Reflections
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 30
S a m u e l .. King David 1
Ziba, a loyal follower of king Saul, with fifteen sons and twenty slaves, had been instructed by King David to farm land, formerly owned by king Saul, which David had generously given to Mephi Bosheth, the lame son of Johnathan, to provide him with a livelihood. Now, as King David fled from Jerusalem to avoid conflict with his son Absolom, he was met after he passed the Mount of Olives, by Ziba. And from the wealth of Mephi Bosheth, Ziba provided donkeys for transport, and food and drink for David’s companions, to assist them on their flight from Absolom. But then he told David a big fib! He said that Mephi Bosheth had remained in Jerusalem in the expectation that he would replace David as king, since he was the grandson of king Saul. The deceit is breathtaking, but David accepted Ziba’s story without enquiry, and given the extent of the generous provision made by Ziba, he promptly gifted to him the land Ziba had been farming on behalf of Mephi Bosheth.
We gain an insight into the mind and demeanour of David as he travels further. Read the account of the rantings of Shimei (2 Sam 16:5-14). We find that the King David who chose to deal with Nabal (1 Sam 25) so decisively (apart from the protective intervention of his wife Abigail) was now a hesitant contemplative man, conscious of his own failings before the Lord and deserving of the rebuke which Shimei levelled at him. One might consider David to be a ‘broken man’. And that, for me, constitutes another lesson to be learned from this episode in David’s life. The arrogance and confidence of military success had departed. The rebuke of the Lord weighed so heavily on him. He might have longed again for the wise counsel of his trusted priestly friends Zadok and Nathan.
But King David did have a friend, Hushai, a trusted confidant and advisor, whom he had prevailed upon to remain in Jerusalem in order keep him informed of developments there regarding Absalom. Now Absalom was quite suspicious of Hushai and challenged him regarding his loyalties. Hushai’s response was masterly. He pledged allegiance to “whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his will I be, and with him I will remain”. Then Absolom set a test for him by seeking his advice to compare it with the favourable advice he had received from Ahithophel, his own counsellor. That advice was that Ahithophel should quickly assemble an army of twelve thousand men to immediately to pursue David. But Hushai played up the strength of King David and his battle prowess. He advised the more cautious course of assembling a large national army, commanded by Absolom himself, before engaging in battle with David’s loyal band of followers. Absolom considered this advice to be superior to that of Ahithopel’s, so Hushai gained his confidence, and was able to pass that intelligence on to David through Zadok. Upon learning this, the dispirited Ahithopel, left the court of Absolom, went to his home, and hanged himself !
“Then David went to Mahanaim.” That’s the place where Jacob camped after he had left, and made a treaty with, Laban, his father-in-law. (Gen 32:2) Situated where we know today as ‘the Golan Heights’. There David was joined by friendly, wealthy, benefactors who provided food and other provisions for David’s army of followers. And with the intelligence provided by Hushai, David, intending to lead the people into battle, set about preparing to meet the army of Absolsom. But David was prevailed upon to remain in the camp since his battle commanders considered that to be best for their own survival in case of loss in the battle. But David had one more plea to his battle commanders. “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absolom.”
The battle took place in Gilead, east of the Jordan River. It was a heavily wooded area known as ‘the woods of Ephraim”. In that large wooded area it was so difficult to manoeuvre that we are told “the woods devoured more people that day than the sword devoured”. Twenty thousand Israelite followers of Absolom died that day. Absolom himself, riding on a mule, (one assumes in retreat), got his long hair (2 Sam 14:25,26) caught in a fork of a branch of an Oak tree. The mule continued on his way and left Absolom hanging there, One of the soldiers spotted him, and because he heeded the words of King David to “beware lest anyone touch the young man Absolom” he promptly told Joab, David’s battle commander. Now, even though Joab had gone to great lengths to reconcile David with Absolom by bringing him back from Geshur after he had killed Amnon, he could no longer countenance the treachery of Absolom in seeking to depose his father David. So he chastised the faithful soldier who had found Absolom, and then had the king’s son killed, and called his troops from the battle, and ordered Absolom buried in a pit in the woods, and covered it with stones. (Absalom had, during his lifetime had set up a monument to himself in Jerusalem in King’s Valley .. thought to be at the junction of the Kidron and Hinnom valleys).
Joab delayed telling King David about Absalom’s death, because he knew how painful that news would be received. Additionally, Joab had to contend with the fact that he had killed Absolom in direct disobedience to the King’s command … even though it was with the King’s longer term interests and survival at heart. IF there is a lesson in the reading this week, it is that the consequences of sin and disobedience, as David had engaged in with Bathsheba, are long and painful. If only David could have that time over again !!! I wonder.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 29
S a m u e l .. King David 1
People often remark on the decadence and immorality evident in society at large today. A situation which appears to get worse with time. Then, as we ‘reflect’ on the Scripture passage today, we might identify with “The preacher” who wrote in Ecclesiastes 1:9 “There is nothing new under the sun”.
The events described in our study passage are unseemly. There doesn’t appear to be much by way of encouragement … and yet, it is a passage filled with lessons to be learned. And those lessons can only be learned by those willing to be honest with themselves. The specifics are graphically described. Mercifully, very few of us encounter such experiences in our lifetime. But the principles of behaviour are symptomatic of many other comparable situations, and provide a warning regarding consequential outcomes. In this situation, for King David, ‘catastrophic’ appears to be an apt description. Envy, jealousy, malice, and pride. Throw in a case of incestuous rape, followed by malicious rejection, and it’s hard to imagine a more volatile and poisonous mixture. So let’s look at what we can learn from this.
