I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here.
I had not noticed it before, but as I have been reading through the book of 1 Samuel this time it occurred to me that King Saul ruled much like modern totalitarians. He used fear as a tactic of control and he destroyed anyone who he perceived as having an independent power base. In today’s passage, King Saul accuses the men around him from his own tribe of taking bribes from David to hide things from Saul. He further accuses Jonathan, his own son, of encouraging David to kill him. This is followed by King Saul discovering that the priest Ahimelech had helped David when David first fled from King Saul. Saul summons Ahimelech and his family to him. Saul then accuses Ahimelech of plotting with David against Saul. Ahimelech responds that he only helped David because he was captain of Saul’s bodyguard and a trusted member of Saul’s household, that he knew nothing of any plot against King Saul. Saul does not believe him and orders his bodyguards to kill Ahimelech and his family. Saul’s men refuse the order to kill the “Lord’s priests”. Saul then turns to someone who was not an Israelite, Doeg the Edomite, to kill the priest and his family. Saul then sends Doeg to kill all of the remaining priests and their families. One priest escapes and flees to David.
Meanwhile, David has been hiding in the territory of Judah, which is his own tribe. David hears that the Philistines are raiding a city slightly outside of Judah’s territory. He feels compelled to go and aid the city. David asks God’s guidance and receives confirmation of his impulse. However, his men are afraid to go up against the Philistines with Saul chasing them. David asks God for a second confirmation of whether they should go to the aid of this city and receives it. David goes and defeats the Philistines decisively. When Saul learns that David is in that city, he mobilizes his army and marches to besiege David in that city. David, upon learning that Saul is marching against him, seeks guidance from God as to what to do. When God confirms to David that Saul is coming and that the leaders of the city will betray him, David leads his men from the city into an uninhabited area (or at least only lightly inhabited). Saul continues to pursue David. Some of the locals agree to help Saul track David down. David is crafty and eludes Saul for awhile. Just as Saul is about to close on David, the Philistines begin raiding and Saul needs to withdraw to protect his power base.
There are two ways to look at what happened here and I happen to think that both are correct. The first way is that God acts to protect those who serve Him. David is just about to be caught by Saul, when the Philistines attack and Saul must withdraw from pursuing David. This shows the hand of God in the timing. David is saved through God’s divine intervention. The second way to look at it is that Saul by driving David from his court and then taking his army to pursue David, weakened Israel enough that the Philistines were able to attack Israel again.
Here Jesus makes a claim to be the Messiah and addresses the issue that others have made similar claims. When we look at the others who claimed to be the Messiah from that time, they fell into two groups. Those who ran away and hid, allowing their followers to suffer the consequences. Those who stayed and fought, leading to many of their followers being executed alongside of them. Jesus, on the other hand, when the authorities came after Him, surrendered Himself and was arrested and executed with none of His followers. Further, we see after His death that the continued persecution of His followers did not lead to them being scattered and destroyed. People often say that if someone who is stirring up trouble is killed they will become a martyr for their movement and be more trouble than if they are left alone. There is some truth to this, but what people fail to realize is that the only people whose death at the hands of the authorities leads to strengthening their movements are those who are leading a movement that is serving God. Christianity is the only movement in the history of the world where the wholesale slaughter of its adherents has led to its rapid expansion. When the Romans persecuted the Druids, they wiped out the entire religion. When the Romans persecuted the Christians, the faith expanded exponentially.
This psalm talks of how the things that others worship have no ability to act. It is interesting that among the western nations today so many openly admit that the source for meaning in their life has no ability to act. There are many atheists who give to science the kind of veneration that Christians are supposed to reserve for God. They will readily admit that science is shaped by human hands and minds. They claim there is no more than that. But our God is real.
and he does as he wishes.”
We should trust the Lord because He will help us and shield us. Of those who choose to believe that this world is all there is the psalmist says,
for they have gone into the silence of the grave.”
But of those who faithfully follow God’s teachings he says,
both now and forever!”
We will be able to praise the Lord forever because He will give us eternal life. Let us be faithful in serving God and praise Him daily for the wonderful things He has done.
This proverb is so very true. Those who are easily angered find themselves in fights even with people they agree with or over issues they do not think of as important, while those who remain calm are often able to help those who are fighting to find a basis for ending the conflict, even when the disagreement remains. While the second one echoes something that I have tried to live by, although I have succeeded imperfectly. When I am called a hard worker I tell people I am too lazy to do a job to less than the best of my ability. All too often when I do something in a lazy way, I end up having to do more work than if I had just put out the effort to do it right the first time around. I always tell people that I am too lazy to not work hard.