disappointments

Posted on April 30, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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disappointments

1 Samuel 29:1-11 (JDV)

1 Samuel 29:1 The Philistines gathered all their camps to Aphek while Israel was camped by the spring in Jezreel.
1 Samuel 29:2 As the Philistine leaders were passing in review with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were passing in review behind them with Achish.
1 Samuel 29:3 Then the Philistine commanders asked, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” Achish answered the Philistine commanders, “That is David, servant of King Saul of Israel. He has been with me for a considerable time. From the day he defected until today, I’ve found no fault with him.”
1 Samuel 29:4 The Philistine commanders, however, were enraged with Achish and told him, “Send that man back and let him return to the place you assigned him. He must not go down with us into battle only to become our opponent during the battle. What better way could he ingratiate himself with his master than with the heads of our men?
1 Samuel 29:5 Isn’t this the David they sing about during their dances: Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands?”
1 Samuel 29:6 So Achish summoned David and told him, “As Yahveh lives, you are an honorable man. I think it is good to have you fighting in this unit with me because I have found no fault in you from the day you came to me until today. But the leaders don’t think you are reliable.
1 Samuel 29:7 Now go back peacefully and you won’t be doing anything the Philistine leaders think is wrong.”
1 Samuel 29:8 “But what have I done?” David replied to Achish. “From the first day I entered your service until today, what have you found against your servant to keep me from going to fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
1 Samuel 29:9 Achish answered David, “I’m convinced that you are as reliable as an angel of God. But the Philistine commanders have said, ‘He must not go into battle with us.’
1 Samuel 29:10 So get up early in the morning, you and your masters’ servants who came with you. When you’ve all gotten up early, go as soon as it’s light.”
1 Samuel 29:11 So David and his men got up early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

disappointments

Changes are beginning to happen in David’s life, and it is a good thing that they are. He has been with the Philistines so long that he feels hurt when their commanders reject him. God has a plan for him, and it is time for him to move on in order to fit into that plan. Disappointments for us can be equally hard to take, but we need to leave room for the sovereignty of God to work out his plan. Our disappointments might just set us up for God’s appointments.

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point of no return

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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point of no return

1 Samuel 28:15-25 (JDV)

1 Samuel 28:15 “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Samuel asked Saul. “I’m in serious trouble,” replied Saul. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He doesn’t answer me anymore, either through the prophets or in dreams. So, I’ve called on you to tell me what I should do.”
1 Samuel 28:16 Samuel answered, “Since Yahveh has turned away from you and has become your enemy, why are you asking me?
1 Samuel 28:17 Yahveh has done exactly what he said through me: Yahveh has torn the kingship out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David.
1 Samuel 28:18 You did not obey Yahveh and did not execute his burning anger against Amalek; therefore, Yahveh has done this to you today.
1 Samuel 28:19 Yahveh will also hand Israel over to the Philistines along with you. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Also, Yahveh will hand Israel’s army over to the Philistines.”
1 Samuel 28:20 Immediately, Saul fell flat on the ground. He was terrified by Samuel’s words and was also weak because he had not eaten anything all day and all night.
1 Samuel 28:21 The woman came over to Saul, and she saw that he was terrified and said to him, “Notice, your servant has obeyed you. I took my throat in my hand and did what you told me to do.
1 Samuel 28:22 Now please listen to your servant. Let me set some food in front of you. Eat and it will give you strength so you can go on your way.”
1 Samuel 28:23 He refused, saying, “I won’t eat,” but when his servants and the woman urged him, he listened to them. He got up off the ground and sat on the bed.
1 Samuel 28:24 The woman had a fattened calf at her house, and she quickly slaughtered it. She also took flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread.
1 Samuel 28:25 She served it to Saul and his servants, and they ate. Afterward, they got up and left that night.

point of no return

Saul had decided on a last-minute appeal to Samuel, but his ploy did not work. He discovered that God had already condemned him for his rebellion. He had reached the point of no return. Our God is a gracious God, but he will not be played with. Today he offers us forgiveness and restoration, but if we continue in rebellion, we may reach a point where the offer is rescinded. Do not delay!

