KJB
Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Monday, March 28, 2016
Chapters: 1 Samuel 23-25
Message: 1 Samuel: God Gets The Vengeance
Hello My Friend,
As Christians we will face all kinds of trials simply because of our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Amazingly, there are even religions who claim to be Christians, yet have now idea who Christ is. The truth is, people who follow false religion really have no idea that they are being deceived, they are just doing what they are taught. How sad is it to go through life and think that you are doing what is right only to find out they got it all wrong. We can choose to follow the truth or a lie, but if we say we are Christians we need to follow the truth, and the only way to know the truth is to know the Saviour. “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” - I John 5:11,12.
Every where David went, Saul followed, there was always someone willing to sell him out for their own personal gain, even though they knew it was wrong. Saul even stooped so low as to start killing priests and their families for letting David go. This time, David was ready to fight for his life, but this time, the first thing he did before he ever made a move was ask God what he should do.
“Then said David, O LORD God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the LORD said, He will come down. Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the LORD said, They will deliver thee up. Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth. And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.” - 1 Samuel 23:10-14.
“but God delivered him not into his hand.” David knew that God was with him and would deliver him from Saul, but he also knew that if he wanted God's help he had to ask Him for it. I came to the conclusion that I need this reminder in front of me every day as it forces me to ask God whenever I am in a position to question what I need to be doing. God will not do anything to deliver us from our troubles unless we seek His guidance first. By seeking His guidance we are letting Him know that we are trusting in Him to make the right decision for us. We cannot go wrong when we allow Him to make the decisions for us. “Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.” - Psalm 25:8-10.
Grace, it is the unmerited favor of God, we cannot earn grace, it is given freely to us, but we often forfeit grace by focusing on the problems we face rather than the God who can give us the strength to deal with them. Before we make a decision, we first need to make sure it is from God, the devil is pretty good at making it look like something is coming from Him. Saul was about to learn what grace is all about when David had the opportunity to kill him.
“The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand. And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not. For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day. And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand. Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's house. And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.” - 1 Samuel 24:15-22.
“for thou hast rewarded me good,” It is only by the grace of David, and the conviction of God that Saul was not killed. David's soldiers were convinced that God delivered Saul into David's hands, and David would have been rightly justified in killing him, but just by ripping his clothes he realized something, God had appointed Saul as king. And until He removed him from the throne, David had no right to take this mans life. No matter what people have done to us we have no right to take the law into our own hands, God will never allow us to take a life in order to receive something for He promised us. “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” - Romans 12:19-21.
By now all of Israel as well as the surrounding areas knew who David was, whenever he came into their town they wondered if he were there to destroy it or help them. David knew a man named Nabal, Nabal was a sheep wrangler, at one time he was having problems with the Philistines and asked David to help drive them away, as a result he became very rich and successful. When David heard that Nabal was out shearing sheep in the wilderness he tried to get his help to feed the hungry men that were with him. He refused to even acknowledge David and that brought a fury on him and he was about to destroy the city until Nabal's wife brought food and gifts and pleaded with David. Ten days later Nabal died.
“And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light. But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died. And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.” - 1 Samuel 25:36-39.
“and hath kept his servant from evil:” There are a lot of Nabal's in life, they only want you around when they want something, yet expect people to constantly help them prosper. Sometimes Christians can become crutches to people like Nabal, and while it is the Christians duty to help and lift up those in need, there comes a time when we must realize we are hindering our blessings by continuing to help them. There are also people who help us from becoming a fool by retaliating due to anger or impulse. “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.” - Proverbs 26:4,5,11,12.
Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed through David's refusal to take the kingdom by force or before the appointed time set by God (24:10-13). Jesus refused to allow Israel to make Him king by force, “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.” - John 6:15.
