The Bible says
in First Samuel 28:1-7, “And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines
gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish
said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle,
thou and thy men.[2] And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know
what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever.[3] Now Samuel was
dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own
city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards,
out of the land.[4] And the Philistines gathered themselves together,
and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they
pitched in Gilboa.[5] And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he
was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.[6] And when Saul inquired of
the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams nor by Urim, nor by
prophets.[7] Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath
a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants
said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.” It was a time of war. God uses all things. He
uses war and He uses peace. He uses those who make war and those who make
peace. God’s truth is marching on. No one can resist His will. No one can stop
the march of history that God himself has decided. This particular time of war
would be very significant in the lives of Saul and David. Saul knew that
something was happening. Notice that it says in verse six, “And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him
not.” Because Saul was not right with God, Saul turned to false
religion. That was Saul all right: always doing the wrong thing at the wrong
time. He should have repented of his sins and turned to God and asked for
forgiveness, but he did not.
The Bible says
in First Samuel 28:8-18, “And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and
he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he
said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up,
whom I shall name unto thee.[9] And the woman said unto him, Behold,
thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar
spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest
thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?[10] And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this
thing.[11] Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he
said, Bring me up Samuel.[12] And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried
with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul,
saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.[13] And the king
said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou?
And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.[14]
And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up;
and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he
stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.[15] And Samuel
said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I
am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is
departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither
by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make
known unto me what I shall do.[16] Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost
thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine
enemy?[17] And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake
by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to
thy neighbour, even to David:[18] Because thou
obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the
LORD done this thing unto thee this day.”
In verse fifteen Saul makes a terrible statement to Samuel. Saul said, “I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war
against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth
me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams.” If you have ever been
in fellowship with the Lord Jesus, then you know that there is nothing worse in
life than to be out of fellowship with Him. You will be miserable. You will be
distressed. You will have no power of the Spirit. You will have a guilty
conscience. Things will not work out well for you. Your enemies will gain the
upper hand. Your prayers will not be answered unless you are smart enough to
pray to Jesus a prayer of repentance and confession.
Saul is simply told the
same thing that he has been told before: the kingdom will be given to David.
Once God lets you know something, you do not need to keep asking Him. One of
Saul’s problems was that he was in rebellion to God’s will. Saul should have
stepped down willingly and let David be king because that was God’s will, and
everything would have been fine. But Saul forced God’s hand, and if you will
not do what the Lord wants, He can always simply end your life. There is no
sense in you being on the earth if you are not going to use your life to serve
Him. It says in First John 5V16, “There is a sin
unto death…”
We can trace Saul’s
spiritual problems back to when he refused to obey God in the matter of the
Amalekites. That put Saul on the wrong path, and ever since that day Saul was
heading to the wrong destination. Be careful what decisions you make. It is
always best to repent and go God’s way. Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the
issues of life.”
The Bible says
in First Samuel 28:19-25, “Moreover the LORD will also
deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also
shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.[20]
Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because
of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no
bread all the day, nor all the night.[21] And the woman came unto Saul,
and saw that he was sore troubled, and said unto him, Behold, thine handmaid
hath obeyed thy voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have hearkened
unto thy words which thou spakest unto me.[22]
Now therefore, I pray thee, hearken thou also unto the voice of thine handmaid,
and let me set a morsel of bread before thee; and eat, that thou mayest have
strength, when thou goest on thy way.[23] But
he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, together with the
woman, compelled him; and he hearkened unto their voice. So he arose from the
earth, and sat upon the bed.[24] And the woman had a fat calf in the
house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did
bake unleavened bread thereof:[25] And she brought it before Saul, and
before his servants; and they did eat. Then they rose up, and went away that
night.” Saul is told something
in verse nineteen that most of us never know: the day of his death. Saul is
told that he has one more day to live. At least Saul knew that he had one more
day. We do not even know that. Today could be anyone’s last day. That truth
should be a great motivator for everyone to get right with God. And of course,
another important truth is presented here: God decides when each person dies.
God is the life-giver. He gives life and He takes it away. It may appear that
man decides in some deaths, but no matter what are the circumstances of
someone’s death, always remember this: God took that life. It was God’s time
for them to leave this earth. Do not get angry. Do not seek revenge, but of
course, it is okay to seek justice. Believe in the Almighty hand of God.
The Bible says
in First Samuel 29:1-11, “Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to
Aphek: and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel.[2]
And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands: but
David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish.[3] Then said
the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said
unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the
king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have
found no fault in him since he fell unto me unto this day?[4] And the
princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the
Philistines said unto him, Make this fellow return, that he may go again to his
place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle,
lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile
himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?[5]
Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul
slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?[6] Then Achish called
David, and said unto him, Surely, as the LORD liveth,
thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host
is good in my sight: for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy
coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favour
thee not.[7] Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease
not the lords of the Philistines.[8] And David said unto Achish, But
what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have
been with thee unto this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my
lord the king?[9] And Achish answered and said to David, I know that
thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of
the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.[10]
Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with thy master's servants that are
come with thee: and as soon as ye be up early in the morning, and have light,
depart.[11] So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning,
to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to
Jezreel.” The other Philistines
did not trust David. They knew that before he had been with Saul and was a
faithful Israelite. Notice what they said in verse five: “Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in
dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?”
The Philistines knew of David’s exploits. Since Goliath had been a Philistine,
they all knew about David’s victory over Goliath. And they all knew the song
that the children of Israel sang to celebrate David’s victories. Serve the
Lord. Go from victory to victory by faith in Christ, and you will be building a
testimony for the Lord. Your story and what the Lord has done for you will pass
to others as the Lord wills. Guard your testimony for Christ. Do not do
anything to harm it or reduce its effectiveness. After the Lord saves your
soul, He wants you to be a witness and a testimony for the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible says in First Samuel 30:1-6, “And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire;[2] And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.[3] So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives.[4] Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.[5] And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.[6] And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” This was a great disaster for David and the people that were with him. While David and his men were away, his town was attacked and all the women and children were taken captive. Some things do not change. These types of things still happen in some places in the world. There are evil people in the world, and your entire life can be upended any day. Are you ready for a disaster? David was ready because of his relationship with the Lord. It says at the end of verse six, “but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” There was still hope. There is always hope. They may have lost their homes, but they did not yet lose their families. God can do anything. God can fix anything. God can give you a new start. Jesus can help you pick up the pieces and go on. Job did it. You can do it. Put your faith in the Lord God.
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Copyright; 2020 by Charles
F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved