David

The Temple Solomon Built

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Solomon Built the Temple
 
Book of 1 Kings 5
 
 
One of the most important things we need to complete any building project successfully is to be committed to it.
 
We can accept the fact that King Solomon had little if any construction skills, but he now had great wisdom in all things.
 
What Solomon had was a humble spirit and he sought the Lord for His help.
 
The next thing that is needed is preparation.
 
Site preparation must be properly taken care of, and it begins with following the Word of God.

Then you must own the property you are building upon.

David first bought the threshing floor of Araunah:

2Sa_24:18  And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.
2Sa_24:21  And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
2Sa_24:24  And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

Then David bought the entire area around the threshing floor.

1Ch 21:24  And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost. 
1Ch 21:25  So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. 

There should be no doubt who the Temple Mount belongs to.
 
Remember it was God who gave the dimensions and the details of this Temple to David mphasizing a solid foundation.
 
Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Luk 6:47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
Luk 6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Luk 6:49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
 
King Solomon needed to be obedient to the Lord just as we all should be today!
 
This new Temple was to be a House of the Lord for the Lord’s people to worship Him.
 
This had been a dream of his father David for many years, and Solomon was committed to seeing it succeed.
 
Solomon’s most important task was to seek the Lord!
 
1Ki 5:2 And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying,
1Ki 5:3 Thou knowest how that David my father could not build an house unto the name of the LORD his God for the wars which were about him on every side, until the LORD put them under the soles of his feet.
1Ki 5:4 But now the LORD my God hath given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent.
 
King Hiram and King David had been great friends, and his son Huram wanted the same relationship with King Solomon.
 
In fact, this King Hiram had told his own son about the great God of Israel even though he was pagan and worshipped his own gods.
 
We should understand that God would not allow David to build this Temple of Worship because it would have sent the wrong message.
 
It would be like religions such as the Muslim who are forced to seek Mohammed and can never leave that religion with the threat of death if they do.
 
There is no personal relationship because there is no Allah.
 
Just as important, because David was protecting the cause of Israel in great battles with the enemies that surrounded Israel and he certainly did not have time to make such a commitment as Solomon was saying to Huram.
 
Israel was at peace all the time of King Solomon and he maintained a strong military presence in the regions.
 
To David God said: 22:8 But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.
 
This king of Tyre understood these things Solomon was saying.
 
When the Lord forbids us to do something He is serious about it!
 
King David had made this entire area to be at peace because of his conquest.
 
We could say that Israel was the honcho nation during the time of King Solomon.
 
Solomon said he had no adversaries nor was there any occurrence of rebellion to his rule.
 
In fact, the nation of Israel was very prosperous in the days of King Solomon.
 
We know that David spent time training Solomon.
 
It was Solomon who wrote the Book of Proverbs so we can see what he wrote about his father.
 
Pro 4:1 Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.
Pro 4:2 For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
Pro 4:3 For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
Pro 4:4 He taught me also, and said unto me, Let thine heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.
Pro 4:5 Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.
Pro 4:6 Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee.
Pro 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
 
David did everything in his power to smooth the way of Solomon.
 
David drew up the plans for the Temple according to the plans God had given to him:
 
1Ch 28:11 Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat,
1Ch 28:12 And the pattern of all that he had by the spirit, of the courts of the house of the LORD, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things:
 
David gave Solomon the funds to build the Temple:
 
1Ch 28:14 He gave of gold by weight for things of gold, for all instruments of all manner of service; silver also for all instruments of silver by weight, for all instruments of every kind of service:
 
David told Solomon that the plans for the Temple came from Jehovah:
 
1Ch 28:19 All this, said David, the LORD made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.
 
And again, David encouraged his son:
 
1Ch 28:20 And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
 
We can see that Solomon was a good student!
 
Solomon began to understand what his father was saying.
 
1Ki 5:5 And, behold, I purpose to build an house unto the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spake unto David my father, saying, Thy son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build an house unto my name.
1Ki 5:6 Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants: and unto thee will I give hire for thy servants according to all that thou shalt appoint: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that can skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.
 
Solomon was committed to building the Temple his father David desired.
 
Solomon sought to honor the Lord by building a house of worship for the people of Israel.
 
If we do not learn anything else, we need to know that there needs to be a place to worship the Lord!
 
There needs to be set times so we can all gather together to encourage one another.
 
We will need to deal with this lost world.
 
Solomon renewed the relationship between Israel and Tyre which was Phoenicia and Solomon sought to establish a trade agreement between the two nations, and he did.
 
Solomon sought workers with skills that Israel did not know at this time.
 
Notice Solomon did not open the borders of Israel to just anybody, but Israel had a need for skilled laborers.
 
This should be a lesson for our nation.
 
Solomon knew he had no excuse to delay this work for the Lord and Israel.
 
When God calls us for a task it is time to say yes and get busy!
 
We need to yield to the call of God without hesitation.
 
The Bible explains this request to Huram from Solomon better in Second Chronicles:
 
2Ch 2:4 Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.
2Ch 2:5 And the house which I build is great: for great is our God above all gods.
2Ch 2:6 But who is able to build him an house, seeing the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him an house, save only to burn sacrifice before him?
2Ch 2:7 Send me now therefore a man cunning to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in iron, and in purple, and crimson, and blue, and that can skill to grave with the cunning men that are with me in Judah and in Jerusalem, whom David my father did provide.
2Ch 2:8 Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants,
2Ch 2:9 Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great.
2Ch 2:10 And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
2Ch 2:11 Then Huram the king of Tyre answered in writing, which he sent to Solomon, Because the LORD hath loved his people, he hath made thee king over them.
 
We must realize that God cannot be contained in any nation but that God is bigger than our little world but He is also small enough to come into our hearts.
 
God has a purpose for each of us and God is still building upon His Church!
 
King Hiram agreed with Solomon and a pact was made between the two nations.
 
*1Ki 5:10 So Hiram gave Solomon cedar trees and fir trees according to all his desire.
1Ki 5:11 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year.
 
We see that Hiram gave this timber to Solomon and Solomon provided the food to feed these men while the work was taking place.
 
We can better understand that Solomon asked for cedar trees, fir trees which means cypress, and other timber that was long-lasting.
 
Solomon also needed an architect.
 
Hiram was glad to provide the things that Solomon requested.
 
We should not be confused the Phoenicians were Pagans.
 
These cities existed before Israel came into the Promised Land in most cases they worshipped Baal.
 
Baal means lord but he is identified with the false god Molech where children were sacrificed on his blazing arms.
 
Baal was also known as the Sun god and there are Pyramids and High places all around the world where Baal the Sun god was worshipped along with the Moon god, and they are still worshipped today under different names.
 
This is the reason most of these nations no longer exist today.
 
Hiram’s servants would cut the timber from the forest in Lebanon. Transport it to the Mediterranean Sea, form it into rafts, and guide it through the waters to the Sea Port of Joppa.
 
Tyre was over fifty miles from Joppa and Joppa was around thirty miles from Jerusalem.
 
This was no easy task we know because we have the problems our own military had in the Mediterranian Sea.

The Phoenicians were the masters of the sea in that day.
 
2Ch 2:8 Send me also cedar trees, fir trees, and algum trees, out of Lebanon: for I know that thy servants can skill to cut timber in Lebanon; and, behold, my servants shall be with thy servants,
2Ch 2:9 Even to prepare me timber in abundance: for the house which I am about to build shall be wonderful great.
2Ch 2:10 And, behold, I will give to thy servants, the hewers that cut timber, twenty thousand measures of beaten wheat, and twenty thousand measures of barley, and twenty thousand baths of wine, and twenty thousand baths of oil.
 
Both men kept their agreements, and Solomon paid the wages of all these workers to make it worth their while.
 
Our lesson here is that we must do everything we can to seek peace and preserve peace throughout society without compromising the Word of God.
 
We need to make peace in our homes.
We need to make peace in our schools.
We need to make peace in our workplaces.
We need to treat everyone fair as we know our Lord Jesus did.
We should have peace in our Churches, we have the same Word of God. We do not need opinions, likes, dislikes, complaints, or murmurers among our members. Again, we have the same Word of God.
We should have peace in our government whose goal should be to take care of its people and protect our nation.
 
The word peace is used 429 times in the KJV Bible so peace is important to God, but may not always be possible.
 
Rom_12:18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
 
There were also workers with stone at this same time.
 
1Ki 5:18 And Solomon’s builders and Hiram’s builders did hew them, and the stonesquarers: so they prepared timber and stones to build the house.
 
This stone cutting was started before the death of King David, and it was time consuming.
 
David also began gathering many of the supplies needed for the Temple.
 
1Ch 22:2 And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel; and he set masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God.
1Ch 22:3 And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings; and brass in abundance without weight;
1Ch 22:4 Also cedar trees in abundance: for the Zidonians and they of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.
1Ch 22:5 And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the LORD must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.
 
The Splendor of what is called Solomon’s Temple began to come to life.
 
Work began in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign.
 
We can see this was a major undertaking with the tools that were available on that day.
 
In fact, many of those large stones and the cutting of them is not really understood today how they were able to do such things with just manual labor.
 
These stones were cut, squared, shaped, and dressed to fit together perfectly without mortar.
 
Our lesson is no matter what we do for the Lord, do it right while also making a contribution to society.
  
*1Ki 6:12 Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:
1Ki 6:13 And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.
1Ki 6:14 So Solomon built the house, and finished it.
 
It had been four hundred and eighty years since a group of slaves led by Moses, had left Egypt searching for the land promised to Abraham.
 
This would have been around 966 BC, so the Hebrews left Egypt around 1446 BC.
 
All the materials were assembled in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount without the use of construction hand tools axes and hammers and such tool made of iron.
 
1Ki 6:7 And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.
 
1Ki 6:9 So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.
 
Then God gave Solomon a challenge and a promise.
 
It appears to me as I read this that the stonework was first completed and then the Temple was covered with lumber and this lumber was gold plated.
 
1Ki 6:22 And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold.
 
In the end, God said this was a worldly sanctuary and cannot compare to our Heavenly sanctuary.
 
Heb 9:1 Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary.
 
Heb 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
 
Any place of worship today simply means God is identifying with His people so it becomes a House of God.
 
God is certainly “gracious” but this does not mean it is a light thing to come into the presence of the Lord.
 
We should be reverent in the House of God and God will show up.
 
Today the body of each believer becomes the House of God and we are to honor the name of the Lord who dwells within us at all times and not just while we are in His House of worship.
 
Those large stones teach us of a solid foundation which is in Christ Jesus.
 
If our lives are not built upon Jesus Christ we are doomed to destruction.
 
Without Jesus Christ, we are separated from God and doomed!
 
Without God, there is no hope, not in this world or the next!
 
We should also understand that just being in a Church building is not enough. God only looks upon those with a pure heart as we saw in last week’s lesson.
 
A wicked person entering a church building is still a person with a wicked heart and will remain that way until they claim the Lord Jesus Christ and repent of their old life.
 
Many today do not want to repent but maintain their sinful ways and sin is according to the Word of God and not public opinion.
 
God created us to have fellowship with Him, but He cannot look upon sin and, in His wisdom, He sent the Lord Jesus to pay our sin debt and if we accept this fact then God will deal with us His own children!
 
God gave us free will to decide this on our own!
 
Amen

God Gives Us Hope

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Hope for the Persecuted Soul

Book of Psalms Psalm 143

The phrase it “came to pass” is used 457 times in the Bible which teaches us these things that we are so afraid of may come, but they will not stay, they come, and they will pass on out of our lives.

Most of us can say that every obstacle we have faced in our lives has come to pass on out of our lives.

Some of them may leave scars, but they cannot keep us out of Heaven!

We must completely understand that the faithfulness of God makes it impossible for God to go against the covenant He has made with us.

God has revealed Himself as the God of mercy and forgiveness, and He can never go against these things.

So, we can boldly plead for mercy and if we are living a righteous life, then that mercy will come.

What is the truth?

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

The prayers of every saint today are just as important to God as those prayers David prayed in his day.

*Psa 143:1 A Psalm of David. Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness.
Psa 143:2 And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.

We see David in another crisis because his life was filled with danger.

We cannot link this Psalm to any one particular thing that happened in David’s life.

David knew at this point in his life, that if he did not get God’s help he might die, or some terrible thing might happen to him.

I believe every one of us have had this same feeling.

1) David appealed to God to hear his prayer.
2) David appealed to the faithfulness of God.
3) David appealed to the righteousness of God.

David knew he needed a quick answer from God.

It seems that we need to know more about the characteristics of God, and we must never ask God to go against His own characteristics.

We cannot know these things unless we study the Bible!

We should shape our prayers according to God’s characteristics, as did David.

We must never ask God to be unfaithful to His Word!

We can plead to God for His help and sometimes we need to pray and fast, to show God that we are serious.

When we are in a real crisis God already knows this.

Prayer is not merely a self-improvement exercise that is good for us, whether God hears our prayers or not.

Prayer is a real plea made to a real God!

God is always faithful to do just as He has written down in His recorded Word.

Our faith in Him, is the key to every answer we get from Him.

We must remember that if we ask for forgiveness of our sins, then there is no record of our sins in Heaven.

Psa 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We will pay for our sins, but God has already forgiven us of our sin, and He will not remember them.

These are the only things God forgets.

God does this because He chooses to do so because our sins are under the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ

God’s memory is perfect, but He just chooses to forget our sins!

Because God has chosen to forget our sins we have missed out on the judgment for our sin.

Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

David was in the same shape as we are, but sometimes we have a lack of faith, and we will think that God still has something that He will punish us for.

Faith is still the key to a perfect relationship with our Heavenly Father and His Son because they are both the same!

*Psa 143:3 For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead.
Psa 143:4 Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate.

We must understand that our enemy is vicious!

Our enemy wants the worst possible evil to happen to us!

Our enemy wants us to die in some evil situation that will make us an embarrassment to God!

David felt like he was just thrown out onto the street to be trampled alive.

We must understand that our adversaries, who are led by Satan, want us dead and useless in the work the Lord has given us to do.

Satan will do everything he possibly can to cause us to lose our testimony!

Satan would kill us in a split second if the Lord allowed him to have access to us.

We may feal like Satan is about to take over our lives, but our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will always save us, as long as it is true faith.

We know from the Book of Job that Satan needs God’s permission to attack us and if we think we are in the class of Job, then we are not, but God loves as much as He loved Job.

Certainly, we will face persecution, and certainly, we will call upon the Lord for help, but most of the problems we will face in our lifetime are of our own making and we may need the Lord’s to help us in those situations also.

We must understand that our enemy is powerful, and we cannot face him alone, we need the Lord to fight all our battles, and He will, if we remain faithful.

If the Lord permits us to dwell in the darkness of the dead, then He will surely bring us into His Light and cause us to dwell with those who are enjoying eternal life in Heaven.

We should understand that we are already in that realm of eternal life now as we exist here on earth.

We are already on our journey to Heaven because we can never die even though we will shed this useless flesh that we live in today.

Lam 3:24 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

We know that King Saul had banished David from Judah, and it was felt by David, and when he thought about these things it broke the heart of David.

We are wrong to sit and mull over our circumstances, when the Lord has shed His light on our future!

We have a marvelous future ahead of us and nothing in this world can change that fact.

God cares too much for us to allow those things that are pressing heavily on us to remain on us.

God does not want us to suffer stress in these crises that come into our lives.

We must remember God has a job for us to do and He wants us to be busy doing this job.

When our burdens are too heavy for us to bear God knows, and He will take those burdens away from us if we ask Him in faith.

Psa 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

1Pe 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

God is our Father, and we are his sons and daughters, He will not allow His children to suffer very long.

Heb 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

God has enough “grace” to see us through every obstacle in our path!

2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

We sometimes wait until we are deep in trouble before we call upon the Lord, but we should call upon the Lord when we first see trouble coming our way!

In fact, we need to be in constant communication with the Lord God!

God has a plan that cannot be altered and if we have a part in that plan, and we do, then we cannot fail and the trouble we are in will cease to exist.

*Psa 143:5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands.
Psa 143:6 I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.

I love those worship services when it seems like I can just reach us and touch God.

So, sometimes we just need to think back on what God has already done and know that He is still All Powerful.

