Author: Calleen Hough

The path of self destruction

When Saul took his sword and fell upon it (1 Samuel 31:4), it was the culmination of a long process of self destruction. It is hard to understand how a man anointed by God to be king of Israel could come to such an end, but it makes sense given that Saul was determined to keep David from inheriting the throne.

Saul made himself an enemy of God. In much the same way that Satan rebelled against God’s authority, Saul would not submit himself to God’s will and was a bad influence on everyone around him.

When Saul and his three sons were killed in battle, it says in 1 Samuel 31:7, “the men that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.” The word dwelt means that they took up residence there, the land became the Philistines possession.

As a result of their conquest, the Philistines became arrogant and gave tribute to their gods for the victory. This worst case scenario outcome probably caused more spiritual damage than anything else and was a turning point for the nation of Israel. King Saul’s reign proved to the people that no man was qualified to be their savior. It was God and God alone that could deliver them from the hands of their enemies and he was not going to until they acknowledged his kingship and rule over the nation.

Be encouraged

When it comes right down to it, in order for God to be for someone, he must be against another. It says in James 4:5 “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”  And in Romans 9:13, “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.

During the final days of king Saul’s life, he had to face off against his worst enemy, the Philistines. The entire Philistine army gathered together and camped on the border of Israel. “And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled” (1 Samuel 28:5).

In desperation, Saul had a woman with a familiar spirit, or what we would refer to today as a medium, call up Samuel from the dead in order to get his advice about what to do. “Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee and is become thine enemy” (1 Samuel 28:16).

Saul was distressed because when he inquired of the LORD, “the LORD answered him not” (1 Samuel 28:6). Saul’s attempt to get help from Samuel showed that he did not understand that his relationship with the LORD was not based on his effort to communicate with God, but God’s effort to communicate with him. When the LORD had previously given Saul instructions, he chose to disobey and so the LORD stopped talking to Saul and found someone who would follow his commands, David.

Obedience is important in our relationship with the LORD because it establishes the basis for ongoing communication. If the LORD is our Master, then we must obey him. If we do not obey him, then we are making it clear that the LORD is not truly our Master.

While the Philistines were preparing to invade Israel, the Amalekites attacked the city where David and his men were living and took their wives and children captive. “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters; but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God” (1 Samuel 30:6).

The word translated encouraged, châzaq (khaw – zaq´) means to fasten upon or take hold of. “In the sense of personal strength chazaq is first used in Duet 11:8 in the context of the covenant” (2388). I believe what David did to encourage himself in the LORD was to read the Torah and refresh himself in God’s commandments. David’s recommitment to the LORD included a renewed interest in obedience and seeking God’s counsel in times of trouble.

And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all. (1 Samuel 30:8)

All is not lost

When you reach the limit of what you think you can handle and you begin to feel that a situation is hopeless, it is then that you must choose to let yourself sink into depression or hang on to the belief that all is not lost. Even when we know there is nothing we can do to change things, it is still possible for God to step in and rescue us.

The feeling of being stuck in a hopeless situation can be very painful. It is not until we realize that we are stuck that we are willing to ask for help. The reason why I think God often lets us get ourselves stuck is because he wants to move us in a new direction.

After David escaped from Achish the king of Gath, he sent his parents to Moab, the home of his great grandmother Ruth, and he took his men to a hold or fortress where he thought they would be safe. While David was in the hold, it says in 1 Samuel 22:5, “And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold, depart, get thee unto the land of Judah.”

David’s family were members of the tribe of Judah and his family had an inheritance in that land. David had disassociated himself from his inheritance by sending his parents to Moab and taking up residence in the hold. Although the hold felt safe at first, it became a prison that kept David locked up in fear and immobilized in despair.

When David was in the wilderness of Judah, he wrote psalm 63 which begins with the declaration, “O God, thou art my God” (Psalm 63:1). Once David was back where God wanted him to be, his relationship with the LORD was restored and David said, “early will I seek thee” (Psalm 63:1).

