A King called David - Part 1

David is probably best known in history as the person who slew Goliath the Philistine giant. However, that is only a part of his story.

God chose David to be King over Israel. David's journey to the throne was difficult and life threatening. King Saul, Israel's first king initially thought well of David but ended up repeatedly trying to kill David. Why was this?

Some background information will be helpful at this stage. The prophet Samuel was the last of the Judges to rule Israel. God used Samuel to bring about the transition from Israel being ruled by Judges to Israel being ruled by their own King. The first king was a man called Saul, the son of Kish, who was from the tribe of Benjamin. Samuel was chosen by God to anoint Saul as King of Israel. However, Samuel retained his office as prophet and priest before God.

King Saul started out well, but along the way chose not to fully comply with God's instructions to him.

1 Samuel 15:1-3

"(1) Samuel also said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the Lord.

(2) Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt.

(3) Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.' "

Saul is given explicit instructions to completely destroy Amalek. Now let's see how Saul carries out the instructions.

1 Samuel 15:7-9

"(7) And Saul attacked the Amalekites, from Havilah all the way to Shur, which is east of Egypt.

(8) He also took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.

(9) But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed."

Saul did what he thought was right in his own eyes and mistakenly thought he was carrying out God's will.

1 Samuel 15:18-23

"(18) Now the Lord sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.'

(19) Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the Lord?"

(20) And Saul said to Samuel, "But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

(21) But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal."

(22) So Samuel said:"Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.

(23) For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king."

Samuel has no further dealings with King Saul.

1 Samuel 15:34-35

"(34) Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul.

(35) And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his [Samuel's] death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel."

God now sets about to make arrangements for Saul's successor.

1 Samuel 16:1

"Now the Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons."

Samuel goes to Bethlehem to do as God instructs him. The elders of the city are frightened when Samuel appears at their town. Samuel allays their fears and invites them to come to a sacrifice to the Lord.

1 Samuel 16:5-7

"(5) And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.
(6) So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him."

(7) But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Samuel then looks at seven of Jesse's sons but refuses them all on the Lord's instructions to him.

1 Samuel 16:11-14

"(11) And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?" Then he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here."

(12) So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!"

(13) Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
(14) But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him."

As we noted earlier Saul is from the tribe of Benjamin whereas David is from the tribe of Judah. Bethlehem belongs to the tribe of Judah. David, however, is at this time not installed as King over Israel. He has a long difficult path ahead of him before he is acknowledged as King of all the tribes of Israel.

Now let's have a look at some relevant points in the above Scriptures. What lessons can we learn from King Saul?

1. Saul starts out well as King of Israel but finishes badly.

2. He does not completely obey God's instructions to utterly destroy Amalek's people and their livestock.

3. Saul considers in his own heart and mind that he has carried out God's instructions.

4. Samuel points out to Saul that "to obey is better than sacrifice". To obey God is better than animal sacrifices.

5. Saul's actions are clearly labelled as (a) the sin of rebellion and (b) his stubbornness as the iniquity of idolatry.

6. Saul rejected God's instructions and therefore God now rejects Saul from being king.

7. The Spirit of God departed from Saul and came upon David instead.

8. To obey God is better than any sacrifice we can bring to God.

Next blog post I will continue to look at 'A King called David - Part 2'.

Jon Peasey

Biblical Perspectives blog www.jon-peasey.blogspot.com

Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

[If you have any questions or comments you are invited to contact me via the comments section below.]

Gideon - A Mighty Man Of Valour

Who was Gideon? The Old Testament Book of Judges tells us about Gideon. His father's name was Joash an Abiezrite. We are introduced to Joash and Gideon in Judges chapter 6. Due to the children of Israel's sins against the Lord they were dominated by the Midianites for seven years.

Judges 6:1-2:

"(1) Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,
(2) and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains."

These were desperate times! The children of Israel were forced to retreat to the mountains and shelter there when the Midianites and their allies came into the land.

Judges 6:3-6:

"(3) So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them.
(4) Then they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey.

(5) For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it.
(6) So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord."

These are the circumstances that Gideon is in when we are introduced to him.

Judges 6:11-12:

"(11) Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.

(12) And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valour!"

