Last time we saw that Saul got
jealous of David and of all the honor that he received. He got so
jealous that he tried to kill David on two occasions. But God
protected David and this made Saul afraid. Yet Saul didn't let go
of his jealousy and that made the rest of his life one devoid of
joy. We can certainly learn from this and be determined to keep
jealousy at bay.
Saul removed David from his
presence and made him his captain over a thousand. And the Bible
tells us that David behaved wisely in all his ways and the people
loved him for it. But when Saul saw this he was even more afraid of
him. He then concocted another plan. He decided to orchestrate that
the enemy kill him instead. He made known to David that he wanted
him to become his son in law in exchange for 100 foreskins of the
Philistines.
"So Saul said, "I will give her
to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the
Philistines may be against him." 1 Samuel 18:21
Saul wanted to make sure that David
died in the process. He thought that at least one of the 100
Philistines would kill David. But he was so wrong. Not only did
David go to execute his King's wishes, he exceeded them. He and his
men killed 200 Philistines and brought their foreskins to the king.
David went far and beyond what was expected of him and succeeded,
because God was with him.
Today other people might set you up
for failure. They might want to see you fail. They might be jealous
of you and might want to put obstacles in your way. But do not
fear. God is with you. God sees your heart and no one can come
against you. He wants you to succeed on the path that He ordained
for you.
This made me think of the time when
the King of Moab brought in Balaam to curse Israel on his behalf. I
am sure many of you know the event. He desperately wanted Israel
cursed. On three occasions he tried to use Balaam to curse Israel
on his behalf, but instead of a curse, Balaam pronounced a blessing
on them. Why? Because Balaam said that those that are blessed by
God, cannot be cursed by mere mortal men.
And isn't it more true today than
it was under the Old Covenant? Jesus came to take the curse so that
the blessings can be ours. We are children of the Most High, we
inherit all things through the blood of Jesus. Therefore no one can
hinder us. No one can place obstacles in our way, or sabotage the
plan God has for us. All we need to do is to stay on the ordained
pathway of God for our lives. That is all. We need to stay close to
Him and abide in His shadow. Then no evil can befall us and no
plans concocted behind closed doors can prevail. If God is for us,
who can be against us?
Father, thank you that we are safe
with You. Thank you for all Your blessings and that You are so good
to us. Thank you that You are our Shepherd, protecting us from all
harm. We love You. Amen