Psalm 69 ~ Reproaches have broken my heart, so that I am in despair.

Psalm 69

Save me, O God!
For the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire,
where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
and the flood sweeps over me.
3 I am weary with my crying out;
my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
with waiting for my God.

4 More in number than the hairs of my head
are those who hate me without cause;
mighty are those who would destroy me,
those who attack me with lies.
What I did not steal
must I now restore?
5 O God, you know my folly;
the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.

6 Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me,
O Lord God of hosts;
let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me,
O God of Israel.
7 For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach,
that dishonor has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers,
an alien to my mother's sons.

9 For zeal for your house has consumed me,
and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
10 When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting,
it became my reproach.
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,
I became a byword to them.
12 I am the talk of those who sit in the gate,
and the drunkards make songs about me.

13 But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
At an acceptable time, O God,
in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
14 Deliver me
from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
and from the deep waters.
15 Let not the flood sweep over me,
or the deep swallow me up,
or the pit close its mouth over me.

16 Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
17 Hide not your face from your servant;
for I am in distress; make haste to answer me.
18 Draw near to my soul, redeem me;
ransom me because of my enemies!

19 You know my reproach,
and my shame and my dishonor;
my foes are all known to you.
20 Reproaches have broken my heart,
so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none,
and for comforters, but I found none.
21 They gave me poison for food,
and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.

22 Let their own table before them become a snare;
and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.
23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see,
and make their loins tremble continually.
24 Pour out your indignation upon them,
and let your burning anger overtake them.
25 May their camp be a desolation;
let no one dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute him whom you have struck down,
and they recount the pain of those you have wounded.
27 Add to them punishment upon punishment;
may they have no acquittal from you.
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living;
let them not be enrolled among the righteous.

29 But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your salvation, O God, set me on high!

30 I will praise the name of God with a song;
I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the Lord more than an ox
or a bull with horns and hoofs.
32 When the humble see it they will be glad;
you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
33 For the Lord hears the needy
and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.

34 Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and everything that moves in them.
35 For God will save Zion
and build up the cities of Judah,
and people shall dwell there and possess it;
36 the offspring of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall dwell in it.

Matthew Henry starts by concisely saying," To commit the keeping of our souls to God, that we may not be soured with discontent, or sink into despair. David was hated wrongfully, but the words far more fully apply to Christ."

People get tired of the same message of hope David brings saying trust in God and HE will fulfill His promises on earth. I hear more people, outside of Church, Church gatherings, Pregnancy Assistance really question if the Word of God - Scripture - is old rickety, washed up, nonsensical.

My son was president of his fraternity and his room was were Bill Engvall lived during college. Yesterday we read the Pew Research asking if Americans think less religion in the country is positive or negative. Here is your sign - look at the news. Look at the problems schools face with the students - with the teachers - with the way people interact.

Fortunately we see most of the complaints about the Word of God are the same.

Deuteronomy 25:11,12
If two men, a man and his countryman, are struggling together, and the wife of one comes near to deliver her husband from the hand of the one who is striking him, and puts out her hand and seizes his genitals,then you shall cut off her hand; you shall not show pity.

This is so archaic, surely we understand we are dealing with 'bogie men'.

Led up into how the New Covenant is surely the nonsense of Y2K Year 2000 update.

And 'Jesus' would not have said cut off her hand. Actually Jesus spoke of this scenario:

Matthew 5:30
If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.

Matthew 5:17
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

According to Jews, they quit doing the sacrifice at the time Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in 70 A.D. Sacrifices quit, people don't cut off their own arms. A Gift from HIM who fills the gap where sin would destroy.

What has not quit is the people seeking HIM. According to more research by the Pew Forum ~

Worldwide, more than eight-in-ten people identify with a religious group. A comprehensive demographic study of more than 230 countries and territories conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life estimates that there are 5.8 billion religiously affiliated adults and children around the globe, representing 84% of the 2010 world population of 6.9 billion.

