1 Samuel 25:32

1 Samuel 25:32 says, And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:  David first gave God the credit for sending Abigail to speak to him.  As Christians, all the advice in the world is never going to do us any good unless we know that God is behind the advice.  Verse thirty-three adds, And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.  David then asked that Abigail be blessed, because she had kept him from acting out of anger and avenging what he saw as someone being ungrateful towards him by killing them.  We cannot allow self-pride to cause us to react with anger to those that we feel might have slighted.  Verse thirty-four continues, For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.  David told Abigail that as surely as God lived, had she not come to him, that by  morning none of Nabal’s men would have been alive by morning.  Of course, David had really not sought God's guidance in this situation, but fortunately for David, God was still at work.  Sometimes I believe that God has to work through others to keep us from doing something wrong because we are acting out our own desires or anger instead of following His will.  Verse thirty-five concludes, So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person. David took the supplies that Abigail had brought and told her to go in peace, that he had listened to what she had said.  Of course, all the Godly advice in the world is no good unless we heed it.  David could have listened to her, taken the supplies, and still have attacked Nabal, but he saw God at work in the situation and did what he knew God would want him to do.   We as Christians must always look to God for guidance and never act out of self-will and anger.  Verse thirty-six states, And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.  When Abigail returned to Nabal, he was having a party and was very drunk, so she didn't tell him what she had done.  He might not have been willing to help David, but he was willing to indulge himself.  His heart was merry because he was drunk.  People still are sometimes more willing to indulge themselves in earthly pleasures than they are to help others.  Verse thirty-seven adds, But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.  The next morning, when Nabal was sober, Abigail told him what she had done, and it says his heart died within him and he bacame as a stone.  He should have been grateful to Abigail for what she had done to spare his life, but he fell deeper into despair instead.  Verse thirty-eight continues, And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died.  We are told that about ten days later, God smote Nabal and he died.  God has the ability to kill all our enemies, but I believe that as a general rule, He expects us to reach out to them with His love and mercy, and I do know that they will never die without having an opportunity to repent and accept the salvation that Jesus Christ makes available.  

1 Samuel 25:21

1 Samuel 25:21 says, Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good.  David said that he had done nothing but good to Nabal, and instead of helping David, he had acted evil before him.  We should realize that just because we help someone that they may not help us when we need it.  Some may want to destroy us instead.  Verse twenty-two adds, So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.  David then acted more like Saul than himself.   He resolved to kill all the men of Nabal’s, but didn't quite attribute his actions to God, though he came close.  It is bad enough if we act out of anger towards others wanting only to destroy them, but it is even worse if we attribute our actions to God's will.  Verse twenty-three states, And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,   When Abigail got to David, she fell down humbly before him.  She did not come making demands or threats, but in humility.  We will sometimes get farther in calming a situation by being humble than we will by being arrogant.  Verse twenty-four adds, And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid.  Abigail asked David to put the iniquity that he felt Nabal had done on her as she humbly called herself his handmaiden, or servant.  She was willing to sacrifice herself for her husband.  We may one day have to make a decision about how much we are willing to sacrifice for those that we love, even if they may be in the wrong.  Verse twenty-five continues, Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.  She said that Nabal was weak by nature and lacked understanding and that he was not acting spiteful but simply foolishly.  Those who do not put their faith in God today may often act foolishly towards Christians, even if they are not acting spitefully.  Verse twenty-six says, Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. Abigail then appeals to David not by her own reasoning but by the grace of God.  Ultimately, no matter how we as followers of Christ may feel about people, we must act under the grace of God towards them.  She adds that may God make all David’s enemies as Nabal, beneath his taking vengeance on them out of anger, because as long as David was faithful to God, God would always give him the victory.  This had been David's decision out of anger and not really by God's guidance.  We need to look to God for guidance, especially if we are angry at someone.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord.  Abigail asked that the blessing she brought to David be applied to the young men who followed Nabal as well.  In other words, she wanted David to show God's mercy to them.  Even if we have a hard time personally showing our mercy to people, we as Christians should always follow God's guidance and show God's mercy to them.  Verse twenty-eight continues, I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.  Abigail again appealed to David to forgive the trespasses that he thought Nabal had committed against him because God was with him and was going to make him great.  Had David acted out of anger, he certainly wouldn't have been a man after God's own heart.  We, as followers of Christ, need to always act in a way that brings honor to God and forgive those who trespass against us and not seek vengeance on them.  Verse twenty-nine states, Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling.  She assured David of what he should have already known, and that was that God would keep him safe as long as he was obedient to God.  She basically said that he didn't need to worry about Nabal, who was no real threat to him.  We may get so focused on those that we think have done us wrong that we forget about doing God's will and lose sight of our real enemies.  Verse thirty adds, And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel;   Verse thirty-one continues, That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.  She again reminded David to leave things up to God and not act vengeful on his own, and then when God had installed him as king, to remember her kindly.  She was preventing David from making a big mistake and all she asked from him was to be remembered kindly.  We may need someone at times to remind us to act under God's guidance and not out of our own desires, and if they do, we should certainly look kindly on them.