I think it is interesting that human nature sometimes causes us to wait until there is no hope left to seek God’s help. We are so used to depending on our own resources and capabilities that we forget there is a God available to us, one that is much better equipped to handle adversity. The word translated seek, shâchar (shaw – khar´) means to dawn and in a figurative sense it implies to be up early at a task (7836). It would be so much better if we would look for God’s help in the morning rather than at midnight, in the middle of a sleepless night.

David used the phrase “My soul followeth hard after thee” (Psalm 63:8) to describe a recommitment of himself to his relationship with the LORD. The term followeth hard means to cling to and is symbolic of glue wherein two things or people are permanently attached as in a marriage bond (1692). This kind of attachment is representative of love, a permanent love that can never be lost.

No other name

What does it take to be a savior? David said, “Save me, O God, by thy name, and judge me by thy strength” (Psalm 54:1). The first thing a savior has to do is determine if something or someone is savable. For example, when a doctor discovers that a person has cancer, he has to determine what stage the cancer is in to know if there is anything he can do to treat it and save the person’s life.

When David said judge me by thy strength, he was acknowledging that God’s strength is what determined his ability to save David. Just as a doctor has certain medicines and treatments at his disposal to save his patient, God has certain things that he can do to save a person’s life.

God’s strength or power is limitless. He can literally do anything he wants to, but God does not do just anything, he uses his wisdom to determine the best course of action and does what will bring the best possible outcome. When God determines if someone can be saved, he looks at their sin record to see what stage of destruction the person has reached. Although it is true that no one is beyond redemption, a person’s heart can become so hardened that nothing can be done to penetrate the barrier he has put up between him and God.

The word translated judge, dîyn (deen) “implies a settlement of what is right where there is a charge upon a person. Diym is a judicial word marking the act whereby men’s position and destiny are decided” (1777). David asked that God judge him by his strength because he knew that one day God was going to provide a Messiah that could erase every sin on David’s record and make it possible for him to have eternal life.

When David said, “Save me, O God, by thy name” (Psalm 54:1), he was talking about God’s reputation. The second thing a savior has to do is establish a track record of saving people. It wouldn’t make sense to go to a doctor that has no experience saving lives. If you know your chances of survival are slim to none, when your life is on the line, you are going to look for a doctor with the most experience, the one that has already saved people in similar situations.

God’s reputation for saving the Israelites began when he delivered them from bondage in Egypt. The ten plagues that he brought on Pharaoh, the parting of the Red Sea, and the manna that came from heaven for 40 years in the desert were all miraculous demonstrations of God’s power or capability to save lives. When Moses asked God why he was using miraculous signs to deliver the Israelites, he basically told him it was so that his name would become famous throughout the whole world.

God has revealed himself to us using many names that reflect something of his person and work. David understood that his Messiah would have a name and it would be the greatest name of all because it would reflect God’s work of salvation. Soon after Jesus ascended into heaven, his disciples discovered the power inherent in his name.

Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Who is like unto thee…Jesus

It is a mistake for Believers to assume there will be no judgment of them in the afterlife. Christians do not escape judgment, they are judged like everyone else, but anyone that has received salvation will be pronounced innocent when the verdict is rendered.

David knew that he would face judgment in the afterlife and believed he would be found innocent. He said in Psalm 17, “Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal. Thou hast proved my heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing” (Psalm 17:2-3).

In addition to the final judgment, David understood that each person would be judged according to his behavior and would receive rewards in this life and for those who had received salvation, rewards in heaven. David asked for deliverance from the wicked who he describes as “men of the world, which have their portion in his life” (Psalm 17:14).

Another word for portion is inheritance. People that do not have salvation receive the only inheritance they will ever get during their lives on earth. Believers have an eternal inheritance that they will receive after they die.

David concludes Psalm 17 by saying, “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied when I awake, with thy likeness” (Psalm 17:15). David is describing the transformation that would occur when he arrived in heaven. One of the disadvantages that Believers had before Jesus died on the cross was that they could not be regenerated or have their sins forgiven until after that event. When David died, he  did not immediately go to heaven to be with the LORD. It wasn’t until righteousness became available that David was able to enter into his presence and be transformed into his image.

