Life Of David - Lesson 15

God Is Watching Over His Chosen - 1 Samuel 28 - 29

Prayer: Lord as we open your word this morning watch over us.  Teach us your truths and lead us by the power of your Holy Spirit.  As we read this account help us to see how you worked in David's life, then help us to see your hand in our own lives as well.

Quickly Form Groups and answer the following questions:

1. a. Have you ever faced a crisis where you wondered where God was in the whole thing?  (for those who answer yes, answer b & c)

b. How did it feel?

c. Over time what did you discover about God's actions in the midst of your crisis?

2. How might you encourage a friend facing a crisis?

Setting the Scene: David has been living amongst the Philistines & King Achish thinks he has David under his control (but he doesn't).  The Philistine forces are gathering to attack Israel, David & his army have been commanded by King Achish to join the Philistine forces.  It would be an understatement to say that this was a conflict of interest for David.  There are some, such as Chuck Swindoll, who believe David's lapse of faith in going to stay in Philistine territory has led to this crisis - and this is possible; however, we'll see that David continues to be shrewd & has not turned his back on his people or his God.

1 Samuel 29 v1-5: The Philistine army is gathering from the far reaches of the Philistine territories, each Prince among the Philistines presents his troops in an orderly fashion, the last to present his troops is the King & David's crew is among them.  These Princes would be like Generals or Commanders of our day, when they see the enemy amongst their ranks they are not happy & confront King Achish.  Achish tries to convince them that David is under his control, but the Princes don't buy it.  These warriors know David's reputation, they've heard the Hebrews sing about their warrior-hero, and they don't trust David and his men among their ranks.  The Princes demand David be sent back to Ziklag.

1 Samuel 29 v6-10: Achish basically tells David "I know you can be trusted, but my men just don't trust you, so you've going to have to go back home".   David feigns injury, asks what he's done to deny him the privilege of fighting Achish's enemies.  David is keeping up his ruse, keeping Achish convinced that he's on his side.

David had gotten himself in a bind, he was expected to harm his own people, expected to harm God's people... all because he sought refuge amongst the Philistines.  I'm completely convinced he'd have never raised a sword against God's people, but would have done as the Philistine commanders suspected.  If he had defected from the Philistine forces think about the danger to the families left behind in Ziklag, they'd have likely been killed or enslaved.  Lucky for David that God was protecting him even as he was a refugee in enemy territory.

1 Samuel 29 v11 - 1 Samuel 30 v5: David & his men return to Ziklag, after a few days of traveling back they were probably looking forward to the comforts of home & family, but when they return all is not well.  While David & his men were away their town got sacked, all their people had been taken and the town was burned.  Uh-Oh, trouble had come to the families anyway despite God's protection.  I think sometimes we believe that God is protecting us only when nothing bad ever happens, that's not true, bad things still happen in the lives of God's people - the difference is God turns those things into good for His people.  David & his men are crying out with distress, they are inconsolable.

I was reading in the book "A Heart Like His" by Rebecca Manyley Pippert and she pointed out something interesting.  Both David and Saul were in distress, each at one of the lowest points in their lives, at about the same time.  We've seen how Saul responded to distress - now we'll see how David responds.

v6-8: David is such a good example here, things are about as bad as they could get because now even his own men are speaking of stoning him because their grief is so great & they feel somehow that David is responsible - after all they've been trusting in and following him, leaving their families behind defenseless.  What does David do?  He turns right to God, he chose to find strength in God, and he seeks out the priest in order to discern God's will for what to do next.  The Ephod was brought out & the Urim & Thummim put to use - the result: David's army is to pursue the Amalekites, David is told they will overtake them and recover all.

v9-10: David & his men head out after the troop that had attacked their town, they are weary from just returning from the Philistine battle lines & some of the men just aren't up to chasing down this troop & engaging in battle.  Instead of pushing them to continue David leaves them behind with the supplies (v24) at the Brook Besor.  I'm sure all of them would have preferred to continue, but going into battle when weary isn't wise; also, by leaving the supplies & the weary behind the men who continued could travel lighter & faster.  David is showing wisdom in taking a disadvantage (weary troops) and turning it into an advantage (unencumbered fighting men), and not putting his weary troops into a situation where they'd likely be harmed.

v11-15: David & his men are chasing down troops, but they have no idea who they're chasing or where those people have gone, then by God's providence they find a slave who was left behind to die.  The slave had been sick & instead of showing compassion his master deserted him, so can you imagine his surprise that this band of warriors would bother to stop and show him compassion?  When they came across the man they might not have had any idea he could give them the very information they needed, the poor guy hadn't had anything to eat or drink for 3 days & probably wasn't in any condition to give them any information.  Their compassion paid off when the man regained his strength, they recieved God's blessing in the form of a new friend and an important informant who was able to provide them with both the identity and location of their foes.  This got me wondering, how often do we miss the opportunity of receiving a blessing because we're too busy to slow down & demonstrate compassion?

v16-20: David was led right to the camp of his foes, the Amalekites must have been quite numerous to be described as "spread out over all the land".  What are his foes doing?  They are celebrating, eating & drinking & dancing, in a party-like atmosphere.  It says David attacked at Twilight, after the sun had gone down, so I wonder if David waited a little while to let them get a bit drunk & tired from all their partying.  An advantage David would have had with darkness was that he could clearly see his target, but he could not easily be seen approaching in the dark.  David & his men attack, and the battle lasts through the night and until the next evening.  David & his men are victorious, only a small group with camels were able to escape, and they recovered not only their people but all of the Amalekite plunder as well.

The Amalekites were similar to bedouin peoples & they were camel breeders.  Camels were an advantage for peoples who traveled long distances, in this case they allowed a small portion of the young Amalekite men to escape.

