And so ends the cautionary tale of King Saul, killed in battle with the Philistines. He lost his sons including Jonathan, he lost his army, and finally he lost the battle. But in the end, to finish off the godlessness of King Saul, he is not killed in battle but kills himself. While this seems […]
Due to a lack of trust/faith, David, one of the greatest military assets King Saul could utilize, is chased into the hands of King Saul’s enemies. It’s amazing what a lack of trust can do to harm us. King Saul is foolish, impatient, arrogant, proud, and impulsive as we have already noted. Today we see that […]
Two fools face David’s wrath in today’s reading – one a traditional fool, the other a self-proclaimed fool. Nabal refuses to meet David’s kindness with kindness of his own. Instead, he sees only the financial cost of feeding and caring for an army, small thought it may be, and so refuses. His wife Abigail becomes […]
David’s followers were an early protest movement. Having fled from Saul’s capital, David now finds himself gathering an uprising that it is not clear he intended or understood. First, his family joins him. Then “all those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him.” And suddenly, from fleeing alone for his […]
David and Jonathan have a very interesting relationship. More than friends, these two were like brothers. They rely on each other, inform for each other, and have the kind of intimate friendship that most of us only long for. Yet their relationship is also very real. Jonathan can’t imagine his father Saul not liking David […]