Barnabas - Son of Encouragement

Acts chapter 4 introduces us to a man who had a major impact in early church history. Let's look at the first mention of this man.

Acts 4:36-37
"(32) Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
(33) And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
(34) Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,
(35) and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.
(36) Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus,
(37) having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet."

Let's take a look at what we so far know about Barnabas.

1. He was a Jew from the tribe of Levi named Joses.
2. He was from the island of Cyprus.
3. He was obviously living in Jerusalem.
4. He was very well known to the apostles.
5. The apostles had renamed him Barnabas.
6. The fact that the apostles had renamed him gives us an insight into his character.
7. He was obviously a man who had a great love and care for the followers of Jesus Christ.
8. He was a man who set out to encourage his brothers and sisters in Christ.
9. He had a generous disposition shown in the selling of his land for the benefit of his fellow believers.
10. He put the needs of others above his own requirements.

When I think about Barnabas I see in my mind's eye a big hearted, generous man with a great love for Christ and his fellow believers. I see a man who did not look at the shortcomings of others, but instead sought to exhort and encourage them on their Christian pathway. If you take your eyes off Christ it is easy to see the shortcomings of fellow believers.

We next meet Barnabas in Acts chapter 9 in relation to the apostle Paul [Saul of Tarsus]. Saul of Tarsus had been persecuting the followers of Jesus Christ, hauling them off to prison and causing many of them to be executed. On his way to the city of Damascus the Lord Jesus appears to him in a brilliant, dazzling light and Saul of Tarsus is suddenly confronted with the truth of the resurrection and glorification of Jesus of Nazareth. This meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ changes him forever. He becomes a follower of Jesus Christ. Saul's preaching and teaching is so powerful that he has to escape for his life from Damascus.

Acts 9:26-30
"(26) And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple.
(27) But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
(28) So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out.
(29) And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus and disputed against the Hellenists, but they attempted to kill him.
(30) When the brethren found out, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus."

Here is Barnabas at a crucial time in the apostle Paul's life; stepping in boldly and giving him tremendous encouragement, as he declares to those at Jerusalem Saul's conversion and subsequent powerful preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Barnabas' testimony enabled Saul of Tarsus [later known as the apostle Paul] to join the believers at Jerusalem. However due to plots to kill him Saul has to flee to his home city Tarsus.

After the death of the martyr Stephen many believers were scattered and went to places such as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. These believers began preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Jews in those places and many became followers of Jesus Christ.

Acts 11:21-24
"(21) And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.
(22) Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch.
(23) When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.
(24) For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord."

Barnabas is sent out by the apostles at Jerusalem to check out these happenings. He immediately encourages the believers in those places. And we learn some more facts about Barnabas, "For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith." He was the right person for the times. However, it seems the work load was too much for one man.

Acts 11:25-26
"(25) Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul.
(26) And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch."

Later we find Barnabas and Saul sent to Jerusalem with gift funds for the believers in and around Jerusalem; for they were in drought conditions. They brought back with them Barnabas' relative John Mark to Antioch.

In Acts chapter 13 we find out that the Holy Spirit commissions Barnabas and Saul for a special gospel outreach. This later became known as Paul's 1st missionary journey. Barnabas and Saul [later known as Paul] set sail from Antioch in Syria for the island of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea. They arrived in Salamis went through the whole island and set sail again from Paphos in Cyprus to Perga in Pamphylia. From Perga they journeyed overland to Antioch in Pisidia and then to Iconium. From Iconium they journeyed to Lystra and Derbe. From Derbe they retraced their journey back to Pamphylia then down to Perga. From Perga they went to the sea port of Attalia and set sail again for Antioch in Syria; their starting point. Except for the places in Cyprus the cities mentioned would now be part of modern Turkey.

Acts chapters 13 and 14 give us details of their arduous journeys and the hardships they endured in some of those cities. Yet through it all God honoured their labours on His behalf and many souls were added to the kingdom of God.

Barnabas is a striking example of a 'son of encouragement'. For he was, "...a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith..." He was a man prepared to put his faith to the test time and time again; for the benefit of others. We need more Barnabas' today. We need more 'sons of encouragement'.

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.]

 

 

 

 

Christian faith what is it?

Christian faith is a whole hearted trust and belief in the true and living God. It is based on the premise that He is the Creator God and that we as His creatures are resposible to and accountable to him for all our deeds and actions. 

The writer of the Book of Hebrews in the New Testament in the Holy Scriptures commences the book with these words.

Hebrews 11:1:
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."

The Amplified New Testament translates this verse as:
"Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality - faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses."

Perhaps an anagram of the word faith will give us more clarity in his matter.

