August 23, 2023

Prayer is a right first response to opposition and antagonism.

1 Samuel 23

Olivia Miller
Wednesday's Devo

August 23, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

August 23, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

August 23, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

August 23, 2023

Big Idea

Outward appearances can be deceiving. God looks at the heart.

Key Verse | 1 Samuel 23:1-2

Now they told David, "Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors." Therefore David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" And the LORD said to David, "Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah."

1 Samuel 23

David Saves the City of Keilah

1 Now they told David, “Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are robbing the threshing floors.” 2 Therefore David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” 3 But David's men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?” 4 Then David inquired of the LORD again. And the LORD answered him, “Arise, go down to Keilah, for I will give the Philistines into your hand.” 5 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

6 When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand. 7 Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.” 8 And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9 David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.” 10 Then David said, “O LORD, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account. 11 Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the LORD said, “He will come down.” 12 Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the LORD said, “They will surrender you.” 13 Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition. 14 And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.

Saul Pursues David

15 David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. 16 And Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. 17 And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.” 18 And the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.

19 Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon? 20 Now come down, O king, according to all your heart's desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king's hand.” 21 And Saul said, “May you be blessed by the LORD, for you have had compassion on me. 22 Go, make yet more sure. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning. 23 See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.” 24 And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.

Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon. 25 And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon. 26 Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them, 27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.” 28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape. 1 23:28 Or Rock of Divisions 29  2 23:29 Ch 24:1 in Hebrew And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi.

Footnotes

[1] 23:28 Or Rock of Divisions
[2] 23:29 Ch 24:1 in Hebrew

S2:163 1 Samuel 23

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | 1 Samuel 23

David was a warrior and leader; he could have easily taken it upon himself to protect Keilah without consulting God. He defeated Goliath, and surely he could handle the Philistines. Plus, isn't protecting God's people always the right choice? In the face of an angry, vengeful king and uncooperative men, David recognized that talking with God is the necessary first step when facing any obstacle. He prayed before he made a decision, prayed again when he faced opposition, and was victorious when he followed the Lord's guidance (1 Samuel 23:1-5).

How often do I think I am capable of handling a situation on my own and forget (or choose not) to bring God into the process? It's so easy to act first and pray later, but David modeled what it looks like to let God take the lead. 

David had an ongoing conversation with the Lord, and we should do the same. He didn't have all the answers figured out before he prayed about it; instead, he let God guide his actions from the start.

I used to think that prayer was a formal event that required a quiet space and specific words. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to "pray without ceasing," and this used to stress me out! How can I pray all day, every day when I have so many things to do? 

I've since learned that prayer can be simpler than that; it doesn't need an official start and stop time. Throughout my day, when I'm thinking or stressing about something, I take a moment to share it with God rather than to mull it over in my mind. When I feel grateful for something, I say a quick "thank you." Like David, I want my first instinct when challenges arise to be prayer rather than thinking through the list of ways I could solve the problem on my own. That doesn't mean God won't use the talents and skills He's given me, but I want to train myself to turn to Him first. His guidance is far better than anything I could dream up!

This month's memory verse

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

– Mark 10:45

Discussion Questions

1. In what areas of your life do you tend to act first and pray later? What steps can you take to shift your mindset so that you start with prayer first in those areas?

2. In Luke 18:1, Jesus tells a parable of a persistent widow, teaching his disciples "that they ought always to pray and not lose heart." How can you be more persistent in your prayer life this week?

3. What challenges or obstacles are you currently facing that you need to take to the Lord in prayer? Share this with your community and ask them to pray with you.

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

HS

Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, Olivia. Love this devo. I pulled two great sound bites that really stood out for me- -“David recognized that talking with God is the necessary first step when facing any obstacle. He prayed before he made a decision, prayed again when he faced opposition, and was victorious when he followed the Lord's guidance (1 Samuel 23:1-5).” -“David had an ongoing conversation with the Lord, and we should do the same. He didn't have all the answers figured out before he prayed about it; instead, he let God guide his actions from the start.” The culture tells me to “follow my heart”. God tells me to “Guard my heart” Proverbs 4:23). David models for me a man after God’s own heart. Q1. Act first and pray later? This is a HAHA question because after I stop laughing, I’m compelled to say, “All of them”. Apart from Christ, I am Saul. Surrendered to Christ, I have the chance to be more like David. Q2. God has given me immense blessings in the form of a lot of people to pray for. At the same time, he calls for unending praise, thanksgiving, and gratitude. Q3. It seems that more and more each day God is calling me to create more margin for the quiet joys of rest, prayer, study, and reflection. The constant calling from my inbox and task list is a loud distraction. In this struggle I am tempted by own secular god of “being productive.” What that looks like is the dog at the racetrack who sprints after the rabbit in race after race. But never catches it. Genesis 1:26-28 describes the culteral mandate God gives me. He invites me into partnership with Him as His co-regent and life-long representative in working to complete His plans and advance the Kingdom of God. In terms of Genesis 1:26-28 as it pertains to David- This chapter continues what seems to be David living out God’s mandate in terms of the ancient equivalent of an action movie. Saul’s continued disregard for God is compared to David’s rising trust and obedience to God. It continues the steady decline of Saul matched off against the steady rise of David as he is cared for, encouraged, and supported by Jonathan. “[Saul ] attributed cunning to David, but Saul was really the cunning hunter in this story. Herod the Great was another cunning ruler, who also was not worthy to be king, who tried to execute the LORD's anointed, Jesus Christ (cf. Matt. 2:1-12).”
HS

