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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.

”You’re my friend and you are my brother, only You can satisfy”.

”Maybe you have not really considered the concept of Me being a friend to you as that word is not used much in my bible. Yet the whole concept of friendship lies behind my relationships with you and every other brother in Me. There are few human friendships which stand the true test of time and challenge – yet there are many who come close – at the best each of these is merely a small foretaste of the friendship which awaits you in me, when you enter into my fathers glory. Just know that although My friendship may be clandestine yet as you consider your life and how My Grace has change that, you will have some small inkling of what My true friendship is to you. Meditate on that and enjoy the realization of My total commitment to you.”

Turning to 1 Samuel ch 20 we come to the most beautiful revelation of true friendship. Recently there has been an attempt to hijack this chapter to suggest a sexual relationship. There is, however no suggestion of that at all. Here is a quote from a Christian author, “Like the sacramental use of water, bread and wine, friendship takes what is a common and human experience and turns it into something holy”

David would probably not have survived to become king if it wasn’t for Jonathan’s friendship. All the more surprising since Jonathan was actually the heir to the throne cf v 31., but was actually supporting David to take that position.

So let us look at various aspects of this great friendship:

Self sacrifice. Jonathan was prepared to risk his life for David and as we have seen before how he had relinquished his claim to the throne for David.

Love : v17. This showed a strong bond between them.

Kindness: v 15. Kindness lies beneath every aspect of building a strong friendship.

Faithfulness. We cannot see the completion of Jonathan’s faithfulness in this chapter alone, but he remained faithful to David till his death.

Companionship: Lying behind the whole structure of this story we see the strong bond of companionship between them.

God’s hand in friendship: Both David and Jonathan recognize that their bond of friendship has been given them by God Himself cf eg v 42.

Now these and other attributes of friendship don’t arise overnight. They are built up over time. Companionship comes from spending time together and from that grow the other attributes of real friendship.

As I read this chapter a warm sense of belonging came over me as I recognized shades of Jesus’ friendship with each one of us portrayed here. We often speak of having a relationship with God through Jesus, but what we really have , which is portrayed here so well is a true friendship, which the word “relationship” perhaps doesn’t do complete justice. This friendship is never really given a name in the New Testament but lies behind the whole concept of Jesus’ mission to save us.

What a friend we have in Jesus! Read the chapter again and meditate on it, while realizing that this is only a faint picture of the friendship we can and should have with Jesus. May I add that friendship comes from both sides and we cannot expect to have a deep experience of friendship if we don’t spend time with our friend Jesus, getting to know Him well and responding to His love towards us. He is ready to speak to you mainly through His word, but in other ways as well, at all times. Listen to Him, and speak to Him as well. Speak to Him about everything that matters in your life.

May He bless each one of you as you develop a deeper friendship with the Greatest Friend you could ever have.

“Oh love that will not let me go.”

”Love, that overused, over rated word which is bandied about in the world, yet in the context of My relationship with you and the world, is the most useful word which describes My commitment to you all and what I desire should be your response to Me. Emotions are often confused with real love, emotions come and go and can be extremely powerful in driving us to action – yet are unreliable and subject to change for many reasons. My love is not devoid of emotion but is nevertheless fixed in the attitude I have towards you all and the way I act in all circumstances. That love is the binding force which took Me to the cross and is My invitation to you in this coming year to respond by loving me – yes My desire is still that you love Me with all your soul, body, mind and strength and I am working towards getting you there. Unfortunately there will be pain as I prune away the branches in your life that bear no fruit.

As we get to 1 Samuel 19, we see the saga continue to unfold as God prepares David to be the future king of Israel. Saul’s importance is rapidly becoming diminished. Standing back and looking at the bigger picture of what is described in this chapter I saw so beautifully how God works with all of us to bring us ultimately to glory. Of course, the details vary with each individual, yet the process is the same, as described for instance in the first vv of Roman’s ch 5.

Behind these events one can see another dimension, which we often lose sight of. The powerful spiritual battle, which is raging, often unseen behind David’s and our lives, but which manifests in various ways.

What is important is that the forces of evil which seem to be the driving force behind Saul’s actions, are nevertheless completely under God’s control. We see this so well in the last vv of this chapter as Saul sends men to capture David and eventually tries to go himself when they are unsuccessful. What precisely the prophets were doing as they prophesied is not clear, probably a sort of praise session, and as soon as the antagonists join them, they find themselves, against their will, drawn into the same activity.

And so David survives. Even within Saul’s own family David has two strong allies, Jonathan and Michal, whom God has obviousy arranged they be there so that they could support David during all the vicissitudes he was experiencing.

All the time, God was doing what He describes in Romans 5. Producing perseverance, character and hope. In this way Dvid was a much stronger person after all these experiences, as unpleasant as they must often have been.