The demographic study – based on analysis of more than 2,500 censuses, surveys and population registers – finds 2.2 billion Christians (32% of the world’s population)

Speak up kindly - even if your voice squeaks. Let people know why the Word isn't archaic, but living and active ~ filled with the Mercy of Jesus Christ. What was true in David's time - is true today -

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

John 5:17
But Jesus responded to them, "My Father is still working, and I am working also."

1 Thessalonians 2:13
And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.

It's not archaic, the Word of God points to the coming of Jesus Christ. Even in the Deuteronomy quote.


 Let heaven and earth praise him,
the seas and everything that moves in them.
For God will save Zion
and build up the cities of Judah,
and people shall dwell there and possess it;
the offspring of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall dwell in it.

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Luke 18:1 ~ And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

Luke 18:1
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.


The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life
Growth of the Nonreligious
Many Say Trend is Bad for American Society
ANALYSIS July 2, 2013

About half of Americans say the growing number of “people who are not religious” is bad for American society. But a similar share say either that this trend is good or that it does not make much difference, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center.

In recent years, Pew Research surveys have found evidence of a gradual decline in religious commitment in the U.S. public as a whole. For example, there has been a modest uptick over the past decade in the share of U.S. adults who say they seldom or never attend religious services. The number of Americans who do not identify with any religion also has grown in recent years; indeed, about one-fifth of the public overall – and a third of adults under age 30 – are religiously unaffiliated as of 2012. Fully a third of U.S. adults say they do not consider themselves a “religious person.” And two-thirds of Americans – affiliated and unaffiliated alike – say religion is losing its influence in Americans’ lives.

The new, nationwide survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life asked Americans whether having “more people who are not religious” is a good thing, a bad thing, or doesn’t matter for American society. Many more say it is bad than good (48% versus 11%). But about four-in-ten (39%) say it does not make much difference. Even among adults who do not identify with any religion, only about a quarter (24%) say the trend is good, while nearly as many say it is bad (19%); a majority (55%) of the unaffiliated say it does not make much difference for society.
growth-nonreligious-1

Matthew 18:20
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

No, it's not bash my Church day. This is the state of America today.


The Business community would say, "You have two percent attrition, Churches." Time to retrain your workers on customer service specialization.

The Body of Christ must be healthy to go out and do work. So much of the Bible is about figuring out your own life. Surely we must have a healthy level of care for the Body of Christ as a community, before we say serve.

Gentiles lord power over one another you go and love each other. Show you are Christians by your love. Give without thinking of return.

We've got the-world-is-bad-idols - "Oh, did you see that horrid movie its Bad". Go give a Church member dinner. Pastors, instead of having the new person leave because the lead pastor has too much to do - Do similar to the people in Acts, put them with another pastor who will call once a week, find them on Sundays.

Ask people. Do you want in grief to be left in peace or can we put three families who check on you during the real effort of recovery.

In divorce. Do you have three women who would call on this person during the real effort of recovery.

In children groups. Politely tone down your opinion on public schools vs home schoolers. Thanks. Moms, we are all different.

In substance abuse, in addiction, in reality - let's have a path for recovery.

The Book of Acts has lots of meals together. Socializing time. 

Not having enough kids for youth group - add two churches together quickly.

New people - have a face who calls and finds you each Sunday. Have several groups find who relates and pick up this family - find them on Sunday and speak - invite and phone call them. Forget easy social media as a greeting. A Greenhouse requires care, water, sunshine, Warmth. This is Biblical.

Some people have talent. Real HR talent - put them in charge of calling the two percent left and are sitting at home. The sweep up committee is Hard Work.

The fell away crowd was ignored.


Thank You, Father God, we look to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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Psalm 103 ~ Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, Who forgives all your iniquity, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life

Psalm 103

Psalm of David.

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6 The Lord works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children's children,
18 to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
obeying the voice of his word!
21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers, who do his will!
22 Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!