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encounter at En-dor

Posted on April 28, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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encounter at En-dor

1 Samuel 28:1-14 (JDV)

1 Samuel 28:1 At that time, the Philistines gathered their camps into one army to fight against Israel. So Achish said to David, “You know, of course, that you and your men must march out in the army with me.”
1 Samuel 28:2 David replied to Achish, “Good, you will find out what your servant can do.” So Achish said to David, “Very well, I will appoint you as my permanent bodyguard.”
1 Samuel 28:3 By this time Samuel had died, all of Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his city, and Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land.
1 Samuel 28:4 The Philistines gathered and camped at Shunem. So, Saul gathered all of Israel, and they camped at Gilboa.
1 Samuel 28:5 When Saul saw the Philistine camp, he was afraid, and his heart pounded.
1 Samuel 28:6 He inquired of Yahveh, but Yahveh did not answer him in dreams or by the Lights or by the prophets.
1 Samuel 28:7 Saul then said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I can go and consult her.” His servants replied, “Notice, there is a woman at En-dor who is a medium.”
1 Samuel 28:8 Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes and set out with two of his men. They came to the woman at night, and Saul said, “Consult a spirit for me. Bring up for me the one I tell you.”
1 Samuel 28:9 But the woman said to him, “I notice that you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you setting a trap for my throat to kill me?”
1 Samuel 28:10 Then Saul swore to her by Yahveh: “As surely as Yahveh lives, no punishment will come to you from this.”
1 Samuel 28:11 “Who is it that you want me to bring up for you?” the woman asked. “Bring up Samuel for me,” he answered.
1 Samuel 28:12 When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed, and then she asked Saul, “Why did you deceive me? You are Saul!”
1 Samuel 28:13 But the king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?” “I see a spirit form coming up out of the ground,” the woman answered.
1 Samuel 28:14 Then Saul asked her, “What does he look like?” “An old man is coming up,” she replied. “He’s wearing a robe.” Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he knelt low with his face to the ground and paid homage.

encounter at En-dor

The Bible consistently describes the intermediate state between death and resurrection as an unconscious sleep, from which good and evil must be awakened before beginning to experience their eternal destiny. This story seems to contradict that theology, but it really does not.

If this was really a revival of Samuel, it was a miracle of God. The medium herself was surprised to see him (12). She probably expected a demon pretending to be him.

Note that she did not see Samuel descend from heaven. She said she saw him “coming up out of the earth” (13).

Death is not the reward for which the believer seeks. We seek that reward in resurrection life. We wait for the Lord to come, not our deaths. He is our rescuer and redeemer. We long to put on our heavenly dwellings, our immortal bodies. That does not happen at death.

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while waiting

Posted on April 27, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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while waiting

1 Samuel 27:1-12 (JDV)

1 Samuel 27:1 David said to himself, “One of these days I’ll be swept away by Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape immediately to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me everywhere in Israel, and I’ll escape from him.”
1 Samuel 27:2 So David set out with his six hundred men and went over to Achish son of Maoch, the king of Gath.
1 Samuel 27:3 David and his men stayed with Achish in Gath. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow.
1 Samuel 27:4 When it was reported to Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
1 Samuel 27:5 Now David said to Achish, “If I have found favor with you, let me be given a place in one of the outlying towns, so I can live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?”
1 Samuel 27:6 That day Achish gave Ziklag to him, and it still belongs to the kings of Judah today.
1 Samuel 27:7 The number of days that David stayed in Philistine territory amounted to a year and four months.
1 Samuel 27:8 David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. From ancient times they had been the inhabitants of the region through Shur as far as the land of Egypt.
1 Samuel 27:9 Whenever David attacked the land, he did not leave a single person alive, either man or woman, but he took flocks, herds, donkeys, camels, and clothing. Then he came back to Achish,
1 Samuel 27:10 who inquired, “Where did you raid today?” David replied, “The south country of Judah,” “The south country of the Jerahmeelites,” or “The south country of the Kenites.”
1 Samuel 27:11 David did not let a man or woman live to be brought to Gath, for he said, “Or they will inform on us and say, ‘This is what David did.'” This was David’s custom during the whole time he stayed in the Philistine territory.
1 Samuel 27:12 So Achish trusted David, thinking, “Since he has made himself repulsive to his people Israel, he will be my servant forever.”

