending on God. He
“served” Nabal to get something from Nabal.
Vs. 23-31 Besides all that may have been going on here culturally, God
gave David a very unexpected encouragement. Notice what Abigail says in vs.
28-31. She is saying that everyone knows David is God’s choice to be king and
she has faith that God will exalt David. Wow. She even asks David to remember
her when God brings him to the throne. Now, if Abigail and everyone knew this
about David, so did Nabal.
Notice that she tells him twice that he shouldn't help himself by his
own hand. It's hard not to fight.
Vs. 32-35 I think this is the point of the entire story. David would
have been completely unjust in doing this. He would have been a murderer. God
saved him. Abigail said what was obvious, that God was going to make David the
king over Israel. In the bitterness of waiting, David had lost perspective.
Remember Balaam; no one could convince God to curse Israel, but they
could bring a curse on themselves through sin. Then both justice and Satan
would be storming God's throne to bring wrath and judgment. Later, in the case
of Uriah the Hittite, David will become a murderer. God will judge him, and he
and his entire family (not to mention the nation) will suffer as a result.
Here, David is spared.
Do you ever wonder why God blocks you or why that slow driver pulls out
in front of you to make you drive slower? In this way, and in a thousand other
ways in all sorts of situations, the Spirit guiding us often blocks us,
protecting us to keep us safe before God, so that we will remain focused and
qualified to bear witness to our Lord in the harvest, and to make disciples.
Vs. 36-42 Almost a happy ending. God struck Nabal, and David learned
the mercy of God in being blocked and the importance of waiting on God. And
David married Abigail.
Vs. 43-44 This is what takes the edge off of the happy ending for me.
There is no example of a man with multiple wives where there wasn’t trouble.
Abigail might have been that one woman of spiritual wisdom that David needed.
Having multiple wives meant that his attention would never be fixed, and he would
never be fulfilled and "one" with anyone. This abundance of women and
lack of oneness will get both him and Solomon in a lot of trouble.
John 10:22-42
Today, "The Feast of Dedication is called Hanukkah or the Feast of
Lights. It commemorates the re-consecration of the temple by Judas Maccabeus in
165 B.C. after its desecration in 168 B.C. by Antiochus IV (Epiphanes), who was
the foreshadowing of the antichrist. The time for the eight-day feast was in
December." (Bible Knowledge Commentary-NT, p. 311) This then is
just four months before Jesus’ death.
The link between what happened earlier in this chapter and now is the
continued conflict with the leaders, the question of Jesus' identity, and the
analogy of the sheep.
Vs. 22-25 The Jews means the
Pharisees and leaders. Their request seems reasonable except that Jesus had
already told them who He was. They wanted to argue with Him to satisfy their
unbelief and catch Him saying something they could say was wrong.
Vs. 26-30 This is a great portion of Scripture and worth memorizing.
V. 27 If you break this verse down into parts, you get a good
description of saving faith and discipleship. And you get a good devotional for
a group.
V. 28 is a good text for eternal security.
V. 30 This started a fight. They asked Jesus and He told them.
Vs. 31-33 They understood exactly what Jesus was saying.
Vs. 34-42 In Psalm 82:6 the men God sent to judge and lead Israel were
called gods or mighty ones simply
because they had the Word of God. Jesus says here that if those guys were
called gods and sons of God, how much more should He be called the Son of God
since He was sent from the Father and was doing the Father's works? Jesus
wasn’t saying He wasn’t God’s Son, He was confirming He was the Son of God.
Vs. 37-38 Even with this level of anger and resistance, Jesus still
appealed to them to believe by looking at the miracles instead of looking at
Him.
Vs. 39-42 Jesus escaped again and went to Bethany beyond the Jordan,
where John first bore witness to Jesus (John 1:28). The leaders of the people
hated Jesus and would not believe, but the people believed. Notice that although
the people were attracted by the signs, they believed in the person of Jesus as
the Messiah. The Pharisees couldn’t get beyond the person of Jesus.
In about four months, the Jewish leaders would get what they wanted.
For us as disciples, we have Jesus as our model and our Lord. His
compassion in dealing with the Jewish leaders, putting Himself in harm’s way to
give them a chance to respond, is mercy and grace, and is an example to us.
Also, He is the model of what it means to abide. Jesus saw each situation as
staged by His Father and was alert and followed as the Spirit led. That is how
we abide in our Lord in the harvest.
Psalm 116
What a great psalm. As you read it think of two things. First, the
power of our love for the Lord is always connected to how we understand what He
rescued us from. As Jesus said, he who is
forgiven little, loves little. Second, in our ongoing journey following Christ,
He teaches us to rest in Him, by leading us into situations where we can depend
on only Him. Think of this psalm as being written by David after living through
the two chapters we just read today.
Vs. 1-4 God’s love was known from His deliverance and therefore the
writer loves the Lord. But there was calling out and crying to the Lord before
the deliverance came. David and his guys were hiding in a cave, praying, while
3000 men waited outside for Saul to return, and suddenly God delivered David
and his men.
Vs. 5-11 In what David was suffering, there was not just the danger
from Saul, but the shame of hearing lies and being treated with scorn by people
like Nabal. Yet God saved and vindicated David. In fact, God protected David
from himself. That is mercy.
Vs. 12-19 If this is David, he is saying that he will repay the Lord by
public praise and testimony to God’s deliverance. Notice that he calls himself
God’s servant and keeps repeating that he will praise God before the people.
This is what David says often and what he did when God made him king.
The psalm begins with I love the
Lord, and ends with Praise the Lord.
Proverbs 15:20-21
Apparently v. 21 is dependent on v. 20. Isn't it interesting that the
foolish man despises his mother? Assuming this is a godly woman, women tend to
think holistically, seeing many things connected that maybe no one else sees.
Moms might see love for Jesus and eating peas as practically the same thing.
Rejecting their motherly wisdom and living a life that despises their values by
its contrasting values and actions (you don't have to eat peas), is what God
calls being a fool for foolishness' sake. A wise man walks a straight path
understanding all of this, respecting his mother's viewpoint, though he may not
eat peas ever again once he leaves the house.
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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