God will do whatever it takes to fulfill the glorious plan He has for us!

God had anointed David to be the King of Israel and David would soon be the next King of Israel.

1Sa 16:11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.
1Sa 16:12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.
1Sa 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

This is God’s plan not David’s plan and God’s plans never fail!

David had a burning desire to know that God would answer his prayer.

Nothing would satisfy David, but the presence of the Lord!

We must keep in mind that there is nothing too hard for God.

Jer 32:27 Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

There is nothing that God cannot do but go against His character.

God rescued Israel once long ago and God’s plan for Israel is not yet complete.

God had called Abraham and made a covenant with Him.
God had placed Joseph into Egypt so Israel could be fed during a drought.
God had raised up Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt.
God had caused a great miracle at the Red Sea.
God had brought Israel through the wilderness.
God had led Israel into the Promised Land.

For David, God had already given Him victory over Goliath.
God had anointed David to be the next King of Israel.

We can see that God’s plans simply do not fail!

We can be sure that God will rescue Israel again so, His plan can be completed as He has it written down.

David had said that His soul was thirsting after God as a thirsty land.

David’s distressing situation had drained every last drop of life out of Him.

His soul was parched and cracked like dry earth that was in a drought.

We simply need to get our mind off of our own circumstances and remember God’s power and God’s faithfulness to obey His promises.

What God has already done for us is nothing compared to what God is going to do for us!

When we dwell upon things that seem to be impossible, we must know that the word “impossible” is not a word that God uses because nothing is impossible for God!

Isa 40:25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
Isa 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
Isa 40:27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?
Isa 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

There is nothing that God cannot do, if He so chooses.

God did not give us the Bible to show His failures because there are no failures of God in it!

David kept praying:

*Psa 143:7 Hear me speedily, O LORD: my spirit faileth: hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit.
Psa 143:8 Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.

After expressing his thirst for God David resumed praying about his crisis.

David had pressed the Lord to answer quickly, and David was becoming more desperate because David was afraid God would be too late answering his prayer.

God will not fail when our spirits fail!

God does not know how to fail; failure is not part of God’s agenda!

The truth is, if we have God’s countenance we live, but if God turns His back on us, we will die!

When the Lord looks with favor upon our efforts we prosper, but if God refuses to look upon them, we labor in vain.

God will not look upon sin!

We cannot cause God to rush because God always knows what is going on in our lives and the Holy Spirit has already told Him, He just knows.

Psa 139:4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
Psa 139:5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
Psa 139:6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
Psa 139:7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

We should understand that Divine loving kindness is the root of which all other blessings come.

We could say that God’s love is the fountain from which all blessings flow!
We all desire to walk in the way that the Lord has chosen for us.

Psa 5:8 Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.

David would worship Jehovah daily but in the morning hours and many times God spoke with David in that time and here David desires that the Lord would speak to him as He did in those morning worship services.

David was desperate to hear from God, but we cannot make demands of God.

Why was David so desperate? Look again at verse three.

“For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead”

David felt like he could lose his life at any time!

We know that it is God that knows when our life will end, no one else.

What was the best thing David could do?

*Psa 143:9 Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me.
Psa 143:10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.
Psa 143:11 Quicken me, O LORD, for thy name’s sake: for thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble.
Psa 143:12 And of thy mercy cut off mine enemies, and destroy all them that afflict my soul: for I am thy servant.

At the first sign of trouble, we need to flee unto God to hide us from our enemy.

**Psa_17:8 Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings,
Psa_27:5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
Psa_64:2 Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:

All these Psalms were attributed to David, so we see David had prayed for Jehovah’s help many times.

What does God teach us? God teaches us that sometimes we need to sort of pester Him to get an answer from Him.

God wants to know how sincere we are.

Luk 11:5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
Luk 11:6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
Luk 11:7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
Luk 11:8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.

Importunity means persistence, especially to the point of annoyance.

David prayed that God would keep him out of the hands of his enemies.

What prayers will God surely answer?

God will teach us His will for us!

God will also deliver us for His namesake!

The Lord is glorified when it is proved that He is true to His Holy Name!

One of the reasons people are powerless in prayer is because they do not pray specifically.

When we pray in general terms and not specific terms, we are thoughtless and effortless.

God already knows why we are praying we need to be specific.
God already knows our needs we need to be specific, describing them to God.
God knows how desperate we are to evade our enemies, and He will answer in time, but He knows exactly what the right time is!

We know that in David’s early life King Saul was trying his best to kill David or have him killed and we know David needed the Lord to rescue him and He did.

Again, we need to make specific requests in our prayers!

Most of the time in our prayers we just need God to show us His love!

We cannot be fervent in our prayer life if our requests are general and not our specific needs.

If we put ourselves in David’s shoes, we would have panicked far more than David did.

When we desire God’s help, we need to cry out passionately to Him.

We must clearly understand that God wants to answer our prayers!

We would like to think that God would only answer those prayer that are good for us but I believe He will allow us to get some things that are bad for us so we can learn some valuable lesson.

His will for us is for us to do His will for us and most all of it is written down and all we have to do is study the Bible to know His will.

In the end God wants us to be obedient to His Word, live godly lives, and spread the Gospel and enjoy the life He has given us.

Amen

Trials and Tribulations

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Fear in the Midst of Trials

Book of Psalms 56

We must remember we live in a cursed world because of sin.

We must remember sin is everything that goes against the Word of God.

The greatest sin of all is to not believe in the work that the Lord Jesus Christ has completed for our salvation.

When do we have the most fear? When we are in the midst of our daily trials.

Things that devastate us can come to us at any moment.

The death of a loved one.

A terrible sickness, such as cancer or a heart attack.

Today it seems like half the world is trying scam us out of the things we have no one really cares as they say they do.

A car wreck can set us backwards financially and I could go on because there are so many problems that come upon us, just unexpectedly.

In the Book of Job we see these words: Job 14:1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.

This still describes our world today. This still describes humanity today but even worse.

Most of our hardships are the result of trouble finding us.

Many of our hardships are of our own making.

We know the Job was the most upright man on earth in his day and all his children died in one day because of a tornado like wind.

Robbers came and stole many of his animals.

Lightning killed the rest of his animals.

Job got up one morning as usual and was a rich man, at the end of that day Job was heartbroken and a poor man and he had done nothing to cause all these things to happen.

But it is still a fact that many of our problems come from our own actions.

We are still our own worst enemy.

David did this very thing.

When David was on the run from King Saul, who was trying to kill him.

David was innocent of any wrongdoing toward Saul but this did not stop Saul from trying to kill him.

David had gone to the Philistine city of Gath to seek refuge from Saul.

David thought that Saul would never look for him there.
The Philistines were Israel’s sworn enemy.
Saul had declared David to be his enemy.
David hoped that the King of Gath would help him because they were both the enemies of King Saul.

Keep in mind that David had been the one to kill Goliath and Goliath had family members who still lived in Gath.

Goliath had four brothers and many family members there.

David was even carrying the sword of Goliath.

We can only imagine his thought process at this time.

The truth is that David’s logic was flawed. He went to the world when he should have gone to Jehovah.

After all he was a man after God’s own heart.

It is certain that we all make mistakes that can cause us harm!

The advisors of King Achish were convinced that David was still a threat to the Philistines so suddenly David was in grave danger.

We know from previous lessons that David put on a show of being crazy and it saved his life.

1Sa 21:10 And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
1Sa 21:11 And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
1Sa 21:12 And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
1Sa 21:13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.

Unwise decisions will most always get us into trouble!

If we are close to God, then we will find it easier to go to Him when trouble comes to us!

*Psa 56:1 To the chief Musician upon Jonathelemrechokim, Michtam of David, when the Philistines took him in Gath. Be merciful unto me, O God: for man would swallow me up; he fighting daily oppresseth me.
Psa 56:2 Mine enemies would daily swallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou most High.

We know that trouble is usually accompanied by more trouble and we know we need help, but we forget that we are a child of God and we think the world can solve our problems, when the world is the cause of most of our problems.

This world is a wicked and evil place, and has no intention of solving anybody’s problems, but the rich who simply want more riches.

We should be crying out to the Lord and we should be crying out for His mercy even if we have to beg God for mercy, because we know God is merciful or we would not know anything about Him.

That phrase “would swallow me up” simply means that this world will walk all over us, trample on us, or crush us and we all know this is true because we live it every day and we see it getting worse, especially for the child of God, but we have a merciful God who will remove some of these things or He will go through them with us.

How did God describe Himself to Moses?

Exo_34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

Deu_4:31 (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

God does not change, so He is the same God to all those who love Him today.

God will not allow our enemies to swallow us up or walk all over us, if we go to Him in prayer trusting in Him.

David was under daily attacks so much so, that he could not find rest.

David explained these things to the Most High God, Jehovah, and he realized he needed God more than ever and just as we all do.

*Psa 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
Psa 56:4 In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

This is the only place in the Bible where we read that David might be afraid of any man.

The way this verse reads is “When the day comes that I feel fear stealing over me, by an act of will, I will put my trust in thee”.

We must be more like David and never be afraid of what man can do to us!

We already know that if we die today, we will wake up in Heaven and will be far better off.

In all danger, in all trouble, whatever happens, whatever we think is going to happen, we can always trust the Lord for the right outcome.

We cannot say we are Christians and then, not trust that God will always do the right thing for us.

This is the only way we will ever overcome our fears.

If we stay close enough to the Lord in our lifestyle and prayers, we will seldom fall into the traps of this world.

David was going to be the next King of Israel and he needed to learn on God’s training ground.

God’s training ground can be tough most of the time.

God will fulfill every promise He makes to us.

We can be secure in God’s plans for our life! There are no human beings who can overrule God’s purpose for our life!

*Psa 56:5 Every day they wrest my words: all their thoughts are against me for evil.
Psa 56:6 They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps, when they wait for my soul.

To me this sounds just like our own government today.

In verse five we see one of the things that happens so much today.

Evil people take our Constitution and twist the words that we have had for many years into another meaning that was never intended by its writers.

In fact, people are listening just to see if we say something that can be twisted into some other meaning, things we never intended to say.

They will use these twisted meanings to plot against us.

This happened to David.
This happens to good politicians today.
These things happen to us.

If you are a Christian, people will try to twist your words to have an evil meaning because this is what they do to the Word of God every day.

These are what can be called a verbal ambush.

Our news sources do this all day long so that we cannot get the real truth but only someone’s twisted version of their political views.

It should be alright to have a different point of view from someone else without it causing a war between them.

No matter our circumstances, we can trust the Lord to help us if we love Him and trust Him.

When we cry out to the Lord, He will hear us!

We must understand that no one makes us sin! No one can be the cause of our sin but us!

We have a sin nature that cannot be overcome without the help of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God went to great lengths in order to rescue us from our sin nature!

Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Rom 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Rom 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.

It is true that fear is one of the most powerful emotions we face today, but it should not be that way.

What are we afraid of?

Fear can cause us to act differently than we normally act.

Many just run off and hide when they should just go to the Lord.

God is certainly greater than any force upon this earth.

The way to defeat fear is by faith in the promises of the Word of God!

Heb 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

No one can escape the “judgment” of God especially those who try to use sin to defeat Him.

*Psa 56:7 Shall they escape by iniquity? in thine anger cast down the people, O God.

The problem with most sinners is that they think they can escape the wrath of God.

They do not believe in Hell and they do not think the Bible is a Divine book.

Isa 28:14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
Isa 28:15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:

Again I can only think of the America of today when I read those words “for we have made lies our refuge and under falsehood have we hid ourselves”.

We have the lies of our own government.
We have the lies of Meta and Google and other tech suppliers.
We have the lies of our financial services.
We have the lies of our News Sources.

Isa 28:18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

David was bold enough to ask God to deal with His enemies.

We can be sure that all the enemies of God will see His wrath at a time of His choosing, but sometimes we need God to do something sooner and He promises us His help on a daily basis, after all we have Heavens Angels with us at all times.

Psa 55:23 But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.

Another thing David did was to ask God to keep a record of all these things.

We should know that God keeps a record of all our doings!

Psa 139:2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

David certainly did not realize that so many things of his life would be placed in the Bible for us all to read.

I am sure there are many things that he would rather not be made so public.

*Psa 56:8 Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?
Psa 56:9 When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me.

We can be sure that the Lord will not allow His enemies to get by with their evil deeds. His enemies are also our enemies!

There is no one upon the face of this earth that can escape the “judgment” of God!

We can be sure that the Lord is angry at those who cause harm to God’s people, but it is a righteous anger.

God does see our pain!

We might ask ourselves, why would God display the life of David before us?

We are not very old before we learn that bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people.

Mat_5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Human life is described as a form of wandering and tears.

Life is represented is a scene of unending struggle.

Life can be more than just wandering and tears!

We know that that are some pleasures in this life, such as a good marriage, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

The knowledge of God and our Savior makes this life a whole lot better and there are no words to describe our future life for eternity.

The same Bible that tells us of the sorrows of this life also tell us of the wonderful things that are going to happen after this life is over.

The Bible does speak of these problems David had in his life, but the Bible also keeps a very accurate record of all those things and I believe that it is true that God puts our tears in a bottle.

These things are told to us to show that our God is a caring God. He cares about us and what we are going through.

God may have placed the life of David in the Bible for us to see, but God keeps complete records of each and every one of us with Him at all times.

God knows what we are going through!

We may not understand why bad things happen to us, but the Lord promises to open our eyes to the truth once we get to Heaven and we will understand the reasons why.

Some of these things are a test of our faith and our patience.

Those who reject the Lord but have their own gods believe that we are supposed to suffer.

We must realize that evwen today, none of us have suffered as our Savior did to provide our means for salvation.

Almost the entire life of the Lord Jesus was filled with sorrow.

The Lord Jesus also shed tears, but He did not shed tears at His crucifixion!

He shed tears for us!

The Lord Jesus Christ also sheds tears for those who do not believe Him!

As Christians, we must realize that we have enemies in this world and even enemies that we do not know about.

Our own government has placed us on the terrorist lists.

The white Christian has become the enemy because those true to the Lord will fight against abortion, will fight against the LBGTQ movement, and will fight against immorality of all kind.

The Lord is on our side.
The Lord sees our pain.
The key to success is faith in the truth of God!

The truth is when we suffer the Lord suffers with us.

God will never forget the suffering of His people!

Our tears surely are God’s treasures.

Psa 126:5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
Psa 126:6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

We have so many things that we need to give God the praise for!

*Psa 56:10 In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.

Some say, “just what is so important about the Bible”?

Let us first put it bluntly.

Pro 13:13 Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.

Those that reject any part of the “Word of God” bring destruction upon themselves!

The unbeliever cannot escape his future tragedy unless they accept the Word of God as the truth of life!

The unbeliever cannot escape the truth of God by ignoring the Word of God or by despising the Word of God.

They will suffer throughout eternity for neglecting the Messiah who came to this earth to save them!

Pro 14:9 Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.

Those who choose to go their own way will end up in destruction!

Pro 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

What we see in this Psalm is that David’s faith had conquered any fear that he had.

God gave us His Words so that we could know right from wrong!

As loving and merciful as God is, He will not tolerate disobedience!

The Word of God allows us to see the true meaning of righteousness and points to the fact that God will always be faithful to His Word!

When we give praise to the Word of God we are giving praise to Elohim the triune God.

When we give praise to the LORD we are praising “YAHWEH” (Jehovah) the great “I AM” of the Bible.

We know of many false gods and not a single one of them show the mercy and love that Jehovah shows to those who believe Him.

In this passage we see the government of Jehovah combined with the Elohim of our creation!

Only Elohim does whatever He wants to, anytime He wants to, and in any way that He wants to do it.

But it is only His mercy that brings His “grace” to those that believe Him!

We should be more like David here when he says in the attribute of the “Justice of God”, I will praise His Word and in the attribute of the “Mercies of God” will I praise His Word.

It does not matter if we are suffering adversity or living in prosperity, whether we receive evil of good things at the hand of the Lord, we should praise Him because He is the Almighty Living God.

It is the Word of God that denotes the “Grace” and the “Goodness” of the covenant that God makes with us because of Jesus Christ!

*Psa 56:11 In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

David knows his deliverance is forthcoming so he praises God in advance for this deliverance.

