King James Daily Bible Study: God, Our Refuge
Date: Thursday April 07, 2011
Chapters: I Samuel 19-21
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-april-7
Details of Today's Reading: Saul's jealousy turned hate toward David and his plots to try and kill him, Jonathan protects David, Saul goes after Jonathan, David's covenant with Jonathan, and David flees to Ahimelech and Achish.

Hello My Friend/Guest,
As Christians we face a lot of opposition because of the fact that we are Christians. Often, those who we thought were our friends and even family members have sought to shame and destroy us because of our faith in the Son of the living God. People who live in the world are jealous of us. Why? Because we live our lives with Jesus Christ in it, which means we have some morals. They see our lives changing for the better, even during the circumstances we face, and that makes them jealous because they know that God is on our side. The Bible says, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” - Hebrews 13:5,6. No matter what they do to us, God is on our side, He will never leave us, and will always protect us as long as we remain faithful to Him.

Saul became so jealous and enraged over David's popularity that he sought to kill him, yet David, never took his eyes off God the entire time Saul was after him. In fact, the more Saul sought him the more he tried to please Saul. However, that stopped working and now David is being hunted down like an animal, Saul even commanded Jonathan, whom loved David like his brother, to kill him.

“And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan Saul's son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself: And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I see, that I will tell thee. And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good: For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?” - I Samuel 19:1-5.

Jonathan knew that there was no cause for his father to kill David so he pleaded with Saul, reminding him that it was David through the power of God who saved Israel from the hand of the Philistines, but Saul saw David as a threat and was not about to stop pursuing him until he was dead. People of the world do not need a reason to try to destroy a child of God. The truth is that they see the blessings that God gives you and that enrages them because their lives are not changing or getting worse. The first reaction is to destroy the person, but in reality what they are really trying to do is destroy the image of God that is inside of you. Satan loves to destroy the image of God, especially if he can get a faithful follower to turn away from God. And he will too, Jesus said, “For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.” - Mark 13:22.

Jealousy is like a disease, it slowly spreads until it consumes and controls the person that it captures and stops at nothing to destroy what gets in its way. Saul became increasingly violent with an uncontrolled temper, he considered any opposition as treason. So, when his own son defended David he denounced him and even attempted to kill him as well.

“Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness? For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die. And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done? And Saul cast a javelin at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to slay David.” - Samuel 20:30-33.

Jonathan became a victim when he defended David. He could have avoided any risk to himself if he had decided not to get involved, but he knew that he was defending an innocent man, whatever the cost to him, and that displayed biblical principles by doing what he knew was morally right. We will all be faced with the choice to stand by our morals or not get involved, but the choice we make determines if we are following the will of God or our own. Jesus Said, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” - Luke 14:26,27. This does not mean that we are to literally hate our family or ourselves in order to be a disciple of Christ, it means that in all we do, our love for Christ is to be so strong that He comes before anyone one else. It is our commitment to Christ that strengthens the rest of our relationships and in due time they will see that God truly is on our side and want Him on theirs as well. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” - II Peter 3:9.

Now, no matter how strong our faith in God, we can get a little discouraged at times when it seems that nothing is going our way. God is on our side and it is through our discouragement that He will comfort us more than ever. Many of the Psalms written in the Bible were from David when he was discouraged and seeking comfort from God. We can all find peace and comfort during all our times of discouragement. We just need to remind ourselves that God is our refuge. “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me. He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth.” - Psalm 57:1-3. Praise God! God never forsakes those who put their trust in Him. Praise God!

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed through David, who, as a servant of Saul, suffered at the hands of the one whom he served. Jesus suffered at the hands of the ones He came to serve and to save. “The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.” Luke 9:22.

Thanks and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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