 

Fidelity	Loyalty Faithfulness Devotion
Assurance	Affirmation Safety Promise
Integrity	Soundness Consistency Virtue
Trust	Belief Commitment Confidence
Hope	Anticipation Trust Optimism

 

When a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ exercises his or her faith, they are revealing to us that they have the moral courage to believe in the true and living God. They believe that what God had promised and affirmed in His Holy Scriptures, He will carry out.

People in the world generally want physical proof before they will believe in something. What is the old saying? "Seeing is believing." They want visual proof. Oftentimes, God tests our faith to see if we have persevering faith in the face of difficulties. Remember, what God promises in His word He will perform; perhaps not according to our time frame but according to His own perfect timing.

Let's have a look at our anagram of the word faith.

F is for fidelity. When I thought of the word fidelity it immediately brought to mind the word loyalty. If you are married, loyalty to your spouse must be a guiding principle in your life. That's what fidelity is all about staying true to your spouse. That's where the word faithfulness comes into play. Loyalty and faithfulness go hand in hand in a marriage relationship. This of course will lead to devotion between the spouses. How often do you hear someone say, "He is devoted to her" or, "She is devoted to him?"

A for assurance. I immediately thought that assurance gives you freedom from doubt. If you have assurance from the true and living God; you will have His affirmation of that assurance. This means that you can depend on His promises in the Holy Scriptures.

Let's look at 2 Peter 1:3-4:
"(3) ...His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
(4) by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

This brings us to the thought of the word safety. The word safety conveys to us the thought of being safe from harm and danger. Let's have a look at the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in John 10:27-29:
"(27) My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
(28) And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
(29) My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand." Here is eternal safety!

I for integrity. Unfortunately in the world today integrity seems to be on a slippery slope downwards. When you think of a person who has high integrity you know they will not be easily dissuaded from doing what is right. Why? It is because they have a sound moral basis for their actions. There is a soundness about their life and actions. There is consistency in their life. The next word in this set is the word virtue. Philippians 4:8:
"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things." Note that there is virtue in all of the things mentioned in verse 8.

T for trust. If you trust someone this means that you have a strong belief that that person will do the right thing by you. Their past life and actions signify their trustworthiness. So when you trust someone you are making a commitment to that person. You are relying on them. This means that you have confidence in the person.

H is for hope. If you hope something will happen it means that it may happen in the future. Hope brings us an anticipation of our wishes or desires. If we have a strong hope then we trust that it will come to fruition.  We will have a certain amount of optimism about the outcome. A half-hearted hope is merely wishful thinking.

Our anagram of FAITH encapsulates all the words of fidelity - assurance - integrity - trust - hope. Godly faith as per The Amplified New Testament is, "...the assurance...of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality..." This is faith in action! However, the next part of the verse really hits the nail on the head. "...faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses."

Here is the pure essence of godly faith; our faith reaching beyond the senses and wholly trusting in the Lord that what He has promised He will do! By faith believing that the Lord will act according to His words in the Holy Scriptures.

A small child walks into a skyscraper building with his parents. They walk over to the elevators. His father tells him to press a button to bring an elevator to them. When the elevator arrives a ding is heard and the doors of the elevator open. They get in and his father tells the child to press the button with the number 5 on it. The elevator doors close and the elevator carries them swiftly up to the fifth floor of the building. The doors open and they get out. The child did not have to know the 'ins and outs' of how and why the elevator works. All he needed to know was that if he pushed the correct buttons the elevator took them to the fifth floor. Anyone could have done the same thing!

So it is with godly faith. It is like the elevator. When you walk into a building, you go to the bank of elevators. By faith you press the button to summon the elevator. When it arrives you then press another button to have the elevator take you to your designated floor. You are exercising your conviction that the elevator will carry you to your chosen destination. You trusted that if you carried out the correct procedure that you would arrive at your chosen destination.

Hebrews chapter 11 gives us a remarkable list of Old Testament people who by faith believed in God and achieved great things on God's behalf. They had a living, vital faith in their God. They were normal flesh and blood people like you and I. It was their godly faith that set them apart.

Christian faith - are you practising it? 

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.]

Walk - Stand - Sit

These are words we are all familiar with. They are verbs - doing words or action words. They convey an instant picture of a particular action. They are actions that we learn as infants and will use right through to old age.

Psalms 1:1, 2:
"(1) Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
(2) But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night."

Psalms 1, the first book in the Old Testament Book of Psalms begins with the blessedness of the the man who:
(a) Does not walk in the counsel [advice] of ungodly people
(b) Does not stand around with sinners [prefers their company]
(c) Does not sit with those who are scornful. [Scornful of others who do not follow their views on life].

God calls the man blessed who chooses to follow Him in righteousness and delights in His written words; a man who thinks about God's words and meditates upon them day and night. This man has made a deliberate choice to follow God and His ways.

Psalms 1 is a psalm with a distinct contrast between a blessed man and an ungodly sinner. Let's continue to have a look at this psalm.