Since we know the promises of God, we should all do this!

Sometimes we forget to offer thanksgiving to our God. We take Him for granted.

It is our duty to offer thanksgiving to the Lord!

1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

It is our duty to pray with thanksgiving!

Php 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

It is our duty to offer thanksgiving to God for our victory in Jesus.

2Co 2:14 Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

It is our duty to thank God for His Word!

1Th 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

As David was suffering in his misery and pleading with God for help, he was also praising God for the vows God has made to each believer.

The Lord has made certain promises to us about the things that cause us trouble.

Psa 50:14 Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:
Psa 50:15 And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.

*Psa 56:12 Thy vows are upon me, O God: I will render praises unto thee.

When the Lord gives us victory then how can we not praise Him?

We must understand that because God is in control the things that happen to us then whatever comes to us must be included in the plan of God for us, and it will be good for us in the end.

This being true and it is, then we have no cause to fear the problems that come before us.

We must rest upon the promises of God and we must trust in God’s timing.

We must offer sacrifices of praise to God consistently!

When we make vows to the Lord, we are creating debts that must be paid.

Many times when a serious problem comes before us, we will go to the Lord and make great promises to the Lord, if He will solve that issue before us, but when He has done what we ask Him to do, we forget to keep our promises which is the same as a vow.

David promised God that he would never forget.

David promised to be a vessel of praise especially in the worship services.

Since this thing happened to David while he was young, we can also see in the Book of Psalms and God used David to write so many of them.

We must never forget to give God the glory and the praise for the things we know He has done for us especially since God has delivered our soul from death.

*Psa 56:13 For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

When we have genuine faith, we can certainly thank God even before He acts.

We can consider something done although it has not been done yet.

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

For instance we know we are saved and the Lord has already built us a home in glory but He has not placed us in it yet.

We know the rapture is a true event, but it just has not taken place yet.

We know we are saved; we do not have to ask to be saved again.

We know we have been delivered; we do not have to ask God to be delivered again.

We know we are a child of God and we know that God puts His children first, we do not have to ask for the favors of the redeemed, they are already ours.

We are in the family of God.

As far as those vows are concerned, we should never make a promise that we cannot keep or we do not intend to keep.

Ecc 5:4 When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.
Ecc 5:5 Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
Ecc 5:6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?

God is faithful to us, even when we act foolishly or make unwise decisions.

When we walk in the wisdom of the Word of God which was given to us by God the Holy Spirit, we can avoid these mistakes that our flesh makes.

Even when we fail to follow the Lord, He is still faithful to us and He still keeps His promises to help us.

1Co 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

When that path to escape comes, we need to take it simply because God provided it!

2Ti 2:13 If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

God can only be God, He cannot be something He is not like we humans do.

It is simply not in His character and the more we learn about Him from the Book we call the Bible, which is actually the Revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, the better we will know Him.

Joh_14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Amen

Seeking the Lord

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Seek the Lord

Book of Psalms Chapter 34

In Psalms 34 we have another psalm of David. We know that David wrote more of the Psalms than any other writer, keeping in mind that all Scripture is given to us by the Holy Spirit.

This psalm is another psalm that David wrote while he was fleeing from King Saul who was trying to kill David because Jehovah had selected David to be the next King of Israel.

We should understand that when the word “bless” is spoken in reference to the Lord’s blessing to His people, it means the bestowing His loving kindness, His grace, His favor, and His mercy.

When the word “bless” is spoken in respect to our blessing the Lord, then it is much different.

We should ask ourselves how we can bless the God of all creation.

We must understand that all blessings are in the Lord Jesus Christ!

When Jesus Christ is not in your heart you cannot be a true blessing to anyone!

Jesus Christ is our blessedness!

We have nothing worthwhile to offer anyone if we cannot offer them an opportunity to meet Jesus Christ!

It is not enough to see the hand of Jesus Christ as He touches our lives with His mercy and His “grace”, but Jesus Christ must be seen as that blessing sent from God!

Psa 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities;
Psa 31:8 And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.

David was a man of war all his days even though his heart belonged to Jehovah.

With his reputation it was hard for David to be a witness for the truth about Jehovah.

This is one of the reasons David was not allowed to build the first Temple and his son Solomon had to build it.

The one thing David had that most of us do not have was a talent to sing and make and play instruments of music and write songs.

The Lord Jesus Christ is certainly worthy of our praise just as Jehovah was in the time of David.

I believe David understood these things which is why he could write so many of the Psalms.

Let us begin:

Psa 34:1 A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed. I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

If you know the story of David then you have read of the day, he had foolishly showed himself mad in consequence of what he had heard the servants of Abimelech say.

We will notice that Achish and Abimelech are one and the same king of the Philistines.

We should also note that this place called Gath was the home of Goliath and the family of Goliath and David was foolish to ask for help in this place.

When David realized this, he began to act like he had gone mad and Achish sent him away unharmed rather than kill him.

1Sa 21:13 And he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard.
1Sa 21:14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me?
1Sa 21:15 Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this fellow to play the mad man in my presence? shall this fellow come into my house?

It was not this king of the Philistines that David needed it was Jehovah God whom David needed.

God had already done many important things for David therefore David declared that he would bless the name of the Lord all his days.

We are a blessing to the Lord when we worship Him with all our heart.

We cannot leave the Lord out of our lives and expect to have joy in this corrupt world.

I can tell you from the experience of missing the worship services I have missed these past few weeks, that there is only misery out in this world and joy comes only by the Lord Jesus Christ.

*Psa 34:2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

To be honest, how many of us understood about our soul until we met Jesus?

David began to realize that is praise and worship of the Lord would be noticed by those around him.

When David pick up his harp and began to praise and worship Jehovah there were many ears that heard his singing.

Just as we can find comfort in these same Psalms today, those that traveled with David could find comfort in his singing.

Remember those who were with David were those who were the outcasts of society.

Jer 9:24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

There is nothing in this world that we owe our allegiance to other than our Savior!

Psa 5:11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
Psa 5:12 For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

It is far easier to lead someone to the Lord if you are joyful in your salvation.

It is easy to bless the Lord when everything is going our way.

We can also be a blessing to the Lord when we explain to Him all our troubles and have faith that He will solve those issues for us.

Faith is the key to our relationship with our Heavenly Father!

David was on the run from a government who was trying to kill him, but he knew that he must be a blessing to the Lord during those times also.

No matter what we are going through, it is not time to quit on God!

We do this if we have moved away from the Lord because we will have quenched the Holy Spirit who lives within us.

1Th 5:15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
1Th 5:16 Rejoice evermore.
1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1Th 5:19 Quench not the Spirit.

Even on a difficult day we are never alone if we are a “Born Again” child of God!

Eph 5:20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

We are never to feel hopeless because we are never hopeless if we belong to Jesus Christ!

We are to be an encouragement to those around us at all times because we all need encouragement from time to time.

A joyful believer is a powerful tool in the hands of God!

A believer who is going through terrible things is also a powerful tool if they still show faith in the Living God.

*Psa 34:3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.

We may not be able to lead everyone we meet to the Lord so that they can be saved, but we can surely invite them to our place of worship so they will see others who worship the Lord and are a blessing to Him.

When we “magnify” the Lord we proclaim His greatness.

There are times we are to be alone when we bless the Lord and there is nothing wrong with this.

The Lord tells us to get in our closet so we can meet face to face with Him.

The truth is that God’s praises just sound best when those praises are in concert with others!

We should understand that David was no longer welcome to worship in the Tabernacle.

If David wanted to worship in concert with others, then he would have to be the example in the Cave at Adullam with many who did not know the Lord but there were probably some that did.

When David picked up his harp and bellowed out these Psalms that we have today, there were many others in that cave with him who could relate to his sorrows and learn the truth of Jehovah.

Most of these men were outlaws for one reason or another.

We must understand that the Lord wants us to gather in His name and worship Him in a congregation.

Heb_10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Those who do not see the “Day of the Lord” approaching are not concerned with our world today but those who do know that now is not the time to give up on the Lord should gather more often and not less often.

David was burdened down with all his fears because he had not given those fears to the Lord, but when he did, David found his Deliverer.

The same Deliverer we have today.

*Psa 34:4 I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

Just what is fear?

The Bible says that there is only one creature that was made that had no fear.

Job 41:33 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.

This verse is speaking of the Leviathan.

All others are afraid of something in this world from time to time.

David admits to his fears.

Our fears come from a conscious sense that we are sinners.

We should understand that David had already faced a lion and defeated it.
David had already faced a bear and defeated it.
David had already faced Goliath and defeated him.
David had done these things before the age of twenty.
At this time David was fleeing for life from an unstable king and a government trying to destroy him because it did not want David to be king.

This sounds familiar to what we are seeing today in our own nation and our own government.

We would not think of David as a man full of fears, yet he professed he had more than one fear to the Lord.

If we belong to the Lord there is nothing in this world that we should fear!

Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

If we have these fears then we certainly need to talk to the Lord.

*Psa 34:5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
Psa 34:6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

The very first thing we must do, is to take our eyes off the fears of this world and look to Jesus.

The Lord Jesus said: Joh_8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

David began to realize that he was not in a hopeless situation when he put his faith in Jehovah.

Eyes that were darkened with doom did suddenly sparkle with new courage, hope, and joy.

It is called seeing the Light of Jesus.

Those in that cave with David could also see these things in David.

Our life and our actions are our greatest witness to the life of a Christian.

David had never known the shame of defeat and he would not feel that shame as long as he depended upon God.

Today, when we depend upon the Lord Jesus Christ to lead us, He will always lead us to victory.

The Lord Jesus will never lead us to a defeated life.

1Co_15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are only two things that can happen when we call upon the Lord in our fears.

1) He will just remove that obstacle in our path.
2) He will go with us every step of the way. We never have to face our fears alone!

David wanted those with him to know that there was no mistake to who deserved the credit for our victories.

We do not have it in us to be victorious over the things of this world!

Victory can only come if we cry out to the Lord and place our faith in Him!

It is only by the faithfulness and the power of the Almighty God that we can have victory and live in victory throughout eternity.

We are all poor unless we know the riches of a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

All those in that cave with David could relate to the things David was singing about.

What is the truth?

*Psa 34:7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

All throughout the Old Testament we read about the “Angel of the Lord”. In fact, fifty-six times we can see this exact phrase.

This angel of the Lord is that being who appears as Jehovah’s representative in His dealing with mankind until the time of Jesus Christ.

What was the job of this angel? He protects all those who have a reverent fear of Jehovah God.

He is like an army encamping around each believer.

He was in fact the Captain of the angelic host.

Jos 5:13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
Jos 5:14 And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?
Jos 5:15 And the captain of the LORD’S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

This Captain of the LORD’s host can be no other than the Lord Jesus Christ because no angel will allow us to worship them but Lucifer and this is not Lucifer. There is not one thing holy about Lucifer!

We know that the omnipotent Son of God can immediately and single-handedly overcome all our enemies.

The truth is that our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ does supernaturally protect all those who have that reverent fear of Him.

There is an angel near us at all times!

The Lord is always willing and able to help us!

Psa 9:10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

*Psa 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

What is the first step to a blessing from God? Simply trust in Him.

There is no other way of really knowing how good, Good is!

It is like the Word of God. We are not to sample part of the Word of God and just keep the part we like.

We cannot just sample God’s goodness!

In reality we are to take every action necessary to receive all that God promises to all those who trust Him.

To trust the Lord is to accept all of Him.

To reject any part of the Lord is to accept none of Him.

When we study the Word of God, we will see that God is truly good!

To trust is to run to the Lord for the protection that can come from nowhere else.

What is the next step to a blessing from God?

*Psa 34:9 O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

We must have a reverent fear of God but we must also have a godly fear.

After all He is all powerful and it is only, He who can supply our wants.

We must have a sense of gratitude for what the Lord has already done for us.

When we accept the salvation gift from the Lord, we must know that we are just getting started in a life that is close to God.

The Apostle Paul wrote:

Php_3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

There is nothing in our past life that is worth clinging too.

We have seen in this lesson that these words of David, applied to David and all of Israel, but they also apply to every Christian today.

Salvation and life eternal are the greatest gifts that the Lord can offer to us, but these thing are just the beginning of the blessings that the Lord promises to all those who trust Him.

Faith is still the key to our life long relationship with our Heavenly Father through the Lord Jesus Christ!

*Psa 34:10 The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.

The mother and father of that cub did provide all things necessary for the early life of that lion cub.

Those cubs will reach a point when those parents will quit providing for that cub and they will have to provide for themselves and many days they will go hungry until they become proficient to provide for themselves.

Even the strongest lion will suffer and want for a time and maybe many times.

This is true for all the animal world, but this is not true for all of us who seek to get closer to the Lord.

This is a powerful statement. “they that seek the Lord shall not want for any good thing.”

1) God does not provide bad things. Those come from Satan.

2) Those that seek the Lord shall not want for any good thing. Those good things that the Lord has approved as good for us.

When we see the word Lord in all capital letters we know this is YAHWEH, Jehovah the absolute God of all creation.

Exo 3:13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
Exo 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Exo 3:15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.

As David found the right place in the cave of Adullam, he would sing these Psalms with all his heart and all those near to him would listen for they were as near death as was David.

Just as they found the words of these Psalms to be comforting, so can we here today.

If we truly wish to taste the goodness of the Lord ourselves then we must trust Him including all the words He has given to us.

It is the atoning blood of Jesus Christ that will keep us from seeing the wrath of this powerful, Almighty God.

It is this same Lord who will carry us through the storms of this life we live today.

We must also understand that we have greater needs than food, shelter, and clothing.

Only the Lord knows our needs and our deepest needs are spiritual.

When we have the gift of salvation provided for us by the Lord Jesus Christ, we also have a relationship with God the Father and when we have God, we have all we need.

2Co_3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;

David became the most beloved King of Israel and David’s rag tag bunch of outlaws became a mighty army because of the sweet Psalmist of Israel.

2Sa_23:1 Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,

It will remain the same for the Church today if we continue to seek the Lord Jesus Christ!

Amen

Unwise Choices

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Book of 1 Chronicles Chapters 13-16

David’s Unwise Choice

We should understand that we as Christians are still human and we are going to make mistakes and they will be sinful mistakes.

God gives us His Word to guide us in this life and to help keep our mistakes to a minimum.

God also gives us the means of forgiveness but chastisement for our mistakes is also just as sure.

David, as the King of Israel, was to rule according to the Word of God!

Just like every other ruler in this world!

We will never make the right decisions in life without seeking the presence of God!

This is the greatest necessity we have in order to have a happy and joyous and a safe life.

Without God’s presence we will never grow spiritually, without seeking the presence of God through prayer and obedience!

In order for Israel to be a strong nation, they needed to move the Ark of God to a place specifically made under Jehovah’s specifications.

David had already built a place named the Tabernacle of David to house the Ark when it would be returned.

What were Davids plans?

*1Ch 13:1 And David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader.
1Ch 13:2 And David said unto all the congregation of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the LORD our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren every where, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites which are in their cities and suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us:
1Ch 13:3 And let us bring again the ark of our God to us: “for we enquired not at it in the days of Saul”.
1Ch 13:4 And all the congregation said that they would do so: for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

We can immediately see why King Saul failed and Israel failed under his government!

Saul never prayed to Jehovah concerning his leadership of Israel!

Now we will also see some mistakes King David will make, after making a commitment to the Lord.

1) David made the decision to move the Ark to Jerusalem so he and the people could seek the presence of God.
2) David built his palace in Jerusalem to centralize the government of Israel in the same place where all of Israel could seek the presence of God and His guidance.
3) David made a commitment to seek God in prayer before taking Israel into any war.

You see, as a nation we must strive for economic security.
We must also strive for national security against any foreign military and terrorists who would attack us.
We must also strive for the personal security of our homes against any of those who would cause us harm, including our own government.

Our nation should be seeking the economic wealth of all its people along with these other things!

Not some socialist agenda!
Not some communist agenda!

These are things that are written in our own constitution and much of it is being ignored today!

We should consult God in every decision we make that concerns any of these things, and add to this, we must pray to God to maintain our relationship with Him.,

1Th_5:17 Pray without ceasing.

