Misfits, not Warriors

 1 Samuel 22:1-8

Often it requires more than joining the story to understand what is taking place at this time in the life of David.  David’s move or escape to the cave of Adullam puts him back in King Saul territory and once the word is out that Saul wants to kill David his family fears they also may be on the hit list.  Not only did his family come to David but also those who were in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him.  Can you imagine what that would look like in 2018; it would not be a secret very long over half of the United States would be there.  Only about four hundred men showed up, many of them were misfits, not warriors.

Why was David a man after God’s own heart and the answer found in his actions, not in just the words he spoke?  God commanded all people to honor their father and mother, and look at David’s first act, he goes to the King of Moab and asks if he will allow his mom and dad to stay with him till he knows what God will is for him.  Now we do not fully understand what his connection was with the King of Moab, but it may have been as simple as “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.”  But Scripture tells us they stay with the King of Moab all the time David was in the stronghold.

David also listens to men of God such as Samuel, and the prophet Gad, who told David to depart the fortress and go into the land of Judah, so David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.

Have you hear the term, “the old is forever new” well Saul is a master at manipulation and I bet many of you have worked for a guy like that.  He was telling his closest soldiers that they would be foolish to believe David a member of the tribe of Judah would reward them with positions of authority if he became king.  Next, he went for the poor me card, my son, my flesh and blood is the reason for this he entered into an agreement with David against me.  

Now Jonathan must not have been at the meeting, or for sure he would have said dad that just not right.  In fact, we know it not true for later he dies fighting beside his father.  My mother would often tell us as kids when we were not doing as she wished, you're going to be so sorry when I'm gone or dead; that manipulation, and sometimes it works.  It worked for King Saul, “None of you is sorry for me of discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day.”  Now, that a bald-face lie, but it worked, and Doeg the Edomite rats out the priest at Nob.

Tomorrow we will examine the cost of what Doeg the Edomite and servant of King Saul words did to this priest.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

David's special mission leads to acting like a mad man

1 Samuel 21

Judge not, less you be judged, came into my thinking as I read over this chapter of David fleeing death by the hand of Saul.  It is a terrible place to put yourself into the story, having your wife the daughter of the King telling you this is your choice, letting you down on a rope from our window, or in the morning daddy is going to cut off your head.  I trust the wife; I’m on the rope, not giving any thought to my overnight kit, just a good pair of running shoes.  When I hit the ground I’m thinking who can I trust, for everyone knows that Saul and I are having some misunderstanding, now that’s being diplomatically correct, the dude wants to kill me.

So where do I run to the priest of Nob, his name is Ahimelech, and he seems not all that excited to see me, in fact, he is fearful and wants to know why I’m alone.  If I share the truth with the priest and he helps me his life is in danger, so I come up with a lie, and if I could have seen the future I would have called it spin for I know God does not like me to lie.  But then a lie is a lie no matter what they will call it in the years to come.  So this was my story, Ahimelech I am on a special mission from the King and it is so urgent I did not even pack my overnight kit, and I was wondering if you had some grub, you know food and by the way how about a sword?

Somewhere in my memory, I recall the sword of Goliath the one I put in my tent ended up at this tabernacle and Ahimelech told me it was the only weapon in the place and it was mine for the taking.  But when it came to the consecrated bread he was a little more reluctant, it was only for the priest, and if I had had sex it disqualified me.  So I told him that before going into battle they always kept the young men away from women.  He goes on to say the young men’s bodies are consecrated even on an ordinary mission, so of course, their bodies are consecrated today.  The priest hands over the bread and the sword and you will never guess who saw it all coming down.  It was a servant of Saul’s his name was Doeg the Edomite, what do you think he is going to do?

Think about my options, if I say in Judea or Israel someone is going to rat on me, and if I go to Gath, it is a leading city of the Philistines.  But I’m not well known by the Philistines, in that I’ve killed everyone I come across, so Gath seems like an excellent place to hang out.  Now I wonder why I went to King Achish of Gath and did not visit with some of the people?  Maybe I got use to hanging out in King's palaces.    

Let me share what Samuel wrote on this in chapter 21:11-15, “And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David, the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”

And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish, the king of Gath. So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle run down his beard. Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? Do I lack mad men that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”

I sure hope you enjoyed the story, it a “But God” story and each day we will explore what faith in a big God will do for a man, any man, and especially David.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Looking Back

Looking Back

Back in 2009 at the beginning of my first try at blogging, my goal was to leave a record of what the Bible and Jesus Christ has meant in my life.  So I attempted to do it in a way they might read, and this was that effort.  God used five men to introduce me the Jesus I knew so much about but had never bowed my knee to, and it all happened in a Hotel room, but that's another story.

What the Book has meant to me.

When I was just a child, Mother and Dad gave it to me; they said son, in this book, is a lot of history. It also will guide your path and bring you victory, but you must not be foolish, read it daily.  And often at my father’s knee, he read the book to me, and when we went to church, they opened it up you see.  The book was read and taught; its many stories astonished me. That book has a special place in my childhood memories.

But as a teenager that book was put on the shelf and out of my mind, only to be carried to church and back home.  I still remember its message, how the Christ had died for me, but it was not in keeping with what the world had to offer me.

For many years the book only served one thing you see, it took space on our table so others, like Mom and Dad, could see.  But then something happened, it changed my life you see, a group of men took an interest in me.  The one who began to cut my hair at the age of thirteen ask me to come to a study of the book that can set a man free.

I had no clue that I was not free and resented it you see, that someone like my barber could say such a thing to me.  He told me the Christ, who I claimed to know, had told the same thing to some other people just like me. That if I knew the truth, the truth would set me free.  I went with my barber to the book study, on setting men free, and those five men were used of God, to help one like me.

It took many months before it came to me that life was in Jesus and that was the beginning of my victory.  I found He was life and that He would come and live in me; now that book is so precious, it brings such joy to me, it helps me walk and talk the life of liberty and yet, I understand you may not agree with me.

So I prayed this prayer; Dear Jesus will you open our eyes to see, the wonder of being in a relationship with thee.  The freedom from wants, and the joy of giving to those who are in need, like widows and orphans and others you send to me, and the freedom to let you have your way with me.

Now this book is not magic nor is it a good luck charm, its often called the “Word of God” and many just call it the “Bible” but in it is all “Truth” and its authors are many, but it comes from just one source.  Timothy states it best; All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

Bob Rice

http://fromourbackporch.blogspot.com/

Your #1 Enemy is Fear

1 Samuel 20

Fear is the enemy, and so the question must be asked, does God use fear to put somebody or something in the order of His will?  We are often told in Scripture to fear God, to have a worshipful understanding of God’s authority over all life.  But we are also commanded in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” 

If fear is allowed to take up residence in one's life it has a reverse affect than what love would do, Where love is patient, fear is not, where love is kind, fear is not, where love does not envy or boast, fear does.  Fear always insists on its own way, Love does not.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, fear does not have the ability to do any of these! 

It is always a choice to obey God or to put self in the driver's seat.  And it is also evident that when looking at His commandments, there are no ifs in them.   The if’s, when allowed bring Rebellion into our heart and minds and it is ever so clear as we look at two men, Jonathan and Saul.  Saul’s rebellion began when he allowed fear of men over the fear of God, and he tried using the if’s to justify his action with Samuel.  Fear is a sin, many places in Scripture we are admonished to look to the Lord when apprehension comes to our door.

As we explore chapter 20, we see David fleeing from Naioth in Ramah and coming to Jonathan to ask this question; what have I done?  What is my guilt?  And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?  Now it seems that the King has done a good job of hiding his fear of David to this point from Jonathan, and so David makes his case before Jonathan and the two of them devise a plan to look into Saul's heart.

This is the deal, David is required to eat at the Kings table, and his place is empty, and the first day Saul did not say anything because he believed David was not clean so he would not come into the Kings presence, but on the second day Saul inquires of his son about David.  And Jonathan told him the lie that he had agreed to speak to get his reactions.  He did not get what he had hoped for, shall we look at verses 30-34, “Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.” Then Jonathan answered Saul his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death. And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David because his father had disgraced him.”

The next morning Jonathan followed the plan he and David had come up with and went into the field with a young boy and shot the three arrows, and as the kid was looking for them, these were the code words to David, get out of Dodge.  Not the words, these were the words found in verse 37-38, “And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” And Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” So Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master. But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Are your plan in contrast to God's

1 Samuel 19:11-24

I know the plans I have for you, that is the heart of many parents for their children, but if those are not God’s plans then there is a high probability your ideas are in contrast to God’s plan for your child.  But King Saul also had plans for David; they were not the kind most father-in-laws would have for their son-in-law.  He did not kill David but he tried to, and this is after giving his oath in the name of God to Jonathan.  This was his oath; “As the LORD lives, he shall not be put to death.”

Now Saul has told all in the house of David to watch him for the next morning Saul is going to kill him.  But the King forgot the power of love, love overcomes fear, it puts the other person first, and that is what Michal, David’s wife did.  She told David you must leave tonight, and she lowered him with a rope out of the window and he ran.  But when one grows up in the house of a deceiver they pick up many of the dad or mother’s habits and “Michal took an image and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats hair at its head and covered it with the clothes.  And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, “He is sick.” Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.” And when the messengers came in, behold, the image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' hair at its head. Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. Why should I kill you?’”  (1 Samuel 19:13-17) It sure looks like she is dad’s girl; she got the lies and deception down very well. 

