1 Samuel 27 & 28: Grace In Thine Eyes
Verse of the Day: (27:5) And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee? 

1. Grace (27:1-12)
And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever. (27:12)

Our lives are truly unpredictable as sometimes we are joyful while at other times we are depressed. David was no exception, as he was joyful when he overcame Goliath, the giant Philistine, when no one in Israel could, but now he was depressed as he was running away from his own King Saul who refused to accept the fact that he shall be the next king of Israel. David then foolishly chose to be with his enemy, the Philistine King Achish, who graciously befriended him, and even gave him the city of Ziklag. However, Achish was making use of him to betray his own country. Subsequently, David realised his folly and repented his sin. Indeed, let us daily and boldly go to God’s throne, whether we are joyful or depressed, to seek His grace and help in time of all our needs. (Hebrews 4:16)   

2. Great (28:1-12)
And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. (28:5)

After Samuel was promoted to heaven, Saul became greatly fearful and impatient as he disguised himself by night seeking a witch instead of seeking and waiting upon God for His counsel as to whether Israel should fight against the Philistines. Saul again failed to trust God, and God subsequently judged and punished him. Indeed, let us only seek God and His righteousness so that His richest blessings shall be upon us. (Matthew 6:33-34)

3. Gods (28:13-25)
And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. (28:13)

Though Satan was behind the witch, yet God was in control of everything as she actually revealed the truth that not only Israel shall be defeated, but that the Philistines shall slay Saul and his sons, and that David shall be the next king. When Saul heard these revelations, he became depressed, and the witch and his men had to encourage him to eat, and moved on in life. Time and again, God gave Saul opportunities to repent of his sins, but he rebelled against Him. Indeed, though the world believes in their gods, yet the true God shall prevail against them. Let us therefore put on the whole armour of God which consists of His salvation, righteousness, truth, peace and Word as well as our faith and prayer, that we shall withstand the wiles of Satan and his demons. (Ephesians 6:10-19) 

Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You that Your grace and help are sufficient for me at all times.

1 Samuel 25 & 26: Samuel Died
Verse of the Day: (25:1) And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

1. Die (25:1-44)
And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife. (25:39)

No one escapes death. Prophet Samuel and Nabal, a rich rancher, died. While Samuel’s soul went to heaven to be with God because he believed and served Him, Nabal’s soul was condemned to hell because he rejected God and committed sins. David, God’s anointed man, and his men had helped Nabal in safeguarding his livestock from robbers and wild beasts, however, instead of demonstrating gratitude, Nabal condemned David. Thanks to Abigail, Nabal’s wife, who pleaded with David for mercy, he then eventually spared not only Nabal but his men as he intended to slay them. God then judged and struck Nabal and within 10 days he died. If there was one flaw of David, it must be his weakness for women. David sinned against God, as after Nabal’s death, he took Abigail to be one of his wives, when God commands us to have only one wife, as He only took one rib from Adam’s ribs, to make the woman, Eve, to be his only wife. (Genesis 2:20-25)

2. Deep (26:1-12)
So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul’s bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, not knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them. (26:12)

Everything is from God as He is in control of all things right from the start. God preserved David’s life as He caused a deep sleep in Saul and his men so that not only he could escape from them, but he went to Saul’s camp and took his spear and pot of water from him. Indeed, God allows sufferings in our lives so that we realise how much we truly need to trust in Him to deliver us out of them and become precious gold. (Job 23:10)

3. Deliver (26:13-25)
And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation. (26:24)

This was the second time that God delivered David out of Saul and his men as the first time He delivered David was when he was in the cave. Indeed, our God is faithful and He shall surely deliver us from all our tribulations even the hardest one. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, thank You that I shall be with You when I die because I trust in You.
 

1 Samuel 23 & 24: Strengthened His Hand In God
Verse of the Day: (23:16) And Jonathan Saul’s son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God.

1. Seek (23:1-14)
Then said David, O LORD God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. (23:10)

Satan, the devil, is behind every wickedness of man as he deceives man to commit evil and be eternally condemned to fiery hell together with him and his demons. Satan was definitely behind Saul who sought to kill David because he refused to accept God’s will that David shall be his successor as the next king of Israel. Saul failed to realise that even though he had the whole army of Israel, he could never kill David because God was with him. Indeed, when we believe in God, He shall rescue us from Satan’s wiles and deliver us from condemnation and one day promote us to be with Him in heaven. (1 Peter 5:8-11)

2. Strengthen (23:15-29)
And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth. (23:17)

While Saul sought David’s life and greatly discouraged and weakened him, Jonathan, his son, greatly encouraged and strengthened David. Jonathan was different from his father, as his heart was right with God and he loved David. Jonathan even assured David that he would help him to be the next king, and would be his right hand man. However, Jonathan did not see David enthroned as he was killed during the battle with the Philistines. Indeed, let us strengthen one another’s faith as God strengthens our faith. (Hebrews 10:23-25)

3. Seed (24:1-22)
Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father’s house. (24:21)

Little did Saul know that the cave where he went to rest was where David hid himself, and David could have killed him, but instead David only cut off the fringe of Saul’s robe. As David loved and feared God, and believed that God was his Judge and Deliverer, he committed Saul to God, and never took matter into his own hands. When Saul discovered that David had spared his life, he knew that God was with David and shall certainly enthroned him. Hence Saul pleaded with David to promise him that he would spare all his seeds once he became the king. David promised Saul, and when he became the king, he not only spared the lame Mephibosheth, the only surviving seed of Saul, but he also invited him to live with him in the palace as one of his princes. Indeed, let us keep our words and promises, as God keeps His Word and promises now and forever. (2 Samuel 9)

Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please strengthen me as I strengthen others for Your glory and praise.
 

1 Samuel 21 & 22: Abide Thou With Me
Verse of the Day: (22:23) Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.

1. Alone (21:1-9)
Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee? (21:1)

No matter how righteous a man, he is still a sinner, and the only way to keep him from sinning is to abide in God. After David ran away from King Saul, he went to seek help from Ahimelech, the priest. David then lied to Ahimelech that he had a secret assignment from the king after he was asked as to why he was alone. Ahimelech not only gave David the hallow bread for his provision, but Goliath’s sword for his protection. However, little did David know that Saul commanded Doeg, his servant, to kill Ahimelech and all the 85 priests with him as well as their families and livestock, after Doeg, who was also present at the scene on that day, told Saul that he saw Ahimelech helping David. Though we may be alone and afraid, let us know that God and His Word are always with us. (Psalms 119)

2. Afraid (21:10-15)
And David laid up these words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. (21:12)    

After meeting Ahimelech, David went to Israel’s enemy, Achish, king of Gath, for help. When Achish found out that he was David who killed Goliath, their great warrior, David became afraid and feared for his life, and pretended to be insane, and fled from them. Instead of lying to Ahimelech, and going to his enemy, Achish, David should have sought God, the most High, and trust in Him who shall surely help him. (Psalms 56)

3. Abide (22:1-23)
And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. (22:2)

David fled from Achish and hid in the cave at Adullam, and then 400 people including all his family, loved ones and those who were distress, in debt and discontented with life came to encourage him. David was so encouraged by them that he became their leader and in turn he encouraged them. When Abiathar, one of Ahimelech’s sons, managed to escape the sword of Doeg, and sought David for help, David encouraged him and promised to protect him. David knew that he was the cause of the death of Ahimelech and all his priests including their families and livestock. David also knew that he could only find strength and comfort by abiding in God, his refuge and fortress. (Psalms 91)

Prayer of the Day:
Dearest God, please help me to abide in Your Refuge and Fortress in time of need.