Reading: I Samuel 22-24
And the king said unto the footmen that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the Lord; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the Lord. And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod(I Sam. 22:17-18).
Saul, the man who God had chosen to be king over all Israel, had now drifted so far from the Lord that he had no qualms about ordering the death of the priests of the Lord and their families. The reserved, humble young man (I Sam. 9:21; 10:21- 23) that Samuel had anointed as God’s servant king (10:11) had disappeared. In his place stood a proud and mighty king of men, a king who would protect his throne at all costs.
Years earlier, Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which He commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought Him a man after His own heart, and the Lord hath commanded Him to be captain over His people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee (13:13-14). Not long afterward, the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul (16:14) and came to rest upon David. Saul had not heeded Samuel’s words; likewise, he appeared not even to notice the absence of the Spirit of the Lord. Without ever consciously changing his allegiance, Saul had renounced God and bound himself to the god of the world (II Cor. 4:4). His lust for power and his jealousy of David had driven him past the darkest edges of his sanity. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world (I John 2:16).
The life of Saul should stand as a warning to us all. Saul was not a man who set out to do evil, but by placing his perceived ‘needs’ before God’s will, he soon rendered himself unable to do anything else. In arrogance and pride, he held himself out to be God’s chosen representative, a claim that both he and the world accepted at face value. Saul desperately needed God, but he never sought Him out because he had convinced himself that he automatically had God’s approval and support in all that he did.
Spiritually, the most dangerous choice we can make is to deem ourselves wholly righteous in the eyes of God. When we believe that we can determine right from wrong and good from evil on our own without prayerful consultation of His Word and communion with the Holy Spirit, we cut ourselves off from the one thing we need above all else—the guiding presence provided by our Lord and Savior. Without that presence, we are well and truly lost.
And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you(John 14:16-17).
Thought for Today: Wickedness is the nature of man and, as such, is often difficult for us to spot in ourselves; only through the discerning eyes of God will we truly see.
Christ Revealed: By David’s refusal to take the kingdom by force or before the appointed time set by God (I Sam. 24:10-13). Christ refused to become King of Israel. When Jesus . . . perceived (knew) that they would come and take Him by force, to make Him a King, He departed (John 6:15).
Word Studies: 22:4 hold = stronghold, safe place; 22:17 footmen = guards; 22:18 fell upon = attacked and murdered; 22:22 I have occasioned = I am to blame for; 23:9 practiced mischief = planned harm.
Pray For Staff:Ryan McCrary • Country: Jersey (95,732) In the English Channel • Major Language: English • Religious Freedom • Protestant, Roman Catholic • Prayer Suggestion: Pray to be content with and thankful for the things you have (Heb. 13:5).
Optional Reading:Acts 9