Just as soon as David was made King of all of Israel, he began to address these matters.

We need a new government today that will stand firm on the constitution.

The best government would first stand firm on the Word of God.

No one in Washington can call anyone a liar especially Donald Trump, because no one in Washington is concerned for the Constitution of the United States of America which they all took an oath to defend.

They should remove all who will not do this!

They are all liars!

Especially those who make up a certain political party and all those who call themselves progressive!

I said it once and I will say it again, there is no such person as a progressive Christian!

And today we can see that there is no such person as a Christian who follows the Democrat Agenda.

For Israel to have the Ark of God and the place of God in the same place as the government in Jerusalem, would be a natural thing.

Our own government seeks to be as far away from God as they possibly can!

Such foolish people but they recognize the gods of this world and seek to pacify them!

Only through Jesus Christ can we seek the presence of God!

King David had brought all the elders of Israel and the Priests of God to Jerusalem to discuss these things and these things were decided.

It had been sixty years since the Ark of God was last in His place.

David knew that God had selected Jerusalem to be the place of His presence and all the people agreed!

*1Ch 13:5 So David gathered all Israel together, from Shihor of Egypt even unto the entering of Hemath, to bring the ark of God from Kirjathjearim.
1Ch 13:6 And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kirjathjearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up thence the ark of God the LORD, that dwelleth between the cherubims, whose name is called on it.

In all the days of Saul, he had never tried to return the Ark of God.

David sent out a summons to all of Israel to join with him as he transported the Ark of God to Jerusalem.

This Baalah to Kirjathjearrim which is Judah, and much of that land that is in dispute today is claimed by the Palestinians which has never been true.

Remember, it is Judah which is Judea that Rome renamed to Palestinia just to get back at the Jews because of hatred.

Rome hated the Jews and Rome in the Bible shows the same hatred we see in the world today.

It was a good thing that David was seeking, but David did not consult with the Bible nor with the Priest nor the Levites on how to move the Ark of God.

He decided to move the Ark just as the Philistines had moved it.

Once all of Israel was united and David was anointed King of all of Israel, it seemed to David that it in the interest of all of Israel that the Ark of God be restored to a house of worship.

As we go over these Scriptures, we can see that the Ark of God can also be seen as a type of Jesus Christ.

Before the Ark came to the home of Obed-Edom, the Ark was located at the home of Abinadab that was in Gibeah.

Let us look at both of these things today.

We must clearly understand that there is a right way and a wrong way to seek to be in the presence of God!

Since I prayed for the Lord Jesus to come into my heart and save me, I also understand how important it is for me to be in the presence of God.

I need to feel Him and to know that He is listening to me, though I can do this at home or any other place, there is no greater feeling than being in the company of the many others who feel the same way at my church, my place of worship.

You see upon the Ark is the “Mercy Seat”.

The Ark was the place where Israel was to meet with the Lord God of Israel!

By the way He is also the Lord God of all creation, all the things we see and all the things we do not see!

There was no other furniture, lamps, altar, or anything else including the priesthood that meant more than the Ark which was the place Israel was to meet with God.

It is the “Mercy Seat” where we can meet with God today!

The “Mercy Seat” at the Church is the altar where I can reach out to my Savior!

This why it is so important to be in the house of God at the appointed times of worship!

When the Ark was taken because of the sins of Eli and his two sons, that punishment included the Ark of God being taken by the Philistines and the destruction of the Tabernacle located at Shiloh.

It seems at this time another Tabernacle had been built at Gibeah but was without the Holy of Holies.

This was an important event because it was at the Mercy Seat where God met with the High Priest of Israel to remove the sin of Israel.

As far as Israel was concerned, when the Ark was not in their possession, then God was not with Israel and they carried there sin year to year.

They could offer up their sacrifices at Gibeah but the High priest could not take the blood of that sacrifice and sprinkle upon the Mercy Seat because it was not there.

One of the first things David wanted to accomplish as King of Israel, was to bring the Ark back to Israel so all of Israel could meet with God.

We should remember that David was one of the few Jews that it is said he had the power of the Holy Spirit with him at all times.

1Sa_16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

“The Spirit of the Lord came mightily on David from that day forward.”

David could still meet with the Lord but the people had no place to do so.

We should understand that it was not going to take thirty thousand people to bring the Ark back to His place, but David assembled this large group to give honor to the Lord.

David did not do anything that might cause friction with the unified Israel so, David consulted with the leaders of Israel before he set out to bring the Ark back home.

But David did make a terrible mistake.

*1Ch 13:7 And they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart.

All the things of God must be important to all the Church, but God has an order that must be followed!

We must understand that God has certain ways for us do spiritual things, and they must be done according to His Word.

How was the Ark to be moved from place to place?

Num 3:29 The families of the sons of Kohath shall pitch on the side of the tabernacle southward.
Num 3:30 And the chief of the house of the father of the families of the Kohathites shall be Elizaphan the son of Uzziel.
Num 3:31 And their charge shall be the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the hanging, and all the service thereof.

Num 7:9 But unto the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the service of the sanctuary belonging unto them was that they should bear upon their shoulders.

Num 4:15 And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.

It was a good thing that David wanted to the Ark back into the hands of the people but God insists we do all things according to His Word.

The Ark was a sign of the covenant God had made with His people.

The Ark was the place of the “Mercy Seat” where their sins could be forgiven.

The Ark was to be carried upon the shoulders of the sons of Kohath, the priests assigned to all the furniture of the Tabernacle.

It was not to be carried in any wagon that it would appear as some unholy cargo.

It was good that David used a new cart that was not desecrated by common uses, but it was still against Levitical law.

This is the same way that the Philistines had tried to move the Ark and it had cost them dearly, with many deaths and much destruction in their cities and especially in their places of worship.

The Bible is our means of knowing what God expects of us!

Today we have the completed Bible and it is to be our guide in all things of this life.

Israel had the Laws of Moses and it was enough to give them directions in their lives and in their government of Israel and all things in their worship of Jehovah.

It is the same for our Bible today!

*1Ch 13:8 And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, and with singing, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.

This possession was guided by the two sons of Abinadab Uzzah and Ahio with Ahioh walking in the front and Uzzah walking on the side near the rear of the cart and they began to travel to Jerusalem.

It was a joyous occasion for all of Israel but especially for King David.

There was the singing of songs.

There was the playing of many musical instruments.

God says to make a joyful noise before the Lord!

All these things seemed to be such wonderful things but David was disobeying by failing to transport the Ark as commanded by the Lord.

Obedience is the key to our relationship with the Lord!

*1Ch 13:9 And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled.
1Ch 13:10 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.

We know that David was transporting the Ark but not according to the Levitical laws.

We do not really know why David chose to move the Ark the same way the Philistines chose, but it seems that it was the plan of David.

It could have been done to please the people but it was still against the Word of God.

It seemed to be so small a matter, but it was a grave error on the part of King David and it turned into a serious offence.

Many thought, “why would God do such a thing”?

We must clearly understand we cannot worship the Lord according to the way we think, but we must worship the Lord according to His clear instructions in the Word He has given to us.

God gives clear instructions about how to worship Him and it must be done in spirit and truth!

We can never just throw the Word of God away and come together to worship according to our own ways, yet this is exactly what is going on in what is called the progressive movement we see today.

Most threshing floors were a place with a rock floor so the harvest could be gathered and it is very possible that the oxen hooves did slip and cause a jolt to the cart.

The Ark was never to be touched by the hands there were rings and poles to be used to carry the Ark.

Exo 25:13 And thou shalt make staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
Exo_25:14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them.
Exo_25:15 The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.
Exo_37:5 And he put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, to bear the ark.

Any way of bearing the Ark other than this manner was rejecting the Word of God and we must remember the Ark was in typology a type of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The holiness of God must be respected!

Num 4:15 And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation.

The anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah and God killed him immediately.

Any act of irreverence towards the Ark was punished by death.

What would the world think if God did this today for irreverence?

We should remember and David and Uzzah should have remembered what happened at Beth-shemesh.

1Sa 6:19 And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.
1Sa 6:20 And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us?

Things that are serious to God will bring a terrible anger and a severe punishment.

The two things most important to God today are Israel and the Church!

God was disappointed in David and David was disappointed in God.

Have you ever tried with all you might to do something good for God and then find out that He was not pleased at all with you.

This is the way King David felt.

We must remember we have to do all these things in accordance with the Word of God!

David had to find out just what was the right way to retrieve the Ark of God without any more tragedies because of disobedience!

*1Ch 15:11 And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, and Joel, Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab,
1Ch 15:12 And said unto them, Ye are the chief of the fathers of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it.
1Ch 15:13 For because ye did it not at the first, the LORD our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not after the due order.

God has a due order by which we must abide!

It seems that David is laying part of the blame for the tragedy of Uzzah upon these two who are sharing the High Priesthood and we know that they disagree with many things concerning David.

David told them that they sanctify themselves in a recommitment to the Lord.

We must be committed to the Lord to have a personal relationship with Him!

They were to set themselves apart for Jehovah by living holy and pure lives.

Much of the Church has forgotten about sanctification.

Sanctification was essential in approaching the Ark because the Ark is the symbol of God’s Holy Presence.

This is why the Ark is a type of Christ.

We must be sanctified if we are to have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!

2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:

1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

The sanctification of these two Priests included a ritual washing with water.

This was a ceremonial cleansing declaring that they had been cleansed from sin.

In the Church we know that we can only be forgiven when we are washed in the blood of Jesus and washed by the Word of God!

1Jn_1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Heb_10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,

We cannot approach God until we have been Born Again!

We cannot approach God until we too have made our own Spiritual preparations!

*1Ch 15:14 So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.
1Ch 15:15 And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the LORD.

We will never have a good relationship with the Lord, until we have dedicated our lives to Him.

We must walk away from our old lives and walk in the newness of life through the Lord Jesus Christ!

We can only do this when are obedient to all the Word of God.

We cannot pick and choose the parts we will obey and the parts we will not obey as is what is going on in many churches today.

We know that poles had to be inserted into the rings of the Ark and the Priest bear the Ark upon their shoulders.

We must clearly understand that violating the Holiness of God will lead to eternal death.

Safety has never been in the Ark of the Lord!

Safety comes from the Lord of the Ark!

Our own safety does not come from the Church!

Our safety comes from the Lord of the Church, the Head of the Body of Christ!

We should remember the Lord Jesus said His burden is light.

Jer 7:3 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
Jer 7:4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these.

In the New Testament we find these words.

Mat 3:9 And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
Mat 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Israel was mistaken when Eli allowed his two wicked sons to take the Ark into battle.

Seven months later when the Philistines returned the Ark to Israel and the men of Bethshemesh looked into the Ark over Fifty thousand men lost their lives.

When the “Mercy Seat” is removed from the Ark, only death by the broken Law remains.

Then we see the useless death of Uzzah because the order of God was not followed.

We must see that the Holiness of God must be observed and this is not happening today in many places of worship.

*1Ch 15:26 And it came to pass, when God helped the Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they offered seven bullocks and seven rams.

We see that God wanted the Ark to be back with the Israelites and in His place in the Holy of Holies so He helped these Levites.

We do need the help of Heaven in our worship services.

In fact if the Holy Spirit does not show up there will not be a true worship service.

If our Preachers do not preach the message that God gives them, we will never understand how to live day by day in this wicked world.

Act_9:31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.

Notice the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit both are necessary in our worship services for the Church to be edified!

When do things right, then there will also be joy when the Lord joins with us in the House of God, and souls will be saved!

*1Ch 15:27 And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song with the singers: David also had upon him an ephod of linen.
1Ch 15:28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.

When we are in the presence of God, we must worship Him. This is what we live for.

The Lord is to be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth!

Joh 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

So many have forgotten these things today!

We must come to the Lord in Spirit: focusing our hearts and our minds upon Him giving Him our full attention, praising Him, and thanking Him for all that He is and all that He has already done for us and the things He has promised to do for us as we grow in Christ and wait for His return.

We must also worship Him in truth!

This is to worship Him exactly like He says to worship Him!

We can only approach God through and by the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this we must be sincere, God will not be mocked!

1Ch 16:29 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
1Ch 16:30 Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.
1Ch 16:31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth.
1Ch 16:32 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein.
1Ch 16:33 Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the LORD, because he cometh to judge the earth.

It is a fact that this lost world will not like our rejoicing over the truth of God!

*1Ch 15:29 And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looking out at a window saw king David dancing and playing: and she despised him in her heart.

One of David’s wives, actually his first wife who was King Saul’s daughter reacted against David because of the way he worshipped the Lord.

She was an unbeliever and also an idolater and while she watched these things from a window, she had seen David full of the Spirit of God and just having himself a time and she did not think a King should be doing such things.

We can see Michal as a type of the many who despise devotion to the Almighty God.

Michal saw Jehovah only as one of the gods among many gods.

David showed enthusiasm in His worship and which is something that is lacking in many a Church today.

2Sa 6:20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!
2Sa 6:21 And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD.
2Sa 6:22 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.
2Sa 6:23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.

David lost any affection he might have had for Michal that day.

We know that in the family, if a wife or husband is saved and the other is still lost it can cause friction in the home.

How does God see these things?

1Co 7:13 And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.
1Co 7:14 For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.
1Co 7:15 But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.

Though David had many wives Michal remained under his support but there was no further relationship with the king in all of her days.

God expects us to do the best we can in our relationships with each other, but it may not ever lead to salvation for the unbelieving spouse.

*1Ch 16:37 So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day’s work required:
1Ch 16:38 And Obededom with their brethren, threescore and eight; Obededom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be porters:
1Ch 16:39 And Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was at Gibeon,
1Ch 16:40 To offer burnt offerings unto the LORD upon the altar of the burnt offering continually morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the law of the LORD, which he commanded Israel;

Though many may disagree, this is where we see spiritual worship begin to take the place of ceremonial worship.

We are to worship God in Spirit and in Truth because this is the way God likes it.

Joh_4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Joh_4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Nothing is gained from ceremonial worship, which is ritual worship!

It appears that David had only built the Holy place and the Holy of Holies and had not built the Tabernacle that was still located in Gibeah.

David appointed Asaph and his brethren to minister before the Lord at all times somewhat like what takes place in Heaven continuously.

Rev_4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

It was Asaph and the singers with musical instruments who were to do this in Jerusalem.

It was Zadok the High Priest who was chosen to lead the worship in Gibeon and who had remained faithful to David and we know that all the house of Eli were pronouced unworthy of which Abiathar was of that family.

Abiathar did remain as High Priest until King Solomon removed him.

It would be Zadok who would lead the worship at Gibeon, the place where the Tabernacle had been reestablished.

Not too far in the future did Abiathar choose David’s son Absalom over David.

What does the Lord say?

Act_15:16 After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
Act 15:17 That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

What these things mean is, that when the Lord Jesus returns to set set up His Millennial Kingdom to rule for one thousand years, then at this time all the remaining Israelites will worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth and not in some ceremonial fashion as was done at that Old Tabernacle.

It will be a new day for all of Israel.

There will be no ceremonial or ritual worship during those one thousand years!

Amen

The Judgment of A Holy God

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Judgment for Saul’s Transgressions

Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 31, Book of 2 Samuel Chapter 1, Book of 1 Chronicles Chapter 10

In the end we see that King Saul’s life was a tragedy and his death as the closing scene of the life of a man who refused to be obedient to the Lord.

In this study of the First Book of Samuel we can see that there is nothing more certain in this life than the Word of God!

Whatever God has said is the truth and will take place!

Heaven and Earth will certainly pass away, but the Word of God will never pass away.

So it is with the “judgment of God”!

When God says judgment is coming, then judgment is certainly coming!

Because God is a holy God, He must judge all that is unholy, or He would no longer be holy Himself!

Judgment is a necessary expression of God’s character; however God’s judgment is always fair!

Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

Some of that judgment will come during this Church Age as there has been some of God’s judgment in every age.

Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

However this is not the final judgment begins with the return of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is Our Lord Jesus who will render God’s judgment, when He returns!

Joh 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Mat 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Mat 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

So let us look at the judgment of God against Saul.

*1Sa 31:1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.
1Sa 31:2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons.

We should remember that Jonathan was David’s best friend and Jonathan would have helped David to be the next king if he could have.