while waiting

David escapes to Gath, putting himself out of reach of Saul. This allows for Saul to be the means of his own destruction. Meanwhile, David and his six hundred men continue to raid the towns of the Philistines, and in so doing are actually completing the judgment that God commanded Joshua. In time, the king will return. For now the nation must wait.

LORD, while we wait, keep us faithful to your commands.

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never harm you again

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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never harm you again

1 Samuel 26:17-25 (JDV)

1 Samuel 26:17 Saul recognized David’s voice and asked, “Is that your voice, my son David?” “It is my voice, my lord and king,” David said.
1 Samuel 26:18 Then he continued, “Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done? What crime have I committed?
1 Samuel 26:19 Now, may my lord the king please hear the words of his servant: If it is Yahveh who has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. But if it is people, may they be cursed in the presence of Yahveh, for today they have banished me from sharing in the inheritance of Yahveh saying, ‘Go and worship other gods.’
1 Samuel 26:20 So don’t let my blood fall to the ground far from Yahveh’s presence, for the king of Israel has come out to search for a single flea, like one who pursues a partridge in the mountains.”
1 Samuel 26:21 Saul responded, “I have sinned. Come back, my son David, I will never harm you again because today you considered my throat precious. Notice, I have been a fool! I’ve committed a grave error.”
1 Samuel 26:22 David answered, “Notice the king’s spear; have one of the boys come over and get it.
1 Samuel 26:23 Yahveh will repay every man for his righteousness and his loyalty. I wasn’t willing to lift my hand against Yahveh’s anointed, even though Yahveh handed you over to me today.
1 Samuel 26:24 Notice, just as I considered your throat valuable today, so may Yahveh consider my throat valuable and rescue me from all trouble.”
1 Samuel 26:25 Saul said to him, “You are blessed, my son David. You will certainly do great things and will also prevail.” Then David went on his way, and Saul returned home.

never harm you again

I want to concentrate on Saul’s promise to David here. It was a promise he never intended to keep, and David would have been foolish to accept it. David was right not to harm Saul — to leave it to God to give him justice. But David was also right to put distance between himself and this madman who kept trying to kill him.

If you are in an abusive situation and fear for your life, you will have thoughts urging you to stay loyal to your abuser. You will feel embarrassed, and perhaps others will insist that you stay because you made a commitment. But that kind of loyalty is not wise or righteous. Anyone who has to promise never to harm you AGAIN has a problem, and you will probably not be able to fix it. Do the wise thing.

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leaving justice in God’s hands

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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leaving justice in God’s hands

