- 18:1 They became one in spirit
- 18:3 They loved each other
- 18:4 They gave gifts to one another
- 19:2 Jonathan warned David of trouble
- 19:4 Jonathan spoke well of David and stood up for his reputation
- 20:3 They confided in one another
- 20:4 They would do absolutely anything for each other
- 20:23 They had their faith in God in common
- 20:41-42 They valued their friendship above all else
18:5 & 14 God granted David success in everything he put his hand to! This was a true sign that David was chosen by God. Did David still have to fight the battles? Did David still have to run from Saul? Yes. He still faced difficulties, but when all was said and done, David was successful.
18:9 Saul kept a jealous eye on David. I don't see any indication that Saul was actually aware that Samuel had anointed David to replace him as king. But Saul must have known that God's Spirit was no longer with him. I wonder if Saul recognized the Spirit of God resting on David? Do people recognize God's Spirit resting on me? (18:12 answers my first question, huh.)
18:11 David eluded Sauls's spear TWICE! I'm sorry, but once would have been all it took for me to high-tail it out of there! In 19:10 David eludes Saul once more and finally makes good his escape. That was one harp performance I would have not shown up for!
18:17 & 20 Saul offers his daughters to David in marriage so they would be a snare to him. Shame on Saul. He should have been raising his daughters to be godly women who would be helpmates for their future husbands. Am I a snare or a helpmate?
18:25 Saul knew just the challenge David could not refuse. In v. 27 David actually brings Saul double what he asked for.
18:28-30 Saul's plan backfired. David wins the girl and the fame, and Saul is more afraid and jealous than ever before.
19:11-17 Michal protects David from her father's soldiers. Then she lies to her father. I admire her for protecting her husband, but I don't appreciate that she lied to daddy to do it. She should have boldly stood up to him. Would I have stood up to him? Maybe not. Don't skip over the word "idol" in 19:13. What was an idol doing in the house? We will see later in 2 Samuel 6 that Michal does not approve of David's worship of the One True God.
19:20-24 I don't think the prophesying here is the good kind. I think this was probably a crazy chaos that kept Saul and his men from pursuing David. Does anyone else have any insight here?
1 Samuel 20 is a story I remember hearing as a young girl in Sunday School. I was amazed that Jonathan would be brave enough to help his best friend when he knew how outraged his father would be. If you are already familiar with the story, resist the temptation to skim the pages. Read it and marvel at the detail in planning they went to. Notice David's patience as he waits to hear from Jonathan. Notice the faithfulness of Jonathan when he could have backed out on the plan. After all, David would be taking Jonathan's spot as the next king of Israel. Notice their commitment to one another as they pledge loyalty for future generations. Notice their extreme grief when they have to part ways. Their friendship is a beautiful picture of the way we should treat our relationships. Treasure the people God brings into your life.
Today's culture does not put value on relationships like this. If it doesn't work for you anymore, throw it away or wait a few minutes and maybe someone better will come along. My daughter and I were talking about how sad it is that gangs have more loyalty than most friendships or even body of believers. Sometimes we just don't put the time and commitment into eachother.
ReplyDeleteWe are too busy to spend the time it takes to really make close friends. Sadly, we are busy with unimportant things that are time suckers. We need to turn off the television (and the computer) and spend face-to-face time with people.
ReplyDeleteI would dearly love to have a friend as close as that of Jonathan to David. I have always sought that kind of friendship. I seem to pour so much of myself into friendships, only to be used and then thrown over for the next good thing that comes along. Yes, it is hard to find the time to maintain a friendship, but if both parties will try and then also be understanding when life gets in the way, it can work. I sincerely grieved for David when Jonathan was killed. I can only imagine his pain, to have such a true friend and then to have that friend die.
ReplyDeleteStriving to be like Jesus, I just wanted to welcome you to the sharing. I don't know if you have shared before but this was the first posts I have seen.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to friendships I have always felt like a misfit. I feel so differently than most and sometimes I feel like people think that I am weird for talking about Jesus so much or putting my family before many things that they feel I should be doing for me. I have tried the path of pleasing me and it just does not work. Jesus being number one does not make my life perfect but my eternity will be perfect.
I look forward to sharing more with you!
Melinda, welcome to the club! Ever since high school, I have chosen to stand alone for the cause of Christ quite often. While it creates some awkward social situations, I think choosing Jesus as your best friend is ultimately the best reward.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I have never thought of you as weird.
I have never really fit in anywhere. In the world I don't fit in because I belong to Jesus. In church, I dont feel like I fit in, because I always feel like others have a better walk than I do. I think it is because I am so horribly aware of my imperfections, and I always feel that others look down on me for them. It always seems that the people that do become my friends just use me, and once they have gotten all they can possible take from me (emotionally, physically, and monetarily) then they just discard me with the rest of the rubbish.