How many men were with David in this battle? (see v10)

How many young Amalekite men escaped on camel? (see v17)

I think this is one of those times when you see God's power & faithfulness.  Only a relative few Amalekites survived, and not one thing of David's was lost, despite the incredible odds.  I imagine that the plunder included not only the people, livestock, and possessions taken from Ziklag, but also the plunder from other towns as well as many camels (valuable for both food and transportation).  David gathers back his people and claims the plunder for them as well.

v21-25: David has some men who are being troublemakers, they don't want to share the spoils with the men who were weary and stayed with the supplies.  It's interesting that they have an attitude that they've earned the spoils, in truth the spoils were given to them by God - God led them and provided His power to help them succeed.  This is a good reminder to us, the good things we have are all gifts from God.  How tightly do you hold on to things?  How hard is it for you to share what you have with others?  David sets things straight - what God has given will be shared, and those who guarded the supplies will be given an equal share.  David was so resolved in this matter that he put an ordinance in place.

v26-31: David returns to Ziklag with an abundance of plunder, probably more than he could reasonably use and more than was reasonable to hold on to - after all they didn't expect to stay in Ziklag permanently, they were expecting to have to pick up and move on again some day.  So what does David do with the excess?  He sends gifts to the elders of Judah who've likely been suffering under Saul oppressive reign, to the elders in the regions of Israel where David and his men had been known to rove, and I'm sure this doesn't hurt David's reputation & gains him favor.

Closing Prayer:  Thank you Lord for watching over David and his men, and thank you Lord for watching over us.  Help us Lord to respond to your faithfulness and your protection in a manner that demonstrates our love for you.  Help us Lord to live out our faith by demonstrating your love and your compassion to the world.

Quickly Form Groups Again, and answer the following questions:

3. Take a few moments to stop and think of someone or some group that could use a little compassion.  What can you do to demonstrate compassion for this particular person or group?

4. What has God given to you to share with others?  What will you do to make sure you are sharing what He's given?

5. Why is it difficult to be compassionate or to share with others?

Life Of David - Lesson 14

Saul's Slip & Slide - 1 Samuel 28

Prayer: Lord I pray that as we come to study your word we would each have hearts that desire to draw closer to you, hearts that desire to live in purity because of our passionate love for you, hearts that are offered up in sacrifice to you so that you may do the work of purifying our minds & our lives.  Lord your Word warns us that there are evil forces at work in this world that desire to draw us in; help us to understand these forces in order to resist them, but not to be so curious as to be drawn into their seductive traps.

At the end of the last chapter David has been living in Philistine territory for 1 year & 4 months.  During this time David has been reporting to King Achish (Philistine) that he's been raiding Israelite territories when in reality he's been attacking & obliterating the non-Philistine enemies of Israel.  Because of these reports Achish thinks he has David under his power, and David is happy to let him think this.

1 Samuel 28 v1-2: Since Achish thinks he's got David under his power, he commands David & his men to go into battle against Israel.  Indicating that if David lives up to his reputation in the battle Achish is going to make David his personal bodyguard.  This sounds like it could undermine what God has in mind for David to do.... but God has different plans in mind, and we'll see what God does when we get to chapter 29; however, for the remainder of this chapter Saul is going to be the focus as we see how he responds to the approaching Philistine forces.

Quickly Form Groups and answer the following questions:

1. Discuss the following list of activities, for each do you think they are harmless or dangerous?  Why?

  a. Playing Cards or Board Games

  b. Reading Your Horoscope

  c. Playing with a Ouija Board

  d. Having a Tarot Card, Palm, or Tea Leaf Reading

  e. Consulting a Psychic

  f. Consulting a Medium

  g. Attempting to contact the Dead

  h. Attempting to contact or control Spirits

2. What alternatives are available to believers instead?

v4-6: The Philistines have gathered, Saul sees their forces and is terrified.  Saul cries out to God but God is silent.  Saul basically had 3 means of receiving direction from God.  God could speak directly to Saul through dreams or visions, but God was not speaking to Saul directly.  God could send a messenger, an Angel or a Prophet, to speak to Saul on His behalf but God is not sending Saul messengers.  God could direct Saul through the use of the Urim & Thummim, instruments contained in the Ephod of the High Priest, but Saul had been slaughtering Priests.  In chapter 23 we learned that the one Priest who escaped the slaughter had sought refuge with David, bringing the Ephod with him, so the Urim & Thummim weren't available to Saul.

What are the Urim & Thummim?

We're going to take a little sidetrack - I was looking into these a bit and realized I had made assumptions about what they were, and my assumptions are probably wrong.  The truth is we don't really know exactly what they are, what we do know is that they were associated with the breastplate of the High Priest, located over the heart of the Hight Priest, and that they were used to discern the will of God.

Urim: the meaning is believed to be a plural version of "ur" which means: light.

Thummim: the meaning is believed to be a plural version of "tōm" which means: perfection or completeness.

For both words Jewish tradition holds that the plural form of these words doesn't involve numerical plurality - it made me think of the unusual plural tense used in  Genesis 1:26 where God says "let Us make man in Our image" & the original language pluralities are odd - indicating multiple beings but the grammar used is that for a singular being.

Urim & Thummim: literally means lights & perfections or lights & completenesses - whatever types of objects they are we can think of them as revealing God's will (or God's perfect light) into the affairs of man.

Some things they could be, and are believed they could be: 

• Something like lots or dice - this is what I had assumed and from what I've read is probably wrong.
• One dice-like object with Three outcomes: Positive/Yes, Negative/No, Neutral
• Three stones, pulled out of a bag (or other sort of thing), each with a word indicating: Positive, Negative, Neutral.
• Stone(s) in the breastplate itself (or on the shoulders of the ephod) which changed color and/or glowed to indicate Positive, Negative, Neutral or to indicate impending Victory or Defeat.
• Stone engraved with the name of God on which the priest meditated in order to become capable of prophesying or hearing the voice of God.

That was the long answer, the short answer is that we don't know what the Urim & Thummim are.  Apparently what they were was well known to Moses and the Israelites of old, with no need for explanation, but that information is lost to us now.

