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Tuesday, March 14, 2017

The Schemers, Our Attackers

Saul is losing the battle for love.  Jealousy is turning in to outbursts of anger.  David now needs to go into battle.  Will he fight the person, Saul, or fight the real enemy and love Saul.  David chooses to stay, build a relationship with, and unconditionally love Saul.  The result: David and Saul are in each other’s lives.

Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the LORD." For Saul said to himself, "I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!" But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king's son-in-law?" So when the time came for Merab, Saul's daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.  (1 Samuel 18:17-19 NIV)

You talk about tough potential father-in-laws.  This is as bad as it gets!  Saul tries to have David killed by sending him into battle, but it doesn’t work.  David continues to treat Saul with respect as a person and as the king.  He is humble about Saul’s offer to marry one of his daughters.  David continues to be a man of God, even when his mentor and king is scheming against him.  The result: Saul’s next daughter falls in love with David.

Now Saul's daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased. "I will give her to him," he thought, "so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him." So Saul said to David, "Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law." (1 Samuel 18:20-21 NIV)

Saul finds out the reason David would not accept: he doesn’t have a way to pay the bride-price for the king’s daughter.  Saul sees the opportunity and seizes it.  He tells David that the bride-price can simply be the death of one hundred Philistine soldiers.  Saul figured that a hundred Philistines could take David out of the picture.  Saul was wrong.  David killed twice as many and gave the proof to Saul.  His scheme to have David killed did not work.

But one day when Saul was sitting at home, with spear in hand, the tormenting spirit from the LORD suddenly came upon him again. As David played his harp, Saul hurled his spear at David. But David dodged out of the way, and leaving the spear stuck in the wall, he fled and escaped into the night. Then Saul sent troops to watch David's house. They were told to kill David when he came out the next morning. But Michal, David's wife, warned him, "If you don't escape tonight, you will be dead by morning." So she helped him climb out through a window, and he fled and escaped. (1 Samuel 19:9-12 NLT)

When we love our neighbor as ourselves, it gets complicated very quickly – especially when they are listening to and following negative spirits.  We need to fight the enemy and love people.  We can’t help in the battle here, however, once we leave this life.  So, sometimes, we can stay.  Sometimes, though, we need to leave so we can live to fight another day.  David continues to be a man of God who loves the LORD, loves Saul, and fights the spiritual enemies through the power of Spirit within him.

How about you?  Do you love people even when they scheme against you?  Do you love them from a safe distance when they try to attack you?  Do you love God, fight the enemy, and love people?

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