Today's Prayer: God, I know how easy it is to go after those who have done me wrong, I also know how awful I felt when I got even with them, it really did nothing for me or them. You love Your children and do not want anything bad to happen to them, but as we get closer to Your Son returning we are being persecuted and attacked more than ever. Give us Your power to control our anger, tempers, and egos, let us not seek vengeance upon ourselves, but look to You to take care of things for us. Give us Your strength to love as You love, and let us not get caught up in those who are eager to sell us out for their own wicked advances. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
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Read Previous Devotions: http://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
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Copyright © 2016 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
Date: Monday, March 28, 2016
Chapters: 1 Samuel 23-25
Message: 1 Samuel: God Gets The Vengeance
Hello My Friend,
As Christians we will face all kinds of trials simply because of our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Amazingly, there are even religions who claim to be Christians, yet have now idea who Christ is. The truth is, people who follow false religion really have no idea that they are being deceived, they are just doing what they are taught. How sad is it to go through life and think that you are doing what is right only to find out they got it all wrong. We can choose to follow the truth or a lie, but if we say we are Christians we need to follow the truth, and the only way to know the truth is to know the Saviour. “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” - I John 5:11,12.
Every where David went, Saul followed, there was always someone willing to sell him out for their own personal gain, even though they knew it was wrong. Saul even stooped so low as to start killing priests and their families for letting David go. This time, David was ready to fight for his life, but this time, the first thing he did before he ever made a move was ask God what he should do.
“Then said David, O LORD God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the LORD said, He will come down. Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the LORD said, They will deliver thee up. Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth. And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.” - 1 Samuel 23:10-14.
“but God delivered him not into his hand.” David knew that God was with him and would deliver him from Saul, but he also knew that if he wanted God's help he had to ask Him for it. I came to the conclusion that I need this reminder in front of me every day as it forces me to ask God whenever I am in a position to question what I need to be doing. God will not do anything to deliver us from our troubles unless we seek His guidance first. By seeking His guidance we are letting Him know that we are trusting in Him to make the right decision for us. We cannot go wrong when we allow Him to make the decisions for us. “Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.” - Psalm 25:8-10.
Grace, it is the unmerited favor of God, we cannot earn grace, it is given freely to us, but we often forfeit grace by focusing on the problems we face rather than the God who can give us the strength to deal with them. Before we make a decision, we first need to make sure it is from God, the devil is pretty good at making it look like something is coming from Him. Saul was about to learn what grace is all about when David had the opportunity to kill him.
“The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand. And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept. And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not. For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day. And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand. Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father's house. And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.” - 1 Samuel 24:15-22.
“for thou hast rewarded me good,” It is only by the grace of David, and the conviction of God that Saul was not killed. David's soldiers were convinced that God delivered Saul into David's hands, and David would have been rightly justified in killing him, but just by ripping his clothes he realized something, God had appointed Saul as king. And until He removed him from the throne, David had no right to take this mans life. No matter what people have done to us we have no right to take the law into our own hands, God will never allow us to take a life in order to receive something for He promised us. “Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” - Romans 12:19-21.
By now all of Israel as well as the surrounding areas knew who David was, whenever he came into their town they wondered if he were there to destroy it or help them. David knew a man named Nabal, Nabal was a sheep wrangler, at one time he was having problems with the Philistines and asked David to help drive them away, as a result he became very rich and successful. When David heard that Nabal was out shearing sheep in the wilderness he tried to get his help to feed the hungry men that were with him. He refused to even acknowledge David and that brought a fury on him and he was about to destroy the city until Nabal's wife brought food and gifts and pleaded with David. Ten days later Nabal died.
“And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light. But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died. And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.” - 1 Samuel 25:36-39.
“and hath kept his servant from evil:” There are a lot of Nabal's in life, they only want you around when they want something, yet expect people to constantly help them prosper. Sometimes Christians can become crutches to people like Nabal, and while it is the Christians duty to help and lift up those in need, there comes a time when we must realize we are hindering our blessings by continuing to help them. There are also people who help us from becoming a fool by retaliating due to anger or impulse. “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit. As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him.” - Proverbs 26:4,5,11,12.
Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed through David's refusal to take the kingdom by force or before the appointed time set by God (24:10-13). Jesus refused to allow Israel to make Him king by force, “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.” - John 6:15.
Today's Prayer: God, I know how easy it is to go after those who have done me wrong, I also know how awful I felt when I got even with them, it really did nothing for me or them. You love Your children and do not want anything bad to happen to them, but as we get closer to Your Son returning we are being persecuted and attacked more than ever. Give us Your power to control our anger, tempers, and egos, let us not seek vengeance upon ourselves, but look to You to take care of things for us. Give us Your strength to love as You love, and let us not get caught up in those who are eager to sell us out for their own wicked advances. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: http://godsprice.com/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Read Previous Devotions: http://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Visit I'm Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
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Copyright © 2016 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