Back to our narrative.  Saul has repeatedly refused to submit to God's will, repeatedly refused to listen to God's prophets & priests, repeatedly refused to repent, and repeatedly sought to kill God's chosen man David.  If Saul had listened to God previously, bowed to God's will, Saul likely would have heard from God. (Isaiah 59:1-2) Saul had chosen not to listen to God, now it appears God has chosen not to listen to Saul.  Saul's compromises started out small & grew, that is how sin works, it snowballs.  Eventually he got to the point where he was completely unwilling to accept defeat, acknowledge his sinfulness, and submit to God.  What small seemingly harmless compromises are you making in your life (Media, People, Places, Objects, Substances)? Are you exposing yourself to things that could potentially draw you in to sinful behavior?  Even worse are you exposing yourself to things that have been stumbling blocks for you in the past? 

God uses His silence for a purpose, sometimes He simply wants us to wait, other times He is attempting to get us to repent and get our lives back on track with His will.  God wants us to submit our hearts, our minds, and our wills to His in intimate relationship - sometimes it's His "No" answers and His silence that spur us to that greater intimacy.  Is God saying "No" to you? Is God being silent? What will you do in response to God?

Deuteronomy 18:10-12; Exodus 22:18; 1 Samuel 28 v3 & 7-10: At some point in the past Saul had obeyed God's laws by expelling the mediums and spiritists from the land, perhaps by having them executed; however, because he's not hearing from God he is now in desperation seeking out a medium.  Saul knows he shouldn't be doing this, that's probably why he's disguising himself and sneaking around, though he may be disguising himself since he's considered an enemy of mediums.  The medium is also being careful, she knows she could be killed because of her actions, and this is a stranger.

God had forbidden any divination, sorcery, witchcraft, or the like.  God did this because these are occult practices, they rely on demonic forces for insight or power.  God specifically called the people of Israel to be pure, set aside for Him, and as part of that they were never to be contaminated by these occult practices.  That list we looked at earlier is seen by some as completely harmless - but as Christians we've also been asked to be Sanctified, set aside for God's purposes.  Of the things on the list only the 1st item is harmless, and there are exceptions there as well (gambling for addicts & games that aren't innocent).

v11-14:  Ok, something interesting is happening here because this medium cries out at the top of her voice. This is a woman familiar with the dark arts, probably speaks to spirits on a regular basis, so there's something about this that has her very upset.  Perhaps she recognizes Samuel, perhaps the manner in which Samuel appears is quite unique from what normally occurs, we don't know, but we do know it startles the woman and she immediately realizes that Saul is the one who sought her out.  Saul also knows, by the description, that this is Samuel who has come.  We don't know why or how this happened, but we know that God allowed this to happen, God is finally going to answer Saul through Samuel.

A Warning: demons are deceiving and very powerful, much more powerful than we are if we're acting in our flesh.  It's possible that mediums really can contact people who have died, it's also possible that the mediums are encountering demons masquerading as people who have died, we don't know.  What we do know is that God forbids this outright, and no matter how bad we might miss a loved one (my Daddy) we are never to seek to contact the dead.

v15-19: Saul tries to justify his rebellion, crying to Samuel about how God isn't speaking to him anymore. What excuses do you make when you rebel against God's ways?  Samuel has nothing but bad news for this rebellious king, God has had quite enough of Saul and his antics.  Samuel in essence says "I told you so", that God is doing what He said He'd do, that the kingdom is getting taken away and given to David, and that very soon Saul will be joining Samuel among the dead.

v20-25: Saul collapses, he has to be convinced to eat something to regain his strength - after all he's got the Philistine army to face.  I wonder what the medium thought as she witnessed all this, I wonder if it caused her to change her ways, I'd like to think that it got her attention & caused her to repent.  If it did it's not recorded in scripture, so I think its unlikely.  That should be a lesson for us, some people will refuse God no matter how much He reaches out to them, that doesn't mean we stop trying to reach people for God, but it does mean that it's not our fault if they reject Him.  Look at all the exposure Saul had to God, yet Saul rejected God.

Closing Prayer:  Lord there are many mysterious things in this passage, things that need careful study but even more careful discernment.  Please help us to study enough to understand the mysteries of your ways and the forces of evil impacting this world, at the same time keep us from getting tempted to put faith in objects or to seek out insight through the ways of demons.  Finally Lord, keep us from taking the little steps of compromise that lead to our downfall, guard our hearts / minds / and wills and keep them focused on You.  Amen!

Quickly Form Groups Again, and answer the following questions:

3. Think of a time when God was silent in your life or God said "No" in response to your prayers, share it with your group.  What did you learn from this time in your life? What do you think God was trying to accomplish?

4. If you have a friend who is struggling with God's silence how might you be able to encourage them?

5. Is there an area of your life where you've taken a step of compromise?  Share it with the group (use generalities if concerned about privacy) and have them pray for you.

Life Of David - Lesson 13

Dealings with Frenemies - 1 Samuel 26 & 27

Prayer: Help us Lord as we deal with those who oppose us, especially when they oppose us because of our Faith.  Help us Lord to build bridges & be peacemakers with those who oppose us, as much as it depends on us.  Help us to be both shrewd and tender, both discerning and loving.  Help us to stand firm in our faith, and help us never to cease striving to find ways to relate to and reach out to the unsaved.

What opposition are you facing today?  Who is picking on you?  I think most of us today would be feeling picked on about any political stance we've taken, whatever side we've taken, since we're right in the middle of contentious political times.  Is your political view being stepped on?  Some of us may be feeling pressures at work or school, or perhaps you're having problems with a neighbor.  What about your friends & family?  As you strive to live your life for Christ do they give you a bad time about it?

