E-pistle for March 11, 2016
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E-pistle
FreeWay Foundation March 11, 2016
sixteen months as a double agent
(I Samuel 27:1-12)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. To avoid Saul, David returned to Gath, where two years earlier he
had pretended insanity to escape Achish (I Samuel 21:10-15); this
time David had 600 soldiers, and Achish allowed them and their
families to dwell in Gath; Saul abandoned his pursuit of David,
vv. 1-4.
2. David requested and received from Achish the City of Ziklag for
his own possession, vv. 5-6.
3. David remained in this Philistine city for 16 months, from which
he raided enemy nations in the desert region south of Israel toward
Egypt; on these raids, David left no survivors, vv. 7-9.
4. David falsely reported to Achish that he was raiding Israelite
settlements; Achish believed David, thinking that he could be
trusted because the Israelites would utterly abhor him as a
national traitor, vv. 10-12.
II. Meditation: on the events of this chapter
1. Achish of Gath accepted David's presence in his territory because,
this time, he was not alone and helpless . . . now he was accompanied
by 600 battle-hardened soldiers.
2. King Saul's promised amnesty had been insincere; he stopped
pursuing David only when he departed from Israelite territory into
the land of the Philistines.
3. David's ruthlessness in killing all the enemies he encountered
(including women and children) perhaps if understandable as a means
of self-preservation, but such bloody acts disqualified him from the
spiritual task of building God's temple, I Chronicles 22:8.
4. David's false reports to Achish were deliberate lies to deceive the
Philistine king and to preserve his life and the lives of those with him;
this kind of "commendable" deception to save lives can be found
several times in Old Testament history, as in Joshua 2:1-6.
III. Revelation and Applications; on the spiritual implications seen here
1. David and his descendants received and occupied the city of Ziklag
as a gift from the heathen king.
God often supplies the needs of his chosen people by giving them
the property and provisions of ungodly pagans.
2. In political negotiations with secular leaders, it usually is advantageous
to deal from a position of strength.
In spiritual matters, the opposite is true . . . "For when I am weak,
then I am strong," II Corinthians 12:10.
3. Although civilian casualties are a fact of war, God sees and judges the
intents and motivations of the heart.
Killing in warfare or in self-defense is not the same thing as
premeditated murder.
4. "Cover stories" apparently are acceptable in this sinful, imperfect world.
Lying to preserve lives does not violate God's prohibition against
"bearing false witness."
let tears run down like a river
(Lamentations 2:1-22)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the contents of this chapter
1. God, in His anger over the disobedience of Israel, claimed personal
responsibility for the destruction of the city of Jerusalem, vv. 1-10.
2. Jeremiah obviously was an eyewitness to this destruction; he
endured the grief and wept along with the people, vv. 11-17.
3. The broken-hearted people cried out for relief, lifting their hands
toward God in prayer, vv. 18-19.
4. Jeremiah interceded in prayer, asking the Lord to have mercy,
vv. 20-22.
II. Meditation: on some key verses in this chapter
1. "The law is no more, and her prophets find no vision (prophetic
revelation) from the Lord," v. 9.
2. "Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions;
they have not uncovered your iniquity, to bring back your captives,
but they have envisioned for you false prophecies and delusions,"
v. 14.
3. "How shall I console you? . . . Who can heal you," v. 13.
4. "Let tears run down like a river day and night . . . Pour out your
heart like water before the face of the Lord," vv. 18-19.
III. Revelation: on the spiritual truths seen in these verses
1. There is a direct connection between the Lord's commands and the
Lord's revelation; disobedience to divine law blocks prophetic
revelation from God, and accurate visions from God always will
conform to and be confirmed by His holy word, the Scriptures.
2. False prophecies, deceptive visions, and strong delusions are from
Satan, and these messages generally are characterized by the omission
of preaching against sin, II Thessalonians 2:11; I Timothy 4:1-2.
3. A true prophet (preacher/minister) has a compassionate heart which
suffers with the people, and he desires to bring them spiritual comfort
and healing.
4. There is a great benefit in crying rather than bottling up one's feelings;
tears can provide an emotional catharsis and help open a person's
heart to spiritual healing, Luke 19:41.
IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Live according to God's commands in order to be able to receive
His prophetic revelation ((vision of destiny) for my life and my ministry,
Proverbs 29:18.
2. Judge every prophetic word according to the Scriptures,
I Corinthians 29:18.
3. Speak words of comfort and encouragement to persons who are hurting
physically, emotionally, and spiritually, Isaiah 40:1; Matthew 11:28-30.
4. Weep, as did Jeremiah and Jesus, over the sin and blindness of the
leaders and citizens of my nations, Matthew 23:37.
"When a person cannot deceive himself, the chances are
against his being able to deceive other people."
--Mark Twain
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