SCRIP-BITS

1 Samuel 24:17.       And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.

And it’s a good lazy-day Saturday… possibly not as warm as we would like it, but nice and sunshiny anyway. And, by my standards, I was up fairly early, but simply had to roll around in the bed and enjoy some of the laziness available this morning. (smile) So now, let’s give thanks to God for allowing us to see another wonderful day on His great earth, by offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer. 

As one, in all sincerity and truth: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’ 

And if the Lord read the right motives in our hearts, then I know we are beginning to feel His peace and LOVE flowing through us in greater measure than before, because there’s nothing He likes more than us sincerely asking for His amazing presence in our lives. 

Today, we’ll continue looking at that memorable confrontation between Bruh David and King Saul, when he cut off the corner of Saul’s robe as he sat in the cave relieving himself, but refused to kill him because he was the Lord’s anointed. And after hailing Saul outside the cave, Bruh David explained that he had nothing against the king and whatever rumours he had heard were all lies. 

Then He said to him: ‘The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of (on) thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee. After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea. The Lord therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand.’ (1 Sam. 24:12-15) 

What a powerful speech Bruh David laid down on Saul. Intimating that he would let the Lord be his judge and avenger, and though Saul hunted him down like a wild animal, he would not harm him. Those are words that we ought to take very seriously my brethren, because many of us choose to be both judge and avenger in our disagreements with others, when the Lord specifically said: ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay…’ (Rom. 12:19) And moreover, Bruh David also fulfilled one of Christ’s commands, as we saw yesterday, to LOVE one’s enemies. (Matt. 5:44) And as Bruh Paul later wrote to the church at Rome: ‘Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:21) 

Now those are two scriptures we ought to pay very much heed to, since our world is quickly falling apart because the opposite perspective is in vogue: that’s return evil for evil. But all that causes is strife and all the negative connotations that come with it. And it’s only if we believers live up to the commands of Christ that our world will ever turnaround. Now let’s return now to that memorable conversation between King Saul and Bruh David. 

The Bible says: ‘And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. And thou hast shewed this day how thou has dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not. For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away (get away safely)? wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.’ (1 Sam. 24:16-19) 

Yuh see friends how the Lord’s commands do work in our practical lives. After Bruh David had been like a son to Saul, playing the harp for him in his palace and soothing his troubled spirit, he then allowed foolish jealousy to turn him around and hunt down Bruh David to kill him. Yes, it was somewhat tough on Saul, since Bruh David, instead of his son Jonathan, was anointed to be next king of Israel, and he had single-handedly killed the Philistine giant Goliath, then had led Israel to numerous victories as a brave warrior. The people obviously LOVED Bruh David. 

It got so bad that one time when Bruh David and Saul returned from battling the Philistines, in traditional fashion, ‘the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music (stringed instruments). And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very wroth (angry), and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom. And Saul eyed David (viewed him with suspicion) from that day and forward.’ (1 Sam. 18:6-9) 

So there you have it, some of Saul’s reasons for wanting to kill Bruh David. But getting back to that memorable confrontation between them outside of the cave in Engedi. After asserting that Bruh David was a better man than him Saul said: ‘And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand. Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father’s house. And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home: but David and his men gat them up unto the hold (stronghold).’ (1 Sam. 24:20-22) 

And wisely so, for as the scholars tell us: ‘Although Saul recognized the inevitability of David’s kingship, and entered into a covenant with David  concerning the treatment of Saul’s family, Saul nevertheless resumed his persecution of David later. (chap. 26).’ Ah friends, that only shows although we treat evil with good, it does not necessarily mean that the evil will disappear. But as true believers, we must do it, though still keeping our eyes and ears open, being on our p’s and q’s, especially in this evil, deceitful and strife fille world, where no one’s word can be trusted. Much LOVE!

…but ye brethren…be not weary in well doing… (2 Thess. 3:13)

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