1 Samuel 25:10

1 Samuel 25:10 says, And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.   Nabol replied to David's request by asking who David was to be asking him for help.  He also implied that David could be a runaway slave.  Though praises for David’s victories over the Philistines had been sung by the people of Israel, either Nabal hadn't heard of him or chose to ignore his knowledge of who David was. We may be known for our great faith in the Christian community,  but that doesn't mean that we are known by everyone in the world, and if we were to ask them for help, we should not be surprised if they ask who we think we are to ask them.  Verse eleven asks, Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?  Nabal then asked if he should give the provisions that he had for his shearers to someone that he did not know.   Of course, we know that this was not all his provisions available, but he didn't want to give up anything more.  People of the world and too often Christians as well are unwilling to give of their excess to help those in need, especially people that they don't know.  Verse twelve states, So David’s young men turned their way, and went again, and came and told him all those sayings.  The young men that David sent returned to him and told him what Nabal had said.  This was all they could do.  If we are tasked by a fellow Christian to ask someone for help in a particular time of need, that is all that we can do.  We cannot make them help.  Verse thirteen adds, And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff.  David told his men to arm themselves, and they did as did David himself.  He took four hundred with him and left the rest to guard their stuff.  As we engage in the battle against Satan and his forces today, we need to put on the armor of God, and some of us may be actively involved in the battle while others are guarding our stuff.   I believe that as long as we are faithful to God that He will lead us to our role in the battle.  Verse fourteen states,adds,  But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them.  One of the young men of Nabal told his wife what had happened when David sent his request to Nabal.  Verse fifteen, But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we any thing, as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields:  The young man then began to give David a good report about the time David and his forces had camped out with them.  In our interactions with the world today, they should be able to give a good report of how we treated them.  Verse sixteen continues, They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.  The young man went on to say that while in the company of David and his men that they protected them day and night.  This was not really the responsibility of David and his men, but they took it on even as they were running for their lives.  We should never allow our circumstances to keep us from helping others, even the lost people of the world, when we have an opportunity.  Verse seventeen concludes, Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.  The young man told Abigail to consider what she would do, because there was now evil proposed against Nabal and his household because he wouldn't listen when anyone tried to reason with him.  Matthew Henry says that being a son of Belial meant that Nabal was morose and unable to listen and understand what anyone might tell him.  Some people today are so much under the control of Satan that it is very hard to reason with them.  Verse eighteen says, Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.  Abigail didn't go and try to reason with Nabal, but she took action.  She gathered many supplies and loaded them on asses, ready to be transported.  Sometimes, we may need to take action, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, instead of trying to reason with someone who is unwilling to listen. Verse nineteen adds, And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.  Abigail sent her servants ahead of her saying she would follow them, but she didn't tell Nabal what she was doing.  This really was a situation where she could have been putting her life in danger to help David and actually to help Nabal himself.  There may be times when we have to put ourselves in danger in order to do the right thing concerning others.  Verse twenty continues, And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them. She met David and his men as they were on the way to go to war with Nabal.   Sometimes, confronting people head on is our only option, and we may not always have a clear indication of which side God is on. We are not told that either Abigail or David had consulted God about their actions, but we always should.

