Today's Daily Devotional

[Bugsy]

April 23

And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burnt it with fire; and had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.
1 Samuel 30:1-2

Ziklag means “winding road.â€

[Bugsy]

April 24

Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:7-9

For believers to obey the Lord, daily meditation upon Scripture is essential. But, some Christians try to live the will of God while opening the Bible only at church. This practice is similar to playing in a basketball game without attending any practices. It results in a lot of errors and frustration.

The Bible’s purpose is to shine a light on God’s true nature. It teaches believers His principles and commands. This equips them to make decisions that are pleasing to Him. (Dr. Charles Stanley?) I once skipped reading God’s Word for a week so that I would know what non-meditating believers experience. Even in so short a time, I got “rustyâ€

[Bugsy]

April 25

And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech’s son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. And David inquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
1 Samuel 30:7-8

After encouraging himself in the Lord, David inquired of the Lord. “What do You want me to do, Lord?â€

[Bugsy]

April 26

So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind stayed. But David pursued, he and four hundred men . . .
1 Samuel 30:9-10 (a)

Third, David was engaged with the Lord. Following praise and prayer, we see pursuit. Many times, people sit back and say, “Lord, if You want good things to come my way, bring them to me.â€

[Bugsy]

April 27

And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard of that which the Philistines had done to Saul, all the valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
1 Samuel 31:11-13

When the men of Jabesh-gilead received word that Saul’s corpse was pinned to the wall of a Philistine city, their hearts were stirred with compassion. Marching all night, the men of Jabesh-gilead risked their lives to recover the bodies of Saul and his sons. The bodies were so mutilated that they eventually had to burn them. But they buried their bones under a tree in their own city.

What moved these men? Why would they risk their lives, outnumbered and outmanned, to recover the headless corpse of a judged king?

I suggest it’s because of something that happened forty years previously, when Saul was presented to Israel as her king (1 Samuel 10-11 ). Certain people applauded. “Long live the king,â€

[Bugsy]

April 28

And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite. He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me. So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen . . . 2 Samuel 1:8-10 (a)

Twenty-five years earlier, God said to Saul, “I want you to kill every Amalekiteâ€

[Bugsy]

April 29

And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son: (also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)
2 Samuel 1:17-18

During this period of lamentation and mourning for Saul and Jonathan, David says, “We need to teach the young people to be archers.â€

[Bugsy]

April 30

And it came to pass after this, that David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.
2 Samuel 2:1

Here we see a real secret of David’s success - why it was that he was used so effectively, why his life had so great an impact that we study him to this day. David was a man who inquired of the Lord.

“Is this the right time to go into the cities of Judah?â€

[Bugsy]

May 1

Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.
2 Samuel 3:1

At this time, David is ruling over Judah. At war against Abner and the household of Saul, there are battles raging, but Saul’s forces are growing weaker and weaker. David, on the other hand, grows stronger.

Spiritually, Saul is a symbol of sin and self; David, a symbol of our Savior. There’s a war going on in my soul that will last for a lifetime. But the house of Saul - the house of self, the house of sin - grows weaker and weaker, while the Kingdom of God grows stronger. Sure, there are setbacks along the way. There are defeats we have on certain days. But as I look back and chart the course, I can see that He Who has begun a good work in me is indeed being faithful to complete it (Philippians 1:6). And because the One who resides in you is greater than the one who comes against you (1 John 4:4), even though you might have discouraging days, you can be sure that David becomes stronger as Saul grows weaker.

[Silverback]

The National Day of Prayer is a day designated by the United States Congress as a day when all Americans regardless of faith[citation needed] are asked to come together and pray in their own way. However, in some states such as Minnesota, the prayer services are restricted to be performed solely by evangelical Christians[1]. It is held on the first Thursday in May. The "National Day of Prayer" Task Force coordinates many local observances of the National Day of Prayer, however, it is an independent non-profit organization and does not act on behalf of the federal government.

[Bugsy]

May 2

And the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; and the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah David’s wife. These were born to David in Hebron. 2 Samuel 3:4-5

David already had three wives, but as he adds more and more, the story gets worse and worse. According to Deuteronomy 17:17, kings were not to multiply horses, store gold, or multiply wives. Knowing the Word, David knows this.

David is very flawed. He has a propensity to lie. He’s tempted by women. He has an ego that we’ll see in the next part of the chapter. And yet overarching, he has a passion for God. We can have a tendency to say, “Sure, I sin. But I don’t sin nearly to the degree David did.â€

[Bugsy]

May 3

And they buried Abner in Hebron: and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept. And the king lamented over Abner, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth? Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters: as a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou. And all the people wept again over him.
2 Samuel 3:32-34

“What happened to Abner is not right,â€

[Bugsy]

May 4

And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David’s soul, he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.
2 Samuel 5:8

David wanted the city of Jerusalem for both spiritual and strategic reasons. So he said to his men, “The first guy who can find a way into the walled city of Zion will be my general.â€

[Bugsy]

May 5

And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him. 2 Samuel 5:10

David went on and grew great, or, literally in the Hebrew text, “David went going and growing.â€

[Bugsy]

May 6

And when David inquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.
2 Samuel 5:23-24

Earlier, David went right into the valley and confronted the enemy head to head. Here, he’s in the same valley, facing the same enemy, but the Lord gave him a different strategy. And in this, it’s as if God says to us, “Forget about yesterday’s strategy. It was good for then, but not for today. Stay in constant touch with Me.â€