KING SAUL PURSUES DAVID

PROCLAMATION

“And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah … And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.”  1 Samuel 23:7-8 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  When David was told that the Philistines were attacking Keilah, he inquired of The Lord should he go and fight the Philistines to save Keilah.  The Lord told him yes, but his men were afraid to go.  So David again inquired of The Lord and He answered him saying that He would deliver the Philistines into his hands.  Then David and his men went and fought the Philistines.  They slaughtered them and captured their livestock, and saved the people of Keilah. (1 Samuel 23:1-6)  King Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he gathered his forces for battle to siege David and his men.  David learned that Saul was plotting against him.  The Lord told him that the people of Keilah would turn him over to Saul, so David and his men left Keilah and went into the wilderness in the hills of Ziph. (1 Samuel 23:7-14)  While he was there Jonathan came to him to encourage him and made another covenant with him.  However, some of the Ziphites went to Saul and told him that David was hiding in the hills of Ziph.  Saul told them to find out exactly where David was hiding and come back and report it to him.  Then he would go with them and capture David. (1 Samuel 23:15-23)  But Saul did not wait and set out in pursuit of David.  As he was closing in on him, a messenger came to Saul and told him that the Philistines were raiding his land.  Then Saul stopped chasing David and went to meet the Philistines.  David went up from there to the hills of En-Gedi. (1 Samuel 23:24-29)

 

APPLICATION

As believers we need to be aware of the fact that bad times will follow us wherever we go.  We can run from the devil, but we can’t hide from him.  We need to pray to God for guidance and direction.  “The steps of a good man are ordered by The Lord …” (Psalm 37:23)  The devil will always attack us.  However, in order for us to be able to withstand his attacks we need to put on the whole armor of God. (Ephesians 6:11-17)  All of the devil’s attacks are not flesh and blood, some of them are spiritual.  We need God’s help to withstand his attacks.

 

 

STAND AND HOLD ON

PROCLAMATION

“So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.  May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”  2 Thessalonians 2:15-16 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Thessalonica.  He began this second chapter of his second letter by discussing the antichrist and reminded them that he had told them about these things when he was with them. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-5)  The coming of the antichrist will be in accordance with how Satan works, using displays of power through signs and wonders to support his lies and deceptions. (2 Thessalonians 2:7-10)  The false prophets were spreading the word that the Day of The Lord had already come, whereas Paul was telling the believers that it had not come yet. (2 Thessalonians 2:2-3)  Then Paul encourages them to stand firm and hold on to the teachings which they had received. (2 Thessalonians 2:15)  He ends by praying that God will encourage and strengthen them. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)

 

APPLICATION

After the rapture, the day of The Lord will begin.  The Day of The Lord is a technical phrase which refers to the period of time beginning with the Great Tribulation. (Read Matthew 24:3-28)  The antichrist will reveal himself during this period and deceive the people presenting himself as God. (2 Thessalonians 2:4)  He will have power and he will perform signs and wonders to support his deception. (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10)  As bad as things are in the world today, they will get worse because the day of The Lord has not yet come.  When it does come, believers will not be here to see it because it will occur after the rapture.  So, don’t be left behind.  Keep the faith and keep spreading The Word of God by mouth and by actions.  Put on the whole armor of God so that we will be able to stand against the attacks of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)  Then we can rest assured that we are safely within God’s hands. (John 10:29)

 

PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD TO STAND AGAINST EVIL

PROCLAMATION

“Finally, be strong in The Lord and in His mighty power.  Put on the whole armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."  Ephesians 6:10-13 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Ephesus.  Paul begins this final chapter by offering advice to children, telling them to obey and honor their parents. (Ephesians 6:1-3)  The parents were also admonished not to provoke their children, but to educate and train them in the ways of The Lord. (Ephesians 6:4 and Proverbs 22:6)  Paul also offered advice for the behavior of workers and bosses. (Ephesians 6:5-9)  Finally, as he ended this letter, he offered this advice to the believers, telling them to be strong in The Lord.  Paul told them to protect themselves by putting on the armor of God.  He followed this with specific instructions regarding how to do that and included a rationale for why it should be done. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

 

