Author: ianfrancoisdt

I am overcome with thoughts of the vastness of God in size, power, love – awesome thoughts overwhelm me.

It is hard for My creatures to really take in the size and spread of My presence and My power which is focused on you through My grace. But there was a specific moment when that entire power met and impinged on My creation here on this planet where you live. It was a moment when My love in My Son was taken from him and poured out on you so that you could escape judgement and be free – free from slavery to sin and to the law. Free to be the people you were created to be. Consider how difficult it is for my vast presence to be real and close to you, therefore I have made a Way by becoming one of you I can now relate in a new way – a way which you can understand and appreciate. Yet behind all this I remain huge and awesome and unfathomable.

As we continue to read in 1 Samuel 24, the relentless pursuit of David by Saul continues and reaches a climax. However, the climax is not at all what the reader would perhaps have expected. Instead of Saul achieving his goal to catch David and put him to death, God delivers Saul into David’s hands.

Consider for a moment the feelings David must have had, after fleeing for several years, living often under great hardship, even pretending to be mad to escape another enemy. And then God apparently, according to his men, vs 4, delivers Saul into David’s hands. What a moment of triumph, of relief, maybe. He can kill Saul and come out into the open and be crowned king.

Yet at that very moment David is more prepared to obey God’s voice than his own feelings. He perceives Saul as God’s anointed one and he therefore should not touch him. Can you imagine how strong the temptation must have been to take Saul’s life and be done with it.

As I read this passage my thoughts went to the general feeling most people have when they feel they have been wronged. Most people’s first reaction is to find a way to exact revenge. To get back at the cause of their tribulation. If you watch stories on TV you will soon see that many of them are focused and often climax in a most “satisfying” act of revenge.

As I considered this, I thought of Paul’s words in Romans 12:17 – 21. Especially vs 19 :”Do not take revenge my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath...” This, folks is so counter-intuitive. It is our nature to want to extract revenge. Just look at Gaza. But the gospel is counter-intuitive. The gospel calls us out to be different. The main point is that we do not naturally have that attitude, it is only after we have been transformed and have the help of the Holy Spirit that we are able to follow this instruction.

That, my friends, is an ideal example of being a witness for Christ. When one takes on that attitude then people will look and say, “But why is he different?”

David made many mistakes. But one thing stands out, he adored Yahweh and really wanted to honour Him and this was one of the early signs of that. There is perhaps much about David and some of his behaviour which could call us to wonder why he is called by God as a man after God’s own heart. Without plumbing the full depths of that statement, it seems that our estimate of what God sees in our hearts may sometimes be questioned. Certainly, God seeks people who will love Him with all their hearts, souls, bodies and strength. This can only be accomplished through the work of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in what we call the gospel and will be demonstrated in their lives and actions.

Plenty to chew over again this week, if you so wish. God bless till next week.

Thank you Lord for everything you are, for everything you have done for me and for the whole world. The song “I will never know how much it cost to see my sin upon the cross” is ringing in my ears.

“Look up into the endless space – yes, it is apparently endless – yet in every part of it I am present. Not in a passive way but actively continuing to control this beautiful universe – for My benefit – for My glory. Everything is ultimately focused on Me and My glory. Yet in the centre of this picture is a jarring cruel smudge. A cruel cross on a hill I created. A symbol of My commitment to you and all mankind and all of my creation. Yes, ‘you will never know how much it cost to see your sin upon the cross’ – yet it was done gladly because of My great love for you and for every person I have created. Continue to appreciate and continue to walk the path towards My glory first and then yours because of Me.”

Last time we discussed the question of our ability or not, to choose freely. It was intended to remind us of our responsibility to make right choices and point out the need to choose correctly to others especially non-believers in the question of salvation. It was in no way intended to cast any doubt or shadow on God’s total souvereignty. That is the given basis of our reformed theology, so that we can truly trust the statement in Ephesians 1:4 “For, he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he has predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ in accordance with His pleasure and will”

As we come to Ch 24 of 1 Samuel the story of David’s flight from the demented and occultic mania of Saul to kill him continues. The question of God’s souvereignty hangs like a glorious backdrop to the unfolding story. We see a number of instances where God intervened in various ways to save a fleeing David. For instance, the last paragraph vv 26 – 29 with David almost in Saul’s clutches God arranges an incursion by the Philistines into the country. which distracts Saul. Jonathan also appears as a support for David as he encouraged David and “helped him find strength in God“. v 16

At the same time David is not passive. Several times David inquires of God what He should do next: vv2 ,4,9, 12. Which shows how he was depending on God and His guidance in this headlong pursuit.

