Category: Psalm

1 Samuel 23:2 [David] inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” The LORD answered him….
David’s faithful obedience and the Lord’s steadfast love astound me in this section. Saul, the king Israel clamored for, isn’t doing his job. Instead of protecting the people, he’s laser-focused on eliminating David. So God sends David to protect the people of Keilah. Saul gets wind of it and makes plans to go—not to protect his people, but to kill David. Again, David goes to the Lord seeking guidance, and again he receives guidance and direction from God. Even when the Ziphites go to Saul and volunteer information on David’s whereabouts, David goes to God: “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me” (Psalm 54:4).
1 Samuel 23:4 Once again David inquired of the LORD, and the LORD answered him….
David helps me put my problems in perspective. I’m incredibly thankful no one, especially not a crazed monarch, is after me, trying to kill me. I’m thankful I’m not being asked to do the job of that crazed king by protecting his people. But I am asking myself: What IS God calling me to do? Who IS God calling me to protect and defend? How CAN I be most faithful to God in my roles as Christian, wife, mother, sister, friend, teacher? “Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me” (Psalm 54:4).
1 Samuel 23:14 …Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands.
Lord, Thank You for this day, this scripture, David’s example. There are so many unknowns in so many areas of my life right now, Lord. Help me to seek You and Your will every moment of every day. Help me to cling to You and to understand what You are calling me to do in Your name. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Samuel 23:26 Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Saul….
Have a blessed day.

1 Samuel 22:1a David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam….
David has a rich interior life that I never understood until commentary pointed me to the Psalms that correlate with this time. At the beginning of this chapter, he has just escaped from Gath by pretending to be insane so they didn’t realize he was the one who killed Goliath and take revenge.
1 Samuel 22:1a David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam….
Psalm 142 was written as David hides in the cave: “I cry aloud to the LORD; I lift up my voice to the LORD for mercy” (v1). Psalm 57 is also written during his time in the cave of Adullam: “Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in You I take refuge” (v1). David cries out to God in his fear and doubt. He realigns himself fully with his Creator, and God hears him and guides him.
1 Samuel 22:1b …When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for David’s example as he struggles with his fear and places his trust in You. There are so many unknowns in so many aspects of our world right now. Help us not forget that You are our refuge. Help us to cry to You for mercy in our fear. Help us to recognize the people You place in our lives to support us on Your path. Help us to walk that path knowing that we can trust in You completely. Draw us closer. Amen.
1 Samuel 22:2 All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him.
Have a blessed day.

1 Samuel 21:2 David answered Ahimelek the priest, “The king sent me on a mission and said to me. ‘No one is to know anything about the mission I am sending you on.’ As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place.
David is lying. Granted, he is afraid of Saul and running for his life; however, I’d wager that he was at least a smidge afraid when he faced Goliath, so why is it different now? The answer is quite simple: When he faces Goliath, he knows he is with God, on God’s side. Now he is just afraid, and in his fear, he does not seek God. He seeks to save his own skin. Understandable, but not ideal for a man after God’s own heart.
1 Samuel 21:8 David asked Ahimelek, “Don’t you have a spear or a sword here? I haven’t brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king’s mission was urgent.”
Fortunately, David does eventually get his eyes back on God. Commentary directs me to Psalm 56, which is attributed to David when he is captured in Gath. Verse 1 shows his returning: “Be merciful to me, my God, for my enemies are in hot pursuit.” He’s still afraid, but he’s got his eyes on God again. And in Psalm 34, attributed to David when he feigns being a madman, David writes: “I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears” (verse 4), and “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (verse 18).
1 Samuel 21:10 That day David fled from Saul and went to Achish king of Gath.
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for understanding that our human tendency to fear makes us lose our focus. When we take our eyes off of You, You could cast us off completely, leaving us on our own. Thank You for Your grace and mercy, which allow us a path back to You. Always. Help us to stay focused on You. No matter what. Amen.
1 Samuel 21:13 So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman….
Have a blessed day.

1 Samuel 19:11a Saul sent men to David’s house to watch it and to kill him in the morning….
There is a lot going on in this chapter. It’s a veritable roller coaster ride of events, and David has every right to feel like the coaster is chasing him around the tracks. Yet commentary tells me that in the middle of all this madness, as Saul’s men are waiting outside David’s house to kill him, as David’s wife helps him escape through a window, this is when David composes Psalm 59.
1 Samuel 19:11b …But Michal, David’s wife, warned him….
“You are my strength, I watch for You; You, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely” (Psalm 59:9-10). “But I will sing of Your strength, in the morning I will sing of Your love; for You are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble” (Psalm 59:16). “You are my strength, I sing praise to You; You, God, are my fortress, my God in whom I can rely” (Psalm 59:17).
1 Samuel 19:11c … “If you don’t run for your life tonight, tomorrow you’ll be killed.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and this scripture. Thank You for the faithful example of David: hunted and chased from his home, he had every right to be angry and bitter, yet he turned to You in trust and praise. Help me to develop a faith as strong, help me to be a woman after Your own heart. Draw me closer. Amen.
1 Samuel 19:12 So Michal let David down through a window, and he fled and escaped.
Have a blessed day.