At this point in his life David faced opposition from multiple sources.  He faced opposition from within Israel in the form of Saul & Saul's forces & those who wanted to win Saul's favor, and he faced opposition from outside Israel from other countries.  You could conclude David wasn't safe anywhere, or was he?  In truth, David was safe everywhere as long as he continued to trust and follow God.  In these passages we're going to see how David deals with "Frenemies", those who he treats like friends but who are in truth his enemies.

1 Samuel 26 v1-4:  If you remember from our previous studies David and his extensive entourage liked to hide out in remote areas, one of which was the Desert of Ziph.  The Ziphites for some reason, perhaps to gain favor with Saul, went and ratted out David's location.  Saul heads out with 3000 of his troops to search once again for David, Saul just can't let David go, he's intent on hunting David down and killing him.  David catches wind of it and sends out scouts to check on things.

This Psalm is noted as having being written when David was ratted out by the Ziphites.

Psalm 54: David doesn't just scout things out, he also cries out to God.  David knows that God is his real protection against his enemies.  

When it comes to dealing with opposition we must remember that God expects us to act; however, He expects us to act according to His direction & His ways and to cover any & all actions with prayer.  If we attempt things on our own strength without relying on God we're likely to fail miserably, or at the least have some unpleasant consequences.

1 Samuel 26 v5-8: David takes a couple men with him to scout out Saul's camp at night.  When he gets close he asks one to volunteer to go into the camp with him, presumably the other would stay outside the camp in order to escape for help if something went wrong.  Abishai volunteers to go, Abishai is David's nephew (Zeruiah is David's older sister) & brother to Joab who served for a long time as commander of David's army.  They are able to sneak right up to Saul undetected, and Abishai wants to strike.

v9-13: David won't let Abishai harm Saul, he reminds Abishai that Saul was anointed by God, and Saul's fate is to be left in God's hands.  Instead David & Abishai take Saul's spear and water jug - two vital pieces of equipment for this warrior king.  Then they get out of camp to a safe distance.  It's interesting that verse 12 adds the insight that God had put Saul & his troops into a deep sleep that allowed David to sneak in and back out again.

v14-16: Once at a safe distance David calls out to Saul's companion Abner - Abner was Saul's cousin & presumably was acting as his bodyguard.  David in essence accuses Abner of failing in his duty to protect the king, he points to the evidence of the king's missing spear & water jug.  David is not only getting their attention, he is proving that he's not out to kill the king - since he has the spear & jug he obviously had opportunity but resisted.

v17-20: Saul calls out to David calling him "my son", a term of endearment, but David isn't fooled.  David very respectfully questions Saul, he asks if there is some reason God has sent Saul out after him.  If God has sent Saul then David is willing to repent & make a sacrifice in order to set things right; however, David makes it clear that if it was simply Saul's idea to pursue him then Saul will have to answer to God for his actions. 

v21-25: Saul is convicted by David's questions, and admits his wrongdoing.  Saul asks David to come back to him, but David knows he can't trust Saul so he arranges to have Saul's things returned & parts ways with Saul once again.  

This is the second time that David had the chance to take Saul's life but spared it, David is exercising great restraint where his enemy Saul is concerned, and it is obvious he's leaning on God for the strength to resist taking advantage of Saul.

David faced opposition from Saul and sought out God for strength, protection, and direction.  Think about opposition you may be facing, how are you dealing with it?  What resources are available for you to deal with it in a Godly manner?

Resources you have:

Prayer - your own, the prayers of others

Bible - the wisdom and guidance of the Scriptures

Fellowship - the care and counsel of other believers

Holy Spirit - God living in you to direct your words and actions

1 Samuel 27 v1-4: What's different about David's approach to his situation this time?

He "thought to himself" (v1)

David seems to have a lapse of faith, and depends more on his own reasoning & not on the guidance of God.  I like it when the Bible points out the flaws in its characters, it's one of the qualities that reinforces the authenticity of the Scripture, if it were a mere story the "hero" likely wouldn't be so flawed.  Anyway, David & his men & their families go to Gath, a royal city ruled by the Philistine king Achish.  David's thinking had in part been right, Saul had no desire to go against the Philistines in order to hunt down David.

v5-7: David, and probably his men as well, really didn't want to be under the constant scrutiny of Achish & his men, so he wisely convinced Achish to send them to occupy Ziklag - a small town further to the south.  David is being shrewd in this case, he speaks as a humble servant unworthy of living in the royal city, but what he really wants is a bit more freedom - freedom from the scrutiny of the Philistines, as well as freedom to launch his own campaigns.  David & his entourage lived in this area for a year & four months.

1 Chronicles 12 v1-7:  As David is living in Ziklag more people are coming to join him from Israel, his numbers continue to grow.  Life in Israel under an unreasonable (demonically tormented) king was likely getting increasingly worse.  Things are so bad that even some of Saul's kinsmen are among those listed as defecting to join David.  

1 Samuel 27 v8-12:  David is launching campaigns against some of the enemies of Israel, enemies that were supposed to be routed from the promised land when Joshua & company brought the people into the land.  David is careful not to leave any witnesses, but takes the plunder.  David uses the plunder to win favor with Achish, claiming that the plunder has been taken from Israel.  Achish actually thinks he has control of David, and that David has become subservient to him.

Final thoughts: God knew who He was picking when He picked David... despite David's failings David usually acted wisely.  David was good with people, he was able to gain their trust or convince them of what he wanted them to believe.  He was a strong leader of men, and a good political/military strategist.  I'm not going to stand here and say he did everything right, I know in fact that he didn't, but he was God's choice and he was God's servant, he had the traits God needed to get His work accomplished.  There will be consequences for David's lapse of faith, but he's still the man whose heart belongs to God.

In Matthew 10:16 Jesus tells his disciples "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.  Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."  The verses that follow go on to talk about the types of oppression that the disciples would face as they were sent out into the world to do His will.  As Jesus current crop of disciples in this world we should expect the same treatment, we will be opposed and oppressed and we need to be ready.  In what circumstances do you need to practice being shrewd yet tender, being discerning yet loving?  Think of the different groups of people you interact with work/school/gym/home, with which group do you need to standing firm in your faith and at the same time reach out to rescue the unsaved?

