THE LORD SPOKE (April 27)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:

Old Testament: I Samuel 18-19

H.G. Wells said about one of his characters, Mr. Polly, "He was not so much a human being as a civil war." That surely fits King Saul. David's success caused Saul to give him "a high rank in the army" (18:5) but when everyone was talking and singing David's praise, "Saul was very angry... [and it] galled him.... And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David" (18:8-9). It became a self-destroying obsession for him. During a Churchillian "black dog" day, he tried to kill David - twice (18:10-11). Look what else he did in just these two chapters:

18:13 - gave David an army but then tried to make him disappear
18:15 - withheld the daughter he'd promised (Merab) as David's wife
18:20-21 - knowingly gave David a bad wife (Michal) to ensnare him
18:25 - tried to set David up for an easy Philistine kill
19:1-2 - no longer even tried to hide his murderous motives from others
19:6 - lied with an oath
19:10 - attempted murder
19:15 - plotted murder
19:18-21 - sent out a hit squad (3x!)

This man was putting in lots of overtime on his twisted job! Contrast David's actions throughout this same time period:

18:1-4 - began a deep friendship with Jonathan
18:5-7 - remained faithful and enjoyed success from the Lord
18:10 - remained faithful in trying to minister to Saul
18:18,23 - remained humble
18:27 - went beyond the call of duty and did more than was expected of him
19:7ff - received and followed through on wise counsel from a friend
19:18 - sought wise counsel from a spiritual mentor

The obvious conclusions are drawn out for us in Scripture (18:12-16): "Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had left Saul.... In everything [David] did he had great success, because the Lord was with him. When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns."


New Testament: Acts 28

As the book began, so it ends. In Acts 1:3 we’re told that during His last days on earth, Jesus “spoke about the kingdom of God”. From his Roman imprisonment at the end of the book, Paul “preached the kingdom of God” (Acts 28:31). At the end of his life, it was also among the last words he ever penned. Paul was confident that the Lord would “bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom” (II Tim. 4:18).

That last phrase in Acts has an additional point that must not go unnoticed. The preaching of the kingdom of God is best done when we “teach about the Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 28:31). That’s exactly what Paul was actively doing during his time in Rome. Enjoying certain liberties because of his “house arrest” (Acts 28:16,30), Paul was able to engage the Jewish community which came to hear him “in large numbers”.

From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. (Acts 28:23b)

All the Bible is occupied with the clash of kingdoms. God’s kingdom vs. Satan’s kingdom. There is no fence to sit on between the two. Either you’re on one side or you’re on the other. Being on God’s side means that you’ve “heard and understood”, you’ve “seen and perceived”, and you’ve “understood and turned” to God’s salvation (Acts 28:26-28; from Isa. 6:9-10).

It involves studying the Scriptures (the “Law and the Prophets” of Acts 28:23). When you are fully convinced about Jesus it floods your soul with delight. “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him” (Ps. 34:8).

Pagan King Nebuchadnezzar was brought to his knees to realize that “the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men” (Dan. 4:25,32) and came to declare, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just” (Dan. 4:37).