David became King in Hebron at the age of 30 years. He lived there for about 7 1/2 years, during which time he had six sons. First Amnon, followed by Daniel, then Absalom, Adonijah, Shephatia and Ithream. Each one with a different mother. Absalom also had a sister Tamar, but we are not told exactly when she was born, but assume her to be much younger. She certainly was a granddaughter of the king Talmai of Geshur. These are the principal people concerned in the events we ‘reflect’ upon this week. David had many other children after he moved to Jerusalem, where he reigned for a further 33 years.
Now here is a lesson that we can learn. Is it possible that King David, that ‘man after God’s own heart’, could have taken his relationship with God for granted? Could he have become complacent in that relationship? Because the consequences of his action were catastrophic, and bore grave consequences for others. It would be naive to think that the ‘sin of David’ on which we ‘reflected’ last week was not widely known. It is also reasonable to consider that, such was the horror and enormity of it, that David’s standing was diminished as a result. In the words of Nathan “the enemies of the Lord had been given great occasion to blaspheme” … and some of those ‘enemies’ were evidently to be found within David’s own family. I speculate that they were emboldened to take license where previously they would not have. And of one thing we may be sure, where a weakness appears, so does Satan, to exploit that weakness.
The first ‘victim’ was the innocent Tamar, the younger half sister of Amnon. He had a willing accomplice in David’s nephew, the scheming Jonadab. A family affair we might think. We know very little about Tamar after this, other than “she remained desolate in her brother Absolom’s house”, rather than have the life she might have anticipated as a daughter of the King. Appearing so soon in the narrative after David’s gross indiscretion, makes it impossible not to connect the two matters. And it didn’t end there. Remember the Lord had told David “the sword shall never depart from your house” (ch 12:10). Amnon’s brother Absolom, brooded over the matter for two full years before finding the occasion to have him killed. Not by his own hand directly, but by others, just as David had dealt with Uriah the husband of Bathsheba. This slaughter of Amnon was witnessed by “all the King’s sons”, who promptly fled the scene. That led to David being informed that ALL his sons had been killed. What anguish that caused him. In the event, the sons eventually returned to Jerusalem, but Absolom fled to Geshur, the home of his maternal grandfather, Talmai, where he remained for three years.
Are you getting the thread of the evil and discord which is unfolding as a direct result of the ‘sin of David’? For me, this adds to the important lesson of caution this narrative brings about behavioural requirements on those who belong to the Lord. And if it can happen in David’s life …..!
Joab, the commander of David’s army, was a complex character who seemed to have a great loyalty to David, but at the same time was not averse to being disobedient if he considered that to be in David’s best interest. David longed to be reunited with his favoured son Absolom, and Joab knew it. Thus it was that Joab concocted a scenario whereby he coached a lady from Tekoa to spin a tale to David which resulted in David authorising Joab to go to Geshur to bring Absolom back. However, on his return, Absolom did not meet his father David for some few years, during which time he grew resentful of his father and began a long plot of stealth and deceit to take over the kingdom. Eventually, David was persuaded that such an event was possible, so rather than engage in hostilities within the city of Jerusalem, he chose to leave altogether. This was an almost unthinkable situation when one considers the relationship David had enjoyed with the Lord. And yet, as we have noted, the consequences of David’s great sin, appear endless.
The detail in our passage today is worth reading in order to understand the way in which matters began to unravel, and how King David completely lost control of the situation. For any willing to learn, this provides the most solemn lesson of how important it is to “stay within the boundaries where God’s love can reach and protect us”. (Jude 21 Living Bible)
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 28
S a m u e l .. King David1
The relationship between the Israelites and nomadic Ammonites is a complex one, to say the least of it! As simply as it could be put, David saw the Ammonites as friends, when Nahash was their king. Firstly because they were historical enemies of Saul, David’s long time detractor. And secondly, maybe, because Nahash was the father of David’s step-sister Abigail (2 Sam 17:25). But the Ammonites, who were descendants of Lot’s incestuous relationship with his younger daughter, were mostly at odds with Israel. In any event, when Nahash died, David sought to show kindness to his son Hanun, the new king.
The men David had sent to offer condolence and comfort to the new king were branded as spies by the king’s advisors, then humiliated by shaving half of their beard and cutting their garments short before being sent away. David was unamused and the Ammonites knew it. They prepared for David’s reaction by setting their armies in defence, but again the LORD was with David and over 40,000 Syrians lost their lives, as well as many Ammonites a short while later. David did not accompany his army in this battle but remained in Jerusalem.
The events which follow comprise such a tale of lust and treachery, that it is almost beyond comprehension. Especially so from one whose reputation has been lifted so high in our ‘ordinary’ understanding. That this exemplary giant of a man of faith, David, lauded as a “man after God’s own heart”, could fall so low as to commit adultery, then compound that failure by ordering the valiant and high principled husband, Uriah, to a position where he had a high probability of losing his life, which he did. The only lesson that I can find here is a salutary one of caution. If it can happen to a man like David, no-one is safe from temptation and sin. It behoves all men to carefully guard against such. The Apostle Jude put it very succinctly as paraphrased in “The Living Bible”. “Stay always within the boundaries where God’s love can reach and protect you”.