David on previous occasions had withheld himself from the opportunity to strike back at Saul, regarding him still as God’s anointed. He was also giving succour to this band of refugees who now were part of his band of men which followed David and had grown to about 600 (v 13).

All this time, while God was actively manipulating the final outcome of the events, David had to continue to make wise and active choices. He did this while depending on God to guide him through the various ways available to him – a prophetic word, the ephod and Jonathan. This is hugely comforting to us yet a challenge that we should at all times be aware of the importance of the choices we make and the need to walk closely with God.

We can all lookback and see God’s hand on our lives if we are perceptive. Let me give you a small testimony of one of the instances when God intervened in my life. From the moment when I was in Std 9, when I decided to become a vet, this decision slowly grew to be a passion. At the end of our first year which we could complete at any uni, we could apply for selection to go to Onderstepoort. My first year at Pretoria University went well and I had a quiet confidence that I stood a good chance to be selected for one of 25 places at Onderstepoort for my second year.

At home on our farm in the Karoo near Colesberg I waited to hear if my application had succeeded. The letter came and with shaking hands I opened it and my hopes were dashed as I read the opening line: “We regret to advise you….” I was devastated. I had no plan B. I staggered out of the room and for the next week I wandered through the veld and kopjes on the farm with only one sentence on my lips: “Oh God please change that decision. Open a way for me to go to Onderstepoort. I so badly want to do this.” The dassies must have got tired of me sitting with my head in my hands mumbling this prayer over and over again.

I had always believed in God and prayed to Him but had no born-again relationship with Him. I had never even heard of that. A week later a telegram arrived. “There has been a cancellation, so you have now been selected to attend the second year at O/P”

It was always God’s plan for me to follow this profession. However, He chose to take me along this path which had a huge effect on me. It opened a new dimension in my belief in God being real and ready to answer our pleas.

Is God’s souvereignty real and complete? Absolutely! Does He expect us to make responsible and wise choices all along the way? Absolutely! May He continue to bless you in this coming week as you consider these things.

Two things which are in separable – God’s love and the cross. Those are inseparable from His love for you as you are sealed into a potent inseparable relationship with God Himself.

“It is good that you recognize the cross as the great symbol of My love. It stands out far above anything else in history – it is the marking point of the world’s destiny and any words about love or any other emotion which don’t have the cross somewhere in mind are not permanent or absolute. So, revel in that awful symbol of cruelty because it is there where your freedom was won because of My deep, deep love for you. This is the great enigma of the Christian faith like so many others which are often difficult to grasp – however let these thoughts just lift you up and carry you forward as you revel in that reality which you can see of a love which you cannot always see and grasp”.

Today I will pause and address Lilly’s concern about whether we have freedom to choose. This is a vast subject and one which has caused great contention in the past, so it is impossible in the space I have today to deal with it exhaustively. What I will do is put forward a number of thoughts concerning the subject for you all to ruminate over.

To start with there are some concepts which are clearly defined in God’s word and others which are not so clearly defined but revealed in many different ways as the bible story unfolds. As one reads this story, ideas which seem to contradict each other or seem to express opposing views sometimes come to the fore. There are a number of such apparent enigma’s in the word. I like to think that the truth lies, held in tension between them. They are often difficult to grasp completely and lead us back to realize the God is so much greater and wiser than we are and His ways “unsearchable” in Paul’s words in Romans 11:33. That is when we have to step back and be careful of making definite judgements when He has not given us a clear one Himself. It is tempting to try and put God in a box where everything is clear and cut and dried and you can understand Him completely. He will not allow that however, He is always mystical in a way and far above that.

