Bible Faction by Jack Kelley

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.

The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them. (Luke 2:8-20 NASB)

I was just a kid when it happened, barely old enough to be out in the fields with the older shepherds. For the first time, my dad had said that I could stay with them all night. I was so excited! It was around the time of the Fall Feasts and we were tending the Temple flocks in the fields outside of Bethlehem. Later, people would try to say that the story I’m about to tell you took place in December, but that’s crazy because nobody would have had their sheep in the open fields that far into winter. It was too cold and a sudden storm could put them all in grave danger.

No shepherd could afford to take that risk even with ordinary sheep, and these sheep were different from all others. The priests bred them especially for use as sacrifices in the Temple. Because of this, they had to be perfect, not a spot or blemish anywhere on their bodies. These were lambs whose only purpose in being born was to die as an offering for the sins of the people. They were very valuable and watching them was important work.

You see, sheep are prone to wandering. It’s the shepherd’s job to keep track of them, and to bring them back when they stray. We also keep the predators at bay, the wolves that would sneak in among the flock and carry the weak ones off. We’re responsible for them, and it’s our job to see that none are lost.

After dinner we were getting the camp ready for the night, making one last check to be sure that all the sheep were accounted for and weren’t being distracted by the torch light from the constant stream of visitors in the distance heading for the town.

Bethlehem was more crowded than I’d ever seen it because the governor had called for a census and everyone in Israel who was descended from King David had to come here to register. David had lived almost a thousand years earlier, and had four wives, so you can imagine how many descendants he had, and they were all coming to Bethlehem. Our little town was filled to overflowing and some had given up even trying to find rooms.

That’s another good reason this couldn’t have happened in the dead of winter. People just couldn’t travel then, it was too cold and wet to camp in the fields along the way. Remember, some had to travel several days, all the way from beyond the Galilee up north, to get here.

I remember that we’d just settled down by the fire when an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to us from out of nowhere. I was terrified! I’d never seen anything like it. But I wasn’t the only one. Even the seasoned veterans were scared. But the angel spoke to us and said, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you. He is Messiah, the Lord! This will be a sign to you. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly the star filled sky opened up and a great company of angels appeared with him and they were all praising God and singing. “Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth peace to men with whom He is pleased.”

There’s no way I could even begin to describe the sound of that choir. A couple of times later in my life I heard the musicians that rich people hired to help them celebrate when their first son was born, but not even the wealthiest King could have afforded a choir like this one. The music caused us to lift our faces and our hands to the heavens. It filled our ears and our hearts and was by far the most beautiful sound I ever heard in all my life.

When they faded away and left us we just stood there for a minute looking at each other, our eyes filled with wonder, tears of joy streaming down the weathered cheeks of my father and his friends. They’d of course heard all the talk about a Messiah, but none of them ever expected to see Him. And now, not only would we see Him; we would be the first! One minute we were finishing up a long shepherd’s day just like always, and the next we were witnessing the invasion of Earth by Heaven itself. Eternity had entered time and the Son of God had become the Son of Man, almost right before our eyes. This had been my first day as a real shepherd, and there would never be another one like it.

Mindful of our responsibility, we left a couple of our number to watch the sheep, and the rest of us took off for Bethlehem in search of the sign the angel had told us to look for. And sure enough, in a stable behind the inn at the edge of town, we found them.

A man with the clothing and calloused hands of the working class stood protectively over a radiant but obviously exhausted young woman who didn’t look much older than I was. In the manger before her was a baby, a normal looking healthy baby boy. “Can this be what God looks like,” I thought, “He’s just a baby.” Like most people, I expected that if I ever saw God He’d be a giant Warrior King with a huge sword and a menacing look. This baby looked so fragile.

Others were beginning to gather around as well, because we’d shouted at everyone we saw on the way in to follow us. Now we told them all the whole story of what we’d experienced in the field with the angel and the choir, and that we had come to town to see for ourselves if what we heard was true. They were all amazed and couldn’t stop talking about it, but the woman just sat there with her baby as if she was soaking up every detail of this most blessed of all blessed events. I’ll never forget the look in her eyes or the expression on her face.

Having seen the proof that the angel told us to look for, we went back to our flocks, praising God and giving Him Glory, and thanking Him for letting humble shepherds like us be the first to see the Christ child. It was ironic, wasn’t it, that we who spent our lives tending lambs born to die, should be the first to see The Lamb, born to die for the sins of the people.

The man, who I found out was named Joseph, and the woman Mary stayed in Bethlehem through the winter. Remember, I said that no one travels voluntarily after late fall, especially heading north with a new born baby. They found a house and settled in.

Some time later there was a big fuss as a caravan of rich priests called Magi arrived from Parthia, a country near Israel that had been part of the Persian Empire. They called the baby the King of the Jews, gave him expensive gifts and money, and bowed down before Him to worship. Somebody said that the Magi had been waiting for this time since the Hebrew Prophet Daniel had told them about it 500 years earlier. They had handed the secret down from father to son all that time. They even said that the money was Daniel’s personal gift to the Messiah.

After the Magi left, things were quiet again for a few days, but then Joseph suddenly took Mary and the baby away secretly in the middle of the night. The next morning Herod’s soldiers swept into town, searching from house to house, killing all the male babies. They were looking for Him because Herod didn’t want any competition for the throne, but He was gone. We heard that Joseph had been warned in a dream and had taken Mary and the baby south to Egypt where the weather was warmer. It’s a good thing those Magi had come. Their gifts paid for the family’s escape and their stay in Egypt.

Years later, after we had both grown up, I heard about a prophet named Jesus from Nazareth. People said He might be the Messiah. I remembered that Joseph and Mary had come from there, and so I decided to investigate. Walking north for several days I finally found Him by the Sea of Galilee and as I listened to Him speak, my heart was filled with hope. I especially liked how He called Himself our shepherd. He promised to keep us from wandering, and to protect us from predators who would try to steal us away. And He swore that He’d never lose a single one of us, just like we promised the owners of the sheep we watched. He was the Messiah. I just knew it.

Later, I was there in Jerusalem, near death myself, when He was executed. As He breathed His last, I became convinced that I’d see Him again just like He promised. Three days later I did see Him, and knew that all of the angel’s promises had come true in the life, death, and resurrection of the Baby from Bethlehem. He wasn’t the King we expected, but He was the One we needed. He was our Savior, our Messiah.

Looking back on that night, I realize that many will never understand what happened there. I was an eyewitness and I barely understand it myself. But I know this. On that night in Bethlehem a group of shepherds became sheep, and the Lamb of God became our Shepherd. Merry Christmas. 12-23-06

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

My name is Philemon and this is my story. It’s been described as the application of the highest principles to the most common affairs, but at the time it happened it was just two people at odds with each other being reconciled by a common love for the Lord.

I’m a wealthy resident of Colosse, a little town in the Roman province of Asia not far from its more famous neighbors Hierapolis and Laodicea. Hierapolis was named for the hot springs located there and even in your day it’s still one of the premier spa resorts in Eastern Europe, though it’s now called Pamukkale, and of course you refer to the Roman province of Asia as Turkey. Laodicea is one of the seven churches mentioned in Revelation 2 and 3, and is a growing attraction for tourists come to view the archaeological features there.

In the past Colosse had been a leading city in the province, an important stop on the east-west trade route leading from the Aegean seaport of Ephesus to the Euphrates River. Merchandise of every description from all over the Mediterranean floated through Colosse on the Lycus River to the great Euphrates where it continued all the way to Babylon and even beyond. But by 60 AD, the time of my story, both Laodicea and Hierapolis had surpassed it and Colosse was past its prime.

Still my wife Apphia and I like it here, and when my friend Epaphrus returned from Ephesus to start a Christian church, it added an exciting new dimension to our already pleasant life. Epaphrus had been converted to Christianity by the Apostle Paul and had studied under him for some time while both were in Ephesus. He in turn converted us, and our little church family had really begun to grow.

As it did, traveling preachers introduced some false teaching into our community. It would come to be known as the Gnostic Error, which in your time has become the basis for New Age thinking. This so concerned Epaphrus that he traveled all the way to Rome to see Paul, who was imprisoned there, to get some advice and direction on how to combat this heresy. Paul’s response was to write his Epistle to the Colossians, the Bible’s most succinct statement on the pre-eminency of Jesus Christ.

Much to his surprise, when Epaphrus arrived in Rome he found Onesimus, a run away slave of mine, living there and helping Paul. It turns out that when Onesimus had decided to run, he had stolen some money from me and headed for Rome, thinking to lose himself there. More serious than the theft, running away was an offense punishable by death for a slave, and he didn’t want to be caught. Rome was a large and sprawling city with a huge slum district where many criminals and other fugitives found refuge from the long arm of Roman law.

But God’s arms are even longer and wanting reconciliation instead of retribution, He had scooped Onesimus up and deposited him on Paul’s doorstep. After much discussion with Paul, Onesimus had accepted the Lord as his Savior and agreed to return to Colosse to throw himself on my mercy.

Not wanting to have Onesimus show up unannounced at my house, Paul wrote a letter of introduction for him, taking the view that as a Christian brother Onesimus was a new creation, a man I had to become acquainted with as if for the first time.

I, of course, was unaware that all of this had happened, and was therefore astonished when my friend Tychicus, who had accompanied Onesimus on his return, came to my door and handed me Paul’s letter, asking me to read it immediately. Paul was a learned man, a scholar in the finest traditions of both Hebrew and Greek cultures. He’s been called the towering intellect of New Testament writers, and here he was writing me, using all the tact and skill at his command.

