THE IMPORTANCE OF PROMISES

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In Christ, Mark

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Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, "What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to take my life?"

"Never!" Jonathan replied. "You are not going to die! Look, my father doesn't do anything, great or small, without confiding in me. Why would he hide this from me? It's not so!"

But David took an oath and said, "Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, 'Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.' Yet as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death."

Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you want me to do, I'll do for you."

So David said, "Look, tomorrow is the New Moon festival, and I am supposed to dine with the king; but let me go and hide in the field until the evening of the day after tomorrow. If your father misses me at all, tell him, 'David earnestly asked my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because an annual sacrifice is being made there for his whole clan.' If he says, 'Very well,' then your servant is safe. But if he loses his temper, you can be sure that he is determined to harm me. As for you, show kindness to your servant, for you have brought him into a covenant with you before the Lord. If I am guilty, then kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?"

"Never!" Jonathan said. "If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn't I tell you?"

David asked, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?"

"Come," Jonathan said, "let's go out into the field." So they went there together.

Then Jonathan said to David: "By the Lord, the God of Israel, I will surely sound out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word and let you know? But if my father is inclined to harm you, may the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away safely. May the Lord be with you as He has been with my father. But show me unfailing kindness like that of the Lord as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family — not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth."

So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the Lord call David's enemies to account." And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.

Then Jonathan said to David: "Tomorrow is the New Moon festival. You will be missed, because your seat will be empty. The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel. I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I were shooting at a target. Then I will send a boy and say, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I say to him, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here,' then come, because, as surely as the Lord lives, you are safe; there is no danger. But if I say to the boy, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then you must go, because the Lord has sent you away. And about the matter you and I discussed — remember, the Lord is witness between you and me forever."

So David hid in the field, and when the New Moon festival came, the king sat down to eat. He sat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan, and Abner sat next to Saul, but David's place was empty. Saul said nothing that day, for he thought, "Something must have happened to David to make him ceremonially unclean — surely he is unclean." But the next day, the second day of the month, David's place was empty again. Then Saul said to his son Jonathan, "Why hasn't the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?"

Jonathan answered, "David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem. He said, 'Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.' That is why he has not come to the king's table."

Saul's anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, "You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he must die!"

"Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" Jonathan asked his father. But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.

Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the month, he did not eat because he was grieved at his father's shameful treatment of David.

In the morning, Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him, and he said to the boy, "Run and find the arrows I shoot." As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. When the boy came to the place where Jonathan's arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, "Isn't the arrow beyond you?" Then he shouted, "Hurry! Go quickly! Don't stop!" The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. (The boy knew nothing of all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, "Go, carry them back to town."

After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together — but David wept the most.

Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, 'The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.'"

Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.

1 Samuel 20

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As 1 Samuel, chapter 19 ended, we saw Saul and his men changed from murderers to prophets at Naioth through the miraculous, mighty power of God’s Spirit. Unfortunately, this Spirit didn’t endure in Saul for as we turn the page to chapter 20, we see where he’s back to wanting David dead, even allowing his rage to spill over to his son.

Before we get to that, we see where David leaves Naioth and goes to his beloved friend Jonathan, Saul’s son. Looking for answers, David asks Jonathan:

“What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to take my life?"

Through his words, we can sense that David is tiring from having to run for his life at every turn as Saul or his men pursued him.

We read where Jonathan rebuts David’s fear over dying, confident that he would always know what his father was going to do saying:

“…my father doesn't do anything, great or small, without confiding in me. Why would he hide this from me? It's not so!"

Unfortunately, Jonathan was naïve to the fact that his father really did want to kill David and so we find him (David) telling his friend that it was possible he wasn’t truly aware of his father’s intentions:

“Your father knows very well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he has said to himself, 'Jonathan must not know this or he will be grieved.' Yet as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death."

And with this, Jonathan understands that David was indeed telling the truth, submitting himself to him saying:

“Whatever you want me to do, I'll do for you."

