1 Samuel 29:4-5 Backslidden

”But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men? Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands’?”“ ‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭29‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him: The other Philistine leaders were not in agreement with Achish at all. They didn’t trust David and they feared he would turn against the Philistines in battle, to bring himself back into Saul’s favor.

b. Is this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying: The faith-filled victory over Goliath seemed like a distant memory for a backslidden David, but the Philistines remembered it well. The song of David’s victory came back to haunt him again. (Guzik)

Backslidden

I believe it’s safe to say every one of us has been in David’s shoes because of our sin nature!

But there is hope!

“It seems to me that every morning when a man wakes up still impenitent, and finds himself out of hell, the sunlight seems to say, ‘I shine on thee yet another day, as that in this day thou mayest repent.’ When your bed receives you at night I think it seems to say, ‘I will give you another night’s rest, that you may live to turn from your sins and trust in Jesus.’ Every mouthful of bread that comes to the table says, ‘I have to support your body that still you may have space for repentance.’ Every time you open the Bible the pages say, ‘We speak with you that you may repent.’ Every time you hear a sermon, if it be such a sermon as God would have us preach, it pleads with you to turn unto the Lord and live.” (Spurgeon)

If you haven’t already, please “turn from your sins and trust in Jesus.’”

If you trust in Jesus and have sinned, as the Bible pages say, ‘We speak with you that you may repent.’

Time is short and we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

Blessings 

https://www.gotquestions.org/trust-in-Jesus.html

 

1 Samuel 29:1-3 “What do these Hebrews here?”

 ”Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. And the Lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish. Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me.”“ I Samuel‬ ‭29‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies: The battle lines were drawn in the previous chapter when the Philistines made a deep incursion into Israelite territory. The Philistines intended to deliver a death-blow to Israel and the two armies squared off in anticipation of battle.

b. The lords of the Philistines passed in review…David and his men passed in review at the rear: David is among the Philistines because when he was discouraged, he left the people of God and the land of Israel and cast his lot with the Philistines instead (1 Samuel 27). David now finds himself in a place he thought he would never be: among the ungodly, ready to fight against God’s people.

c. What are these Hebrews doing here? Leaders among the Philistines looked at David and his men and said, “They don’t belong with us. They are Hebrews. They worship another god. They shouldn’t fight with us.”

i. The Philistine leaders could see what David was blind to. David started to think and act like a Philistine and was ready to fight with them against the people of God. But the Philistine leaders could see that this wasn’t right, even when David couldn’t.

ii. The Philistine leaders knew who David really was – that is, a Hebrew, one of God’s people. David seems to have forgotten this, but the Philistine leaders knew. David would have never slipped into this sinful place if he remembered who he really was and what his destiny was.

iii. F.B. Meyer made this observation based on the King James wording of these verses: “It is very terrible when the children of the world have a higher sense of Christian propriety and fitness than Christians themselves, and say to one another, ‘What do these Hebrews here?’”

d. Is this not David…who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me: It is a sad thing that a Philistine ruler defended David so confidently. David identified himself so much with the ungodly that Achish knew he had David in his pocket.

i. Hearing these words from Achish should have grieved David. To hear an ungodly ruler say, “David has been with me” and “I have found no fault in him” and “he defected to me” should have been a great wake-up call to David. It is as if an ungodly coworker insisted to others that you really weren’t a Christian after all because they saw how you lived.

ii. It is also important to see that Achish wasn’t just making this up. David said as much in 1 Samuel 28:1-2 and Achish had reason to believe that David would fight with him. (Guzik)

“What do these Hebrews here?”

This quote from the King James didn’t make sense to me and I spent time searching F. B. Meyer quotes trying to find it when I should have just looked at the KJ Bible version! But some of his quotes are very interesting!

http://christian-quotes.ochristian.com/F.B.-Meyer-Quotes/

“It is very terrible when the children of the world have a higher sense of Christian propriety and fitness than Christians themselves, and say to one another, ‘What do these Hebrews here?’” F. B. Meyer

You see “the children of the world” are watching and waiting for the chance to call us a hypocrite! 

It’s if they have more knowledge on how we should act under the banner of Christianity when we are “passed in review” in front of them than we do!

If the children of the world are watching you, what will they say?