He had composed his letter in the classical style, seeking first to build rapport before attempting to persuade the mind. He closed with a remarkable emotional appeal that as we’ll see was most persuasive.

After opening greetings he launched straight into his task of building rapport with me.

I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints. (Philemon 1:4-7)

As I read this part of his letter my heart was opened to him. I didn’t know what he wanted yet and had never met him, but the fact that this great man, already famous among Christians, would have taken the time to find out about me, compliment me on my faith, and even call me brother was impressive to say the least.

Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. (Philemon 1:8-11)

Now the purpose of Paul’s letter was clear. For the first time he mentioned Onesimus, and in doing so turned his name into a clever play on words. You see, in our language Onesimus means useful. In effect Paul was saying that while as a pagan slave Onesimus hadn’t lived up to his name for me, as a brother in Christ he was now doing so for both of us.

I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced. Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good— no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord. (Philemon 1:12-16)

Paul was sending Onesimus back to me, but not as a slave. He expected me to receive Onesimus as an equal, a brother in the Lord. He even implied that maybe God had orchestrated the whole incident just for this purpose. Onesimus did get saved in the process, and was now helping Paul in ways that perhaps I should have been doing. But even so, this great man would never dream of just keeping him, at least not without my permission. I was beginning to feel some pressure.

So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.(Philemon 1:17-22)

Now he was asking me to receive Onesimus as if it was Paul himself standing at my door. And what’s more he was offering to personally make restitution for my financial loss, and agreeing to take the blame for my slave’s behavior. As if I would ever ask him to! And here’s another one of Paul’s plays on words. When said he wished that he would have some benefit from me (Philemon 1:20), he used a form of my slave’s name, in effect asking me to be his Onesimus. Finally he hinted that he’ll come around someday to see if I’ve followed through on his request.

I’m sure my mouth was hanging open and my face turning all shades of red as I read and re-read Paul’s letter. What an audacious request to make! Onesimus was a thief and a runaway slave. He needed to pay the penalty for such behavior. If I were to forgive him just like that, without any punishment, what kind of example would that be setting for my other slaves? Why the whole system could break down and slaves could be running away all over the place. Besides, what had Onesimus ever done to deserve such a favor, and most of all what made Paul think he could ask this of me? The nerve!

And then it dawned on me, just like Paul knew it would, and when it did it knocked the breath right out of me. With tears flowing down my cheeks I suddenly realized that Paul was only asking me to do for Onesimus what our Lord Jesus had asked His Father to do for me! I too was a thief and a runaway and much more. I too deserved to pay the penalty for my behavior. I too deserved to die. But God had forgiven me without prejudice and now called me “son” just because Jesus asked Him to, having paid all my debts and taken all the blame due me. And now I was being given the incredible privilege of returning the unmerited favor that God had shown me.

I turned to Onesimus who’d been standing timidly behind Tychicus and welcomed him into my arms and into my family, begging him to forgive me just as I had been forgiven.

Onesimus was restored and Paul’s prayer was answered. My faith had manifested itself in action, (Philemon 1:6) and this simple letter, written from one man to another nearly 2000 years ago became part of God’s Holy Word to serve as an example to countless millions. It truly was the application of the highest principles to the most common affairs. May the Name of the Lord be forever praised. 10-15-05

Table of contents for David's Story

1. David’s Story Part 1
2. David’s Story Part 2 – 1 Samuel 18-20
3. David’s Story, Part 3 – 1 Samuel 21-22
4. David’s Story, Part 4 – 1 Samuel 23-26
5. David’s Story Part 5 – 1 Samuel 27-30
6. David’s Story Part 6 – 2 Samuel 1-4
7. David’s Story Part 7 – 2 Samuel 5-7
8. David’s Story, Part 8 , 2 Samuel 8-12
9. David’s Story: Part 9, 2 Samuel 13-19
10. David’s Story: Conclusion, 2 Samuel 20-24 and 1 Chronicles 20-29

The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: “When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth.”

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

A Benjamite named Sheba was the troublemaker I had to face next. Saul had been from the tribe of Benjamin and so I shouldn’t have been surprised. Just when everyone else was ready to accept me as their King again, Sheba caused a large contingent from the army of Israel to break away and follow him. The rest of the army including the troops of Judah remained loyal to me.

Being upset with Joab for killing Absalom, I had named Amasa the new head of my Army. After I returned to Jerusalem I became concerned that Sheba would cause more trouble for me than Absalom had, so I sent Amasa to re-gather the troops of Judah to join with the army in Jerusalem and chase him down before he could get settled in somewhere behind fortifications.

When Amasa hadn’t returned after the three days I had given him to muster Judah’s army, I told Abishai, Joab’s brother, to take the soldiers in Jerusalem and go after Sheba. This was the second time I had bypassed Joab who, unbeknownst to me, had mingled in with the troops. I told Abishai I would send Amasa and his men as soon as they showed up. They caught up with him at Gibeon and as Joab went out to greet Amasa, he pulled a dagger and killed him just like he had done to a previous rival, Abner.

Abishai rallied all the troops around his brother Joab and they continued after Sheba, catching him at Abel of Beth Maacah, a city in northern Israel. In another one of those ironies, Beth Maacah means “House of Pressure” which it would soon become for Sheba. As Joab laid siege to the city and began to batter down its gate, an old woman called to him, reminding him of the city’s noble history as a place of peace, a city where logic prevailed. Why was Joab trying to destroy it?

Joab responded that he was only after one man and if they handed him over the city would be spared. “We’ll throw his head over the wall,” she replied, and sure enough a short time later Sheba’s severed head came flying over the wall. End of siege, end of rebellion.

Shortly after Joshua began his conquest of the land some 400 years earlier, he had made a treaty with the Gibeonites, one of the indigenous peoples of Caanan, promising to spare them if they helped the Israelites. They agreed, and the Gibeonites became friends of Israel. But Saul got it into his mind to annihilate them and though he didn’t succeed it angered the Lord, Who now brought a famine across the land. He directed me to ask the Gibeonites what would appease them so He could take the famine away.

The Gibeonites said it would take the deaths of 7 of Saul’s direct male descendants to make things right, so I agreed to see to it. I skipped Mephibosheth, because of my covenant with Jonathon, but chose seven others including the five sons of Merab, my wife Michal’s sister. The Gibeonites killed them and laid their bodies out for all to see and as prey for the wild animals. In those days killing someone wasn’t the worst thing you could do to him. Denying him burial was the worst, and that’s what the Gibeonites did to Saul’s grandsons. His former concubine Rizpah protected the bodies while they lay there, driving away the carrion birds and animals.

I found out about this and collected the bodies of Saul and Jonathon from Jabesh Gilead, and the seven bodies of Saul’s grandsons, and had them all buried in Saul’s family tomb at Kish, his hometown. This satisfied the Lord and the famine was lifted.

Over the next few years there were several more attacks by the Philistines, and in the course of these battles the four brothers of Goliath were killed. All five were sons of Rapha, one of the Nephillim. Besides Goliath, three of the others were named Ishbi-Benob, Saph (Sippai), and Lahmi, respectively. The fifth one, whose name I never learned, had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. Having seen me kill Goliath, my soldiers were now emboldened to do the same. By the way, now you know why I picked up five stones on that day so long ago. These four were there when I fought their brother Goliath, and for all I knew I’d have to face them, too.

Again the Lord was upset with Israel because of the behavior of her first two kings, Saul and me. Satan took advantage of this and stirred me up to take a census of our troops. Taking a census was something you only did to prepare for war, like requiring everyone to register for the draft, and the Lord had not told us to go to war. It was a huge sin on my part, and when I confessed, the Lord gave me three options for punishment; three years of famine in Israel, three months of defeat by our enemies, or three days of plague. I chose the plague to get it over quickly, but even so 70,000 men of Israel died.

I had committed the sin of pride in wanting my army numbered. The bigger the army, the more powerful the king. You might ask why, if this was my sin, was the punishment borne by the people? Remember, the Lord was upset with them, too. Their sin was in wanting a human King, an imperfect man who would mistreat them and cause them pain as Saul and I had done, instead of staying with the Lord, Who had been their King. He had Samuel warn them against this, but they insisted. This was their punishment for disobeying Him.

And again, the Lord turned lemons into lemonade. He told the prophet Gad to have me erect an altar to confess my sin and petition the Lord for mercy on behalf of the people. Gad directed me to Araunah the Jebusite, who had a threshing floor on the level top of Mt. Moriah, the location God had chosen for the altar. Though he offered to give them to me, I bought Araunah’s threshing floor, wooden sledge, and oxen for 600 shekels of gold, about $100,000 in your economy, built the altar and worshiped the Lord there as I had been instructed. He sent fire from Heaven, burning up the wood and the animals, as a sign of acceptance of my offering. The plague ended and I was forgiven.

Through out my story I’ve recounted several instances like this where God has exacted direct and severe punishment upon individuals as well as the whole nation for their sins. The death of Bathsheba’s baby, the strife in my family, the killing of Saul’s grandsons, and this latest one punishing the nation for their insistence on having a human king, are clear examples of the Lord demanding punishment for human sin.

In their attempts to reconcile these events with so-called New Testament theology, some say they demonstrate a difference between the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New. In effect, they’re implying that God realized that His punitive methods weren’t working so He changed His approach toward men, using love instead of punishment to get us to behave.

But the Lord is the same, yesterday, today and forever. (Hebr. 13:8) He has always hated sin and can never overlook its occurrence. Just the thought of it stirs Him to anger. Being a just and righteous God, He cannot help but punish every last sin.

Neither can He express any one of his attributes at the expense of any other. In order to meet His need to show us the full measure of His love, He had to first meet His need for justice, and that’s what He did at the cross. Because He punished His Son for all of our sins, he’s now free to love us without reservation or condition. He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.(Colossians 1:22) It’s as if you’ve never sinned.

The contrast between Old Testament and New is not meant to show us that He learned to change His ways, but to show us the full extent of what was accomplished at the cross. He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:5) If not for the cross, people would still be executed for pre- or extra-marital sex, or for working on the Sabbath, or taking the Lord’s name in vain. Look at your life in light of the Sermon on the Mount and thank the Lord on your knees for the cross.

Because of the plague, I now knew the House of the Lord would be located on Mt. Moriah. I also knew that though my son Solomon would be its builder, I was to begin accumulating the materials and drawing up the plans. Purchasing the ground on which the Temple would sit had been my first step. Next I got a large team of stonecutters together and put them to work making dressed stone for the exterior. I provided iron for nails, a huge quantity of bronze, and thousands of cedar logs from Lebanon.

Then I sent for Solomon, and told him of the Lord’s plans. I had wanted to build the Temple, I told him, but the Lord refused, since I was a man of war. He would be Israel’s next King and would be a man of peace, for the Lord would give Israel a time of peace and quiet during his reign. He would build the Temple. Since he was young and inexperienced, I was going to make all the preparations for him.

In addition to the iron and bronze, I set aside one hundred thousand talents of gold (3,750 tons) a million talents of silver (37,500 tons) and mountains of precious jewels from the national treasury. I recruited skilled craftsmen of every kind. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I developed the plans for the Temple’s construction down to the last detail, including all of its furnishings and utensils. I organized the priesthood into 24 courses, or divisions, to serve on a regular schedule, and appointed musicians, singers, gatekeepers, treasurers and other officials.

Lastly, to set an example for my countrymen, I gave all my personal wealth to a building fund I created to receive the gifts of Israelites from all walks of life. My commitment was reflected in the giving of the leaders who in turn inspired all the people to contribute as well. It was an amazing outpouring of generosity. In the presence of all the elders of Israel I raised my voice in gratitude to the Lord Who had placed this spirit of generosity in the hearts of the people. All the people joined me in praising the Lord and our voices rose into the Heavens to warm the heart of our Creator and Redeemer.

The next day my son Solomon was installed as King of Israel and for the first time sat on the throne in my place. I had reigned over Israel for 40 years, seven from Hebron and 33 from Jerusalem.

The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue. The God of Israel spoke,
the Rock of Israel said to me: “When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings the grass from the earth.”

In spite of all my weaknesses and shortcomings, it was the Lord’s pleasure to make me that light for a brief moment in history. May His name be forever praised. Shalom.

Table of contents for David's Story

1. David’s Story Part 1
2. David’s Story Part 2 – 1 Samuel 18-20
3. David’s Story, Part 3 – 1 Samuel 21-22
4. David’s Story, Part 4 – 1 Samuel 23-26
5. David’s Story Part 5 – 1 Samuel 27-30
6. David’s Story Part 6 – 2 Samuel 1-4
7. David’s Story Part 7 – 2 Samuel 5-7
8. David’s Story, Part 8 , 2 Samuel 8-12
9. David’s Story: Part 9, 2 Samuel 13-19
10. David’s Story: Conclusion, 2 Samuel 20-24 and 1 Chronicles 20-29

It didn’t take long for Nathan’s prophecy about my family to start coming true. Remember, the Lord had Nathan tell me that as a consequence of my sin with Bathsheba calamity would come out of my own household. (Warning: Content may not be appropriate for all ages!)

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

It didn’t take long for Nathan’s prophecy about my family to start coming true. Remember, the Lord had Nathan tell me that as a consequence of my sin with Bathsheba calamity would come out of my own household. My wives would be unfaithful with one close to me, and my own children would rise up against me.

My oldest son was Amnon, born of Ahinoam, my second wife after Michal. (Michal was the daughter of Saul, promised to me after I killed Goliath. The Lord made Michal barren when she criticized my dancing before the Ark of the Covenant so we didn’t have any children together.)

Amnon fell in love with his half sister Tamar, my beautiful young daughter whose mother was Maacah, a Princess of the nearby principality of Geshur. Maacah also bore me a son, Absalom, who would later become a powerful enemy and contender for my throne. (My first six sons all had different mothers.)

Amnon was so taken with Tamar that it became an obsession with him, and he lived in fear that because she was his half sister, Tamar could never be his. Finally this fear nearly drove him insane and in a terrible act of desperation he pretended to be ill, telling me that only bread fed to him from Tamar’s hand could relieve his suffering. Knowing nothing of his feelings, I sent Tamar to his house, to prepare some bread for him and feed him. When she got there He lured her into his bedroom and wrestled her onto the bed. As she struggled to get away, she begged him to ask me for permission to marry her so as not destroy her life, but he wouldn’t listen. Being the stronger of the two, he pinned her down and raped her.

After he had finished, he felt nothing but contempt for her and ordered his servants to get her out of his house. But the damage had been done. Both of their lives were ruined. A woman so defiled was of no value in Israel, even if she was a king’s daughter, and it became Absalom’s responsibility as her brother to avenge her by bringing Amnon to justice.

Two years later he did just that, but in doing so violated the law himself. The punishment for rape was to marry the victim, thereby assuming responsibility for her for the rest of her life. (Deut. 22:28-29) But instead of that, Absalom invited Amnon to a celebration he gave at the shearing of his sheep, where he had his men surround Amnon and kill him. Then he fled for refuge to Geshur, his mother’s home, staying there for three years. I was soon reconciled to the fact of Amnon’s death, after all he had committed a serious crime, and had ruined the life of his own sister. But though I longed to see Absalom, out of anger I didn’t send for him.

Finally General Joab cooked up a scheme with a woman from Tekoa, a town a few miles south of Bethlehem, to bring me to my senses. He had her tell me a fictional story about her two sons who got into a fight, one killing the other. According to the Law, a close relative of the dead son’s family had the right to take the life of the living son as his Avenger of Blood. But since this woman was a widow, if her remaining son was killed there would be no heir to her dead husband’s estate, causing her husband’s name to vanish from Israel and his estate to go to the first son’s in-laws. (Widows were not in the line of inheritance in those days.) This was something we always tried to prevent, because the Lord’s gift of land to each family was intended to be perpetual. I was also convinced that her dead son’s in-laws were motivated more by the lure of the inheritance than by the need for justice, so I assured her that I would grant amnesty to her remaining son so her husband’s name and estate could be preserved.

Then she sprang the trap on me, showing how my own words had convicted me. My refusal to reconcile with Absalom had created the same divided loyalties among my family, and this time the inheritance of the nation could be at stake.

When I accused her of conspiring with Joab to set me up she readily agreed, laughingly declaring that no one could pull the wool over my eyes because I had the wisdom of an angel of God. She was a flatterer all right. However manipulative she was, there was one thing she said I had to agree with. “God does not take life away,” she said, “Instead He devises a way so that banished people need not remain estranged from Him.”

Truer words were never spoken. Look how far He went so you and I would not remain estranged from Him. Centuries later the Apostle Paul would write, For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (Jesus), and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. (Colossians 1:19-20) Having written Psalm 22, I knew how that was going to happen. If God would go this far for His children, couldn’t I agree to let my son come home? Talk about being convicted.

I had Joab send word to Absalom that it was safe for him to return to Israel, but that I wasn’t ready to see him yet. (I guess I wasn’t as forgiving as I thought I was.) In fact for two years after Absalom returned, we never spoke until one day Absalom had his servants set Joab’s grain field afire to finally get his attention and persuade him to intercede with me. Joab convinced me to see Absalom, and when I did we hugged and kissed as a father and son should.

Even though Absalom was the logical choice to succeed me as king, he knew that by killing his brother Amnon he had disqualified himself in my eyes. So he devised a clever scheme to undermine my authority, hoping to be appointed by the people to replace me. For four years he rode out to the edge of the city each day and as he spotted people coming to Jerusalem to petition the King for justice, he approached them.

“Tell me your problem,” he would say. When they did he would explain that he thought their position was just, and if the King had appointed him judge he would find in their favor. But sad to say, the King had appointed no one in Jerusalem to bring them justice, and if they continued into the city the King would not see them. In this way he soon became the most popular man in Israel while I fell from favor.

When he thought he was popular enough, he asked me for permission to go to Hebron to fulfill a vow, and of course I gave him my blessing. He took 200 men with him and while there got the people to proclaim him as King! Then he got my counselor (Bathsheba’s grandfather) Ahithophel to side with him. After that, his popularity grew even more quickly and many more followed him.

When I found out about this, I remembered Nathan’s prophecy and my heart melted in fear. I gathered all the forces loyal to me and fled from the city, leaving only 10 of my concubines behind to tend the palace. While running from Jerusalem I prayed that the Lord would turn Ahithophel’s advice to folly.

When Absalom arrived at the palace, his counselors advised him to have sex with all 10 of my concubines in the sight of the people to demonstrate his power and to anger me. (As I’ve said earlier, a person having sex with a king’s concubine was saying that he intended to overthrow the king.) They set up a special tent in the city and brought the women out to him. Another of Nathan’s prophecies fulfilled! I didn’t become angry with Absalom because I had known this was going to happen as a consequence of my adultery with Bathsheba. As soon as he could, Absalom amassed a huge army from all over Israel and led them out to attack my forces as Ahithophel had advised, but the Lord showed us favor and we defeated them. Ahithophel’s advice on the battle’s strategy had been wrong as I prayed it would be.

