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September 14, Sunday
Reading A257 — 1 Samuel 16 — David Privately Anointed Audio: 1 Samuel 16 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Choosing Wisely — It is interesting to see how God led Samuel to anoint David as the next king of Israel. He was given limited instructions about where to go, that God had chosen one of Jesse’s sons to be king, and that he was to offer a sacrifice before invited guests. Then God made this important statement: “… and I will show you what you shall do” (v. 3). God seems to always leave room for the necessity of faith. If we follow His known instructions, He will reveal our next steps. If we feel that God is not leading us, perhaps it is because we have not yet obeyed what He previously asked us to do. We are to walk in obedience and by faith. A second important emphasis in this chapter is in making wise choices. Samuel was to anoint a king, but his mind was only on physical attractiveness: “his appearance or … the height of his stature” (v. 7). God can see more than what is physical: “the LORD looks on the heart” (v. 7). God sees character. What is interesting in this context is that, although God’s choice of David was because of his heart, he also “was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome” (v. 12). David was good-looking, not only to man but also to God. I hope you didn’t miss the close, strong connection between verses 14 and 15, although they are in separate paragraphs: “And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David … Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul.” This drastic difference will be emphasized for the rest of this book.
September 15, Monday
Reading A258 — 1 Samuel 17 — David Kills Goliath Audio: 1 Samuel 17 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Mighty to Save — The Philistines had a champion, the giant Goliath at 9 feet, 9 inches (3 m) tall. Five times, our text says that he defied the army of Israel, and once that he defied Yahweh (v. 45). He was big and proud, but he was no match for God. For 40 days, he called for a one-on-one match to represent both armies, and said, “If he is able to … kill me, then we will be your servants” (v. 9). Did they? No, when he was dead, “they fled” (v. 51). David was neither big nor proud, and both Saul and Goliath dismissed him as being inadequate because he was “but a youth” (vv. 33, 42). David’s greatest strength was his faith. He told Saul, “The LORD … will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (v. 37). He rejected Saul’s armor and brought only his staff, five stones, and a sling. He would only need one stone. He said to Goliath, “I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand … the battle is the LORD’s” (vv. 45-47). How often do you feel like “I am only a youth” or “I am only one”? In ourselves we are inadequate, but we serve a living, loving, and powerful God. We just need to have the faith to trust Him to work for us in ways that are beyond our power. David’s God is the same as our God. He is mighty to save.
September 16, Tuesday
Reading A259 — 1 Samuel 18 — Saul’s Son-in-law Audio: 1 Samuel 18 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Character Quality — It was almost like a balance scale—as David’s honor went up, respect for Saul went down. Although David could have been more of a threat to Jonathan than he was to Saul, Jonathan loved David, made a covenant with him, and presented his robe and weapons to him in subtle acceptance of David’s future rule over Israel (vv. 1-4). David was successful and was honored by becoming the head of Israel’s men of war (v. 5). Returning from victories, he was honored above Saul by singing and dancing women (vv. 6-7). Nationally, “all Israel and Judah loved David” (v. 15) and “his name was highly esteemed” (v. 30). Individually and romantically, “Saul’s daughter Michal loved David” (v. 20). On the other hand, helped by “a harmful spirit from God” (v. 10), Saul was full of suspicion, anger, and jealousy toward David. He “was very angry … eyed David … raved … hurled the spear … afraid of David … stood in fearful awe of him … was even more afraid of David … [and] was David’s enemy continually.” Even after knowing that his daughter loved David, Saul conspired to increase the odds of having David killed by the Philistines at the cost of the grief of his own daughter. The rest of this book centers on the selfish desire of Saul to kill David. What a contrast in character quality! What a difference the presence of the Spirit makes in a person’s life! Whether we like it or not, we are constantly being evaluated by people we know. What does our character show?