And so David comes up with a plan to test whether or not Saul still wanted to kill him. This involved him staying away from dining with Saul during the New Moon festival and hiding in the field instead. Anticipating that Saul would inquire about his whereabouts, David tells Jonathan to tell his father that he had returned to his hometown of Bethlehem to attend an annual sacrifice with his clan. Saul’s reaction to this would signal whether David would be safe to return or still be in danger.

If he stayed calm, then David would be fine but if Saul got angry, then David would be sure Saul still wanted him dead.

And so the plan was set. All that remained would be the matter of who would come to the field to inform David of the plan’s outcome. It’s at this point that we find Jonathan taking charge as to how things would proceed after David hid in the field. He made a promise to his dear friend…the friend that he was one in Spirit with and loved as much as himself (1 Samuel 18:1), saying:

"By the Lord, the God of Israel, I will surely sound out my father by this time the day after tomorrow! If he is favorably disposed toward you, will I not send you word and let you know? But if my father is inclined to harm you, may the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away safely. May the Lord be with you as He has been with my father. But show me unfailing kindness like that of the Lord as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family — not even when the Lord has cut off every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth."

And with that, “Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David” and “had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself”. Then, Jonathan informed David of how he would signal the outcome of Saul’s testing at the New Moon festival.

While David was hiding in the field “by the stone Ezel”, Jonathan would bring a boy with him to the field and “shoot three arrows to the side of (the stone), as though…shooting at a target”. Jonathan would next send the boy to find the arrows and the guidance he provided the boy would be the indicator of how things went with Saul at the festival. If Jonathan told the boy, “Look, the arrows are on this side of you; bring them here”, then David would be safe and in no danger. But if Jonathan told the boy, “Look, the arrows are beyond you”, then David would have to leave “because the Lord has sent you away”.

To seal this agreement, Jonathan makes the Lord a witness to what had been said.

Overall, a solemn promise had been made and the plan was ready to be executed.

And so “David hid in the field” and Jonathan went to the New Moon festival where he would dine with his father and others. We read where Saul did notice David missing the first night of the festival but said nothing assuming that David had done something that made him ceremonially unclean and thus kept him from the table. But after David failed to show up for the feast on the second night of the festival, Saul asked Jonathan:

“Why hasn't the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?"

The plan was working just as David and Jonathan had laid it out.

So Jonathan told his father:

“David earnestly asked me for permission to go to Bethlehem. He said, 'Let me go, because our family is observing a sacrifice in the town and my brother has ordered me to be there. If I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away to see my brothers.' That is why he has not come to the king's table."

Saul’s reaction to this showed one thing clearly. David was still in danger and now…so was Jonathan. For we read where “Saul's anger flared up at Jonathan” as he insulted him saying:

“You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he must die!"

Note where Saul tries to tempt Jonathan to turn against David and bring him in by using the throne as leverage, telling Jonathan know that he would never have a chance to be king as long as David is alive.

You know, isn’t Satan just like that?

Always trying to slyly tempt us to do wrong and in the case of Jonathan, to break his covenant promise with David to gain power for himself.

But with this, we need to remember this about Jonathan. For he was nothing like his father as he attributed his successes to the Lord. This is what made his friendship with David so unique and special because they were one in the Spirit of the Lord (1 Samuel 18:1).

Given this, it comes as no surprise when we read Jonathan rebelling against his father’s angry rant saying:

“Why should he be put to death? What has he done?"

We see where Saul’s answer didn’t come in the way of words but a hurled spear as he showed that he was now ready to murder his own son as well as David.

And so “Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger” and refused to eat “on that second day of the month…because he was grieved at his father's shameful treatment of David”. He no doubt was also grieving because he was about to see his dear friend leave for obviously it was no longer safe for David to remain.

And yet, Jonathan had made a promise…a promise he would keep.

For the scriptures tell us in the morning, Jonathan went out into the field where David was hiding along with the boy and shot the three arrows near the rock where David was. And as the boy went to retrieve the arrows, Jonathan told him:

"Isn't the arrow beyond you?"

And with that, the boy went and retrieved them before returning to Jonathan who sent the boy away ordering:

“Go, carry (the weapons) back to town."