Closing Prayer: Lord train us to come to you first, to lean on you for strength, to be your humble servants.  When we instead lean on our own thinking or our own strength pull us back, keep us from harming ourselves and from harming others because we've failed to seek you first.  Lead us Lord, help us to listen and to follow, help us to be both "as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves".

Life Of David - Lesson 12

David & Abigail - 1 Samuel 25

Prayer: Lord I thank you for this interesting passage we get to look at today, and I thank you for the way your Holy Spirit worked through the author of this passage.  I thank you that your Word is so compelling, so intriguing, so worthy of continuous study. 

1 Samuel 25 v1: Samuel was still seen as a prominent figure in Israel, and his death brought about a time of national mourning.  Samuel had apparently been able to live out his later years peacefully, at home in Ramah.  With the death of Samuel the era of the Judges is completely finished, the book is closed, the transition to a monarchy is unquestionably complete.  During this time, or shortly afterward, David and his entourage move from En Gedi to the wilderness region of Paran (Maon).

At this point we come to my favorite passage on the life of David, the story of David & Abigail.  Abigail is one of my favorite Bible characters, she's an amazing woman (the likes of Proverbs 31), and she has an amazing impact.

1 Samuel 25 v2-3:  Here we meet a very miss-matched couple, Nabal & Abigail.  Nabal is very wealthy & powerful, harsh, evil, God-less, and a complete fool.  Abigail is intelligent, thoughtful, beautiful, and God-fearing.  Her marriage was probably arranged, seeing their personalities I can't imagine Abigail would have chosen Nabal (though we don't really know), and probably her parents thought they were taking good care of their little girl by marrying her off to a rich husband... but riches don't solve problems, in fact they tend to create problems - especially if in the wrong hands.

Nabal's name means "fool", in the Scriptures a fool was a person who was morally deficient, who said "there is no God" (Psalm 14:1 & 53:1)  and lived his life as if there were no God.  If this is his real given name that tells us a bit about his parents, who may have been atheists and named him this as a means of expressing their point of view (but that's just an educated guess).  There are some who think this wasn't his given name, but more what people called him behind his back, though scripture doesn't indicate this - it says Nabal was his name.  Whatever the circumstance behind his name, his name suits him in many ways... not only was he foolish, he was living as if there were no God. 

Nabal is a descendant of Caleb, the name Caleb means "dog" and the author is likely throwing that information in as another way of demeaning Nabal since calling someone a "dog" was an insult.  Soon Nabal is going to be a "dead dog", which like "apple of your eye" and other expressions that are commonplace today, is an ancient term that comes from the Bible (I thought you might find that interesting).

v4-8: Its sheep-shearing time!!  To you and I that doesn't mean much, but in those days this was when you made your money (from wool) and it was considered a festive occasion.  

Though Saul was still king and had extensive forces at his command, he didn't use his forces to protect against local difficulties (perhaps that just was too daunting a task).  David on the other hand is looking out for the shepherds and flocks while he and his men are in the area - this is pretty amazing, this band of misfits is being honorable, they are not taking what they want from those who are vulnerable, but instead protecting them.  I'm sure they were hungry at times, it must have been tempting to pilfer a sheep, but they didn't.  David and his men protected the shepherds and the sheep both from wild animals and from wandering tribes that would come in and steal livestock or pillage small villages, in essence providing a protective wall about them - this is a beautiful picture of how God protects His shepherds & His sheep.

David & his men were dependent on the generosity of local farmers to provide for their needs; there just wouldn't be enough wild game in the area to feed so many mouths.  David's sending of the young men was a conventional method of asking for a gift, in the customs of that day the owner of the animals would set aside a portion for those who protected the shepherds in the fields (David as a former shepherd would be well aware of this custom).  It was kind of like a waiter expecting a tip in our culture, how much of a tip is dependent on the generosity of the tipper, but a tip is still expected.

v9-11:  David's men arrived, gave Nabal David's greeting, and waited. Nabal was a selfish & stingy man, he was going to have nothing to do with providing a gift, and instead of demonstrating appreciation for all that was done he hurled insults regarding David.  His words imply that David is a nobody & a vagrant who has run away from his master, an outlaw - this would have been a monumental insult in that day.  David had served Nabal honorably, but Nabal is repaying David's service with dishonor.

v12-13:  David's response to being dishonored, to having his name slandered, was typical in his day.  This was the sort of thing that started wars in ancient cultures, but this still doesn't excuse David's hasty angry response - David is not stopping to seek God, David is taking matters into his own hands.  I love the way scripture deals with this, it shows us David is normal & struggled with sin & failed at times - just like we do.  David didn't just go himself, he took 400 of his armed men with him... and he left quickly, not bothering to move his entire entourage but rather leaving 200 men behind to guard their supplies.  David is enraged & on his way to teach Nabal a lesson... 

In scripture we see that God doesn't take lightly the insulting of one's name, here are two examples:

Exodus 21:17 - children toward parents

2 Kings 2:23-24 - youths toward God's prophet

v14-17:  In the mean time Abigail is informed by one of the servants what Nabal has done.  The servant knows Abigail is reasonable and approachable, and that Nabal is completely unreasonable & unapproachable.  A disaster is looming if no action is taken - after all David and his men are a sizable group of warriors - so even if they didn't have direct news telling them David was coming in retaliation they would by rights have expected this response, especially in light of the insults spewed against David.

v18-20:  Abigail takes action immediately, she prepares a feast worthy of a small army, and sends it out ahead of herself.  I'm impressed with Abigail, this would have been a huge amount of food to prepare & she seems to pull it together at a moments notice.  I'm also impressed with what she sends: bread, wine, meat, roasted grain (a cereal of sorts), raisin cakes & fig cakes (sweets).  She sends a variety of foods, the sort that would allow the recipients to enjoy a nice meal (not just sustenance).  But that's not all, she's also going to go along to present this gift.

I'm also impressed at Abigail's wisdom, she doesn't even bother to try to reason with her unreasonable husband, and she doesn't bother to inform him (she probably knew he wouldn't even notice she was missing).  Abigail knows what the right action is to take and she sets things in motion.   Abigail isn't acting against her husband, she is acting in his favor - in reality sparing his life; wisely, she is acting without his knowledge.

Abigail rides into a mountain ravine, right toward an angry mob of fighting men...

v21-22:  As Abigail is riding toward them David is expressing his anger quite openly, and his anger is gaining steam, not only is he planning on taking out Nabal but also all of the males of his household.  His desire was to send Nabal & his household into complete ruin.

v23-25:  I can't help but think that on the way to meet David Abigail must have been fervently praying for the Lord to give her words and actions that would sooth David's anger.  When she finally is face to face with David she humbles herself & bows before him, she takes blame for not sending a gift.  Abigail doesn't try to hide her husband's faults, she is honest about them, but she willingly takes responsibility for the fault of not providing David & his men with provisions.

v26-31:  David allows Abigail to speak at length, and again I believe that God was speaking through her.  Normally women would not have addressed men - and she was addressing a leader of men, so this is an interesting encounter.  She speaks of David's honor & reputation, asking him not to harm his good name with bloodshed.  She speaks of David's dynasty & of his security, how they are wrapped up with God.  She encourages David not to do something that he will later regret.

Abigail acts as a type of the Lord, convicting David and turning away David's wrath.  Abigail's words about David's dynasty sound prophetic, seeming to indicate that she had some knowledge from God about the importance of David's throne (its messianic nature).  I think its interesting that she, as woman of position, doesn't take that position for granted but instead humbles herself and calls herself David's maidservant, by taking this humble posture she not only acknowledges David as God's chosen leader but protects his dignity.  Abigail gives David, and us as well, the reminder that we should evaluate our situation & our choices from God's perspective & with eternity in mind - this world will cause us trouble, but this world is not our home!

v32-35: This beautiful intelligent & Godly woman has got David's attention... her gifts and her words have turned aside David's wrath.  David doesn't make excuses, he openly admits that he had been on a wrong path, his ready confession shows why he is a man after God's heart - not perfect, but teachable.  I think its interesting that David's pride is what got him into trouble, but his pride has now receded and he has gone from being out of his mind with anger to being calm & reasonable.  We all fail, sometimes its the little things that trip us up, we need to emulate David: when faced with our failure we should quickly repent & get back on the path God has set for us.  David is more than just calm & reasonable, he tells Abigail to "go home in peace", only someone of great character can so quickly accept their failure, repent, and make peace with their enemy.  David is demonstrating meekness, a character attribute of Christ: strength that is harnessed and under control.

v36-38: Nabal is acting like he's a king, in this we see parallels to (or a caricature of) Saul.  Scripture doesn't mince words, he was drunk... and Abigail is wise not to speak to him in this state.  Can you imagine the night she had, a drunk husband on her hands & knowing she was going to have to confess her actions to him once he sobered up... its possible she slept well, as honesty doesn't seem to be a problem for her, but seeing his reputation as a mean & evil man she may have been in for some terrible treatment.  Morning comes, she breaks the news, and Nabal has a literal physical reaction to the news - we can assume from the description that its a stroke, but we really don't know; whatever the medical cause the scriptures teach us that the Lord allowed him to remain like that for 10 days and then took his life.  Seeing Abigail's character, how she protected his life by her actions, I'm guessing she cared for him as best she was able during his last days - honoring her husband until his end.

v39-40: David gets the news, God has upheld David's cause and punished Nabal for his wrongdoing.  David wastes no time, he sends for Abigail and asks her to be his wife - yikes!!  David must have realized what an amazing woman Abigail was: her faith, her wisdom, her humility, her strength... and wanted her by his side.

v41-44: Abigail also doesn't waste any time, she quickly goes to meet him and become his wife.  Abigail becomes a wife of the future king, and she is a wife worthy of a king; a wise, humble, God-fearing wife.  I wish I could say this is a "happy ending", but in a way its a bit sad... Abigail was probably making the best of her situation, and it wasn't a foolish choice, but it is rather sad.  

As a widow Abigail likely wouldn't have taken over her husband's business, that's just not how that culture worked, instead the business likely would have come under the control of a close male relative of Nabal.   If she & Nabal had grown sons they would have taken over the business, but it sounds like she was childless at this point.  Widows in Israel were at the mercy of friends and family, and if Nabal was any indication of what his family was like she'd have had a tough time.

We also learn that Abigail is wife #3 - Michal was wife #1 (and still technically his wife even though given by Saul to another), Ahinoam os Jezreel is wife #2, and more are yet to come.  As a woman I can tell you I would not be happy sharing my husband with anyone else, he is precious to me and I am very selfish when it comes to his affections, this must have been hard - though perhaps not as hard as dealing with a mean-spirited & evil man like Nabal.  

As far as David is concerned in this we need to remember that having multiple wives was never part of God's plan, even for kings (Deuteronomy 17:14-17), though at this point in the time of David's history he may not have been aware of these regulations.  As we will see David will be led astray... but that will be covered in another lesson.

Final thoughts:

Nabal's life is a shadow of another, several commentators point out that Nabal is a type of Saul.  Nabal, like Saul, has a bad attitude toward David who had guarded his men and his flocks - we can't help but see David as also guarding God's men & God's flocks (the nation of Israel).  Saul is also a fool, and Saul will also soon be meeting his end.