When my men reported that they had sighted Absalom, I ordered them to be lenient with him when they caught him. He had a full head of thick curly hair. It was his pride and joy and he spent a lot of time making it look just right. While trying to escape through a forested area his beautiful hair became entangled in a low tree branch. His momentum bent the branch like a bow and when it snapped back he was yanked clean off his mount. My men were close behind and found him hanging by his hair in the tree with his feet off the ground and his arms flailing uselessly. In other circumstances it would have been almost comical, but here it turned out to be his downfall. Joab ran a javelin through his heart and the men finished killing him as he hung there.

I knew in my heart that it was my sin that had started this contention in my family, and I was therefore responsible for Absalom’s death. Counting Bathsheba’s baby, three of my sons were now dead because of it. My heart was heavy. Why couldn’t it have been me who died instead of him?

But what was done was done, and my job now was to put the nation back together, and regain the trust of those who had sided against me. As soon as they heard that Absalom was dead, many of them came out to the Jordan River to greet me and cross over into Israel with me, and their apologies were profuse and heart felt. They remembered that I was the one who had saved them from the Philistines and other enemies, and realized that I should be their King after all.

Unfortunately theirs was not a unanimous opinion among my detractors, and even before I could get back to Jerusalem there would be another revolt to put down. We’ll talk about that one next time. 05-26-05

Table of contents for David's Story

1. David’s Story Part 1
2. David’s Story Part 2 – 1 Samuel 18-20
3. David’s Story, Part 3 – 1 Samuel 21-22
4. David’s Story, Part 4 – 1 Samuel 23-26
5. David’s Story Part 5 – 1 Samuel 27-30
6. David’s Story Part 6 – 2 Samuel 1-4
7. David’s Story Part 7 – 2 Samuel 5-7
8. David’s Story, Part 8 , 2 Samuel 8-12
9. David’s Story: Part 9, 2 Samuel 13-19
10. David’s Story: Conclusion, 2 Samuel 20-24 and 1 Chronicles 20-29

Have mercy on me, O God,according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Psalm 51:1

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

The Lord gave us many victories against our traditional enemies and soon we had subdued them all. Not only the Philistines, but the Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, and the Arameans became subject to Israel. Our kingdom finally extended all the way from the Euphrates in the North to Egypt in the south, just as God had promised Abraham. My son Solomon would extend it even farther building with diplomacy on the conquests I had made through warfare.

One day I asked my advisors if there was anyone left of Jonathon’s family to whom I could show kindness for Jonathon’s sake. He and I had entered into a covenant relationship some time earlier that among other things obligated us to look after each other’s families in the event one of us died. Jonathon had died with his father in the battle of Beth Shean.

They brought in one of Saul’s former servants who told me of a crippled boy named Mephibosheth. He was Jonathon’s son, living in a place called Lo Debar. When I became King of Israel, all of Saul’s family had fled for their lives for fear that I would take revenge on them for the way Saul had mistreated me. In their haste to escape, his nurse had picked up the 5 year old Mephibosheth to carry him, but they had fallen on the stone floor. The nurse landed on him, breaking both his legs, and crippling him for life. (2 Sam. 4:4) As he grew up his family had convinced Mephibosheth that I was responsible for his condition and still wanted to kill him.

Upon learning Mephibosheth’s whereabouts, I sent soldiers to fetch him. When they brought him into my presence, Mephibosheth, fearing for his life, asked if I was going to kill him now. I reassured him that I would do no such thing and told him of the covenant I had with his father Jonathon. Then I forgave him for hating me all his life, restored to him all of his grandfather Saul’s property and gave him servants to work the land so his needs would always be met. Finally I asked him to come live in Jerusalem, and eat at the King’s table just like one of my own sons. Mephibosheth agreed.

This is one of the Old Testament’s actual events that also serve as a model for what our Lord has done for us. You see, the covenant I made with Jonathon is symbolic of another one. Just put me into the role of the Father and let Jonathon represent the Son and you’ll understand what I mean.

Before the beginning of time The Father and The Son entered into an agreement called the Everlasting Covenant and these are its provisions. After the Son’s death the Father would seek us out and offer to forgive us for hating Him, restore our inheritance, and bring us into His presence to eat at His table as one of His children, so we’d never again have to fear for our lives or worry about our survival. All we would have to do is agree.

Like Mephibosheth, we didn’t understand these provisions, so while God pursued us we ran for our lives just like he did. We too had heard the stories of God’s wrath and had been told that He was responsible for our infirmities. Finally one day He caught us and as we trembled at His feet in fear of our lives, He told us of the covenant, and of the kindness He wanted to show us for the sake of His Son.

“My Son died for you,” He said, “And now I want to forgive you. And when I do, all your past, present and future sins and the shame and guilt that go with them will be wiped away. All you have to do is agree.”

When we do our inheritance is restored, we’re set forever, and we sit at the King’s table as one of His children. Just like Mephibosheth. By the way, in one of those fascinating twists the Bible is full of, Mephibosheth’s name means, “to cast away shame.” That’s exactly what the Lord’s death has done for us.

When Nahash, the King of Ammon died, I sent a delegation to express my condolences. His son Hanun had succeeded him and his advisors convinced him that my delegation was really there to spy on them. Hanun had half their beards cut off and the backs of their robes cut out, leaving them exposed. Then he sent them back to Israel. This was meant to humiliate them and it did. It also upset me.

Hanun heard that I was upset and hired 20,000 mercenaries from Aram to help him stand against the attack that he knew was coming. The Lord was with us and even though Hanun hired still more Arameans, my General, Joab, defeated his armies, punishing the Arameans so badly that they refused to help Hanun any more.

The next spring I sent Joab against the Ammonites again. (You know these people as the Jordanians.) I stayed behind in Jerusalem and one night as I was gazing out over the city I saw the most beautiful woman I could ever imagine, bathing on her rooftop. I found out that her name was Bathsheba, the wife of Urriah the Hittite, one of my soldiers. It didn’t matter to me. I knew immediately that I had to have her. This wasn’t just some arrogant King taking someone’s wife because he could. This was a man willing to risk everything for the love of a woman he couldn’t live without. I sent for her and immediately we fell into each other’s arms. It was a night I’ll never forget.

Shortly thereafter she sent word that she was pregnant. In a panic I summoned her husband, thinking that if he came home for a day or two it would appear that the baby was his. But he refused to take comfort in his wife’s arms while his comrades were out in the battle lines. So I sent him back and arranged with his commanders to place him at the most dangerous part of the battle and then abandon him so the enemy soldiers would kill him. They did and Urriah was killed. After a suitable mourning period, Bathsheba and I were married.

As you might expect, this upset the Lord greatly, and He told me that He had already made me King over all of Israel, with all the wives and concubines I wanted and if that wasn’t enough He would have given me anything else my heart desired. Why did I have to do this terrible thing, and embarrass Him so?

Out of the incomparable riches of His grace, He forgave me. There would be consequences, however. Bathsheba’s baby, our son, would die. And out of my own household, calamity would come. My wives would be unfaithful with one close to me, and my own children would rise up against me.

The evil effects of sin were all too obvious. Adultery had led to an attempted cover-up, which led to lies that culminated in murder. What a tangled web we weave. A good man was dead, and the Lord Whom I love beyond all else was embarrassed and offended by my behavior.

Our son died soon thereafter, going peacefully to be with the Lord. I reconciled myself to that, knowing I’d see him again in the Lord’s Kingdom. I mourned with Bathsheba, consoling her on the loss we had brought upon ourselves. In His mercy the Lord allowed her to conceive again and bring forth Solomon, Israel’s next and perhaps greatest King.

But I was just beginning to pay the price for my ingratitude. Before it was over, I would walk up to the Ark of the Covenant and place my hand upon it, expecting to be struck dead. It was during this time that I wrote Psalm 51, acknowledging my sin and begging God to forgive me and restore to me the joy of my salvation.

He saw my broken spirit and contrite heart and forgave me, just as he will with any sin you commit, no matter how big. There’s nothing you can do that’s stronger than His love; He already gave His life to set you free. Demonstrate genuine remorse, ask for forgiveness and almost before you’re finished you’ll feel the weight of your guilt being lifted off you. I know. I’ve been there.

Meanwhile Joab was busy defeating the Ammonites. When he had captured the royal citadel, he sent word to me so I could bring the rest of the army and officially preside over the final defeat of the Ammonites. Joab took the royal crown from the head of Molech, their chief idol, and placed it upon my head. It was made of solid gold, weighed nearly 100 pounds, and was encrusted with all kinds of precious gems. We took much spoil from the Ammonites that day, and consigned all their people to labor for Israel. Their whole country was made subject to us because a young, arrogant king sought to embarrass me by humiliating my officials.

The Lord used this event to compare the fate of Hanun, King of Ammon, at my hands with my fate at the hands of the Living God. I had embarrassed the Lord even more than Hanun had embarrassed me, and the Lord was well within His rights to tear my Kingdom away from me and place its crown on someone else’s head just as I had done to Hanun. But His mercies are new every morning, and reading the anguish of my heart, He forgave me. Then He did something that’s almost impossible for us humans. He forgot all about it. While that didn’t relieve me of the earthly consequences of my behavior, it did show me that our relationship hadn’t changed. I was still His man for Israel, and He was still my God.

