Tag: David

David’s songs while running

April 14, 2020

While David is fleeing from Saul, another man turns against him in Psalm seven. He continues to ask what he has done to deserve death. The new King requests Yahweh to vindicate him. God is his shield and protects him from Saul and those working with him. That is why David praises the Lord.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?” This is the way the twenty-seventh Psalm begins. Many of our problems are because we do not put this fact into operation. Your life shows your beliefs just as this ancient man did. Do you notice that the King refers to living in the Temple of the Lord? I had not been built yet. David referred to it as a real place that he could go to. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This is Hebrews 11:1. David did not read it, he lived it.

This shepherd knew to search for Yahweh, and He would find him. He acknowledged that one day he would be with his Lord and savior. Do we stand on that kind of faith?

In Psalm 31 David asks to be delivered by the righteousness of Jehovah, not in his own good works. The rock of refuge and the fortress are names used again here for the Lord. There is a trap set for the King and for each of us as well. We need to plead for deliverance, just as the Psalmist does.

“I hate those who cling to worthless idols”, is a statement made here. Note the difference between the writer and those he refers to. He trusts in God. They do not. Good things will be his after the Lord rescues him from his tormenters. We must hang on until the end, just as King David did.

David continues to praise his God in Psalm 34. Looking to Jehovah to save him is all the young man can do. Try the Lord and see what He will do is the method used here. The righteous are the ones that will be ransomed. Refuge in Yahweh means no condemnation.

Boasting about evil is condemned is Psalm 52. He is speaking of Doeg, who caused the death of the priests and their families because they helped David as he was fleeing Saul’s attempts to murder him. He cannot believe that anyone would violate God’s servants as this man has. The Lord is praised for rescuing our hero even though His own priests were betrayed falsely.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger

The family joins David

April 13, 2020

David is on the run and in I Samuel 21 he stops to see a priest for supplies and weapons. The food is the showbread and the weapon is the sword of Goliath.  Note the presence of one of Saul’s men.  It will be important later.

Ahimelech, the priest, seems frightened to see David alone.  His explanation of meeting his men later does not seem to help.  When David arrived in Gath, he had to act insane.  If they had not thought him crazy, he probably would have been killed.  Was this just David’s ingenuity, or did God give the insight needed to pull it off?

David’s family finds him in hiding in I Samuel 22. Soon he has gathered many of those who were not happy with the current monarch. Four hundred men are with him. Moab takes Jessie and his sons in while David is running from Saul.

Saul is told about the Priest that helped David.  He confronts him and murders him and his family and all the priests in Nob.  Some of the King’s men would not do this but Doag did.  He and Saul now have someone as despicable as himself.

Despite his problems with Saul, David goes against the Philistines in I Samuel 23 to save one of the Israeli towns. After defeating his enemies, he had to escape the village before Saul captured him there. He has another opportunity to speak to Jonathan and is told that his friend knows that the Kingdom is Jessie’s son’s.

He is still being chased.  The King is determined to find him.  Wherever David goes, Saul follows.  The Philistines make another attack and Jehovah rescues the new king before his predecessor can intercept him.

Next Saul goes after his successor with three thousand men in I Samuel chapter twenty-four.  David and his men are severely outnumbered.  They have hidden deep within a cave.  The King cannot find him and stops to relieve himself in a cave.  Guess which cave it is?

David creeps up in the dark and cuts off the corner of his enemy’s robe.  He is overcome with shame for doing such a thing.  He orders the men to not harm Saul.  After the King returns to his men and is a distance away, the former shepherd appears on the mountain and calls to him.  Saul seems genuinely touched.  He acknowledges that his young soldier will become the next king.  He asks for mercy for his family and David agrees.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger

Jonathan and David

April 12, 2020

There has been some conflict in the story of David and Prince Jonathon in I Samuel chapter 18 and following.  Some have attempted to make the affection these men have for each other, as something sexual.  The Hebrew word translated as love has no homosexual connotation.  It goes beyond friendship, trust, and companionship.

Jonathan’s father is not as pleased with David.  Saul attempts to kill him with a spear and when that did not work, he sent him out with a thousand men to attack the kingdom’s enemies.  When that did not work, he offered the first one, then another and when David told others that he did not have the dowry and saw another chance to get rid of him.  The bride price was set at 100 Philistine foreskins.

David could have forced his way because the daughter of the king was one of the prizes for facing Goliath.  The song that the women sang that started the whole thing continued to be heard especially after the cost of the king’s daughter was paid, again.

Jonathan and David discuss the problems with the King in I Samuel 19.  Jonathan knows nothing about his Father’s hatred of the new king.  He tries to make amends between the two.  King Saul reacts to the way his son expects him to, and everything looks fine.  Then on another evening as the young musician is playing for the older man, a spear flies into the wall behind David.  He flees to his home where Micah, his wife, and the princess, helps him escape.

