Written by: David Booker - Church Army

1 Samuel 19 v 11-14
Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, saying, “Tonight you must run for your life. If you don’t, you will be dead in the morning.” So she let David down out of a window, and he ran away and escaped. Then Michal took an idol, laid it on the bed, covered it with clothes, and put goats’ hair at its head.
Saul sent messengers to take David prisoner, but Michal said, “He is sick.”

Notes
"We can't go on together
With suspicious minds
And we can't build our dreams
On suspicious minds"

So sang Elvis Presley before most readers of word-on-the-web were born. (Don't worry if you do remember it, we love you anyway). King Saul had allowed his suspicion of David to grow and grow until it became a hatred. Until only killing his imagined foe would do. Trust is a hard thing to give to other people, especially when we have been hurt or feel insecure, it is easier to pull back or be suspicious.

It could and should have been so different. Saul began as a good King and David was a brave warrior. What a team they might have made if only............. but 'if only' are words that haunt too many lives.

In this telling of the story things had already gone too far for David to fix the relationship, all he could do was to get out of the way. That needs to be a warning for us. We need to have the courage to speak and to try and fix relationships today. Even if we are not to blame we need to try, if we don't we could be left with another 'if only' that we will always wonder about and wish we had tried over.

So ask yourself today where have you let things slip in a relationship. Have the guts to be humble, ask for God’s help and pick up the phone or send that email. What are you waiting for?

1 Samuel 19 v 15-17
Saul sent them back to see David, saying, “Bring him to me on his bed so I can kill him.”
When the messengers entered David’s house, they found just an idol on the bed with goats’ hair on its head.
Saul said to Michal, “Why did you trick me this way? You let my enemy go so he could run away!”
Michal answered Saul, “David told me if I did not help him escape, he would kill me.”

Notes
Why didn't Michal hand David over? The king wanted him so why not save the trouble that was bound to follow helping him escape and give him up? Why? Because it wouldn’t have been right.

Few of us in the western church face life threatening choices, but we often have smaller choices to make, from the way we speak about people or turn a blind eye to how much we drink or what we do about an injustice.

Being a Christian is dangerous! Follow Jesus and certainly there will be a cost. There will be times to stand up and be counted even if it means you are laughed at or rejected. Some of those who read these notes live in countries where being a Christian puts you in real danger every day. Danger of losing a job, of attack or even of death. 

Right now as you read these words I ask you to pray for the other people who will read these notes today and face danger for following Jesus. You can't see them but you are part of the church, the body of Jesus, with them. Ask God that whatever challenge they face today, being laughed at, ignored, attacked or imprisoned that they may be faithful to him. 

God give each of us the grace and power to stand for him today if we stand before a King like Michal, or before our neighbours or before our friends at school, work or college. Even if you don’t need to stand up for your faith today, you need to look at yourself at the end of the day and know how you lived. 

The great news is that we don't stand alone, but alongside God and countless others who make up the church of God around the world.

1 Samuel 19 v 18-20
After David had escaped from Saul, he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him everything Saul had done to him. Then David and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. Saul heard that David was in Naioth at Ramah. So he sent messengers to capture him. But they met a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there leading them. So the Spirit of God entered Saul’s men, and they also prophesied.

Notes
Where do you share the concerns on your heart?

David went to Samuel and told him 'everything Saul had done to him". We all need someone to listen, to share in our pains and to understand us. What does it say about our world that so many people need to pay for someone to offer that service? David went and poured his heart out to Samuel. And Sammuel's response? Well he didn't do anything about it. He didn't complain, he didn't go and patch things up or, so far as we are told, even offer good advice. He simply stayed with David.

Listening and staying - Not high profile gifts and not a way to get noticed.
So how good are you at listening? Who do you know who needs a friend alongside them? Don't under estimate the cost of those two gifts. For Samuel hanging out with David was a big risk, the king wanted David dead and he wasn't going to be concerned who got in the way.

You won't get killed for listening, but it may cost you more than you think both in time and in heartbreak. If you are feeling crushed by pain ask God that you may find someone to talk to today, but like David, pick some one you can trust with your hurts and disappointments. 

As you go through today who will you listen to and share pain with?

1 Samuel 19 v 21-22
When Saul heard the news, he sent more messengers, but they also prophesied. Then he sent messengers a third time, but they also prophesied. Finally, Saul himself went to Ramah, to the well at Secu. He asked, “Where are Samuel and David?”
The people answered, “In Naioth at Ramah.”

Notes
If you want a job doing, do it yourself. At this point the story takes up a very modern feel. Just imagine the super hero has just defeated the henchmen of the evil boss for the third time, the boss screams at his foolish assistants and so the bad guy sets out to do the job himself. (you have seen it a hundred times in all sorts of films)

There is a warning for us here - sin is sticky. Saul found that from sending others he became personally involved up to his neck! The story is told of the boy who trained a snake from being a baby to dance to his playing pipe. As he played the snake would dance and wrap its self around the boy to the delight of the crowd. As the snake grew the more impressive was the spectacle and the higher were the profits until finally the snake wrapped himself around the boy one day and crushed him to death.

