My reward - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 26:23a,

"The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness."

This statement by David to Saul was on the occasion of the second opportunity David had to kill Saul (who was pursuing David to kill him!). The statement was made by David to explain his motivation for sparing Saul's life. David sought first the Lord's reward rather than satisfy his own potential hostility toward his would-be killer.

As I consider David's words, we all know the point he was making for himself. However, as I consider my own life, I am reminded of a couple of things his son, Solomon, had to say. "Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins." Ecclesiastes 7:20. Also, "Many claim to have unfailing love, but a faithful person who can find?" Proverbs 20:6.

As I examine my own life, when David says we are rewarded for our righteousness and faithfulness, my performance in this life would provide a reward no one would want! It would certainly be of the "negative" variety.

How happy I am that God decided to send his Son to do for me what I could never have been able to do myself! I am reminded of Titus 3:4-7, "When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."

Just how wonderful is that?!

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

Abigail: Good character or bad? - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 25:32-33,

"David said to Abigail, 'Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands.'"

David and his band had kept a wealthy man's servants and livestock safe in the area of Carmel when he had moved down to the Desert of Paran. (The man's name was Nabal, which means fool.) Later, David sent men when he heard Nabal was shearing his sheep, to ask for food for his men. We are told that Nabal was a surly man and was mean in his dealings with others, and when David's men approached him to ask for some sustenance, he responded badly. Upon hearing about it, David had his men saddle up to go kill all the men of Nabal's household.

Nabal's wife, Abigail, heard about it, and without informing Nabal, loaded up food on donkeys and raced out to meet David on his way coming to destroy Nabal. She apologized to him, recognizing her husband as a fool, and provided the food to David as a gift. David relented, Abigail returned home, eventually telling Nabal about it. Upon hearing of it, we are told Nabal's heart failed him and he died about ten days later. Afterward David sent for Abigail and made her his wife.

Over the years I have read various Bible study materials that reference Abigail.

In some materials she is envisioned as a bad wife who had betrayed her husband, resulting in herself becoming a widow. Further, she wound up becoming one of the many wives David had, which, from all accounts, being married to David was not necessarily a blessing, but quite the opposite. She was anything but what Peter observed of Abraham's wife, Sarah, "For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear." 1 Peter 3:5-6.

In other Bible study materials, however, Abigail is seen as a wise woman, reminiscent of a "Proverbs 31 woman". Resourceful, protecting her family, and, in a fairy tale ending, becoming the king's wife and providing him sons. Additionally, her acts that led to Nabal's death delivered her from a surly and mean husband.

Which is it? Is the account of Abigail one of a woman who did the godly thing, the right thing and thereby reaped God's reward? Or, is the account one of a flawed woman who brought death to her husband as she conspired behind his back?

I don't believe the account was provided us for the reasons of character study primarily. Certainly, it can be used to illustrate character traits within the choices women make... either way. But the story is the account of David and the circumstances of how he acquired one of his wives. It provides the detail and background of a bit of the genealogy surrounding the family of David. It also shows us how quick David was to shed blood, something that would keep him from building the temple for God in Jerusalem, 1 Chronicles 28:3.

For me, in this narrative, of the three main characters, David, Nabal and Abigail, it is Abigail I find the most fascinating, the one with greatest character. I do have to note, though, that it is from the larger perspective of all of the Scriptures we find David to be a great man of faith, the one through whom the genealogy of Jesus Christ would pass through, a man after God's own heart. A flawed man to be sure, just as the rest of us, but a man who served God's purposes well.

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

God's interests or mine? - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 24:6-7,

"He [David] said to his men, 'The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.' With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way."

While Saul was pursuing David to kill him, (the Lord had rejected Saul as king over Israel and selected David to replace him), an opportunity presented itself for David to destroy Saul, and thereby removing the threat to his life.

However, since Saul had been God's first king for Israel, David would not lay a hand on Saul (something his own men were encouraging him to do, and, I am certain, his own self-interests) - and this, not out of respect for Saul, but out of respect for God. Although David's life was threatened by Saul, and the circumstances brought a great opportunity for David, David acted on his respect for God, not on his own personal interests.

David had is shortcomings, but in this instance he is an example of someone who makes choices in life, not on the basis of his own personal interests, but out of his interest for the things of God. How often I have been focused on what I want, what I pursue, what I desire, rather than on God's agenda! At times my prayer list has reflected my agenda rather than God's. David, here, is a wonderful encouragement for me to look beyond my own self-interests and look to God's.

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 caution to not deceive myself - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 23:7,

"Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, 'God has
delivered him into my hands, for David has imprisoned himself by
entering a town with gates and bars.'"

In his pursuit to eliminate his replacement on the throne of Israel,
Saul sought to kill David. I notice when Saul was told of David's
location, he credited God for delivering David into his hands.

Never mind that God had already decided to replace Saul with David as
king and that Saul knew of this by now, as his son, Johnathan, told
David, "My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king
over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows
this." Verse 17. Never mind Saul had been told by Samuel that the Lord
had rejected him.

It simply didn't matter to Saul, who, lacking faith, defined his
understanding of life and made his choices by the circumstances that
surrounded him, rather than on an understanding of God and what God
was busy doing.

How often today have we seen Christians do the very same thing!
Pursuing, in a lack of faith, the things their hearts lead them to,
with focus off the Lord, off his word and on the circumstances of
life. Believers today, just like old King Saul, pursuing things they
should know better not to do (or not doing what they should), with the
claim, "the Lord is leading me to..." And, yet, in order to pursue
those things, ignore the wise counsel of Scripture and the wise
counsel of those with mature faith.

Just like me, I'm sure you have seen plenty of examples of this within
the life of a church, or churches you have been involved with. And, it
isn't just the believer sitting in the pew, but elders and pastors as
well!

The message here for me is to insure I remain focused on God, on the
counsel of his word. on the counsel of those with maturity in the
faith. Else, I may find myself deceived by myself, just as old King
Saul!

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 revealing nature of felt threats - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 22:17-19,

"Then the king [Saul] ordered the guards at his side: 'Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.' But the king's officials were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord. The king then ordered Doeg, 'You turn and strike down the priests.' So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. He also put to the sword Nob, the town of the priests, with its men and women, its children and infants, and its cattle, donkeys and sheep."

Here is a man, Saul, whose rank and stature, his wealth and power are threatened. It is all threatened due to his own failure, as king of God's people, to embrace God in faith and trust. The threat is very real and Saul's disposition is already a done deal, awaiting its occurrence.

It is instructive for us to note how a man, whose rank and stature, whose wealth and power is threatened, acts. Saul has brought on his own demise, yet he is busy lashing out at those he feels may somehow be involved in the threat he feels.

In Jesus' day, the leaders of Israel responded in much the same way. Feeling their authority in the community might be threatened, they plotted and schemed in their opposition to him. They planned and plotted how to kill him as he took his message to the folks.

We see it in our day as well. Not just in politics and the workplace, but also in the church. How often it has been seen that when someone's role or stature in the fellowship is threatened in some way, it brings out the worst of them. There is nothing quite like the spectacle of a church leader, sensing a threat, to act like anything but what should be expected from a church leader.

On the other hand, there are many wonderful leaders in the church today, inspired and energized by God and should be recognized by the rest of us as such. Leaders, who when feeling threatened, respond in a way to make the most of all things accrue to the successful mission of the gospel, living their lives to please the Lord, even as a threat is presented.

You can always tell what is in a person's heart as they respond to some form of threat, as did King Saul.

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

Can I assume how God might accomplish something? - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 21:12-15,

"David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. Achish said to his servants, 'Look at the man! He is insane! Why bring him to me? Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this in front of me? Must this man come into my house?'"

Here is a fascinating account! David was afraid that Ackish would turn him over to Saul to kill him. He avoided the threat by feigning insanity, something we might not expect. Certainly something I would never have expected!

What might we expect? David was chosen by the Lord to be the new king of Israel, and so if threatened, we might expect the Lord to send legions of angels to protect him. If not, at least provide some kind of protection through others that might side with David against Saul. But we don't read anything of that.

What we do see is David engineering his own escape by acting like a mad man. Was this God's "will"? Was it God's intent to have David escape by acting like a fruitcake, instead of a more respectable approach through military action or some other demonstration of strength? I don't know... but I do know this is what happened, and it became another link in the protection of David to see him through to the throne, replacing Saul.

Sometimes we assume we know how God might accomplish something. And, if it isn't accomplished in a manner we expect, if it doesn't conform to our preconceived notion, we might dismiss it as something removed from the purview of God.

I don't know if I have ever heard over the years a sermon on this event. However, that does not mean there isn't something to learn from it. What I learn from this is that God's purposes might be accomplished in a manner I might not ever expect! I certainly would not have expected David to escape Saul's clutches by acting like a mentally disturbed person in front of King Achish. Yet, this is exactly what happened.

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

Only two teams in life - Ruminating in the Word of God

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 20:1,

"Then David fled from Naioth at Ramah and went to Jonathan and asked, 'What have I done? What is my crime? How have I wronged your father, that he is trying to kill me?'"

Jonathan was the son of King Saul. Saul was a man who did not place his faith and trust in God, but lived his life based on the observable circumstances he found himself in, much as so many people do today. Because of his lack of faith and trust in the Lord, the Lord rejected him as king over his people and selected David to replace him. A series of circumstances that pitted the successes of David's faith against the backdrop of Saul's failures (due to his lack of faith) led to Saul's insane quest to murder David. David felt this unjust and unfair enmity Saul held toward him, occasioning his question of Jonathon.

I am reminded of something John would write a millennium later: "Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother [Abel]. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you."

This was true in David's day, a thousand years before John said it, and it is still true today, two thousand years since he said it. We would all do well to recognize there are two teams in this life, and only two: Team Cain and Team Abel. Team Cain is made up of all those who fail to place their faith and trust in God, and Team Abel is made up of those who do place their faith and trust in God. There is no third team whatsoever, "Whoever is not with me [Jesus] is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." Luke 11:23.

In the confusion of life, some team members may be found batting for the other side, but generally speaking these two groups are distinct and everyone plays on one team or the other. Cain's team despises and fears God's people and seek their destruction. We see it all over the world today. God's people don't deserve it and never have to do anything to earn the hostility of Cain's team, yet find themselves continually under attack by it. Much of that hostility, I am sure, arises from the fact that Cain's team instinctively "feels" the reality that they are excluded from the Lord's tent and rejected by him. They may not be cognizant of what motivates them, but motivated they are, nonetheless. This is seen in politics, social institutions, debate in the public square, etc., as well as in private life.

What team do you play on?

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