2002-01-01
Good Morning Fellow Believers,
I am led to continue writing about the remarkable series of events that led up to David’s relationship with Saul’s grandson (and Jonathan’s son), Mephibosheth. This story is a demonstration of the fact that covenant promises transcend generations and when kept, bless many people in addition to the original people entering into the covenant. You’ll remember that as a beginner studying the Bible many years ago, I struggled to find a reason for the acceptance and respect in the believing community that belonged to David. That was before I spent much time reading from the Scriptures about him. By spending time in 1 SAM and in the Psalms, God revealed to me why David deserved the adulation he has received. God is allowing me to see into David inner man, what God Himself saw in him.
At this point in the story, Saul had become jealous and afraid of David, because he knew that God was no longer with him, but was with David. We pick up at 1 SAM 18: 17, “Then Saul said to David, ‘Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you as your wife on condition that you serve me as a brave and loyal solider, and fight the Lord’s battles.’ (Saul was thinking that in this way the Philistines would kill David, and he would not have to do it himself).” We must remember that back in 1 SAM 18: 10 we were told that “an evil spirit took control of Saul.” If a modern-day psychiatrist were examining Saul, it is my personal belief that he would be diagnosed with severe bi-polar depression. That opinion is based on the unpredictability of his behavior and the inconsistency of his insanity. In any event, this is the situation which presented itself to David during the long period of Saul’s persecution of him. David’s response to each contingency which with Saul presented him is something we should focus on. It reveals just how close to God David was to God and challenges us to meditate on what our own responses to such difficulties might be.
We later find out that Merab is given to another man, and the Scriptures don’t go into the reason for this. 1 SAM 18: 20-21, “Saul’s daughter Michal, however, fell in love with David, and when Saul heard of this, he was pleased. He said to himself, ‘I’ll give Michal to David; I will use her to trap him, and he will be killed by the Philistines.’” David’s humility is revealed in his attitude about becoming Saul’s son-in-law in 1 SAM 18: 23, [David speaking to Saul’s officials] “It is a great honor to become the king’s son-in-law, too great for someone poor and insignificant like me.” Saul’s response after being told what David had said is found in (25), “All the king wants from you as payment for the bride are the foreskins of a hundred dead Philiistines, as revenge on his enemies. (This was how Saul planned to have David killed by the Philistines).” The contrast in David’s and Saul’s attitudes here is a classic example of the coming together of a life led by God with one led by the adversary. If we examine our own personal experiences, we will no doubt see examples of this very same coming together of the two diametrically opposed belief systems. That, Dear Ones, is spiritual warfare-the kind that God has equipped the faithful to fight and win! As events unfold watch both David’s responses and the final outcome to better understand God’s interaction for each of us in our covenant relationship with Him.
It’s going to take more than this message to finish this story and get to the part about Mephibosheth. Believe that he hasn’t been forgotten. Bear with me, and I think God will reveal some wonderful truths for us along the way. This is a great story! 1 SAM 18: 27b-29, “So Saul had to give his daughter Michal in marriage to David. Saul realized clearly that the Lord was with David and also that his daughter Michal loved him. So he became even more afraid of David and was his enemy as long as he lived.” In reading this, I am reminded of something from Revelation. Remember how angry and driven the antichrist was from the first time he comes on the scene? I thought about that and remembered that he must have known somehow that God was going to give him only a limited amount of time (seven years or one of God’s “weeks”) to do his dirty work. I can support my assertions that God has equipped the faithful to be victorious in spiritual warfare with the fact that I know God is always in control. That’s why David will emerge the victor over Saul and why the Tribulation, that final separation of sheep and goats [MT 25: 32], will last only seven years. That’s just enough time for God to complete the task. If we understand that He has equipped us as He did David for victory, then we won’t be afraid to stand up to the work of the adversary in our own lives and our faith will endure. Just because we know David will come out ahead, don’t miss reading about this story in the next message. The lessons for us in are in details.
PRAYER: O Lord, I do not say often enough how blessed I am that you have given me messages to write and wonderful readers who remain interested in them. You and they bless my life, and I offer You thanks for that. We often feel that we are faced with battles too painful or too complicated to fight. Even David felt sad at times and asked God why his challenges were so difficult. Yet, we must remember that Your love for us is constant and that we are Your covenant partners. As such, You equip us to be victors in the spiritual warfare waged with us by the adversary and those who are led by him. You bless us in recognizing when a particular battle is over that You have used this challenge to our faith as an opportunity to further our spiritual growth. That is why You instructed Paul to tell us in RO 5: 3-4 to “boast of our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance brings God’s approval, and His approval creates hope.” You teach us another lesson in what happens to Saul, who suffers greatly for being led by the adversary. Again Paul addressed this problem in RO 6: 23, “For the wages of sin is death; but God’s free gift is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.” Without You, Dearest Abba, we are helpless and of no use. With You, the Holy Spirit Who was Your special gift to us from the time we came to faith, can led us to things we never imagined we could do. For that, the sacrifice of Your only Son on the cross, and for so much more, we humbly offer You our adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, trust, obedience, glory, honor, praise, and thanks. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, we will continue on with the story of how the covenant between David and Jonathan transcended generations and how it eventually impacted the life of Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth. [By the time discussion of him rolls around, we will finally be able to properly pronounce this man’s name! It’s like “meh-fib-o-sheth”]. There are so many lessons in this delicious part of the Scriptures that I hope you will bear with me as we work our way through them. In the meanwhile, all of this is making me feel like the Lord is wrapping us in a soft, protective blanket of His love and helping us to chase away the adversary when he tries to cut through that blanket. God loves each of you and so do Peter and I.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn