1 Sam. 27-29 [The Message]

The disobedient King Saul was terrified of the Philistine army he was to face in battle. He inquired of the witch at Endor. God was not answering him. In this strange passage, he evidently had the medium call up from the grave the spirit of the prophet Samuel. Samuel was upset by the process, nevertheless spoke of Saul’s death to come the next day in battle. This totally devastated Saul. In all, this was a sad ending for the man God had exalted to be the king of Israel.

To me. this all points up to the importance of obedience to God to maintain a right relationship with Him. Our relationship with God is through Christ Jesus. When we need answers, we first clear up the sin issue by confessing to God and being forgiven. We have bold access to God’s throne through Christ.

If we confess our sins, He (Christ) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. [1 Jn. 1:9]

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

1 Sam. 26 [The Message]

Years ago (maybe 50) Patty and I were attending a Bill Gothard conference in Detroit with our pastor and some folks from the church. The pastor pulled up and parked in a no-parking zone and made the remark, “The Lord saved this space just for us.” To me, his comment was presumptive and I openly criticized him to a young couple who were riding with us. That critical statement did me in. I developed a terrible belly-ache and i KNEW it was because of my critical spirit. A short time later I apologized to him in front of the whole church for being critical.

In Revelation 1 the 7 stars in God’s Hand were the pastors of the 7 churches. They were IN GOD’S HAND, not ours. He adjusts them, not us. Since that little lesson I have gained a better understanding of how to respect God’s anointed.

1 Sam. 23-25 [The Message]

Abigail, the wife of foolish Nabal, discovered that her husband had greatly insulted David and his men. Nabal had been totally unreasonable toward David. Actually, David was well on is way to eliminate the man when Abigail wisely intercepted him with a gesture of reconciliation and appeasement. David declared, “You have prevented me from committing a great evil which would have had a disastrous effect upon my life.”

The prompt actions of this wise woman warded off a sure calamity for Nabal. As it turned out, he died shortly of a heart attack .. in essence, God gave him his due.

Wise women have saved MANY a man from reaping the consequences of his stubborn and self-serving ways. Wise women also teach their children to avoid paths of destruction. They are LIFE PRESERVERS.

1 Sam. 22 [The Message]

Saul had become a corrupt king. He, in his own political interest, labeled David a traitor and enemy of the kingdom. These accusations were not true. Saul, in his jealousy of David, had the innocent priests who had offered David assistance, all murdered. In his delusion, Saul manipulated facts to serve his own interests.

Sadly, politicians can alter facts and speak untrue accusatory remarks that cast a negative light upon their rivals. God can put up with this hypocrisy only so long. At some point down the road, David avenged the death of the innocent priests. (Revenge is not ours to take. We must defer to God’s own methods rather than draw conclusions upon only what we see and hear)

God’s reckoning process may be slow, but it’s just and accurate. Meanwhile, we pray for our leaders with respectful deference to God.

1 Sam. 21 [The Message]

While David was fleeing from Saul, running for his life, he found himself in Gath where Goliath was from. The servants of the King of Gath recognized him – David, the mighty warrior. Found out and fearing for his life again, David acted like he was insane. It worked. He got out of there asap!

Although the association here is a stretch, it does make room for play acting to achieve a Godly purpose. The Apostle Paul alluded to being flexible in his approach to issues when he said, “To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” [1 Cor. 9:19-23]

Many times, I have seen Christian drama open the hearts of people to get God’s message. Use it. We can be creative!

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]