In Psalm 35, David talks about salvation as a future event. He said, “And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: It shall rejoice in his salvation” (Psalm 35:9 emphasis mine) because it had not happened yet. The word translated salvation, yeshû‘âh (yesh – oo´ – ah) means something saved. Jesus is a Greek form of the word yeshu‘ah (3444).

David knew that he was involved in two wars while he was living among the Philistines. The battle over the Promised Land was obvious. It had been an ongoing struggle for hundreds of years for the Israelites to gain control of the land God had given them. The battle that David was more concerned about was the battle for his soul. David is describing spiritual warfare in Psalm 35:4-5 when he says, “Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: Let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt. Let them be as chaff before the wind: And let the angel of the LORD chase them.”

In spite of the disadvantage David had in not being able to overcome his sin, he lived with a victorious mindset. David was able to exercise great faith and believed that his salvation was certain. When David said, “who is like unto thee,” (Psalm 35:10) he was not asking a question, he was making a statement, actually declaring that there was no question about it, no one is like Jeshu‘ah…Jesus our deliverance!

Safe at last

“And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul” (1 Samuel 27:1). Satan’s two primary methods of attack are fear and doubt. If he is unable to sway you with fear, he will try to shake you with doubt. David’s belief that he would perish by the hand of Saul negated his belief that God would deliver him from the hands of his enemies, so both could no be true. There is no other explanation for David’s change of heart than doubt.

Essentially, doubt is a lack of belief or faithfulness. During times of doubt, it is possible to veer off course or take matters into your own hands as David did by going to live among the Philistines (1 Samuel 27:2). Although David was in no danger at the time, he thought it was necessary for him to deliver himself out of Saul’s hands.

“And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months” (1 Samuel 27:7). The time that David spent living among the Philistines is comparable to a Christian that is in a backslidden state. David’s behavior shows that he has come under the influence of Satan because he lies and uses deception to accomplish his goals. The result is that Achish the king of Gath believes David is serving him instead of God.

Some people may think David’s behavior was justifiable, even necessary for him to avoid being killed by Saul, but the bottom line was that God was not glorified by what David did. Although David did annihilate some of Israel’s enemies, his motive for killing everyone was to perpetuate his deception of Achish (1 Samuel 27:11). David’s main objective was to appear to be loyal to Achish so that he would not have a problem living in the land of the Philistines as long as he wanted to.

“And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him” (1 Samuel 27:12). The word translated believed here is the same word used to describe Abraham’s belief in God. David’s effort to deceive Achish was completely successful. David no longer had anything to worry about, he was safe at last.

A wonderful life

After David spared Saul’s life a second time, he said, “The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness” (1 Samuel 26:23). The terms righteousness and faithfulness were central to the covenant that God established with Abraham. A key scripture that should be familiar to all Christians is Genesis 15:6 where it says of Abraham, “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

The righteousness that was counted to Abraham because he believed in the LORD is the same righteousness that David said will be rendered to every man. The word translated believed, ’âman (aw – man´) indicates that Abraham “came to experience a personal relationship to God rather than an impersonal relationship with his promises” (539). The easiest way to explain this type of believing is with the example of a baby being fed by his mother. The baby does not know what his mother is feeding him, he eats because he is hungry. He trusts that what he is eating is good for him because he senses that his mother loves him and is taking care of his needs.

Righteousness “is a legal term which involves the whole process of justice. In its causative pattern the meaning of the verb brings out more clearly the sense of a judicial pronouncement of innocence” (6663). David uses the word righteousness together with the word faithfulness because he knows that he will be held accountable for his actions according to what he knows the LORD has asked him to do. Abraham’s faith was put into action when he obeyed the LORD and left his home in Haran for a land that he had never been to. David refused to kill Saul because he knew that it was a sin, “for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD’s anointed, and be guiltless?” (1 Samuel 26:9).

The word translated render in 1 Samuel 26:23, shûwb (shoob) means to turn back (7725). Shuwb is also translated as restored and recover. One of the ways to look at render is in the context of something that has been lost or stolen. The LORD says in Joel 2:25, “I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten.” He didn’t say he would restore the crop that the locust had eaten, he says the years because he is referring to the time and effort that was spent producing the crop. It is not the result he is concerned with, it is the investment, what was done by faith and with trust in the LORD.

