Tehillah Generation Chapel
Daily Manna
Friday, July 22, 2016
Topic: Safety is of the Lord 4
Reading: 1Sam 23:7-14, 18:6-15
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: The greatest conquest ever achieved under Saul’s reign was the victory by David over Goliath. A David victory was supposed to be Saul’s victory and joy. Yet, a victory song composed on the spur of a moment by the women, brought a wedge between the king and his young subject. The unhealthy suspicion that arose in the mind of the king was to derail Saul so hopelessly, exposing his bigger problem of God’s rejection, his immature political judgment and the vicious ramifications that followed as a result of these two factors.
David’s approval ratings had hit the roof after his monumental victory over Goliath. The singing and dancing from the women said it all. King Saul couldn’t accept the fact that a subject within his kingdom was growing in fame and popularity more than him. A situation which is all too familiar in the game of political dogfight, where suspicions, perceptions and obsessions with political opponent’s ratings are treated almost always as if dealing with acts of treason or subversion.
Women were normally not deployed to fight in the battlefields in mainstream wars. They normally stayed at home to look after the children. Aside this very important function, they served as cheerleaders for the men in battle. Their mere presence and the appellations that they bestowed on the soldiers served as useful tools in psyching them up for battle. Weak hearts acquired instant courage through the positive urging of women in situations that they would ordinarily have run for cover.
David’s success against Goliath unfortunately set him on the wrong side of the barrel of Saul’s gun, when the women sang politically in praise of him. As stated in 1Sam 18:9, “And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.”
Food for thought: It is mindful to know that victory and success breed large following, but so do they equally breed detractors.
Declaration: Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. (Psalms 34:19)
©Author: Rev Fred Aboe
