Thurs.’s Devo - The Resurrection and the Life

Read: 1 Samuel 26:1-28:25; John 11:1-54; Psalm 117:1-2; Proverbs 15:22-23 Some of Saul’s men told him where David was hiding out so Saul brought his 3,000 elite soldiers again to hunt down David and kill the prophecy. David slipped over to Saul’s camp at night with his friend Abishai. They found Saul asleep surrounded by sleeping soldiers. Abishai wanted to take Saul’s sword and kill him but David wouldn’t allow it. He refused to kill God’s anointed. Instead, David stole Saul’s sword and water bottle that was sitting near his head. David went and climbed up on a hill and shouted down to the soldiers and Abner to wake up. (Abner was Saul’s army commander.) He rebuked Abner for not protecting his king. Saul recognized David’s voice and called him his son. David asked Saul why he was still chasing him. Saul confessed he had sinned…again and begged him to come back to Israel to live. He promised to leave him alone. David had him send a man to take back his sword and water bottle and they parted. David knew better than to go back to Israel. He didn’t believe anything that Saul said. David went to the land of the Philistines to ask for mercy. He went to Gath and talked to King Achish. This is the same king that David had played insane in front of (1 Samuel 21:10.) When Saul found out that David had gone to Gath he stopped hunting him. David asked King Achish if he could live somewhere other than the royal city. He was given the town of Ziklag. David and his men would spend their days raiding enemy villages within the Philistine’s land. They would be sure not to leave any survivors so there was no evidence. When the king asked him what he had done that day, he told him that they had gone into Judah and captured towns there. The king believed him and thought that Israel must hate David now. The Philistines went to war with Israel and King Achish told David to have his men join him in battle He wanted to make David his personal body guard which was the most honored position. Samuel had died so Saul had no one to seek the Lord for him. He needed to know if he would win in this war with the Philistines. When he saw the vast army of the Philistines, he panicked. When he sought the Lord, there was no word. Saul sought out a medium, even though he had banished them from the land. He heard that there was a witch in the town of Endor. He disguised himself and went to see her. He asked her to call up Samuel and she did. Samuel was mad and asked Saul why had he awoken him. Saul told him the dilemma he was in and asked him what he should do. Samuel told him that God had left him and become his enemy way back when he didn’t kill all the Amelekites. Tomorrow he and his sons would die and Israel would be defeated. Saul was faint with fear and hunger after Samuel left. He was coerced into eating and had his last supper. Saul would die but in John, Lazarus would be resurrected. Lazarus had become very sick and Martha and Mary sent for Jesus. Jesus purposely waited 4 days so he would be good and dead. Then he came to show them the glory of God. Lazarus would be a precursor to Jesus. Martha met Jesus and they talked of faith and resurrection. Mary came in tears which moved Jesus to tears. Jesus when to the tomb and called Lazarus out of death and into life. The witch at Endor could bring Samuel out of sleep but she could not give him life. Only Jesus could do that and he did it for Lazarus. Many believed but others went and told the Pharisees. They were afraid if they didn’t stop Jesus everyone would believe in him and then what would happen to them. They were afraid that the Roman army would come and destroy the Temple and their nation. Caiaphas even said that it would be better for them if one man died for the people than the whole nation. He was prophesying exactly what would happen. Jesus would die for the whole nation. Jesus had to flee to the village of Ephraim to get away from the Pharisees who were plotting his death. Lord, thank you that you are the resurrection and the life. We choose to walk in life and not death.