Bible Study - GOD'S Own Heart (4) - Honor Life - Exodus 20:13; 1 Samuel 26:7-25 - September 27, 2020

 

Bible Study – GOD’S Own Heart (4) – Honor Life – September 27, 2020

This is lesson four (4) in our series entitled, “After GOD’S Own Heart: A Fresh Look at the Ten Commandments.”

Our focus scripture is Exodus 20:13; 1 Samuel 26:7-11, 22-25.

Respect human life as GOD does.

GOD is the giver of life both physical and Spiritual life. The trinity of every human is body, soul and spirit. The human spirit or the essence of life is the human spirit. The spirit in union with the body produces the soul or the manifestation of the human spirit. The human spirit leaves the human body at physical death and will, if not Spiritually converted or reborn Spiritually by GOD will spend eternity separated from GOD in Hell. It was never GOD’S intention for humans to end up in Hell, the place HE made for Satan and his followers.

GOD’S Word, the Bible, is the revelation of GOD or GOD’S redemptive plan to reveal to mankind the way to eternal life through faith in HIS Only SON, JESUS. JESUS was and is the sinless human sacrifice that GOD required to pay for sin, in full. JESUS was and is the only acceptable sacrifice to GOD for the redemption of every human who places his or her faith in JESUS and HIS passion to receive eternal life through the Spiritual rebirth of his or her spirit.

Have you asked JESUS to forgive you for your sins and asked HIM to come into your heart? If not, why not do that now! Eternity is but a heartbeat away, do not delay. There are no certain words you have to say. It all boils down to the attitude of your heart. Salvation can be a simple as, “LORD I give up trying to figure eternity out or Spiritual rebirth and I ask YOU to forgive me for my sins believing that JESUS gave HIS sinless life just for me. Please come into my life now. Thank YOU for YOUR salvation as confirmed by the indwelling Holy Spirit. Amen.” If you prayed such a prayer then welcome into GOD’S Family through the miracle of Spiritual rebirth. Read GOD’S Word to see that the truth in HIS Word becomes more evident as you seek to serve GOD. 

When did GOD know that you would be a living person upon earth?

Let’s read Ephesians 1:3-6:

³ Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ. ⁴ For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.^[c] 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.

Yes, GOD chose us before HE created the world but HE also gives us freedom to choose. The question is, “Do we choose HIM through faith in JESUS?” Life is precious and the odds of you being a human are staggering but you made it. You are here upon earth not by accident but by design and GOD has a plan for your life. But you have to choose HIM through faith in JESUS to experience this new life through Spiritual birth.

All lives are precious – all lives!

Our focus in this study is on the sixth commandment, “Do not murder.”

We know murder is the cessation of life at the hand of another person.

Let’s consider another side of murder. There is physical murder, the loss of human life. Should we consider the murder of our human spirit?

Is killing the spirit/will/ambition (brain washing) of a person a form of murder?

I think so. When we kill the will of a person to reach his or her full potential, that is a form of murder. GOD desires for each of us to serve HIM to the max and that comes from being in right relationship with HIM through faith in JESUS.

GOD makes that clear in our focus scripture, as we read on ----

Let’s read Exodus 20:13:

¹³ Do not murder.

Is abortion murder? Or is it a form of birth control? Now, I am not coming down on those who have had an abortion. For a variety of reasons women have abortions e.g. medical reasons and social reasons. GOD knows the hearts of those who and why they have had an abortion. Only GOD can heal the broken hearts of those who have had an abortion for whatever reason.

If abortion is made legal, does that remove the fact that it is killing a person? No! Adoption is an alternative. The taking of a life is murder but the taking of a life may preserve the life of another as in an abortion can save the life of the mother. Is self-defense where the culprit dies murder? No! We have the right to defend ourselves and our loved ones. Euthanasia, is it mercy killing or murder? These are moral, human to human and religious issues. GOD is clear “Do not murder.” But there are times when a life must be taken.

