Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Samuel 9:1, 3, 7

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Samuel 9:1, 3, 7

"And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?

And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.

And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually."

Not only was David being kind to the house of Saul. He was honoring a covenant he made with his friend Jonathan. I pondered on how both keeping a promise and showing kindness is what the Lord would want us to do.

" And thou shalt not only while yet I live shew me the kindness of the LORD, that I die not:

But also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the LORD hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth.

So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, Let the LORD even require it at the hand of David’s enemies.

And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul."

(1 Samuel 20:14-17)

Day 2435

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 20:31, 33

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 20:31, 33

"For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.

And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David."

I think Saul is insane. He wants to kill David, and he says the reason is Jonathan's kingdom would never be established if David was alive. Then he throws a javelin at Jonathan. If Saul had hit his target wouldn't he be guilty of stopping Jonathan's kingdom from being established? What this shows me is that once the Spirit of the Lord has withdrawn from a person, rational thought has also fled. There is no reasoning with Saul. It made me ponder on the behaviors I am seeing in people today. I have wondered how people can behave so badly, especially when cameras are recording them, yet they have no self control to monitor their actions. It shows that the light of Christ has dimmed to the point it's extinguished inside of them. They have lost the moral compass to guide them.

Day 2415

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 14:18, 23, 35, 37, 45

Today's Favorite Verse: 1 Samuel 14:18, 23, 35, 37, 45

"And Saul said unto Ahiah, Bring hither the ark of God. For the ark of God was at that time with the children of Israel.

So the LORD saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over unto Beth-aven"

And Saul built an altar unto the LORD: the same was the first altar that he built unto the LORD.

And Saul asked counsel of God, Shall I go down after the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel? But he answered him not that day.

And the people said unto Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought this great salvation in Israel? God forbid: as the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not."

So much going on in this chapter and the confusion is actually Saul and his actions and commands. Frankly they are confusing, but there are points being made. Saul calls for the ark, but doesn't use it. It reminds me of Eli and his sons. Why do you call for something if you shouldn't in the first place? He builds an altar, but a point is made in the story that this is the first one he has built unto the Lord. He prays to God for counsel and God doesn't answer him. His command that would have his son Jonathan killed for not obeying, because the son was actually doing God's will at the time and didn't hear it, was stopped from happening by the people. They won't follow Saul in this. He's lost the confidence in not only the people, but also by God.

I asked myself what is this trying to tell me is the issue with Saul? I think it comes down to who's will are you trying to serve. Is it God's or his own? At great risk to himself Jonathan did God's will. With Saul he seems to be going through the motions to appear he is religious and after God's will, but his motivation seems to be pride and how he will look in the eyes of others. He is not on the same page with God. Saul is an example of what happens when we don't relinquish control to God and seek his will. We experience unnecessary confusion, and make foolish decisions that complicate our lives.

Day 2409