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September 28, Sunday ——————— ACCOUNTABILITY TIME!
Reading A271 — Psalm 56, 120 — Response to Fear Audio: Psa. 56; Psa. 120
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Trust When Afraid — In Psalm 56, there is a repeated idea in two separate sections that calls for special attention. Both places talk about fear and trust. It involves a lesson David learned through experience. What he had learned was what to do, “When I am afraid…” (v. 3). All of us face fear from time to time. It might come suddenly like an earthquake, linger like a bully, or threaten like a serious illness. The solution is to trust in God. David said, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you” (v. 3). This trust is gained mostly through experience, but it begins with knowledge about God’s Word. In the psalm’s second section, David wrote, “This I know, that God is for me” (v. 9). Where does this knowledge come from? From God’s Word, which the next verse emphasizes: “In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise” (v. 10, emphasis added). Yahweh is a God of help, a God of rescue. Because of this knowledge, we can venture to seek His help through prayer and trust that He will come to our aid. This is where we can easily become discouraged because we are too focused on circumstances. If we are fearful and ask God for help and nothing seems to happen, we tend to lose trust. What we don’t see is why God withheld His help. It may be just to test our willingness to trust Him when the circumstances don’t immediately show His response. What David learned through this process is what we also need to learn: “In God I trust; I shall not be afraid” (v. 11).
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September 29, Monday ————– ACCOUNTABILITY REMINDER
Reading A272 — Psalm 140-142 — Prayers for Protection Audio: Psa. 140-142 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Pity or Prayer? — These three psalms were written in the context of being the target of evil people. The last one was when David “was in the cave” (Psa. 142 title). Saul’s army was after him and David and his men were running and hiding. I can picture David deep in the cave, asking one of his men to bring a torch closer to him so he could write a psalm. Is that what you would do if you were running for your life? Me neither. David was a man after God’s own heart. He knew God, loved Him, and prayed to Him frequently. He asked God for protection from others: “Deliver me, O LORD … preserve me … Guard me, O LORD … preserve me” (140:1, 4). He asked for protection against what he might say or do: “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth … Do not let my heart incline to any evil” (141:3-4). He even asked that he might be sharply rebuked by a righteous man (v. 5). Most of us would fit the following description: “When my spirit faints within me … there is none who takes notice of me … no one cares for my soul” (142:3-4). That is a picture of someone having a solo “pity party.” What should we do in our cave of trouble? If we can’t write a psalm, we can at least pray to God our refuge.
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of today, but did not report yesterday, please click here to leave your
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September 30, Tuesday ————– ACCOUNTABILITY FINAL DAY
Reading A273 — 1 Samuel 25 — Nabal and Abigail Audio: 1 Samuel 25 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
The Worthless and the Wise — What a contrast there is between worthless Nabal and his wise wife, Abigail! Why did she ever marry him? Probably because it was an arranged marriage. Nabal was widely disrespected. Even his name, meaning “foolish,” labeled him. Abigail said, “Nabal is his name, and folly is with him” (v. 25). He answered David’s servants with contempt (v. 10). His own servant said to Abigail, “he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him” (v. 17). God agreed, with the result that Nabal’s “heart died within him, and he became as a stone” (v. 37). On the other side of the contrast, Abigail “was discerning and beautiful” (v. 3). Later, David praised her with these words: “Blessed be your discretion…” (v. 33). She seemed to know that David was to be Israel’s future king, saying, “when the LORD … has appointed you prince over Israel…” (v. 30). David almost sinned in revengeful violence, but Abigail acted and spoke in a way that prevented his sin. After his servants buried Nabal’s body, I wonder what his stone marker might have said. What would you have written on Abigail’s grave marker? Would it be appropriate for your own stone?