With the arrows shot beyond where David was hiding, the signal dictated what would happen next. David was in danger and had to go away but still, he was grateful for the way Jonathan looked out for him, even putting himself at risk in the process. We read where he “bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground”. They then “kissed each other and wept” with David weeping the most. Such was the depth of the friendship and love they shared with one another…a friendship and love that would never end, despite the pending separation.

Well, after they shared their love for one another, Jonathan said to David:

"Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord, saying, 'The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.'"

And with that, “David left, and Jonathan went back to the town”. A solemn vow had been made…and a solemn vow had been kept.

Through Jonathan’s actions, we are taught a meaningful lesson on the importance of promises. For throughout our lives, we have all experienced the matter of them and have seen where there are usually one of two outcomes.

Either the promise made was kept or the promise made was broken.

There really isn’t any middle ground.

And as we consider the matter of promises, we shouldn’t just be considering the way others may have either kept or not kept their promises to us. No, we need to turn it around and also reflect on how well we’ve done in regard to promises we’ve made to others.

I think we can see three key qualities in Jonathan that we can use to make sure we never go back on our word. They include:

1. Trustworthiness.

David placed an awful lot of trust in Jonathan. After all, he was in a field hiding by a rock and ripe for the picking if Saul knew his whereabouts. All Jonathan would have had to do is tell his father to send his men to the field and abduct David and it would have all been over.

And yet, David had no doubts about whether his friend could be trusted or not and as we see, Jonathan didn’t let him down.

So at the end of chapter 20, when David bowed before Jonathan three times, it was a symbol of respect and thanks for the trustworthiness that Jonathan displayed…a trustworthiness we all should model when we make our own promises.

2. Reliability.

When we make a promise to another, that person is counting on us to come through and sometimes this help is needed in a very challenging time.

David was certainly going through tough times for sure, always on the move because Saul wanted him dead and so he relied heavily on Jonathan to make good on his part of the promise so he could survive. And as we see, Jonathan delivered and didn’t let David down. He came through for his friend as he pledged and for that, David was eternally thankful. He went away knowing that he could count on Jonathan anytime in the future.

As we make our promises to others, we need to remember that people are counting on us to come through for them as well.

How well can we be counted on?

The answer will be born out of our ability to keep our word and make good on our promises…just like Jonathan did.

3. Love.

The scriptures tell us that Jonathan loved David as he loved himself and he showed it in the way he remained loyal to David, even in the midst of his father’s rage and his own peril. Nothing was going to keep him from staying true to his covenant promise with David because he loved him deeply.

Today, we should make our promises out of the same sense of love and caring for others and just in case we might not feel like there’s an obligation to love others as ourselves, we need to remember the words of Jesus when He gave the second greatest commandment, quoting from the Old Testament in demanding that we love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:36-39).

If Jesus commands it, and we’re going to proclaim we’re Christians, then we need to do what He asks us to do…what He showed us to do through His life…and the one way we can is to keep the promises we make.

Before I close, one more thing needs to be said about promises…one that I pray will seal the deal on teaching about keeping them.

For we serve a Lord who is always true to His promises. He never fails to keep any of them. And if we are truly trying to be more and more as He created us…in His image (Genesis 1:27)…then we should seek to keep our promises just as He did. Better yet, we should seek His guidance before we even vow to do anything to make sure it’s His will for us to do so.

If it isn’t, then don’t make the promise.

If it is, then rest assured that He will give you everything you need to see through what you have vowed…because that’s what God is best at, giving us just what we need…when we need it in order to make sure His will is carried out.

It’s a promise you can always bank on.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF THE SPIRIT

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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Once more war broke out and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him.

But an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the harp, Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape.

Saul sent men to David's house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, warned him, "If you don't run for your life tonight, tomorrow you'll be killed." So Michal let David down through a window, and he fled and escaped. Then Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats' hair at the head.

When Saul sent the men to capture David, Michal said, "He is ill."

Then Saul sent the men back to see David and told them, "Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him." But when the men entered, there was the idol in the bed, and at the head was some goats' hair.