The Blessing of GOD upon
His Messengers
mighty ones doing His Word
obeying His Word
His Hosts
His Ministers

Thank You Father God for Your Blessings.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!

Ezekiel 34:26
And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing.

Jeremiah 32:41
I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.

Isaiah 56:3
Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the Lord say,
“The Lord will surely separate me from his people”;
and let not the eunuch say,
“Behold, I am a dry tree.”



Deuteronomy 28:2-8
And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

7 “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 8 The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Job 42:12-17
And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He had also seven sons and three daughters.

Genesis 12:1-3
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

1 Chronicles 4:9-10
Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain.' So God granted him what he requested.


 

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Luke 23:56-24:11 ~ But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.

Luke 23:56-24:11

56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

Luke 24

1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " 8 Then they remembered his words.

9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.


Seems an very inauspicious beginning for Christianity.

The promises of God dismissed as unbelievable.

We have come a long way.

Remember this in our own lives, with faith.

In Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

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Mark 2:18-22 ~ New Wine

Mark 2:18-22

Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”.


New wine - being changed by Jesus, seeing our lives as a gift from God and for God, not just another salmon swimming upstream without hope and going through the daily work. Old wine - what is valued, mellowed, cherished. What is Jesus telling us? We cannot change, cannot save ourselves. We cannot do it ourselves. With God all things are possible. Every day, we take our old wine - the things we value, the things the world expects, old hurts, the things that concern us. And we put them before God - the new wine of the Holy Spirit. Then we see the blessings and we thank Him.

Blessed be God, who creates light out of darkness.

We are new creatures in Christ Jesus, not controlled by the old values, but placing ourselves in front of Father God as His children.

Pull from the 25 verses of Isaiah 45:

Isaiah 45:

⁵ I am the LORD, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you

⁹ "Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
to him who is but a potsherd
among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
'What are you making?'
Does your work say, 'He has no hands'?

²² "Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth; for I am God,
and there is no other. 
 


Psalm 77:19
Your way was through the sea,
your path through the great waters;
yet your footprints were unseen.

Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.


Remembering things that caused pain, later bringing intelligence and blessing.

I was told in college by a happy voice on the phone, a Word of God, was coming to me. And in the upbeat voice, I had no clue the voice would say, "You will have a handicapped daughter and I think she will die." You might imagine, that made me quite angry. The call was so abrupt, there was confusion which of two roommates the voice belonged to. The voice was cheerful and told me this was a gift of the LORD and if the gift was ignored, the gift would cease. I later, after Isabelle died, I looked to see what the person had done with their life. I still wonder today when news is given from the Lord, but without caution. Even Samuel worried about doing this. I suppose, you have to put your own life in your hands when cheerfully offering up news like this.

Have you ever spent time wondering why a good person would suffer  - like with a broken hip. Didn't He - the LORD - care? And realizing, later, the odd reaction to the news teaches us about a heart of an individual involved. God is at work in our lives, all the time.

I remember having an ocean vacation and dreaming of my brother with his children, waking to find the dream wasn't true and feeling very, very sad. Sometimes there is a reaction to news - in all of us - that God would say is like a run over raccoon. We suffer for the raccoon and actually what has caused the end of the raccoon -  is the creature clinging to his own path, the food, found along that path. Ignoring the obvious.

Other times, we have to be glad the emotion was Expressed! This weekend, years later, I've been blessed to spend time with my brother's family - enjoying his children.

We are very able to breeze past our moments filled with joy with the abandon of the wide highway.

Luke 13:24
Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able

Luke 17:17
Then Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine-- where are they?

Strive to be the one who truly gives thanks. All of our gifts are really from Him. It is only in the heart, where HE treasures us, where thanks may truly be given.

Father God, help us to be worthy of our calling from You!  Each day giving thanks, putting our hands out and help us to bring Your will to earth, bringing more heaven to earth - to Your Glory. In the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.

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1 Kings 17:8-16 ~ The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’”

 Zarephath earliest occupation dates in the Late Bronze Age, c.1600 B.C., is mentioned in Papyrus Anastasi I from the reign of Rameses II.