Let’s consider GOD’S forgiveness. The point is GOD cherishes human life and HIS desire is for all people to receive JESUS as their Savoir and spend eternity with HIM in Heaven. Physical life via conception is the beginning process. HE has a path forward for every person who will place his or her faith in JESUS.

The past is the past and cannot be done over. We may need to confess a sin and ask JESUS to forgive us. If the Holy Spirit pricks our heart to confess something in the past, then we need to confess it and ask HIM to forgive us. HE forgives and HE restores. When GOD forgives us, it is just as important for us to forgive ourselves.

Our scripture gives us an opportunity to see the heart of David. David knew that GOD was going to make him king. King Saul had been anointed king. King Saul wanted to kill David and had attempted to do so several times. David chose to get out of King Saul’s presence. But King Saul and his troops chased after David to kill him. How did David handle at least two opportunities for him to have King Saul killed or to kill the king himself? Let’s explore!

King Saul was in hot pursuit of David and his men. King Saul wanted David dead. David had served King Saul in the palace but even then, King Saul tried to kill David by throwing a spear at him. David had to flee.

On one occasion, King Saul was chasing David with 3,000 men in the region of En-gedi.  David was hiding in a cave with his men and King Saul had to relieve himself. King Saul entered the cave where David and his men were hiding. David’s men wanted David to use this opportunity to kill King Saul. Instead, David carefully and quietly sneaked up to where King Saul was and cut off a piece of King Saul’s robe. Later David told King Saul what he had done and showed him the piece of his robe that he had cut. David’s men thought that GOD had given David the opportunity to kill Saul but David waited on GOD to remove Saul from being king. Why? It was because GOD had instructed Samuel to anoint Saul as king. Anointing means to be set aside to be used for the LORD’S purpose. Anointing also imparted GOD’S divine enabling. (When a person receives JESUS as his or her Savior, GOD anoints that person with the Holy Spirit.) GOD told Samuel to anoint Saul and GOD would be the ONE to remove Saul from serving HIM and not David.

In our focus scripture, we see another opportunity for David to have King Saul killed. In that day, it was a skill to enter a camp and leave without being detected. David and his men were hiding in the Wilderness of Ziph. King Saul and 3,000 men were in pursuit of David and his men. David sent out spies to locate Saul’s camp as documented in 1 Samuel 26:1-7:

26 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah saying, “David is hiding on the hill of Hachilah opposite Jeshimon.” ² So Saul, accompanied by three thousand of the fit young men of Israel, went immediately to the Wilderness of Ziph to search for David there. ³ Saul camped beside the road at the hill of Hachilah opposite Jeshimon. David was living in the wilderness and discovered Saul had come there after him. ⁴ So David sent out spies and knew for certain that Saul had come. ⁵ Immediately, David went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw the place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army, were lying down. Saul was lying inside the inner circle of the camp with the troops camped around him. ⁶ Then David asked Ahimelech the Hethite and Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, “Who will go with me into the camp to Saul?”

“I’ll go with you,” answered Abishai. (Abishai was David’s nephew.”)

Now for the rest of the story ------

Just imagine two men sneaking into a camp of 3,000 troops with King Saul in the middle of an inner circle of men without waking any of them up. Why? Let’s find out why as we continue-------

Let’s read 1 Samuel 26:7-11:

⁷ That night, David and Abishai came to the troops, and Saul was lying there asleep in the inner circle of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. Abner (Chief Military officer) and the troops were lying around him. ⁸ Then Abishai said to David, “Today God has delivered your enemy to you. Let me thrust the spear through him into the ground just once. I won’t have to strike him twice!” (Delivered means “to shut” or “close” the door or gate. Abishai, in essence told David, this is your opportunity that GOD has given to you and I will do the deed.)

⁹ But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him, for who can lift a hand against the Lord’s anointed and be innocent?” ¹⁰ David added, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will certainly strike him down: either his day will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. ¹¹ However, as the Lord is my witness, I will never lift my hand against the Lord’s anointed. Instead, take the spear and the water jug by his head, and let’s go.”

Does every opportunity to take advantage of situation mean it is GOD’S will? Or is it a test of our character? In this situation, David chose to depend upon GOD to elevate him to the throne. It was a test.