Saul said to Michal, "Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?" Michal told him, "He said to me, 'Let me get away. Why should I kill you?'"

When David had fled and made his escape, he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. Word came to Saul: "David is in Naioth at Ramah"; so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came upon Saul's men and they also prophesied. Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied. Finally, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Secu. And he asked, "Where are Samuel and David?"

"Over in Naioth at Ramah," they said.

So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even upon him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth. He stripped off his robes and also prophesied in Samuel's presence. He lay that way all that day and night. This is why people say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

1 Samuel 19:8-24

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we continue our study of 1st Samuel, chapter 19, we find Saul returning to his murderous ways. You may recall that he had been bent on killing David, jealous of the popularity and success he had gained. You’ll also remember that Saul’s efforts failed because the Lord was with David, who the scriptures tell us was a man after God’s own heart. This would continue as we look at today’s passage.

First, we see where David had once again gained victory for Israel over the Philistines, displaying “such force that they fled before him”. With every win, David gained more and more esteem from the people of Israel…and as we will see, more disdain from Saul.

For we read where once again where “an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand”, causing him to try to pin David to the wall for a second time while he “was playing the harp”. But just as before, we see where David “eluded him” and “made good his escape”, returning to his home and wife Michal.

This didn’t deter Saul who wasn’t willing to give up until David was dead and so he “sent men to David's house to watch it” and “kill him in the morning”. It was a plan that failed only because “Michal, David's wife, warned him” of the pending attack saying:

“If you don't run for your life tonight, tomorrow you'll be killed."

And so Michal helped David escape “through a window and he fled” before she “took an idol and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats' hair at the head” so it would appear as if David was there.

When Saul’s men arrived to capture David, Michal first tells them that David was ill and so Saul’s men returned to the king and made the report. Having little concern for David’s condition, we fund Saul give the following order to his men:

“Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him."

And so the men returned to David’s home and it was then that they discovered they had been tricked, finding an “idol in the bed” with “some goat’s hair” at the head in place of David.

Well, the scriptures tell us that Saul was furious with his daughter and demanded an explanation saying:

“Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?"

Her reply was just as sly as the ruse she used to conceal David’s escape as she lied to Saul, telling him she had to let David go out of self defense because her life had been threatened if she didn’t help him (David) get away.

The deception worked for Saul bought the story.

So where did David go after escaping?

We read where he returned to his old friend Samuel who was at Ramah and once there, David shared “all that Saul had done to him”. Given Saul’s past behavior, I’m sure Samuel was not surprised at the report.

Unfortunately, we see where David wasn’t out of the woods with Saul just yet in this passage for “word came to Saul” that David was at Naioth in Ramah and so he “sent men to capture him” there. And it was then that something miraculous happened…something that revealed the transforming power of the Spirit of God.

For as Saul’s men arrived in Naioth, “they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader”. And at that very moment, “the Spirit of God came upon Saul's men” and they also began to prophesy!

What a sight that must have been…and word quickly traveled back to Saul about it. And so he “sent more men” with the same results…the Spirit of God coming upon them and bringing them to prophesy. And again, word went back to Saul who sent yet a third set of men who also were brought to prophesy by the mighty, transforming Spirit of God.

Frustrated by all this, Saul decided to go to Naioth himself. And when he did…you guessed it…”the Spirit of God came even upon him” and “he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth”. Once there, we read where Saul “stripped off his robes” and “prophesied in Samuel's presence”, laying there in “that way all that day and night” and prompting the people to ask:

"Is Saul also among the prophets?"

Friends, this passage is simply amazing because we get to witness through the scriptures the awesome strength of God’s Spirit to change the hearts of people from bad to good. Saul and his men went from having murderous intent to speaking on behalf of the Lord in the blink of an eye. Ironically, we see in the New Testament where another man named Saul with murderous intentions would have a similar transformation as he traveled to Damascus to persecute and kill Christians (Acts 9). Of course, that Saul would find his name to Paul and his transformation at the hands of the Holy Spirit would make him an Apostle and one of the greatest Christ servants ever known.

