Sun.’s Devo - Status with God

Read: 1 Samuel 20:1-21:15; John 9:1-41; Psalms 113:1-114:8; Proverbs 15:15-17
Jonathan couldn’t believe that his father had fallen so far that he would want to kill David. He and David made a pact of friendship and Jonathan told David that he prayed that God would be with him like He used to be with his father. He also asked David to treat him with the love of the Lord as long as he lived but if he died to treat his family with this love after God had destroyed all his enemies off the face of the earth. Jonathan was prophesying his future. Jonathan was in line to be the next king, but he somehow knew that he would never be the king.
Jonathan got to see just how much he hated David. He reunited with David warned him and they hugged in tears and departed to never see each other again after that day. Their friendship was a glimpse into the tender hearts to two warriors.
From that moment on, David’s life looked much like James Bond’s. He had to lie to the priest to get food and Goliath’s sword which he had laid down his life to earn. He also lied to the priest so the priest wouldn’t have to wrestle over whether to help him or not. He was trying to save him, but it cost him his life.
David ate the bread of the priest’s that would have killed anyone else, but since David was both priest and king, he lived.
He fled to Gath which was one of the five royal cities of the Philistines. It had been the city that Goliath was from. (That’s irony for you!) David had to act like a crazy man to save his life.
There were three miracles that had never been done before and the religious leaders claimed that only the Messiah would be able to do. They were:
1 - heal a Jewish leper (God had healed the Syrian leper, but it had to be a Jewish leper).
2 - Heal a deaf and dumb man.
3 - Heal a man born blind.
This man was born blind for this testimony to the Jews. That is why they went to such details to find out if he was really born blind or not. Their discovery only made them more blind. His own parents wouldn’t defend him for fear of being thrown out of the synagogue but the man who now could see was thrown out of the synagogue.
That was okay because he went back to Jesus and had his spiritual eyes opened also and received salvation which was better than being a social member of the synagogue.
Following Jesus will cost us popularity, status in the world and sometimes even status in the church, but it will gain us total status in heaven and with God and isn’t that where we want to be known?
Lord, thank you that you always honor those who truly follow You. Thank you for your protection and healing during such vulnerable times. May we live like David who knew that status with You was worth it all.