Commuter Bible

Throughout the Old Testament, we meet men of varying backgrounds who set out to obey the Lord and deliver God’s people. Time and again, God’s people rejoice and exalt their hero, but inevitably, these men fall and are shown to be sinful. There is none righteous, no not one. David is no exception, and his lust for another man’s wife begets more sin, including second-hand murder. Though he tries to hide his sin by sinning further, the Lord will not allow the sin of Israel’s king to go unpunished.

Now that David has been recognized as king, it’s time for him to begin to establish his kingdom. David consults the Lord before he goes into battles, and prioritizes the worship of the Lord as a matter of great importance. With much fanfare, he moves the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem, and worships in a very un-regal fashion. King David expresses his desire to make a house of worship for the Lord, rather than a tent. God, who has never needed a house, says that rather He will build a David’s house, establishing the kingdom of the Son of David forever.

After Saul’s death, an Ammonite man comes to David claiming that he is the one who killed Saul, thinking he will be rewarded for his deed since Saul pursued David for so long. David, however, is not pleased with this report. After a period of mourning for the house of Saul, David is anointed king in Judah, but Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, has other plans. He crowns Saul’s son Ish-bosheth as king, accumulates power for himself, and fights against David’s soldiers. Eventually, Abner concedes, but not without gaining a few enemies.

Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi is full of love and instruction for the Lord’s church. He rejoices that the gospel is moving forward even while he is in prison, and he encourages the church to endure suffering, to be united in love, and to serve one another self-sacrificially, looking to the King of Kings who humbled Himself even to death on a cross. Our boast is no longer in the flesh, but in the cross of Christ. Knowing that the Lord is near, we shouldn't worry about anything, opting instead to pray and to consider the goodness of God.

David almost joins the Philistine forces in the impending war against Saul, but they don’t trust him. Returning to their settlement at Ziklag, they find their territory decimated and families taken captive. After consulting the Lord, they pursue the Amalekites. On the way, David and his men redeem the life of a servant who had been discarded by his Amalekite master, and he returns their kindness by directing them toward the Amalekites. Later, Saul goes to battle against the Philistines along with his sons, where they meet a devastating end.

When Saul pursued David in order to find him and kill him, David showed kindness to Saul and faithfulness to the Lord by sparing his life. Saul was broken and contrite, but in today’s episode, Saul set his sights on David once more, bringing three thousand men with him. Later, as Saul faces the Philistine armies, he becomes fearful and tries to consult the Lord, but God does not respond. Being more concerned for himself than for God’s glory, Saul consults a medium, and in a totally backwards way, attempts to consult the man of God who had anointed him as Israel’s king so many years ago.

In a paranoid rage, Saul has slaughtered Ahimelech and his entire family, priests to the Lord and their family. One man from that family whose name is Abiathar has escaped and joined David’s ranks. At every turn, Saul seems to be hot on David’s trail until at long last, Saul unwittingly happens upon the cave where David and his men are hiding. Not knowing they are there, Saul goes in to relieve himself, and David has the opportunity to sneak up from behind and kill Saul, who has made his life so volatile.

In our last episode, King Saul’s jealousy and hatred for David began to grow as David successfully conquered the Philistines in battle time after time. Saul began plotting David’s demise, but his plans to see him killed were all foiled. Today, Saul’s rage becomes clear to everyone, and David flees from the king’s presence. As he takes shelter in a distant cave, his family catches word and they join him, along with other men who seek escape from Saul’s reign.

When the subject of a historical account (like David, here) tells you the reason why he will be victorious before he achieves his victory, we should probably pay attention right? So often when someone references David & Goliath, they frame it as if it’s about a big guy versus small fry, and the underdog wins the day because of his ingenuity. Let’s just make this clear: you are not David and this account is not about facing your giants. If anything, we are the cowering Israelites who cannot face our foe; we need a champion, a savior, to step forward in the power of God and rescue us from sin and death.

At the end of our last episode, Saul had just been appointed as king in Gilgal. Samuel gave him instructions to wait for him there, but when he felt like he was pressed for time he assumed that it would be best to make the burnt offering himself. Saul, however, is not a part of the priesthood, and while he is king, it doesn’t mean that he can do whatever he wishes, especially if it means sinning against the Lord’s instructions. As we’ll find out today, Saul’s tendency to pay little attention to God’s instructions has huge ramifications on his life and his reign as king.