LAST CHAPTER WE SAW ABIGAIL GET IN BETWEEN HER HUSBAND NABAL’S FIGHT WITH DAVID, BY CONVINCING DAVID THAT HE SHOULDN'T TAKE VENGEANCE INTO HIS OWN HANDS, WHICH WAS IN HIS BEST INTEREST SO THAT HE DIDN'T COMMIT THE SIN OF BLOOD GUILT (UNJUSTIFIABLE KILLING OF A MAN) - ONE OF THE WORST POSSIBLE TRESPASSES AGAINST YAHUAH AND THERE IS NO ATONEMENT AVAILABLE FOR IT. WOULD YAHUAH HAVE ALLOWED SUCH A MAN TO REPLACE AN ALREADY FAILED KING? NUP!
SO HERE WE FIND DAVID IN AN ALL TOO FAMILIAR SITUATION: SAUL WAS ONCE AGAIN IN PURSUIT OF HIM AND HIS MEN. IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG FOR SAUL, THE ANTI-KING TO FORGET AND RATIONALISE-AWAY HIS TEARFUL WORDS TO DAVID WHEN HE SAW HIM LAST AND TOLD HIM HE'D BE YAHUAH’S ANOINTED KING AND WAS WORTHY OF THE POSITION.
(SAM 26-27)
Once again, some people from Ziph went to King Saul in Gibeah to dobby-doo on Dave. “David has a hideout on Mount Hachilah near Jeshimon out in the desert,” they told him. So Saul took 3000 of Yisharal’s best soldiers and went to look for David there in the Ziph Desert. Saul set up camp on Mount Hachilah, which is across the road from Jeshimon. But David was hiding out in the desert and when he heard that Saul was following him, he sent some spies to find out if it was true. Then he snuck up to Saul’s camp and noticed that Saul and his Army-Commander Abner (the son of Ner) were sleeping in the middle of the camp, with soldiers sleeping all around them. David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Joab’s brother Abishai, “Which one of you will go with me into Saul’s camp?”
“I will!” Abishai answered, so that same night, David and Abishai crept into the camp. Saul was sleeping, and his spear was stuck in the ground not far from his head. Abner and the soldiers were sound asleep all around him. Abishai whispered, “This time Alahim has let you get your hands on your enemy! I’ll pin him to the ground with one thrust of his own spear.”
“NO! Don’t kill him!” David whispered back. “Yahuah will punish anyone who kills His chosen king. As surely as Yahuah lives, He will kill Saul, or Saul will just die a natural death or be killed in battle. But may Yahuah keep me from harming His chosen king. Let’s grab his spear and his water jar and get out of here!”
Then David took the spear and the water jar, then left the camp.
None of Saul’s soldiers knew what had happened or even woke up, for Yahuah had made a deep sleep fall on them. So David and Abishai crossed the valley and went to the top of the next hill, where they were at a safe distance. “ABNER!” David shouted toward Saul’s army, “CAN YOU HEAR ME?”
“WHO DARES DISTURB THE KING?” Abner shouted back,
“Abner, what kind of a man are you?” Aren’t you supposed to be the best soldier in Yisharal? Why didn’t you protect your King? Anyone who went into your camp could have killed him tonight. You’re a complete failure mate! I swear by the living Yahuah that you and your men deserve to die for not protecting Yahuah’s chosen King. Hey boys, where's the King’s spear and water jar that were near his head?” Saul recognised David’s voice, and called out, “Dave my son! Is that you?”
“Yes it's me, your friendly neighbourhood spear-cushion your Majesty. Why you after me now? Have crime have I committed this time? Listen here, If Yahuah Himself has turned your heart against me, then go and offer up a sacrifice and maybe He'll change His mind. But if it's your royal crones that've turned you against me, may Yahuah punish them all, for they’ve forced me to leave the land that belongs to Yahuah and have told me to serve foreign deities. Please don’t let me die in a land far away from Yahuah. I’m no more important than a flea! Why should the king of Yisharal hunt me down as if I were a partridge in the mountains?”
“David, you had the chance to kill me today. But you didn’t. I've been very wrong about you son. It was a terrible mistake for me to try to kill you. I’ve acted like a fool, but I’ll never try to harm you again. You’re like a son to me, so please come back home.”
“Your Majesty, here’s ya' spear! Have one of your soldiers come and get it. Yahuah put you in my power today, but you are His chosen King and I wouldn’t harm you. May Yahuah reward those for their obedience and reputation. Just as I valued your life today, I hope Yahuah will value and protect me and keep me safe.”