Discovering this deception, Saul accuses her of choosing David instead of her father.  She, like her brother, does not understand the King’s anger with his best soldier.  David escapes to Samuel and as the King’s men attempt to capture him, the spirit of God causes three groups of hunters and even King Saul to speak the word of Jehovah.

“Why is your father trying to kill me?” is the question that David asks Jonathan in I Samuel 20.  The King’s son is not aware of any problem between his friend and Saul.  They put together a plan that will allow the two to communicate again without Saul being aware of it.

It is unusual that the King does not think his enemy is smart enough to know that he is trying to kill him.  Jonathan learns of the anger that has developed in his father.  Saul makes a point of pointing out to his son that Jonathan would never be king if David remains alive.  Despite this, he does not turn on his friend but pledges himself to him again.  He knows that David will be the next king.

Where do you hide when you want to be safe? In Psalm 11 David tells us that Jehovah is his refuge. He knows from experience that there is no place else to hide. He is our one place of safety. Yahweh stays in His temple. This was before there was an earthly structure for His use. Once again, we ask the difference between the upright and the wicked. The righteous are like David and the evil like Saul. Neither one was perfect. Both disobeyed God. What is the difference? David acknowledged his errors while Saul continued to run from his Lord until it killed him.

Have you had a time when you were afraid for your life? That was David in the 59th Psalm. He stayed calm and trusted God although Saul was hot on his heels. The Lord was his strength and protection. He did not want them dead. A difference between followers of the Lord and those who reject Him is shown. Praises are not sung by the lost.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger

A Moabite and her mother-in-law

April 10, 2020

Ruth is a short book that seems at first to be a diversion between the books of Judges and First Samuel. Judges establish the anarchistic form of government that Israel had fallen into. Everyone did what they pleased when there was no Judge from Jehovah in leadership. The books of Samuel introduce the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Ruth shows us that Yahweh is still working for what needs to happen even before we realize. This story was probably recorded in writing during the reign of King David. We will discuss that in the conclusion.

The little book of Ruth is a diversion. It is history, like Joshua and Judges. It is about a woman and she is a Moabite, not a Jew. It takes place during the time of the Judges. Let’s look at Ruth and why she is important in Hebrew history.

In the first chapter, Elimelek and Naomi move from Bethlehem to Moab because of a famine. They had two sons, Mahon and Kilion. After the death of their father, the two boys marry women from the area. Their names are Orpah and Ruth. After about ten years, Naomi’s sons also die, and the women are left alone.

The matriarch determines to return to Bethlehem and the daughters-in-law are preparing to join her. Naomi tells them they are free to stay in their homeland and marry men from there. Orpah stays, but Ruth makes a statement that is used in many wedding ceremonies. “Where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay.  Your God will be my God and your people, my people. Where you are buried, I will be buried.” This sentiment is wonderful for a couple being married.  But it was originally spoken by a woman to her mother-in-law. That tells us about both women.

More things to notice in the story are, Naomi changes her name to one that means bitter.  Naomi means pleasant, which she must have been, or these two women would not have hated to leave her. Often, outward circumstances affect our entire outlook on life. If we recognize that we are in a time of preparation for a great blessing, it can make the depression and sadness easier to manage.

It is also time for the barley harvest. At the beginning, this seems like an irrelevant statement. We will see just how important this is.

Boaz is introduced in verse one of Ruth chapter 2. Ruth goes into the fields to collect the grain that the harvesters leave. This practice is commanded in the book of Leviticus. When she returns to their home, her mother-in-law tells her that the owner of the field is a relative.

The property owner has made concessions to her that were not normally seen. He is impressed by her love for his relative. She does not understand his kindness. How often has this happened to you? Has anyone ever shown a kindness for reasons you did not understand at the time? Has your kindness been shown to a stranger for a reason they do not understand? Christians always have a reason to serve others. It is what He did for us. Stay tuned for the best part.

Naomi becomes a matchmaker in Ruth chapter three. She explains the kinsman redeemer as written in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. Ruth goes to the threshing floor and lies at Boaz’s feet. When he wakes in the night, he enquires who is there. They discussed the possibility of marriage. He assures her that he will take care of her. His first step is to prevent the scandal that would be caused if she is found there with him. He also gave her grain as a gift for Naomi. What are your feelings about this conversation?

Ruth 4 completes the story and at the end we learn why this is part of the historical record of the Israelites. Boaz finds the other relative of Naomi’s husband. He tells him that the land is available for purchase. A wealthy man as well, he instantly agrees. The agreement includes producing an heir for Mahlon, the husband of Ruth. Any heir produced for a dead man, would also have a right to his own property. Boaz has no other children and does not see a problem with raising Ruth’s first son as an heir to his and Mahlon’s estates.

Ruth does become pregnant after the marriage. Her son, Obed, is the connection that puts this account in the Old Testament. He is the grandfather of King David. That makes Ruth the Moabite the great-grandmother of the greatest king to ever rule in Israel. She is also an ancestor of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah of the Jews. Tomorrow the birth of the final judge of the Jews.

©Copyright 2020 by Charles Kensinger