Over and over the Bible demonstrates that God’s relationship with us isn’t based on our worthiness, but His faithfulness. When Adam sinned in the Garden, God didn’t abandon him, but made provisions for his redemption. When Abraham took matters into his own hands to bring forth the son God had promised him, God blessed Ishmael and still provided Isaac, the promised one. When Moses died after disobeying God and disqualifying himself from leading His people into the Promised Land, God Himself buried his body and carried him into heaven. When Peter denied the Lord three times on the night of His betrayal, the Lord restored him and gave him responsibility for the entire church.

When you stumble and fall after making your commitment to the Lord, He’ll pick you up, dust you off and set you on the path again, even carrying you for a time if need be. And like the rest of us, you’ll discover His attitude toward you has changed not a bit. You’re still His child and He’s still your God. 05-22-05

Table of contents for David's Story

1. David’s Story Part 1
2. David’s Story Part 2 – 1 Samuel 18-20
3. David’s Story, Part 3 – 1 Samuel 21-22
4. David’s Story, Part 4 – 1 Samuel 23-26
5. David’s Story Part 5 – 1 Samuel 27-30
6. David’s Story Part 6 – 2 Samuel 1-4
7. David’s Story Part 7 – 2 Samuel 5-7
8. David’s Story, Part 8 , 2 Samuel 8-12
9. David’s Story: Part 9, 2 Samuel 13-19
10. David’s Story: Conclusion, 2 Samuel 20-24 and 1 Chronicles 20-29

I couldn’t believe it! I had asked to build Him a house and instead He had promised to build up my house. From this time forth every King of Israel would be descended from me.

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

My first order of business after becoming King was to begin capturing portions of the Promised Land that had either never been claimed or else had been lost in battle. Several hundred years had passed and it was long past time to complete the work of conquest begun by Joshua.

When the Philistines heard about this they massed a large army against me. In his defeat at Beth Shean, Saul had lost much of the northern part of the country, and the conquering Philistines didn’t want me to get it back. They figured a pre-emptive attack would be their best defense. They soon gathered for battle in the Valley of Rephaim, so I inquired of the Lord and He said “Go get ‘em.” We did and defeated them soundly.

When they re-grouped and assembled in the valley a second time, the Lord told me to circle around behind them and wait. Then He started the battle Himself. I don’t know what He did but it sure scared the you-know-what out of them. They dropped everything, including their precious idols and took off running. We chased them all the way back to Gezer. Then we burned all their idols. This time they didn’t come back for more.

The Walled City of the Jebusites, which we call Jerusalem, was a formidable obstacle, but with the Lord’s blessing, we conquered it. I moved into the Fortress of Zion there and after enlarging and re-fortifying it I named it the City of David. Today the City of David is a small suburb south of the Temple mount in a vastly expanded Jerusalem, but the name Zion has stuck with us and refers to all of Jerusalem, and in some circles all of Israel.

Once these areas were captured and secured I received a delegation from Hiram, King of Tyre. He wanted to build a palace for me, the first sign of international recognition of my kingship. It made sense for him to offer this. We had two things he needed. First was the inland route south to Egypt and beyond. It came right through Israel, and he needed to be certain it would always be open to his merchants. And second, much of the food consumed by the Phoenicians came from northern Israel. Without it they would starve. Phoenicia was a very narrow strip of land bordering on the Mediterranean and didn’t have room for fields to grow the food their people needed.

For those two reasons their survival depended on friendly relations with their southern neighbor, and indeed from my time all the way to the Babylonian captivity 400 years later Israel and Phoenicia were best of friends. Of course, you know Phoenicia today as Lebanon, and sadly things are much different now.

King Hiram sent select logs of cedar (for which Lebanon is famous) and stonemasons and carpenters who built a fine palace for me. In my time a king’s residence was the primary symbol of the legitimacy of his rule, so I took this gift as a sign from the Lord that He had blessed my ascension to the Throne of Israel.

When the palace was ready, I relocated to Jerusalem from Hebron and soon took more concubines and wives. My family grew to quickly fill our spacious new quarters.

Once I was settled in, I decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem as well. Remember, the Tabernacle had been moved to Nob after the Philistines defeated Saul at Shiloh and stole the Ark. The problems they encountered with this stolen symbol of our Lord’s power caused them to return it quickly, but Saul had left it in the care of a Levite named Abinadab in Kiraith Jearim, a town in the territory of Benjamin which was just north of Jerusalem.

I had a new wagon built, took some men, and set out to bring it to Jerusalem. It seemed like all of Israel joined in behind us, singing and dancing while playing their musical instruments. Coming down a hill, the oxen pulling the cart stumbled and Uzzah, one of the men guiding the Ark instinctively reached out to steady it. He was immediately struck dead. Only certain members of the family of Levi were permitted to touch it and Uzzah wasn’t one of them.

This scared me so much I left the Ark there in the home of Obed-Edom and refused to bring it into Jerusalem. There it sat for three months while I tried to figure out what had happened. Maybe I was trying to do something the Lord was against.

Finally when they told me how Obed-Edom’s house and family had been blessed by having the Ark there, I decided it was OK to bring it to Jerusalem. This time I did it right. I had men who were authorized to touch the Ark carry it. When they had taken six steps, I stopped them and we sacrificed a bull and a calf. Then we proceeded, with all the people shouting and trumpets blaring. I danced with all my might at the head of the procession.

We arrived safely and I placed the Ark in a tent I had specially made to house it. Again we sacrificed to the Lord, both burnt and fellowship offerings. I blessed the people in the Name of the Lord and distributed a loaf of bread, and cakes of dates and raisins to each person there.

After the celebration my first wife Michal scolded me angrily. She said my dancing was vulgar and embarrassing since I was wearing only a linen ephod, normally an undergarment. She said I had made a fool of myself in front of all the servant girls, exposing myself this way.

I said I was dancing for the Lord and would be willing to humiliate myself even more if that’s what it took to please Him. Her outburst must have angered the Lord, because He made her barren from that day forward.

Sometime later, after I had settled in and the Lord had given us peace with all our neighboring countries, it bothered me that I was living in a fine palace of cedar, while the Ark of the Lord rested in a mere tent. I spoke to the Prophet Nathan about this and that very night the Lord answered me through Him.

He said, “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’ ”

“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you.

“Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.

” ‘The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’ ”

As the Lord had commanded, Nathan repeated all of this to me.

Then I went in and sat before the LORD in the tent of His Ark, and said, “Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in your sight, O Sovereign LORD, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. Is this your usual way of dealing with man, O Sovereign LORD?

“What more can I say to you? For you know your servant, O Sovereign LORD. For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.

“How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God.

“And now, LORD God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, ‘The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you.

“O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, ‘I will build a house for you.’ So your servant has found courage to offer you this prayer. O Sovereign LORD, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, O Sovereign LORD, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”

I couldn’t believe it! I had asked to build Him a house and instead He had promised to build up my house. From this time forth every King of Israel would be descended from me. His promises would be partially fulfilled through my son Solomon, the next King of Israel, who would build the Lord’s Temple on Earth. But the ultimate fulfillment would come when God’s own Son would come to Earth to rule not only the Nation Israel but the entire world as well. And His kingdom would never end, nor would it be given to another. Our God is an awesome God! 05-07-05

Table of contents for David's Story

1. David’s Story Part 1
2. David’s Story Part 2 – 1 Samuel 18-20
3. David’s Story, Part 3 – 1 Samuel 21-22
4. David’s Story, Part 4 – 1 Samuel 23-26
5. David’s Story Part 5 – 1 Samuel 27-30
6. David’s Story Part 6 – 2 Samuel 1-4
7. David’s Story Part 7 – 2 Samuel 5-7
8. David’s Story, Part 8 , 2 Samuel 8-12
9. David’s Story: Part 9, 2 Samuel 13-19
10. David’s Story: Conclusion, 2 Samuel 20-24 and 1 Chronicles 20-29

Even in the vacuum of leadership created by Saul’s death, I thought it best to wait for the Lord’s timing, and it turned out to be a good thing I did. I was going to need all the help I could get.

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

I was in Ziklag when I learned of Saul’s death. An Amalekite who had been there at the battle brought me Saul’s crown and said that he had killed the King. According the Amalekite, Saul had been gravely wounded and the Philistines were racing toward him to finish the job and desecrate his body. Saul asked the Amalekite to kill him before the Philistines got there. He did so and then took Saul’s crown and brought it to me thinking I’d reward him. I could tell he was lying and asked why he wasn’t afraid to raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed. He was astonished and before he could answer I ordered one of my men to kill him. The liar was trying to get a reward for stealing a dead king’s crown.

I composed a song to the memory of Saul and Jonathon and sang it aloud as we mourned their deaths. Later I had all the men of Judah learn the song, but first I waited for word from the Lord that I should return to Israel. Even in the vacuum of leadership created by Saul’s death, I thought it best to wait for the Lord’s timing, and it turned out to be a good thing I did. I was going to need all the help I could get.

When He gave us the OK, I took my men to the region of Hebron and we settled in the towns there. The leaders of Judah visited me and anointed me as their King. But Abner, who had been Saul’s commander in chief, anointed Saul’s son Ish-bosheth as King of Israel. For the next seven and 1/2 years the nation had two kings, one for Judah and one for the rest, while intense conflict arose between my men and the men still loyal to Saul, now led by Abner.

One of my commanders was named Joab, and one day his brother Asahel took off after Abner chasing him half was across Israel. Repeatedly Abner pleaded with him to turn back, reminding him that their families were acquainted, but Asahel wouldn’t stop, so finally Abner turned and killed him to prevent being killed himself.

