Reading for today
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 23, 24, 25
New Testament: John 19
Thoughts from today’s reading
1 Samuel 23:1-13. David and his men go to a town called Keilah and deliver them from the attacking Philistines. They then settle in the town but king Saul hears of it and decides to go and capture them there. David shows that his reliance is on God and not men because by virtue of the help that he had given this town they should have fought for him, however when he asks God if he will be handed over by the people of Keilah to king Saul, God confirms that they will.
1 Samuel 24. David tells his men that they should not touch the Lord’s anointed when he was encouraged to kill king Saul. Anyone anointed of God – that is every single believer – should not be touched either by words or deeds. An anointed person is an extension of God to do His work on earth. If they offend you, leave them to God to judge and don’t take matters into your own hand. This is especially important to note if that believer is in a position of authority.
1 Samuel 25:17. Nabal’s servants say to his wife that he is someone who does not listen to anyone. Proverbs 29:1 says he who will not hear rebuke will be destroyed. Nabal eventually died due to his stubbornness.
Even though David wanted to avenge himself on Nabal, he was rescued from doing so by Abigail and then he saw eventually that God indeed judges when you rely on him and do not take matters into your own hands.
John 19:40-42. We know that Jesus took our sins on himself as he was hung on the cross. He died and then was buried there. It is worth noting that there was a garden in the place where he was crucified. When Adam sinned and died spiritually, it happened in a garden. Jesus who came to redeem us therefore took our own sins on himself and died and was buried in a garden, but we thank God that he also came back to life with our redemption in the garden.
Prayer
1. Heavenly Father, we come to you today because you are God the judge of the whole earth. May we not repay evil when we are treated wrongly but remember that vengeance belongs to you. May we not look to men that we have helped to repay us, but rather look to You the rewarder of every deed.
2. Jesus we thank you for your perfect sacrifice that was able to address everything that was wrong with man to the finest detail. You did not leave any stone unturned or any problem unsolved so that we might be totally free from sin and death. Thank you for redemption and eternal life.