1 Kings 17:8-16

Then the word of the Lord came to him, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.”

10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”

12 And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.”

13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’”

15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

I always love the Bible Jesus has commented upon.

He loved this portion so much to speak the Word about His opinion.


Luke 4:24-27
24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown. 25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land, 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.”

For us today, this miracle indicates that God is still at work. In difficult situations He provides assurance. On the horizon, the hope of a new fulfillment in Him.


Luke 18:1
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.


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1 Samuel 16:1-13 ~ surely the Lord's anointed is before Him

1 Samuel 16:1-13

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 2 And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.” 4 Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

6 When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” 8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.”

10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest,[a] but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.”




12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

Footnotes:

1 Samuel 16:11 Or smallest

Young Shepherd with Lamb, painted by Giovanni Segantini

Jeremiah 17:10
“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Proverbs 4:23
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart

James 4:8
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.


And as David aged and God's promises were fulfilled, David had this to say:

Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Psalm 97:11
Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.


Psalm 27:4
One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.

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1 Samuel 21-22 ~ gathered to him

Trees & Sunset" by QIQIGALLERY

1 Samuel 21-22


21 Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David trembling and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?” 2 And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place. 3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” 4 And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5 And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” 6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.

7 Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen.

8 Then David said to Ahimelech, “Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste.” 9 And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.”
David Flees to Gath

10 And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath. 11 And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances,

‘Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”

12 And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. 14 Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me? 15 Do I lack madmen, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a madman in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”
 

1 Samuel 22

David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.

3 And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay ^{[go out]} with you, till I know what God will do for me.” 4 And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. 5 Then the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.
Saul Kills the Priests at Nob

6 Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him. 7 And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, 8 that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. None of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day.”

 9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, 10 and he inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

11 Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king. 12 And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.” 13 And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?” 14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and captain over^{[has turned aside to]} your bodyguard, and honored in your house? 15 Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.” 

16 And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house.” 17 And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. 

18 Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. 19 And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword.

20 But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. 21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord. 22 And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father's house. 23 Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping.”

There is a swirl to the war here between David and Saul. We are looking at role reversal. David - the anointed of God - collects the malcontents. This is one of the Pharisee complaints about Jesus - the company He kept. David is doing his best to adapt to unusual circumstances. Kings who would favor David - just to use him and bring him down. 

You would think any power hungry man would leap at the offer of a King helping. David's role is more complex as he seeks not only safety, but to be right with God. 

This is not your typical good guy - bad guy children's book. Samuel, the prophet, has died, but Samuel mourned Israel not trusting GOD to be the King.  Samuel mourned Saul doing exactly what Judges did - trusting his own self-importance and feelings on righteousness. Saul has made his own feelings king. Saul has gone far past overboard. His self-interest has become sin pulling him down. As we age, our personalities can take over our judgment, making us ineffective. One more reason to stay off the path - me at all costs first - and stay on His path for us.


David has been told good is coming his way. He must believe it -a lot of people would have kept right on riding into the sunset - away from Saul and trouble. David is finding a lot more difficulties dwelling near God's promises.

Without faith, this looks a lot like - God has abandoned David! David is having to clean up after his own half-mistakes and safekeeping of those by-standers. David was in the field being a  - shepherd.

If you look at the line of Kings - you find the ones who have goodness and easy kingdom handed to them frequently begin to explore other options. I suppose in the effort to find themselves and adapt their own style. Solomon wanted to marry Pharaoh's daughter - the most important kingdom at the time. Rehoboam wanted to shuck Solomon's advisers. Josiah had to "rediscover" the forgotten Bible. Hezekiah had to overcome his own father's opinion to transfer God worship to the great outdoors and therefore dismantle the gold of the Temple to become a puppet state for the Assyrian Empire.

Hezekiah and Isaiah are never taught to be the closest to the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, but that unified belief in God, created some of the delights a trip to Jerusalem today can provide. Physical evidence that a belief in God united the People to do amazing things - we can see their works in faith in archaeology today.

