Meditate on it

Encounter with David & Abigail: Note, 1. God is to be acknowledged in all the kindnesses that our friends do us either for soul or body. Whoever meet us with counsel, direction, comfort, caution, or seasonable reproof, we must see God sending them. 2. We ought to be very thankful for those happy providences which are means of preventing sin. -Matthew Henry On Sparing Saul's Life a 2nd Time The tigerish lust for blood awoke in Abishai. Whatever sad, pitying, half-tender thoughts stirred in David as he looked at the mighty form of Saul, with limbs relaxed in slumber, and perhaps some of the gloom and evil passions charmed out of his face, his nephew’s only thought was,’ What a fair mark! what an easy blow!’ He was brutally eager to strike once, and truculently sure that his arm would make sure that once would be enough. He was religious too, after a strange fierce fashion. God-significantly he does not say ‘Jehovah’; his religion was only the vague belief in a deity-had

Geography of David 1. House of Saul --after the fight with the Philistines and the conquering of Goliath, Saul insisted that David stay with him. 1 Samuel 18 2. Naioth in Ramah --where David took refuge with Samuel 1Sa 19:18  Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth. 3. House of Saul to see Jonathan , test of New Moon Festival absence, shoots arrow as signal, David & Jonathan make a pact and separate 1Sa 20:1  Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?" 4. Nob --went to Ahimelech, priest, for aid, got Goliath's sword & show bread 1Sa 21:1  Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David trembling and said to him, "Why are you alone, and no one with you?"  5. Gath

This summer I've settled into studying the life of King David.   I'd like to be able to clearly remember the psalms he composed under duress and link them to their historical context.  Here's a beginning: Psalm 18 Inscription--To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD rescued him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. Comments on Psalm 18 from Lawson "But when the Lord had given him rest from his enemies round about, evil rose up against him out of his own kingdom and out of his own house. Sheba rose up after Absalom to seek his life, but he soon lost his own, as his predecessor in wickedness had done." **** "But we never find David employing his fine genius in celebrating the exploits of these heroes to whom he was so greatly indebted. God is pleased for the most part to employ means and instruments in His works of mercy or of ve

I've been teasing out the difference between Saul and David for about a month now--yeah, I know--very slow moving through Samuel.  But sometimes it's good to sit idle and listen.  I really am curious---it's not sheer laziness or busyness, though I'm sure there's a bit of that mixed in too. What an interesting interchange about fighting Goliath between Saul and David. Saul's thought is to discourage David from fighting.  More insight into Saul's character here---he definitely leaned toward doubt and fear.  He was a glass half empty kind of guy: Saul answered David, "You can't go and fight this Philistine. You're too young and inexperienced--and he's been at this fighting business since before you were born." 1 Samuel 17:33 In contrast, David moves from faith to faith:  He looks at God's faithful presence in the past and projects that into the future.  Even though the situation may be slightly different (giant warriors instead