6/24/2010 9:28:18 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My
Worship Time Focus: Conferring
Bible
Reading & Meditation Reference: 1Samuel 20:1-10, 18-23
Message of the verses: “1 ¶
Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said to Jonathan,
"What have I done? What is my iniquity? And what is my sin before your
father, that he is seeking my life?" 2
He said to him, "Far from it, you shall not die. Behold, my father
does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. So why should
my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!" 3 Yet David vowed again, saying, "Your
father knows well that I have found favor in your sight, and he has said, ’Do
not let Jonathan know this, or he will be grieved.’ But truly as the LORD lives
and as your soul lives, there is hardly a step between me and death."
4 Then Jonathan said to David,
"Whatever you say, I will do for you." 5 So David said to Jonathan, "Behold,
tomorrow is the new moon, and I ought to sit down to eat with the king. But let
me go, that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening. 6 "If your father misses me at all, then
say, ’David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, because
it is the yearly sacrifice there for the whole family.’ 7 "If he says, ’It is good,’ your servant
will be safe; but if he is very angry, know that he has decided on evil. 8 "Therefore deal kindly with your
servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with
you. But if there is iniquity in me, put me to death yourself; for why then
should you bring me to your father?"
“ 9 ¶ Jonathan said, "Far be
it from you! For if I should indeed learn that evil has been decided by my
father to come upon you, then would I not tell you about it?" 10 Then David said to Jonathan, "Who will
tell me if your father answers you harshly?’
“18 Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is
the new moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be empty. 19 "When you have stayed for three days,
you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself on that
eventful day, and you shall remain by the stone Ezel. 20 "I will shoot three arrows to the side,
as though I shot at a target. 21
"And behold, I will send the lad, saying, ’Go, find the arrows.’ If
I specifically say to the lad, ’Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get
them,’ then come; for there is safety for you and no harm, as the LORD lives.
22 "But if I say to the youth,
’Behold, the arrows are beyond you,’ go, for the LORD has sent you away.
23 "As for the agreement of which
you and I have spoken, behold, the LORD is between you and me forever.’”
This
SD begins the eight chapter in Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on 1Samuel, “Be
Successful.” He entitles this chapter
“David in Exile”, and it covers chapters 20-22 of 1Samuel. The first main point “Jonathan—a faithful
friend” covers the first 23 verses of chapter 20 and has two sub-points of
which I will attempt to cover the first one in today’s SD.
While
doing this section in his commentary Warren Wiersbe splits the first 23 verses
of 1Samuel chapter twenty into one section for his first points on the
chapter. The story is a familiar one, as
it tells about the wonderful friendship and love that David and Jonathan had
for each other. Even though Jonathan
would have become the next king he befriends David knowing that it was the plan
of God that David be the next king and so there is a seemingly large conflict
between doing the Lord’s will, which would be helping David and being loyal to
his father who as time goes on becomes more and more unstable in his mental
capacity because of the evil spirit that haunts him from time to time and
because of the envy and jealously that also has become a part of his
character.
The
story has some scheming in it to help find out if Saul still wants to kill
David, and it also has some drama in it as Jonathan risks his own life to tell
David the outcome of what the result of his conversation with his father
is. The story also has a renewed
covenant between Jonathan and David, but that will be in the next SD. As stated it was risky for Jonathan to relay
the things that he found out from his father’s true feeling, but because of his
love for David and for the Lord he takes that risk.
A
word about the stone at “Ezel” which was brought up before as David’s hiding
place in an earlier chapter of 1Samuel, although it is implied that this is the
same place of hiding. Dr. Wiersbe writes
in a footnote that “the Hebrew word ezel
means ‘the departure,’ a significant thing when you realize that it was there
that David and Jonathan departed from each other and David departed from the
service of Saul.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: It is a wonderful thing to have a friend like
David had in Jonathan, and I am privileged to have such a friend in James
Dozier. I know that at times I take
advantage of his friendship, but because of his nature he seems to overlook that
for which I am grateful. I will always
be thankful for our friendship and looking forward to it continuing for a long
time.
My
Steps of Faith for Today:
1.
Continue to
trust the Lord to relieve me of the temptations that I go through each day, for
the Lord Jesus Christ is more powerful that the temptations that I have and I
need to trust Him to give me victory over these temptations without falling
prey to them.
6/24/2010 10:08:08 AM
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