Going back to the beginning of the creation story we are presented with God’s interaction with the first people He has created. He, in somewhat pictorial language gives them a choice. They could follow Him or follow their own way. He clearly did this because of His intention in creating man as expressed for instance in Acts 17:27 “God did this (created man) so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him” God wanted a being who would seek to have a relationship with him.

When man decided to follow their own way in rebellion to God’s invitation in Genesis, God was angry and placed a curse on the whole of the creation and especially on this very creature whom He had wanted to love and have a relationship with. The result was that every person since then is born with a bias away from seeking God which is clearly described for instance in Romans 3 cf vs 10 “There is no one who righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks God.”

God’s rescue mission through Jesus provides a way out of this impossible situation. Through Jesus we can have a softened heart and a relationship with God through His Son. The question is, “does He grab some people by the scruff of the neck and force them to love Him and follow Him?” Clearly not, he makes the offer and each person is invited to respond by faith to receive this gift.

Is this response a free choice? Well, given our bias it cannot be entirely. Yet there is a degree in which we have to exercise our choice to follow Him and receive the New Birth, otherwise we would simply be puppets. So God is operating in His sphere of grace as He draws us into making this decision. cf Ephesians 2: For it is by grace you have been saved through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is a gift from God”.

To help me understand this I imagine God wooing each person like a lover (Maybe that is why the book called “Song of Solomon” is included in the word). Of course, He is an all-powerful lover and can create circumstances to suite His purposes, but within this there is still, there must be a degree to which we are responding of our own “free” will.

Then once we have been saved this dance with Him as our lover continues. He places before us diverse challenges and tribulations in which He is inviting us to trust Him. We are continually faced with the need to make choices. These choices can lead to various outcomes, but in the end He is so controlling the final outcome so that His will will be achieved.

Ultimately the verse that Lilly quoted (Ephesians 1:4) gives us the assurance that when we look back we can see that He chose us before we were even born and predestined our lives, so we are completely secure in His love. It is nevertheless pertinent that we present the choice to everyone that they should choose Jesus and leave it up to Him to complete the dance. That is what Jesus Himself did repeatedly.

I hope I have not confused you all, but this is a hugely difficult subject to describe and pin down. We need to continually remind ourselves that God is souvreign and far above our understanding.

Please comment if you wish. Do this by clicking the title of this blog and the comments section will open up. Questions are also welcome. God bless till next week.

If you seek me you will find me, if you seek me with all your heart.

” As I created man, I sought to have a creature who would make it his life’s goal to seek me. To make me the center point of his life’s goals. But I wanted that to be a free choice, that is why I placed an alternative to seeking Me in the garden. They rest you know and understand – however My goal is still to woo as many as will respond into a relationship with Me which starts with them seeking Me. This attitude of searching for Me will always be rewarded – I will open the door, I will answer you with the greatest gift – My love through My Spirit and ministered through My grace. So, as you seek – here I am waiting to be found are you.”

In Chapter 22 of 1 Samuel, we see David still on the run from Saul. In Ch 21 David was completely isolated, on his own and without any weapons to protect himself with. He is forced to flee to gentile territory where he runs into more trouble. In ch 22 as he returns to Israeli territory, he is joined firstly by his family and then by a number of men who seem to all be in trouble. Not wanting to expose his elderly parents, he takes them to Moab which is once again outside of Israel, before returning to Adullam which is near Bethlehem.

During this time, we see he is still being led by the Lord through the prophet Gad first and later Abiathar., son of Ahimelech who had been murdered. He seems to have been living like a sort of Robin Hood, continually on the run from Saul yet caring for a body of people.

On the other hand, Saul is behaving more and more irrationally. Firstly, when he hears the whereabouts of David, he tries to gain the loyalty of his soldiers by promising them all sorts of things (vv 7 ff). Sounds a bit like SA politics. Then comes a fly in the ointment in the form of a fellow called Doeg who is an Edomite. We ran into him before, but he now again appears to support Saul. Doeg casts doubts on the prophet Ahimelech and Saul takes the bit between his teeth after this innocent prophet. Despite his innocence and a good, logical answer to Saul, he decides to punish the whole colony of priests at Nob and when his own men won’t do it gives the instruction to kill all these people and their families and livestock to Doeg who is a foreigner.

