“War broke out again, and David went and fought the P’lishtim. He defeated them with a great slaughter, and they fled before him.”-1 Samuel 19:8
So in verse 8, we’re told another fight broke out with the Philistines who always desired to keep their trade routes open, linking their ports to their customers in the east and north.
These routes passed through Israel, and everyone, including Saul, wanted a cut of the profits for letting Philistine traders pass through their land.
In the Middle East, there was a constant struggle for control over territory.
But these battles weren’t always about expanding the size of a nation’s territorial holdings.
It was more about the economic benefits.
Some kings wanted to build empires, like the Babylonians, Assyrians, and Persians, but it doesn’t seem like the Philistines had that goal.
Now, the reason this war is mentioned is to demonstrate that once again David was kicking some serious butt out on the battlefield.
You’d think Saul would be happy as a clam to have a soldier who was always victorious.
It turns out no such thing.
David’s successes only made Saul more paranoid.
He was now more convinced than ever that David wanted to take his throne.
Ironically, what he didn’t realize was that as the NAGID or king-in-waiting, David had already taken his throne.
Filled with suspicion and fear, Saul once again hurls his spear at David…
And once again, David dodges it and escapes.
This was the last straw for David.
He knew that despite whatever Jonathan had told him Saul could no longer be trusted.
David knew Saul would do everything in his power to find and kill him.
In terms of a takeaway, the big lesson I’m getting is that if you really wanna know someone’s true intentions, at the end of the day, you have to look at their ACTIONS, not what they say.
Saul told his son Jonathan with a straight face “As Adonai lives, David will not be put to death.”
Yet, in verse 10, we have Saul trying to kill David again.
As the adage goes “Actions speak louder than words.”
From this point onward, David will be a fugitive, on the run for his life as long as Saul is on the throne.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“Dear children,
let us not love with words or speech
but with actions and in truth.”
-1 John 3:18
“In the same way,
faith by itself,
if it is not accompanied
by action, is dead.”
-James 2:17
“Do not merely listen to the word,
and so deceive yourselves.
Do what it says.”
-James 1:22
“Not everyone who says to me,
‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the
kingdom of heaven,
but only the one who does the
will of my Father who is in heaven.”
-Matthew 7:21
“‘Why do you call me,
‘Lord, Lord,’ and do
not do what I say?'”
-Luke 6:46
P.S. I’d like to say a special thanks to all of those who reached out about my afflictions and struggles that I wrote about in yesterday’s post. Your prayers are appreciated. And feel free to reach out to me if you have any prayer requests. I do believe in the power of prayer. Shalom.
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