Much of Israel would have insisted that Jonathan be the next king and there would have been division in the people of Israel.

We see the evidence of what happens, as today America is more divided than we have ever been because of sinful politics and wicked politicians and corruption.

Yes, the swamp does actually exist

The very people who are saying that conservative thinking people will destroy democracy are the ones who are using every effort to destroy democracy and make America a one-party system and remain in power for ever.

How could anyone believe that as individuals we have the freedom to kill innocent children in the womb.

We should never have the freedom to murder any innocent human being!

We should also be very clear that there is nothing more certain than the Word of God and God loves all of His children!

Saul’s troops stood no chance against the massive army of the Philistines, but this would have been irrelevant had Saul been obedient to the Lord God Jehovah.

As Saul watched from safety, he saw his army being slaughtered by the Philistines.

Then he witnessed the slaughter of his own sons, there were three that died this day.

David and his men had been sent back to Ziklag and they were not present to witness these things, as David would have surely tried to help his dear friend Johnathan.

When God pronounces judgment, that judgment will certainly take place!

God will not allow His children to witness His judgment!

The Church will be saved from the coming wrath of God!

The Lord had warned Saul of his disobedience and his wicked life.

In fact, God has warned us all of His judgment against disobedience!

All those who oppose God and reject the Word of God, will also see a similar judgment as did Saul.

We can also see that our actions can cause harm to our own children, even if some of our children trust in God as did Jonathan.

Part of the judgment on King Saul was the fact that he had to witness the death of his sons before he met his own death.

God will take away many of the righteous before the evil that is to come, as I believe He is doing now with so many good Christians going on home to be with the Lord.

This means that those who are the strongest will witness more of the evilness that will come before the Rapture of the Church.

Isa 57:1 The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.

King Saul knew his own end was very near, and he chose to take his own life rather than allow the Philistines to abuse him before his death.

This thing also teaches us just how wicked the Philistines were as are many of the Palestinians today.

It is hatred that drives them today, just as it did in the early days of Israel.

*1Sa 31:3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.
1Sa 31:4 Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.
1Sa 31:5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.
1Sa 31:6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.

As the Philistines turned their attention to King Saul, he was struck with an arrow which may have been enough to cause his death, but not a quick death.

Saul became afraid that he would still be alive when the Philistines caught up with him.

This also shows us that there is no amount of armor that will protect us from the judgment of God.

Saul’s life had been a tragedy since he had forsaken the Lord and his death came just as Samuel had told him.

Saul’s last enemy was the enemy that we should all fear the most, our own wicked selves.

Saul was his own worst enemy and it led to his suicide!

There is no punishment for suicide and it is said by many to be a coward’s way out of this world.

Today suicide is considered to be a symptom of some form of insanity, but this is not very true.

It is more a sign of hopelessness!

This places a lot of blame on our government and its policies and a lack of truth and it’s corruption.

Suicide comes to those who have lost all hope or are in desperation.

Suicide is actually the murder of your own self!

I am not sure that it is insanity at all, but is more of a picture of those who have no hope in the things of this world.

Suicides are one of the leading causes of death in the America we love.

In 2021, 48,183 Americans died by suicide.

Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S.

Every day, approximately 132 Americans die by suicide.

There is one suicide death in the US every 10.9 minutes.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death for 15 to 24-year-old Americans.

The highest suicide rates (per 100,000) in the US are among white males (26.4), followed by American Indian/Alaska Native males (25), and Black males (14.1).

**There is one suicide death for every estimated twenty-five suicide attempts.

There are approximately 1,204,575 annual attempts in the U.S. (using 25:1 ratio) or one attempt every 26.2 seconds.

This event brought a sad ending to the first King of Israel.

We should not have pity on King Saul because these things were his own doing and because he was disobedient to Jehovah.

The judgment of God will come on all those who are disobedient to the Word of God and this is what God says not me.

This was the sad end to Saul’s Kingdom.

Saul had not reigned very long before he began to separate himself from the people he was supposed to care for.

This is what the government is most guilty of, they separate themselves from the people they were elected to care for!

Government begins to tell us they know more about how to take care of us than we do ourselves, especially of our children.

It is a fact that every unruly government has tried this tactic throughout the ages.

They start by brainwashing the children and just allowing the old folks to die off.

Saul was soon separated from Samuel who was God’s representative.

He was soon separated from David who tried his best to help Saul and to do only God’s will.

Saul executed God’s priests.

We see that Church persecution is always higher when governments go against the Word of God!

We should ask, what are they afraid of? They are afraid of things they say they do not believe in!

Saul asked in vain for God’s help, but that help did not come because he would not repent.

Without repentance there is no forgiveness!

The homosexual world should understand this!

The transexual world should understand this.

All sinners should understand this and we are all sinners!

Saul called in vain for Samuel’s help through witchcraft when it was impossible to talk to Samuel.

Saul died an early death because he had forsaken the Lord!

It appeared that Saul had taken the sword of his armor bearer or some sword other than his own and used it to kill himself, so it would not look like a suicide.

He was still trying to protect his legacy.

The armor bearer then thought if he escaped his own death, he would be accused of killing King Saul and therefore took his own life.

This is the “circle of deception” when we try to live in this manner!

Saul and most of his house died together because Saul was what the Bible calls a reprobate.

We are ruled in America today by a bunch of reprobates!

Saul was rejected because of his worthlessness to the plan of God.

The Lord expects us to take a look at ourselves to see if we are reprobates!

2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Saul was a man in a hurry to cause his own doom!

This is the trait of most all those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ.

They are all in a hurry to get to Hell when the Lord Jesus provides a perfect path to avoid Hell!

God has given these over to believe a lie and God will not force anyone to obey Him.

To forsake God is to be lost! God will forsake all those who forsake Him!

God offered Saul room to repent, but Saul had rejected all the Word of God and refused to repent.

Once we are rejected of God, there is no more opportunity to obtain salvation!

*2Sa 1:23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
2Sa 1:24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
2Sa 1:25 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.
2Sa 1:26 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.
2Sa 1:27 How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

David had just returned to Ziklag with all his family and all that was stolen by the Amalekites.

On his third day back to the place he was living, another Amalekite showed up with news of the battle between the Philistines and Israel.

Saul and Jonathan and much of Israel were now dead.

This man said he was from the camp of King Saul which was the first clue that the things he said were not true.

After Samuel had pointed out the sins of Saul in his battle with the Amalekites, it would be hard to believe that Saul had an Amalekite in his camp unless he was a prisoner and the Lord had said to not make them prisoners but to execute them for their atrocities against other humans.

David knew these things so he had asked how he knew Saul and Jonathan were dead.

He said that Saul had attempted to kill himself with a spear and faced a long slow death and King Saul had asked this Amalekite to finish the job for him and he did, and brought some of Saul’s personal items and gave them to David.

We already know that Saul had fallen on the sword of his armor barer or some other sword and had succeeded in his death.

His armor barer seeing the death of his king then took his own life.

David then killed this Amalekite knowing his version of the story was filled with lies or he would have tried to save King Saul.

David and his men grieved over the news from the battlefield.

David the musician authored a poem (the word “elegy” means poem) for Saul and Jonathan which is part of our lesson today.

God expects us to have a personal relationship with Him and He also expects us to be friendly with those we love and those who are our enemies.

There are some people we get especially close to and are influenced by them.

This love and respect are different from the love of a spouse and a spouse should always have our heart second only to the Lord our Savior and then our children!

I can tell you from experience that many a soldier can get this close to those around him, and it is not some immoral thing but comrades in arms dependent upon one another for survival.

Saul and Jonathan may have disagreed on many things, especially about David, but Jonathan remained dedicated to Israel and to his father.

Jonathan remained close to Jehovah even though his father had forsaken Jehovah.

What Jonathan had not been was a friend to his father. He had become David’s faithful friend and had remained that way.

This is the theme of these words of David.

David reveals his heart to us by showing his grief for Saul and Jonathan.

David had lived like a fugitive, but he still had respect for those who were anointed of God.

His wives and his family had to suffer through the same hardships as he did.

Saul had hunted David down for seven years and David had every reason to rejoice at the death of Saul, yet it brought sorrow and grief.

We do not read in any of the Scripture where David showed disrespect or dishonored God’s anointed ruler in any way.

Our lesson is, when a leader commits corruption and wickedness, or makes the wrong decisions, he is to be corrected.

We are not to condone such a ruler!

We are still to honor that position of leadership!

God used Saul to keep the Philistines from causing harm to God’s people and he had done a fair job and would have done a much better job had remained close to Jehovah.

When we read of the love of Johnathan for David, we should be reminded of the love of our Lord Jesus that He has for each of His children.

This is not some feeble love!

This is not some immoral love! The soul of our Lord Jesus is so closely knit in us that nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ!

The Lord Jesus shows an unselfish love for each believer!

Jonathan could not expect to gain some advantage from his friendship and neither does our Lord.

Johnathan said to David: 1Sa 20:4 Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.

Is this not what the Lord Jesus has said to each of us?

Our Lord says, you have not because you ask not because we ask for the wrong reasons. (not the exact words)

The Lord Jesus took off His royalty and took upon Himself the ways of a shepherd, just so He could save us even when we were His enemies at that time.

It is we who are enriched by the love of Christ!

We keep forgetting that love is an action word and not about lust.

The Lord Jesus proved His love for us by His actions on Mount Calvary!

It was not nails and rope that kept the Lord Jesus upon that cross, it was His great love for us!

Where are our actions for Him? Where is our great love for the Lord Jesus?

Why did King Saul die?

*1Ch 10:13 So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it;
1Ch 10:14 And enquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.

Saul died because of his disobedience.
Saul died because he did not keep the Word of God.
Saul died because he went to someone described as having a familiar spirit and did not trust the Word of God for the answers he needed.

Samuel was dead and Saul could not call upon the old prophet for God’s word. It was impossible!

Familiar spirits are sorcerers or necromancers who say they can call up the dead to answer questions. They can only call up an evil spirit who can impersonate a believer. They cannot call up God’s children. There is a great unpassable gulf between Heaven and Hell and between Hell and Paradise at that time.

Deu 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.

Isa 8:19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?

Lev 20:6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.
Lev 20:7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.
Lev 20:8 And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.

We already know that all those that died in the Old Testament went to a place called Paradise or that place called Hell both of them in the same general location at this time and no one could pass from one side or the other.

Luk 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.

The Lord Jesus Christ took all the saints in Paradise on to Heaven when He returned to Heaven and Hell expanded itself.

Luk_23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Eph 4:9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
Eph 4:10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Mat 27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
Mat 27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
Mat 27:53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

These are the ones the Lord took with Him on to Heaven.

Isa 5:14 Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

Now Hell is large enough to keep all those who have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ and Hell continues to grow because there is no end to sin in the Church Age.

The Lord will return to get all the saints that have died and those who are still alive at the end of the Church Age. This is called the Rapture of the Church not of the Progressive Church because there is no such thing in the Word of God.

1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Amen.

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/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Equal Parts

Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 30

As we begin to see the story of David in the Bible, we see him as a young man, a man after God’s own heart, fleeing for his life from a king who wanted him dead.

Chapter 27 describes to us how David left the promised land and moved into a territory of the Philistines.

If God teaches us one important thing after we are saved, it is that we are not to associate with the enemies of God.

Yes, we live amongst them, but we are still to come out from them and be separate from the ways of the world.

David himself began to doubt the promises of God.

David began living a life of deception and lies.

Lying to and deceiving any person is one of the worst evils that can be committed by us!

These things will always damage any relationship!

If lies and deception are not exposed, they will cause all sorts of problems for the liar and the deceiver, and we see this in America every day not only from people but also from our own government.

Chapter 28 tells us that Saul got so desperate for a spirit different from his own, that he sought one from the world of the occult.

We see that people can get tired of their way of life but they usually still reject God’s way.

Saul had not understood the truth of the Holy Spirit because he had rebelled against the Lord.

When we go to the world of the occult instead of to our Holy God, we are treading on dangerous ground that is also unholy ground!

Saul had reached that point where the Lord would not answer him, and he was desperate for the truth of God, but he refused to read the Word of God, which he had a copy given to him by Samuel.

What does God say?

Gen 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man,

Saul had reached that point in his life where God had left him to do his own thing and he found that it was not working out so well, but it was too late for Saul.

When we face desperate situations, seeking the Lord for the answer, but we continue living with sin and iniquity without repentance, the Lord will not hear us.

Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

It is a serious offense against the Lord to go the occult, who are the children of the Devil.

There is no such thing as a white witch or a dark witch.

They all try to take the place of God.

For no one knows more than God nor can they.

Just the fact that we think we could get some good advice from someone other than God is a terrible sin!

The fate of a disobedient person is that of utter despair and hopelessness!

The truth is, God has the power to hold each of us in His hand and work out all things for each believer!

Chapter 29

In this chapter we find that “all” evil associations will create problems for us!

Being closely tied to worldliness will lead us down the path of destruction and death!

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

What was the solution to David’s predicament? His solution was Jehovah God!

The Lord has the answer to every question that we have!

God has the power to deliver all His people!

God moves events daily to be make His will prevail!

We seem to have the ability to get ourselves into predicaments that we cannot handle, but God has the power to deliver us through these things.

Now Chapter 30

*1Sa 30:1 And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;
1Sa 30:2 And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.

The first thing we should notice is that it was the Amalekites that had escaped from King Saul that had done these things to David and his men.

None of the Israelites had obeyed God in destroying the Amalekites and they were a truly wicked people.

They would cause trouble for Israel as long as they existed!

We see that they used the same tactics. They went after the young and the innocent who could not protect themselves.

There is a word we have for that and it is “predator”.

They did not always kill everyone, but they made slaves out of all of them even the children.

They were traffickers in human beings!

It is no wonder that God had chosen to destroy them.

Enslavement, being held in bondage is one of the most terrible evils on the face of this earth.

But child trafficking is allowed to continue by most all governments which should be enough proof that the elite and those with government connections of each nation are involved in these things or they would have been stopped long ago.

We should demand more action than we are getting from our government!

David and his men had returned from the battlefield and found that their women and children and all their possessions had been taken by the Amalekites and their homes burned.

We should remember that David had forsaken the Promised Land and was living amongst the Philistines at this time and was about to go to war against his own people, but God had intervened and the Philistines had sent David back to Ziklag afraid that he would turn against them in the midst of the battle.

It had taken David and his men about three days to return home to Ziklag.

While the Israelites and the Philistines were about to go to war, the Amalekites had chosen this time to attack many vulnerable locations that had been left undefended including Ziklag.

Was God involved in this?

We know for sure that the providence of God is involved in everything that goes on in this world, to lead this world to the day of the return of Jesus Christ but God does not cause evil.

Another thing we know for sure is that this instant brought David back to Jehovah God from which he had strayed.

David had nowhere else to turn except to return to Jehovah.

The Lord should be the first place we turn to and not the last place we turn to.

David had lost his wives and his family and all his friends and his army was turning against him.

We would have expected David to ask for the council of God before he joined the Philistines but he did not.

We would have expected David to ask for the council of God when he joined with King Achish to war with Israel but he did not.

David now asks for the council of God, to know if should pursue after the Amalekites.

*1Sa 30:3 So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.
1Sa 30:4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
1Sa 30:5 And David’s two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
1Sa 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.

There is one thing that it seems we are never prepared for.

We are never prepared for the unexpected events of sorrow.

We do not know what will happen to us or our family from one moment to the next, and we do not know how to prepare for it.

There is only one preparation that we can make and it is to have a close personal relationship with the Lord.

David had allowed his relationship with Jehovah to suffer because of the actions of King Saul, but we are never to blame the things that happen to us on the Lord.

Yes, the providence of God is at work in this world, but God is not the blame for these things that happen to us, especially if we have forsaken Him.

Terrible things happen to all people, the good and the wicked.

We must know where to go when these things happen to us, and that place to go is to the Lord.

If we go to hang out with the enemies of God, and to be a part of their wickedness, then we may expect to be met with evil tidings when we return home again.

We have been called according to the purpose of God and it is that purpose where we should show our strength.

When we walk outside of the umbrella of God’s protection, we should know we will get burned.

