AVOIDING THE ACIDIC AFTERTASTE (1 Samuel 25-26)

This devotional is provided by Linda Rondeau. 

According to custom, David had every right to attack Nabal’s household and kill each male. In fact, David had purposed to do so in his heart. He had protected Nabal’s interests in the wilderness, and deserved a favor in return. When he did, Nabal not only refused but insulted the future king. Foolish thing to do.  The Bible says that Nabal was not only surly and belligerent, married to a beautiful woman, but he was a Calebite, a descendent of Caleb, one of the Israelite spies, a descendent of Kenaz, blended into the tribe of Judah but descended from Esau, a race looked down upon by descendants of Israel’s heir, Jacob.  David gathered a portion of his army, enough to make a good thrashing of Nabal’s small kingdom. 

Pride often precedes rash and potentially disastrous decisions. If David had prayed before he responded, God would have tempered his wounded pride. Instead God encouraged restraint via a beautiful woman, Nabal’s wife. She reminded David of a more powerful truth, mercy is better than revenge. Did the future King of Israel want this senseless slaughter on his heart when he took his rightful place on the throne, no matter how seemingly justified? David was so touched by her wisdom, that he changed his mind. When he heard that Nabal was dead, he took Abigail as his wife.  “He kept his servant from doing wrong and brought Nabal’s wrongdoing  on his own head (1 Samuel 25:39b NIV).

In the next chapter, David has an opportunity for revenge against Saul. The current king wrongfully pursued David, threatening his life. David could have easily had his captain put an end to his misery. Perhaps he remembered what Abigail told him. David instead knew he should not lift a hand against God’s anointed.  “The Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.” We know that is exactly what happened.  (1 Samuel 31)

Have you ever felt inclined to return an insult for an insult? No matter how justified, in the end the act will leave an acidic aftertaste. I believe that God tempers hasty revenge for our benefit, not necessarily for the benefit of the one who offended us, though sometimes it might be that very person who is led to God by our mercy rather than our strength.

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:44-45a NIV).

Winner of the 2012 Selah Award for best first novel The Other Side of Darkness/Harbourlight,  LINDA WOOD RONDEAU, writes stories of God’s mercies. Walk with her unforgettable characters as they journey paths not unlike our own. After a long career in human services, Linda now resides in Jacksonville, Florida.

Linda’s best-selling Adirondack Romance, It Really IS a Wonderful Life, is published by Lighthouse of the Carolinas and is available wherever books are sold.

These books are also available in ebook format along with her other ebooks by Helping Hands Press: I Prayed for Patience/God Gave Me Children and Days of Vines and Roses.  Readers may visit her web site at www.lindarondeau.com or email her at lindarondeau@gmail.com  or find her on Facebook, Twitter, PInterest, and Goodreads.  

AVOIDING THE ACIDIC AFTERTASTE (1 Samuel 25-26)

This post comes to us compliments of Linda Rondeau.

According to custom, David had every right to attack Nabal’s household and kill each male. In fact, David had purposed to do so in his heart. He had protected Nabal’s interests in the wilderness, and deserved a favor in return. When he did, Nabal not only refused but insulted the future king. Foolish thing to do.  The Bible says that Nabal was not only surly and belligerent, married to a beautiful woman, but he was a Calebite, a descendent of Caleb, one of the Israelite spies, a descendent of Kenaz, blended into the tribe of Judah but descended from Esau, a race looked down upon by descendants of Israel’s heir, Jacob.  David gathered a portion of his army, enough to make a good thrashing of Nabal’s small kingdom. 

Pride often precedes rash and potentially disastrous decisions. If David had prayed before he responded, God would have tempered his wounded pride. Instead God encouraged restraint via a beautiful woman, Nabal’s wife. She reminded David of a more powerful truth, mercy is better than revenge. Did the future King of Israel want this senseless slaughter on his heart when he took his rightful place on the throne, no matter how seemingly justified? David was so touched by her wisdom, that he changed his mind. When he heard that Nabal was dead, he took Abigail as his wife.  “He kept his servant from doing wrong and brought Nabal’s wrongdoing  on his own head (1 Samuel 25:39b NIV).

In the next chapter, David has an opportunity for revenge against Saul. The current king wrongfully pursued David, threatening his life. David could have easily had his captain put an end to his misery. Perhaps he remembered what Abigail told him. David instead knew he should not lift a hand against God’s anointed.  “The Lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish.” We know that is exactly what happened.  (1 Samuel 31)

Have you ever felt inclined to return an insult for an insult? No matter how justified, in the end the act will leave an acidic aftertaste. I believe that God tempers hasty revenge for our benefit, not necessarily for the benefit of the one who offended us, though sometimes it might be that very person who is led to God by our mercy rather than our strength.

