Devotion for Wednesday 11 August
Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from the First Book of Samuel, Chapter 26 verse 24, “May my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he rescue me from all my tribulation,” (NRSVB). This verse is taken from the conversation between King Saul and David, when Saul and an army of three thousand men went to battle against David and his army of six hundred soldiers, in the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul swore an oath to himself to kill David, for the prophet Samuel anointed David as the future king over Israel, as Saul departed from worshipping God. Saul reasoned that if he killed David, or had David killed, he would not have to relinquish his kingship over Israel to David. Therefore David fled and kept in hiding from Saul. However, one night David’s spies came to inform him that Saul and his army were camping for the evening rest at the entrance to the wilderness of Ziph, before they would be attacking David and his men, the next morning.
David decided to go down to the camp of King Saul with one of his brave soldiers, Abishai. When they arrived at the camp, they found Saul and his soldiers in a deep sleep. In the ground, next to Saul’s head, was his speared pinned down, and next to it a water bottle. Abishai told David that God surely had given Saul in his hand, it would take one smote of the spear, and Saul would be no more. David told Abishai that he would never lift his hand and act against King Saul, for Saul was anointed as King by the prophet Samuel, on instruction of God. David and Abishai took Saul’s spear and water bottle and returned to their camp. Not one of the soldiers, nor Saul, even stirred. While it was still dark, establishing a great space between his troops and Saul’s, David screamed out to Abner, the head of Saul’s army, asking whether he would answer him. Abner answered and asked who it was who bothered the king in the dark of night. Saul recognized the voice of David and asked whether it was David. David replied that it was indeed him, and told the king that he spared his life. Saul must sent one of his soldiers to come and collect his spear and water bottle. For a short while Saul had remorse and asked David’s forgiveness. David stated that as he had spared the life of King Saul and reckoned Saul’s life precious, he therefore asked that his own life would be precious in the sight of God.
History tells us that God indeed spared David’s life, blessed him and he became the most celebrated King of Israel. However, it did not happen immediately, it took many years. Despite Saul’s brief remorse, he continued to hunt David down, with the intent to kill him, but God preserved the life of David, for he was precious in God’s sight. Looking back on the history of David, one wonders why David had to overcome so many obstacles, facing death so often in his own life. These questions are not questions that can be answered applying the knowledge of earth, or relying on human interpretations. The story of David reveals to us the faithfulness of a human towards God and his belief in God’s promises for the future of his life. David was not a perfect human being, but he was a man who loved God. He admitted his faults to God and asked for God’s forgiveness and guidance, where as Saul rejected God’s instruction and God’s reign, as Lord of Israel. David’s saving of Saul’s life did not change Saul’s hatred towards David, however, David never took the law into his own hands, which he could. He chose to wait on God to intervene in his perfect time, even though it took years. Waiting for God to act on our behalf is what is commanded from the Lord, so that we can have inner peace.
The Apostle Paul suffered many onslaughts on his life once when he was convicted to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. On one occasion the commandant of the Roman squadron saved Paul from the crowd who wanted to have him killed as he explained Christ’s death and resurrection. The commandant had Paul locked up in the barracks for his own safety. While Paul was in prayer in the barracks, God appeared to him in a vision. We read in Chapter 23 verse 12, in the Book of Acts, “The Lord stood beside Paul and said: Take courage, Paul, for as you have borne faithful witness to Me at Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness to Me in Rome,” (Amplified Bible). There was a conspiracy against Paul’s life and the commandant arranged for Paul to depart in the dark of night, accompanied by two hundred Roman foot soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen, to bear Paul to safety in Caesarea, where he testified before the Governor Felix, where he stayed in prison for two years. Felix was followed by the governor Festus, who could find no wrong in Paul and his testimony. He asked Paul to testify to King Agrippa, who said to Paul that he nearly moved him, with his witness, to become a Christian. However, because Paul had appealed to the Caesar, Paul was taken to Rome, to bear witness there, just as God had told Paul in the vision. The Apostle Paul did most of his preaching and teaching in chains, as if a convict! However, he was convicted of the love of God and the grace of forgiveness, and continued to preach freedom, even while wearing the chains of the enemy.
Father, we thank you that you have given us liberty and freedom, we are saved from condemnation and death, through the love of your Son on the Cross for us. Help us to speak boldly of your mercy and wait for your deliverance, even if we are captured by our circumstance. You have promised your deliverance, for we are precious in your sight, Amen.
