The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Samuel 23:19-20,
"The Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, 'Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon? Now, Your Majesty, come down whenever it pleases you to do so, and we will be responsible for giving him into your hands.'"
I wonder from time to time, as I read these narratives of David, as well as others, what was going on in their minds - what frame of mind did they have as these events unfolded? In Psalm 54 we read a psalm David wrote about this event. The title to the psalm includes the following, "For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, 'Is not David hiding among us?'"
"Save me, O God, by your name;
vindicate me by your might.
Hear my prayer, O God;
listen to the words of my mouth.
Arrogant foes are attacking me;
ruthless people are trying to kill me—
people without regard for God.
Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.
Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
in your faithfulness destroy them.
I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
I will praise your name, Lord, for it is good.
You have delivered me from all my troubles,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes."
What I see in David's frame of reference, as a great man of faith, was his utter dependence upon God. David was crafty, he was a skilled fighter and had great instincts for strategy and tactics, yet David recognized it was the Lord who sustained him and so he placed his dependence on him, "Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might. Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth."
Some of his comments, "the Lord is the one who sustains me", verse 4, makes this point. He acknowledged it was the Lord who delivered him from his enemies, verse 7, and that God was his help. David called for God's help, verse 1, and he called for God to curse his enemies, verse 5.
David was such a man of faith, that at the time he called for God's help, he looked at his deliverance as an already accomplished act, verses 6-7, "I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you; I will praise your name, Lord, for it is good. You have delivered me from all my troubles, and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes."
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
"The Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah and said, 'Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hakilah, south of Jeshimon? Now, Your Majesty, come down whenever it pleases you to do so, and we will be responsible for giving him into your hands.'"
I wonder from time to time, as I read these narratives of David, as well as others, what was going on in their minds - what frame of mind did they have as these events unfolded? In Psalm 54 we read a psalm David wrote about this event. The title to the psalm includes the following, "For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A maskil of David. When the Ziphites had gone to Saul and said, 'Is not David hiding among us?'"
"Save me, O God, by your name;
vindicate me by your might.
Hear my prayer, O God;
listen to the words of my mouth.
Arrogant foes are attacking me;
ruthless people are trying to kill me—
people without regard for God.
Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.
Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
in your faithfulness destroy them.
I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
I will praise your name, Lord, for it is good.
You have delivered me from all my troubles,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes."
What I see in David's frame of reference, as a great man of faith, was his utter dependence upon God. David was crafty, he was a skilled fighter and had great instincts for strategy and tactics, yet David recognized it was the Lord who sustained him and so he placed his dependence on him, "Save me, O God, by your name; vindicate me by your might. Hear my prayer, O God; listen to the words of my mouth."
Some of his comments, "the Lord is the one who sustains me", verse 4, makes this point. He acknowledged it was the Lord who delivered him from his enemies, verse 7, and that God was his help. David called for God's help, verse 1, and he called for God to curse his enemies, verse 5.
David was such a man of faith, that at the time he called for God's help, he looked at his deliverance as an already accomplished act, verses 6-7, "I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you; I will praise your name, Lord, for it is good. You have delivered me from all my troubles, and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes."
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just respond and let me know.
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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