Jealousy and murder reign

Every day we're reading or listening to part of the Bible together and sharing thoughts with you. Today it’s Liz Nixon:

What did I like about today’s passage?

I love the friendship between Jonathan and David. Jonathan is a man who can see that God is with David and that David will be the next King of Israel, yet he is not threatened by this. He is a good friend to David, whilst remaining a good son to a father who is out for blood. Chapter 23 v 16 says that Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him to find strength in God. That’s a good friend! We all need a friend like Jonathan in our lives.

I also like that even though David is not yet king of Israel, he still intervenes for God’s people. He acts as a king by protecting the people at Keilah from the Philistines, who keep stealing their grain. His life couldn’t look less like a king, living in a cave with a band of misfit men around him, being hunted down by the current king. David focusses on God, and the calling He has put on his life – that of being a king, uniting His people, defeating His enemies and drawing the people back to Him, rather than on his circumstances. It’s a challenge to me to live into who I am and who I’ve been made to be, rather than focussing on my current circumstances.

What did it show me about Father God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit?

Whilst Saul is out to kill David, God has given David much favour with many people who are trying to help him and protect him, including Jonathan, the priest Abimelech, the King of Moab as well as David’s 600 men. It can often feel like things and people are working against us, but we can have confidence that God will grant us favour with the right people at the right time.

Somehow Saul is unable to get to David, but Jonathan finds him to love, encourage and support him at a desperate time. God is clearly at work behind the scenes, protecting David and providing for Him. God is being his Shepherd, teaching him how to be a shepherd in the most difficult times so that David will know how to shepherd God’s people when he eventually becomes King. God works all things together for good, even murder attempts and exiles in the wilderness!

What am I going to do differently as a result?

When things are tough, I’m going to look for the favour of God in my life and spend time with those who are for me and will encourage me in the Lord. It’s also a challenge to step up and be a “Jonathan” for someone else!

Who am I going to share this with?

My closest friends.