“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:44-45a NIV).

Winner of the 2012 Selah Award for best first novel The Other Side of Darkness/Harbourlight,  LINDA WOOD RONDEAU, writes stories of God’s mercies. Walk with her unforgettable characters as they journey paths not unlike our own. After a long career in human services, Linda now resides in Jacksonville, Florida.

Linda’s best-selling Adirondack Romance, It Really IS a Wonderful Life, is published by Lighthouse of the Carolinas and is available wherever books are sold.

These books are also available in ebook format along with her other ebooks by Helping Hands Press: I Prayed for Patience/God Gave Me Children and Days of Vines and Roses.  Readers may visit her web site at www.lindarondeau.com or email her at lindarondeau@gmail.com  or find her on Facebook, Twitter, PInterest, and Goodreads.   

SABBATICAL

I am going to take a sabbatical for awhile, probably until early June. Keep up with me on the weekends and with the Bible readings, which will probably take us into Psalms!  I was reading about Saul and Jonathan and enjoying the drama nd feeling so bad for Jonathan . . . look at it with me!

After lingering in the Torah for three months, these books of history speed by like Japan's bullet train. Definitely faster than a speeding bullet . . .

Saul jumps to center stage this week.  He is a conflicting character.  He is offered everything he needed for kingship, but throws it all away. Every time he does something wonderfully courageous, he does something equally stupid.

hmm. Sounds like I'm describing myself, perhaps.

God tells Saul, "You'll be a new person." He offered Saul the same clean slate David wrote about, create in me a clean heart, o God, and renew a right spirit within me. 

Saul went among the prophets. The reaction of his friends shows Saul wasn't the kind of man one would associate with prophesy. 

Samuel gave Saul a heads up that God had chosen him to be the king. When his name came up in the lottery, God gave his hidey-hole among the bags.

Not kingly at all.

Enemies threaten to gouge out the right eyes of an entire town in Israel. Saul flew into a rage and God brought great victory.

Later that kingly rage turned on David. 

He couldn't move forward without falling back.

Thankfully for Saul, God moved "true and brave" men to join him. They kept the cogs of the kingdom going. 

Of course God knew David would be king, and the line of the Messiah would be the line of the king. But I believe Saul had a real chance. 

Donkey Hunting (1 Samuel 7-9)

Today's post comes from Connie Peters.


When they reached the district of Zuph, Saul said to the servant who was with him, “Come, let’s go back, or my father will stop thinking about the donkeys and start worrying about us.” But the servant replied, “Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.” I Samuel 9:5-6

The Israelites enjoyed a great revival under the priesthood of Samuel. For a time they served the Lord and enjoyed the blessings of prosperity and victory over their enemies, but once again became rebellious.

Compounding the problem, Samuel was up in years and his sons were dishonest. The Israelites

became fed up with the priesthood and demanded to have a king like other nations. They had a legitimate problem, but they wanted to solve it their way.

When Samuel became upset at their decision, God told him they had not rejected Samuel but they had rejected God. Samuel warned the people what life with a king would be like. Their land, their children, their freedom would not be their own. Yet the Israelites persisted.

God gave them what they wanted. He chose a tall, handsome, young man named Saul to be their king. One day God’s pick, unaware of the divine calling on his life, lost some donkeys. After wandering the

countryside he told his companions that his father would forget about donkeys and worry about them. His servant advised him to stop and ask the man of God. Not only did Samuel reassure Saul that the donkeys had been found, he anointed him as king. (I Samuel 10:1).

I can relate to Saul wandering around after his donkeys, his focus on the mundane, disconnected from God’s bigger plans. It’s kind of like Martha in Jesus’ time. Martha was very busy preparing the meal while Mary sat at Jesus’ feet. Jesus commended Mary for choosing the better pursuit (Luke 10:38-42).

In the cases of the Israelites’ problem of desiring a king and Saul’s problem of

the lost donkeys, I’m reminded of the same truth. It’s important to seek and obey God. Seek his direction. Seek his solutions—before life gets overwhelming. And like the mother of Jesus once said, “Do whatever He tells you.” (John 2:5)

Determine to seek God’s will and do things His way. He knows the answers to your problems. And
He knows how the seemingly little stuff of your daily routine fits into His big picture.

Verses to meditate on:

Matthew 6:25-34, Matthew 7:7-12, Isaiah 55, Ephesians 3:14-21

Connie L. Peters has 30 years of experience in writing poetry, adult and children’s fiction and inspirational non-fiction. Currently she writes devotions for The Presidential Prayer Team and The Pagosa Sun. She also writes a poem a day on enthusiaticsoul.blogspot.com. Connie’s work has appeared in numerous publications including Focus on the Family, Bible Advocate and The Quiet Hour. She has served on the board of Southwest Christian Writers Association for the past 20 years. Connie lives in Cortez, CO where she and her husband host two adults with developmental disabilities. The Peterses have two grown children who live in Arizona.