Blessings

1 Samuel 28:21-25 Twenty Four Hours

 And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was severely troubled, and said to him, “Look, your maidservant has obeyed your voice, and I have put my life in my hands and heeded the words which you spoke to me. Now therefore, please, heed also the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.” But he refused and said, “I will not eat.” So his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he heeded their voice. Then he arose from the ground and sat on the bed. Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she hastened to kill it. And she took flour and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread from it. So she brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night. 1 Samuel‬ ‭28‬:‭21‬-‭25‬ ‭NKJ

a. The woman came to Saul and saw that he was severely troubled: It’s a sad note when a practitioner of the occult comforts the king of Israel. But they were two of the same kind; each lived in rebellion against God, and each was under judgment from the LORD.

b. And they ate: The dinner Saul ate that night was like the last meal of a man on death row, awaiting execution in the morning.

c. Then they rose and went away that night: Saul left this strange encounter resigned to his sad and tragic fate. (Guzik)

i. “The additional information, that within twenty-four hours he and his sons would be dead, was no help at all to his morale. Indeed he would have been better without it. He did himself no good by doing what he had decreed to be unlawful. God’s word stood and could not be altered. He should have believed it instead of thinking that by further consultation he could reverse its judgment. The Lord did not answer him, because there was no more to be said.” (Baldwin)

Twenty Four Hours 

Most of us that read this devotional are in our golden years or as a late friend once said to me, “you are now mortal” meaning you are the next generation to die.

If we knew we only had twenty four hours to live, what would be on our bucket list?

Would you try to set things right with family, friends and Jesus?

Or would we be like Saul and fall flat on the ground and be terrified?

It is said that there is a highway to hell and a stairway to heaven.

Which one will you choose?

Blessings 

https://andywrasman.com/2015/08/20/the-highway-to-hell-and-the-the-stairway-to-heaven/

1 Samuel 28:20 The Lord was his Adversary!

 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night. 1 Samuel 28:20

a. Because of the words of Samuel: It wasn’t just that Samuel told Saul that he would die or fall in battle before the Philistines. Far worse to Saul was the knowledge that the LORD was his adversary. Not only were the Philistines set against him, so was the LORD God. Knowing this was more than Saul could bear.

The Lord was his adversary!

Saul entered the point of no return and his fate was sealed. 

But Jesus gave us the free gift of salvation up until the moment we take our last breath and then our fate is sealed. You’re either one of God’s adopted children or not. You will either go to heaven or hell. 

Last night on social media someone attacked and said falsehoods about me because my wife asked a question about a sign that was erected in our neighborhood. I thought about responding but I decided to let God defend me. So I prayed for him instead.

For it is written:

”But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,“

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭44‬ ‭BSB‬‬

”So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”“ ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭6‬ ‭BSB‬‬

”A false witness will not go unpunished, and one who pours out lies will perish.“

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭19‬:‭9‬ ‭BSB‬‬

The Lord is not my adversary, He is my Savior!

Don’t get caught up in a battle on social media and take the higher road by praying for them instead.

Blessings 

1 Samuel 28:19 “Opportunity to repent are gifts from God”

”Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.”“ I Samuel‬ ‭28‬:‭19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me: Saul learned from Samuel that he would die the next day. In 1 Samuel 28:15, Saul asked to know what I should do. Samuel never told him what to do because it was too late to do anything. All Samuel told him was what would happen, and God’s judgment was already in motion.

i. Before this moment, Saul had plenty of time to repent – but now time had run out. We can never assume that we will have as much time as we want to repent. The desire and opportunity to repent are gifts from God. If we have the desire and the opportunity today we must seize upon it, because they may not be there tomorrow.

ii. You and your sons will be with me does not mean that Saul was going to heaven to be with the believing dead. In the story Jesus told in Luke 16:19-31, the blessed dead and the cursed dead were both in the same general area. The believing dead were in the place of comfort known as Abraham’s bosom but the cursed were in a place of torment. Saul would be in the same general area as Samuel, but not the same specific place.

b. The LORD will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines…. you and your sons: When judgment fell upon Saul it would also trouble the people around him. His sons and all Israel would also suffer. 

(Guzik)

i. “Can any person read this, properly considering the situation of this unfortunate monarch, the triumph of the enemies of God, and the speedy ruin in which the godlike Jonathan is about to be involved, without feeling the keenest anguish of heart?” (Clarke)

“Opportunity to repent are gifts from God”

Our life is compared to a vapor, you briefly see it and then it’s gone!

”And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.”“ James‬ ‭4‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Please take this opportunity to repent and accept His Gift!

