Monday, November 4, 2019

After Spiritual Victory - the Evil One attacks



Psalm 54

“Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might.  Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth.  Arrogant foes are attacking me; ruthless people are trying to kill me— people, without regard for God.
 Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.  Let evil recoil on those who slander me; in your faithfulness, destroy them.  I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you; I will praise your name, Lord, for it is good.  You have delivered me from all my troubles, and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.”

As we explore what is taking place in this Psalm, it hit me that in my life after any tremendous spiritual victory, there seems to come to an attack from the evil one.  And I believe that is what David is experiencing, in that King Saul has seen the hand of the Lord on David and removed it from him, so he had been trying to kill David.  David and about 600 men are hiding from Saul and David who are tired of running, but he also knows in his heart and mind that God is the only one to deal with Saul, so David is waiting on God.

His closest friend is the Kings son and at a meager time God sends Jonathan to him in the Wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.  Shall we pick up the account in 1 Samuel 23:16-18And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God.  “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Esau, knows this.”  The two of them made a covenant before the Lord. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh.”

I have no doubt David was refreshed, and God had confirmed what the Prophet Samuel had proclaimed many years earlier.  But you recall after a spiritual high be prepared for those who are controlled by the evil one to come against you.  If you kept reading in verses 19-20, you would see this taking place.  “Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, south of Jeshimon?  Now, Your Majesty, come down whenever it pleases you to do so, and we will be responsible for giving him into your hands.”

You will find guys like this at all stages of life; they are looking for favor with man and not God, that is the Ziphites.

From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice

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