Tag: 1 Samuel

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A friend in deed to a friend in need.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was on the way to Ziph to search for him and kill him. Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God. “Don’t be afraid,” Jonathan reassured him. “My father will never find you! You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to you, as my father, Saul, is well aware.” So the two of them renewed their solemn pact before the Lord. Then Jonathan returned home, while David stayed at Horesh. ‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭23‬:‭15‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The friendship between Jonathon and David is a legendary picture of camaraderie and commitment. The problem is most folks (myself included) visualized the two as equal in age. They were not. Jonathon was at least twenty years older than David. I know we read the stories and see two young twenty-somethings hanging out in the palace, dodging dear old king Saul as he went through his mental collapse. But do the math, Jonathan was in his forties!

Two things about these “hide-n-seek” scenarios with David that are amazing. One, God spoke directly to David when he needed an answer! Up a few verses David asks God if he should go and help a neighboring city fend off the Philistines. “Should I go?,” David asks. “Yes, you should go,” says God. Another time David asked God, “I heard Saul is coming obliterate Keilah because of me, and the leaders of Keilah will betray me – is that true?” God says “Yes they will betray you and yes Saul is coming.” Can you imagine this? David is running for his life and it’s looking like everything is out of control, yet God is right there with him! Would I want to walk through the crazy circumstances that David did, having the highest level of authority chasing me with a bounty on my head? No! But, wouldn’t it be wild to be on the run while having a two way conversation with the God of all things? Heavens yeah!

Two, the other aspect I love about these true stories is the fact that Saul’s own son, is besties with David, giving him the inside-man advantage. Between God telling David exactly what will happen and Jonathan providing Saul’s movements – it’s an exciting real life drama of good verses evil. Jonathan knows exactly where David is hiding out and goes to him to simply encourage him. Jonathan says, “don’t be afraid,” and “you will be king.”

There are so many stories and scriptures about the importance of having trusted friends encourage us when we walk through valleys with shadows of death. The Apostle Paul writes to the churches in Galatia (6:2), “share each other’s burdens…because in doing so you fulfill the law of Christ.” Ecclesiastes 4:12 says “a cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” A single-strand life is a constant struggle! Carrying a heavy load alone will kill you, but shared with a friend makes it lighter. We don’t need friends to fix things for us, we just need them to show up and bear the burden with us.

Be that friend that shows up! Be that friend that randomly texts encouragement when you know someone is struggling. Be the voicemail that leaves a prayer and a good word. You will be the friend that joins God and comes alongside in someone’s darkest, loneliest moments.

Prayer

Dad,
I truly believe the verse that says that there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother – and that friend is you! Through the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit, you are always there. You see, you hear, you know, what my life can bear. But, I also know what it’s like to have friends check in and let me know they are standing with me, available for whatever I might need. These friends are load-lifters and I am deeply grateful when they join in to carry the weight of emotions too much for me to handle alone. Thank you for them as well. Amen.

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NOT like DAD.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice. Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.” Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. ‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

How many times have we heard, “You’re just like your Father!” Or, conversely, you’re nothing like your Dad!” Such is the cyclical, mystical dilemma of life as a father and as a son. As you know Samuel’s origin story was not just unusual it was pretty rough. His mom Hannah, has him later in life, and he’s a miracle child! But Hannah told God “IF!” If you give me a son…I will give him back to you. Thanks mom! God did and Hannah kept her promise. But what a tragic twist of events. Samuel is raised by an old, worn-out priest, Eli whose sons were the worst PK’s in the history of the Church!!! Hophni and Phinehas were evil, foolish THUGS. So what kind of father was Samuel? Would he be like his bio-dad, Elkanah? Or, would he be like his foster dad, Eli? We don’t know! Samuel, as a man, a judge and a priest, did a phenomenal job. But as father…how should we judge his parenting? The Bible doesn’t even mention Samuel’s wife, the mother of his two sons. And, the only facts recorded about Eli’s boys is this – they were greedy, accepted bribes and perverted justice! What? This is what the PK’s (priest’s kids) are known for?

The elders met and gave Samuel the what for, “you’re old and your sons are NOT like you! Then, out of nowhere – no context whatsoever, they say, “Give us a king!” Fill in the blanks, if you wish, but they seem to be d-o-n-e with the good judge, bad judge cycle of judges. If God had not told us the reasoning behind their desire for a king, we would have no idea what was going on in their heads. In 8:7-8,“for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer.”

You see, God not only looks deep into the human heart, God sees the past, present and future in the always NOW! God mentions a sore spot in his disappointment with the people of Israel – “Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment.” Wow, He’s the God of perfect memory and recall as well as crystal clear clarity of the future! Give them a king, God says to Samuel. But warn them first.