1 Samuel 26:1-16 (JDV)

1 Samuel 26:1 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah saying, “David is hiding on the hill of Hachilah opposite Jeshimon.”
1 Samuel 26:2 So Saul, accompanied by three thousand of the choice young men of Israel, went immediately to the Wilderness of Ziph to search for David there.
1 Samuel 26:3 Saul camped beside the road at the hill of Hachilah opposite Jeshimon. David was living in the wilderness and discovered Saul had come there after him.
1 Samuel 26:4 So David sent out spies and knew for certain that Saul had come.
1 Samuel 26:5 Immediately, David went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw the place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army, were lying down. Saul was lying inside the inner circle of the camp with the troops camped around him.
1 Samuel 26:6 Then David asked Ahimelech the Hethite and Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, “Who will go with me into the camp to Saul?” “I’ll go with you,” answered Abishai.
1 Samuel 26:7 That night, David and Abishai came to the troops and noticed Saul was lying there asleep in the inner circle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. Abner and the troops were lying around him.
1 Samuel 26:8 Then Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy to you. Let me thrust the spear through him into the ground just once. I won’t have to strike him twice!”
1 Samuel 26:9 But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him, for who can lift a hand against Yahveh’s anointed and be innocent?”
1 Samuel 26:10 David added, “As Yahveh lives, Yahveh will certainly strike him down: either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.
1 Samuel 26:11 However, because of Yahveh, I will never lift my hand against Yahveh’s anointed. Instead, take the spear and the water jug by his head, and let’s go.”
1 Samuel 26:12 So David took the spear and the water jug by Saul’s head, and they went their way. No one saw them, no one knew, and no one woke up; they all remained asleep because a deep sleep from Yahveh came over them.
1 Samuel 26:13 David crossed to the other side and stood on top of the mountain at a distance; there was a considerable space between them.
1 Samuel 26:14 Then David shouted to the troops and to Abner son of Ner: “Aren’t you going to answer, Abner?” “Who are you who calls to the king?” Abner asked.
1 Samuel 26:15 David called to Abner, “You’re a man, aren’t you? Who in Israel is your equal? So why didn’t you protect your lord the king when one of the people came to destroy him?
1 Samuel 26:16 What you have done is not good. As Yahveh lives, all of you deserve to die since you didn’t protect your lord, Yahveh’s anointed. Now look around; where are the king’s spear and water jug that were by his head?”

leaving justice in God’s hands

David took a spear and a water jar as evidence that he – once again – came close enough to Saul to kill him, but spared his life. His confidence was in God’s ultimate judgment. Since he was God’s man, his enemies were God’s enemies, so he felt no need for revenge.

LORD, we declare our trust in you. We refuse to seek revenge, We leave justice in your hands.

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a woman with God’s wisdom

Posted on April 24, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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Photo by Ian Beckley on Pexels.com

a woman with God’s wisdom

1 Samuel 25:39-44 (JDV)

1 Samuel 25:39 When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be Yahveh who championed my cause against Nabal’s insults and restrained his servant from doing evil. Yahveh brought Nabal’s evil deeds back on his own head.” Then David sent messengers to speak to Abigail about marrying him.
1 Samuel 25:40 When David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David sent us to bring you to him as a wife.”
1 Samuel 25:41 She stood up, paid homage with her face to the ground, and said, “Notice, your servant, a slave to wash the feet of my lord’s servants.”
1 Samuel 25:42 Then Abigail got up quickly, and with her five female servants accompanying her, rode on the donkey following David’s messengers. And so, she became his wife.
1 Samuel 25:43 David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and the two of them became his wives.
1 Samuel 25:44 But Saul gave his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

a woman with God’s wisdom

David acknowledged that the LORD had restrained him from acting out of revenge against Nabal. He also knew Abigail’s part in that mission. She had been the means of that wisdom. He sent his servants to request her hand in marriage. It was a wise decision. He chose to marry a woman with God’s wisdom.

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The route of discretion

Posted on April 23, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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The route of discretion

