Time with Jesus - Monday, 24 December 2012
Hi all,
Today’s meditation focus on three men; they were
contemporaries. All three were either kings or would become kings. Saul, king
of Israel and Judah; king Achish of Gath in Philistia and the future king David
of Israel and Judah. Three most unlikely characters; yet the interaction
between the three of them would more or less define the future of Israel and
Judah with Philistia. It’s all convoluted in the book of First Samuel. This
book makes fascinating reading. From Samuel to the death of Saul, complete with
the life of the pre-royal David. Wonderful Biblical history.
Blessings,
Jim & Phyllida Strickland
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
Time with Jesus – Monday, 24 December 2012
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Matt 10:8
Freely you received, Freely give |
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These
devotionals are the intellectual property of Jim Strickland and copyright
protected. You are welcome to copy and distribute them to anyone provided it
is for non-commercial Christian purposes
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©
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INTRODUCTION
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DAILY
LIGHT EVENING SCRIPTURES
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DAVID,
SAUL AND ACHISH
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Do animals laugh? It’s a strange sort of a question but strange things
do happen and answers are never easy to come by. I can’t think I’ve ever seen
anything like laughter from any animal that I’ve come across. I can remember
seeing a “Francis the Talking Mule” movie. But I suspect it was “rigged” for
Donald O’Connor’s benefit. We do have an account of Balaam’s donkey speaking
in Numbers 22:28. Read it and see. The donkey certainly wasn’t laughing!
Many folk feel that the Bible has no humour in it. It’s true that most
of it is tragedy, or human stupidity if you prefer. But dotted here and there
we find delightfully amusing statements. One of my favourites is found in the
book of Jeremiah. Speaking about idols of the nations, Jeremiah records the
Lord as saying, 5 Like a scarecrow in
a melon patch, their idols cannot speak; they must be carried because they
cannot walk. Do not fear them; they can do
no harm nor can they do any good."
Jer. 10:5 NIV. I love it. For me it’s the ultimate Biblical “put down”.
There is very little we could describe as “funny” in the tale of the
Saul, David and Achish. If it had been written by Shakespeare, it would be
classified and included as one of his tragedies like Hamlet and Macbeth. King
Saul who could be classified as the villain of the piece had become quite
mad. He was obsessed with a desire to kill David. He seems to me to have had
a depressive nature. Then he heard the women sing: - 7 "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands."1
Samuel 18:7 NIV. Saul hadn’t read “How
to Make Friends and Influence People”. For a while he sat on it and
“incubated” it! Then, when his envious anger broke out of its shell, he threw
a spear at David. David ducked! If he hadn’t, he could never have become the
King. From that time, more or less, David was on the run.
The saga of David running from Saul comprises much of 1 Samuel. Saul’s
determination to capture and kill David was a calamity. In the end, almost in
desperation, David leaves the country and goes to live with King Achish of
Gath! Perhaps the same Gath as Goliath’s home? The time David spent in
Philistia seems to have been an all-time, pre Bathsheba, low. It does little
for his reputation. He is revealed as a liar and heartless killer. He was
nearly murdered by his men at Ziklag. While living in hiding from Saul in
Philistia, he fooled Achish into thinking he was raiding his own people. The
truth is he was raiding the places of Israel’s enemies. Achish was fooled.
The Philistine officers were not. David was still the enemy. Hence David
didn’t have to fight Saul in the battle with the Philistines. In this battle,
Saul and three of his sons died. One of them was David’s blood covenant
brother Jonathan. What a tragedy!
Jim
& Phyllida Strickland
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3 The Philistine officers asked, "What are these
Hebrews doing here?" Achish asked the Philistine officers,
"Isn't this David, the servant of King Saul of Israel, who has been with
me now for a year or two? I've found nothing wrong with him from the day he
defected until now."
1 Samuel 29:3 GW
14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you
are blessed because the Spirit of glory-the Spirit of God-is resting on you.
15 If you suffer, you shouldn't suffer
for being a murderer, thief, criminal, or troublemaker. 16 If
you suffer for being a Christian, don't feel ashamed, but praise God for
being called that name.
1 Peter 4:14-16 GW
16 Don't let something you consider good be spoken of as
if it were evil.
Romans 14:16 NIrV
12 Live such good lives among the pagans that,
though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and
glorify God on the day he visits us.
1 Peter 2:12 TNIV
14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what
partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light
with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or
what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What
agreement has the temple of God with idols? For
we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will make my
dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they
shall be my people. 17 Therefore go
out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no
unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a
father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord
Almighty."
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 ESV
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellences
of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
1 Peter 2:9 ESV
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The very strangest threesome that you could ever see.
David, Saul and Achish. An “oddball” history!
Saul was chasing David. He wished to see him dead.
Achish was a Philistine. A man whom Saul should dread.
David had been running, to get away from Saul.
Anyone who helped him, found no mercy at all.
He slaughtered all the priests who lived within the town of Nob.
The Hebrews wouldn’t do it, so Doeg did the job!
Doeg was an Edomite, so it is no surprise,
He would kill the Priests of Nob; to look good in Saul’s eyes.
Saul kept hounding David. I think he had gone mad!
David wouldn’t harm Saul; though he be good or bad.
Saul was God’s anointed, so David wouldn’t kill,
This ruler who went crazy. He ran away until,
In order to find respite, he joined the Philistines.
And so he went to Achish to join their army’s lines.
Achish was a ruler. Gath was his home town.
Goliath was the Gathite whom David had struck down.
It didn’t seem to matter and David was “his man”,
So Achish gave him Ziklag; for David, a good plan.
For sixteen months in Ziklag and Gath, David would raid
The enemies of Israel, a dreadful price was paid.
Women, men and children were all put to the sword.
He said that they were Hebrews; but it was just a fraud,
He used to trick King Achish. He told a bunch of lies;
So he would be acceptable. Impressive in the eyes,
Of Achish and his people. But would he go and fight,
Against Saul and his people? How could he get that right?
The generals of the Philistines refused to take him on.
And very soon next morning, David’s men were gone.
They all went back to Ziklag. But Ziklag was forsaken.
Raided by Amalekites; and everyone was taken.
All his men were angry and David took the blame.
And so in desperation unto the Lord he came.
There he found encouragement and what he had to do.
Go and bring them back again before your men kill you!
The mission was successful and families restored.
All was “done and dusted”; courtesy the Lord.
Jim Strickland
Written
24th December
2012
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