We must encourage ourselves through the Lord and He will overrule our thoughts, and He will bring the Light of Jesus out of darkness, and He will bring peace out of trouble.

It is never too late to call upon the Lord!

*1Sa 30:7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David.
1Sa 30:8 And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
1Sa 30:9 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed.

There was no one else to go to but to the Lord!

What a promise was made to David by Jehovah!

God said to David yes, to pursue after these marauders.
God said you will surely catch up with them.
God said you will surely overtake them and get all your possessions back and all your family.

How could David not go after these people who God had doomed to destruction.

In typology the Amalekites represent the flesh.

What had God said about the flesh?

Mat 18:8 Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
Mat 18:9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

Rom 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
Rom 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

David with six hundred men chased after the Amalekites until they reached the brook Besor.

*1Sa 30:10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men: for two hundred abode behind, which were so faint that they could not go over the brook Besor.

David and his men had spent the last three days traveling to get back home.

They had left home in hot pursuit of those who had taken their families and their possessions and they faced the brook Besor with extremely high banks and torrential waters.

Today this place is called the Besor Ravine.

Some of David’s men just were too worn out to go any further.

They were in a state of total exhaustion!

It was at this time they found a half-dead Egyptian lying in a field.

*1Sa 30:11 And they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and he did eat; and they made him drink water;
1Sa 30:12 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins: and when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him: for he had eaten no bread, nor drunk any water, three days and three nights.
1Sa 30:13 And David said unto him, To whom belongest thou? and whence art thou? And he said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite; and my master left me, because three days agone I fell sick

This Egyptian had not eaten in three days and had been too tired to make it to the Brook for water.

Once this man revived, David began to interrogate him and David began to find out some things about these Amalekites.

This man had been a slave to one of the Amalekites, but he had become too sick to travel and he was left behind to die.

He told David how these Amalekites had raided three separate places, one of them being Ziklag.

*1Sa 30:14 We made an invasion upon the south of the Cherethites, and upon the coast which belongeth to Judah, and upon the south of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire.

The Amalekites had raided the Cherethites and killed men and took their possessions.

These Cherethites were connected to Philistines who for some reason did not go to war with the other Philistines.

It was these Cherethites that had come from Crete not the Philistines who probably came from Egypt.

We see later that these same Cherethites become the bodyguards to King David and after David for his son Solomon.

These Amalekites had raided a portion of Judah and had done the same thing.

These Amalekites had raided the Negev of Caleb, which was near Hebron, another portion of Judah given to Caleb by Joshua.

They had raided Ziklag and burnt it to the ground and took all the wives and children as slaves and took all of the possessions of David and his men.

We can see the hatred they had for Israel.

Since this man knew so much, David took him with him because he knew the plans of the Amalekites.

This Egyptian agreed to go under two conditions.

1) That David would not kill him.
2) That David would not return him to his master.

*1Sa 30:15 And David said to him, Canst thou bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear unto me by God, that thou wilt neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company.
1Sa 30:16 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah.

The lesson we are to learn here is that we are to have compassion for those in need even if they are our enemies.

By showing this man compassion David learned the whereabouts of those who had his family.

We should take notice that these Amalekites had raided places in Israel where the soldiers had left to join the war with the Philistines.

We should also notice that these Amalekites had raided places of the Philistines where the soldiers had left to join the war with the Israelites.

They had raided Ziklag because they knew that David and his men had left to join the war with the Israelites but God had stopped David from the slaughter of his own people.

David could never have been King of Israel had he done so!

Another day and these Amalekites would have returned to their homeland and divided the spoils and it would have been much harder for David and his men to regain their possessions and their families. so we can see the hand of God in the background.

He had told David that he would get his family back and all his possessions.

These Amalekites felt safe enough to celebrate their victories before they reached home and this is when David found them with the help of that Egyptian.

They saw no visible sign of danger and yet they were nearest to destruction.

This is what we see in the world today.

Those who are wicked and corrupt do not see the signs of danger, yet they are very near to their own destruction, because the Lord’s vengeance is very near!

In typology these things teach us of the return of Jesus Christ.

1Th 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
1Th 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
1Th 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

We that trust in the Lord know, that the return of the Lord Jesus Christ is very near, but another way to look at this is the fact that the triumphing of wicked is about to end.

Job 20:5 That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment?
Job 20:6 Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds;
Job 20:7 Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?

This was the perfect time for David to attack and he did.

*1Sa 30:17 And David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day: and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels, and fled.
1Sa 30:18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives.

The Amalekites were a people condemned to death and God used David as the hand of judgment in this case.

Just like the Lord Jesus Christ, David had come to set the captives free.

This is another picture in the Bible of a wonderful “deliverance” constructed by Jehovah God!

David recovered everything he had lost and his family.

There were still about four hundred of these Amalekite that escaped this day using camels to escape.

In addition David recovered all the spoils these raiders had taken from those various places.

*1Sa 30:19 And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all.
1Sa 30:20 And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David’s spoil.

All the possessions of David and his men were recovered along with wives and family unharmed.

While David’s men rounded up all their own property, they also rounded up all the animals and the possessions that were left behind by the fleeing Amalekites.

It is these things that were called David’s spoils and it will be these things that will be divided among all the other of David’s followers and friends.

In typology we can see a relationship with the Lord Jesus when He made us free.

1) We were captives of sin: We sin and we cannot help it, it is in our genes. No matter how much we try, we sin and come short of the Glory of God.

Alone we cannot break free from that sin, but by the power of our Lord Jesus we are made free from sin.

2) We were captured of death: Death had us in its grasp and refused to let us go! We die, every one of us and there is nothing we can do about it.

From dust we came and to dust we will return, but by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ death no more has a hold on us.

Death is now our ticket to the glory world.

3) We were held captive by Hell. Before we gave ourselves to the Lord Jesus, we were bound for Hell and there was nothing we could do about it.

The Lord Jesus has made us free from Death, Hell, and the Grave and are now acceptable to God through His Son.

Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;
Heb 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

Now let us look at the theme of our lesson today.

*1Sa 30:21 And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them.
1Sa 30:22 Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.
1Sa 30:23 Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand.
1Sa 30:24 For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.
1Sa 30:25 And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.

The more we look at David, we can see why God chose him to be King of Israel, still recognizing that he was only human and not a perfect man.

Those two hundred who had been too tired to help pursue the enemy, rushed out to meet David and his other men.

David did not rebuke them nor show scorn at them, but allowed them to join in the celebration.

Some in David’s army did not feel the same as did David.

Notice the Bible calls them wicked men and of Belial. Belial means worthless and lawless.

These men were opposed to sharing with these men the spoils of the Amalekites.

David declared two facts:

1) The victory was the Lord’s, so those spoils were a gift from Him to be shared.
2) It is just as important to supply the needs of every soldier, as it is to supply the needs of the combat soldier, or the army will never be ready when called upon again for battle.

Justice demanded that they all shared and shared alike.

This principle of equal distribution remained a permanent law all the time of King David.

Of all the gifts the Lord allows us to receive, the gift of salvation is given equally to all those who accept the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.

We must never be greedy with the gifts God shares with us while we are alive.

A greedy heart will mistreat all others.
A greedy person seldom reaches out with a helping hand.
A greedy person will in many cases is aroused to cheat and steal, in order to satisfy that greed.

God’s Word is truly clear:

We must always be just in our dealings with other people whether Christian or those of the world.

Covetousness is condemned by our All-knowing Savior!

Col 3:2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
Col 3:3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
Col 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
Col 3:5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Col 3:6 For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
Col 3:7 In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.

God demands that we treat people justly, and fairly!

God says we are to be generous in dealing with people!

A Christian is not to be greedy or to covet another’s possessions.

All good gifts come from above and God will never change His ways!

Jas_1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Amen!

Repenting Before The Lord

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Repent Before The Lord

Psalms 51

There can be no doubt the purpose of this Psalm.

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

This Psalm is about King David begging for mercy because of his sin with Bathsheba.

What was David’s sin? He despised the commandment of the Lord.

2Sa 12:9 “Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight”? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

God said “there is a way that seems right to man, but the end there of are the ways of death”.

What is personal accountability?

We simply do not want to own our own sin.

We will try our best to make excuses for our sin.

We will try our best to blame our sin on some other thing or on some other person.

But sin is a choice!

Rom 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; “but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened”.

The Bible relates sin in at least three different ways.

1) Sin means missing the mark.

Our standard is our sinless Lord Jesus Christ. God expects us to come as close as we can to this standard. When we sin we miss the mark but we are not alone.

Jesus Christ is the glory of our Father in Heaven but God says this about all humans.

Rom 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

2) Sin is described as a transgression.

Transgression is human rebelliousness. We know what God’s commandments require of us, yet we choose to disobey.

1Jn 3:4 Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

3) Sin is described as iniquity.

Iniquity points out disobedience but iniquity also points out the guilt that comes from that iniquity.

Psa 31:10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.

And what are the consequences of sin?

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let’s begin:

*****Psa 51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

We know from this story of David that for over a year David had carried this sin in secret. It had eating away at him to the point of causing him physical and emotional problems.

When Nathan, the prophet of God confronted David with his sin, David quickly realized there are no secrets that can be kept from God and it was by God’s “Grace” that He had sent Nathan to confront David.

God was allowing David space to repent but he had not repented!

David quickly understood his failure and immediately appealed to the mercy of God.

David ask for mercy before he mentioned his sin.

It is important for us to tell God what sin we have committed, God expects us to realize what He considers sin but like David we may first want to ask for mercy.

God already knows about our sin but God wants us to be sure that we know His Word and what His Word teaches us about sin.

The sight of mercy is good to see after a strained relationship with the Lord!

The “pardon” of our sin is a pure act of mercy on the part of Our Lord!

We must remember what to be pardoned means. To pardon means to reverse a sentence of guilty.

To be pardoned is like that sin never even happened!

Thank goodness we have a God that is merciful!

Mic 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.

We are the foolish ones when we do not use the opportunity to repent to get back in God’s favor!

Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

It is embarrassing to fall into the traps of Satan but it is refreshing to be restored to our Father!

That embarrassment ends when we realize that that sin has been blotted out of God record book!

Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Act 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:

*****Psa 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

We must remember it is not enough to just blot out our sin, our soul is housed in defiled flesh and that flesh contains the sin nature of Adam.

We need a good cleansing!

That washing must be thorough.

That washing must be repeated over and over again until we get home to the Lord’s house.

Chastisement must be looked upon as God removing our defective parts!

We need at least a daily washing to stay as clean as we possibly can be until the Lord comes to take us home.

***Sin is like pollution that has polluted our entire nature.

We own our sin!

Sin is that debt that we owe ourselves!

No one else owns our sin and no one else can pay our sin debt!

Sin is a deviation from the straight path of God!

Jas 4:16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

How are we washed clean of our sin?

Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

***Sin is lawlessness and it becomes rebellion and leads to a bad attitude before a Holy God!

We must acknowledge our transgressions.

Remember transgressions mean we know what the Word of God says but we refuse to obey it.

And to sin means we have come short of the standard set by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Joh 15:22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.

When David sinned, he sinned against Uriah, he sinned against Bathsheba, he sinned against his wife and he sinned against his entire family but most important he sinned against the Lord and we must acknowledge all these things to Him.

*****Psa 51:4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

When we realize how our sin has affected the life of others we will have that increased feeling that we have sinned against God.

When we cause injury to those around us it is because we have gone against the Word of God!

***To sin is a choice we make and in doing so we have placed our own selves higher than anyone in this world and before our Savior from the glory world.

I find it truly embarrassing to face my Father in Heaven knowing I have done wrong and knowing He has witnessed me doing that wrong thing!

We must realize we have no excuse and no means of argument against the truth of God.

We must also realize that God has every right to chastise us when we have gone against His Word.

Our God is a righteous God and He gets no pleasure out of seeing our sin and He also gets no pleasure in His chastisement but that chastisement must come because of God’s righteousness.

BUT, God takes great pleasure in forgiving sin because He is faithful to the work of His Son on Calvary’s cross!

*****Psa 51:5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

There is no sin in the act of conception when it is carried out in the bond of marriage.

We are not sinners because we sin, “we sin because have a sin nature”!

This is the sin nature passed down from Adam.

Adam yielded to the assaults of temptation and all mankind since that time have to face the temptations of this world and we all fail.

This is not an excuse to sin, it is a reality of who we are!

We cannot be saved until we know are sinners in need of our Savior.

We cannot be forgiven until we realize the sinful things we do and ask for forgiveness and that forgiveness is promised.

1Jn 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1Jn 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

The reality of these things is we must desire the truth!

God’s Word Is True!

*****Psa 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

To behold is to give this matter of sin great consideration!

God not only requires us to be obedient to His Word but God also requires us to know the truth of how far we come up short of His ideals.

We must not ever forget our example in this life is Jesus Christ who was sinless!

What are God’s demands for us? God demands sanctification!

Sanctification is the process of being made holy. It is only the work of Jesus Christ on that cross that makes it possible for us to move from being in sin to being holy in the eyes of God!

God says:

Lev 20:7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.
Lev 20:8 And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.

*****Psa 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Hyssop was a small shrub that was used to sprinkle blood and water over the cleansed leper, symbolizing his purification and cleansing.

It was also the hyssop that was used to in the sprinkling of blood on the door post of the Israelites on that first Passover.

Lev 14:6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
Lev 14:7 And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.

We must realize it is only by the blood of Jesus that the stain of sin can be removed!

Who are the ones who will make it to God’s Heavenly Home?

Wash me Lord, make me clean!

Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

*****Psa 51:8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

When we are in distress because of our sin, the only thing that will bring joy is forgiveness!

The salvation by the Lord Jesus is a certain and permanent thing but when we carry sin in our heart we will lose the joy of our salvation until we repent and return to the Lord.

God’s voice of peace is the sweetest music we can hear!

When we carry the weight of sin, it will become a burden that we cannot over come.

The Lord Jesus Christ has already carried that burden of sin to the cross, we are foolish to try to carry any burden of sin during our life time.

It took the death of Jesus to pay our sin debt. Sin will break your bones as it breaks your life!

Psa 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.

We need to cast that burden upon the Lord.

*****Psa 51:9 Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

***What is the one main thing that comes between us and God in our relationship? It is sin!

Here David is saying “Lord do not look upon my sin”. “Do not allow my foolishness to come between us”.

Nothing but a complete pardon will ever satisfy this request!

And how loving is our God?

Mic 7:18 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
Mic 7:19 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

We should all pray, please God don’t just blot out my transgression of today but blot out all my iniquities, the sin I know I have done all my life.

And how loving is our God?

Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

For only then can we be “Born Again”!

*****Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Jesus had these words for Nicodemus:

Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Only God can create in the sense of making something out of nothing. This is exactly what happened when God created our world!

Heb 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

When we pray the sinners prayer we are asking the Lord to create something new that is not within us.

When we come into this earth we do not have a clean heart.

When we come into this world we do not have the right spirit.

We must be “Born Again” and our spirit must be renewed!

Eph 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
Eph 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

*****Psa 51:11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Psa 51:12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

In the time of Adam, his son Cain was banished from the presence of his family.

Being “Born Again” by the blood of Jesus, we will never be banished, we will always have access to our new family and to all our own family that have gone on before us, when we all gather together in Heaven.

This is a great privilege that God has allowed us.

1Co 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Besides the supreme privilege of seeing the Lord Jesus Christ, there is great joy in salvation knowing that we will once again see our loved ones who have gone on before us!

Our salvation is eternal! If God has the power and ability to save us, then He certainly has the power and the ability to hold onto us!

Rom 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

Once “Born Again”, having been justified, we begin that time of sanctification and when the Lord calls us up to meet Him in the clouds we will all be glorified!

No one will be left behind, except those that belong to Belial!

1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

What are we to be doing today?

*****Psa 51:13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

David knew that even though he was King of Israel, he had another more important job to do also.

David was also a prophet of God.

Act 2:29 Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.
Act 2:30 Therefore “being a prophet”, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
Act 2:31 He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.

We sometimes forget that we are also sinners, saved by the “Grace” of God.

1Co 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
1Co 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
1Co 6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

It is our own salvation experience that can be used as an example and a testimony to others who are still doing what we have been saved from doing.

And God says:

Jas 5:19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;
Jas 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

Pro 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

This is the same job we all have after we are saved!

