JOB 38

 ²² “Have you visited the storehouses of the snow
      or seen the storehouses of hail?

Was reminded me of this classic today. Such a fantanstic Psalm

Snow is just such amazing stuff!!

Ready for Christmas we will be having a few cracker jokes in the blog

What has eyes but cannot see?

A POTATO

I can’t stop listening to this music. Sorry there are no pictures - just lie back and listen!

Saul has chased David all over the place in order to kill him. David is still hiding in caves in the wilderness in fear of his life. What will bring Saul down?  What will stop his eager persuit? A brutal fight perhaps, maybe an abush, a plague or a catastrophe? In 1 Samuel 24:16 we find that it is quiet the opposite. It is kindness that causes him to give in, cry and fall to his knees.

It is goodness and love every time that wins the day. Our clever arguments, shows of strength, or winning fights are not the means of breaking people’s stubborness or thoughtlessness - but love can and will.

1 Samuel 24 finds David stuck in a hard place. Cornered by the King and running for his life. How easy would it be for David to lash out? He has been sleeping in the wilderness for months with nothing but his men to  bring him comfort. There must have been days even weeks when food was scarce, when the wind cut through his cloak and the rain poured down. How tempting for David and his men to find a quick solution to all their problems - remove King Saul the tormentor.

David was innocent. He had followed God faithfully. Anointed to be the next king he had beated Goliath, been a servant of Saul and found favour with the people. How tempting must it have been for David to stand up and say “right, enough is enough, lets get rid of this trouble maker who has turned his back against God!”. Amazingly, we find that when Saul strays into the cave that David and his min army are hidiing David does not harm Saul but cuts a corner of his robe - to prove a point. Such was his gentle conscience before God that even this  action bothered David as he had showed a lack of respect and harmed God’s anointed. He recognises that God himself chose Saul. That life is about God’s plan and its fulfillment - not David becoming king or David’s fulfilment.

How careful must we be in showing respect towards God’s annointed. Not because we think they are doing well, or are walking in God’s ways but because he has called them. God himself has chosen them. We should do nothing but support and honour them.

Bruce Willis

Sir Winston Churchill

King George VI

Sam Neil

Charles Darwin

Lewis Carroll

Gareth Gates

Samuel L. Jackson

During the time that Saul was trying to kill David- he didn’t give up (1 Samuel 21-30). He looked to God, and sought strength from the Almighty in his trying days. Some of the greatest songs and Psalms David ever penned came during this time of his life. Charles Spurgeon spoke of this in one of his sermons back in 1872.

“Thy statutes,” said David, “have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.” Brother! there hath no sorrow befallen thee but what thy noble ancestors have celebrated in cheery tones, and set to music in cheerful strains. Oh, beloved! if you could forget the statutes, can you ever fail to remember the songs? There has never been a revival in the church that has not witnessed to the value of our psalmody. God be praised for our psalms and spiritual songs. Oh, how often they have made melody in our hearts to the Lord! While our voices blend, do not our very souls become more and more richly cemented? They are, in truth, the pilgrim’s solace.

ok Yes I am still talking about Sauls self image but I am facinated after all he has done he still feels sorry for himself.

“You’re not sorry for me. Think of it my own son-encouraging to kill me as he is trying to do this very day!” 1 Samuel 22:8

“At last someone is concerned about me!” 1 Samuel 23:21

Saul has a whole realm of servants to do his bidding, many things to enjoy and a whole nation under him and yet he still feels hard done to. He still wants pity from people. This has profound affect on the way he lives his life

• His perceptions on situations become warped

He becomes convinced that Jonathan and David are plotting to kill him. This is not true as we see in the following chapters that when David gets the chance to kill him he spares his life. When our thoughts are focussed on ourselves our judgement of others actions are warped. We then react on these percieved ideas and cause even more trouble for ourselves. Saul goes out trying to find David to kill and ends up killing all the priests instead OOOOOOpppppps God is already angry with him and I think he has just made things a lot worse!!

• He find friends on his “side” (more…)

In chapter 22 we find Doeg!! Who is this fellow? Is he a goodie or a badie?

We fnd him first in the city of Nob. His job is to be Saul’s chief herdsman and he spies on David eating the holy bread and picking up Goliath’s sword. He has aligned his heart with Saul (even though he has walked within the priests city and you would have thought that something of God’s will might have gripped his heart).

He runs off and squeals to Saul that he knows where David is and will show him so that he can kill him. Saul is delighted and sets off for Nob. Meantime David escapes. After Saul arrives he rounds up all the priests and in his anger, at their helping his enemy David, demands them all to be killed. Sauls soilders, horrified, refused to kill the Lords priests even by order of the king himself. One man steps forward and offers to do the dirty deed - oh yes it is Doeg. He slashes to death 85 helpless priests and then as if that wasn’t enough - he goes into the town and kills all their wives, children, babies, cattle, donkeys, sheep and goats. I am not sure whether he got help or did it by himself - but by the end of it he would have looked a total bloody mess. The smell would have been atrocious.

The quesiton I have in my heart is why would anyone do this?

• Because of his unfortunate name?

His name means fearful and anxious and is usually given to girls. Was he bullied all his life for being a sissy? Was he anxious to prove that although he wasn’t given a post in the army, but was a herdsman, he was as good as any real man? He was certainly eager to prove his butchery skills.

• Because he was an Edomite? (more…)

“I have only the sword of the Philistine whom you killed in the valley of Elah” the priest replied….. “There is nothing like it!” David replied. “Give it to me!” 1 Samuel 21:9

David is on the the run from King Saul who is now determined to kill David. He reaches the town of Nob (alright now no giggling) known as the city of the priests. Here we find David hungry after fleeing with only what he was wearing. He asks the priests for bread and a weapon. This is the place of the tabernacle and they have no bread apart from the holy bread - the Bread of the Presence, and they have no weapon apart from Goliaths sword.

Bread of the Presence

David is a man after God’s heart - he spends time talking and singing to his God. He is a man of God’s presence and when starving and tired what is it that satisfies his hunger? - only that which comes from the presence of the very God he adores. It reminds me of Jesus’ words “man shall not live on bread alone - but on the words that come out from the mouth of God”. How do we hear these words? by living in the presence of the one who is speaking.

Sword of Goliath

David was the reason that the sword had been captured by the Israelites. As David unwraps the sword from its cloth and takes hold of the handle, it sparks the memory of a great and mighty battle in which God brought freedom from those who would oppress this nation. It was a sign that God overthrows the proud - those who set themselves up against God’s kingdom. It is just the memory that David needed right at this point. The remembrance of that great victory gives him strength. His exploits and previous steps of faith cry out to him and give him faith to carry on. It is the testimony that as God was faithful then - he will be faithful now. It is the memory that just as David rose in strength then when his life was on the line, so he can trust God now. Don’t forget what God has done for you - but set up testimonies and write things down so that in a time of need your strength and faith will shine forth. Trust God for he is faithful.