Psalms 1:3
"He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."

The illustration brought before us is that of a tree that is growing alongside a river. This tree has an abundant supply of water from which its roots can draw the moisture necessary for its continual growth. The trees leaves don't wither and die because they have an endless supply of sap to sustain them.

So our blessed man is likened to this tree. When hardships come he will not wilt but rather he will continue to prosper. For those very same hardships will strengthen his faith in his God. He will continually remind his God of the promises He has made in His words and rest on them. The picture is of a happy, satisfied, abundant, righteous life.

Psalms 1:4, 5:
"(4) The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
(5) Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous."

Here we have another illustration where the ungodly person is likened to chaff. What is chaff?  Chaff is the husk or the hard covering around grain seeds. For instance, if we harvest a wheat crop, the outer husk (chaff) needs to be broken off before the wheat is useful for food. Chaff is not digestible by humans and therefore is useless as a food source. So if we want to grind the wheat into flour all traces of the chaff need to be gone.

In Old Testament times the harvested wheat had to be threshed to break off the outer husk (chaff) from the wheat. Then the mixture of chaff and wheat was winnowed to separate the chaff and wheat. They would take a large shallow, flattish dish and place a quantity of the mixture on it. When a light breeze was blowing they would toss the mixture up slightly and the chaff would blow away in the breeze. The grain would fall back into the dish. This would be repeated until all the chaff was gone. The wheat grains would then be stored and the winnowing would continue until the harvest was chaff free.

In verse 4 the ungodly are likened to the chaff which the wind carries away. In verse 5 we are told that the ungodly won't be able to withstand the judgement of God. In effect, they will be like the chaff driven away by the wind. We are also told that sinners won't be allowed to stand in the congregation of the righteous.

When the wheat is growing there is a bond between the wheat grain and the outer husk. However, the wheat cannot become useful to mankind until that bond is broken and the grain is set free from the husk.

Psalms 1:6:
"For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish."

This last verse of the psalm reminds me of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew 7:13, 14:
"(13) Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
(14) Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life [eternal], and there are few who find it."

The ungodly sinner who dies in his or her sins will stand before the Great White Throne of judgement and be cast into the Lake of Fire which is the second eternal death (Revelation 20:11-15).

"...for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it."

"...nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous." There will not be any ungodly sinners in Heaven. The contrast between the righteous man and the ungodly sinner is never so marked as when we compare their eternal destinies.

It is wise to consider the end of life's journey on Earth and where we will spend eternity. It will be either Heaven or the Lake of Fire.

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.]

 

A Perfect Autumn Day

I am sitting at my desk gazing out the windows of my study. The sky is blue with little wispy clouds dotted about. It is a beautiful sunny day with a gentle fresh breeze. A lovely fresh smell is in the air from the many trees and bushes in the retirement village where I live. Below my windows I can see across the roofs of the units below. Australian gum trees are silhouetted against the sky. It is a peaceful, relaxing scene.

Today is the first day in May. It is a public holiday in Queensland for today is Labour Day. Trade unions will march through the Brisbane city streets to celebrate the day. Many people take advantage of the three days' long weekend to go off on a short holiday with their families.

 As I sit and type I am reflecting on the order in God's creation. The sun shines during the day to give us light and warmth. It has been placed perfectly in position in our solar system to give the maximum benefit to our planet Earth. Without the sun's rays the trees and bushes and plant life that I can see would not grow. God has given us the sun by day and the moon at night. The myriads of stars at night reveal the immensity of God's universe. It is an interesting fact that all the space probes undertaken by man have revealed that Earth is the only planet that sustains life. God created Earth for mankind to live on. He created the perfect physical environment for mankind. The variety of landscapes and terrain on Earth is truly fascinating. The interplay of the four seasons has been carefully designed by God for mankind's benefit. Different types of foods grow in the different seasons to give variety in our diets.

As I sit and reflect on the many benefits we have to give thanks for, my mind turns to some dear friends of mine in Wellington, New Zealand. Today is a sad day for them. Today is the day they are burying their youngest daughter. She passed away from spinal cancer at the age of 48 years. They had decided to look after her at home and that is where she passed away. They however have the blessed hope of seeing her again. For their daughter belonged to the Lord Jesus Christ and has gone to be with Him in Heaven.

True born again believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have this assurance in their hearts and minds that death conveys them to heaven when they die. It is only the body that is left behind. The spirit and soul of a person goes back to God. God has prepared a place for departed souls. For unbelievers still in their sins when they die; they go to Hell. For redeemed believers whose sins have been forgiven they go to heaven to be with the Lord Jesus Christ forever.

I am sure that the funeral service in Wellington will be a celebration of the life of a woman who loved her Lord and was a true friend to many, many people. She endured much pain due to her illness and is now in the place where there is no more sorrow.