If you are David where are you going?  That is a good question, but look at what David did, he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him.  Picking up the story in verse 18b-24, “And it was told Saul, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.” Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. When it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied. Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.” And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went, he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 

It looks as if God planned to put Saul’s plan for David on hold, and how about Saul the King of Israel laying naked all that day and all that night before God’s prophet Samuel?  There is a lot to learn if we have ears to hear and eyes to see what the Spirit of God is teaching us!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

What if you were Jonathan

1 Samuel 19: 1-10

Do you ever put yourself in the story?  What if you were Jonathan, and this thought came into my mind, you may identify with Jonathan in ways I can’t?  But if I were Jonathan and had a dad like Saul it would be a tough place, especially when ordered by him to kill a man I care for as myself.  Now that I’ve entered the story it requires me to search my heart, how can I honor my dad as commanded and also honor God who tells me not to murder?  And Jonathan did what was correct; he chose God’s commandment over the desire of his dad who was driven by fear, and fear like religion’s end game leads to death.   

Do you recall the encounter Peter and the apostles had with the council on speaking in the name of Jesus found in Acts 5:29? “But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”  That is why Jonathan also decided to obey God and not a man, a sagacious young man, and one of my heroes of the faith.  The reasons are many, but this I’ve come to believe, at any point in our lives we will not have more than 2 or 3 friends, many relationships, but not friends, I know that comes as a shock to all of the Face Book folks.  Tell me how many people you can say this about; “the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”  Now that is an unusual relationship especially for men, but you will know, and the friends will also know and share in it.

With that as the backdrop of the story, King Saul tells Jonathan and the servants he wants David dead, and we would call that taking out a contract or the hiring of a hit on David.  Saul is crafty and understands that if you want a job done well the best way to achieve the goal is do it yourself, and that is what’s going to happen.  Picking up the story in verse two through seven, “And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself. And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything I will tell you.” And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul, his father and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. For he took his life in his hand and he struck down the Philistine, and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?” And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.” And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.”  David is back in the King’s house and then war breaks out with the Philistines and David goes out and wins the battle.  Who gets the press, not Saul, but David?  Do you recall when Jonathan went into the Philistine’s camp, and he and his shield bearer had a great victory?  King Saul took the credit and it reminds me of a sissy President that took credit for what the Navy Seals did in battle.

So when David came home, he was playing the harp for Saul and the King tried to pin him to the wall with a spear, with that act David knew it was time to leave the King’s service and run!  Where did you see yourself in the story?  My prayer is that you have a Jonathan in your life, someone willing to risk much to stand in the gap for you.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Is deception in your toolkit?

 1 Samuel 18:17-30

One of the greatest tools is deception, and it leads to perception, and yet if what one perceives is not based on truth then is it false; that is the world of 2017.  Is deception a new thing, no, the one Jesus refers to as the thief has been doing it since the Garden of Eden?  And King Saul, who God has allowed Satan to control, teaches his followers how to master this tool.  Many businessmen and politicians have mastered the art of deception, and as Jesus said to the Pharisees you are not of God your father is the devil.  So we should not be shocked to see Saul asking David to earn the right to be his son-in-law by becoming his warrior against the Philistines, in the hope that they would kill him. 

We also see the heart of David being reluctant to marry into the King’s family in that he was a poor man of little social standing.  So the first offer is turned down, and it seems that Merab had no real feeling for David, but baby sister loved David and it was reported to King Saul that Michal loved David.  One thing I’ve learned about deception is it leads to a life of lies, and often the deceiver is caught in their web of deceit.  This is going to happen to Saul with the second offer to become the son-in-law of the King, with Michal as the bride. 

This is reported: “Now Saul's daughter Michal loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. Saul thought, “Let me give her to him, that she may be a snare for him and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, “You shall now be my son-in-law.” And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in private and say, ‘Behold, the king has delighted in you, and all his servants love you. Now then become the king's son-in-law.’” And Saul's servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, “Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king's son-in-law since I am a poor man and have no reputation?” And the servants of Saul told him, “Thus and so did David speak.” Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no bride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, that he may be avenged of the king's enemies.’” Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king's son-in-law. Before the time had expired, David arose and went, along with his men, and killed two hundred of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. But when Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David and that Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him, Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David's enemy continually.”

A wise man would come to understand that he was fighting against God’s plan and change his course of action, but Saul is like many a person I have encountered, they keep coming up with plans doomed to fail.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice