Fri.’s Devo -Walking in the Light

Read: 1 Samuel 26:1-28:25; John 11:1-54; Psalm 117:1-2; Proverbs 15:22-23 Once again, Saul is chasing David and once again, David has the opportunity to kill him and refuses. David and Ahimelech stole into Saul’s camp at night and took his water jug and his sword which were right by Saul’s head. David waited till he was safely away before he woke Saul up to tell him he could have killed him. David blames Abner, Saul’s commander and body guard for not protecting the king. Saul ends up blessing David and prophesying over him. This time he tells him that he would do many heroic deeds and surely succeed. Saul promised to let David come home in peace and to stop trying to kill him but David knows Saul will never give up trying. David defects to the Philistine army. He surrendered to Achish the king of Gath. When Saul learned David had gone to the Philistines, he no longer chased him. David lived in Gath for over a year before he asked the king if he and his men could have their own city. They were given Ziklag. Now David could fight the Philistines and not get caught. He would go out every day and attack lone cities, killing everyone so that there was no one to get word back to Achish. When Achish asked David where he raided that day, David would tell him a place in Judah. The day came when the Philistines were going against Saul and his army. King Achish asked David and his men to join them and for David to be his personal body guard. Meanwhile, back in Saul’s camp, Saul is very nervous about going against David and the Philistines. Saul asked his spiritual advisors what God was saying about the battle and they got nothing. He was desperate so he asked if there were any mediums he could ask. He had rid the land of mediums but they found one medium who was hidden away. They went to see her in Endor. Saul disguised himself so she wouldn’t be afraid. Saul promised not to harm her if she would bring someone up from the dead for her. She finally agreed to bring up Samuel. When Samuel came up, she knew she was speaking to Saul. She was petrified but Saul kept asking what she was seeing. She described Samuel so that Saul knew it was him then Samuel rebuked Saul for disturbing him. He told him that everything he had told Saul was about to happen. God was taking his kingdom away from him because he had not killed all the people when God told him to destroy all the Amelekites. Samuel also said that his kingdom was being given to David. Israel would not win the battle against the Philistines and he and his sons would join Samuel in death tomorrow. Saul was so disturbed he had to be forced to eat. Yesterday, we read in John where Jesus was teaching the people about his Father and they wanted to stone him. He had left there and gone to the Jordan River to stay for a while. He got word that Mary and Martha’s brother, Nazareth was dying. When Jesus heard, he commented that Lazarus’s sickness would not end in death. He continued to stay where he was another two days then announced to his disciples that they were going back to Judea where they wanted to kill him. The disciples were not happy about this. Jesus told them that there were 12 hours of daylight every day. During the day, you can walk safely because you have the light of this world. What he wanted them to understand was that he was the light and to walk with him was to walk in safety no matter what the sun was doing. Thomas said, “Let’s go, too - and die with Jesus.” Jesus said, “Let’s go wake Lazarus up.” By the time they got there, Lazarus had been dead in his grave for four days. Everyone was sad and grieving but Jesus was there to demonstrate resurrection. When Jesus saw the mourners and heard their comments he was angry and sad. He had them roll Lazrus’s stone away. He prayed and then called Lazarus to come out. He came out bound in his grave clothes. Jesus told the people to unwrap him and let him go free. They did and many who were watching believed in Jesus. Others went to the Pharisees and tattled on him. They complained that it they didn’t stop Jesus, the Romans would take it out on them. Caipas, the high priest said, “…it is better for you that one man should die for the people than for the whole nation to be destroyed.” Little did he know he was prophesying Jesus’ whole mission, only Jesus was not going to die just for the Jewish nation but for the whole world. Jesus left to hide out in a village in Ephraim. David and Jesus were both hunted men, hunted by the elite who were afraid of their anointing and power. We are promised that this world will hate us but we are not to be afraid because Jesus has overcome the world. Lord, may we walk in boldness and the power of your Holy Spirit.