The LORD used the prophet Nathan to rebuke David. He did so by relating an anecdotal story about a wealthy man and a poor man. The rich man with large flocks of sheep, the poor man with a single ewe lamb. That single ewe lamb became a family pet. Precious in every way to the poor family. All they had. A traveller passed the place where they lived, and sought hospitality and a meal from the rich man, who readily agreed to the travellers request. But instead of supplying that food from his own resources, he chose rather to take the only possession of the poor man (over whom he presumably had some authority) to feed the traveller.
As David listened to the story that Nathan related he became incensed with rage. Can you hear David, in his fury, saying “Bring that greedy fellow to me, he will lose his life over this injustice, and furthermore, the poor man will be compensated four fold for his loss”. Then can you hear Nathan’s quiet response? “I don’t have to bring him David. He is already here. YOU are that man.” If that were the end of the story it would be bad enough. But God had more to say. And in this we have another very solid lesson to learn.
God is NOT to be trifled with. The sin of David was NOT the secret he might have expected it might be. And even if it had been, that would not have made it any less egregious. David was reminded again by the faithful priest, Nathan, of the horror of his actions. Nathan, speaking in the Name of the Lord, told David that there would be serious ramifications to follow his act of treachery. It was blunt, direct, and held nothing back. “You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.” The house of David would be continually plagued by violence from this time forward. It seems that these words anticipated the violent deaths of Ammon, Absolom, and Adonijah during David’s lifetime.
At the same time, there was a more immediate consequence. David confessed to Nathan that he had “sinned against the Lord”. So Nathan told David “The Lord has put away your sin, you shall not die. However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child who is born to you shall surely die.” The Lord is so jealous of His reputation being trashed, he cannot allow His enemies to see good come out of such treachery. Now, MOST of us immediately think of the consequences for the innocent child. How could God do such a thing we ask?But that child is in God’s care. We need to remind ourselves of some basics here. Psalm 89:14 declares “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face.” It is David and his wife who rightly bear the pain and shame of the consequences, not the child.
We draw to an end this week with the birth of the one chosen to be David’s successor, Solomon. That name means either ‘(God is) peace’ .. as in Shalom, or ‘His replacement’. Both are true of this child. But, Nathan called him Jedidiah, which means ‘beloved of the Lord’. And so he was. And there is a lot more to learn about him!
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 27
S a m u e l .. King David 1
King David was blessed with remarkable success. The kingdom of Israel, Judea in the south and Samaria in the north, was united under his rule. “And the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around”. He lived in a lovely house overlooking the Kidron Valley and was chatting one day with his advisor Nathan, the prophet. In my imagination, I ‘hear’ the conversation between the two as they discuss the marvel of God’s abundant provision Then they expressed, with concern, the thought that the Creator of the Universe, the very God who had blessed them so abundantly, was living in a box in a tent !!!! As they pondered that, Nathan advised David to “do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you”. And He was.
But the LORD had not been consulted and had a message for Nathan and David. And what He said provides an important lesson for us today. It is very easy to identify love, joy, and good intent, in the plan David and Nathan had concocted in their chat together. What a lovely idea was my first thought, BUT, in the night hours when God visited Nathan, it became evident that God did not approve of their idea. It was not in the timely plan of God for them. And therein is the lesson for us. Put simply, God is available to us at any time we approach Him, to confirm, or to guide us in the various schemes and programmes we are capable of thinking up. Even the very well-meant thoughts and ideas which appeal to us, but which may not be within His timely plan. Because we know the end of the story, we know that God’s plan DID include the building of a Temple to replace the Tabernacle, but God’s plan was that David’s offspring would be the builder …. and there is more to that than immediately meets the eye! We need to read a parallel passage (1 Chronicles 17:11-14) to get the full measure of the word which came to Nathan that night, as we reflect on that further.
The LORD took time to remind King David of the journey along which he had been led. Then He comforted him with the promise that in time there would indeed be a more permanent place of rest for the Ark of the Covenant of God, the representation of His presence among the people. Beyond that, God referenced another “house”, in which the “throne of the One building that house” would remain forever. But David was not to know that that “house” would not be constructed with conventional building materials. The character and grace of David is revealed to us again in his response. Truly, “a man after God’s own heart”. “You are great O LORD GOD. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You.” Let that sink into your heart. Ponder the depth and sincerity of David for OUR God. Selah !
And David hadn’t finished. “For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You have become their God”. We live today in times where we see the insidious hateful tentacles of anti-semitism rising in many countries of this world. I am often reminded of the words of Isaiah, as I am now. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts .” (Isaiah 55:8,9) Is God using the evil intent of godless men to bring about His eternal purposes? It’s not the way I would do it. But …. God is God, and I am man.
Notwithstanding the ‘rest from his enemies’ which David enjoyed (Ch 7:1), we find Chapter 8 of our text devoted to the detailed account of “after this” conquests. The parallel passage is 1 Chronicles 18. Some commentators have suggested that the detail here is ‘filling in’ the gaps for some of those battles. In any event, the LORD continued to bless King David in regard to success in battle with his enemies. With that success also came the accumulation of significant wealth in addition to a formidable reputation as a leader who did not lose in battle. A good friend, but a formidable enemy.
What follows in our text provides, I believe, yet another lesson from this portion of Scripture for any willing to learn. We have already referenced the description of God in regard to David as “a man after My own heart”. Well, see the “heart of God” in this. When Saul was king over Israel, he tried many times to put an end to David’s life. David, on the other hand, on notable occasions had opportunity to end the life of king Saul, which he did not. By any measure, Saul could accurately be described as David’s enemy. As chapter 9 of our text opens, when David’s battles for the peaceful occupation of Israel ended, albeit temporarily, we find him enquiring about Saul’s heirs and successors. Not to end their life, but to enrich it.
