5 Then David said to Achish, “If now I have found favor in your sight, have them give me a place in one of the cities in the country, so that I may live there; for why should your servant live in the royal city with you?” 6 So Achish gave him Ziklag that day; therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. 7 The number of days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.
8 Now David and his men went up and attacked the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for they were the inhabitants of the land from ancient times, as you come to Shur even as far as the land of Egypt. 9 David attacked the land and did not leave a man or a woman alive, and he took the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing. Then he returned and came to Achish. 10 Now Achish said, “Where did you carry out an attack today?” And David said, “Against the Negev of Judah, against the Negev of the Jerahmeelites, and against the Negev of the Kenites.” 11 And David did not leave a man or a woman alive to bring to Gath, saying, “Otherwise they will tell about us, saying, ‘This is what David has done, and this has been his practice all the time that he has lived in the country of the Philistines.’” 12 So Achish believed David, saying, “He has undoubtedly made himself repulsive among his people Israel; therefore he will become my servant forever.”
(1 Samuel 28:1-25) Now it came about in those days that the Philistines gathered their armed camps for war, to fight against Israel. And Achish said to David, “Know for certain that you will go out with me in the camp, you and your men.” 2 David said to Achish, “Very well, you will learn what your servant can do.” So Achish said to David, “Then I will assuredly make you my bodyguard for life!”
3 Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had removed the mediums and spiritists from the land. 4 So the Philistines assembled and came and camped in Shunem; and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they camped in Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the camp of the Philistines, he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. 6 So Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him, either in dreams, or by the Urim, or by the prophets. 7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Find for me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at En-dor.”
8 Then Saul disguised himself by putting on different clothes, and went, he and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, “Consult the spirit for me, please, and bring up for me the one whom I shall name for you.” 9 But the woman said to him, “Behold, you know what Saul has done, that he has eliminated the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why are you then setting a trap for my life, to bring about my death?” 10 So Saul swore an oath to her by the Lord, saying, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” 11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul!” 13 But the king said to her, “Do not be afraid; but what do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a divine being coming up from the earth.” 14 He said to her, “How does he appear?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage.
15 And Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul replied, “I am very distressed, for the Philistines are waging war against me, and God has abandoned me and no longer answers me, either through prophets or in dreams; therefore I have called you, so that you may let me know what I should do.” 16 Samuel said, “But why ask me, since the Lord has abandoned you and has become your enemy? 17 And the Lord has done just as He spoke through me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom from your hand and given it to your neighbor, to David. 18 Just as you did not obey the Lord and did not execute His fierce wrath on Amalek, so the Lord has done this thing to you this day. 19 Furthermore, the Lord will also hand Israel along with you over to the Philistines; so tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. Indeed, the Lord will hand the army of Israel over to the Philistines!”
20 Then Saul immediately fell full length to the ground and was very afraid because of Samuel’s words; there was no strength in him either, because he had eaten no food all day and all night. 21 The woman came to Saul and saw that he was utterly horrified, and she said to him, “Behold, your servant has obeyed you, and I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to your words which you spoke to me. 22 So now you too, please listen to the voice of your servant, and let me serve you a piece of bread, and eat it, so that you will have strength when you go on your way.” 23 But he refused and said, “I will not eat.” However, his servants together with the woman urged him, and he listened to them. So he got up from the ground and sat on the bed. 24 Now the woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly slaughtered it; then she took flour, kneaded it and baked unleavened bread from it. 25 She then served it to Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they got up and left that night.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
I'm not sure if David had asked for the Lord's guidance on this matter as to where to live and what to do next. Maybe God would have directed David towards doing something completely different. Note that king Achish thought he would use David to his advantage. This shouldn't come as a surprise since this is what the world does. And while the Lord was going to hand the Israelites over to the Philistines, this didn't make them "the good guys". God often used the enemies of Israel to hand out consequences due to their disobedience.
Even though not perfect, David was intent on having a close relationship with the Lord, while Saul did not. It isn't because the Lord didn't want a relationship with Saul, because God desires that all come to know Him, it is because Saul rejected the Lord. And even though Saul did the right thing in going to God for answers, what we have to understand is that sin impedes our prayers, so therefore, God refused to answer or help Saul. If only Saul would have repented and believed in the Lord!
Interestingly enough, Saul had also done the right thing in getting rid of mediums and spiritists from the land, but did the wrong thing in seeking one out to consult. Still, God surprised even the medium by actually sending Samuel to them. Why was this shocking to her? Because in all her experience, she either made up things, or if she ever did contact "anyone", it would have been demons, who are able to appear and impersonate people. It is also important to know that wanting to speak to demons is not wise, as they are liars who are out to distort, distract, divide and destroy. Not only is there NOTHING to gain from "consulting the dead" (or horoscopes or tarot cards or Ouija boards...), but one is opening up their lives to some very dark spiritual warfare.
Meanwhile, even Samuel let Saul know this wasn't the right way to get answers. Saul had a difficult time hearing God's word relayed to him through Samuel before he died, why would he suddenly pay attention to what Samuel said now? Especially because Samuel would only tell Saul what God says.
The whole point here is that we can all have a close relationship with the Lord, by repenting and believing in Him. And in our walk with Him, it is only beneficial that we continue to confess our sins when we become aware that there is sin in our life. And because the Lord is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent, and cares for us, always continue seeking out guidance from the Lord - and the Lord ONLY!
No comments:
Post a Comment