What was Gideon doing in a wine press? Surely it shows us his wisdom in hiding the grain from the Midianites. In the wine press he was out of sight to the enemy and able to successfully thresh the wheat without being caught. Thus he was able to provide some sustenance to his family. The Angel of the LORD was sitting under Joash's terebinth tree in Ophrah and watches Gideon. Then the Angel of the LORD appears to Gideon and gives him a remarkable greeting. "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valour!"

Here is Gideon being careful not to be seen by the enemy, working away in the wine press; and suddenly he is told by the Angel of the LORD that the LORD is with him. He is addressed as "you mighty man of valour!" How illogical this must have seemed to Gideon. What would a man of valour be doing in a wine press threshing wheat when he should be out fighting the enemy?

Judges 6:13-15:

"(13) Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?' But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites."
(14) Then the Lord turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?"

(15) So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."

Gideon reminds the Angel of the LORD about all the great miracles the LORD did in the past; but now He had forsaken the children of Israel. The LORD's reply is to tell Gideon that He had chosen Gideon to save Israel from the Midianites. The man in the winepress is to be the one to save Israel!

As we continue in Chapter 6 we find that Gideon questions the Angel of the Lord.

Judges 6:13-14:

"(13) Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?' But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites."
(14)Then the Lord turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?"

The Angel of the Lord answers Gideon and tells him to go in his might and Gideon would save Israel. The Lord tells him "Have I not sent you?" Gideon is not convinced. "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." And the Lord said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man."

Gideon then offers the Angel of the Lord a young goat and unleavened bread as an offering.

Judges 6:21-24:

"(21) Then the Angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.
 (22) Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face."

(23) Then the Lord said to him, "Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die."

(24) So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace..."  [Jehovah Shalom]

Then the Lord tells Gideon to tear down his father's altar of Baal and cut down the wooden image beside it. Then he was to build an altar to the Lord; take his father's second bull and using the wood from the image to build a fire upon the altar to sacrifice the bull to the Lord. Because he was afraid of his father and the men of the town, Gideon and his servants did this at night.

Imagine the outcry in the morning!

Judges 6:29-32:

"(29) So they said to one another, "Who has done this thing?" And when they had inquired and asked, they said, "Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing."
(30) Then the men of the city said to Joash, "Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image that was beside it."

(31) But Joash said to all who stood against him, "Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!"
(32) Therefore on that day he called him [Gideon] Jerubbaal, saying, "Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar."

Of course Baal was a false God and nothing happened to Gideon! Any stand for the true and living God will bring out the enemies of God.

Judges 6:33-35:

"(33) Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel.
(34) But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.

(35) And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them."

Gideon is still hesitant about leading Israel to victory against their enemies. He asks the Lord to perform two miracles to strengthen his faith. He put a woollen fleece on the ground and wanted it to be wet next morning and the rest of the ground to be dry. It occurred that way. The next night he reversed his request, this time for the fleece to be dry and the rest of the ground wet with dew. This also occurred.

The Lord now tells Gideon he had too many men in his army." Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, 'Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.' " And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained." This was still too many for the Lord to use!

Judges 7:5-7

"(5) So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, "Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink."
(6) And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.
(7) Then the Lord said to Gideon, "By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place."

That night the Lord encourages Gideon, He tells Gideon to go down to the Midianite camp and listen to them talking. Gideon and His servant Purah go down to the Midianite camp and overhear a man telling his companion a dream. The other fellow says, "This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp."

Judges 7:15-18

"(15) And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, "Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand."
(16) Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers.
(17) And he said to them, "Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do:

(18) When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, 'The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!' "

Inspired by God, Gideon formulates a plan to surprise and confuse the enemy. Let's see the outcome.

Judges 7:16-18:

"(16) Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers.

(17) And he said to them, "Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do:

(18) When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, 'The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!' "

Judges 7:21-25:

"(21) And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole [Midianite] army ran and cried out and fled.
(22) When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the Lord set every man's sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.

(23) And the men of Israel gathered together from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued the Midianites.
(24) Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the mountains of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against the Midianites, and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan." Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and seized the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.

(25) And they captured two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb..."

So Gideon did indeed become a mighty man of valour and delivered the Israelites from their enemies the Midianites. Gideon became a Judge in Israel and ruled in Israel for forty years.

Judges 8:28

"Thus Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted their heads no more. And the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon."

Jon Peasey

Biblical Perspectives blog www.jon-peasey.blogspot.com

Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

[If you have any questions or comments you are invited to contact me via the comments section below.]