Sometime later Ish-bosheth accused Abner of sleeping with one of Saul’s former concubines. This was a big no-no. Sleeping with a dead king’s concubine was a signal that you were trying to assume his power. Ish-bosheth was worried that Abner had designs on his throne.

Abner was so incensed by this affront to his loyalty that he set out to persuade all the leaders of Israel to switch their allegiance to me. And that’s just what he did! He came to me in Hebron with assurances that all Israel was ready to make me their King. I sent him back to arrange a meeting with the leaders of Israel to formalize their desires.

Just after Abner left, Joab returned with some men he had led on a raid. Hearing that Abner had just been there, he was enraged and sent messengers to bring him back. Because I had sent Abner away in peace, he agreed to come back. Upon his return Joab asked to speak privately with him outside the city gates. As soon as they were alone, Joab drew his knife and stabbed Abner in the stomach, killing him. Joab was his brother Asahel’s Avenger of Blood.

This requires some explanation. In those days there was no police force and the court system was much different. In case someone was killed in a fight, the dead person’s eldest brother was authorized, in fact obligated, to hunt the killer down and take his life to avenge the deceased. He was called the Avenger of Blood. But the Lord knew that sometimes a person’s death would really be accidental (today you call this involuntary manslaughter) or a matter of self-defense, and that the next of kin couldn’t be expected to make an impartial judgment in such a case.

So He had Moses designate 6 Cities of Refuge where a man who had killed someone under these circumstances could flee for protection from the Avenger of Blood. Once there he could plead his case before the elders and if they judged him innocent, he would be protected as long as he remained within the city walls until the death of the current High Priest. At that time he was free to go, off limits to the Avenger of Blood. Three of these cities were in the North and three were in the South. Hebron, where we were, was one of the cities in the South. (Deut. 19:1-13)

These Cities of Refuge make an interesting, if imperfect, model of the Messiah. We were all guilty of capital crimes (sin) and hotly pursued by one who was intent upon taking our lives (Satan). When we fled to Jesus for protection, He gave us refuge. Since Jesus is also our High Priest, His death set us free. We’re off limits to Satan.

Why is the model imperfect? To gain refuge, the accused had to get to the City of Refuge before the Avenger of Blood caught him. Jesus meets you where you are, the moment you call upon Him. Also, a person had to be innocent to receive protection in a City of Refuge, but Jesus protects the guilty. And finally, if a person ventured outside the city during the life of the High Priest, he was fair game for the Avenger of Blood. Once you’re in Christ, the Holy Spirit is sealed within you and you’re under His protection forever, no matter where you are. (Ephe. 1:13-14) He is our true City of Refuge.

When I sent Abner away in peace after he promised me the allegiance of all of Israel’s leaders, he apparently believed I had relieved him of responsibility for Asahel’s death and therefore saw no danger in leaving the city with Joab. But by luring him outside the city walls, Joab made him fair game under the law and killed him to avenge his brother. I put a curse on Joab’s house because he took advantage of a technicality in the law to kill Abner, and because he endangered me politically just as all the leaders of Israel were ready to get behind me.

Since Abner was such a prominent figure among Saul’s followers, I had to take immediate action to avoid being accused of having him killed for political gain. I publicly disavowed any participation in Abner’s death. I immediately went into mourning and had all my men do the same. I composed a lament in Abner’s memory. And I arranged for him to be buried in Hebron, personally led the funeral procession, and fasted all day on the day of his funeral. The people could see my sincerity and the Lord caused them to be favorably disposed toward me.

With Abner’s death the entire remaining House of Saul went into a panic. They were convinced that I would have them all killed. Even Saul’s son Ish-bosheth, whom Abner had anointed as King, was afraid. Everyone knew that Abner was the real power and with him dead, they feared for their own lives. When the family fled into hiding, Jonathon’s young son Mephibosheth was injured and became permanently crippled. Incredibly, two of Saul’s followers crept into Ish-bosheth’s house while he was sleeping and murdered him in his own bed. They cut off his head and brought it to me, thinking to earn my favor for eliminating a rival to the throne. As I had done with the Amalekite who said he had killed Saul, I had them put to death.

Finally, as Abner had promised, the leaders of all the twelve tribes came to me in Hebron and pledged their allegiance to me. I made a compact with them and was anointed King over all Israel. I was thirty years old and would reign a total of forty years, the seven and a half just past when I was King of Judah, and the thirty-three now beginning as King of Israel. There’s lots more to come so stay tuned. 05-01-05

Table of contents for David's Story

1. David’s Story Part 1
2. David’s Story Part 2 – 1 Samuel 18-20
3. David’s Story, Part 3 – 1 Samuel 21-22
4. David’s Story, Part 4 – 1 Samuel 23-26
5. David’s Story Part 5 – 1 Samuel 27-30
6. David’s Story Part 6 – 2 Samuel 1-4
7. David’s Story Part 7 – 2 Samuel 5-7
8. David’s Story, Part 8 , 2 Samuel 8-12
9. David’s Story: Part 9, 2 Samuel 13-19
10. David’s Story: Conclusion, 2 Samuel 20-24 and 1 Chronicles 20-29

There is a way that seems right to man but the end thereof is death.
Prov 14:12

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

Saul was relentless, hounding us day and night. Being constantly on the run finally wore me down to a point where I guess I just lost faith in the Lord’s willingness to rescue us.
(Looking back I realize I had forgotten three critical promises the Lord makes to each of us. They’re all found in Psalm 34. The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.)

In desperation I finally turned to Israel’s enemy, the Philistines, thinking that if we hid there Saul wouldn’t pursue us. I went to Achish, King of Gath, asking for refuge for my men and me, and he granted it. This strategy worked, for when Saul heard I was in Gath he stopped chasing me. After a while I asked Achish for permission to leave the Royal City and settle in a small town in the south country and he did me one better. He gave me the village of Ziklag and we settled there. Ziklag had once belonged to the tribe of Simeon, whose lands bordered on Philistia, but had been captured by the warriors of Gath. For the next year and four months we lived the life of bandits, raiding the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites, nomadic people who lived in the deserts south of Israel on the way to Egypt.

We didn’t leave any survivors behind on our raids, taking only their livestock as plunder. I didn’t want Achish to find out what we were up to, and dead men tell no tales. I justified this because these people were ancient enemies of Israel who had tried to prevent Moses from bringing our people into the Promised Land. God had sworn to erase the Amalakites from the face of the Earth for this and actually it was Sauls’ failure to take full vengeance on them that got him into such trouble with the Lord. To prevent Achish from discovering what we were really doing, I told him we were raiding Jewish settlements.

In accepting sanctuary from Achish, I had to agree to help him in case of war, so when the Philistines gathered up a large army to go against Israel, Achish reminded me that my men and I were obligated to fight at his side, even making me his personal bodyguard.

When we camped near where the Israelite army had assembled, Saul became overcome with terror at the sight of the Philistines. He wanted to know what the battle’s outcome would be so he asked the prophets to pray and the priest to consult the Lord through the Urim and Thummim. Then he asked the Lord to show him in a dream. Receiving no answer from any of these sources he panicked, and violating his own decree as well as God’s Law, asked for a medium to help him see what was coming. (After Samuel’s death, Saul had expelled all the mediums and soothsayers from Israel, making their profession illegal.) His advisors directed him to one in the nearby town of Endor, but suggested he disguise himself to avoid scaring her off. Wearing someone else’s clothes, he and two of his men visited her that night.

This woman, known to all as the Witch of Endor, soon recognized Saul and accused him of trying to trick her into revealing her illegal activities so he could punish her. Convincing her that he meant her no harm, Saul asked her to contact the spirit of the dead prophet Samuel. She did, and then became the medium through whom Samuel spoke to Saul.
Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

“I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”

Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy? The LORD has done what he predicted through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors-to David. Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this to you today. The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines.”

Needless to say, Saul was devastated by this news. Knowing in his heart that what Samuel said was true, he realized that by consulting a medium he had broken the Law, (Deut. 18:9-13) and in disobeying God again had sealed his fate and that of his sons and his army.

(Here’s a little food for thought for all you modern day believers. God wouldn’t have prohibited things like this unless they were real, and dangerous. For example, there’s no prohibition in the Bible against turning green because God knows it’s impossible to do so. But it’s obvious from the text that this wasn’t some parlor stunt designed to bilk Saul out of his money. This was a real event. Consulting the dead through a medium, or channeler as you call them, was forbidden because it opens doors to evil forces that mean harm to God’s people. It’s a good idea to periodically review all the things God has forbidden and to look for signs of them in your life to be sure you’re not unknowingly endangering yourself.

Also, as a New Testament Christian, you might be puzzled at the way God seems to have abandoned Saul here. Let me remind you that in my day the Holy Spirit could come upon a person, and even abide with him, but was never sealed within any of us. That didn’t happen till after the cross.

When Saul disobeyed God by not completely destroying the Amalekites, God withdrew His Spirit from him. The resulting spiritual vacuum in Saul’s life attracted the evil spirits who then afflicted him. Today he would be diagnosed as insane. By continuing in his state of disobedience, Saul cut himself off from God’s wisdom and His guidance and was fair game for the evil spirits who eventually destroyed him.

While your un-confessed sin will interrupt your fellowship with God, the Holy Spirit can’t be withdrawn from you. And while evil forces can oppress out-of-fellowship believers within limits established by God for the purposes of instruction and restoration, you can’t be possessed by them the way Saul was. See 1 Corinth. 5:1-5 and 2 Corinth. 2:5-11)

Meanwhile, I was in a little trouble of my own. Even though I had won Achish’s trust, the other Philistine commanders weren’t so sure. They didn’t like seeing these Hebrews in their ranks, and knowing my reputation, they were afraid I’d turn against them in battle and help swing the tide toward Israel. They demanded I take my men and leave, so at sunrise the next morning that’s what we did.