His enquiries led him to Mephi-Bosheth, Saul’s grandson, the disabled son of his good friend Jonathon. Now, there is a significant amount of information and history in our Bible relating to Mephi-Bosheth, and those with whom he had lived and been cared for in his early life. Keen students of the Bible will be rewarded in searching it out. The end result of David’s “heart of God” enquiry was that Mephi-Bosheth was welcomed at David’s table for the rest of his life. He was granted a goodly portion of land (on what we now call the Golan Heights) with the family of Ziba (with 15 sons and 20 servants) to maintain and harvest the land for Mephi-Bosheth’s benefit.
One can only guess at the surprise and gratitude which must have been part of Mephi-Bosheth’s response. But in different circumstances, it is reasonable to also assume, he might one day have been anointed king in succession to his father Jonathan. But that is speculation.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 26
S a m u e l .. King David 1
It amazes me to see the way God allowed the intrigue and violence of greedy men to bring about His purposes in the establishment of David as king over all Israel. Last week we saw the violent death of Abner, the power broker who had appointed Saul’s fourth son, Ish-Bosheth, as king over the Northern tribes of Israel. Ish-Bosheth made the fatal mistake of accusing Abner of “going in” to a former concubine of Saul (a sign of taking over Saul’s authority). This caused immense anger in Abner, so much so that he decided to switch sides and made a treaty of peace with David. Unfortunately for him, Joab, commander of David’s army, took it upon himself to avenge his own brother’s death, without David’s knowledge, in treacherously killing Abner. When Ish-Bosheth heard of Abner’s death he “lost heart” and became very depressed. Two captains of Ish-Bosheth’s army, then opportunistically sought favour with king David, by killing Ish-Bosheth and taking his head, as proof of their changed loyalty, to David at Hebron. David was unimpressed by their treachery, and had them summarily executed, just as he had previously done at Ziklag with the man who claimed to have killed king Saul. Then David, in a gracious act of respect, took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it with the body of Abner in Hebron.
“Then all the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron and spoke saying ‘Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in and the LORD said to you ‘You shall shepherd MY people Israel, and be ruler over Israel’”
“Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD. And they anointed David king over Israel.”
David was 30 years old at this time. (Interestingly, the same age about 1,000 years later, as Yeshua when He began His ministry on earth). I wondered how many years had passed since David was initially chosen by God, because it provides a lesson for us. There is no definitive answer to that, but there are clues. Commentators have spent many hours on this subject and have varied in their conclusions. Maybe easier if we knew how old David was when he killed the Philistine Goliath. The age range for that event is from 13 to 22 according to different studies. But, in my view, it is likely to be between 15 and 19. IF I am correct, God had provided David with between 11 to 15 years of experience in battle hardened conditions preparing him for the task of leadership for which God had chosen him. He was NOT a novice. (See Paul’s counsel to Timothy in 1 Timothy 3) It is also my conclusion, that when God calls us to His service today, He ensures we have suitable and appropriate experiential training for the tasks to which He calls us. And above all, in David’s dealings with others whom he perceived to be chosen by God, he always exhibited deferential respect. Another lesson.
King David then turned his attention to the capture of Jerusalem, which was occupied by the Jebusites at that time. Jerusalem (Mt Zion) is on a hill protected by steep valleys on three sides. The “water shaft” referred to is thought to be the one discovered by Sir Charles Warren in 1867, and now bears his name. It was used to bring water from the Gihon Spring to the old city (Not to be confused with Hezekiah’s tunnel which performed the same function some years later). David’s success in capturing “the stronghold” and naming it after himself (The City of David), caused his reputation to be spread far and wide, and surrounding neighbours provided materials and workmen to build David a magnificent house. Over the years, David populated that home with many children !
The LORD favoured King David with His presence in counsel and strategy as David began the task (neglected by earlier generations of Israelites) in conquering the Land of God’s Promise and occupying that land as a united kingdom. David erected the Tabernacle in Jerusalem and then set about bringing the Ark of the Covenant (captured by the Philistines ‘1 Samuel 4” and returned and residing in the home of Abinadab). The LORD provided David with a salutary lesson as the Ark began its journey, and the resultant death of Uzzah, who had touched the Ark to steady it over rough ground. So eventually, some three months later the Ark was successfully restored to its place in the most holy place in the Tabernacle. The story is full of dramatic detail (Chapter 6). David wore a linen ephod, normally only assigned for priests. There was sacrifice and dancing, great merriment and singing, blowing of trumpets and praise to the LORD as the Ark made its triumphant return to the place of God’s appointment. King David led the people with such exuberance that he ‘exposed himself’ as he twirled in dance and praise to the LORD. BUT, David’s wife Michal, Saul’s daughter, was less than pleased, and sarcastically chastised David for his exuberant exposure. That signalled the end of David’s relationship with Michal as David explained “the LORD has appointed me as ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel, Therefore I WILL play music before the LORD, and I will be more undignified than this, and be humble in my own sight.’
King David showed no restraint in his fervour and praise to God who chose him. What other people thought and said …. didn’t matter. Another lesson?
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 25
S a m u e l .. King David 1
Three days after David returned to Ziklag from recovering the possessions which were taken by the Amalekites, an escapee from Saul’s defeated army arrived in Ziklag with news of the death of Saul and his sons. It would appear that the man, knowing of the rancour that Saul had for David, decided to concoct a story about Saul’s death which he believed would ingratiate himself with David, by claiming that he himself had killed Saul. How wrong he was.