*****Psa 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

As we know from our other studies, David was guilty of the death of Uriah, a true national hero of the Jews.

David is confessing that fact.

David also knew that committing the sin of adultery was a capitol offense under Jewish law.

David knew he deserved death!

David knew that God hates these actions from any man! David had also written Psalms 6.

Psa 5:6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

To be hated of God is an awful thing and no human being can escape the law of God!

But Nathan had also given David a warning.

2Sa 12:10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

Our sin will almost always affect our families!

David was seeking to be free from the guilt and the condemnation of this sin.

***We must realize just how terrible sin is and how it can affect our lives just to realize just how wretched we are!

The Apostle Paul also realized these same things:

Rom 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Rom 7:25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

SO, What does true confession bring about?

Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

This is our greatest reason to praise the Lord!

*****Psa 51:15 O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

When we face the Lord with our sin, there can be no excuses. To sin is a choice that we make. We must confess our sin before the Lord and then we must remain quiet until we hear the judgment of the Lord.

***Our God is faithful to be obedient to His own Word!

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If God opens our mouths by removing our sense of guilt then He expects something in return!

How can we not praise Him!

*****Psa 51:16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

The praise from our mouths is far better than any sacrifice we could offer.

To praise the Lord shows our faith that we have been forgiven.

To praise the Lord shows our love for Him and glorifies Him.

If God required anything else, we would be foolish to not get it for Him for such a forgiveness.

This would then be a works doctrine and God is not about works, God is all about “Faith”!

To offer up a burnt offering, meant that some animal was taken to a priest and that priest would offer up the animal in your name.

That animal already belonged to God!

It is foolish to believe that we could offer any other sacrifice “than ourselves” that would be pleasing to the Lord!

The sacrifice that God requires are a “broken spirit” because of our sin!

Psa 34:18 The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

The broken and the contrite heart because of sin are not despised by the Lord!

They are accepted as a suitable sacrifices through the Lord Jesus Christ and will bring an everlasting salvation!

The Word of God delivered by the Holy Spirit will break the heart of a sinner and only then will God save them!

Once we have repented and are back in favor with God we can then be a blessing to others.

*****Psa 51:18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.

It was on the hill called Zion where David had determined to build the Temple that Solomon did build after the death of his father, King David.

David requested that God not allow his personal sin to interfere with the construction of the Temple.

As Christians we should pray that God not allow our sin to hinder the Church in any way.

When we fall into the snares of the devil, our own actions can become a stumbling block to those around us, especially to our own families.

Salvation is our wall between us and this evil world we live in.

And we must offer up ourselves as spiritual sacrifices!

1Pe 2:4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
1Pe 2:5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

These are the sacrifices that please God!

*****Psa 51:19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

As the saved children of God we expect for our prayers to be answered but God is only pleased with us when we bring our best.

The Lord Jesus Christ paid our sin debt. There are no more sacrifices that can be offered for our sin!

Eph 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

Just like David we must follow the proper way of confession of our sins and we must then repent.

Sometimes it is the preaching of God’s Word that will wake us up to confession of our sin.

Sometimes it is God’s Heavenly Hickory that will wake us up to confession of our sin.

Sometimes it is Holy Ghost conviction that will wake us up to confess our sin.

God will always provide a means of and a method of confession and that will lead us to repentance because this is the only reason God came to this earth to begin with!

Mat 9:12 But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.
Mat 9:13 But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Jesus did not die just so He could heal the sick.

Jesus died on that cross to save all of us that know we are sinners in need of a Savior!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

A Pursued Prey David’s Persecution

/ Bobby Mayfield / 1 Comment

A Pursued Prey David’s Persecution

Book of 1 Samuel Chapters 21-30

Last week we mentioned that Saul had ruled for nearly 30 years before these things with David had taken place. We also know that King Saul ruled for a total of 40 years:

Act 13:21  And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, [by the space of forty years].
Act 13:22  And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

History says that David began his rule in 1011 BC and that King Saul died in 1011 BC.

At the time of this lesson David will be around 20 years old and age to 30 years old.

King Saul spent the last 10 years of his life trying to make the life of David miserable, by trying to eliminate him from this earth.

Saul had tried to use his servants to kill David.

Saul had tried to use his daughters to kill David.

Saul had tried to use his son, Jonathan to kill David.

Saul had tried to use the Philistines to kill David.

Saul had thrown spears at David while David only played music to soothe him.

Saul will take matters in his own hands as the death of David has become a very personal thing to him.

Saul was in misery and Saul made David’s life miserable!

We should be able to see the hand of Satan in all these things!

Let’s begin:

*****1Sa 21:1  Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

Nob is a city of the tribe of Benjamin. This city is where King Saul had had the Tabernacle moved, though the Ark of the Covenant was never returned to the Tabernacle during the time of Saul.

This Nob was near and probably within sight of Jerusalem according to Isaiah:

Isa 10:32  As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

Nob was also about 2 miles from the home town of King Saul which was Gibeah and where the Ark was kept.

Ahimelech, sometimes called Ahiah, was the great grandson of Eli who would have been in his 60’s by this time.

Why was Ahimelech afraid?

David had been in the King’s court for 10 years, we could ask ourselves how would we feel if someone in the counsel of our president, a non-believer, just happened to drop by our church without notice.

So he ask, Why are you alone?

After his meeting with Jonathan, David knew he could not return to the palace of Saul. He had to flee for his life. He was not in his usual attire nor in his armor and he would not normally be traveling the country side alone as he was a target of all the enemies of Israel.

*****1Sa 21:2  And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.

David lies to the High Priests.

David did not know who he could trust at this time but he did know he could trust the Lord, "But" David began scheming instead of trusting.

If we would just trust God with every portion of our lives, we would find no need to lie about our
circumstances!

Ahimelech had no reason to doubt these things of David and he did not.

"You may try to lie to save your life but you can never lie and save your soul"!

The prophet Jonah cried out to the Lord while in the belly of that whale and he used these words:

Jon 2:8  They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

Jonah knew the mistakes he had made by not obeying God and he truly needed mercy just as David needed at this time!

David was actually joined later in the cave of Adullam with some men that stayed with him so this part could be true.

Like Jonah, David later regrets having lied to the High Priest:

1Sa 22:22  And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father’s house.

It would be a good time to point out that as these things develop we will see this Doeg as a "type" of the Antichrist.

We know that the spirit of the Antichrist has lived in all generations:

1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; [and even now already is it in the world].

*****1Sa 21:3  Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.

This question simply means what food do you have? David requested 5 loaves of bread but then said whatever you have will be enough.

*****1Sa 21:4  And the priest answered David, and said, There is no "common bread" under mine hand, but there is "hallowed bread"; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

David had presumably made arrangements for some of his own followers to meet him after he had escaped from King Saul, so he was not alone.

We can understand that anyone with David would also be considered an enemy of Saul and would have also left all their own possessions behind.

David had made a hasty escape.

What is hallowed bread?

God had given this command to Moses that concerned the Tabernacle:

Lev 24:5  And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.
Lev 24:6  And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD.
Lev 24:7  And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Lev 24:8  Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.
Lev 24:9  And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute.

The only time this "hallowed bread" could be considered "common bread" would have been after it was replaced each Sabbath.

This bread was to be eaten by the Priest of the Tabernacle.

Jesus explains this when He was asked about it by the Pharisees:

Mat 12:3  But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Mat 12:4  How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

By the laws given to Moses it was unlawful for the common man to eat of this bread!

"But by God’s law of love", when the house of God which teaches eternal life cannot be used to sustain physical life then that would be the greater sin!

AND, Jesus adds:

Mat 12:8  For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

It was to be clear to these young men and they needed to understood where this bread came from and it’s use.

It should also be clear to the Church!

The House of God’s single most important purpose is to reach out to the lost and we cannot do that by turning our back to them!

And the saved must keep in mind that Jesus Christ is our Lord seven days of each week not just on the days we worship!

*****1Sa 21:5  And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.

We can see that David and this group of men had been alluding Saul already for 3 days and by the hand of God this was the time that was to be set aside by men to stand before the Lord.

Exo 19:15  And he said unto the people, "Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives".

Once that bread was removed from that Table that was built for that purpose, "it then became common bread"!

That bread that was intended to "shew a type of eternal life" became a bread that "sustained physical life"!

Jesus said:

Joh 6:48  I am that bread of life.

When we studied the Tabernacle we learned these things:

1) The Table for the "shew bread" was in "type" Jesus Christ in the flesh.

2) Being completely over laid with gold reminds us of Jesus Christ continuing and everlasting "deity".

3) When Jesus Christ became man, He also became "The Living Bread of Life".

4) Being made from fine flour speaks of "the perfection" of Jesus Christ.

5) This bread "was baked" which gave it life, we cannot live on flour and the baking of the bread shows us that our everlasting life came only after Christ death on the Cross.

6) This cake of bread would have been punctured just before the baking and we know that the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ was punctured 5 times on that cross.(5 the number for "Grace")

7) That bread was hallowed bread "reserved for the priests" but everyone that is filled with God’s Holy Spirit, is truly God’s priesthood.

David was filled with the Holy Spirit and the Spirit remained with him throughout his life.

When the Holy Spirit fills each believer he then becomes a priest:

1Pe 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up "a spiritual house, an holy priesthood", to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

It would have gone against the Word of God to deny David this "hallowed bread"!

Our "Hallowed God" came to this earth to save the "Common people"!

*****1Sa 21:6  So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

David had not needed to lie!

That bread was given to David was to teach us that the preservation of life is more important than some ceremonial rules and regulations of any religion!

Our one and only job after salvation is the lead the lost to the Lord so that they can be saved!

The need for "Grace" will always replace the need for "Rituals"!

Rituals are laws or works!

God teaches us:

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  "Not of works, lest any man should boast".

There is not one part of the Old Testament that will not lead us to Jesus when we study it out!

But Satan always also has his servants in the house of God!

*****1Sa 21:7  Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.

Now let’s watch Doeg:

Doeg was a servant of Saul, and Edomite, and was Saul’s head shepherd and a fake proselyte of Judaism!

We learn a lot about this man Doeg in this verse but let’s see how David described this man in a song written about him:

Psa 52:2  Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
Psa 52:3  Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
Psa 52:4  Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.
Psa 52:5  God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
Psa 52:6  The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:
Psa 52:7  Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.

[Compare this to the description in Ezekiel 28]

*****1Sa 21:8  And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.
1Sa 21:9  And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.

We must not interpret David’s haste to be away from Saul as an urgency to about the work of the Lord for we would be wrong in doing so!

David was running to save his own life and was making many mistakes while doing that. We should say that David was sometimes in a panic himself and in great despair.

David probably knew that the sword of Goliath was at the Tabernacle and he made up another lie.

Remember David kept the laws of God!

The High Priest pointed out that David knew of this sword.

It was kept in the Tabernacle as a monument to the defeat of Goliath, giving glory to David rather than to God who had given David this victory.

We Do Not Need Idols In Our Church!

We can never place any symbol of God in our house of worship that could cause that object to be worshipped.

Our only trophy is the Holy Spirit, that lives is inside our bodily Temple and can only come to us in the name of Jesus Christ.

David would show this same stress that resulted in great sin several more times in his life.

Every Christian makes mistakes and the Holy Spirit will lead us to repentance if we are truly saved!

*****1Sa 21:10  And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
1Sa 21:11  And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
1Sa 21:12  And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

David does not make good sense at this time but he was disappointed with his nation!

David wrote the 34th Psalm later as he reflected back on this time.

One verse says this:

Psa 34:18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Israel may not have accepted David as the new king but the Philistines were very aware that David would be the king of Israel.

David later wrote a Psalm about this incident and one of those verses has these words:

Psa 56:8  Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

David realized again that only the Lord could deliver him from the hands of Saul and from all his enemies:

Psa 56:13  For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

*****1Sa 22:1  David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him.

The cave Adullam is about 13 miles west from Bethlehem. It is located on a hill about 500 feet high and there are numerous caverns there.

This was a low point in the life of David and he wrote Psalm 142 of the time he spent in this cave:

Psa 142:6  Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.

We have now seen three times that much of the music of David was written at low points in his life "but he always knew who to turn too"!

We can also see that the attitude of David’s older brothers had changed, and all his family came in support of him.

Spiritually this makes us aware that as Christians who honor the Lord Jesus Christ we must also share in His rejection and in His suffering!

Luk 9:22  Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, "let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me".

As Christians we will suffer in this world but the Lord will be with us every step of the way!

*****1Sa 22:2  And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

We should notice that these men were not lawless bandits, "they were all victims of King Saul’s oppression". Some of these first 400 became some of the 30 of David’s mighty men and this group of men became the backbone of David’s army.

David understood the battles that were coming and that he would have to defend himself but his parents were to old and they were now also targets of King Saul.

*****1Sa 22:3  And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me.

We begin to see why the Bible was arranged in the order that these 66 books are when we see scriptures as this one.

The King of Moab was also an enemy of Saul and Israel.

David was the great-grandson of Ruth the Moabitess of which Jesse was the grandson. The Moabites at this point had no grounds to be against David as the word was spreading that he was also an enemy of Saul.

In fact it would be a good time to be on good terms with the future king of Israel.

David understood that he would one day be king of Israel but he did not yet know the time that would take place.

*****1Sa 22:4  And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold.

The "hold" was probably the stronghold David used in Moab and near the border of Judah and was not the same as the cave of Adullam.

*****1Sa 22:5  And the prophet Gad said unto David, "Abide not in the hold"; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.
1Sa 22:6  When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him;)

Gad is a prophet of God that joined with David while he was on the run and must have stayed close to him his remaining days.

Gad later wrote a book that may have even been called the "Acts of David".

1Ch 29:29  Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, "and in the book of Gad the seer",
1Ch 29:30  With all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the kingdoms of the countries.

This is all we know of this book but if Ezra completed the books of Samuel, then he certainly knew these things of Gad.

Gad, along with the prophet Nathan, also assisted in arranging the music with David in God’s House and was known as the King’s Seer, referring to King David.

2Ch 29:25  And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, "and of Gad the king’s seer", and Nathan the prophet: for so was the commandment of the LORD by his prophets.

As a Seer, Gad had visions from God of what was going to happen and he advised David to return to Judah.

It would be hard for David to be a witness for the God of Israel if that God could not protect David in the land of Israel!

It was Judah that needed to know David and it was not fitting that the future king of Israel could not trust God’s ability to keep him safe in his own land!

We can see King Saul had nothing else on his mind but the destruction David and he was waiting for any knowledge of him with his spear in his hand ready to kill David himself.

Saul craved another opportunity to cast that javelin at David!

*****1Sa 22:7  Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds;
1Sa 22:8  That all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that sheweth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

As Saul got the word that David had again entered into Israel, this time with an army, he gave this challenge to his own tribe Benjamin from which he had chosen most all his national leaders.

Saul felt like all of Israel had conspired against him and he challenged his own tribe to prove their loyalty because he said, "I am still your king and David is a nobody who can do nothing for you".

This gives us another picture of how far King Saul had sunk into depression, nearing insanity.

Saul said the proof of these things is the fact than none of them had told him about his son Jonathan, who had conspired with David allowing him to escape.

Saul again shows his fear of David!

*****1Sa 22:9  Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
1Sa 22:10  And he enquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

Doeg seizes on this opportunity to be more than just the head shepherd for King Saul. and now tells him how he had witnessed David with the High Priest.

Doeg makes it seem that the High Priests had also conspired against the King by not only providing weapons and food but had also inquired of God for David which did not happen.

Keep in mind that Saul had already been informed by Samuel that the Lord had rejected him as king as we follow what takes place.

*****1Sa 22:11  Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king.
1Sa 22:12  And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord.
1Sa 22:13  And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

Saul repeats what Doeg has said about the High Priest.

We also need to keep in mind the phrase "all thy father’s house" is the house of Eli.

What did God say to Eli?

1Sa 3:12  In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.

God said there would come a time that all of Eli’s family would be destroyed and there would be no more priests come from that family line.

We can see that God did not use Saul to do this evil but that God knew that this would happen.

God could have stopped these things from happening but He had already said He would not do so.

Ahimelech was innocent of these things that Doeg said and we can see his response:

*****1Sa 22:14  Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king’s son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house?
1Sa 22:15  Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.