“David, my son, I hope that Yahuah will bless you and make you successful!” Saul went back home. David also left, but he thought to himself, “One of these days, Saul is going to kill me. The only way to escape from him is to go to Philistia. Then I’ll be outside of Yisharal, and Saul will give up trying to catch me.”
WHY DID DAVE SAY HE'S BEEN CAST OUT INTO A FOREIGN LAND AND FORCED TO WORSHIP PAGAN DEITIES? EVERY HEBREW’S INHERITANCE IS THE LAND OF CANAAN. SO DAVID IS SAYING THAT BECAUSE OF THIS IRRATIONAL AND UNJUST WAR UPON HIM, HE'S BEEN DENIED THE ABILITY TO LIVE PEACEFULLY WITHIN THE PROMISED LAND! AND SO THOSE WHO ARE DOING THIS TO HIM ARE ESSENTIALLY TELLING DAVID TO GO AND WORSHIP OTHER DEITIES, BECAUSE REMEMBER ANCIENT SUPERSTITION STILL HELD THAT DEITIES ARE TERRITORIAL (AND DAVID AND SAUL OBVIOUSLY STILL BELIEVED THAT TOO). EACH NATION HAD ITS OWN DEITIES AND WHEN YOU CROSSED A NATIONAL BOUNDARY INTO ANOTHER COUNTRY YOU LEFT ONE SET OF DIEITES/IDOLS BEHIND AND CAME INTO THE SPHERE OF INFLUENCE OF ANOTHER. SO IF DAVID WAS UNABLE TO LIVE IN YISHARAL, THEN HE WOULD HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO LIVE IN SOME OTHER NATION AND SERVE THAT NATION’S DEITIES SINCE YAHUAH HAD NO INFLUENCE ANYWHERE BUT IN YISHARAL (APARANTLY).
SO FOR SAUL TO UNJUSTLY CHASE ONE OF YAHUAH’S CHOSEN OUT OF HIS OWN INHERITANCE AND AWAY FROM YAHUAH’S PRESENCE ACTUALLY AMOUNTED TO A CAPITAL OFFENSE AGAINST THE ALAHIM OF YISHARAL WHO OWNS THE LAND OF YISHARAL AND RULES OVER THEM THROUGH A KING. SO DAVID IS SAYING HE CERTAINLY DOESN’T WANT TO DIE OUTSIDE OF YISHARAL AND AWAY FROM YAHUAH’S PRESENCE. AND EVEN THIS HAD TO DO WITH THE ANCIENT MINDSET OF ANCESTOR-WORSHIP AND WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU DIE.
So David and his 600 men went across the border to stay in Gath with King Achish, the son of Maoch, and his men all brought their families with them. David brought his wife Ahinoam whose hometown was Jezreel, and he also brought his wife Abigail who had been married to Nabal from Carmel. And when Saul found out that David had run off to Gath, he stopped trying to catch him.
And one day, David was talking with Achish and said, “If you are happy with me, then let me live in one of the towns in the countryside. I’m not important enough to live here with you in the royal city.” So King Achish gave David the town of Ziklag that same day, and Ziklag has belonged to the Kings of Judah ever since.
SOMETHING HAS SHIFTED IN DAVID’S THINKING. IT MAY HAVE BEEN THE ENCOUNTER IN THE ZIF WILDERNESS, BUT IT ALSO HAD TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT SAUL HAD VICIOUSLY GIVEN DAVID’S FIRST WIFE MICHAL TO ANOTHER MAN. IT’S HARD TO PUT INTO WORDS THE EXTREME INJURY AND INSULT TO DAVID’S HONOR AND REPUTATION (AS A MAN, LET ALONE A KING) THAT OCCURRED WITH THAT ACT. DAVID'S GOT A WHOLE NEW STRATEGY FOR WARFARE NOW, BECAUSE HONOR AND REPUTATION IS WORTH EVERYTHING TO A MIDDLE-EASTERN MAN, SO WITHOUT IT - WHAT'S TO FEAR ?
David was in Philistia for a year and four months. The Geshurites, Girzites, and the Amalekites lived in the area from Telam to Shur and on as far as Egypt, and David often attacked their towns, taking sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing and killing everyone who lived there. And after he returned from a raid, David always went to see Achish, who would ask, “Where did you attack today?” And David would answer, “Oh, we attacked some desert town that belonged to the Judah tribe.” Sometimes David would say, “Oh, we attacked a town in the desert where the Jerahmeel clan lives” or “We attacked a town in the desert where the Kenites live.” That’s why David killed everyone in the towns he attacked, because he thought, “If I let any of them live, they might come to Gath and tell what I’ve really been doing.” (NOT KILLING YISHARALITES) David made these raids all the time he was in Philistia.
But Achish trusted David and thought, “David’s people must be furious with him. From now on he will have to take orders from me.”
"So if there's any encouragement in Mashiak among you, any comfort of love or fellowship of Spirit, if any affection and compassion, then do me a favor will you? Make my joy complete and just be of the same mind OK. Have the same love, and operate together in one purpose, not being selfish or up-yourself, but in humility considering others better than yourselves. You shouldn't be looking out for your own self-interests, but for the interests of others. Have the same mindset as our Mashiak Yahusha, WHO WAS ACTUALLY THE ESSENCE OF YAHUAH, but didn't consider it theft to be the same as Yahuah, so He emptied Himself (OF ALL REPUTATION), taking the form of a servant, and appeared in the likeness of a man. Yes He humbled Himself and became obedient to death, even death on a torture stake. So now Yahuah has exalted Him high and given Him the Name which is above every name, so that at the Name of Yahusha, every knee will bow (those in the Shamayim, the earth, and under it) and every tongue will confess that Yahusha Mashiak is Master, to the esteem of Yahuah the Father". PHILIPPIANS 2 BRS
HOW DOES YAHUSHA FEEL ABOUT THE DEATH OF HIS FOLLOWERS (THEIR SELF, DESIRES AND REPUTATION)?
DIDN'T HE TELL US NOT TO BE SURPRISED OR FAINT WHEN WE ARE SPITEFULLY HATED BECAUSE OF HIM? DIDN'T HE TELL US TO FOLLOW HIM? TO BEHAVE AND WALK THE WAY HE DID? THAT OUR WORST ENEMIES WILL BE FOUND LIVING UNDER OUR OWN ROOF?
ARE YOU TRULY WILLING TO SHUT YOUR MOUTH AND BECOME THE SKUM OF THE EARTH, THE SCAPE-GOAT, THE MOCKED AND RIDICULED AMONG YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY? ... TO EMPTY YOURSELF OF ANY REPUTATION OR LOFTY OPINION YOU ONCE HAD OF YOURSELF? THIS IS THE WALK. IT'S AGONY, BUT IT'S NEEDED FOR US TO BE HUMBLED AND DIE TO OURSELF (AND THOSE AROUND US ARE ONLY MORE THAN HAPPY TO ASSIST - UNTIL IT'S THEIR TURN!!)
AS THE HEBREW ABOVE EXPLAINS, `REPUTATION' AND `PRECIOUS' SHARE THE SAME ROOT, SO WE GO ON OUR INVISIBLE PARALLEL JOURNEY AGAIN AND SEE THAT OUR REPUTATION BEFORE YAHUSHA AND HIS REALM IS INCREDIBLY VALUABLE, LIKE GOLD, SILVER AND GEMSTONES, AND LIVING, DAILY CONNECTED TO THIS REIGN FILLS US UP WITH HIS LOVE, BEYOND MEASURE HOWEVER THE FLIP-SIDE OF THIS EXPERIENCE IS THAT WE MUST BE EMPTIED OF ALL WORLDLY APPEAL, ATTRACTIVENESS AND REPUTATION TO LIVE IN THE INVISIBLE SHAMAYIM - THE FLESH AND ALL IT'S VISIBLE SELF-SEEKING-AGGRANDISEMENTS MUST DIE.
We need to break-through the invisible barrier that separates the dimensions and elevates us out of our lower, sinful, carnal existence, where only the visible earthly senses and pleasures are relevant. When in this state the `CONNECTION' is as brass to us and we cannot hear what Yahusha wants to tell us - deliverance has been bought and paid for but we would rather exist in mediocrity and misery, wallowing in the sin that we love so much. We will never experience the break-through, THE HIGHER REPUTATION OF ESTEEM, the rivers of living waters gushing forth and overflowing from our innermost being - if we don't consciously allow Yahusha to train us, moment by moment, thought by thought, USING THE 3 RULES. Until you enter into them and start putting them to every thought and moment in your life, there will be no break-through or joy ... just misery and painful consequence !
WE NEED TO PROVE OURSELVES AND GET A GOOD REPUTATION (AND PRACTISING THE 3 RULES ALLOWS US TO BECOME SOLID FOR THOSE AROUND US), BUT OUR GOOD REPUTATION IS REALLY UNTO YAHUSHA, NOT FLESHLY FAKEHOOD.
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