Quote from Forum Archives on December 22, 2015, 1:05 pm

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E-Pistle

 

 

Responding to God's "Anointed One"

(I Samuel 19:1-24)

Dr. Curt Scarborough

 

I.  Concentration:  on the contents of this chapter

            1.  Saul commanded his servants to kill David, but Jonathan warned David

                 of his father's intentions; Jonathan spoke to Saul and persuaded him

                 to rescind his death sentence against David, vv. 1-7.

            2.  Time passed and David won another battle against the Philistines; Saul

                 again threw a spear at David as he was playing music, but he missed

                 and David fled, vv. 8-10.

            3.  Saul sent soldiers to David's house, but his wife, Michal, helped him

                 escape out the window; she then delayed the soldiers by telling them

                 that David was sick, deceiving them with a life-sized idol in his bed;

                 she told her father that David had forced her to help him, vv. 11-17.

            4.  David took refuge with Samuel near Ramah; Saul sent three teams of

                 soldiers to arrest David, but they all ended up prophesying with

                 Samuel's group of prophets; finally Saul came and he too fell under

                 the power of God . . . lying naked on the ground all night; in contrast

                 to I Samuel 10:11, now the people sarcastically asked, "Is Saul also

                 among the prophets?" vv. 18-24.

II.  Meditation:  on the typical ways which persons treated David

            1.  Saul:  hated him, tried to kill him, and ended up looking like a fool.

            2.  Jonathan:  loved him, pleaded for Saul to spare David's life, and

                 remained faithful to him throughout his entire life.

            3.  Michal:  initially loved him and saved his life; then lied to save her

                 own skin, and later came to despise him, II Samuel 6:16, 20-23.

            4.  Samuel;  loved and honored him, welcomed him into a spiritual

                 fellowship where he found a safe refuge, operated under the power

                 of the Spirit of the Lord as King Saul was humiliated and disgraced.

III.  Revelation and Applications:  on how persons respond to the Lord today

            1.  Some persons, like Saul, hate God's "Anointed One." 

                 As a Christian, I need to witness persuasively to those unbelieving

                 persons.

            2.  Some persons, like Jonathan, love and serve the Lord faithfully all

                 their lives.

                 As a Christian, I need to remain faithful to Jesus Christ, even in the

                 face of severe persecution.

            3.  Some persons, like Michal, at first profess affection for Christ, but when

                 circumstances get tough, they fall into a self-preservation mode and

                 eventually renounce and despise the Lord.

                 I need to give my life for Him, rather than trying to save it.

            4.  Some persons, like Samuel, become godly leaders of a Spirit-filled

                 band of followers who welcome God's Anointed One into their midst.

                 I need to become such a Spirit-born, Spirit-led, Spirit-empowered,

                 Spirit-blessed leader.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas is a Time

(Luke 2:18-20)

 

Christmas is a time to marvel

Be astonished, stand in awe;

For the God of all creations

Lies a babe upon the straw.

Time to marvel, time to marvel,

Marvel at the newborn King.

 

Christmas is a time to treasure,

Cherish, value, measure worth;

Think about the Lord of glory

Leaving all to come to earth.

Time to treasure, time to treasure,

Treasure Christ the newborn King.

 

Christmas is a time to ponder,

Weigh in mind and meditate;

Jesus came to die as Savior,

Rose to open heaven's gate.

Time to ponder, time to ponder,

Ponder Christ the newborn King.

 

Christmas is a time to worship;

Shepherds praised his holy name;

Wise men knelt and paid him homage;

We today shall do the same.

Time to worship, time to worship,

Worship Christ the newborn King.

 

(Tune:  Angels From the Realms of Glory)

 

© 1994, Dr. Curt Scarborough

 

                --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The staff at FreeWay Foundation &

Pillsbury College & Seminary

pray that you have a Merry Christmas

and a Blessed New Year!

 

 

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