1 Samuel 14:1-52, John 7:31-53, Psalms 109:1-31, Proverbs 15:5-74
Today is May 13th welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I’m Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we move through the center of another week and pretty much through the center of another month. But no matter what time it is, no matter what day it is we’re here together around the Global Campfire and that is a joy and an honor. So, let's…let’s take that next step forward together. We’re reading from the New International Version this week and we’re in the book of first Samuel learning about Samuel, learning about the first king of Israel, Saul. And Saul…Saul is showing us a lot about ourselves. Today, first Samuel chapter 14.
Commentary:
Okay. So, in the book of first Samuel, as we learn about Saul, we have already been able to observe his fear of man, right? Like, what people think about him very, very much influences the way that he behaves and the way that he makes decisions because of what they’re going to look like. In today’s reading we also see that Saul is rash, like he has enormous power, he is the king but he makes decisions without like seeking wisdom, without knowing like, this is a crossroads I need to slow down for a second, think this through, be wise about this next move. Instead he’s like trying to appear to be this strong leader and that works. Like, they’ve fought lots of battles but he’s also trying to make these decisions that have implications on down the line. And that happens today. So, Jonathan doesn’t tell his dad, doesn’t tell anybody that he’s gonna go over and check out the Philistine camp, which is probably an error on Jonathan’s part, but they do go over they’re like, you know, “if they say wait there we’ll come to you” then they’ll know one thing and if they say, “come up here we’ll…we’ll show you some things” then they’ll know that they should climb up and fight with them. And they do and that starts battle and Jonathan’s victorious in that battle, but it kind of sets off a chain reaction where the Philistine army is confused. And, so, they start fighting each other and there’s a lot of confusion and Saul sees all this going on and he’s like, “let’s go get them. No one can eat a thing until we have avenged our enemies.” Okay. Like, I am not the exercise guru of the Daily Audio Bible by any stretch but I know that if you do begin to do some kind of strenuous exercise, something that you’re gonna have to get the heart rate up and you’re gonna be running and you’re gonna be stopping and you’re gonna be swinging and you’re gonna be flicking and you’re gonna be jousting, all these kinds of things and you’re going to be doing it kind of indefinitely, but at least a day and you’re gonna have nothing to re-energize yourself, then that is ultimately going to exhaust you and slow you down. And yet, this is what the king ordered so this is what everybody’s obeying, which actually hampers the victory. Of course, Jonathan he started…instigated the whole thing but he doesn’t know anything about this vow. So, he eats some honey and it’s full of carbohydrates and he’s like re-energized, he’s got some energy back, but in the end, you know, everybody’s kind of assembling back together, people are going crazy and just eating whatever they can find and they’re butchering animals and just eating the animals. Saul wants to keep going and he calls for the Ark of the covenant and the priest is like, “we should probably ask God about this.” And God has nothing to say. And, so, Saul is determined like, “something’s wrong here.” And we do the lots and it turns out, Jonathan’s the one. And, so, Saul has already said like, “even if it’s my own son Jonathan he will die.” A rash thing to say. And Jonathan is basically like, “I didn’t know about this.” And, you know, like “God has been working through the battling against our enemies and I have to die?” And the King, King Saul is like basically, “you do have to die right here right now.” So, it’s the soldiers like who step forward and are like, “not at all can we kill Jonathan. The whole victory today was instigated by Jonathan. Can we not see that God was working in this? Like, we’re not killing Jonathan today.” And, so, Jonathan is saved but we’re gonna see there is a kind of tenuous relationship between the two of them, son and father as we go forward, as you could imagine. So, Saul is trying to be the part to look like this strong, dynamic, commanding, instantaneous, smart, wise leader, but his fatal flaw is that he cares more about what people think about him than anything. And in today’s reading we see that he’s boxed himself in where his own son is going to die. And it’s the people that Saul wants to look strong in front of that step forward and are like, “we’re not doing this. It would be wrong to execute him.” So, the thing that Saul’s trying to preserve and to portray isn’t working. By the time we get done with today’s reading, Saul doesn’t look like this masterful king. He looks weak. His own army, his own military leaders had to step forward and say, “this would be wrong.” So, once again we get a reminder of where the fear of man and paying attention to what everybody else might think or say as a way of gauging our lives, how that leads us into kind of a false identity. Now Saul has to appear to be kingly and this is in his head. He’s got to live up to something that he thinks he’s got to live up to when he doesn’t and this leads him into these kinds of situations and we like watch it day after day and we’re not done because Saul is gonna continue to walk this path are and we’re going to continue to watch where it goes.
Prayer:
Father, once again, we invite You into this because it really does boil down to a sense of identity. It boils down to who it is we’re trying to please and how much we’re willing to change who we really are in order to do that. And the truth is, we can’t really change ourselves. We can pretend. We can pretend but only You are capable of changing us from within. And, so, it is our identity in You that we must care about. All of the other things are by far distant secondary things. You give us identity and the identity that You have given us is…is that of a child, that we are Your children. May we walk in quiet confidence of that fact today we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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Community Prayer and Praise:
Hi Daily Audio Bible friends and family this is Hannah in Illinois and I just wanted to pray for a young lady who…whose message played at the end of May 7th. And I just want to also encourage you. So, you…you sound how I sounded a few days ago actually when…we’re…we’re struggling to have a child and when I found out again that we were not having a child this time around it felt like I was dying. And I want to share that it…it wasn’t…it wasn’t…it’s not because it’s a bad desire to want a child or to want to be with someone who you love but when we raise it higher than…than our Christ it…it tears us apart. And, so, whoever you put in the place of God, that that person cannot handle the weight of that or the responsibility of that. And, so, I’m praying for both you and I right now. Dear heavenly Father, thank You for my sister and I just pray that You heal her heart God and that You strip away anything that raises itself above You God in her mind, in her heart, in her life and in mine as well God. Help us to focus on You and receive Your love in Jesus name. Amen.