We should not fool ourselves to believe we can do deals with our own wrong doing or keep our sin to a controllable level, sooner or later we will pay the price for such thinking and when we are wrapped in the snake of our ‘controllable’ sin we will find it impossible to escape. 

Where are the little snakes of sin in your life? Confess them and ask God's forgiveness today, before you find like Saul that it is impossible to keep them at arms length.

1 Samuel 19 v 23-24
When Saul went to Naioth at Ramah, the Spirit of God also rushed upon him. And he walked on, prophesying until he came to Naioth at Ramah. He took off his robes and prophesied in front of Samuel. He lay that way all day and all night. That is why people ask, “Is even Saul one of the prophets?”

Notes
It doesn't pay to get in the way of God!

You would have thought Saul could work it out by now. Three groups of men had been sent out by the King to sort out David and bring him back. Three groups had failed. Saul's hatred and jealousy burned so strongly that he was personally going to deal with David. How hard could it be anyway? Nothing was going to stand in his way. 

Nothing that is but God! 

Saul should really have known much better. He knew the power of God in his own life and it was clear that God had his eye very carefully on David, making sure no harm came to him. Saul was so blinded by his jealousy and bitterness he could not see that by taking on David he was taking on God. So Saul ended up humiliated by God unable to move in the gutter overcome by the power he was seeking to destroy.

Is there anywhere in your life you are fighting God? An attitude or a habit, a relationship or something you are refusing to do? If there is, today is the day to surrender that part of you to Jesus. 

Stop making excuses. Stop justifying the reason why things you do or feel is understandable. Get right with God today. Ask him to send the Holy Spirit to break the chains that bind you and to give you the strength to live right.

If you don’t, like Saul you may discover God has a way of grabbing your attention and bringing you to where you need to be. Its far less painful to come freely in love asking God to set you free. 

Proverbs 1 v 8-9
My child, listen to your father’s teaching and do not forget your mother’s advice.
Their teaching will be like flowers in your hair or a necklace around your neck.

Notes
What a scary reading. I have two small children and another on the way. When they have grown up and look back will the things I have taught them be ‘like flowers in their hair or a necklace round their neck?’ What will they make of the attitudes and beliefs I tried to show them are important?

I wonder what comes to mind if you look at your own parents – do the things they taught you seem good and noble or not? Even if you didn’t know a parent there are for most people parent like figures in life who guide us and live in ways we admire.

At their best our parents are meant to be pictures for us of how God loves us. In one sense today’s reading is talking about the ideal parents – in reality no one has had a perfect parent however loving and caring they may be. Part of growing up is to come out of the shadow of our parent’s opinions and to decide if the values they taught and showed us are what we will live by. That can be a scary process because it might mean changing the way we think or do things.

What ways of living, of treating other people and of thinking about yourself have you grown up with? Are these positive and healthy ways of living for you and the people around you? If they are not ‘good’ ways to be or think then those ways fall far short of what the ultimate parent has on offer for you.

Even the best mothers and fathers are pale reflections of your true loving parent who has plans and gifts for you beyond your imagination. God loves you. God says you are fantastic and special – live the God way today! 

Proverbs 1 v 17-19
It is useless to spread out a net right where the birds can see it.
But sinners will fall into their own traps; they will only catch themselves!
All greedy people end up this way; greed kills selfish people.

Notes 
“Its not fair!”

“If only there was more justice in the world”

Ever heard or thought those things? Why is it bad people seem so often to get away with cheating yet bad things happen to good people? It sometimes feels like the rules have been torn up and things like trust, honesty, service and kindness get ripped off while bad stuff like cheating, lying and bullying are the fast way to the top of the pile. It is enough to make even the best of us tempted to cut the odd corner for a good cause.

The writer of this proverb has a simple message for the times the rules seem to be upside down. Sinners fall into their own traps. In other words ‘don’t be fooled this isn’t the end of the story’. 

Sometimes are you tempted to believe God is looking the other way? Today’s reading shouts justice will be done. At the end of the day those who live by scheming will get caught out. You can only cheat for so long. Pop stars and personalities having affairs or bosses of big company’s cooking the books, we are used to seeing people caught and shamed by the press every weekday. There is of course another judge who sees all that goes on and who isn’t going to be fooled by hot shot legal teams.

God will see justice is done. It might be here or beyond this life, but be sure cheating and injustice will not be unchecked. That sounds like a good reason to deal with the injustice and selfishness in my life now, before God faces me with it. We can all point the finger at others failings but can you look in the mirror without needing to change your heart? 


word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes