Short Reflection from 1 Samuel 18-31

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (PG as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

𝟙 𝕊𝕒𝕞𝕦𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟠:𝟛𝟘

"Then the commanders of the Philistines went out to battle, and it happened as often as they went out, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul. So his name was highly esteemed."

Behavior, manner, discipline will save a man from many troubles!

 

𝟙 𝕊𝕒𝕞𝕦𝕖𝕝 𝟙𝟡:𝟙𝟙

"Then Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, in order to put him to death in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, told him, saying, ‘If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death.’"

Michal is the opposite character of Delilah! God is sovereign!

 

𝟙 𝕊𝕒𝕞𝕦𝕖𝕝 𝟚𝟘:𝟛𝟟-𝟛𝟠

"When the lad reached the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the lad and said, "Is not the arrow beyond you?" And Jonathan called after the lad, "Hurry, be quick, do not stay!" And Jonathan's lad picked up the arrow and came to his master."

This drama always fascinates me whenever I read. But I think I would do the same if I were there. It was a brilliant idea, but I think I would be brilliant too. My point is not to say I am brilliant but to say this is very realistic. And therefore, the Bible has to be a true history that happened in a real place, in real time, with real people. The Bible is not just an ancient document, it's a real history.

 

𝟙 𝕊𝕒𝕞𝕦𝕖𝕝 𝟚𝟙:𝟚

“David said to Ahimelech the priest, ‘The king has commissioned me with a matter and has said to me, 'Let no one know anything about the matter on which I am sending you and with which I have commissioned you; and I have directed the young men to a certain place.'’”

David was a liar, not just this and that for what he was known for. This lie led to the death of many priests!

 

[3:39 pm, 26/07/2022] S.R: 𝟙 𝕊𝕒𝕞𝕦𝕖𝕝 𝟚𝟚:𝟚𝟚

"Then David said to Abiathar, 'I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have brought about the death of every person in your father's household.'"

I do not have the skin of David to endure such trials. David had caused the death of many, priests of God. If somebody is in trouble on account of me, I think I will be terrified.

David had to go through a lot of criticism and attacks, verbally and physically. Yet he never gave up. And he had the strength and passion to comfort others.

 

𝟙 𝕊𝕒𝕞𝕦𝕖𝕝 𝟚𝟛:𝟚

"So David inquired of the LORD, saying, 'Shall I go and attack these Philistines?' And the LORD said to David, 'Go and attack the Philistines and deliver Keilah.'"

God told David to help the citizens of Keilah from the enemies. And these citizens of Keilah would not return the favor. They would give David to Saul to be executed. David might be suspicious of that too. Anyway, God told him to go and he went. And David fled Keilah after helping them. How many of us would be happy with that betrayal? Yet, the actions and obedience of David honored God.

We can honor God even in deep betrayal.

 

𝟙 𝕊𝕒𝕞𝕦𝕖𝕝 𝟚𝟜:𝟙𝟛

"As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness'; but my hand shall not be against you."

I must constantly remind myself that I shall not return evil for evil, and that I should be good even when other harms me.

 

𝟙 𝕊𝕒𝕞𝕦𝕖𝕝 𝟚𝟝:𝟙𝟝-𝟙𝟞

"Yet the men were very good to us, and we were not insulted, nor did we miss anything as long as we went about with them, while we were in the fields. They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the time we were with them tending the sheep."

There's a similarity in the recruitment of David's soldiers and Manipur underground (insurgency), but their conducts are way different from each other. David, being God's anointed and since he knew that, he behaved righteously and so were his men.

All my villagers had a desire that all the NSCN-IM cadres posted at my village in 2018 were dead by some plague because they weren't like David soldiers but harassing the villagers.

 

𝟙 𝕊𝕒𝕞𝕦𝕖𝕝 𝟚𝟞:𝟙𝟙

"The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD'S anointed; but now please take the spear that is at his head and the jug of water, and let us go."

I don't need to do God's work; He will do it. I don't need to help God; He can do it. It's God who would kill Saul at the hands of a random Philistine soldier. David didn't need to seize the opportunity to take advantage of the situation. He knew God was alive, active, and alert!

 

𝟙 𝕊𝕒𝕞𝕦𝕖𝕝 𝟚𝟟:𝟙𝟚

"So Achish believed David, saying, ‘He has surely made himself odious among his people Israel; therefore he will become my servant forever.’"

Both were tricksters. We aren't told whether they were right or wrong. But one thing is sure: they were military men, though kind of allies now, they had been enemies.

Military strategies are to deceive in order to win.

 

𝟙 𝕊𝕒𝕞𝕦𝕖𝕝 𝟚𝟠:𝟞

"And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets."

Scriptures have mentioned many times that the way of a transgressor is hard. Saul was desperate. He had to seek after the devil, disguised himself as someone who disregarded a king's order, went after a woman, disobeyed his own order, and had no strength even to walk or eat.

And he perished at the hand of an ordinary soldier. A big lesson for all Christians to not forsake their first love!

 

𝟙 𝕊𝔸𝕄𝕌𝔼𝕃 𝟚𝟡:𝟠

"And David said to Achish, ‘But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?’"

What a bluff master! Anyway, he wasted his time there and his town was raided by enemies.

Was David stupid or extraordinarily cunning? But the Lord prevented him from the battle. At the same time, the Lord sent enemies to raid his own town.

He was busy bluffing when his own home was burnt down!

Just an observation for tonight!

 

𝟙 𝕊𝕒𝕞𝕦𝕖𝕝 𝟛𝟘:𝟚

"and they took captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great, without killing anyone, and carried them off and went their way."

David used to terrorize others’ towns and kill every one of them. And these people didn't kill anyone of David's people. Hmmm!

 

𝟙 𝕊𝕒𝕞𝕦𝕖𝕝 𝟛𝟙:𝟡

"They cut off his head and stripped off his weapons, and sent them throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people."

I guess I have been reading this account without careful attention or my memory is just not that good. It looks like this is the first time I read the beheading of Saul. Ought to read Bible again and again!