1 Samuel 29:1-11
Achish called David, and said to him, " You have been honest and upright ... in my sight, for I have found no wrong in you since the day you came to me up to today; however, the Philistine princes don't want you around" (v.29:6).
By wiping out the entire population in the Philistine towns he had attacked, David had successfully hidden his subterfuge from Achish. Nevertheless, while it is possible to hide some of our wrongdoing from some people, at least for some time, no one can hide their smallest action from an all-seeing God. It is far better to see God as a partner in life and to invite Him to help us live holy lives.
1 Samuel 30:1-31
David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and his two wives. Nothing was lost: wives, children, servants, goods... David recovered everything that the Amalekites had taken (vv.30:18,19). (My paraphrase).
David is given a taste of his own deeds. When he and his men returned to their home, Ziklag, they found it had been attacked, and their wives, children and property taken away. They could imagine the worst: that their families would either be sold as slaves or be killed. But David knew his God was mighty, and so he asked for guidance. On the strength of the encouraging words from God, David chased after his lost people and property. Because God was in control, all the wives, children, servants and goods were recovered. This, again, demonstrates God's mighty ability to take care of His saints! What a mighty God we serve! Hallelujah!
1 Samuel 31:1-13
The Philistines fought hard against Saul and his sons, and slew Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons. Saul and his three sons, his armour bearer and all his men, died that same day (v.31:2,6) (My paraphrase).
How different things were for Saul now that he did not have God's support! Instead of God giving them the victory, Saul and his sons were killed. But God was still looking after David and his men.
Just because one part of the Christian Church is losing the spiritual battles does not mean that the whole church was losing. But we need to continue to seek God's will and obey Him wholeheartedly, then He will give us victory.
John 11:54-57. John 12:1-19
Jesus no longer walked openly among the Jews, but went away to a city called Ephraim close by a wilderness, and remained there with his disciples (v.11:54).
There was not an ounce of fear in Jesus; He was ready to face the worst challenge any man can be called on to bear: accepting death on the cross. But God has a time and place for everything. The appointed time for Jesus to be crucified was significant in that when He was to die on the cross, simultaneously the Paschal lamb would be slain in Jewish households. The crucifixion would lose something of the impact of its message if the crucifixion were to take place earlier, or even later. But God is always in control, and Jesus was crucified when the time was right.
Just so for Believers. God is in control of our lives, and everything that must happen in our lives will happen when God wants it to happen, whether our release from a trial, or the receiving of some good thing. In order to create the greatest impact, God is never too late or too early.
Psalm 118:1-18
The LORD is my strength, my song, and my salvation (v.14). (My paraphrase).
I enjoy that alliteration: strength, song, salvation!
Strong men can rejoice in that they do not have to rely on their own strength to face the challenges of life but can lean on Jesus for support; during those times when we are struggling to sing songs of praise Jesus will sing them for us; and for those who know they are sinners unworthy of living in God's kingdom it is wonderful to know that Jesus has prepared Himself to carry our every sin away, cleanse us, and make us worthy of the salvation He bought for us on the cross at such great cost to Himself, a salvation we can have for free!
Believers can confidently say: He is mine!
Powered by Zoundry Raven
No comments:
Post a Comment