Well, the good news today is that this can happen to anyone just as easily for the Holy Spirit has lost none of His transforming power…none of his ability to change and affect the hearts of people, turning the bad to good…the sinful to righteous. And because of this, we can hold out hope for any person, praying earnestly for change through the Spirit of God because we know change is always possible through Him.

If you’re reading this today and in need of a spiritual makeover, place your belief in Jesus and commit yourself to live as He did. Through the leading of the Holy Spirit, you can be sure you’ll do just that, a reflection of this exhortation from the aforementioned Paul as he wrote to the believers in Rome:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

STANDING UP FOR WHAT'S RIGHT

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. But Jonathan was very fond of David and warned him, "My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there. I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I'll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out."

Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, "Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?"

Saul listened to Jonathan and took this oath: "As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death."

So Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.

1 Samuel 19:1-7

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In chapter 18 of 1st Samuel, we witnessed the deterioration within the relationship between Saul and David…a deterioration which resulted in Saul attempting to murder his young head of the army. This happened directly first as Saul hurled a spear at David but then indirectly as he tried to use his daughters to do his evil bidding, trying to get David to go to war with the Philistines so he would get killed there.

Well, as chapter 19 begins, we see that Saul refused to give up on his efforts to eliminate David for we find him telling “his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David”, despite fully knowing that the Lord was with him and had protected him from harm up to that point.

Now, we know from earlier in this book that Jonathan had befriended David and they had become one in spirit. In fact, you’ll remember where the scriptures told us that Jonathan loved David like he loved himself and showed his devotion by giving David his robe, sword, bow, and belt (1 Samuel 18:1-4). Given this, we knew that Jonathan wasn’t about to allow any harm to come to his beloved friend, no matter what his father wanted.

Back to the scriptures for today for after Saul gave the order to kill David, Jonathan went and warned him saying:

"My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there. I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I'll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out."

And David did as Jonathan asked…going into hiding, out of harm’s way while Jonathan went to Saul to discuss his behavior towards David. Here’s what he had to say as he “spoke well of David”:

"Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?"

To Jonathan, his father’s actions were totally uncalled for. There was no need to kill David for no good reason, that’s the point he drove through to Saul and his challenge had to cut through to the core of Israel’s king because his son believed he had lost his mind.

Unfortunately, Jonathan wasn’t wrong because Saul had long before allowed himself to be infected with evil and sin…an evil and sin that led him to be blinded by jealousy and unable to see the good that was in David…a good that had directly benefited him during his reign as well as the Israelite people as a whole. Through his efforts, Jonathan was trying to break through the sinful spell his father was under so to try and bring him back to leading in a just and holy way.

And as we see, his efforts were successful…even if just for the short term.

For we read where “Saul listened to Jonathan” and took an oath saying:

“As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death."

Convinced that no harm would come to his good friend, “Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation” before bringing “him to Saul”, restoring things to the way they were before. For the moment, things had been returned to normal…all because Jonathan was not afraid to stand up for what is right.

Certainly, we, as believers today, have a lot to learn from Jonathan. For he showed a great deal of bravery and courage by standing up to his father and questioning his orders. Saul could have easily had Jonathan killed for being defiant and disrespectful…but of course, that didn’t happen. In fact, Jonathan didn’t need to fear confronting his father anymore than David.

Why?

Because Jonathan had the Lord with him just as much as David did. And the good news is that we do as well if we surrender our lives to the Lord fully.

In the end translation, it was the Lord who empowered Jonathan to speak to Saul about his unjust orders and that same power of God’s Spirit helped convince Saul to spare David’s life. This is what happens when someone goes forth in the name of the Lord for the cause of justice and righteousness. Both of those things, justice and righteousness, follow.

My prayer today is that we will all be ready to follow the lead of Jonathan…not only to be a true and faithful friend to others but also to stand firm against injustice when we see it, never afraid to advocate for what is right. For when we do, we receive the reward from the Lord proclaimed in the 106th Psalm:

Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right. Psalms 106:3

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE FOOLISH NATURE OF EVIL SCHEMES

Can I pray for you in any way?