Revelation 21:4 tells us:
"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

I wonder about you. Where will you be at the end of your life's journey? Don't want to think about it? It is not a pleasant thing to contemplate your own mortality. The fact is, that at the end of your life's journey - is your death. It is common to all mankind. Where you end up is a matter of choice. You have the power to decide where you will go!

Stay with me a while longer; I am interested in your eternal wellbeing. The Holy Bible clearly outlines that the end result of a person dying in unbelief and still in their sins is the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:12-15).

On the other hand the true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ will know this:
"(6) So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.
(7) For we walk by faith, not by sight.
(8) We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:6-8).

Heaven is my eternal home. Will it be yours? Salvation and assurance can be yours today!

Romans 10:9-10:
"(9)... if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
(10) For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

If you are saved today it will be a perfect day for you.

Jon Peasey
Words of Life blog www.jrpeasey.blogspot.comEbooks 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.]

A King called David - Part 5

In 'A King called David - Part 4' we concluded the blog post with King Saul still determined to pursue David to slay him. On two separate occasions David had opportunity to kill Saul but chose not to. David realised that Saul would continue to pursue him and later made a decision to go into the land of the Philistines for safety. In the interlude David marries two wives, Abigail the Carmelite and Ahinoam the Jezreelite; who accompany him in his rovings.

1 Samuel 27:1-4

"(1) And David said in his heart, "Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand."
(2) Then David arose and went over with the six hundred men who were with him to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
(3) So David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's widow.
(4) And it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath; so he sought him no more."

David asks Achish the king of Gath for a place where he and his company could reside. Achish complies with David's request.

1 Samuel 27:5-6

 "(5) Then David said to Achish, "If I have now found favor in your eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?"
(6) So Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day."

David carried out raids against the people of the lands around Ziklag; the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. He would then return to Achish and inform him that he had raided the land of Judah.

1 Samuel 27:9-12

"(9) Whenever David attacked the land, he left neither man nor woman alive, but took away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the apparel, and returned and came to Achish.
(10) Then Achish would say, "Where have you made a raid today?" And David would say, "Against the southern area of Judah, or against the southern area of the Jerahmeelites, or against the southern area of the Kenites."

(11) David would save neither man nor woman alive, to bring news to Gath, saying, "Lest they should inform on us, saying, 'Thus David did'."And thus was his behavior all the time he dwelt in the country of the Philistines.
(12) So Achish believed David, saying, "He has made his people Israel utterly abhor him; therefore he will be my servant forever."

Achish mistakenly believes that David is destroying his enemies in the land of Israel. He is not aware that David is in fact destroying Achish's neighbours and allies. He thinks that David by his actions is making the children of Israel abhor David. There are no living witnesses to witness against David; so Achish is none the wiser.

We now come into a phase where the Philistines go into battle with the Israelites.

1 Samuel 29:1-4

"(1) Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel.
(2) And the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish.
(3) Then the princes of the Philistines said, "What are these Hebrews doing here?" And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, "Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me."
(4) But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, "Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary. For with what could he reconcile himself to his master, if not with the heads of these men?"

The princes of the Philistines are angry with Achish for bringing David and his men to the battle. They are concerned that David will turn on their men and slay them. David is made to return to Ziklag. Three days later they came to Ziklag only to find that it had been burned with fire and all the inhabitants removed as captives. His men were greatly distressed and talked about stoning David for this terrible calamity.

He inquired of the Lord via Abiathar the priest whether or not to pursue those responsible for the devastation.

1 Samuel 30:7-8

"(7) Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, "Please bring the ephod here to me." And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
(8) So David inquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?" And He answered him, "Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all."

David and his men set off in pursuit and find a young man left for dead in a field. Upon inquiry they discover he is a servant of an Amalekite who had abandoned him because he became sick. They give him food, he revives and promises to show David and his men where the Amalekites are camped. David and his men attack the Amelekites at evening and are victorious against them. They recover everything including all their own people. They gather so much booty that David is able to distribute a lot of it to those who have helped him out in southern Judah and other places where he has been roving.

Meanwhile the battle between Israel and the Philistines at Jezreel turns out to be a disaster for Israel. Saul and his sons are killed in battle, the Israelite army flees the battle scene. The inhabitants of the local towns also flee. Subsequently, the Philistines took over those towns and lived in them. David later receives news of the death of Saul and Jonathan and laments their passing. David and his men continued on in Ziklag.

David later inquired of the Lord if he should go back to Judah to live.

2 Samuel 2:1-4

"(1) It happened after this that David inquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?" And the Lord said to him, "Go up." David said, "Where shall I go up?" And He said, "To Hebron."
(2) So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.
(3) And David brought up the men who were with him, every man with his household. So they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.
(4) Then the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah..."

Thus we find David is anointed King of Judah. Yet it will be a while before all the Israelites anoint him King over all Israel.

 

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.]