Although not yet recognized as King within Israel, and although he is innocent of a grasping desire to usurp Saul’s throne, in chapter 23 of 1st Samuel we will see that David’s shepherd heart toward Israel forces him to begin acting the part of a King by protecting the people of an Israelite town called Keilah from an invading force of Philistines. During our study of chapter 22 last week we saw that when Gad confronted David about lingering in Moab he immediately obeyed and returned to Judah, but, as we will see in this week’s study, returning was merely the floor, not the ceiling, of what he was called to do.
I hope you can listen in as we study 1 Samuel 23:1-14.
In the Bible, Adullam is first mentioned among the cities conquered by Joshua during his conquest of the promised land. It is a site known to modern archaeologists as well. Even today the ruins of ancient fortifications can be found there atop a mounded hill and the nearby cliff faces are dotted with caves whose ceilings are charred black from all the campfires down through the millennia. In David’s time the site was likely abandoned and uninhabited, which made it an ideal hideout, and in 1…
In his book, “Pioneer Priests of North America,” historian Francis Parkman tells the tale of a group of missionaries in the late 1600’s who were having a very difficult time trying to win converts from among the Huron people of Canada. The indigenous people were not interested in anything the Jesuits had to say, but they were enthralled by a cuckoo clock that the missionaries had brought with them from France. Every hour on the hour the bird would emerg…
Several Sundays ago we studied the first five verses of 1 Samuel 18 in which we witnessed the birth of that famous friendship between David and Jonathan. This friendship had its beginnings in those happy days following the killing of Goliath. Everybody was lining up to pat David on the back then! However, often times it takes a trial to reveal who one’s true friends are. As it says in Proverbs 17:17, “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” This Sunday as we…
The book of 1st Samuel is dominated by three human personalities, Samuel, Saul and David, but oddly, the 19th chapter is the only place in the entire book where all three men are found together in the same place at the same time. The 19th chapter of 1st Samuel is not only an exciting portion of David’s story but it serves to illustrate many truths that will challenge and encourage us in our own efforts to live as followers of God. I hope you can listen in as we worship God through the study of 1 Samuel 19.
Imagine if your Father-In-Law had tried to murder you with a spear…twice. In 1 Samuel 17 David asked what would be done for the man who killed Goliath and the reward was, in part, that the daughter of Saul would be given to him in marriage. After some time passes Saul makes good on that pledge and David marries his youngest daughter, Michal. The name David is derived from a Hebrew word meaning “beloved” or “loved one” and it is a fitting name because everyone, but Saul, seems to love Davi…
In 1 Samuel 18:6-16 we will see that Saul becomes jealous of David. He’s jealous because the people think more highly of David than him, and he’s also jealous because the Lord was with David, but had departed from him.
Jealousy is an intoxicant that blurs one’s vision, clouds the mind, dulls judgment, and makes one behave strangely. It is a potent cocktail of empty-handed desire, possessiveness, and paranoid suspicion. Jealousy not only wants what others have, but it also doesn’t…
Years ago, I knew an acquaintance who had recently moved to a new town and was attending a new church. I asked her how the transition was going, and she said, “Everybody’s friendly, but nobody’s a friend.” That phrase stuck with me. Of course, what she meant by that was that although everyone was nice enough she didn’t yet feel like she had connected in a deeper way with anyone. Her new relationships were pleasant but also superficial and therefore unsatisfying.