On two occasions David refused opportunities to take the life of Saul because he was anointed king by Samuel at the command of Almighty God. The truth about Saul’s death would have been more palatable to David. As it was, David was deeply distressed by the death of Saul in the manner reported to him. He ordered the execution of the self confessed perpetrator, and sat down and wrote a eulogy to Saul and Jonathan. (The Book of Jasher also known as the Book of the Upright is thought to be a collection of commemorative words about heroes of Jewish wars)
David’s life, and his outlook, was changed by the death of Saul. He sought guidance of the LORD about the future, by making enquiry, I presume, of the Ephod. He received clear confirmation that he should travel to Hebron. The whole company then left Ziklag and settled in that city. What follows provides clear evidence of David’s suitability, under God’s guidance, to be the leader of the nation. David had already been anointed king by Samuel (1 Sam 16;3 and 13). Now men of Judah visited David in Hebron and anointed him king, which confirmed David’s authority over the south of the country. Then David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead in eastern Israel. His words to them were conciliatory and respectful of their allegiance to Saul. “You are blessed of the LORD, for you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him.” And went on “I will also repay you this kindness, because you have done this thing.” A statesman like message to people who had been strong supporters of David’s predecessor. BUT, there was also strong opposition. at the same time. Abner, Saul’s cousin and commander of the army, had evidently survived the slaughter at Mt. Gilboa. He anointed Ish-Bosheth, Saul’s eldest surviving son, as king over eastern Israel and, eventually, over the tribes of the north, who had their own problems with the occupation of the Philistines.
Now we need to gain a lesson for ourselves from the narrative which follows. There are TWO sides here. It is clear from the text that David was the one anointed by God to be King. David is the one consistently seeking, and receiving counsel, from the LORD. Saul also sought, but did not receive such counsel because “the Spirit of the LORD had left him”. Saul turned to necromancy. At no time do we learn of David’s opponents seeking, or receiving counsel from the LORD. BUT, all Israel was aware of David’s exploits as a servant of the LORD. Today, there are NO nations actively seeking God’s counsel, with the possible exception of some in Israel, not ALL. For that reason, it is incumbent on everyone who belongs to the LORD, to diligently seek the will of God on a personal level (it is just not available on a national level, and one would have to be blind not to see the confusion that reigns in our world today) so that we may face God’s judgement in confidence that we have walked uprightly before him. That judgment is about our works … exactly as we are ‘reflecting’ on the works of those Israelites of old, who are judged by, and suffer consequences of, their works in our text. (See Revelation 20:12)
David ruled Judea from Hebron for seven and a half years. During this time, many from other tribes (occupied by Philistines) travelled to Hebron to meet with David and to pledge allegiance to him (Read 1 Chronicles 12 for detail). And at the same time, we might conclude, Ish-Bosheth was engaging with the Philistine invaders of the land in the north. This ‘came to a head’ with a sort of ‘final accounting’ at the ‘pool of Gibeah’, which our text describes graphically in the remainder of our reading today. Joab represented King David’s side and Abner represented king Ish-Bosheth’s side. It started with an agreement to a small scale conflict between the ‘champions’ of both sides. Twelve men from each side. That ended in a ‘draw’, so the conflict escalated from there. The whole contingent from each side engaged in a fight, which was won by King David’s group. Again Abner managed to run away. But Asahel, Joab’s brother was pretty fast, and caught up with Abner, who killed Asahel. It is a story of fierce loyalties, but brings ‘brother against brother’ and ‘friend against friend’ in mortal combat. It is summed up as follows. “Now there was a long war between the House of Saul and the House of David. But David became stronger and stronger, and the House of Saul became weaker and weaker.”
Our reading today ends with two distinctly opposite actions. First, the contrition of Abner and his realisation that David was God’s anointed King and made a treaty of peace with him. And second, the treachery of Joab, who contemptuously killed Abner, through revenge, regardless of Abner’s treaty of peace with David. Mercifully, it fell to David, in statesmanlike fashion, to honour Abner for his courage and leadership (albeit against David) in Israel. “For all the people and all Israel knew in that day that it had not been the King’s intent to kill Abner, the son of Ner.”
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 24
S a m u e l
“Now it happened in those days that the Philistines gathered their armies together for war to fight with Israel.” Then TWO unthinkable events took place. First, David had been befriended by Achish, king of Gath, and he expected David to join the war on the side of the Philistines. Second, king Saul, without having Samuel to offer advice was left to face this situation alone. And alone he was. He was thoroughly frightened at the prospect of war. He tried to gain the counsel of the LORD, but the LORD was as silent as Samuel was dead. Then Saul made a HUGE mistake. He sought advice from a ‘medium’. In spite of Saul attempting to disguise himself, the ‘medium’, fearful for her own life because there was a decree (made by Saul himself) against such Torah prohibited practices, called him out immediately and asked him what he wanted. He wanted to speak with Samuel. (Note:- If you think that believers today would shun such practises, you will be alarmed to learn that Benny Hinn confesses to such, claiming to speak with the deceased Kathryn Kuhlman on matters of ‘spiritual guidance’)
The Scriptures record here that Samuel DID in fact speak with Saul. Not that he gained any comfort from the encounter, quite the contrary. Samuel reminded Saul of his disobedience (1 Sam 15) in relation to the capture of the Amelekite king Agag. That was the time when God removed His Spirit from Saul. In addition, Samuel told Saul that the next day, he and his two sons would be with Samuel, in the place of the dead. (Note:- It is very comforting to believers to think that once dead, we are transported immediately into heaven. So please ponder the question “Is it likely that the faithful Samuel, and the necromantic Saul would end up in the same place?” A study of the Scriptures provides the answer. But it isn’t exactly the answer we have been told, or even what our wishful thinking would like it to be! Most commentators are unhelpful, by avoiding the question) “Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground and was dreadfully afraid.” And presumably, Samuel went back to his place of rest, awaiting the day of resurrection.