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October 1, Wednesday
Reading A274 — 1 Samuel 26 — David Takes Saul’s Spear Audio: 1 Samuel 26 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Unstable Saul — David was always on the move in his flight from Saul. In verse 1, the informers told Saul that David was “on the hill of Hachilah.” By the time Saul’s army arrived at the same hill, however, David was “in the wilderness” (v. 3). This story is similar to the time David spared Saul’s life in the cave (chapter 24). Although it would have been easy to let his nephew, Abishai, take Saul’s life while he slept, David refused because it was God who had made Saul the king of Israel. Four times in today’s reading, David refers to Saul as “The LORD’s anointed.” He respected Saul’s position because God had placed him there. David didn’t trust Saul’s stability, however. Saul seemed to be genuinely repentant in this chapter, saying, “I have sinned … I have acted foolishly … [and] made a great mistake” (v. 21). Although Saul said, “Return, my son David” (v. 21), after the incident was over, it says that “David went his way and Saul returned to his place” (v. 25). David didn’t trust this unstable king. Trust is earned over time. One or two apologies does not erase in another’s mind many errors of the past.
October 2, Thursday
Reading A275 — 1 Samuel 27 — David Flees to Achish Audio: 1 Samuel 27 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Exposed Deceit — We saw in yesterday’s reading that, although Saul invited David to return with him, David did not go, likely because he did not trust Saul. That lack of trust is emphasized at the beginning of this chapter where David said, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul” (v. 1), and he fled to the Philistine king, Achish (v. 2), where he lived for over a year (v. 7). Then we read about how David deceived Achish with his lies. He made raids on enemies of Israel (v. 8) but told Achish that he had raided Israelite communities (v. 10). David was an effective deceiver, and “Achish trusted David” (v. 12). The Bible doesn’t conceal the sins of God’s people, even the sins of Israel’s greatest king, David. We also fall into sinful practices like David did. What a merciful God we have! He is willing to forgive our sins when we confess and forsake them.
October 3, Friday
Reading A276 — Psalm 17 — The Apple of Your Eye Audio: Psalm 17 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Precious Treasures — It seems that this psalm was written by David during the time he was being chased by Saul. The first five verses are filled with David’s claims of innocence, which would certainly be true with respect to Saul’s unjust desire to kill him. This claimed innocence does seem ironic, however, when only yesterday we read about David’s lies to King Achish. In this psalm, David claims to have “lips free of deceit” (v. 1) and a mouth that “will not transgress” (v. 3). A special prayer for protection is given when David prayed, “Keep me as the apple of your eye” (v. 8). This expression is used in only one other place in the Bible, when God asks us to “keep my teaching as the apple of your eye” (Prov. 7:2). This “apple” refers to the pupil of one’s eye, which is a very valuable asset that is given great care. Very seldom does something fly directly into our eye because of the automatic quickness of our eyelids to close. I was very aware of this when I had my two cataract surgeries this year. I was required daily to apply multiple eyedrops of several medications during that time, and my eyes were very sensitive to those dropping “intrusions.” I had to pry open my eyelids that kept wanting to close while waiting for that drop to fall. That represents how protective God is toward our wellbeing. He is the eyelid to our soul. That is also how protective we should be to the “apple” of God’s “teaching” (Prov. 7:2). That is also a precious treasure.
October 4, Saturday
Reading A277 — Psalm 35 — The Innocent Sufferer Audio: Psalm 35 (ESV)
An audio recording of the following comments is available below:
Waiting for Rescue — This is another psalm that David wrote when he was in trouble. He had enemies who were motivated by jealousy and wanted to kill him. Again, David declared his innocence, twice saying that their attacks were done “without cause” (vv. 7, 19). He said, “They repay me evil for good” (v. 12). David also had faith when he prayed to God for help. He looked forward to the victory when he prayed with statements like this: “…my soul will rejoice in the LORD” (v. 9), “I will thank you in the great congregation” (v. 18), and “Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness” (v. 28). In the meantime, however, he had to wait for that victory. He cried, “How long, O Lord, will you look on?” (v. 17). Part of David’s agony, and ours, is waiting for God’s timing in answering prayer. What should we do while we wait? Like David, we should pray—continue to ask God for His rescue. Don’t give up! Also, like David, we should have faith while we wait. Don’t let negative circumstances erode your faith!
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