ONE THING I CAN’T GO WITHOUT (1Samuel 4-6 )

 Today's devotional brought to you courtesy of Ada Brownell @2013

GPS

If you were in a crisis, such as being marooned on an island, what is the one thing you couldn’t do without?

I’m pretty sure I’d think having God with me would be the one thing I would desperately need. But would I later think I’d prefer something else?

I thought about this when I read about the Israelites, while losing a war with the Philistines, taking the precious Ark of the Covenant into the battlefield.

I’ve read the stories from Joshua’s day about the wonders surrounding the Ark of the Covenant, such as the time the priests’ feet approached the Jordan River carrying the gold box and the waters rolled back so the massive group of Israelites could cross.

How did it work for Israel to pull out the “God thing” in time of crisis?

Well, there was a problem. They had been worshiping foreign gods and Ashtaroth idols. Perhaps as I sometimes do, thinking it doesn’t matter that the meditations of my heart and the words of my mouth don’t honor the Lord, they thought idols were a permissible way to soothe a sinful conscience.

The prophet Eli’s wicked sons, Hophni and Phinehas seemed to be the ringleaders. But wasn’t it a good thing to turn to the true God now? If I sin, couldn’t I connect with the Heavenly Father again and have His blessing?

Well, the shout of the joyful Israeli solidiers greeted the ark echoing to the Philistines’ lines.

Philistine commanders issued an alarm. “God has come into their camp! Fight as you never have.”

 The Philistines captured the ark. Thirty-thousand Israeli men died that day and the rest ran to their tents. Phinehas and Hophni took mortal wounds. The shock caused Eli’s and his pregnant daughter-in-law’s deaths, and as she drew her last breath she whispered, “Name my son ‘Ichabod.’”

 Ichabod means “the glory is departed.”

After weeks of God’s judgment among them with the ark in their camp, the Philistines sent the ark back to Israel with cows that had calves in the barn. If the cows took the ark back to Israel, they would know it was a miracle.

 Their full udders swinging, the cows pulled the ark straight home.

With Eli dead, Samuel the prophet became the leading spiritual authority in Israel (See 1 Samuel 7), called the nation to repentance and to destroy their idols. God saw the tears and heard, and in love forgave. The Philistines didn’t invade Israel again through Samuel’s lifetime.

Lord, may I remember this lesson and not easily walk away from your presence. Help me remember, too, that if I sin, I have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, and sin can be forgiven (1 John 2:1-11).

  Yet, I shouldn’t go anywhere without your presence.

Ada Brownell, a retired newspaper reporter and free-lance inspirational writer, is the author of Swallowed by Life: Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal http://buff.ly/TLkr0a; Joe the Dreamer: The Castle and the Catapult http://buff.ly/XeqTvH

      Her blog: http://www.inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com

Speak Up, Lord! (1 Samuel 3)

p.s. To my readers: I've been sick and hospitalized for about two weeks. Sorry to have missed you, but He is Risen!  Amen and amen and hallelujah!


I want you to read the following sentence.  It's a very familiar verse from a very familiar story, one that I learned as a child and have taught many times since. I'll even quote it from the King James, since that's probably most familiar to us as a group.

Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. (1 Samuel 3:10)

It feels like there is something missing. Go ahead. Try it. Close your eyes and say the verse and read it again.

Did you, like me, like any students I've taught, say . . . .

Speak, Lord,

for thy servant heareth

That's what Eli told Samuel to say.

But it's not what he said. 

So many the boy Samuel had feet of clay after all. Here I was thinking of the contrast between Eli and his sons and their rich spiritual heritage compared to Elkanah, an ordinary Ephraimite. But Elkanah's family knew 

in a way Eli did not. 

When Samuel lay on his bed and speak into the night, what did he expect to happen? 

Did he think a monster might climb appear? Did he expect to see anything at all? I expect that disembodied voices were the stuff of ghost stories then as well as now. 

Was he scared? Or did he think talking with God was, well, normal? He was young enough to hear and respond and not put up barriers.

My daughter-in-law lost her grandmother this past week. Samuel makes me think of my granddaughter, who alone of her relatives says that Mimi is with God. (not heaven).  Her house to God's house. Her presence to God's presence. As simple as that.

Regardless of what or whom Samuel expected to hear when he answered the voice, he grew into a mighty man of God.  

The first time I taught this story, one of my students (the pastor's son) paraphrased the verse this way: 

Speak up, Lord!

I expect God did, loud and clear enough for Samuel to understand. 

L  O  R  D