Passage
1 Samuel 23:1-14 (ESV)
Return to the Lord with All Your Heart
Joel 2:1-17
Key Verse: 2:12
God Protected David
Date: Jul. 18, 2024
Daily Bread
Key Verse: 23:14
And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
While David was a fugitive, he did not stop fighting the enemies of God. When he heard about the Philistines’ attack on the city of Keilah, he asked God if he should go fight (2). Instead of listening to his men, he followed the assurance of the Lord (4). He took his men into the battle and won a great victory (5).
However, his David’s situation did not improve much. Saul did not stop his chase. Even though David helped the people of Keilah, he could not trust them to hide him from Saul (11,12). He could not find rest while he was hiding from people who were looking for a chance to kill him ruthlessly (Ps 54:3). In his anguish, David turned to God and cried out for his mercy and deliverance (Ps 31:9, 15). And as David trusted, God did not give David into Saul’s hands (14). It seemed like Saul paused the chase for his own reason. Yet it was God’s protection for his chosen servant that delivered him from Saul’s hands.
Are you in anguish and trouble? Are you trapped in fear, trying to survive in this world? Come to the Lord and find refuge in him. He is merciful and almighty, and he will show you the wonders of his love.
Prayer: Father, thank you for protecting me when I am like a lamb among wolves. Help me to be faithful to be guided by you in my spiritual warfare.
One Word: The Lord is my refuge.
