One Year Bible Readings and Commentary for Friday, May 20th
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Click Here to Read 1 Samuel 26-28
David Spares Saul Again
Once again David has Saul dead to rights. He is sleeping with his men. and David and his fellow warrior Abishai enter into into Saul's camp. Saul and his right hand man, Abner, are fast asleep. Once again David and Abishai have the green light to take Saul's life. Instead they take his spear and a jug of water with them. While Abishai wanted to take Saul's life, once again David said he could not take the life of the Lord's anointed. When Saul finds out once again that David could have taken his life but didn't, Saul's hears his voice and says, "Is that you my Son David?"
David asks Saul why he is chasing him. Saul admits he has sinned and asks David to come back home with him. David reiterates that he did not take his life because of his faithfulness to the Lord. Saul once again affirms that David's life will be blessed by the Lord. Saul recognizes the Lord's hand on David.
David among the Philistines
David is discouraged and perhaps rightly so, and he retreats to the Philistines and King of Gath in Achish. Though he is succesful in his military exploits, one gets the impression that David is consorting with the enemy. David even lied saying he had made his raids against Judah, which was his own people.
"David didn’t lie to Achish because he was ashamed of what he did. He lied to gain favor with Achish. He knew the Philistine leader would be pleased to hear that David raided his own people of Israel." - Guzik
David continued to fool the king by saying he was raiding his own people. Achish believed that David burned all his bridges with the people of God. It all looks pretty dark; but David had not – and could not – burn his bridge with God. - Guzik
As we start chapter 28, David even agrees to be the bodyguard for King Achish, as he fights against Israel.
Saul and the Medium at Endor
Since Samuel was dead, Saul did not know whom to consult when the Philistines were arrayed against him. He consulted the Lord but heard nothing, so he looked for another source, a medium.
Saul was in a terrible place. The Philistines threatened, Saul’s courage failed, and now God was silent when Saul sought Him. Saul hoped God would speak to him through dreams, but God was silent. He hoped God would speak to him through the Urim, but God was silent. He wanted to hear from God through the prophets, but God would not talk to Saul.
Initially Saul had cut off all the spiritists and mediums of the land, but then he inquired where he could find one. And specifically he asked for a woman.
The Hebrew word for medium is owb, and it has the idea of “mumbling” or speaking with a strange, hollow sound – as if one were “channeling,” with a dead person speaking through them. The Hebrew word has in mind the sound the channel makes as they speak. The English word medium has in mind the concept of a channel – they stand in-between the world of the living and the dead and communicate between the two worlds.
Since Saul had given himself over to this medium of Endor, she indeed connects with Samuel, who is now dead. This woman who was normally probably a fraud encounters the real person of Samuel and realizes it is Saul the king who has commandeered her services.
The question becomes how does this woman really connect with Samuel Is it true? Are mediums real and do they work? Here is probably the best interpretation of what happened.
Some believe that this was a genuine (but strange) appearance of Samuel. This is the best explanation because it is supported by the reaction of the medium, who got more than she bargained for. It is also supported by the truth of what Samuel said (and the text says that Samuel said it). Some may say that it is impossible for Samuel to reappear in some way, coming from the world beyond back to this world. But Moses and Elijah also came from the world beyond back to this world when they appeared with Jesus at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:3).
But the message from Samuel was not what Saul wanted to hear. Basically he told him that the Lord had given the Israelites into the hands of the Philiistines. Saul is very distraught and refused to eat. Eventually his friends encourage him and convince him to eat something. Samuel basically told Saul that his time had come to an end. Both Saul and his sons will be with him soon. This is a sad ending for Saul.
Click Here to Read John 11:1-54
In chapter 11, we see the story of Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, and friend of Jesus, who had died. Jesus had visited their home before, and Mary was the one who anointed Jesus' feet with perfume. They had told Jesus that Lazarus was VERY sick, but Jesus waited for two more days before he went to Judah against his disciples counsel.
Jesus knew Lazarus was dead but waited until four days later to go and visit him. When he gets there Martha meets him and says, "If you would have been here my brother would not have died, but even now I know the Father will give you what you ask of him." Jesus assures her that her brother will live, but she thinks he is referring to the resurrection of the dead at the end times. But Mary stayed back at home.
Then Jesus says says an amazing thing he says, "I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believe in me will never die." Another clear reference to the fact that he was God. He asked Martha if she believes him, and she says yes. Meanwhile Mary left her brother amd says the same thing as her sister, "Lord have if you had been here my brother would not have died!"
Though they said the same thing one wonders if they meant different things.
This is one of the places in the Bible where we wish we could hear the tone of voice and see the expressions on the face. This could have been a noble statement of faith, saying that if Jesus was there they have no doubt at all that He would have healed Lazarus. On the other hand, it could also be seen as a criticism of what seemed to be the tardiness of Jesus.
Then we see perhaps the definitive miracle of Jesus' ministry. When he goes to see his friend Lazarus, he asks them to roll the stone away. Martha reacts, "Lord, he has been hear four days, he will really stink!"
After they rolled away the stone, Jesus cried out, "Lazarus come out!" And Lazarus comes out of the grave. There is no greater miracle than Jesus raising his friend from the dead. In John 11:35, Jesus wept. He was truly human in weeping for his friend. But now he was raised him from the dead. He was truly God. There is not clearer passage in all of scripture which shows both his humanity and divinity
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