2013-03-08
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week I was led to write about how God replaced Saul with David as king of Israel, in response to Saul’s disobedience to God and foolish decisions [1 SAM 13: 11-14; 1 SAM 15: 7-9, 24-26]. God spoke through the prophet, Samuel, at the time. Saul’s most heinous disobedience came at the time of his battle with the Amalekites, sworn enemies, when he allowed their very anti-Semitic King Agag and the enemy’s best animals to live. This man, Agag, was the ancestor of the evil Haman, King Ahasuerus’ [Xerxes’] grand vizier (second in command) of Persia, whose plan it was to exterminate Queen Esther and all the Jews living there [ES 3: 1-15]. That was when God decided to withdraw kingship from Saul and to give it to “a man after His own heart,” who turned out to be the youngest son, of Jesse, David [1 SAM 13: 13-14; 1 SAM 16: 13]. David was the same lad who killed the Philistine giant, Goliath, with a sling shot and a single stone [1 SAM 17: 40-49]. At the time David is first mentioned, we find, in 1 SAM 16: 14, “The Spirit of the Lord departs Saul, and an evil spirit torments him.”
The true significance of these events is seen in DN 4: 17, a clear statement of the right of sovereignty held by God to decide whoever shall be in power at any time, even someone who is viewed as the least among men. Today, our Strong Tower will be seen as David’s Covenant-Partner, Kinsman-Redeemer, as we review the events of the struggle between David and Saul. We first see David comforting Saul with his harp-playing in 1 SAM 16: 21-23. Saul liked David well enough to ask Jesse to allow his son to remain in the king’s service. Saul had no idea his kingship would be taken from him and put in David’s hands. David was made Saul’s army commander, but when Saul was sane, he liked David a lot. The problems came with David’s victories [1 SAM 18: 5] and with the expression of Saul’s bipolar insanity. At this same time, Jonathan, Saul’s son, and David had just made their covenant of friendship (which included the Lord God [1 SAM 18: 1-4]). David’s victories were celebrated [1 SAM 18: 7-8], which engendered Saul’s jealousy. This refrain was sung, “Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands,” which galled Saul tremendously. It would signal the beginning of some very uncomfortable days for young David, who took his covenant with Jonathan, and thus, Saul’s whole family, very seriously.
Saul’s first attempt on David’s life came, in 1 SAM 18: 10-11, when David was playing his harp, and Saul tried to pin David against the wall with his sword. Frustration reared it’s ugly head when David eluded him twice. Later, Saul hoped the Philistines would kill David, but they were unable to do this, because the Lord remained with David. At this time in history [~1051-1000 BC], polygamy (marrying multiple wives) was still practiced in Israel. David’s first wife was, Michal, Saul’s daughter [1 SAM 18: 28].
Then, a series of events followed, which put Jonathan and David’s covenant of the friendship to the acid test. In 1 SAM 19: 1, Saul told Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. Jonathan, who was very fond of David. Jonathan decided to warn David of this instead. Jonathan questioned his father’s desire to put an innocent man to death, so Saul, in (6), made a vow not to kill David. God was definitely listening. That night, in (9-10), Saul broke that vow, trying once again to spear David against the wall. Once again Saul’s effort proved fruitless. David made good his escape. This was followed by Saul’s sending his men to David’s house to watch him overnight, so He could kill him in the morning. In (11-14) Michal warned David the he should run for his life that very night. She placed an idol in David’s bed with some goat hair to cover up his escape. By the time Saul’s men came to get David, Michal told them he was sick. David fled to Samuel at Ramah, and the two men went to Naioth and stayed there. Saul got word of where David was and sent men to capture him to Naioth of Ramah, but God’s Spirit descended on them and they began prophesying with the group of prophets there. The same thing happened to another group of men that Saul sent for the same purpose. Finally Saul, himself, went down to Naioth of Ramah, but he too ended up prophesying with the prophets after stripping off his robes in Samuel’s presence (18-24).
The story picks up, in 1 SAM 20: 1-3, after David flees from Naioth at Ramah and meets up with Jonathan. The conversation between these two covenant brothers culminates with Jonathan, in (4) saying, “Whatever you want me to do, I’ll do for you,” to David. David reminds Jonathan that the next day is the New Moon Festival, upon which David has been invited to the king’s table. Jonathan is instructed to tell Saul that David had to return to his home town of Bethlehem for a festival sacrifice. If the king misses him, he will be safe. If Saul loses his temper, Jonathan should understand that Saul is set on killing David. We must remember that entering into a covenant before God is a covenant unto death. So David says, in (8), “As for you, show kindness to your servant, for you have brought him into a covenant with you before the Lord. If I am guilty then kill me yourself! Why hand me over to your father?” Jonathan’s response was to say he would never kill David. When one is a covenant brother, then one’s covenant-brother’s enemies become his own enemies. In (16-17), “Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David saying, ‘May the Lord call David’s enemies to account. And Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath out of love for him, because he loved him as he loved himself.” If I am leaving you hanging in suspended animation, it’s because I must continue this amazing story next week .
PRAYER: O Lord, as believers in a covenant relationship with You, our Strong Tower, our Covenant-Partner, we take on Your enemies as ours, and each other’s enemies as our own. We know we are in a covenant unto death, meaning that this relationship is a high priority to us to nourish and respect. We understanding that breaking our covenant with You will lead us down the slippery slope to spiritual death. Yes, Father, we once again pledge our faith in Your Son, Jesus Christ, and we appreciate the great sacrifice He made for us of His physical life, so that we could be saved with our pledge of faith in Him and repentance of our sins [JN 3: 16; RO 3: 14-15]. As we work our way through the story of Saul’s disobedience to You, and the relationship between Saul’s son, Jonathan, and David, it is more than just a simple two-way promise. It involved generation after generation in the house of Saul all the way through the story of Mephibosheth, Saul’s crippled descendant to whom David always showed kindness [2 SAM 9: 1-13]. David’s respect and care toward Saul’s family would continue long after that fateful day at the battle of Gilboa when both Saul and Jonathan perished [1 SAM 31: 1-6]. Dearest Abba, we stand before You today, as Your covenant-partners, determined to place and keep You first in our lives and to be faithfully obedient to You. We say these things in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: The Holy Spirit leads me to continue telling the story of this pact between Jonathan and David, and what happens before Jonathan’s untimely death between there two men. We will pick up at 1 SAM 20: 18 next week, so that we may see how our Strong Tower –very much a Part of this covenant of friendship-allows to happen. If nothing else comes out of this story, it should be our observation of God’s sovereign power and His righteousness. Yes, there must sometime be human losses and disappointments, illness and its consequences, all of the trials we must go through for us to see the beginning, middle, and the end of what our Strong Tower will do. PS 46: 9-10, “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” Our willingness to place our burdens on His shoulders and place our trust in Him will be challenged, but placing Him in the center of our lives is the very best thing we can do. It is the easiest way for His purposes to be carried out, purposes which are always righteous, always just, and always in a believer’s best eternal interests. Placing our trust in God and loving Him over all is wisdom, pure and simple. I will end with PR 9: 10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Our God is so righteous, compassionate, and wise that He always deserves our praise, honor, glory, and thanks!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2012. All Rights Reserved.
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