David spoke the words God said to him -

With me you shall be in safekeeping.

2 Corinthians 5:7
For it is by faith that we walk and not by sight.

Romans 8:24
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?

John 20:29
Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

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Micah 6:8 ~ What does the LORD require of you?

COMFORT

Zechariah 1:16-18

Therefore, thus says the LORD, I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the LORD of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem. ¹⁷ Cry out again, Thus says the LORD of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the LORD will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.'"

To be a willing comforter requires a grateful heart. When we've been blessed with God's mercy, we want to share that goodness. We willingly put down our own desires and want to help others.

Maybe you've read "Same Kind of Different as Me" by Denver Moore. Denver is a black man raised in a small town in virtual slavery. To Denver Moore being homeless was a step up. In the middle of having nothing, the soup kitchens were a way to survive. This is movie currently in production being produced by the actor Samuel Jackson.

There is a small detail in the book, but it tells us what kind of homeless man Denver was.

The Christian Soup Kitchen was the first time Denver Moore was provided for. He adopted an 82 year old man - so mean - that one day a car pulled up and out the 82 year old man was tossed to the Soup Kitchen. His wife and children just tossed him out - he'd been a successful business man, but his family had enough. Eventually the man couldn't walk to the kitchens and Denver began to bring him his meals. Denver heard a litany of curses about his color, his kindness, even his Christianity. Denver bathed the man, fed him and cleaned his bedding. The man continued to proclaim his own racist superiority. Denver just ignored him and spoke to him.

After more than 80 years of hate, an abandoned old man was led to Christ by another homeless man. Denver Moore, a man without education or property, allowed the abandoned old man to fully live and accept the unrelenting love of Jesus Christ. How was Denver able to care for him past the hate? Denver had been given the same relentless love at a Christian Homeless Shelter. One person worked to make the light of Christ shine for Denver.

Denver Moore had to be willing to put some things down to help the old man. Denver had to forgive the people who had treated him poorly. Denver had to hear the scoffing of the others - homelessness has an element of power in survival mode. Denver had to allow himself to be vulnerable.

Luke 12:48b-53

Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

⁴⁹ "I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! ⁵⁰ I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how great is my distress until it is accomplished! ⁵¹ Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. ⁵² For from now on in one house there will be five divided, three against two and two against three. ⁵³ They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

This Scripture is uncomfortable. But Biblical truths sometimes have irony - sometimes just to catch our attention.

Denver a homeless black man was powerless in all that we enjoy in the world. Yet he was able to bring Jesus to a man so hateful and racist - no one reached him for 80 years. Complete lack of comfort led to an eternity of blessings. The most important thing for all of eternity. Jesus. One day that bitter, horrible old man realized all he had in the world was a black man willing to be the steadfast and relentless love of Jesus - just for him. Just to be loving.

The Luke 12 words of Jesus are extremely uncomfortable for us today. No one would sign up for this type of unhappiness. But for us today, it is a blessing. We are the beneficiaries of the generations of those who stood in the gap. For us today - Luke 12 means not to stand before Caesar, not be be pulled from our homes. Freedom to get up Sunday and decide where we will worship. Many places to drive our cars if we want a new Bible.

The division we have today is to say - I see any type of situation and I decide - I will put myself out to make a difference. Why would I decide to have any discomfort? The gratitude of what Jesus has done for me. The gratitude to the many generations who have made our lives this comfortable. In our comfort, we also find the ability to stand up, speak up and make a difference.

Comfort and love for others requires a grateful heart.

Fortunately, God doesn't require us to be the Savior. We can Never save others anymore than we can save ourselves. But our decision is this - to hold the love God has for us so dearly these words become our own -

To give justice with mercy and walk humbly with the Lord.  

Micah 6:8
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Joshua 24:15 
As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.

With just faith, hope and love in these words of the Lord, we can comfort and love all the people God would have us to love.

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