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In Christ, Mark

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Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had left Saul. So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. In everything he did, he had great success because the Lord was with him. When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David because he led them in their campaigns.

Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the Lord." For Saul said to himself, "I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!"

But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my family or my father's clan in Israel, that I should become the king's son-in-law?" So when the time came for Merab, Saul's daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.

Now Saul's daughter Michal was in love with David and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased. "I will give her to him," he thought, "so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him." So Saul said to David, "Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law."

Then Saul ordered his attendants: "Speak to David privately and say, 'Look, the king is pleased with you, and his attendants all like you; now become his son-in-law.'"

They repeated these words to David. But David said, "Do you think it is a small matter to become the king's son-in-law? I'm only a poor man and little known."

When Saul's servants told him what David had said, Saul replied, "Say to David, 'The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.'"

Saul's plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.

When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king's son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, David and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented the full number to the king so that he might become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.

When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, Saul became still more afraid of him and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.

The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul's officers and his name became well known.

1 Samuel 18:12-30

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He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts.

1 Corinthians 4:5

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever planned to do something you knew was wrong and thought you had plotted so well that you wouldn’t possibly get caught?

I know I can remember doing this a few times when I was growing up and I also remember how things never worked out the way I thought they would.

Why?

Because it seemed that every time, my seemingly undetectable plot ended up exposed with my sinfulness laid bare as a result. Thinking back on those times, I can recall the words of my mother as clear as day for she would tell me that everything done in the dark would come to light sooner or later. And so given this, she would further teach me that it was a waste of time to try and get away with doing wrong. Indeed, my attempts at evil scheming always ended up fruitless, showing me as foolish.

Well, as I grew older, I came to discover that my mother’s words were not born of her own wisdom but the wisdom of God’s word. For in the scriptures, I read verses in the Bible that served to validate my mother’s words.

For example, Paul’s words to the church in Corinth become important words for all of us as he wrote this:

He (the Lord) will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. 1 Corinthians 4:5

God’s Word is clear here. For if we decide to plot wicked schemes…schemes that only are done in the dark domain of sin, then we can expect that the Lord will shine His light into what we try to conceal in the darkness, exposing the evil motives within our heart. The bottom line is that God hates sin and he hates it even more when we give our attention to it instead of Him. Given this, He will not allow sin to have victory over goodness…or darkness over light.

And so in sum, He (the Lord) reveals evil schemes and exposes their perpetrators…and in doing so, He brings the dark to light.

Friends, this should serve to be a comfort for us as we face the prospect of others trying to possibly plot against us. For while we could easily walk around, always looking over our shoulder in fear of getting attacked from behind or stabbed in the back, we need not worry because God has our backs. He is always watching the motives of every human heart, ready to take action against those who allow evil to control their actions. In doing so, He (God) protects those who seek to do good…those who strive for living lives that are righteous, holy, and glorifying in His sight.

Well, we have seen where God definitely had His hand upon David, helping him allude Saul’s attempts to murder but as we see in the rest of the scripture from 1st Samuel, chapter 18, Saul wasn’t ready to give up as he had a few more evil schemes to try and get rid of David…even though he knew the Lord was with the young leader of his army.

In regard to his military duties, we read where Saul “sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men” which “David led…in their campaigns”. In all he did, we see that David found success, not due to his own efforts but because “the Lord was with him”. This made Saul even more afraid of David who found increasing favor from “Israel and Judah” with every success.

Despite this, Saul wasn’t about to stop trying to get rid of David and we next read of a plan he devised to try and do just that.

It begins with Saul saying this to David:

“Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the Lord."

It wasn’t that Saul really wanted David to marry his daughter. Rather, he only was using her as a ploy to try and get David back onto the battlefield against the Philistines so they might kill him and spare Saul having to do it himself. Further, we see where Saul was so desperate to get rid of David that he was willing to even use the Lord’s name in his scheme, trying to entice him (David) to accept his offer to go and fight the Lord’s battles. Within these efforts, Saul must have forgotten that the Lord was with David for we see where his plan hits a snag.

For the scriptures tell us that David said this to Saul:

“Who am I, and what is my family or my father's clan in Israel, that I should become the king's son-in-law?"

And so David passes on the Philistine battles and on marrying Saul’s oldest daughter who marries another instead but as we see, Saul wasn’t about to give up. For we read where he had another daughter Michal who “was in love with David”. This pleased Saul because he thought he could again use a daughter to get David killed. We know this because through Saul’s thoughts:

“I will give her to him…so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him."

Given this, Saul gives his evil scheme a second try telling David:

“Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law."

And this time, we even see him trying to use his attendants, giving them the following orders”

"Speak to David privately and say, 'Look, the king is pleased with you, and his attendants all like you; now become his son-in-law.'"

And so the servants did as Saul commanded but again, Saul was unsuccessful as David tells them:

“Do you think it is a small matter to become the king's son-in-law? I'm only a poor man and little known."

This ended up being strike two for Saul and so he went back to the drawing board as he wasn’t ready to give up yet. His actions show us that people who are so caught up in sin will be stubborn in their attempts to make evil triumph over good…darkness over light.

So Saul tries yet a third time to scheme against David, sending his servants back to David with yet another request. This time, the servants relayed this message:

“The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies."

Again, Saul’s sole goal here was getting David to go out and war against the Philistines with the hope that he would be killed in the fighting and out of his way forever. And this time, it seemed on the surface like his plan had worked for “when the attendants told David” what Saul had said, “he was pleased to become the king's son-in-law”, accepting the assignment to go out against the Philistines to kill them and deliver the one hundred foreskins as ordered.

All this had to have Saul jumping for joy, sure that the Philistines would do David in so he would finally be rid of him but again, Saul seemed to forget that the Lord was with David and this meant his plan had no chance for success.

We see this come to fruition as “David and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines” …”before the allotted time elapsed”, bringing “their foreskins….to the king so that he might become the king's son-in-law”. Imagine the look on Saul’s face when David returned unscathed with the foreskins in hand. It had to be classic as Saul learned that his wicked plan had failed as he lost out to David again! And to make matters worse, now David would be his son-in-law because Saul gave David “his daughter Michal in marriage”.

Indeed, Saul’s plot had not succeeded and we read where he once again “realized that the Lord was with David”, a fact that made him “still more afraid of him”. Israel’s king, now David’s father-in-law, would remain his new son-in-law’s “enemy the rest of his days”. Meanwhile, David continued to find success as he battled the Philistines. In fact, he had “more success than the rest of Saul's officers” and “his name became well known”.

In other words, Saul’s attempts to eliminate David had only resulted in him growing more famous and powerful.

Friends, I think there are three important lessons for us in this passage:

1. Evil scheming is a fruitless, foolish endeavor.

There is no question that the Lord takes everything done in the dark and brings it to light. We know this because His word assures us of it and so none of us should think for a minute that we will find any success in plotting to do wrong against God or another. It’s simply never going to work out. We saw it with Saul and we will find it out ourselves if we choose to try it.

2. God protects against evil schemes.

The Lord will place His covering over those who place their hope, trust, and faith in Him…those committed fully to His service and carrying out His will. We saw where God was with David and kept him from falling prey to Saul’s evil schemes…and He will watch over us the same way as well.

3. Why would we ever think we would get away with anything in the first place?

Friends, God sees everything and looks deep into our hearts to a place where we can’t look when we see one another.

So what will He see when He looks in your heart?

Trust that if there are any evil motives, He will unearth and expose them.

Further, since God sees everything and will ultimately judge all of us when this life ends, how would we ever think that we might get away with doing anything?

He is going to see it…He is going to know about it…and He is going to judge it. We will be held accountable and so we might as well not even try it because as we see in today’s passage, it’s nothing short of foolish to think we can plan and get away with committing evil in the plain sight of the Lord.

So let’s not think we will get away with anything sinful in life. Instead, let’s direct our energy towards doing right and righteous things. We’ll always do this if we allow the Holy Spirit to lead us instead of the enemy.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.