ReplyDeleteIf I could, I would like to ask that maybe all of you ladies could pray for me. I am very self-conscious, shy, and uneasy around people. ( I always feel like they are talking bad about me.) I know that this is probably all in my head, but I have been this way my entire life, and I can't seem to overcome it.
Striving to be like Jesus,
ReplyDeleteI will definitely be praying for you! I battle all of the same feelings and that is okay. We are imperfect and no one on this earth can love us much as our Lord can. I pray that I can be encouragement to you and that maybe we can get to know eachother more. This Blog has been so exciting for me, I have been in the Word alot and sharing with others that believe as I do. God works in wonderful ways!
I don't think any of you are weird! We all struggle with the same insecurities. I too feel like I don't fit in anywhere, even at church. I don't feel like I am part of the "in group." I don't feel that others care about me like they do everyone else. I shouldn't be surprised when others fell that way too, but I am.
ReplyDeleteStriving to be like Jesus, I find myself getting into the same cycle of thinking others are talking bad about me. The thing you have to keep in mind is that it doesn't matter what others say about you. What is God saying/ thinking about you? I have to keep reminding myself that is what matters most. I also find that listening to self-affirmation cd's while going to sleep really helps my attitude stay positive. If you want to know of some good cd's, email me at mmms@ecsdd.org and I'll send you some suggestions.
One thing we need to remember, ladies is that this is Satan's way of getting us to isolate ourselves from each other. And many times I allow him to do it to me over and over again. We need to be saying, "Get behind me, Satan," and call a friend to pray with. I too think this blog has been a blessing and thank you, Dana, for taking the initiative to do it. I love all of you ladies and if we are weird at least we can be weird together!! :)
Amen!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, girls, for being open and honest. Finding out that we are not alone is one of the best tools we have against the enemy. He wants us to feel isolated and powerless. Let's have no more of that! At the Beth Moore simulcast last night, Beth told us we are women of spiritual means and substance. We are not average, we are 100-fold harvesters. I am claiming that as my Word from God!
ReplyDeleteNow, a word about feeling excluded from true friendship. First of all, finding a true kindred spirit happens rarely in this lifetime. When it does happen for you, consider it a true blessing. Most people never do experience it.
Second, every woman has insecurities. We try to hide them, but they are evident anyway. All of us have imperfections we wish God would change for us. The trouble comes when we let those imperfections become the focus. They cloud our vision of "what God is saying/thinking about us," as Melissa pointed out.
Thirdly, most people are so self-centered that they don't even notice your imperfections. This was brought home to me one day when I was talking with a gentleman. I had an itch on my face, and when I reached up to scratch it, he self-consciously touched his face and said, "Yeah, I cut myself shaving this morning." I hadn't even noticed what he thought was a glaring imperfection of his own. Think about it. When you visit with other women, do they take notice of your needs, or are they centered on what they want out of life? All of us are like that. Finding a true friend who cares about what is going on in your life more than she cares about her own is rare indeed. Am I that kind of friend?
Finally, too many times our insecurities cause us to try too hard at becoming one of the "in" group. We try to act like someone we are not, or we just talk about ourselves all the time. Both of these things drive people away. Just be the woman God created you to be, girls. Relax and enjoy His friendship first of all. Then ask Him to lead you to someone you can minister to. Don't become their doormat. Become their friend. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
I just started reading Cloud & Townsend's book, "Boundaries" yesterday. Good stuff on this very topic!
I am growing to love each of you more every day!
Dana
I am sad that I have been so guarded these years we have been together and just now as you are leaving I am getting to know you. I am sorry. God has truly worked on me in the last 2 years and worrying about what others think was a big one. I just want to be who Jesus sees all of the time.
ReplyDeleteWOW, I just went back and read all of the comments. I honestly thought that I was alone in my feelings and insecurities. Thank you all so much for sharing your thoughts and comments, I appreciate them so much, and I feel better about myself now.
ReplyDeleteLeaving? Dana are you and Trent leaving. If so I will be sorry that you are going, but at least there is the internet, and we can all stay in touch and still do Bible study together.
My email is katnoud@hotmail.com
Yes, Katherine, today was our last Sunday at FSBC Yuma. It is certainly a bittersweet time, as we have many dear friends here, but we know God has a thrilling adventure on the horizon for us. I am very thankful I can stay in touch with everyone via this blog. I believe it is one of the reasons God had me start it in the first place. I'm so glad everyone has come along for the ride!
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