1 Samuel 25:18-38 (JDV)

1 Samuel 25:18 Abigail hurried, taking two hundred loaves of bread, two clay jars of wine, five butchered sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, one hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.
1 Samuel 25:19 Then she said to her boys, “Go ahead of me. I will be right behind you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
1 Samuel 25:20 As she rode the donkey down a mountain pass hidden from view, she noticed David and his men coming toward her and met them.
1 Samuel 25:21 David had just said, “I guarded everything that belonged to this man in the wilderness for nothing. He was not missing anything, yet he paid me back evil for good.
1 Samuel 25:22 May God punish me and do so severely if I let any of his males survive until morning.”
1 Samuel 25:23 When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off the donkey, knelt down with her face to the ground, and paid homage to David.
1 Samuel 25:24 She knelt at his feet and said, “The guilt is mine, my lord, but please let your servant speak to you directly. Listen to the words of your servant.
1 Samuel 25:25 My lord should pay no attention to this worthless fool Nabal, for he lives up to his name: His name means ‘stupid,’ and stupidity is all he knows. I, your servant, didn’t see my lord’s boys whom you sent.
1 Samuel 25:26 Now my lord, as surely as Yahveh lives and as your throat lives — it is Yahveh who kept you from participating in bloodshed and avenging yourself by your own hand — may your enemies and those who intend to harm my lord be like Nabal.
1 Samuel 25:27 Let this gift your servant has brought to my lord be given to the young men who follow my lord.
1 Samuel 25:28 Please forgive your servant’s offense, for Yahveh is certain to make a lasting dynasty for my lord because he fights Yahveh’s battles. Throughout your life, may evil not be found in you.
1 Samuel 25:29 “Someone is pursuing you and intends to take your throat. My lord’s throat is tucked safely in the place where Yahveh your God protects the living, but he is flinging away your enemies’ throats like stones from a sling.
1 Samuel 25:30 When Yahveh does for my lord all the good he promised you and appoints you ruler over Israel,
1 Samuel 25:31 there will not be remorse or a troubled conscience for my lord because of needless bloodshed or my lord’s revenge. And when Yahveh does good things for my lord, may you remember me your servant.”
1 Samuel 25:32 Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be Yahveh God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today!
1 Samuel 25:33 May your discernment be blessed, and may you be blessed. Today you kept me from participating in bloodshed and avenging myself by my own hand.
1 Samuel 25:34 Otherwise, as surely as Yahveh God of Israel lives, who prevented me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, Nabal wouldn’t have had any males left by morning light.”
1 Samuel 25:35 Then David accepted what she had brought him and said, “Go home in peace. See, I have heard what you said and have granted your request.”
1 Samuel 25:36 Then Abigail went to Nabal and noticed he was in his house, holding a feast fit for a king. Nabal’s heart was cheerful, and he was very drunk, so she didn’t say anything to him until morning light.
1 Samuel 25:37 In the morning when Nabal sobered up, his wife told him about these events. His heart died and he became a stone.
1 Samuel 25:38 About ten days later, Yahveh struck Nabal dead.

The route of discretion

Abigail was caught between two men, acting on emotions and not acting wisely. She chose the route of discretion and interceded for Nabal by presenting David with gifts. She rescued both men that day. David recognized how wise she had been, and chose her to be his wife after Nabal died. Her gift of discernment was more valuable than her beauty. Young men, look for ladies with discernment.

LORD, give our young men the wisdom to look for discerning wives.

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the right man for the job

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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Photo by Ricky Esquivel on Pexels.com

