Daily Manna 15-Aug-2016

Topic: Safety is of the Lord 24

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 was so low on integrity that after it reached his turn to fulfill his portion of the pledge of giving out his daughter in marriage to whoever would succeed in obliterating the threat of Goliath, his real intention of giving out his elder daughter to David in marriage was to use the process as a bait to ultimately kill David through reckless adventurism in his unbridled eagerness to please Saul and be quickly rewarded with the right to possess the princess as his wife. Saul had no goodwill towards David.

Unknown to David, the offer of Merab in marriage was a mere carrot, as Saul had no real plan and intention to honour his side of the pledge. While making nice, inviting and sumptuous marriage offer to David, he was at the same time double timing David with marriage offer to another man of his choice regarding the same daughter, Merab. Saul had actually anticipated in his estimation when he made the juicy offer to David, that the young man would be so committed to his wicked and reckless conspiracy plan, he would long be dead at the hands of the Philistines by the time he would be finally offering Merab to the man of his choice.

Saul’s hatred for David was unimaginable. He was so obsessed with keeping the throne as a family dynasty, he was prepared to compromise his integrity, bend the rules, disregard his own pledge, throw his own promise into the gutters, conspire with brutal intentions to wipe out the memory of his growing nemesis, David, through a sophisticated strategy of using the youthful exuberance and zeal of David in his avid desire to please him, as the main weapons that would finally put David to sleep.

Saul’s desperation to see the back of David knew no boundary. The several successful forays that David made into the strongholds of the Philistines, returning to report of victories, with his troops of only one thousand men, only served to increase Saul’s desperation and anxiety. Saul could now do no less than to show David respect for his military conquests, because the rest of the troops spoke highly of him for his professionalism on the battle front. This compounded Saul’s problem, as he feared David the more.

Food for thought: Only God could have kept innocent David alive and safe through the needless, purposeless and dangerous battles that he undertook for ungrateful Saul.

Declaration: A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaks lies shall not escape. (Proverbs 19:5)

©Author: Rev Fred Aboe