When I became a Christian, I believed I was going to have a better life. All the pain and suffering I had gone through up to that point made me want something different. I believed I was going to get a new life, one that would be filled with love and happiness. I trusted that if I lived like God wanted me to, I would eventually get the life I was hoping for. Although I know I haven’t yet received all that God has planned for me, I can say with confidence that the LORD has restored all that was taken from me and given me a wonderful life.

Vengence is mine says the LORD

There are many forms and types of conflict. Most people think of conflict as fighting of which the most extreme form would be war, but I think the most common type of conflict is intrapersonal conflict or the conflict that goes on inside a person, the battle within yourself. I think intrapersonal conflict is common because people are not satisfied with their lives or perhaps with themselves. One of the signs of intrapersonal conflict is a feeling of despair.

David says in Psalm 120:5, “Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar!” David’s decision to flee from Saul may have been practical from the stand point of avoiding conflict with Saul, but it set in motion a pattern of running that was not consistent with David’s usual behavior and personality. David was a courageous man and his defeat of Goliath was an indicator of his ability on the battle field. The reason David ran from Saul may not have been because he was afraid that Saul would kill him, but because David did not want or feel that he was worthy to be king.

David was the youngest of eight brothers. His primary responsibility was to tend his father’s flock. David was a talented musician and he was very passionate in expressing his feelings and emotions. When he said goodbye to his good friend Jonathon, the two men wept and kissed each other as if they were in love. David’s tender heart does not seem consistent with that of a king.

David’s intrapersonal conflict caused him great distress. In his despair, he often cried out to the LORD and that may have been the real reason why he was chosen to be king. Whereas Saul’s arrogance and self-sufficiency caused him to draw away from God, David’s lack of qualification for the job caused him to draw near to God and to rely on him for every victory. David states in Psalm 120:1, “In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.”

The most unpleasant thing about conflict, especially intrapersonal conflict, is that it will torment you until you get it resolved. The battle that rages inside you is the worst kind of battle because it is within you and it is always going on.

When you are in distress, talking to God is a good idea. Otherwise, you might go crazy or do something you will regret. In Psalms 140 – 142, David reveals his inner struggle and tells us how he handled it. In each Psalm, there is personal communication going on. “I said unto the LORD…LORD I cry unto thee…I cried unto the LORD with my voice” (Psalm 140:6, 141:1, 143:1).

David’s process is summarized in Psalm141:2-3, “I poured out my complaint before him; I showed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou kneweth my path.” The word translated path, n‘thîybâh (neth – ee – baw´) means “to tramp; a (beaten) track” (5410). I can imagine David saying to the LORD, okay, we’ve gone over this a hundred times…there is nothing I can do about this…I am going to be killed and that’s all there is to it.

David’s final remark, “bring my soul out of prison” indicates his utter despair over the situation and shows us that he is feeling trapped. In spite of his feelings, David does not give up hope. He concludes by saying, “The righteous shall compass me about; for thou shalt deal bountifully with me” (Psalm 142:7).

Next to intrapersonal conflict, family conflict is probably the most painful and difficult to resolve. The complexity of family conflict is due to the length of time that it can go unresolved, sometimes generations, and the emotions that can be triggered by unconscious behavior as well as feelings such as love and hate that are often too intense to control.

David’s relationship to Boaz, a man of great wealth and compassion, no doubt had a strong bearing on his attitude toward family obligation with regard to the Mosaic law. When David heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep, he thought that Nabal would be willing to share his prosperity with David and his men because they had been protecting his flock while they were camping near it. Instead of rewarding them with some food and water, Nabal insulted David and sent his men away with nothing.

Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained to him; and he hath requited me evil for good. So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth agains the wall. (1 Samuel 25:21-22)

David’s intention to seek vengeance was against the law. The LORD says in Deuteronomy 32:35, “To me belongeth vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste.” David’s anger toward Nabal may have been justified, but he was not at liberty to take matters into his own hands and punish Nabal for his foolishness.

