1 Samuel 20:19
“And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel.”

The stone Ezel would forever mark a turning point in the life of David. He had been sensing more and more that Saul’s jealous fits of rage would result in his own death. To clarify the matter, he and Jonathan had developed a plan to uncover Saul’s true desires. David would skip out on the palace celebration. In a few days, it would become evident he was not there. If Saul’s reaction was hostile, they determined David must flee for his life. In order to keep David informed of the news, Jonathan would shoot three arrows into the distance. If the arrows fell short of his location, David would know it was good news. If they flew…

Psalms 17:15 

“As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”

I remember years ago listening to Pastor Chuck Smith teaching from John 15, on the Vine and the branches. To illustrate our need to bear fruit, he asked, “What does a full grown tree look like?” Immediately, my mind was filled with visions of the massive Redwoods of Northern California. I remember, as a child, driving our car through a tunnel cut out of a tree in Humboldt County. After pausing to let the question sink in, he responded, “A full grown tree looks like firewood.” You see, a tree grows as long as it is alive. The moment it stops growing, is the moment it has died.

We are like that. Once we begin a relationship with God, a process known as “Sanctification” begins. Sanctification is…

1 Samuel 19:9
“Now the distressing spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing music with his hand.”

Like all of us, King Saul struggled with his emotions. When he looked at David, he did not see Israel’s rising star, or a man after God’s heart, but only a man who was a threat to his throne. Saul found himself filled with jealousy, fear, pride, and anger. As the story unfolds, we find these sins ultimately became his downfall. His failure was partly due to the way he dealt with his sin.

We read time and time again of a “distressing spirit from the Lord” that came upon Saul. This spirit was no doubt a strong conviction for the things he was doing wrong. Instead of allowing his conviction to bring him to repentance, Saul tried…

1 Samuel 18:1

“Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

The relationship between David and Jonathan is one of the most beautiful and encouraging in all of Scripture. We find that these two young men met while serving the Lord and furthering His kingdom. Their relationship was built on love, humility, and self sacrifice. It was this relationship that proved to be a constant source of encouragement to David, and a means by which Jonathan learned to discover God’s plan for his life. 

Friendships are essential to a healthy Christian life. Solomon wrote, 

Proverbs 12:26

“The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.”

Proverbs 27:17

“As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”

David’s life was greatly enhanced by the…

Psalms 16:5-6
“O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.”

The Psalmist is describing his life. The lines he refers to speak of his experiences in life. They might include his family life, his marriage, his ministry experiences, and even his recreational pursuits. He is saying, life is good. To use the words of Jesus, he is experiencing life in abundance. I think every one of us would like to be able to sing these words. The question is, how did he get there.?

Early on in Israel’s history, God divided the nation into sections, and each tribe was given a portion or a lot to occupy. These lots were determined by two things. First, where they lived was determined by the Lord. It was the sovereign will…

Psalms 15:2

“He who walks uprightly,

And works righteousness,

And speaks the truth in his heart.“

We have all heard the phrase, “Actions speak louder than words.” The sentiment behind that is simple; our behaviors speak more to our belief system, than our words ever could. Psalm 15 addresses the subject of true righteousness, and in a poetic fashion addresses our walk, works, and words. All three of these speak volumes regarding what we truly believe. Like balancing a check book to determine where all the money has gone, we can examine where we go, what we do, and what we say to determine the real driving forces in our lives. 

If we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, our feet should be taking us daily to the Word of God, and at least weekly to the congregation, where we meet with the people of…

1 Samuel 17:37
“Moreover David said, ‘The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’”

David had many reasons not to enter the arena and do battle with Goliath. David was young and had no real experience in battle. He lacked the support of those who knew him best, and the protective armor was way too big. Goliath, on the other hand, was a man of war, a legend on the battle field. His size alone was a force that spread fear throughout the camp of Israel. We would hold nothing against David, if the story read that he delivered the supplies to his brothers, then returned home. With all the reasons David had to avoid engaging in this battle, he had one reason that triumphed over all. David believed that God…

1 Samuel 16:14

“But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him.“

1 Samuel 16:16

“Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.”

The word distressing that describes Saul’s condition could also be translated as bad, evil, sad, or even as being in a state of misery. The writer wants us to understand that King Saul was being plagued by his emotions. The chapters leading up to this reveal that the cause of Saul’s condition was his disobedience to the Lord. Pride, self will, and fear of man, have been the driving forces behind Saul’s actions, and he is…

Psalm 14:1 

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

A modern dictionary defines a fool as “someone who lacks judgment” or “a deranged person lacking in common powers of understanding.” As a form of illustration, this sentence was used: “You would be a fool to believe what he tells you.” Often, the Christian is portrayed as a fool. Sometimes, belief in God is treated as folly. More commonly, believing God is looked at as foolishness.

When The Christian is facing a trial and chooses to cling to the unshakeable promises of God, instead of the shifting sand of modern science, he is treated like a fool. Or, when determining how to handle a relationship, the child of God clings to the teaching of Scripture, rather than the immorality of the day, he finds that he is looked at as a simpleton or a prude. It has…

Psalms 13:6

“I will sing to the Lord,

Because He has dealt bountifully with me.”

As this psalm begins to unfold, we find David facing some pretty difficult times. He describes himself as feeling forgotten and being overcome by sorrow. Without giving details, he describes his enemy as threatening to prevail against him. Yet, in all this, he wrote of singing to the Lord. It is the song of triumph that will often lead to release from despondency. Instead of waiting for circumstances to change, David determined to worship in the midst of trial. As he took his eyes off his suffering and fixed them on the grace of God, he soon found himself rejoicing rather than complaining. 

Whatever we are facing, we have to choose whether we will focus on the difficulty or on the Lord. When we keep our eyes on the problem, it seems to only grow and it…