This passage was a strong back up to my sermon on Sunday and a further encouragement for the coming year. May you all experience God’s firm and loving hand on yourselves and your loved ones during this coming year.

I am fighting a battle that You have already won – and I know how the story ends – I will be with You forever.

” If you allow your eyes and your thoughts to focus on the battle – all you will see is flashing swords, squirting blood, damaged souls and even corpses. That is why you should live in the light of what I have done to overcome the enemy – the enemy of your soul– And lift your eyes above the conflict to see Me in all My majesty, the eternal Victor. You are in My team and My team always wins in the end. As you continue to travel on the narrow path you will experience the serious tempest of the battle from time to time, but he who hopes in the Lord will fly with wings of an eagle and soar above where the storms rage and the battle is fiercest and in Me you will have peace. This is My promise – trust in Me and trust in My promise and you will have peace.”

As what seems like a long year draws to an end, I have decided to focus today on a psalm that I have turned to a number of times this year. Psalm 13, a psalm written by the very David whom we have been reading about in 1 Samuel. Although already anointed as king David had to undertake several risky maneuvers to avoid the jealousy and hate of Saul. Many times, as he hid in caves and consorted with the enemy in an effort to escape, he must have called out “How long oh Lord, how long?”

This past year I have experienced times of great joy and release. I have often spent much time just appreciating God and what He has done for me and my family. However there have been a number of challenges. I am sure that each one of you have experienced something similar. Not the least was having “Long Covid”.

Several times during this period I have found myself waiting on the Lord for relief and an answer to my deepest prayers. Not the least, as I said during the time of my Long Covid. Sometimes these challenges have been more a question of comfort or relief from a situation.

What has, however become increasingly clear to me is that God uses this method to build our faith in Him. Time and again I have sensed Him saying to me, “Don’t you trust Me?”. Then I wait some more and often feel like David calling out “How long oh Lord, how long?”. When I look at the psalm, that seems exactly what David was experiencing. See vs 5 as he comes to that exact same conclusion, “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation”.

Recently I read something by Paul Tripp. He said that waiting is a characteristic of Christianity. He suggested that it had to do with change. God is continually busy building us up. Change however, does not usually happen in a flash of realization, although it can of course. Change is usually a process and God uses this waiting often in the process of bringing change to our hearts and minds.

Ultimately real change is initiated by a realization of the need to repent in a certain area. The realization of the need to change is the first step to accomplishing this. Hence the importance of confession in Church services.

Finally, when faced with a period of waiting, where we are called to be still and trust in the Lord, the temptation is to lose our patience and rush in to solve the problem ourselves. There is a time for waiting and a time for going into action at the Lord’s guidance.

May these thoughts help you as you prepare for the coming year. Finally remember the words of Jesus at the Sermon on the Mount, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own”.

May the Lord bless you all out of your socks as we move into a new possibly exciting year of opportunity for the Lord.

How wonderful, how marvelous is my Saviour’s is love for me.

”My Love is demonstrated at this time of the year with a new urgency and intimacy – as you celebrate the visible manifestation of My love for you and for the whole world in sending My Son on a mission to planet Earth, a rescue mission, the most important mission of all time – to provide a rescue avenue. Not an impersonal path or way out, but a personal rescue involving a personal encounter with Me through My son. He undertook the mission knowing the cost but did it gladly because of my overreaching love for the whole world. My desire is that at this time and in this season this mission would become even more real to you and to all who love Me and it will be discovered by many who never knew it before. All the pain and hurt and sorrow will soon be behind you as My mission is completed and I bring all My loved one’s home. So be a light on a hill so that many may see in you My light which I have brought to the Earth”.

As we turn now to 1 Samuel 18, the story of Saul and David continues to unfold. It is a story of gathering antipathy, anger and fear from Saul towards David. Before we enter the full text of the chapter there is this beautiful interlude of Jonathan and his love and friendship with David. It is a sharp contrast which highlights the evil of Saul even more. Jonathan, the eldest son of the king had every right to expect to follow his father to the throne. Here we see that he is more than happy to befriend David and support him.

From appearing to accept David and promote him and his role we see that the real feelings behind these actions were driven by a growing unreasonable jealousy of David’s popularity and a fear described several times raised by the repeated statement, “Because the Lord was with David” vv 12,14,29.

As the narrative unfolds we see how Saul tries to get rid of David. His efforts fail and instead, another member of his household falls in love with David, Saul’s daughter Michal. Saul even tries the same trick with David that David would later try with Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah. Send them into the thick of the battle hoping they will be killed.