As this was going on, the Philistines were gathered in their thousands in the valley of Jezreel parading, ready for war, before the lords of the Philistines. Last of all in that parade came David and his band of outcasts. The smart lords of the Philistines could see the possibility of David turning on them in the battle and so it was that David’s small army was excused battle duty and were sent back to Ziklag. It was a three day trip from the Jezreel Valley, and when they returned they found that Ziklag had been invaded by an Amalekite group who’d made off with all their possessions as well as their families. David was blamed for the catastrophe and was threatened with ‘stoning’. “But David strengthened himself in the LORD”. We are not told, but it is worthwhile pondering how David did that, because it would be a good example to follow. What we are told is that David called on Abiathar to enquire of the LORD using the priestly Ephod. By God’s guidance, they met a man who was a servant of the raiding Amalekite group and he was able to lead them to the place where the raiders were celebrating their victory. Thus it was that David’s company of men were able to recover all their possessions, and more, as well as being reunited with their families. One of the good outcomes of that recovery experience was the sharing of the spoil among the whole group, not only among those who actually went into battle. That became a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day forward. It is noteworthy too, that David shared the spoils with other Judean groups in the region as a thankyou for their past support.
While David was recovering their possessions in the south, at the other end of the country, in the north, at Mt Gilboa, the Philistines were enjoying great success in their battle with the Israelites. Thousands of corpses of those slain in battle littered the mountain battleground as they sought to escape the carnage. As they fled, Saul’s sons, Jonathan, Abinabab and Malchishua were killed, as Samuel had said they would be just a day before. Saul himself was gravely wounded by an arrow, and knew that he too would soon die. Rather than be humiliated in capture, he asked his armour bearer to kill him. The armour bearer could not bring himself to kill the king, so Saul took the sword and fell on it himself. The armour bearer did the same moments later. A very sad end to Israel’s pleadings some years earlier to be led by a king, after what was, for them, about 400 years of a succession of judges.
Saul’s failure as king was due to his refusal to be obedient to the LORD’s direction. But the final act of debasement was still to come. The Philistines saw that the Israelites had fled from the mountain so they went to ‘strip the slain’ of useful and valuable possessions. They found Saul’s lifeless body, took his armour, which they eventually put into a pagan temple, and beheaded him, and fastened his body to the walls of Beth Shean. The men of Jabesh Gilead had reason to be thankful to Saul for his rescue of them from the Ammonites (1 Sam 11) years earlier, so they did what they could to provide a ‘decent burial’ for his remains.
The Book of 1 Samuel records some momentous failures for Israel. Early in this book we are told how they lost the Ark of the Covenant to the Philistines. It ends with the complete humiliation of their nation and king in battle with the Philistines.
But, God’s succession and success plan for Israel, had already been set in His choice of the young David as king. We continue our ‘reflection’ on that in future weeks.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 23
S a m u e l
“Then Samuel died; and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him in his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran. The well respected Samuel, the last of the Judges of Israel, one who had some influence and an element of control over Saul, no longer there to exercise such influence. Almost in the same sentence, we find David moving out of the ‘strongholds’ of En Gedi, having received a kind of commitment of peace from Saul (which we dealt with last week), back to the wider spaces of Paran.
It may be assumed that David was prepared to take Saul at his word, and although he was cautious, he seemed to be ready to settle and wait to see how Saul would behave. He sought the favour of a wealthy farmer called Nabal, who lived in Maon, but had sheep and goat herds in Carmel, a little further north. (See map for geographical relationship) Nabal (which means ‘foolish’) was “harsh and evil in his doings”, but his wife Abigail was both wise and attractive. David, knowing of Nabal’s wealth, sent ten of his men to Nabal to seek his favour and support by way of food provision. Nabal refused. So David determined to ‘help himself’ to a portion of Nabal’s wealth! He instructed his men to get ready for ‘some action’! In the meantime, Abigail was told about Nabal’s refusal to assist David, and took matters into her own hands by taking supplies of food to David’s camp. The two groups met as they made their respective journeys. Read the dialogue of their encounter (1 Sam 25: 21 - 35). When Abigail returned home and told Nabal what she had done, he had a heart attack and died.
David’s wife, Michal (Saul’s daughter) had been given to another man! So on learning of the death of Nabal, David proposed to Abigail (who consented) and another lady, Ahinoam (not the one who was Saul’s wife), thus David acquired two new wives. Chapter 26 of our text opens with the news that Saul had soon forgotten his promise not to seek David’s life and was again hunting him down with 3,000 select men of his army. Of course, David was soon aware of this and took steps assess the situation with another man called Abishai. They came across Saul’s camp as he slept, entered the camp, and took Saul’s water bottle and spear, then left. Abishai had strongly urged David to let him put an end to this matter by summarily killing Saul in his sleep, but for the second time, David resisted on the grounds that Saul remained God’s anointed king, assuring Abishai that God would deal with Saul in His own good time. What an inspiring lesson that provides.
