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Bible Teaching, Bible Study, Teaching, Verses, Sermons, online, mp3, classesA Bible Teaching Ministry of Galyn Wiemers


Daily Devotions, Evening and Morning Devotional

 

Sunrise on Temple Mount in Jerusalem; Back to Previous Devotion

April 3 - Evening

“But David thought to himself, ‘One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.’

So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maok king of Gath. David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal.

When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

Then David said to Achish, ‘If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?’

So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag, and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months.”

- First Samuel 27:1-6

Sunset on the Sea of Galilee; Click to go to next devotion  
David and his Men Serve the Philistines as Mercenaries    

After several years of running from King Saul through the land of Judah David realized that there must be an easier and safer way to wait for the Lord’s plan to develop in his life. In addition to this the David and his men realized they could not continue to stay on the run with their families. They needed to find a place to settle down. David went into the Philistine kingdom to the city of Gath which was ruled by King Achish Ben-Maoch. Along with David and has immediate family came his 600 men and their families. They would live among the Philistines for the next 16 months.

David and his men basically followed a practice very well documented in the Near East of offering their services as mercenaries, or professional military personal, in exchange for land. It appears that the land that David and his men were rewarded with was actually a town. King Achish Ben-Maoch gave David and his 600 men the town of Ziklag, which the text says “has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since.” This editorial note helps support a very early date for the writing of 1 Samuel since this statement would only be true up through the beginning of Rehoboam's (Solomon's son) reign, because Egyptian king Shishaq took control of this area in his well documented campaign in 925 BC (1 Kings 14:25). Although Hezekiah controlled this area around 740-710 BC, the territory that included Ziklag was soon controlled by Assyrians in the 600's. The only time this statement would have been true and made sense would have been the earliest years of Rehoboam's reign (930-925 BC).

David’s defection to the Philistines is understood in the Philistine’s perspective as David’s reaction to Saul’s unjust and oppressive behavior towards David and the other men who appear to have already been fugitives from Saul’s government when they joined up with David in the Judean wilderness.

This practice of using mercenaries was common and was, in fact, used by David when he hired Cretans and Philistines to serve as his personal body guard (they are called Kerethites and Pelethites or 2 Samuel 8:18; 23:22-23). These mercenaries would be more dependable for a king than native soldiers or citizen soldiers since mercenaries only reward would have come from the king and his rewarding of these troops from the bounty of the king’s success. Political interest or national factions will be less likely to influence a professional mercenary.

Ziklag was a good location for David to operate from since it was 35-40 miles south of Gath in the land of Philistia which was far enough away to avoid continual Philistine supervision. Ziklag was also a safe distance from King Saul.

  Christian Quote from Church History

“While it is possible all the religions of the world are false, it is a certainty that they cannot all be true.”
- David A. Noebel, Understanding the Times

Something to Ponder??

A continuous chain of prophets through the beginning and completion of the Old Testament Canon:

Moses – Ne.9:14; Lk.24:27
Joshua – Joshua 1
Samuel -  1 Chr.29:29
Nathan -  1 Chr.29:29
Gad -  2 Chr.12:15
Ahijah -  2 Chr.9:29-31
Shemaiah – 2 Chr. 12:15
Iddo -  2 Chr.13:22
Jehu -  2 Chr.20:34
Isaiah -  2 Chr.32:32
Hozai -  2 Chr.33:19
Jeremiah – Jer. 1:1-3
Ezekiel – Ezek. 1:2; 40:1
Daniel – Dan.1:1; 10:1
Ezra – Ezra 6:18; 7:11; 9:4
Zechariah – Zech. 1:1
Malachi – Mal. 4:5
Nehemiah – Neh. 1:1;
5:14; 13:6

 
Hebrew and Greek Word Study   Facts and Information

Adelphos (Gr) – brother (Eng) – adelphos is Greek word that refers to “a brother” or “a relative.” Adelphos is used to identify:

    • A brothers with the same parents (Mt. 14:3)
    • Descendents of same parents (Heb.7:5)
    • People of the same nation (Acts 3:17)
    • Any man of neighbor (Luke 10:29)
    • People with the same purpose (Mt.5:47)
    • The disciples (Jn. 20:17)
 

Babylonian King Belshazzar offered Daniel the position of the third highest ruler int eh kingdom in Daniel 5:7 because Belshazzar’s father, Nabonidus, was still alive and ruling in the southern part of the kingdom. Nabonidus had moved south to Tema in the Arabian Desert 500 miles from Babylon. So, Nabonidus was the king of the empire and Belshazzar was the king of Babylon and the north. Daniel was offered the next highest position available. (Details)

     
Confession to Action   Facts and Information
Am I willing to make adjustments for the benefit of others and to wait for the Lord's plan to develop?
I will make decisions in my life while considering the needs and desires of others.
I will behave in a way that allows God to develop his plan as I serve and wait patiently.
  "Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding,
 for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold.
She is more precious than rubies;
nothing you desire can compare with her.
Long life is in her right hand;
    in her left hand are riches and honor.
Her ways are pleasant ways,
    and all her paths are peace.
She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her;
    those who hold her fast will be blessed."

- Proverbs 3:13-18
     
Read the Bible in a Year; Bible Reading Program
Read one chapter each day to read through the narrative portion (or, the story line) of the whole Bible Genesis-Acts in one year. Read the General Text of the Bible Read the Complete Text of the Bible in a Year
(morning only) First Samuel 19 Judges 12
 
Prayer for Today
Personal Prayer Church Prayer Item National Prayer Concerns World Prayer Concerns

Neighbors

Teachers

Congressional leaders

Chad
 
Photo of Jerusalem; Pictures of Israel Bible Map and Diagram
Southwest corner of the Old City walls of Jerusalem. A map showing the location of the Cave of Machpelah where Abraham was buried in Genesis 25:7-11.
Southwest corner of the Old City walls of Jerusalem.
(click on image for larger size)
A map showing the location of the Cave of Machpelah where Abraham was buried in Genesis 25:7-11.
(click on image for larger size)
   
Details and Explanation of Sets & Reps Devotional System Here Make a donation to support Generation Word Bible Teaching Ministry
   
 
 
 
Reps & Sets is a daily Bible devotional for Christians from Generation Word Bible Teaching used each morning and evening.

 
 
 
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