the right man for the job

1 Samuel 25:1-17 (JDV)

1 Samuel 25:1 Samuel died, and all Israel gathered to mourn for him, and they buried him by his home in Ramah. David then went down to the Wilderness of Paran.
1 Samuel 25:2 A man in Maon had a business in Carmel; he was a very rich man with three thousand sheep and one thousand goats and was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
1 Samuel 25:3 The man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name, Abigail. The woman was intelligent and beautiful, but the man, a Calebite, was harsh and evil in his dealings.
1 Samuel 25:4 While David was in the wilderness, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep,
1 Samuel 25:5 so David sent ten boys instructing them, “Go up to Carmel, and when you come to Nabal, greet him in my name.
1 Samuel 25:6 Then say this: ‘Long life to you, and peace to you, peace to your family, and peace to all that is yours.
1 Samuel 25:7 I hear that you are shearing. When your shepherds were with us, we did not harass them, and nothing of theirs was missing the whole time they were in Carmel.
1 Samuel 25:8 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. So let my young men find favor with you, because we have come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have on hand to your servants and to your son David.'”
1 Samuel 25:9 David’s boys went and said all these things to Nabal on David’s behalf, and they waited.
1 Samuel 25:10 Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is Jesse’s son? Many slaves these days are running away from their masters.
1 Samuel 25:11 Am I supposed to take my bread, my water, and my meat that I butchered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don’t know where they are from.”
1 Samuel 25:12 David’s boys retraced their steps. When they returned to him, they reported all these words.
1 Samuel 25:13 He said to his men, “All of you, put on your swords!” So, each man put on his sword, and David also put on his sword. About four hundred men followed David while two hundred stayed with the supplies.
1 Samuel 25:14 One of Nabal’s boys informed Abigail, Nabal’s wife: “Notice, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed at them.
1 Samuel 25:15 The men treated us very well. When we were in the field, we weren’t harassed and nothing of ours was missing the whole time we were living among them.
1 Samuel 25:16 They were a wall around us, both day and night, the entire time we were with them herding the sheep.
1 Samuel 25:17 Now consider carefully what you should do, because there is certain to be trouble for our master and his entire family. He is such a worthless fool nobody can talk to him!”

the right man for the job

Nabal’s boys (male workers) were wise to appeal to Abigail rather than their worthless boss. She would in fact consider carefully what she should do, and she would act to save her husband’s business and his life. When you are looking for a solution to your problems, don’t assume that solution must come from a man. God has gifted each person according to his will, not according to our expectations.

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a cave conversation

Posted on April 21, 2024 by Jefferson Vann

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a cave conversation

1 Samuel 24:9-22 (JDV)

1 Samuel 24:9 David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of people who say, ‘Notice, David intends to harm you’?
1 Samuel 24:10 Notice, you can see with your own eyes that Yahveh handed you over to me today in the cave. Someone advised me to kill you, but I took pity on you and said: I won’t lift my hand against my lord, since he is Yahveh’s anointed.
1 Samuel 24:11 Notice, my father! Notice at the corner of your robe in my hand, for I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. Recognize that I’ve committed no crime or rebellion. I haven’t sinned against you even though you are hunting me down to take my throat.
1 Samuel 24:12 “May Yahveh judge between me and you, and may Yahveh take vengeance on you for me, but my hand will never be against you.
1 Samuel 24:13 As the old proverb says, ‘Wickedness comes from wicked people.’ My hand will never be against you.
1 Samuel 24:14 Who has the king of Israel come after? What are you chasing after? A dead dog? A single flea?
1 Samuel 24:15 May Yahveh be judge and decide between you and me. May he take notice and plead my case and deliver me from you.”
1 Samuel 24:16 When David finished saying these things to him, Saul replied, “Is that your voice, David my son?” Then Saul wept aloud
1 Samuel 24:17 and said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have done what is good to me though I have done what is evil to you.
1 Samuel 24:18 You yourself have told me today what good you did for me: when Yahveh handed me over to you, you didn’t kill me.
1 Samuel 24:19 When a man finds his enemy, does he let him go unharmed? May Yahveh repay you with good for what you’ve done for me today.
1 Samuel 24:20 “Now notice you will be king, and the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand.
1 Samuel 24:21 Therefore swear to me by Yahveh that you will not cut off my descendants or wipe out my name from my father’s family.”
1 Samuel 24:22 So David swore to Saul. Then Saul went back home, and David and his men went up to the stronghold.

a cave conversation

For David, getting the kingdom would have been very easy. All he had to do was take the opportunity fate provided. But David was learning to trust God and not his own devices. He would allow God to decide when to keep his promises.

Saul was also keenly aware — during this time — that God would prevail and David would be king. He desperately sought to preserve his family, knowing that they all would be an obstacle to David’s dynasty.

What decisions will you make today? Who will bear the consequences of those decisions? Will you trust God or conspire to rule your own destiny?

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