How many times in our own experience, when things don’t go according to our expectation, do we ‘take matters into our own hands’ to solve the issue? It could be argued that God had created the opportunity for Saul to be killed by David, TWICE, … but David was wise enough to know that it was not his role to be executioner of a rival who had been appointed by God Himself.
David retreated to some high ground with great distance between himself and Saul’s camp and shouted, waking up the camp and specifically addressed Abner, Saul’s cousin and commander of Saul’s army. David taunted him with being slothful in his duty of protecting the king, asking him to look for the king’s water bottle and spear. The eventual result was a second statement of promise from Saul to desist from pursuing David. Saul’s words are sincere. “I have sinned … for I will harm you no more, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Indeed I have played the fool and erred exceedingly”. And David’s response was memorable. “May the LORD repay every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness.” And I believe that to be a reliable statement of God’s intent towards all who are His, and who deal so with others with such grace. “So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.”
Never-the-less David was unconvinced by Saul’s words of remorse and decided to relocate, with this own group of 600 men and their families, to the land occupied by the Philistines. “And it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath (again); so he sought him no more.” In time, David asked Achish, king of Gath, to give him a place in which he and his band of followers to settle. “So Achish gave him Ziklag.” And David lived there for 16 months. During that time, David effectively continued the work that Joshua was given to do several hundred years earlier. He attacked and plundered territory occupied by Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites, the Jerahmeelites and Kenites, all original occupants of the Land of God’s Promise, now known as Judea. David gained significantly in wealth and reputation, through plunder and success in those raids. No-one was left alive to tell the tale, and Achish became convinced that David was attacking Judeans, and so making enemies of Israel, the enemies of the Philistines. Thus David was eyed, by the king of Gath, as an ally of his, and David gained knowledge of the various plans Achish made to war against Israel.
It is a fascinating story to read. It is also quite amazing, because we know the end of the story, to see how God so amazingly put together all the pieces to bring about the result which He had planned for Israel from the very beginning.
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 22
S a m u e l
David was in big trouble! As he fled from the wrath of king Saul, he went about 15 km West, to Gath, a Philistine stronghold, thinking that Saul would not follow him there. He was right in that assumption. But the servants of Achish, king of Gath, recognised him as an enemy of the Philistines, so he very effectively feigned madness to avoid arrest, and our text begins today with David moving on again, this time about 15 km South east into the safer territory of Judea to the “Cave of Adullam”, about mid distance between Gath and Hebron. David was joined there by his whole family, and as word spread, our Bible tells us that many others, discontented with king Saul also joined him there. A company of about 400 men and their families. This number would shortly swell to over 600 as more families joined him.
It seems that David was now acutely aware of the dangers he faced from Saul, and the possibility of that being extended to his immediate family. So he sought safe refuge for them. Presumably drawing on his own Moabite ancestry (Ruth was his great grandmother) and counting on the Moabite mutual animosity towards Saul, David’s family was taken to, and remained in, Moab, until Saul was no longer a threat. What a good example to sons !!
Saul’s home base was Gibeah, a city with a horrible history (Judges 19) north of Jerusalem. Saul was brooding over the fact that David had fled and no-one could, or would, inform him about David’s whereabouts nor Jonathan’s collusion in his departure. Then the devious Doeg, the one who was “detained by the LORD” at Nob as we read about last week, spoke up. He related the events he witnessed in Nob, and that resulted in the priest Ahimelech receiving a visit from Saul at Nob. It is a brutal story resulting in the slaughter, at the hand of Doeg the Edomite, of 85 priests as well as women and children. Even their animals were not spared the rage and blood lust which Saul visited upon them. But one, Abiathar, escaped the carnage and fled to the ‘Forest of Hereth’ where David was camped with his followers.
It was at this point that David began to embrace the call that God had placed on his life. Here is a lesson of great importance. It is amazing to see how the LORD was working out His purposes in all the circumstances of the events which had preceded this. The most unlikely people, like Doeg, had been (unwittingly to them) used by God to bring about the result the LORD had planned for Israel from the beginning. As we continue in our ‘reflection’ we clearly see that the threat to David’s life was undiminished, but David began to rely more and more on the LORD for instruction and for survival. The evidence for this is in the account (1 Sam 23) of the respective roles of both David, in rescuing the city of Keilah from the marauding Philistine army, and Saul in his attempts to besiege David and his followers as they defended Keilah.
Throughout this narrative, there are many instances in which David is both respectful towards Saul, whom he correctly identified as being anointed by God as king, and honourable, as he seeks to know God’s will for the actions he is about to take. Here we find another lesson as we seek to know “God’s plan” in everyday life situations. Earlier we read about Abiathar, a priest who escaped from the carnage at Nob. We are told that he took with him an “Ephod” (The apron like covering over the High Priestly linen garment) which contained the Urim and the Thummim. Our Bible does not describe these items, and so to us they remain mystical elements, which God used to convey His will and purpose to the High Priest in matters of direction and judgement. In our text today, we find that even without the presence of a High Priest, God made the Urim and Thummim available to David for consultation in his wilderness hiding places to keep him safe. I suggest that today, they are replaced by God’s written word and guidance of His Holy Spirit. (Even visions and dreams for some people). The lesson of David’s example is in his reliance on God, not on his own best guess !!
Saul’s pursuit of David seems unrelenting. His army was numerically vastly superior to that of David, but David’s followers were more nimble and kept ‘a step ahead’. At one point, when David was encamped in the “Wilderness of Maon” it seemed like Saul would succeed, but then word came to Saul about an invasion of Israel by the Philistines, so Saul had to ‘break off’ the chase in order to defend the territory from Philistine attack. (Personal note:- On a visit to Israel in 2012, our tour guide took us to the location of the “Wilderness of Maon”. It was searingly hot. He described for us the plight of David and his followers. Unbearably hot. Then suggested that this was where David wrote Psalm 61, in which David pleaded with God to lead him to a rock “that is higher than I”. A place of shelter from the sun, and hiding from his pursuers. Then a prayer for the king’s life. Speaks much about David and his trust in the LORD)
As time went on David moved East and encamped at En Gedi on the shores of the Dead Sea. There he had that famous encounter with Saul in which he removed a corner of Saul’s garment. The result of that was the ultimately disingenuous promise of Saul to cease his pursuit of David, saying “Therefore may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.”
Prophetic YES. But it’s a tale of two very different personalities, isn’t it?
Shabbat Shalom
RS
REFLECTIONS ON LIFE IN THE PROMISED LAND
The Promised Land “reflections” 21
S a m u e l
Last week we read about David’s wise behaviour and the esteem which was afforded him by the people as a result. At the same time, king Saul, devoid of the influence of the Spirit of God had become a very troubled, depressed individual, with murderous intent towards David. This was a result of intense jealousy which had turned to hatred. And therein we can find a lesson for ourselves if we are willing to learn it. So our reading this week opens with Saul’s announcement to the royal court, which included his son Jonathan, that David was to be killed off.
But Jonathan had become a close friend to David, so he warned him of the threat and colluded with him to bring about change in Saul’s paranoia. Which he did. Then David was restored to his place as Saul’s comforter, playing soothing music to ease Saul’s depressive moods. But it was a short-lived. Soon there was another war with the Philistines. Once again David distinguished himself in the ensuing battle. The result. Another surge in David’s popularity. Another severe depression for Saul. Another attempt on David’s life and another order from Saul to kill David. This time David’s wife, Michal, who was Saul’s daughter, came to David’s aid. The whole story is well known and loved by most children who ever attended a Sunday School.
Firstly Jonathan, then Michal, Saul’s children, risked, and were prepared to lose, their own lives to save David’s. In my mind I see a fore-runner, an example in type, of sacrificial love which was eventually given for my own salvation. But the LORD had great plans for David, so thus it was that David fled to Ramah, Samuel’s home, where he unburdened himself to the prophet. It seems that Samuel had established a place of learning and worship, called Naioth, a few miles farther north in the mountains of Ephraim. It was to Naioth that Samuel and David went to be safe from Saul. Such was the atmosphere at this place of worship at Naioth that all who came within it’s boundaries were drawn into it’s influence and were overwhelmed by the Spirit of God. Even Saul himself was found in prophetic worship at that place.
David seemed puzzled. He simply could not understand why Saul was so angry with him that he wanted him dead. In his distress he sought Jonathan’s help. Read the account in Chapter 20 of our text. It speaks of the great bond of love and friendship between Jonathan and David, and ends with their parting. Jonathan went back to the city, and David began his new life as a fugitive. Because we are privileged to know the end of the story, it may come as a shock to discover the way the LORD chose to place David in, what can only be described at this point in his life, a somewhat perilous situation. And in that, I find another lesson for those who choose to serve the LORD. The “prosperity” teachers today would have people believe that ‘coming to Jesus’ leads directly into a life in which all of life’s problems, material and financial are instantaneously solved. I can think immediately of two prominent servants of the LORD, David and Paul, who might take issue with that teaching. The LORD had very important work for David to do, and he needed to be trained, by experience, to deal with many adverse circumstances in which he personally, and the nation he was destined to lead, would face as the fullness of God’s plan unfolded.
David was God’s anointed, yes, and chosen for a purpose. Did God choose David because he was ‘perfect’? Did God choose Paul because he was perfect? Did God choose YOU because you are perfect? David was inexperienced and young. Paul was an enemy of believers. Only you, and God, know about you. And to accomplish the task for which God calls us, we all need to be trained by experience to fulfil God’s expectation.
“Now David came to Nob”. Nob was a dwelling place of priests on high ground about 2 miles north east of Jebus (Jerusalem) beyond the Mt of Olives. David was met by a priest, the great grandson of Eli, Ahimelech (which means “brother of the king) who expressed surprise that David was unaccompanied (even though the text implies that he was not alone). David concocted a story about being on the king’s secret business, and asked for some food for his journey. In the event, David was given some of the ‘showbread’ which had recently been taken (and replaced by new bread) from the altar in the tabernacle. He also was given the sword which was taken from Goliath, and went on his flight from Saul towards Gath, a Philistine city, where David reasoned he would be safe from Saul. In the event, the servants of Achish, king of Gath, recognised David as the slayer of Goliath and numerous other Philistines. So David thought he might have jumped “out of the frying pan into the fire” so to speak. He feigned “madness”, and acted insanely.This caused Achish to dismiss him out of his sight, and thus it was that David escaped the wrath of Achish and continued his flight from Saul.
There is an interesting snippet in the text (1 Sam 21:7). It refers to an Edomite, called Doeg. He is not a very nice man, and we will meet him again next week. As I read this text I note that Doeg, in this special place where the priests dwelt, was “detained before the LORD”! We don’t know the circumstances, but bad as he was, he was part of God’s overall plan. And what do I learn from that? God’s purposes will NOT be hindered by ANYONE. Good bad or indifferent. So it was that this unlikely Edomite was used in the purposes of the Lord, in the rescue and preservation of David, the LORD’s anointed.
Shabbat Shalom
RS