September 17, Wednesday
Reading A260 — 1 Samuel 19 — Attempts to Kill David Audio: 1 Samuel 19 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
To Kill or Not to Kill — The instability of Saul is very obvious in this chapter. He ordered his son and servants to kill David (v. 1), but Jonathan talked him out of it. Saul swore he would not kill David, who was received again into Saul’s service (vv. 6-7). Then, “a harmful spirit from the LORD came upon Saul … And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear” (vv. 9-10). He was supernaturally tormented, which sounds like the behavior of too many individuals we see today in our own culture. That failed attempt to kill David was followed, apparently that same night, by sending messengers to watch David’s house so Saul could have his own son-in-law killed in the morning. Michal helped him escape, faked his presence in his bed, and lied to the messengers and to her father (vv. 11-17). Finally, the Spirit of God stepped in to protect David and Samuel by causing three sets of messengers and Saul himself to be overcome by supernatural and debilitating prophesying. Saul’s demonic desire to kill David was overpowered by the action of God’s Spirit. “… he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Being filled with the Holy Spirit gives us stability and harmony in our relationships with others.
September 18, Thursday
Reading A261 — Psalm 11, 59 — Reacting to Threats Audio: Psalm 11; Psalm 59
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Sing in the Morning — The shared theme of these two psalms seems to be that God is a refuge, a place to hide in times of trouble. David calls Yahweh his “refuge” in Ps. 11:1 and his “fortress” in Ps. 59: 9, 16, 17. The title of Ps. 59 ties this psalm directly to what we read yesterday about Saul’s messengers watching David’s house in order to kill him in the morning. David’s reaction to this threat was not to fight but to flee. Saul was God’s anointed king, and David vowed to honor that appointment, not oppose it. While Saul’s men were watching his house, David prayed, “O my Strength, I will watch for you” (59:9). David fled from men, but he fled toward God. When we are threatened in any way, we also ought to run to God. He alone is our refuge. Why does God allow these troubles to come our way? One reason is revealed in Ps. 11: “…his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. The LORD tests the righteous…” (vv. 4-5). God uses our troubles to “test” or train us. We grow through trials; “No pain, no gain.” When we recognize the goodness of what God is allowing us to go through, we can respond in faith and joy as David did. He said, “I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning… O my Strength, I will sing praises to you” (59:16-17).
September 19, Friday
Reading A262 — 1 Samuel 20 — The Arrow Signal Audio: 1 Samuel 20 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Parting’s Sweet Sorrow — Jonathan was in a very hard place between his feelings for his father and for David. His godly character showed brightly as he did what was right, even though it was painful. He is a positive model for us. He had trusted his father, saying, “my father does nothing … without disclosing it to me” (v. 3). He reasoned with him again, asking about David, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” (v. 32). Then, Saul’s true feelings were displayed as he threw his spear at Jonathan (v. 33). He revealed his reason for wanting to kill David by telling Jonathan, “… as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established” (v. 31). Maintaining his kingdom dynasty was his main concern. Jonathan was broken hearted about all of this as he “grieved for David” (v. 4). Solidifying their love and trust, Jonathan and David made their second of three covenants between them (cf. 18:3; 23:18). What a great example David and Jonathan were to us about sincere and righteous relationships! Both were willing to put God first in their choices. They would meet one more time before Jonathan died.
September 20, Saturday
Reading A263 — 1 Samuel 21 — Ahimelech and Achish Audio: 1 Samuel 21 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Deceiving Others — Although David was a man after God’s heart (13:14), the Bible does not hide his sins. There are two examples in this chapter of David’s deceit. He lied to Ahimelech the priest, saying, “The king has charged me… Let no one know…” (v. 2). As with us, lying often brings more trouble. Tomorrow, we will read about the resulting deaths of Ahimelech, the other priests, and a whole town because he helped David. Lying is an attempt to deceive others by what you say to them. David was fleeing from Saul in fear, so he went to Gath, one of the main cities of Israel’s archenemy, the Philistines (v. 10). He apparently wanted to serve King Achish in some way, but he was recognized and reported by the king’s servants. David then became “much afraid of Achish” (v. 12) and attempted to deceive him by acting like a madman. Perhaps God stepped in to make Achish fall for David’s deceptive actions, and David got away with it. Do you see yourself in either of these examples of lying or pretending in order to deceive someone? We give in to these temptations far too often. We are to be known as honest people, able to be trusted for what we say and how we act.
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