”For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.“ John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭BSB‬‬

”Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”“ ‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭36‬ ‭BSB‬‬

“Saul had plenty of time to repent – but now time had run out.”

Before your time runs out of vapor and your wisp of fog vanishes, have you repented and accepted the Gift from God? 

Blessings 

1 Samuel 28:15-18 The Great Divide! (Abraham’s bosom)

 ”Now Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answered, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.” Then Samuel said: “So why do you ask me, seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? And the Lord has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day.“ I Samuel‬ ‭28‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Why have you disturbed me: Samuel’s words would be in the mouth of anyone who left the place of comfort and blessing in the world beyond to come back to the earth. Samuel would rather be back where he was.

i. This is an indication to us of the reality of the world beyond. Though he passed from this world, Samuel was in a real place, living a real existence.

ii. Properly speaking, Samuel was not in heaven. Jesus explained in the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) that before the finished work of Jesus on the cross, the believing dead went to a place of comfort and blessing known as Abraham’s bosom. When Jesus finished His work on the cross, sin’s penalty was paid for these believing dead and they were then ushered into heaven.

b. I am deeply distressed: Saul explained his problem to Samuel. First, the Philistines make war against me. But far worse than that is the fact that Saul knows that God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore. Saul then revealed why he called for Samuel: that you may reveal to me what I should do.

i. God has departed from me: “God never departs from a man until the man has departed from Him. Then, in the interests of righteousness, God is against that man.” (Morgan)

ii. What I should do: “Saul is asking for guidance when his course of action is obvious: he has to fight the Philistines. What he really wants is reassurance that all will be well and that he will win the battle.” (Baldwin)

c. Why do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your enemy? Samuel was on the LORD’s side, so if the LORD wouldn’t tell Saul what he wanted, he didn’t have any reason to believe that Samuel would tell him. Perhaps Saul kept seeking, hoping that the news would get better, but it never did.

d. As He spoke by me…. the voice of the LORD: Essentially, Samuel confirmed what God already said to Saul. The message of the LORD to Saul is disturbingly consistent, no matter which strange way God chooses to bring the message.

i. The test for any “spirit encounter” or “angelic revelation” is its faithfulness to the Biblical message. It doesn’t matter what kind of impressive encounter one has with a spiritual being; even if an angel from heaven (or Samuel himself!) preach any other gospel to you... let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8).

e. Because you did not…execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day: Samuel called Saul’s mind back to what happened in 1 Samuel 15. In that chapter, Samuel told Saul “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you…. For He is not a man, that He should relent” (1 Samuel 15:28-29). Apparently, in the fifteen or so years since the events of 1 Samuel 15, Saul thought that perhaps the LORD would change His mind. Samuel told Saul that the LORD had not changed His mind at all.

i. Samuel makes this point exactly when he quotes from the 1 Samuel 15:28-29 passage with these words: For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. God’s word to Saul didn’t change from the time He first said it until the time it would be fulfilled. Perhaps Saul thought that time would change God’s mind, but time never changes God’s mind. Our repentance and genuine brokenness may change God’s mind, but never time.

ii. When the medium saw Samuel, she said he was covered with a mantle. The mantle was probably Samuel’s robe, which would have identified him as both a prophet and a priest. In 1 Samuel 15:27, when Samuel announced that God would take the kingdom away from Saul, Saul grabbed Samuel’s robe in desperation. The Hebrew word used for robe in 1 Samuel 15:27 (meheel) is the same word used for mantle in 1 Samuel 28:14. It is likely that when Samuel appeared before the medium and Saul, he wore this same torn robe to remind Saul that the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. (Guzik)

The Great Divide! (Abraham’s bosom)

Before my father’s passing he confided in me he was worried that he’d have to go to hell for three days like Jesus. I explained to him that Jesus went to the great divide (Abraham’s bosom) to release and take the saints to heaven. They couldn’t go there when they died because Jesus hadn’t payed the penalty for sin by dying on the cross yet. If you don’t understand please re-read Guzik’s comment above (a.ii) and Luke 16:19-31 “The Rich Man as Lazarus”.

Studying the Bible isn’t just reading it once and taking notes, it’s a lifetime study because the Lord will continually reveal something new everyday. You start by drinking milk as a babe and as you mature and gain knowledge you are able to eat the solid food as an adult.

”We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain, because you are dull of hearing. Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food! For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.“ ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭5‬:‭11‬-‭14‬ ‭BSB‬‬

May the Lord richly bless you and your family.