Three days later, as we approached our homes at Ziklag, we saw the smoke rising into the clear morning air. While we were away, the Amalekites had attacked our village, taken our women and children captive, and burned down our houses. As you might expect, the men were enraged about this turn of events, but even though my family was among the captives, I found strength in the Lord and kept my wits about me. I asked the priest for God’s direction, and was told to pursue the Amalekites, that we would be successful in retrieving our loved ones and property. We left immediately and on the way found a sick slave they’d left behind to die. After we revived him with food and drink and promised to spare his life, he led us to their camp.

Once there, we attacked them immediately, fighting non-stop till the evening of the next day. When it was over we had defeated them soundly. Amazingly we got all our women and children back unharmed, plus every bit of the plunder they had taken from us. Nothing was missing!

Before leaving for home, we rounded up the Amalekites’ herds and flocks and took them as spoil. I sent a portion of our gain to each of the regional leaders of the Israelites as a sign of my fidelity to them. I didn’t want to chance that someone might have seen me among the Philistine troops and gotten the wrong idea.

Soon the word came back to us that when the Philistines engaged the Israelites a fierce battle ensued from which the Philistines emerged victorious. Moreover Saul’s three sons were killed and Saul himself had died, just as Samuel had foretold. After being seriously wounded, Saul had fallen on his sword to avoid being taken captive. The Philistines located his body, cut off his head and nailed his body and those of his sons to the gates of Beth Shan.

Two lessons emerge from this story. The first is that when I took matters into my own hands and fled to Philistia, I got temporary relief from Saul but made no progress at all in my walk with God. In fact I slipped the wrong way, living a deceitful life and resorting to the ways of this world for my sustenance. It wasn’t till I submitted myself fully to the Lord again that I became victorious and had everything restored to me.

The second is found in the contrast between Saul and me as we each prepared for battle. Because of his un-confessed sin of disobedience he was out of fellowship, and though he sought the Lord he got no answer. Instead of confessing so he could receive forgiveness and be restored, he allowed his emotions to control his behavior and turned to forbidden means, sealing his fate. His family was destroyed, his battle lost, his reign as Israel’s king over, and his life ended.

When My men and I returned from the battle lines to find our houses burned and our families captured, I stayed calm, immediately sent for the priest, and inquired of the Lord. Being in fellowship, I received an answer; victory was assured. My family was restored unharmed, my battle won, and my life as the King of Israel was just beginning. More to come. 4-10-05

Table of contents for David's Story

1. David’s Story Part 1
2. David’s Story Part 2 – 1 Samuel 18-20
3. David’s Story, Part 3 – 1 Samuel 21-22
4. David’s Story, Part 4 – 1 Samuel 23-26
5. David’s Story Part 5 – 1 Samuel 27-30
6. David’s Story Part 6 – 2 Samuel 1-4
7. David’s Story Part 7 – 2 Samuel 5-7
8. David’s Story, Part 8 , 2 Samuel 8-12
9. David’s Story: Part 9, 2 Samuel 13-19
10. David’s Story: Conclusion, 2 Samuel 20-24 and 1 Chronicles 20-29

That day the Lord showed me that opportunity does not equal mandate. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean it’s the Lord’s will that you should.

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

This was the lowest period of my life. Saul was hunting me without reason and had just killed 85 priests simply because one of them had showed kindness to me. I was a fugitive in the very country where I was supposed to become King! The one good thing is that the Lord was drawing me closer, and I found myself seeking His direction constantly. I wrote Psalm 27 to recall my feelings then.

I heard that the Philistines were harassing the people at Keliah and looting their threshing floors, so I asked the Lord if we should attack them. When the answer came back yes, I got the men together, but they expressed concern about going. I asked the Lord again and He again told me to go, saying He had given the Philistines into our hands. So we went and were victorious, just as the Lord had promised.

But Saul found out we were there and immediately came after us. He thought he saw a great opportunity. Keliah is a gated, walled city and he figured he could trap us inside and finish us off like sitting ducks. When I heard he was coming, I inquired of the Lord again. He told me to get my men out of there because the people of Keliah were going to betray us even though we had just saved them! I couldn’t win for losing.

But while it seemed that men constantly betrayed us, we still had the Lord on our side, and He is always faithful. Since we had honored Him by obeying His command to go, He wasn’t going to dishonor us by letting Saul capture us. We left immediately and escaped into the surrounding hills.

Saul was never far behind. One time we were on one side of a mountain while he and his army were on the other side. They would have caught us that day if the Philistines hadn’t attacked a village in the area, diverting Saul’s army from chasing us. Later I saw this as one of many examples in my life of a promise the Apostle Paul would one day make for you in yours: God is working everything together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28).

We hid out for a time in En Gedi. It’s a lush oasis in the desert just west of the Dead Sea. Today there’s a Nature Reserve there where you can hike up a narrow canyon beside a flowing stream. At the top there’s a waterfall that looks like it’s coming right out of the sky to form a beautiful pool with greenery all around. It’s a natural fortress and a refuge and it served me well. Later, when I wrote Psalm 32, I remembered En Gedi as my hiding place where the Lord filled my heart with songs of deliverance.

One day we were hiding in the back of a deep cave there when who should walk in but King Saul himself. He was looking for a cool place to take a nap and didn’t know we were there. While he slept my men tried to convince me to kill him, but I refused. I stole up to him and cut off a corner of his robe instead.

After he got up and left I went after him and shouted for him to stop. When he did, I showed him the corner of his robe and told him I could have killed him but didn’t out of respect for him and his position. I said I had never done anything against him, nor would I, so why was he after me? “Who are you hunting,” I said, “A dead dog … or a flea?” (A dead dog is helpless against attack and a flea is so insignificant as to be of no consequence.)

Saul admitted I was right and thanked me for not killing him. He said he knew I would be king of Israel some day, and asked me to promise not to harm his family when that happened. I promised.

That day the Lord showed me that opportunity does not equal mandate. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean it’s the Lord’s will that you should. For me to have killed Saul in his sleep would have taken events out of God’s hands and destroyed my chances to maintain the moral high ground in my ongoing dispute with Saul. I believed that when the Lord decided to take Saul out, He would do so in a way that wouldn’t cloud my integrity, and until then even though Saul was determined to kill me, he was still my King and deserved my respect. Over 1000 years later, the Lord’s brother would say the same thing about Satan. (Jude 8-9)

My encounter with Nabal was a different matter entirely. Here was a man whose very name meant fool. How he wound up married to a woman like Abigail is anybody’s guess. He was a rich man with huge flocks and herds so maybe that’s what made him attractive. After voluntarily protecting him, his family, and his herds from the Philistines for some time, I sent 10 men to see if he would return the favor by giving us something to eat, since we were out of food. He turned them down flat, insulting me in the process.

“Well,” I declared, “Nobody treats me like that. Especially after all we’ve done for him.” I told the men to buckle on their swords and we set out to have a little “chat” with Nabal, thinking to make an example of him for repaying good with evil. I took 400 men with me and left 200 behind to guard our camp.

When his wife Abigail heard what Nabal had done, she knew right away what a huge mistake he had made, and what the likely consequences would be. Hurrying to gather up a large amount of food, she loaded several donkeys and set out to intercept us.

When she saw us coming she dismounted and bowed low before me. She told me she knew what her husband had done, and took complete responsibility for it herself. She asked me to please accept the food she had brought and forgive her husband for his foolishness. He was just living up to his name.

Then she said that she knew God was with me and would build me up into a lasting dynasty because I was fighting His battles. “Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live,” she admonished me. “When the Lord has given you all the good things He’s promised, you don’t want to have on your conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged yourself. It’s best to leave these things in the Lord’s hands.”

Abigail was a sensitive, intelligent woman and her whole demeanor touched me deeply. I thanked her sincerely for her sound advice and for helping me avoid what would have been a terrible mistake. Then I accepted the food she had brought us and sent her home in peace.

When Abigail got home her husband was in the middle of a drunken party so it was the next morning before she told him what she’d done for us. He had a heart attack right on the spot and 10 days later was dead.

I don’t know if you’ve ever been stopped before taking matters into your own hands, but I’ll bet there’s been more than one occasion in your life when you haven’t been, and have charged ahead on your own only to make a terrible fool of yourself. I had almost done the same thing myself.

“Vengeance is mine,” says the Lord, “It is mine to repay.” (Hebr. 10:30) Again I learned the wisdom of separating opportunity from mandate. Had Abigail not warned me off, I would have deprived the Lord of a golden opportunity to show His favor toward me in the sight of those around me. I sent for the newly widowed Abigail and asked her to marry me, and she agreed.

Much later, the Apostle Paul would confirm the Lord’s desire that His people live in peace to whatever extent possible, and not to take revenge but leave room for God’s wrath (Romans 12:18-19). It’s so important for us to remember that the Lord has already marked our enemies for defeat, so the victory is ours. We need only live up to that which we’ve already attained (Phil. 3:16) by showing them the same mercy and grace He has shown us. (Romans 12:20-21)

Shortly after the episode with Nabal and Abigail, My men and I were staying in the Desert of Ziph, south of Hebron. Someone from there reported this to Saul, who immediately gathered 3000 men to hunt us down. He camped near the road to Jeshimon so we stayed out in the desert.