David, said take King Saul’s spear and water jug. Why?

The spear represented Saul’s defense or personal protection and his royalty. It also represented Saul’s authority and a weapon of death. The water jug represented life. David symbolically took Saul’s authority when he took his spear and his life/water jug. What did David taking King Saul’s spear, a weapon of death and his water jug do to King Saul? It humiliated him and humiliation often is worse than bodily harm.

Let’s read 1 Samuel 26:12-21:

¹² So David took the spear and the water jug by Saul’s head, and they went their way. No one saw them, no one knew, and no one woke up; they all remained asleep because a deep sleep from the Lord came over them. ¹³ David crossed to the other side and stood on top of the mountain at a distance; there was a considerable space between them. ¹⁴ Then David shouted to the troops and to Abner son of Ner, “Aren’t you going to answer, Abner?” (Abner was King Saul’s chief military officer. He was near King Saul when David and Abishai took the king’s spear and water jug.)

“Who are you who calls to the king?” Abner asked.

¹⁵ David called to Abner, “You’re a man, aren’t you? Who in Israel is your equal? So why didn’t you protect your lord the king when one of the people came to destroy him? ¹⁶ What you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, all of you deserve to die^[a] since you didn’t protect your lord, the Lord’s anointed. Now look around; where are the king’s spear and water jug that were by his head?”

¹⁷ Saul recognized David’s voice and asked, “Is that your voice, my son David?”

“It is my voice, my lord and king,” David said. ¹⁸ Then he continued, “Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done? What crime have I committed? ¹⁹ Now, may my lord the king please hear the words of his servant: If it is the Lord who has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. But if it is people, may they be cursed in the presence of the Lord, for today they have banished me from sharing in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, ‘Go and worship other gods.’ ²⁰ So don’t let my blood fall to the ground far from the Lord’s presence, for the king of Israel has come out to search for a single flea, like one who pursues a partridge in the mountains.”

²¹ Saul responded, “I have sinned. Come back, my son David, I will never harm you again because today you considered my life precious. I have been a fool! I’ve committed a grave error.”

Did King Saul realize that GOD had placed a canopy of protection over David? Was the king reaching out to David in a sincere apology or luring David back to kill him?

Did David fall for the smooth tongue king?

The scripture tells us in Romans 12:19:

¹⁹ Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for God’s wrath, because it is written, Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay,^[d] says the Lord.

Let’s read 1 Samuel 26:22-25:

²² David answered, “Here is the king’s spear; have one of the young men come over and get it. ²³ The Lord will repay every man for his righteousness and his loyalty. I wasn’t willing to lift my hand against the Lord’s anointed, even though the Lord handed you over to me today. ²⁴ Just as I considered your life valuable today, so may the Lord consider my life valuable and rescue me from all trouble.”

²⁵ Saul said to him, “You are blessed, my son David. You will certainly do great things and will also prevail.” Then David went on his way, and Saul returned home.

All’s well that ends well. The word “blessed” means to “to kneel” and carries the idea “to bless someone meant to endow them with power to accomplish a purpose.”

David prevailed in slaying Goliath because David trusted in GOD. David would continue to prevail because of his relationship with GOD.

This is a message for Christians today. In whom do we place our trust, GOD or man?

It is exciting to see the hand of GOD at work in our lives and in the lives of others. If we were in similar circumstances, how would we have handled the situation? Do we take matters out of GOD’S hands and place them into our hands? Or do we wait upon the LORD?

It depends upon our walk with our LORD. Do we trust the LORD? Do we know when the LORD tells us to wait upon HIM or go forward as HE leads? Does the Holy Spirit direct our lives? Do we trust the leadership of the Holy Spirit? If not, why not? As a Spirit-born Christian, you are indwelled by the Holy Spirit WHO guarantees your salvation.

We in America face a critical presidential election. Have we been in prayer for the person for whom we need to cast our vote? Do we trust GOD to put the person into office that HE chooses?

Pray and vote! Know that GOD is still on HIS throne and is still in charge.

Blessings!!!