1 Samuel 23:9-13 Pray

 ”When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” Then David said, “O Lord God of Israel, Your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake. Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? O Lord God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.” Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the Lord said, “They will deliver you.” So David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could go. Then it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah; so he halted the expedition.“ ‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭23‬:‭9‬-‭13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Bring the ephod here: David was in a bad place, and he was in a bad place because the Lord led him there. Some people might be angry with the Lord but David did the right thing – he inquired of the Lord again.

i. “Here is a second inquiry. God loveth to be often sought unto by his praying people (Luke 18:1), and therefore answereth them by degrees, that he may frequently hear from them.” (Trapp)

b. He will come down…. They will deliver you: This is another example of David seeking God through the priest using the Urim and Thummim. Notice how the questions are presented in a “Yes or No” format because that is how the Urim and Thummim were used.

i. This was a true word of the Lord. Obviously, the word of the Lord to David was true depending on David’s actions. If David stayed in Keilah the word would have surely come to pass.

c. So David and his men…arose and departed from Keilah: David could have stood and fought and there was something in him that probably wanted to. But David knew that it was not of the Lord and that a lot of innocent people would get hurt in the battle. So, David, who was a great warrior, humbled himself and escaped. David was not the kind of man to sneak away from a battle, but he didn’t let his pride get the best of him in this matter.

d. Saul…halted the expedition: David’s humble heart saved the city of Keilah. In this, he shows the same heart as the greater Son of David, Jesus, who through His humble action spared us from not only Satan, but also from the righteous judgment of God. (Guzik)

Pray

”Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,“ ‭‭Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Our prayer life could always be improved! For it is written:

”pray without ceasing,“

‭‭I Thessalonians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Do you know someone hurting? Pray for them.

Are you struggling? Pray for yourself.

Are you angry with someone? Pray for your bitterness to be removed.

Is your world in turmoil? Pray for peace!

What if you don’t know how to pray?

”Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.”“ Luke‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Blessings