Nabal’s wife Abigail intervenes on his behalf and stops David from killing innocent men. Abigail restores David’s honor by humbling herself before him and is able to diffuse the conflict without anyone getting hurt. In the end, the LORD took care of the problem as he promised to in Deuteronomy 32:35.

But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as stone. And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, and he died. (1 Samuel 25:37-38)

In God we trust

Trust is very closely tied to expectations. As we get to know people, we develop expectations of them. Expectations are not just things we make up, they are based on experience and have logical reasoning behind them. Although expectations are often associated with circumstances, the main reason we think certain things will happen is because someone has caused them to happen and expectations help us to prepare for what that person is going to do.

The primary person we develop expectations of is God. Even people that do not believe in God still have a concept of God and therefore, have some expectation of what he will do. I think most people that do not believe in God believe he punishes people for doing bad things, and because everyone does bad things, they expect him to punish them. The choose not to believe in him to avoid punishment.

On the other hand, I think most people that say they trust God believe he rewards people for doing good things. They choose to trust him because they expect to get a reward someday. I don’t think it is possible to trust anyone unless you have some positive expectation of him or her.

David said in Psalm 56:3-4, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee, in God I will I praise his word, in God have I put my trust: I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.” David knew from experience that when he was in a scary situation, God was with him. David developed an expectation of being delivered from dangerous situations because he had been delivered from dangerous situations in the past. Over time, David began to trust that God would always be with him and would deliver him from every danger that threatened his life.

The reason David recorded his personal experiences with God is because he knew that what was true for him was true for every Believer. God did not take care of David any differently after he was anointed to be king than when he was a shepherd tending his father’s flock. David learned that if he needed help, all he had to do was call out to God and he would take care of it.

When I cry unto thee, then shall my enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me. (Psalm 56:9)

When

God’s perspective

When David fled from Saul he was completely unprepared and initially made mistakes in his decision making. In spite of his youth and inexperience in dealing with adversity, David managed to safely escape and established a small army to handle the threat to his life.

In the psalms that David wrote during this period of his life, are what could be called his secrets to success. Many of David’s psalms open in a similar way to Psalm 34 in which David says, “I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1). Many people might think that praise is something you are to do when you are happy to thank the LORD for his blessings, but praise can simply mean singing a song to the LORD.

When I was younger, I used to sing along to the songs I heard on the radio. I’ve noticed lately that I don’t sing very much. I have to make a conscious effort to let the words flow out of my mouth. David’s declaration that “his praise shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34:1) was a commitment to sing to the LORD even when he didn’t feel like it because things were not always going to go David’s way.

The harsh cold reality of what Saul was capable of became evident to David when he found out that Saul was responsible for the slaughter of 85 priests because Ahimelech had assisted David in escaping. I’m sure David felt that Saul was out of control and there was no telling what he would do to capture and kill him. The hope that David held on to was that even if Saul killed him, David would go to Heaven and be with the LORD. Therefore, David said, “I  will praise thee for ever” (Psalm 52:9).

The word we use today to talk about eternity, forever is a compound word that has taken away some of the meaning of what the words for and ever were originally intended to describe. Looking at the word ever from both the Hebrew and Greek perspective, it is clear that it is not intended to describe eternity from a time perspective, but to differentiate between time and no time or being in a state where time exists and a state where time does not exist.

A characteristic of being human is that we are aware of time. Because we are aware of time, we use it to control our behavior and to predict when certain things will happen. One of the most difficult aspects of letting God control my life is I don’t know when things are going to happen. When I pray for God to do something, if it is his will, I have the assurance that he will do what I have asked him to, but I have no idea when he will do it.

When we are with the LORD, whether it is walking with him in this world or being with him in Heaven, time does not exist. We enter into a state of timelessness and live in the moment, meaning that we are no longer controlled by time. David’s statement in Psalm 52:9, “I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it.” is spoken out of time. Another way of saying it is , I know you are going to take care of this LORD, and from your perspective it is already completed, so I am going to praise you in this moment as a way of seeing things from your perspective.