One night I spied on Saul’s camp from a nearby hillside and located the place in the center of camp where he and Abner, his commander in chief, were sleeping. I hurried back to our camp and got Abishal to join me. Together we crept into Saul’s camp right up to where he and Abner lay sound asleep. Abishal wanted to kill Saul but again I refused, telling him to steal Saul’s spear and a water jug, both of which had been placed right near Saul’s head. I told Ashibal that Saul’s life was in the Lord’s hands, to either end early or not as He saw fit.

We took the spear and water bottle and slipped away up the hill above the camp. The Lord had kept Saul and his men asleep while we were in their camp, but now I hollered out to Abner and woke him up, chiding him for not protecting the king. As proof of my accusation I told Abner to look around for the king’s spear and water bottle.

By now Saul was awake too, and again I told him I could have killed him and didn’t, out of respect for the Lord’s anointed. Again I asked why he was after me, and again he thanked me for sparing him and admitted that his hunt for me was a mistake. He asked me to join him in the camp, but I refused, knowing it was a trick to try and capture me. Instead I had him send a messenger up to retrieve his spear as final proof that I could have killed him.

“The Lord delivered you into my hands today, but I would not harm His anointed,” I said. “As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble.”

Then Saul blessed me, predicted I would do great things and we went our separate ways. Psalm 54 is my tribute to the Lord for protecting me there.

These three events contained powerful lessons for me. As I mentioned earlier, they taught me that opportunity does not equal mandate. But they also showed me how different God’s ways are from ours. By nature we’re impatient, self-centered, and task oriented. We’re always jumping the gun on God’s timing, thinking that He needs our help to get things done.

We have the examples of Abraham and Moses to show us the folly of that kind of thinking. Abraham grew tired of waiting for God to deliver on His promise of a son. When Sarah suggested using Hagar as a surrogate wife, He agreed and helped create a problem that still results in daily bloodshed in your time. (Genesis 16) When Moses single handedly undertook the rescue of God’s people from their bondage in Egypt by killing an Egyptian soldier, he set God’s plan back 40 years and caused a whole generation of our people to suffer and die in slavery. (Exodus 2:11-25)

Both these men were acting on promises God had made to them but grew impatient, as if they thought He had forgotten about them or needed their help to get the job done. Showing me that Saul was His problem, not mine, gave the Lord more time to prepare me for my role as the leader of His people. I would have deprived Him of that time had I acted out of my human nature.

I already knew that He would protect me every moment of every day in the interim. (As Peter would later say, He knows how to rescue Godly men from trials while holding the wicked for judgment. 2 Peter 2:9) So I didn’t waste any time by waiting for the Lord, and I wouldn’t have saved any by moving out ahead of Him. These lessons that were so true for me in my situation are just as true for you in yours, for our Lord is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebr. 13:8) See you next time. 04-03-05

Table of contents for David's Story

1. David’s Story Part 1
2. David’s Story Part 2 – 1 Samuel 18-20
3. David’s Story, Part 3 – 1 Samuel 21-22
4. David’s Story, Part 4 – 1 Samuel 23-26
5. David’s Story Part 5 – 1 Samuel 27-30
6. David’s Story Part 6 – 2 Samuel 1-4
7. David’s Story Part 7 – 2 Samuel 5-7
8. David’s Story, Part 8 , 2 Samuel 8-12
9. David’s Story: Part 9, 2 Samuel 13-19
10. David’s Story: Conclusion, 2 Samuel 20-24 and 1 Chronicles 20-29

I hope you’re beginning to see the clear parallels between my life and yours. Like it was for me, a throne is God’s purpose for you (1 Peter 2:9-12), a cross is his path for you (Matt. 10:37-39), and faith is his plan for you (2 Cor. 5:7).

A Bible Study by Jack Kelley

After Jonathon and I parted, I went to the village of Nob where the Tabernacle had been relocated when the Philistines attacked and defeated the Israelites at Shiloh. As you may recall, Eli the priest and his two sons were killed that day and the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines. Shortly before this time, Samuel had been elevated to the position of Israel’s Prophet, and God had warned him that this would happen. It was a judgment against Eli for letting his sons make a mockery of the Lord’s offering. While the Ark was soon returned to the Israelites because of the trouble the Philistines experienced while they had it (a fascinating story in its own right) the Tabernacle had remained at Nob. (1 Sam. 2-6)

Ahimelech was the priest in charge now and he trembled visibly when he saw me at his door. Obviously, word of my problems with Saul had preceded me and Ahimelech was afraid for his life. To protect him in case Saul found out I had been there, I made up a story about the king sending me on such an urgent mission that I hadn’t had time to pack food or even a sword. I asked him if he had any bread.

“I only have the Bread of the Presence left over from yesterday,” he replied. “If you and your men have kept yourselves from women, you can have it.”

If you’re not Jewish, I’ll need to explain a couple of things here to help you understand. First, the Bread of the Presence consisted of 12 loaves baked fresh every morning and placed on a table in the Holy Place. (It was the larger of the two rooms in the Tabernacle. The smaller one was called the Holy of Holies.) There was one loaf for each tribe, a continuing sign of our gratitude to the Lord for providing our daily bread. When it was replaced the next morning by a new supply, the day old bread was available for the priests to eat. In the name of human kindness, Ahimelech decided he could give the Bread to us, even though it was technically illegal, as long as we were ceremonially clean. Later on Jesus would use this incident to remind the Pharisees that there are exceptions to the Law, even on the Sabbath. (Matt. 12:3-4)

Next, having sexual relations with a woman would have made us ceremonially unclean, since it involved the emission of bodily fluid, and would have disqualified us from partaking of the Holy Bread until we had been made clean again, a time consuming process. When I assured Ahimelech we’d had no such opportunity, being hunted fugitives, he gave me the bread.

And finally, right from the beginning I had attracted followers because of my acts of valor against the Philistines. Men who were in distress, burdened by overwhelming debt, or otherwise discontent with their lives began joining my growing band of guerilla fighters.

Before leaving, I asked Ahimelech for a sword, and he gave me the one I had taken from Goliath when I killed him. It had been wrapped in cloth and placed in the Tabernacle in honor of my victory.

That same day I headed southwest toward Gaza and arrived in Gath, one of the Philistine cities. I was hoping to hide from Saul there, but when Achish, the King of Gath, recognized me, I pretended to be insane so he wouldn’t do me any harm. My act was so convincing he sent me away from his presence to avoid looking at me. I made my escape from there and wound up in a cave at Adullam, about 8 miles east and a little south from Gath. During the time I was there my family came to visit, and so did many others. A lot of them stayed and my little band of brothers swelled to over 400.

Here’s another of the many events in my story that also have symbolic implications. Let Saul represent Satan, the already deposed king, determined to fight on till the bitter end and take as many as possible with him in defeat. I represent our Lord Jesus, the King God has chosen and whose victory is assured. The cave at Adullam is the Church. (The name Adullam comes from a root meaning the Justice of God.) And my 400 followers stand for you. They were debt ridden, distressed and discontent, and so are you. Like them you have a debt of sin you can never repay, you’re distressed about the condition of your godless world, and no matter how much wealth and pleasure you’ve experienced, you’re so discontent in the absence of the Lord that you’re willing to leave it all behind to dwell in His presence. I wrote Psalm 56 to describe my plight then and help you compare it to yours now.

I took my mom and dad to Mizpah in Moab and arranged political asylum for them there. Since my father Jesse’s grandmother was Ruth, a Moabite princess, the King of Moab agreed to keep them safe while my life was in such danger. On returning to my stronghold in Adullam, I was told by the prophet Gad to leave and go back into Judah. Gad became a life long associate and would later help me orchestrate the musical arrangements for the Temple services. After a time a priest, a son of Ahimelech and another refugee from Saul’s administration, would also join completing the official royal triumvirate of Prophet, Priest, and King.

From my time until the Babylonian captivity, over 400 years later, all three of these offices were manned in the governance of God’s people. The office of King was suspended then, the last legitimate king of Israel being Jehoiachin, or Jeconiah as he’s called in the New Testament (Matt. 1:11).

(Jehoiachin’s uncle Mattaniah actually presided over Jerusalem’s defeat by Babylon, but he was not in the royal line of succession and was therefore not a legitimate king. He was placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar, who changed Mattaniah’s name to Zedekiah in the process. 2 Kings 24:17)

The last legitimate High Priest, Onias III, was murdered during the time of the Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes in 171 BC (Daniel 8:11 & 11:22). The Prophet Ezekiel wrote that these two offices would henceforth be vacant until the Messiah, to Whom they rightfully belong, came to fill them (Ezek. 21:25-27). The Prophet Zechariah confirmed this (Zech 6:12-13). In the mean time Jesus was also given the office of Prophet (Hebrews 1:1-2)

Getting back to our story, Saul discovered that Ahimelech, the priest from Nob, had helped me out. Summoning him, his family and all the other priests in Nob, Saul had them killed, 85 in all. Then he attacked and destroyed the whole town of Nob. Only one man escaped, the son of Ahimelech I mentioned above. When he told me what had happened, I was devastated and asked him to stay and help me make things right.

So many times I would rather have died myself than to have seen all those innocent people destroyed just for showing kindness to me. But that was my cross to bear. I had to trust God through this and leave the outcome in His hands.

I hope you’re beginning to see the clear parallels between my life and yours. Like it was for me, a throne is God’s purpose for you (1 Peter 2:9-12), a cross is his path for you (Matt. 10:37-39), and faith is his plan for you (2 Cor. 5:7). See you next time.