APPLICATION

As believers today we should also prepare for battle against evil.  The devil and his army are well-positioned for their attack.  However, as the Old Testament believers were told, the battle is not ours to fight, but it is The Lord God’s. (1 Samuel 17:47 and 2 Chronicles 20:15)  We will be attacked, and we will need special weapons and protective “war clothes” in order to survive the battle, to stand our ground, and keep the faith. (Ephesians 6:11-13)  We will need the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace about our feet, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith in one hand, the sword of The Spirit (The Word of God) in the other hand, and prayer in our mouth. (Ephesians 6:14-18)  We cannot overcome the devil on our own with our limited abilities and power.  As a Christian we will need the help of The Lord God in order to withstand and survive the devil’s attacks.  We have already been granted the victory through Jesus, The Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)  Stand firm with the help from God.

THOSE WHO DO WHAT IS RIGHT WILL STILL BE ATTACKED

PROCLAMATION

“In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. (2 Kings 18:13)

EXPLANATION

Hezekiah son of Ahaz became the king of Judah and he did that which was right in the eyes of The Lord just as David had done.  Unlike the other kings before him, Hezekiah tore down the idols and the high places for idol worship and incense burning. (2 Kings 18:1-4)  Hezekiah trusted in The Lord.  There was no one like him and The Lord was with him. (2 Kings 18:5-8)  In the fourth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked and seized Samaria, the capital of the northern kingdom. (2 Kings 18:9)  In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked and captured all of the fortified cities of Judah. (2 Kings 18:13)  Initially Hezekiah offered to pay the king of Assyria to withdraw from Judah (2 Kings 18:14)  Then he went to the temple to consult with the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. (2 Kings 19:1-2)  Isaiah told him that The Lord said not to be afraid and that He will make the king of Assyria want to return to his own country. (2 Kings 19:5-7)  Then Hezekiah prayed (2 Kings 19:14-19) and Isaiah told him that The Lord heard his prayer. (2 Kings 19:20)  That night the angel of The Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand members of the Assyrian army and the king of Assyria withdrew from Judah, returned to Nineveh, and he stayed there. (2 Kings 19:35-36)

APPLICATION

Just because you are a believer, a child of The King, and a servant of The Lord, does not mean that the devil will not attack you.  In fact, believers should expect to be attacked.  The devil does not want us to do that which is good and right in the eyes of The Lord.  The people of the world will hate us because we are believers.  Jesus, The Christ, said that we would be hated by all men because of Him (Matthew 10:22) and that they hated Him before they hated us. (John 15:24)  So, when we are attacked, we should count it all as joy (James 1:2) and know that The Lord God is with us; He will never leave us, (Hebrews 13:5) and He will fight our battles. (2 Chronicles 32:8)

PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD TO STAND AGAINST EVIL

Proclamation:

“Finally, be strong in The Lord and in His mighty power.  Put on the whole armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Ephesians 6:10-13 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Ephesus.  Paul begins this final chapter by offering advice to children, telling them to obey and honor their parents. (Ephesians 6:1-3)  The parents were also admonished not to provoke their children but to train them in the ways of The Lord. (Ephesians 6:4 and Proverbs 22:6)  Paul also offered them advice for the behavior of workers and bosses. (Ephesians 6:5-9)  Finally, as he ended this letter, he offered this advice to the believers, telling them to be strong in The Lord.  He followed this with specific instructions regarding how to do that and included a rationale for why it should be done. (Ephesians 6:10-18)

Application:

As believers today we should also prepare for battle against evil.  The devil and his army are well-positioned for their attack.  However, as the Old Testament believers were told, the battle is not ours to fight, but it is The Lord God’s. (1 Samuel 17:47 and 2 Chronicles 20:15)  We will be attacked and we will need special weapons and protective “war clothes” in order to survive the battle and to stand our ground. (Ephesians 6:11-13)  We will need the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace about our feet, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith in one hand, the sword of The Spirit (The Word of God) in the other hand, and prayer in our mouth. (Ephesians 6:14-18)  We cannot overcome the devil on our own with our limited abilities and power.  As a Christian soldier we need the help of The Lord God in order to withstand the devil’s attacks.  We have already been granted the victory but only through Jesus, The Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)  To God be the glory!!!