Hi, everyone it’s Karen in St. Louis. Hey, I’m going to ask you all please pray for my former pastor’s wife and his family. He was found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound the day before yesterday and they have been through so much in the last five years. God has used this man to impact thousands and thousands of people throughout the world and he wasn’t perfect. There’s no one perfect on this side of heaven, only Jesus. But he was a good man, he was a genuine guy and I want to tell you he preached grace and truth. And, so, I’m asking for prayers for his family, for the extended church family. I also want to pray to the comments that were on his Facebook page were…there were so many that were just appalling, satanic comments. And I fear and as I’m seeing I’m seeing darkness continue to rise up that we would be strong in the Lord, that we would pray for these people, that the God who rules and reigns over everything would apprehend their hearts. And I’m praying for protection for those who are trying to speak to them in love. And it’s vicious, it’s horrible. Thank you everyone. God bless you all. Bye-bye.
Hey, I’m wondering if…if you wouldn’t mind praying for me. I’m super struggling at the moment and have been going through a pretty hard time for about 13 months. One of the things I’m really struggling with is self-hatred and I don’t know why. And I’m also struggling with shame. I know that my sins have been forgiven so I don’t quite know what the shame is all about. And yeah, really feeling physical and lots of emotional pain and…and fatigue and grief and just don’t quite know how to move forward and manage. Anyway, I…thank for your prayers. Five.
Hello, you lovely people from the DAB this is Allison and I bring you greetings from England. I thought today I better call in with a really big praise report but this one goes back a very long way. Some of you, not many, but some will remember that over nine years ago, almost 10 in fact, my son was in a very serious accident and had a very serious brain injury. And they thought he wasn’t going to live. Oh, I’m Allison and he’s Christopher. The people from this community prayed for him and he has steadily made progress. It was quite rapid to begin with but then after a while it settled down and we weren’t sure if he was going to make more progress. And then he went into lockdown in his care home and I was really scared. But this seems to have been the making of him and Christopher who can walk a little bit with the frame decided to do a sponsored walk for charity to support where he lives and other homes like it. And he’s raised over 2000 pounds but much more than that, it’s brought meaning and hope into his life. So, for all of you who have ever prayed for Chris or if you’ve prayed for others like him with brain injuries, I offer my deep heartfelt thanks and I thank you all for sustaining me to the last 10 years. May you all be blessed and may you know God’s love working abundantly through you and in you. Amen.
Hi this is Ellie from California I’ve been a listener now since the beginning of this year, full time listener, and I just want to reach out with some prayer requests. I’ve been in the hospital for a week now and I went in for some pretty routine stuff and I had a lot of complications and I’ve had several procedures since coming in here and one procedure they made a couple mistakes and they’re doing their best to rectify them but I feel really, really scared and rotten and just kind of in need of…of global prayer. So, if anybody can please pray for me. I can’t get any food or water down. I’m so weakened to that. Thank you very much for listening and God bless all of you.
He was a hero overseas but a terrorist at home
a real pillar of the community but he also liked to roam
he has a license to have a gun but he molested his own son
he fought for all life but he abuses his own wife
how many are there like him
it’s not important that we know
but the problem is symptomatic and it continues to grow
he’s got God on the outside but he’s got demons within
so how can you separate the man from the sin
it is only through Christ the only true vine
that a man can be delivered from the torments of his mind
because it starts in the heart that’s what the demons control
and only God’s Holy Spirit can release that man’s soul
for its trapped in a torment that permits him no peace
and its only through Jesus that he can find a release
and the blood that Jesus shed gives him the right
to be ruler of all life because he truly is the light
darkness must flee when we invite him to come in
but he will not impose because he’s the consummate friend
men must be told and shown by our works
that peace and great joy are just part of the perks
a hero in war should be a hero at home
who’ll speak of God’s goodness wherever he’ll roam
and all that he knows to his offspring he shows
with respect for all life especially his wife
a brand-new creation coming out of every nation
the numbers might be few but God is making men new
blindtony1016@gmail.com. Like to give a shout out to Sherlock Washington and Kim, know your loved very much and prayed for every day and once again Brian and Hardin family thank you for this podcast for God’s holy spirit to flow, keep it flowin’ y’all. All right. Bye-bye.
Hello Daily Audio Bible this is Duane from Wisconsin all praise and glory to our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today is Mother’s Day so happy Mother’s Day to all those mothers around the world. I’m calling in for Cindy the flute player. She called in and told us she has lost her job and she is struggling to find employment. Unemployment hasn’t been there and now she has to move out of her home. Cindy, The Daily Audio Bible is praying for you. We pray the Lord will give you direction, that He will provide for you spiritually, financially, and physically. We want to lift you up in this time. We want you to know the Lord is walking with you and we as DABbers are also walking with you. We are here to encourage you and to let you know we are praying for you. We will continue to lift you up until you are able to find the financial resources you need and we ask that you lean the Lord, pray and in fasting you’re doing many good things. And in this time the Daily Audio Bible DABbers would like to lift you up. God bless you Cindy.