1 Sam. 20 [The Message]

Years ago Patty and I were part of a church where God was moving. We had sacred times at the altar, worship that was heavenly, and bonds of love between the people. Whenever we see one of those former church members. we immediately resume the love and bond we once had. It was and is a real thing.

David and Jonathan had this type of Godly love bond. Naomi and Ruth had it. Elijah and Elisha had it. Jesus and His Disciples had it. The key ingredient is the Lord’s presence and plan for our lives.

Last evening, Patty and I had dinner with some good church friends. That bond is there. It would be sad to be without it. How people make it through life without Jesus is beyond me.

1 Sam.19 [The Message]

We glean so much inspiration from the writings of David, but we rarely peruse the life experiences he endured to become the man he was. We find great comfort in the encouraging truths he shares but wilt when exposed to the hardships he went through. Who yet has had President Biden put out a bounty on their head, or had a sharpened javelin thrown at them? Not me.

Yet, we can relate when we do go through hardships. We can find encouragement in his stories because we too will, with God’s help, become more pure and faithful.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. [Ps. 34:19]

1 Samuel 18 [The Message]

Pseudo-scholars in the sodomite community refer to the friendship bond between David and Jonathan as an example of the Bible supporting their perverted relationship. Yes, the Bible says that Jonathan and David were knit in their souls, and loved each other as themselves. This is not so rare. As NT Christians, we are to love one another as we love ourselves. Another point; David was so committed to God’s laws and clearly knew that scripture says, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” [Lev. 18:22] He paid dearly for his moral failure with Bathsheba, but the Bible says nothing of the sort regarding his relationship with Jonathan.

The Bible does not shy away from describing a deep, holy bond men can have that is far from sodomy. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. [Jn. 15:13]

1 Sam. 17 [The Message]

THIS is one of the most famous stories in the Bible. Every child who attends Sunday School knows it. And yet, it presents some of the critical truths necessary to succeed in spiritual warfare.

David knew he could defeat the lion and the bear, but this was a challenge that all Israel experienced. My point is this … David found out how great his God was because of Goliath. So what if he could slay a normal enemy person, but this man was nearly 10 feet tall. (The bigger they are, the harder they fall)

Is there a Goliath staring at you right now? Use David’s words to defeat it.

“You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.” [1 Sam. 17:45]

1 Sam. 16 [The Message]

God’s Spirit was upon David to play worship music. When he played, the dark mood of King Saul was pacified. It soothed his soul. Godly music has that effect. It goes beyond mere music ability.

Church musicians are called by God to live holy lives of consecration. Just grabbing good musicians from the local bar won’t work … for long. I know of a church that did that. It flopped because the pastor came out as a gay man. Holy living was not important to him.

By holy living, I don’t mean being perfect. I mean you follow the teachings of Jesus and rely upon the Holy Spirit and the grace of God to empower you to live a life pleasing to God.

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. [Gal. 5:16]

1 Sam. 15 [The Message]

King Saul was clearly instructed by Samuel to “Go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.” Saul completed most of the mission, but sadly disobeyed God by keeping some plunder and keeping Agag, the Amalekite king, alive. This act of disobedience was the final straw that precipitated Saul’s dethroning as king.

Throughout our lives we progressively learn to be obedient. in the home, parents are wise to hold children accountable to complete their assigned tasks. God is forgiving, but in Christ’s obedience to die for us, we have the ultimate example of complete obedience … “And (Christ) being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” [Phil. 2:8]

1 Sam. 13,14 [The Message]

Saul was forever taking matters into his own hands rather than allowing God to reveal His plans. Saul prematurely offered offerings, taking the position as priest before the people. He unwisely issued spiritual disciplines that produced confusing results such as calling a fast before a day’s fighting had concluded. Jonathan, his son, unwittingly ate some honey before the fast was over. Saul said whomever ate too soon was to die. FOOLISH! The troops forbid the death of Jonathan.

We presume when we take matters into our own hands before consulting God’s Word and praying. God ALWAYS has a solution to any problem. We just need to seek His face and wait for His answer.

1 Sam. 12 [The Message]

This is a big conditional “IF.” When kings, presidents, leaders follow God, things will go much better. For one thing, Christians will have a lot more confidence in the leader. It gets tough when a leader does not follow the Lord and His Ways.

What to do? Pray! As long as you’re not required to do something that is totally against your conscience or your moral values, do your best to comply with their rules. If you submit to them as unto God, God’s GIANT HAMMER enters the picture. He will lower the boom on the leader and all who are his operatives. In time, God’s retribution or recompense will be apparent. Saul messed up. God sent Samuel to him to announce, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you.” [1 Sam. 15:28]

1 Sam. 11 [The Message]

Yes, Saul was head and shoulders above the normal Israelites, but when God’s Spirit came upon him, he became almost super-human. He rallied Israel to war with the oppressing Ammonites and routed them handily. Samson also experienced this super-human power when God infused him. David, the meek shepherd boy killed a lion and a bear when God’s Spirit came upon him. Peter rose to courageously preach to a large group in Acts 1-2.

“But the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” [Dan. 11:32b]

Now THIS is a verse to memorize and lean upon.

1 Sam. 10 [The Message]

Samuel poured anointing oil upon Saul’s head to ordain him to be king over Israel. Samuel made it clear that Saul would be a new man. He would now be able to employ God’s ability to rule rather than being limited to his own natural ability. In fact, resorting to his natural ability became one of his greatest shortcomings.

When God ordains you, He endows you with His abilities to lead. You discover answers to problems that don’t come to others. His gifts to the ordained are not to puff them up in pride, but to give effectiveness to their leadership for the good of all.

When I was leading Trinity Christian School, I experienced God’s sovereign hand many times when I needed answers. I would simply put both hands in the air in worship and declare, ” can do ALL THINGS through Christ Who strengthens me.” He was my HELPER and He NEVER let me down.