Tehillah Generation Chapel
Daily Manna
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Topic: Safety is of the Lord 26
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: Characteristic of a man that had missed his moment with God, Saul was on course on a negative descent, desperately fighting and scheming to preserve his rejected kingship. David, the young man anointed of God, was Saul’s sole target for this madness of a battle of attrition between good and evil. A double direct attack from Saul failed. Next to follow was a resort to guile by the desperate king.
Saul tried to inflict incalculable pain on David using the psychological tool of rejection as his weapon. David survived without getting shaken, even though the prized asset of the princess as wife was dubiously offered to another man. David had risked his life with several reckless battles for Saul, motivated by the joy of the prize that awaited him. Disappointed, David didn’t complain. Unsurprisingly, Saul offered no apology. After all, David was a mere servant of his.
Again, Saul resorted to a repeat performance of his guile trap for David. He offered a second daughter, Michal, in marriage to David as compensation, having been told that his daughter loved David very much. Saul was pleased with this arrangement, even though at the back of his mind he had no interest in the marriage, except to wickedly and viciously use his daughter as a bait for the second time to hoodwink David into another tough and dangerous endeavour of securing one hundred foreskins from the Philistines as the prize for his dowry. Meanwhile, the several past victories won against the same Philistines, all because of Merab had gone unrewarded, ignored and completely forgotten by Saul.
Saul’s words and promises could not be counted upon to be fulfilled. He lacked the virtues of fairness and justice for his role as a king. Saul behaved more like a warlord, acting like a dictator whose decisions were capricious, depending more on his personal mood and what was weighing on his mind at the time of the decision. His erratic behaviour was largely influenced by God’s rejection of his leadership, leaving him without divine covering and giving an evil spirit the leeway to disturb and mess with him at will.
Food for thought: Without God’s covering, we are all nothing; not even kings, presidents and billionaires.
Declaration: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (Psalms 23:4)
©Author: Rev Fred Aboe