The High Priest, like everyone else, had witnessed David how he had been faithful to the King.

Ahimelech reminded Saul that David was indeed still his son in law.

Ahimelech knew that whatever Saul had commanded David had obeyed.

Ahimelech says I had no reason not to believe what David had said and was not involved in any conspiracy against King Saul!

Ahimelech denies inquiring of the Lord for David and this had not been necessary as both David and Saul had already been informed of God’s Will.

So, What did King Saul do?

*****1Sa 22:17  And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.
1Sa 22:18  And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.

The army of Saul knew this was wrong but Doeg murdered 85 members of the house of Eli, leaving only Abiathar left of the house of Eli.

Not only that but Saul destroyed the city of Nob!

If we see Doeg as a "type" of the "Anti-Christ" then we can see Ahimelech and those priests as a "type" of the Church.

Ahitub means "brother of goodness" but Ahimelech means "brother of the King"!

*****1Sa 22:19  And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

King Saul had failed to obey God to destroy King Agag and the Amelikites but it seems Saul had no problem with all these that were of the Tabernacle of God, God’s House!

Sounds a whole lot like the world we live in now!

David spent the next 10 years evading King Saul and certain  death!

It was a difficult and an uncertain life and the most important thing we need to realize as David eventually did himself was the fact that the Lord was with him during all this time!

David was on God’s training ground because it is God that sits on the throne in Heaven!

Jesus teaches us with these words:

Joh 14:27  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

And He adds for us to remember:

Psa 56:3  What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

David learned this and we need to learn this also!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!

A Pursued Prey David’s Persecution

/ Bobby Mayfield / 1 Comment

A Pursued Prey David’s Persecution

Book of 1 Samuel Chapters 21-30

Last week we mentioned that Saul had ruled for nearly 30 years before these things with David had taken place. We also know that King Saul ruled for a total of 40 years:

Act 13:21  And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, [by the space of forty years].
Act 13:22  And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

History says that David began his rule in 1011 BC and that King Saul died in 1011 BC.

At the time of this lesson David will be around 20 years old and age to 30 years old.

King Saul spent the last 10 years of his life trying to make the life of David miserable, by trying to eliminate him from this earth.

Saul had tried to use his servants to kill David.

Saul had tried to use his daughters to kill David.

Saul had tried to use his son, Jonathan to kill David.

Saul had tried to use the Philistines to kill David.

Saul had thrown spears at David while David only played music to soothe him.

Saul will take matters in his own hands as the death of David has become a very personal thing to him.

Saul was in misery and Saul made David’s life miserable!

We should be able to see the hand of Satan in all these things!

Let’s begin:

*****1Sa 21:1  Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

Nob is a city of the tribe of Benjamin. This city is where King Saul had had the Tabernacle moved, though the Ark of the Covenant was never returned to the Tabernacle during the time of Saul.

This Nob was near and probably within sight of Jerusalem according to Isaiah:

Isa 10:32  As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

Nob was also about 2 miles from the home town of King Saul which was Gibeah and where the Ark was kept.

Ahimelech, sometimes called Ahiah, was the great grandson of Eli who would have been in his 60’s by this time.

Why was Ahimelech afraid?

David had been in the King’s court for 10 years, we could ask ourselves how would we feel if someone in the counsel of our president, a non-believer, just happened to drop by our church without notice.

So he ask, Why are you alone?

After his meeting with Jonathan, David knew he could not return to the palace of Saul. He had to flee for his life. He was not in his usual attire nor in his armor and he would not normally be traveling the country side alone as he was a target of all the enemies of Israel.

*****1Sa 21:2  And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place.

David lies to the High Priests.

David did not know who he could trust at this time but he did know he could trust the Lord, "But" David began scheming instead of trusting.

If we would just trust God with every portion of our lives, we would find no need to lie about our
circumstances!

Ahimelech had no reason to doubt these things of David and he did not.

"You may try to lie to save your life but you can never lie and save your soul"!

The prophet Jonah cried out to the Lord while in the belly of that whale and he used these words:

Jon 2:8  They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

Jonah knew the mistakes he had made by not obeying God and he truly needed mercy just as David needed at this time!

David was actually joined later in the cave of Adullam with some men that stayed with him so this part could be true.

Like Jonah, David later regrets having lied to the High Priest:

1Sa 22:22  And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father’s house.

It would be a good time to point out that as these things develop we will see this Doeg as a "type" of the Antichrist.

We know that the spirit of the Antichrist has lived in all generations:

1Jn 4:3  And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; [and even now already is it in the world].

*****1Sa 21:3  Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.

This question simply means what food do you have? David requested 5 loaves of bread but then said whatever you have will be enough.

*****1Sa 21:4  And the priest answered David, and said, There is no "common bread" under mine hand, but there is "hallowed bread"; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.

David had presumably made arrangements for some of his own followers to meet him after he had escaped from King Saul, so he was not alone.

We can understand that anyone with David would also be considered an enemy of Saul and would have also left all their own possessions behind.

David had made a hasty escape.

What is hallowed bread?

God had given this command to Moses that concerned the Tabernacle:

Lev 24:5  And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.
Lev 24:6  And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD.
Lev 24:7  And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD.
Lev 24:8  Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.
Lev 24:9  And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute.

The only time this "hallowed bread" could be considered "common bread" would have been after it was replaced each Sabbath.

This bread was to be eaten by the Priest of the Tabernacle.

Jesus explains this when He was asked about it by the Pharisees:

Mat 12:3  But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;
Mat 12:4  How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

By the laws given to Moses it was unlawful for the common man to eat of this bread!

"But by God’s law of love", when the house of God which teaches eternal life cannot be used to sustain physical life then that would be the greater sin!

AND, Jesus adds:

Mat 12:8  For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

It was to be clear to these young men and they needed to understood where this bread came from and it’s use.

It should also be clear to the Church!

The House of God’s single most important purpose is to reach out to the lost and we cannot do that by turning our back to them!

And the saved must keep in mind that Jesus Christ is our Lord seven days of each week not just on the days we worship!

*****1Sa 21:5  And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.

We can see that David and this group of men had been alluding Saul already for 3 days and by the hand of God this was the time that was to be set aside by men to stand before the Lord.

Exo 19:15  And he said unto the people, "Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives".

Once that bread was removed from that Table that was built for that purpose, "it then became common bread"!

That bread that was intended to "shew a type of eternal life" became a bread that "sustained physical life"!

Jesus said:

Joh 6:48  I am that bread of life.

When we studied the Tabernacle we learned these things:

1) The Table for the "shew bread" was in "type" Jesus Christ in the flesh.

2) Being completely over laid with gold reminds us of Jesus Christ continuing and everlasting "deity".

3) When Jesus Christ became man, He also became "The Living Bread of Life".

4) Being made from fine flour speaks of "the perfection" of Jesus Christ.

5) This bread "was baked" which gave it life, we cannot live on flour and the baking of the bread shows us that our everlasting life came only after Christ death on the Cross.

6) This cake of bread would have been punctured just before the baking and we know that the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ was punctured 5 times on that cross.(5 the number for "Grace")

7) That bread was hallowed bread "reserved for the priests" but everyone that is filled with God’s Holy Spirit, is truly God’s priesthood.

David was filled with the Holy Spirit and the Spirit remained with him throughout his life.

When the Holy Spirit fills each believer he then becomes a priest:

1Pe 2:5  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up "a spiritual house, an holy priesthood", to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

It would have gone against the Word of God to deny David this "hallowed bread"!

Our "Hallowed God" came to this earth to save the "Common people"!

*****1Sa 21:6  So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.

David had not needed to lie!

That bread was given to David was to teach us that the preservation of life is more important than some ceremonial rules and regulations of any religion!

Our one and only job after salvation is the lead the lost to the Lord so that they can be saved!

The need for "Grace" will always replace the need for "Rituals"!

Rituals are laws or works!

God teaches us:

Eph 2:8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Eph 2:9  "Not of works, lest any man should boast".

There is not one part of the Old Testament that will not lead us to Jesus when we study it out!

But Satan always also has his servants in the house of God!

*****1Sa 21:7  Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul.

Now let’s watch Doeg:

Doeg was a servant of Saul, and Edomite, and was Saul’s head shepherd and a fake proselyte of Judaism!

We learn a lot about this man Doeg in this verse but let’s see how David described this man in a song written about him:

Psa 52:2  Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
Psa 52:3  Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
Psa 52:4  Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.
Psa 52:5  God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
Psa 52:6  The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:
Psa 52:7  Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.

[Compare this to the description in Ezekiel 28]

*****1Sa 21:8  And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.
1Sa 21:9  And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod: if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me.

We must not interpret David’s haste to be away from Saul as an urgency to about the work of the Lord for we would be wrong in doing so!

David was running to save his own life and was making many mistakes while doing that. We should say that David was sometimes in a panic himself and in great despair.

David probably knew that the sword of Goliath was at the Tabernacle and he made up another lie.

Remember David kept the laws of God!

The High Priest pointed out that David knew of this sword.

It was kept in the Tabernacle as a monument to the defeat of Goliath, giving glory to David rather than to God who had given David this victory.

We Do Not Need Idols In Our Church!

We can never place any symbol of God in our house of worship that could cause that object to be worshipped.

Our only trophy is the Holy Spirit, that lives is inside our bodily Temple and can only come to us in the name of Jesus Christ.

David would show this same stress that resulted in great sin several more times in his life.

Every Christian makes mistakes and the Holy Spirit will lead us to repentance if we are truly saved!

*****1Sa 21:10  And David arose, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish the king of Gath.
1Sa 21:11  And the servants of Achish said unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
1Sa 21:12  And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath.

David does not make good sense at this time but he was disappointed with his nation!

David wrote the 34th Psalm later as he reflected back on this time.

One verse says this:

Psa 34:18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Israel may not have accepted David as the new king but the Philistines were very aware that David would be the king of Israel.

David later wrote a Psalm about this incident and one of those verses has these words:

Psa 56:8  Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?

David realized again that only the Lord could deliver him from the hands of Saul and from all his enemies:

Psa 56:13  For thou hast delivered my soul from death: wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling, that I may walk before God in the light of the living?

*****1Sa 22:1  David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him.

The cave Adullam is about 13 miles west from Bethlehem. It is located on a hill about 500 feet high and there are numerous caverns there.

This was a low point in the life of David and he wrote Psalm 142 of the time he spent in this cave:

Psa 142:6  Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low: deliver me from my persecutors; for they are stronger than I.

We have now seen three times that much of the music of David was written at low points in his life "but he always knew who to turn too"!

We can also see that the attitude of David’s older brothers had changed, and all his family came in support of him.

Spiritually this makes us aware that as Christians who honor the Lord Jesus Christ we must also share in His rejection and in His suffering!

Luk 9:22  Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.
Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, "let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me".

As Christians we will suffer in this world but the Lord will be with us every step of the way!

*****1Sa 22:2  And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

We should notice that these men were not lawless bandits, "they were all victims of King Saul’s oppression". Some of these first 400 became some of the 30 of David’s mighty men and this group of men became the backbone of David’s army.

David understood the battles that were coming and that he would have to defend himself but his parents were to old and they were now also targets of King Saul.

*****1Sa 22:3  And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me.

We begin to see why the Bible was arranged in the order that these 66 books are when we see scriptures as this one.

The King of Moab was also an enemy of Saul and Israel.

David was the great-grandson of Ruth the Moabitess of which Jesse was the grandson. The Moabites at this point had no grounds to be against David as the word was spreading that he was also an enemy of Saul.

In fact it would be a good time to be on good terms with the future king of Israel.

David understood that he would one day be king of Israel but he did not yet know the time that would take place.

*****1Sa 22:4  And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold.

The "hold" was probably the stronghold David used in Moab and near the border of Judah and was not the same as the cave of Adullam.

*****1Sa 22:5  And the prophet Gad said unto David, "Abide not in the hold"; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.
1Sa 22:6  When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him;)

Gad is a prophet of God that joined with David while he was on the run and must have stayed close to him his remaining days.

Gad later wrote a book that may have even been called the "Acts of David".

1Ch 29:29  Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, "and in the book of Gad the seer",
1Ch 29:30  With all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the kingdoms of the countries.

This is all we know of this book but if Ezra completed the books of Samuel, then he certainly knew these things of Gad.

Gad, along with the prophet Nathan, also assisted in arranging the music with David in God’s House and was known as the King’s Seer, referring to King David.

2Ch 29:25  And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, "and of Gad the king’s seer", and Nathan the prophet: for so was the commandment of the LORD by his prophets.

As a Seer, Gad had visions from God of what was going to happen and he advised David to return to Judah.

It would be hard for David to be a witness for the God of Israel if that God could not protect David in the land of Israel!

It was Judah that needed to know David and it was not fitting that the future king of Israel could not trust God’s ability to keep him safe in his own land!

We can see King Saul had nothing else on his mind but the destruction David and he was waiting for any knowledge of him with his spear in his hand ready to kill David himself.

Saul craved another opportunity to cast that javelin at David!

*****1Sa 22:7  Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds;
1Sa 22:8  That all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that sheweth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

As Saul got the word that David had again entered into Israel, this time with an army, he gave this challenge to his own tribe Benjamin from which he had chosen most all his national leaders.

Saul felt like all of Israel had conspired against him and he challenged his own tribe to prove their loyalty because he said, "I am still your king and David is a nobody who can do nothing for you".

This gives us another picture of how far King Saul had sunk into depression, nearing insanity.

Saul said the proof of these things is the fact than none of them had told him about his son Jonathan, who had conspired with David allowing him to escape.

Saul again shows his fear of David!

*****1Sa 22:9  Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
1Sa 22:10  And he enquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

Doeg seizes on this opportunity to be more than just the head shepherd for King Saul. and now tells him how he had witnessed David with the High Priest.

Doeg makes it seem that the High Priests had also conspired against the King by not only providing weapons and food but had also inquired of God for David which did not happen.

Keep in mind that Saul had already been informed by Samuel that the Lord had rejected him as king as we follow what takes place.

*****1Sa 22:11  Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king.
1Sa 22:12  And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord.
1Sa 22:13  And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?

Saul repeats what Doeg has said about the High Priest.

We also need to keep in mind the phrase "all thy father’s house" is the house of Eli.

What did God say to Eli?

1Sa 3:12  In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end.

God said there would come a time that all of Eli’s family would be destroyed and there would be no more priests come from that family line.

We can see that God did not use Saul to do this evil but that God knew that this would happen.

God could have stopped these things from happening but He had already said He would not do so.

Ahimelech was innocent of these things that Doeg said and we can see his response:

*****1Sa 22:14  Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king’s son in law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house?
1Sa 22:15  Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.

The High Priest, like everyone else, had witnessed David how he had been faithful to the King.

Ahimelech reminded Saul that David was indeed still his son in law.

Ahimelech knew that whatever Saul had commanded David had obeyed.

Ahimelech says I had no reason not to believe what David had said and was not involved in any conspiracy against King Saul!

Ahimelech denies inquiring of the Lord for David and this had not been necessary as both David and Saul had already been informed of God’s Will.

So, What did King Saul do?

*****1Sa 22:17  And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD.
1Sa 22:18  And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.

The army of Saul knew this was wrong but Doeg murdered 85 members of the house of Eli, leaving only Abiathar left of the house of Eli.

Not only that but Saul destroyed the city of Nob!

If we see Doeg as a "type" of the "Anti-Christ" then we can see Ahimelech and those priests as a "type" of the Church.

Ahitub means "brother of goodness" but Ahimelech means "brother of the King"!

*****1Sa 22:19  And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword.

King Saul had failed to obey God to destroy King Agag and the Amelikites but it seems Saul had no problem with all these that were of the Tabernacle of God, God’s House!

Sounds a whole lot like the world we live in now!

David spent the next 10 years evading King Saul and certain  death!

It was a difficult and an uncertain life and the most important thing we need to realize as David eventually did himself was the fact that the Lord was with him during all this time!

David was on God’s training ground because it is God that sits on the throne in Heaven!

Jesus teaches us with these words:

Joh 14:27  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

And He adds for us to remember:

Psa 56:3  What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

David learned this and we need to learn this also!

Questions?

Let’s Pray!