Tehillah Generation Chapel
Daily Manna
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Topic: Safety is of the Lord 21
Reading: 1Sam 23:7-14, 1Sam 18
Scripture: And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into my hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars. (1Sam 23:7)
Note: Saul had been rejected by God for disobedience. Having lost his vital fellowship, connection and covering from God, Saul became exposed to the influence, activities and tormenting power of demonic spirits who were firmly in control of Saul’s attitude, behaviour and conduct.
Dejected, frustrated and suspicious of David, Saul’s treatment of the teenage giant slayer in the aftermath of the victory over Goliath was shameful, outrageous and despicable, coming from no less a person than the king, who had David to thank for maintaining his throne and saving an entire nation from death and servitude to the Philistines. The extent of Saul’s ungratefulness only goes to exemplify the illogical reality of political mischief that is forced into play as one gets closer to the centre of power, which is the throne.
Saul might have sounded like a man who had some momentary regrets after his misguided action in attempting to assassinate David on two occasions at close range. Why Saul repeated the attempt after the first failure showed the extent to which the influence of evil spirits had completely taken over the faculties of his command control centre, manipulating the king to do their bidding, with their sights firmly fixed on the Lord’s anointed, in the person of David, that they might derail the divine purposes of God for the throne in destroying the man after God’s own heart.
There is no limit to the eternal war between the forces of good against the forces of evil. The battlefield may vary from the obvious to the non obvious, but the interest remains the same. The war between Israel and the Philistines was denominated to a contest between David and Goliath. The contest further changed to a battle of attrition between Saul and David. This rubber match of a contest between good and evil witnessed 21 attempts by Saul on David’s life. The latter never looking to take the king’s life, though he had the opportunity to have done so.
Food for thought: The bipolar behaviour of Saul, manifesting occasional regrets for his earlier action, aptly demonstrated a man under the control, influence and manipulation of demonic spirits.
Declaration: And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. (Acts 16:16-17)
©Author: Rev Fred Aboe