Saul is descending further and further into the irrational state of madness while David is slowly rising. The chapter ends with the promise of David to Abiathar the priest that he will protect him and he will be safe with him..

Now what is Jesus saying to me from this section?

Firstly, we see how the Lord, through His providence, is still preparing the way for David to become king. The narrow path he is being called to follow has many difficulties and twists, but God is busy all the time preparing this man for his ultimate role. We can expect the same, remember Jesus’ words, “in the world you will have tribulation, but take heart in Me you will have peace”. We should never fear the tribulation though but rather, in Paul’s words in Romans 5:3, rejoice in our tribulations, because they are a sign that God is busy with a process in each one of us which will lead us to glory, where we will have the ultimate satisfaction.

Secondly, we see here again the faint picture of Jesus’ the greater king being reflected by David as he gathers the outcasts of society and takes care of them.

Although it is not specifically mentioned in this passage, I can also see the hand of Satan as Saul moves further away from the Lord and even from his people, reaching a lowest point as he annihilates a whole town of priests. God will still be the ultimate victor, but we are all to be aware that there is this battle going on. Remember Jesus’ words in His prayer “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the Evil one”.

To God be all the glory as we look forward to meeting again next week.

From the song “Above All”: Like a rose trampled on the ground, you took the fall and thought of me above all.

”The enigma of Christian faith – a God who is so mighty, so wise, so all powerful – who spoke a creation into being so large it is immeasurable – yet taking on the form of man and coming to live among his creatures – experiencing the limitations of rejection, pain and loneliness of life here on Earth. And then actually dying and taking the punishment on himself which each person deserves – placing love for my creatures above all. Now as ever before I invite you and everyone who wishes into an intimate relationship of love – more intimate than the greatest loves of the Earth. I invite you – ‘Come onto me all who are heavy laden and all those who are full of joy and I will give you rest – rest in an intimate relationship with me'”.

We move now into chapter 21 of 1 Samuel, which describes a period where David is exiled and persecuted, which continues to 26:25. This chapter pictures David as desperate and alone, as he flees from Saul’s wrath. As I read it, it raised a few questions in my mind.

Despite the desperateness of his situation, is this not the same man who, as a boy, had faced Goliath on the basis of trusting in a God who had always rescued him from the fiercest wild animals?(1 Samuel 17:37) About whom now is written: vs 12; David took these words to heart and was very much afraid.

This spoke to me of the danger of ever feeling so secure in your faith that you think you will never be tempted and fall. Our faith depends on our growing in our relationship with God continually. Yes, and He will test us in many ways, but His purpose is not to get us to fall but to strengthen our faith.

The picture of the loneliness of David and the desperate situation he was in is perhaps a small foretaste of the greater David, King Jesus, who was sought and persecuted from the beginning of His life.

What else should be kept in mind is that there is more than just a jealousy and hate being reflected here. It is also a reflection of the great Spiritual battle which was going on in the background as Satan sought to derail God’s plans. When we come to Jesus’ life, we see from the very beginning how Satan attempted to derail God’s plan, with the actions of Herod for example, as he sought to kill the “future King of Israel”, by killing all the little boys of a certain age. (Matthew 3:16 ff)

It is a timely warning to all of us not to ever under-estimate the spiritual battle that is going on for each one of our souls. Jesus has won the victory, but the battle still rages and we need to be cognizant of it. cf Ephesians 6:10 ff

It is hard to reconcile the young lad who took on Goliath with the frightened man escaping into a Philistine king’s hands and then having to resort to appearing mad to survive. Yet in all this we must believe that God was there through His grace, continuing to prepare David for the huge task that lay ahead. It is comforting to know that this fearful, appearing mad man would eventually be called by God as a “Man after my own heart”. We can never fall too far that it stops God, through His grace from loving us completely.

We will come back to this but just a mention that this time of exile was a period when David was prolifically producing many of the beautiful psalms which we love. Experiencing all the emotions of rejection and fear he was able to write the psalms that give us so much comfort.

So let us take heart as we read about this favourite son and his struggles as we go into a new year, knowing that God equally has a plan for each one of us and though we will face difficulties along the way, He will be there, He is there through His Spirit guiding and supporting us all the way. Bless you all till next week.