Sorry for this but I had this little giggle as I imagined David returning from battle with a bag filled with 200 foreskins. In my mind’s eye I saw him shake it out on a table for Saul to count. Or well maybe they just kept count on the battlefield.

The Lord spoke to me in several ways from this passage. Here are three.

1. I was struck by how treacherous and unreliable people can be. I am sure you have all experienced the pain of someone close to you or whom you have a high regard for turning on you or letting you down. It highlights again the exceptional value of having a Lord and Friend i n Jesus who is always faithful and will never let you down. The description “Rock” is so valuable.
2. The picture of Saul’s hate towards David is a preview of the intense hate people had towards David’s Greater Son Jesus while He was on earth. This is carried over to us today as people recognize in some way that God is with us and this seems to generate intense feelings of antagonism towards us.
3. As God’s plan for David unfolds we can see how, in several ways, God is guiding and using events to accomplish His ultimate purposes. This does not necessarily mean that His children don’t experience discomfort from time to time. But it does mean that nothing will stop God from carrying out the plan He has for each one of us. And ultimately the climax of that plan is to take us into the New Heavens and the New Earth when He is ready to do so.

May our loving Lord Jesus bless each one of you who have followed this blog, in a special way this Christmas and we will meet again next week.

Jesus calls me friend – so, what a friend I have in Jesus! What does that mean to me?

”Maybe your reflection on friendship will be clouded by your experience of human friendships. People who you have called friend in the past turning and letting you down or even worse actually acting against you and your best needs and purposes – figuratively stabbing you in the back. The one you thought you could really trust actually being the one who is bringing you down. I am a completely different type of friend. I am a friend who you can share your deepest desires, joys and yes, your fears with. The one who will never act against you or use inside knowledge to bring you down. I am the friend who gave up the right to call myself God and died on the cross to save you. My thoughts and actions are always aimed at your ultimate benefit. You can always trust me even and especially in the darkest moments when there appears to be no way through. I am there and will always make a way. Even using that moment to demonstrate my glory. So, lean back into My arms and trust me.”

We come today to ch 17 of 1 Samuel. One of the best-known passages in the bible. I am afraid often wrongly or inadequately interpreted. The real message is very powerful, however and is really worth meditating on.

Ch 17 introduces us again to David, the future king of Israel. It is clear that it describes an event which happened before the events described in the previous chapter.

The background is a war scene. This strange way of fighting is described where a champion of one army comes out and challenges the other army to produce a champion. The result of this conflict will determine the result of the battle. There are some of Jesse’s sons in the army and David, a young fellow who was actually a shepherd is sent to the warfront to deliver supplies to his brothers.

The description of what follows is beautifully laid out. The contrast is enormous between the two combatants. Just read it again and live yourself into the scene. Totally against all expectations David not only survives but comes out the victor cutting off this giant’s head.

The conclusion usually drawn. With God’s help the small overcomes the impossibly great. While this true and a principle we see throughout the bible, that interpretation is inadequate though. We need to ask the question, “What gave David the courage to take on this giant?” His explanation in vv 34-37 gives us the answer. David has for a long time trusted God in a number of impossible situations, experiencing His saving power and grace in each situation. In this way his faith was exercised and grew to the point where he could confidently say “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”vs 37

Faith is not something that arises and grows in a vacuum. It is a sense of trust which is initiated by God’s revelation of Himself to a person. From there it grows exponentially through the interaction of the person and God as he deals with life’s circumstances and the tests and trials God places before him. There are many facets to this interaction as one gets to know God through His word and teaching and one’s understanding and obedience. Ultimately David had already grown in his trust of God through a number of trials which prepared him for this moment. That is why he could write Psalm 23 for instance and many others.

The second thing to note is that David did this act because he felt personally offended that His God was being defied. As he took on the conflict his words indicated that he wanted to come against Goliath in God’s name, to glorify Him and trusting in Him. There was no thought of personal glory or fame.

Then there is the telling verse 47, “It is not by sword that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give all of you into our hands“. God’s way of victory lies in His hands and is often not the way we expect. But we can relax and feel safe because the battle is His. However, we still need to, like David be prepared to do our share.

Because of this trust David could confidently write Psalm 23 and many others.

The chapter ends with an interaction showing Saul’s interest in getting to know more about David. Could this have been motivated by the jealousy which later becomes so prominent in the story about Saul?

Friends this has been a tough year for me and for many of you too. This passage gives one the opportunity to get some perspective again on our relationship with our most loving and caring Lord. A reminder that He is always acting for our benefit and nothing is ever too hard for Him. That we can place our trust fully on Him and sleep at ease, no matter how fearful and large our personal Goliath may appear. May you enjoy the days leading up to the celebration of His birth as we eagerly anticipate the ultimate consummation of His plan for the whole world and for each of us individually. God bless you till next week.