Listening to the Word

2 Samuel 2; 1 Chronicles 11; Psalms 142; Matthew 14 “David longed for water and said, ‘Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!’ So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord.” 1 Chronicles 11:17, 18 David recognized that his personal wants were not worthy of the sacrifice of his men’s lives. In an age where spiritual leaders are attracting a large following, the temptation to misuse authority for personal gain is significant. David’s unguarded musing was interpreted by his men as an assignment worthy of their lives. The fault lay with David, not his men, to accept responsibility for this foolish effort. The only one worthy of the sacrifice of our lives is the Lord Jesus. David’s drink offering redeemed a situation that could have ended as badly as his impulsive counting of Israel’s fig

  2 Samuel 1; Psalms 140; Matthew 13   “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” Matthew 13:44 When we find something worth investing in, there is joy. When we find something with eternal value to invest in, there is great joy. Those with great wealth describe the emptiness of collecting another toy they don’t need. Even those with everything this world can offer search for treasure that money cannot buy. What have we placed value on in our lives? Does the investment of our time, resources, abilities, and passion reflect our true values? Jesus lived in loving surrender and obedience to his Father, the source of all authority in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus invested thirty years of hidden obedience in a workshop because his joy was in obeying the Father, not public ministry. Have we bought the field with eternal treasure, or have we bought treasure, looking for a f

1 Samuel 30-31; 1 Chronicles 10; Matthew 12   “But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house.” Matthew 12:28, 29 Healing from demonic influence in our lives requires a greater authority than the unclean spirits. Jesus confronted the demonic powers with the Spirit of God, and he gave his disciples the same authority. However, Jesus used strategy in identifying the function or influence that the unclean spirit(s) had in a person’s life (deaf/dumb spirit), starting with the strong man, or most powerful spirit, in the person’s life. Jesus also cautioned against driving out unclean spirits and not filling that space with the Holy Spirit. Unclean spirits can return, looking to re-occupy our lives and bring others with them. We must know our authority in Christ and not just take ground back from the ene

1 Samuel 28-29; Psalms 109; Matthew 11   “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it…I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” Matthew 11:12, 25 The paradox of the kingdom of heaven is that forceful men lay hold of it, yet entrance to the kingdom requires child-like faith, humility, and tenacity, in concert with submission and surrender, alongside bold, risk-taking obedience. If the kingdom of heaven does not appear to be advancing within our context, we must ask if we are engaging in the battle. John the Baptist battled with the religious elite of Jerusalem and a religious system of entitlement and hypocrisy. Jesus battles similar forces and the spiritual powers of darkness. Living on mission with Jesus requires the surrender of our will, in humility, like a child in full dependence on our Fat

1 Samuel 27; Psalms 141; 1 Chronicles 9; Matthew 10   “So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath.” 1 Samuel 27:2 The confidence David had placed in the Lord for his refuge needed to be renewed every day. Yesterday’s victories don’t help us today. David ‘went over’ to the Philistines for refuge from Saul. He replaced the hand of God with the hand of Achish, king of Gath and he replaced the provision of God with his own plunder as he took innocent lives in order to survive. He replaced the shelter of the Most High with Ziklag. What have we traded for our own security? Fear can rob us of our faith and confidence in the Lord. We, too, can make impulsive decisions which affect the lives of those in our care. In what ways are we tempted to ‘go over’ to the enemy’s territory in order to find refuge for the pressures in our lives? “Lord Jesus, you are my refuge. Living according to your ways, under your hand, is my shelter and strong tower

1 Samuel 25-26; Psalms 63; Matthew 9 “So David took the spear and water jug near Saul’s head…Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away; there was wide space between them.” 1 Samuel 26:12, 13 “Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a [paralyzed man], lying on a mat…” Matthew 9:1, 2 David took Saul’s spear as he slept, the same spear Saul had hurled at him. Instead of engaging Saul in warfare, David “crossed over” to a spacious place and then gently rebuked Saul for his jealous fear and intent to kill. How do we respond when “spears” are thrown at us? Have we crossed over to a higher place, or do we fight flesh and blood? Jesus left his confrontation with the demoniac by crossing over to his home town. When the enemy taunted him, Jesus responded with authority. Jesus didn’t just forgive sin, he took sin upon himself and allowed the “spear of sin” to pierce his side. He died in our place. He