Sat.’s Devo - The Truth is Sometimes Hard to Hear

Read: 1 Samuel 26:1-28:25; John 11:1-53; Psalm 117:1-2; Proverbs 15:22-23
I couldn’t help but notice numbers when reading today’s scriptures. Saul has 3,000 men and David has grown from 400 to 600 men. More and more people were getting disgruntled with Saul’s leadership and moving over to David’s.
David proved one more time that he was not trying to kill Saul even when he could. Saul was brought once more to see the futility of his jealousy and David had to face the danger of Saul’s. Saul was not going to repent or relent and David’s only hope was to join sides with the Philistines. He was in a perfect position to fight battles for Israel undercover. As long as he made sure there were not escapees he was safe. He did this for over a year until it was finally time for the Philistines to fight Israel. Achish was the Philistine king. His name means “only a man” - that is all he was. He called upon David and his men to fight with him and David agreed. Achish told David that he would be his bodyguard.
When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid. He couldn’t get a word from God so he decided to consult a medium which he had banned from the land. Once she entered the spiritual realm she discerned who Saul was. He relieved her fears and asked her to bring up Samuel from the dead. Saul had depended on Samuel as his mentor and since God wasn’t listening he needed to know what to do. Samuel was mad that he was awakened from sleep and did not give him the answer Saul wanted to hear. He told him that God had become his enemy and what he had prophesied on earth was happening. God was taking his kingdom away from him and giving it to another person because he refused to kill the Amelekites. Tomorrow he and his sons would join Samuel in death. If Saul was afraid before, he was surely afraid now.
Another man came up from the grave in the New Testament but under completely different circumstances. Samuel came up to pronounce judgment on Saul and his household. Lazareth came up from the grave to declare the glory of God and exalt Jesus. His resurrection pronounced judgment on all Israel.
Caiaphas said it best when he declared, “…it is better of you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
Saul told David, “you will do great things and surely triumph.” Even ungodly people can prophesy God’s plan.
Lord, if the ungodly can pronounce truth, we need to much more. Help us to speak truth.