What gives? Samuel’s boys were certainly awful judges, why was God not happy about the elders asking for someone different ? Because God knows what’s really in our hearts! In God’s own timing, he could have dealt with Joel and Abijah. They could be replaced, but the elders had no patience to wait for a “God solution,” because they had their short-viewed solution.

They wanted to be like all the other nations around them. Saying, “we don’t want to be unique, we don’t want to have God lead us or choose for us. We want a king?” Ouch. The cycle of kings lasted several hundred years and what were the results? Well, there was a lot of drama and great stories of victory and tragedy- that’s true. However, the whole “king” experience landed the people of God in captivity in Babylon. Experiment was over. No more kings for Israel.

It is frustratingly comforting that bad Dads can end up having great sons AND good Dads can end up having not so great sons. It’s one thing to read about these cycles, it’s a completely different thing to experience it in your life. Especially when you’re past the age of being able to do much about it.

Prayer

​Dad,
This whole thing of coming from a chaotic family background and being hopeful about breaking cycles has been challenging. But then also to give my own children a good foundation to launch their lives from has been interesting to watch. There is an undeniable truth at play. One, as a child growing up, I didn’t really know anything was off until I compared to other friend’s families. But also two, my own children had no idea of my past compared to their own experiences. Everything seems “normal” until we have something to compare it to. I know what my life was like, and because you’ve changed my life in so many areas, no one would really understand. I am so thankful to be your son because of Jesus. I am also very thankful to be a Dad!

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Where determinism leads.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night. You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong. I am determined not to sin in what I say. I have followed your commands, which keep me from following cruel and evil people. My steps have stayed on your path; I have not wavered from following you.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭17‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Whoa. The context of this Psalm is deeply disturbing. It was written concerning the story recorded in 1 Samuel 22:11-21. What a awful story of injustice and the power of a mad king – Saul. Saul ranted and raged against Ahimelech, because he had fed and housed David. Saul was so filled with anger and hatred towards David that he couldn’t see anything but subterfuge and betrayal. Saul ordered his men to kill Ahimelech and all the priests who served with him. Saul’s men refused the order, so Saul ordered Doeg to do the deed. What an horrific deed to slaughter the innocent! “Then the king said to Doeg, “You do it.” So Doeg the Edomite turned on them and killed them that day, eighty-five priests in all, still wearing their priestly garments. Then he went to Nob, the town of the priests, and killed the priests’ families—men and women, children and babies—and all the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.” Hundreds of people were butchered, having nothing to do with Saul’s private feud with David.

This Psalm was recorded by David in response to him receiving the news, “Only Abiathar, one of the sons of Ahimelech, escaped and fled to David. When he told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord…” David felt responsible for their deaths! He carried the weight of responsibility when he had simply asked the priest for food and shelter. This Psalm doesn’t catch David’s arrogance of perfection, it lets us see his broken heart while trying to follow God and do what is right!

So often people blame God for the wackadoodle behaviors of crazed, rage-filled humans who enact unspeakable acts on others. It’s a fair question to ask, “why did God allow Saul (or Doeg) to do such a thing?” God didn’t ALLOW this brutal act. God gave us the gift of free will! These are the latent behaviors that exist in all human beings who strive to distance themselves from God, disobeying God and choosing to do their own thing, making up their own rules. One might say, “well I would never…” What? Kill? Become a maniac? It’s quite the discussion on social media platforms. The general consensus is, “Everyone is capable of murder.” Do we really know what we would be like if we truly followed our own will, desires and passions? Throwing off all constraints with a healthy dose of power and authority mixed with hate, anger or revenge, I think we would have to admit – we are all capable.

David’s prayer is all about following God and NOT his own bent, destructive will! David’s intent is to KEEP God’s commands so that he does not become a Saul or a Doeg! Sounds like a good confession to me.

Folks are willing to wander off God’s path with the curiosity of wondering, “what’s out there?” Be careful of what paths we choose and what doors we open! Not all paths lead to God. Not all doors of experimental experiences should be opened. Could God have stopped Saul, or Doeg? Absolutely. Shouldn’t God stop ALL OF US in our free will and decisions to pursue whatever we want. We are all capable of good and evil. And that choice is ours to make. We get to live in a world where we have the results of good and the consequences of evil among us. David was not perfect, not in the least bit! But neither are we, not yet. God will judge all things perfectly in the end. I am determined to follow God and believe His plans, His ways. Certainly not my own.

Prayer

Dad,
Not only have I come this far by faith, I am determined to go all the way. Nothing will stop me. Not my sin. Not my questions. Not offenses towards me. Not the evils all around me. I have set my course and I will not change my decision nor my destination. Heaven will be my home and you will forever be my God!