Hugh Stephenson

Here are 7 ways I see God acting through David- PLAN - God gives David a clear plan in His anointing. He is to live out this plan on God’s timeline. That means he honors God’s anointed, i.e., Saul. PRESENCE - God was present with David. David is described as a man after God’s own heart. PASSION - God gave David a lifelong passion for His calling. Even though he made many mistakes his love for God and his trust in God was so great that every time he was able to correct his course and get back on plan. PATIENCE - Even though God clearly communicates His plan He calls David to live out the plan on the timeline He gives him by constantly inquiring of God and praying to Him. PREPARATION - God causes David to be the youngest of 8 brothers and the least “worth” in the world’s eyes. He is blessed with humility. In his work as a shepherd David develops the critical skills of looking after wayward and difficult sheep, (https://www.gotquestions.org/sheep-in-the-Bible.html). In test after test he prepares David to be worthy to be called Israel’s greatest king and the ancestor of Jesus. PROTECTION - Over and over God showed David the way out of one danger after another. He gave David an awareness of the threats and the methods to lead himself and his people to safety. PROVISION - In every way imaginable God provides for David. There is always the food and water that is necessary for human life. Even though it may come after a severe period of testing David knew that God would always be Jehovah-Jireh. https://www.gotquestions.org/Jehovah-Jireh.html So what does this mean for me and for everyone else? It is very easy for me to dive deep into these seven ways God acted through David and to see how he wants to act through me. The call, as always, is to continue to seek to know Him more fully. As I have been taught from the stage, “Seek to know the goodness and kindness of God so that you will see His true nature and character.”
HS

Hugh Stephenson

Here are 7 ways I see God acting through David- PLAN - God gives David a clear plan in His anointing. He is to live out this plan on God’s timeline. That means he honors God’s anointed, i.e., Saul. PRESENCE - God was present with David. David is described as a man after God’s own heart. PASSION - God gave David a lifelong passion for His calling. Even though he made many mistakes his love for God and his trust in God was so great that every time he was able to correct his course and get back on plan. PATIENCE - Even though God clearly communicates His plan He calls David to live out the plan on the timeline He gives him by constantly inquiring of God and praying to Him. PREPARATION - God causes David to be the youngest of 8 brothers and the least “worth” in the world’s eyes. He is blessed with humility. In his work as a shepherd David develops the critical skills of looking after wayward and difficult sheep, (https://www.gotquestions.org/sheep-in-the-Bible.html). In test after test he prepares David to be worthy to be called Israel’s greatest king and the ancestor of Jesus. PROTECTION - Over and over God showed David the way out of one danger after another. He gave David an awareness of the threats and the methods to lead himself and his parlor to safety. PROVISION - In every way imaginable God provides for David. There is always the food and water that is necessary for human life. Even though it may come after a severe period of testing David knew that God would always be Jehovah-Jireh. https://www.gotquestions.org/Jehovah-Jireh.html So what does this mean for me and for everyone else? It is very easy for me to dive deep into these seven ways God acted through David and to see how he wants to act through me. The call, as always, is to continue to seek to know Him more fully. As I have been taught from the stage, “Seek to know the goodness and kindness of God so that you will see His true nature and character.”
MS

Michael Sisson

Re: 1Sam 23:29 1Sam 23:29 (NASB) David went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of Engedi. David, a type of the Despised Messiah Who is Yeshua (Jesus), seeks refuge at Engedi (“the spring of the young goat”).
SB

Sue Bohlin

Thanks so much, Olivia. We see in this chapter a big reason David was a man after God's own heart: the text explicitly tells us he inquired of the Lord four times in this short span. It's a reminder to us: we get SO MANY reasons and opportunities to inquire of the Lord throughout each day, checking in with Him, saying thank You to Him, inviting Him into whatever we're doing, staying aware of His presence and His goodness toward us. That's what ABIDING looks like. In terms of HOW David inquired of the Lord, I was delighted to find an explanation of the Urim and Thummim in Dr. C's notes today. Apparently, they were used to receive answers to yes/no questions: "God manifested His will through the Urim and Thummim in the priestly ephod (vv. 6, 9; cf. Exod. 28:30). The Urim (lit. lights) and Thummim (lit. perfections) were evidently two stones or similar objects, one light and the other dark in color. The high priest carried them in the pocket on the front of his ephod (apron). He ascertained God’s will by drawing one out after mentally assigning a meaning to each. Evidently Abiathar interpreted the will of God for David."
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Michael Scaman

Saul has David cornered. It appears to be game over for David. Saul providentially called away at the last minute. This is a big turning point. David will begin to leave the situation in God's hands as far as Saul. Sparing Saul twice and Nabal once. David will leave the kingdom settled in God's hands and leaving it up to God to deal with Saul, his hope is firmer than ever on God ad then Samual is taken off the stage of history and dies. David will not revenge Saul's behavior with his own hands. He leaves it up to God in some sense and in others will take the drastic choice of hiding out with te Philistines so he isn't passive, "letting go and letting God have His wonderful way" as the problematic Quietists would say who had no place for discipline. David leaves things to God and takes action appropriately. David left somethings in God's hands and David fought for somethings with God's help. Us too. I see it as , ultimately Salvation is a work of God with God as the one worker but once saved, we co-labor with God in a dependent way in sanctification using disciplines of grace various ways.
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Amy Lowther

1. There are zero because it is best to speak with God first so we are both prepared for whatever happens. 2. My prayer life would improve if I would maintain a prayer journal. 3. Currently prayer life is just the usuals, no major obstacles or major challenges. Prayer: God thank you for loving us as we are. Thank you for being with us as we face opportunities and make decisions. Thank you for believing in us so we believe in ourselves. Amen.