Time with Abba, Singing Praising 親親爸父，唱詩歌頌 : OT DAY 453 - Character Flaw May Cause A Tragedy (Please click here for English podcast)

Silence

1. Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

2. Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1. Think through your day, all the times that made you smile

2. Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3. Open your heart to praise the Lord

And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:10

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html)

1. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work in you:

“Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2. Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

"Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sin to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gift to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

The Word (1 Samuel 30:1-31:14)

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=撒+母+耳+記+上+31&version=ESV

Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. 3 The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 5 And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. 1 Samuel 31:1-6

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmax47l2hLU

My Listening

Saul, God's anointed king died at last. David did not need to kill him. He died by his own sword, committed suicide! How sad! Is that God's act or Saul's own act?

Let's see how Professor John Goldingay tells us:

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goldingay) :

We now use the word "tragedy" in a rather broad sense, to refer to any awful event that causes great loss or grief, but more technically the word refers to the story of some significant person who goes from prestige and achievement to the loss of everything, often because of a character flaw….
Tragedies are thus frightening stories. They remind us of ways in which we can be our own worst enemies and ways in which we are responsible for our destinies while also not being in control of our destinies.
Saul's story is that kind of story.

John Goldingay. 1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.114-115.

Watch out, your character flaw might cause you to have a tragedy. Not only yourself, just like Saul, may be your whole family!

Watch out!

Dear Lord Jesus,

Help us to be very careful of our own character development. Lead us to be more like you so that we will not make similar mistake as king Saul. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Reflect on these questions:

1. Have you and your family suffered from your character flaw before?

2. Do you sense that you have a character flaw that could cause a tragedy?

3. What have you got from Jesus today?

Praise and Thanksgiving

Silence

1. Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

2. Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

Praise and Thanksgiving

1. Think through your day, all the times that made you smile

2. Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3. Open your heart to praise the Lord

And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:10

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html)

2. Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

The Word (1 Samuel 29:1-11)

English(ESV): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=撒+母+耳+記+上+29&version=ESV

4 But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here? 5 Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances,

‘Saul has struck down his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”

6 Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the Lord lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you. 7 So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.” 8 And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” 1 Samuel 29:4-8

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmax47l2hLU

My Listening

Do you think David really betrayed Israel and the Israelites? If not, why he followed the Philistine's city-king?

Let's see how Professor John Goldingay tells us:

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goldingay) :

David has succeeded in deceiving Achish, one of the Philistine city-kings, into believing that David really has gone over to the Philistine side, but the other Philistine city-kings are not so gullible. Like any decent double agent, David keeps a bold face and looks Achish in the eye, protesting his loyalty, though maybe Achish is also not shrewd enough to notice an ambiguity in his protest.

John Goldingay. 1 and 2 Samuel for Everyone. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011, p.112.

So, David is a double agent! Why God leads him to do that? Well, that's God's double purposes. The first purpose is for David to get away from Saul's chasing so that David won't be killed. The second purpose according to some commentaries is for David to learn those high-tech skills of making iron weapons because if you aware there were only a few top Israelites like Saul and Jonathan had iron spear and sword. That's why that is so important for David to return the spear to Saul.

God always has His own unusual and special way of doing things in critical situations. The question is, do you have that total trust in God to follow His lead in that unusual way?

Dear Lord Jesus,

Help us to trust in you totally so that we will follow your lead no matter how impossible it is. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Reflect on these questions:

1. Do you think David intentionally make his plan to be a double agent?

2. Are you willing to trust God totally so that God's purpose will be accomplished?

3. What have you got from Jesus today?

Praise and Thanksgiving

10,000 Reasons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

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http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/

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