David Delivers Keilah from the Philistines (1 Samuel 23:1-6)

7/8/2010 7:52:31 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                              Focus:  David delivers Keilah from the Philistines

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  1Samuel 23:1-6

            Message of the verses:  “1 ¶  Then they told David, saying, "Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are plundering the threshing floors." 2  So David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" And the LORD said to David, "Go and attack the Philistines and deliver Keilah." 3  But David’s men said to him, "Behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the ranks of the Philistines?" 4  Then David inquired of the LORD once more. And the LORD answered him and said, "Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand." 5  So David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines; and he led away their livestock and struck them with a great slaughter. Thus David delivered the inhabitants of Keilah. 6  Now it came about, when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, that he came down with an ephod in his hand.”

            Today’s SD begins the ninth chapter in Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on 1Samuel, and also the 23^rd chapter of 1Samuel.  In his opening statement on this chapter Warren Wiersbe quotes Booker T. Washington in his book “Up from Slavery” with this wonderful and meaningful quote “I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.”  Wiersbe goes on to write that this was surely true in the life of David as he had many obstacles to overcome before reaching the throne in Israel, of which the Lord was leading him all the way.

            In the verses for today I see that David has heard from his spies that the border city of Keilah was under attack by the Philistines and since he now had the ephod with him as seen in verse six, he asked the Lord if he and his men should go to rescue the people of Keilah.  The Lord directed him to do this, but his men were not so sure that they wanted to do this because it was possible that Saul would find out about this and come to attack David while David was attacking the Philistines.  David inquired of the Lord another once again and the Lord again told Him to go for He had given the Philistines into their hands, and so they followed the will of the Lord and went up. 

            David would eventually live in this city until Saul found out about it and he would take his army to attack the Philistines but really was after David, which is another example of Saul’s downward spiral as he surely was not overcoming any obstacles that were good and was not having any success either.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  The quote from Washington’s book was very meaningful to me and it has surely made me think of some of the obstacles that I still need to overcome while heading for the main goal in my life and that is to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ as Paul writes about in Romans 8:29:  “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.” Paul writes that this should be the goal of every believer and the title of Washington’s book “Up from Slavery” is perfect for me as a believer because that is what I am up from, slavery, slavery to sin, and even though I still sin my position before God is righteous because I have been justified through the blood of Jesus Christ as He paid for my sins on the cross, a place where I should have been to pay for my sins if that were possible, but it wasn’t and that is why Jesus Christ did it for me.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.       Continue to pray for the men who were at our Tuesday morning meeting, for Bruce, John, Dave, Jonathan, Phil and Andy.  Pray that God will allow them to overcome the sinful obstacles in their life as He continues to conform all of us to the image of His dear Son.

2.      Put on the Spiritual armor:  the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. 

Memory verse for this week:  1Thes. 4:3

“For this is the will of God; your sanctification, that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality.”

7/8/2010 8:35:06 AM