David's angry flare toward Nabal, his response to the insult and injury directed at him, show us that David's dealings with Saul were dealings of tremendous restraint & self-control.  David certainly had the temper, the skill, and the opportunity to remove Saul forcibly, but held back.  Its interesting that this passage dealing with David's vengeful behavior toward Nabal is sandwiched between the two chapters (24 & 26) in which David refrains from taking Saul's life when Saul was at his mercy.

Closing Prayer: I thank you for the honesty of your Word, which openly shows the failings of one of your "good guys".  As we reflect on passages like these help us to realize that our failings don't hold us back from being useful in your will, as long as we keep our hearts  open and soft toward you.

Life Of David - Lesson 11

David's actions & Saul's reactions - 1 Samuel 21-24

Prayer: Lord as we open your Word prepare our hearts, help us to learn and grow in our own faith walk as we observe the faith walk of your servant David.

David has just confirmed with Jonathan that he's no longer going to be able to serve Saul, he's now on his own, and Saul is out to destroy him.  David & Jonathan will remain committed friends, sharing an oath together before God, but will rarely encounter each other again.  Jonathan will continue to obediently serve his father King Saul, who continues to rule Israel.

David is in exile, he's going to have to depend on the kindness of others, and on his own wits, in order to survive.  That said David is God's man, God is on his side.  We will see as we continue to look at the lives of David and Saul a great divide between the two, the one is seeking God's approval & the things of God, the other is seeking man's approval and the things of man.

1 Samuel 21 v1-9: David goes to the priest Ahimelech at Nob, when Ahimelech saw David alone he was afraid, I don't know why he was afraid except perhaps he feared that Saul might have sent David to harm him (perhaps 1 warrior alone would have been seen as an assassin).  If this is the case, this might help explain why David lied to Ahimelech about why he was there, he may have been trying to protect Ahimelech from retribution from Saul.  Ahimelech likely would have helped David even if he had told the truth, since David came there to inquire of the Lord (we'll learn this in chapter 22), in any case David isn't corrected by God so we must assume that this behavior was not condemned by God.  Several weeks back we spoke of the need, when in war or in matters of national security, to either withhold information or provide misinformation.  David is in essence at war with Saul, though the battle so far has not developed, but we will see quickly that Saul is definitely his enemy.

David asks the priest for bread, whatever is available; unfortunately, all that's available is the consecrated bread (bread of the Presence kept in the tabernacle).  This bread (according to Leviticus 24:9) was only to be eaten by the priests; however, Ahimelech agrees to give it to David as long as he and his men are ceremonially clean.  Later Jesus would teach about David to show how the ceremonial laws weren't to be held to legalistically; Jesus taught that it is always lawful to do good and to save life, to do so is in keeping with the spirit of the laws of God. (references Matthew 12:3-4 & Luke 6:9)

Another person is present at the tabernacle, Doeg an Edomite & herdsman who belonged to Saul, perhaps he's the reason David lied to Ahimelech.  Doeg is paying attention to what is transpiring... keep this in mind because we're going to see him again.

Finally David asks for a weapon, and he's given the sword of Goliath - the giant he slew several chapters back.  Apparently the sword had ended up in the care of the priests, and just when David needs a sword God has one ready for him.  Normally priests wouldn't have weapons, so we can see the hand of God interceding for David.

1 Samuel 21 v10-15: David with Bread in his pack and armed with Goliath's sword heads (of all places) to Gath.  Anyone remember the significance of Gath?

<Philistine territory, where Goliath was from.>

David has fled to enemy territory, preferring to be in the presence of the Philistines to being in the presence of Saul.  Achish is informed by his servants that this is the "king" that the song is about, the one who has slain ten thousands - perhaps by this they also know he's the one that killed their warrior Goliath.  David, realizing he's at risk, acts like a madman... behaving strangely & drooling all over himself... This tactic works, Achish thinks he's a madman & is dismissive of him.

Two Psalms go along with this passage, and we're going to read through them:

Psalm 56: The heading for this Psalm actually indicates that David had been captured by the men of Gath.

Psalm 34: The heading for this Psalm speaks of the time when David acted like a madman in the presence of Abimelech (not Ahimelech the priest) rather than Achish, but Abimelech is believed to be a title of the position of king to the Philistines, it translates something like "my father the king".  So saying Abimelech would simply be saying "the Philistine king" rather than being more specific by saying "Achish the Philistine king".

1 Samuel 22 v1-5: David moves on to Adullam.  I think its interesting that David's brothers come to his side, especially seeing their early treatment of him; however, time has had the opportunity to teach them lessons as well as David, and they wisely decide to join him.  Many others in Israel were also in distress with Saul as king, apparently it wasn't just David who suffered, and enough joined with him that he had a force of 400 men serving him.  Mind you this was 400 men, they also would have wives and children with them, as well as possibly flocks & herds, so David is suddenly the leader of a large nomadic people group.

David takes his entourage on to a stronghold, presumably somewhere near Mizpah of Moab (other side of the Dead Sea), and places his parents (who would be elderly at this time) in the care of the King of Moab for their well being.  The implication of the passage is that they stayed with the king until David & his people left the area.  How long David was in this area we don't really know, but we do know that he was told by a prophet of God named Gad that he should return to Judah, so he returns to Israel, to the Forest of Hereth.

1 Samuel 22 v6-15:  Saul knows that people are siding with David, but in his usual fashion he blows things out of proportion.  He exaggerates the numbers that are with David, and blames all those within hearing of conspiring against him.  He even whines "not one of you is sorry for me", this would be laughable if it weren't so pathetic.

Doeg figures maybe he ought to fill in the king about what he saw at Nob (back in chapter 21), possibly to win favor with the king - after all he's a foreigner & likely the property of Saul.  He tells Saul that he saw David with Ahimelech, that Ahimelech inquired of the Lord for David, gave David provisions & Goliath's sword.

I can almost see the steam coming out of Saul's ears, he doesn't like what he hears and demands that Ahimelech and all his family come see him immediately, which they do.  Saul accuses Ahimelech of siding against him by giving David bread & a sword, and inquiring of God for him.  I love Ahimelech's response, he reminds Saul who David is - Saul's most faithful servant & son-in-law, an honorable man, and one who regularly inquired of the Lord (this wasn't the first time)... Ahimelech begs mercy of Saul, claiming innocence regarding his behavior (and he was innocent - remember David lied).

1 Samuel 22 v16-23:  How does Saul respond to a priest's claim of innocence & cries of mercy?  He has him and his whole family killed.  Its interesting that Saul's servants wouldn't carry out his order to kill the priest and his family, I'm guessing they were all Israelites & had a healthy respect for the priesthood & a healthy fear of God as well.  It took Doeg, the Edomite (Edomites were known to be enemies of God's people) to do the dirty work... and "overkill" would be a good word for how Doeg handled things.  Doeg killed the priests, 85 in all, but didn't stop there; he also killed all the people men/women/children/babies as well as all of the animals of the city of Nob.

One of Ahimelech's sons, Abiathar, escaped and ran to David, telling him what had transpired.  David expresses grief & regret, he knew that Doeg would rat him out to Saul, and takes responsibility for the deaths.  Abiathar is invited to stay with David's entourage & under his protection.  I think its interesting that if Doeg would have told Saul everything that had happened, including the lies that David had told Ahimelech, that Ahimelech and his family might not have been killed... but Doeg is not a good guy.

Psalm 52:  The heading of this Psalm makes it clear that Doeg is the bad guy, not only a "rat" but one that specifically told Saul just enough (a half truth) to cause Saul to burn with anger against the priest.

1 Samuel 23 v1-6: The city of Keilah is under attack, this is likely an Israelite city since it is being attacked by Philistines, they are being attacked at harvest time and the harvest is being stolen.  David wants to help, that's his nature, but he doesn't presume; instead, he inquires of the Lord (most likely using the Urim & Thummim from Abiathar's ephod - Abiathar served as High Priest until removed by Solomon much later).

David was ready to go, but his men weren't so certain, so David inquired of the Lord once more (presumably for their sake), and the Lord said to go... They defeated the Philistines at Keilah and took possession of their livestock.

1 Samuel 23 v7-13: Uh-Oh, Saul gets word that David is at Keilah, he thinks he's got David trapped, and he heads out to besiege David & his men... David gets news that Saul is coming with his army and inquires of the Lord again... God indicates that Saul is coming and that the people of Keilah will hand him over if he stays, so David and his men (wisely) high-tail it out of there and head for the hills.

1 Samuel 23 v14-29: The wilderness area they inhabited is a rocky, hilly, arid region along the western shore of the Dead Sea.  This area is rough terrain, riddled with caves, there would have been many places to hide and seek shelter, this would be relatively inaccessible, and would have been nearly impossible to track someone there.  This is the same region where the Dead Sea Scrolls were hidden for several hundreds of years.  Can you imagine the difficulty of keeping their families with them at this point?  It is possible that during this time they were forced to leave their families & flocks behind.

Who shows up at this time, a time of deep discouragement for David, but his best friend Jonathan... Jonathan came and encouraged David.  But not everybody is happy to see David, the Ziphites rat out David's hiding place to Saul, and Saul gets them to provide intelligence on David's specific hiding spots.  Soon David is on the run again, and I find it humorous (almost sounds like the stuff of silent movies) that David is keeping away from Saul by staying on the other side of the mountain from him.  Just when it seems like Saul is going to overtake David what happens?  God happens!!  God used those pesky Philistines to invade Israel & cause Saul to move the army to fight their old enemies.  David takes his men to the region of the city En Gedi, still within the area of strongholds, but En Gedi was known as an oasis of the area.

Psalm 63: This Psalm comes from the times of David living in the wilderness.

1 Samuel 24 v1-7: Saul needs to relieve himself, and what cave should he pick for his latrine but the cave occupied by David and some of his men.  It may not be obvious the offense committed by David... what he did is cut off the hem (or part of the hem) of Saul's garment - I went to the hebrew for the text to verify that the word used though correctly translated as "a corner", for a garment it indicates the hem. The hem was a symbol of his authority (similar to the markings a military uniform today) - the hem of the garment could be pressed into wax, similar to pressing a signet ring, and the particular pattern would tell people who's hem it was.  By cutting the hem David was symbolically cutting off Saul's authority, something he felt only God was authorized to do since God had anointed Saul as Israel's king.  David restrained his men, who would have loved to end their wanderings by ending Saul's life, and Saul is allowed to finish his business & exit.

1 Samuel 24 v8-15: Imagine Saul's shock to be face to face with David, his sworn enemy, to see David bow down to him, to see David hold the hem of his robe, to realize that David could have taken his life with no trouble at all... and to be told in no uncertain terms that David has no intention of killing him.  David puts the weight of the situation onto Saul's shoulders, saying in essence "your move"; however, in reality he puts the situation squarely on the shoulders of God, the best place to put it, and lets God be the one to judge, to protect, to defend.

1 Samuel 24 v16-22: Saul is moved by David's words and actions, he calls him "my son" and weeps.  Saul admits that he has acted in an evil manner and David has repaid that evil with good.  Saul again has temporarily had a change of heart regarding David, wishes him well, and agrees that the kingdom will be given to David.  Interesting that though David is the one behaving in a trustworthy fashion it is Saul that want's the assurance of a covenant with David that his family will not be destroyed... David agrees, after all he's already agreed to this with Jonathan.

These two Psalms lament the stressful circumstances surrounding David's days of hiding:

Psalm 57 - a prayer for safety from enemies.

Psalm 142 - a plea for relief from persecutors.

Closing Prayer: Lord as we have looked at this passage we have seen the behavior of these two very different men.  David takes purposeful action, seeking your will, but Saul simply reacts & attempts to push his own will.  Lord help us to be men and women like David, who seek you even when hard pressed, always working to fulfill your will rather than our own.