This program of daily devotions is designed to take you through the Bible in three years. It is our desire to help you gain a better general understanding of God's Word.
Please understand that in a study this brief, we will be concerned with only the major emphases and context of the Scriptures.
Each day a devotion for one or two chapters is posted, beginning with chapter one of Genesis and going through chapter twenty-two of Revelation. You are free to print each page as it appears. If you miss a day, you may contact us and request that devotion. Please send your request, along with $.50 (p&h) for each page to:
Bruce McGee,Pastor
205 Adams
Columbia, LA 71418
HERE
Bro. Bruce's commentaries for the
books of Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus are
now available in hard copy for $7.50. Just mail your request for
COMMENTARY ON GENESIS to the address above.
1SAMUEL
1 And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?
2 Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
3 And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.
4 David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come in very deed.
5 And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched: and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host: and Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him.
In Chapter 24 we saw where David spared Saul's life, even though Saul had come hunting to kill him. David respected the authority of Saul's kingship.
6 Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.
7 So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him.
8 Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.
9 And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless?
10 David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.
David called for a volunteer to enter Saul's camp with him. This was dangerous and would require great stealth.
11 The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD's anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go.
12 So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.
David did take Saul's spear and water bag. God was certainly with him and Abishai as they crept into the camp of Saul's soldiers - and crept out.
13 Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of an hill afar off; a great space being between them:
14 And David cried to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the king?
15 And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord.
16 This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the LORD liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster.
David & Abishai went to a hill that overlooked Saul's camp, and David called out to Abner, who was Saul's commander in chief. This man was Saul's cousin. He was son of Ner, who was the brother of Kish - Saul's father.
((IN 1991, it seemed inevitable that Ouachita Parish, Louisiana would have a gambling riverboat. But some 100 pastors got together in prayer and sought God for help. God sent some very influential Christian laymen into the battle. Through prayerfulness and obedience, God directed us to call for a referendum vote. Then through more prayer and obedience thousands of voters were contacted. The riverboat was defeated by a vote of 76% to 24%!!))
17 And Saul knew David's voice, and said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king.
18 And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand?
19 Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the LORD have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the LORD; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, Go, serve other gods.
20 Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.
When Saul heard David's voice he recognized it and called out to David. Again David tries to get Saul to admit (confess) his sin of jealousy (verse 18). David inquired if it was God or man that stirred this jealousy (verse 19).
21 Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.
22 And David answered and said, Behold the king's spear! and let one of the young men come over and fetch it.
23 The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD's anointed.
24 And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation.
25 Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.
Saul admitted sin, but refused to NAME it. He freely admitted persecuting David, and said it was foolish to do so. Saul also invited David to "return" to his place of honor in the kingdom.
Please continue to follow along with us in daily Bible study.
CHAPTER 26
In these verses we see that Saul is STILL hunting David, and Saul has again brought 3,000 troops. Notice that Saul positions himself in the center of his men so that anyone would have to go through all his troops to get to him (verse 5).
Saul's jealousy obsessed him. It became as a "rage" (Proverbs 6:34), and there was no way to abate it.
Abishai was David's nephew, the son of David's sister Zeruiah (See 1Chronicles 2:16).
Abishai tried to convince David to kill Saul and be done with all his treachery. But David refused again. Notice his words (verses 9-10). He respected the fact that GOD had anointed Saul as king. He believed that GOD would take Saul awy in due time.
I believe that Christians need to invade the camp of the enemy (the devil) and remove the weaponry being used against us. However, we must do it with great stealth and be covered with tremendous prayer.
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled."(2Corinthians 10:4-7)
We are given the power from God, by the presence of His Holy Spirit in us, to deliver many defeats to Satan's lies and treachery.
Jesus defeated Satan eternally at the cross. And part of that victory is ours today.
However, the devil is "anointed" by God to be our adversary until either we die or GOD removes him.
Therefore, we must be OBEDIENT to God and LIVE in obedience. The devil WILL BE removed one day, but right now we can deliver some defeats by our obedience.
Abner was a very able warrior and a very influential man in Israel, as we shall see later.
David taunted and embarrassed Abner for not being able to keep Saul safe.
Christians CAN DELIVER some embarrassing defeats to evil works today. But we must enter with PRAYER and OBEDIENCE to God.
But David realized that true repentance requires not only admission of guilt, but naming and forsaking the sin.
A true confession of sin, and repentance from it, requires that we be concerned ONLY for what God thinks - not what ANYONE else may think.
David called for one of Saul's men to come and retrieve the king's spear. Then he answered Saul's request with verse 23. David shows respect for Saul's anointing by the Lord, and he respects Saul's authority over him as king. BUT, he doesn't TRUST Saul! And David would rather be satisfied with what God would reward him than to serve with a man he cannot trust. So David and Saul parted, and saw each other no more.
How said an ending, we might think. How hallow a victory, one might say.
This could have been a great working relationship for the betterment of society. David himself would have fought all his life for Saul and Israel; but Saul's jealousy and untruthfulness would not allow it.
Friends, we can enter the arena of wickedness and deliver some embarrassing defeats to those who puport evil. However, if they will not REPENT, we cannot JOIN them in a working relationship. We must stand aside and prayerfully watch for a time when we must enter again.