1 Samuel 25:1

1 Samuel 25:1 says, And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.  At this time, Samuel died, and all of Israel mourned.  Samuel was a great prophet of God who told God's truth to the people of Israel, even Saul concerning his loss of the kingship.  Still, his last few years had been lived in relative obscurity, and he had feared Saul might kill him.  After Samuel was buried, David went to the wilderness of Paran.  Matthew Henry says this may have been to mourn or because having lost a faithful friend who was also a prophet and the one who had ordained him king, David feared for his life even more.  Verse two adds,  And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.  Verse three adds, Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.  We have an account of a man named Nabol, one of the descendants of Caleb, who had been a faithful and fearless man of God. Nabol was rich and married to a beautiful wife, but was said to have been churlish and evil in his dealings with other people.  Just because one's parents, or grandparents even, have been faithful Christians does mean that their children and grandchildren will be.  All that we can do as Christian parents is to lead them to a knowledge of Jesus Christ.   We cannot accept Him as Savior and Lord for them.  Verse four states, And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep.  Verse five adds, And David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:  When David heard Nabol was having his sheep sheared, he sent some young men to appeal to Nabol for help.  Matthew Henry says that Nabol might not have been the best person to appeal to because of his character, but at this time he also could not have claimed he had no ability to help.  If we go to people of the world for help in times of trouble, we need to realize that it might be better to go to our fellow Christians.  If we go to our fellow Christians and they have the ability to help and don't, then there is probably something wrong.  Verse six continues, And thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be both to thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.  David told the young men to wish Nabol peace and prosperity.  We should also never wish anyone harm today as followers of Christ, but should reach out to them with the gospel.  I don't believe God ever expects us to wish evil for others, not even if they are our enemies.  Verse seven says, And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: now thy shepherds which were with us, we hurt them not, neither was there ought missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel.  David told the young men to remind Nabol of the time David and his men had camped with his shepherds, and they had neither harmed them nor allowed harm to come to them.  David had acted in Nabol's best interest at that time, and I believe that we as Christians should always act in a way that is at least in the spiritual best interest of others.  Verse eight adds, Ask thy young men, and they will shew thee. Wherefore let the young men find favour in thine eyes: for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand unto thy servants, and to thy son David.  David then told Nabol to ask his shepherds if what he said was true and then asked for him to provide them with whatever help he could.  We as followers of Christ should always be able to say that we have acted in a way that puts others first, especially if they are fellow Christians.  Nabol was after all a part of the nation of Israel, God's chosen people.  Verse nine continues, And when David’s young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and ceased.  The young men went to Nabol and told him what David had said.  All we can do as Christians is to faithfully share the message of the gospel that Jesus Christ has sent us to share.  Then, as with Nabol and David’s request, it is upto them how they answer. 

1 Samuel 24:7

1 Samuel 24:7 says, And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men’s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?   David asked Saul where he had heard that David was out to destroy him.  David was getting to the heart of the matter, or the truth, and so should we attempt to get to the truth if people view us as a threat today.  Verse ten adds, Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the LORD’s anointed.  David told Saul that he could see for himself that God placed him in a position where David could have easily killed him, but David would not take that action against Saul, whom God had anointed as king.  We need yo make sure that we don't confuse opportunity with God's will.  Verse eleven continues, Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.  David still respectfully called Saul his father, and offered the skirt of Saul’s robe as proof that he could have killed him but he had no intention of doing so.  He then said that Saul continued to try and kill him even though he was no threat to him..  Sometimes, all we can do today if threatened for our Christian beliefs is present the truth of the situation to disspell their lies or perception of the situation.  Verse twelve says, The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.  David then told Saul to let the LORD judge between them.  Saul was the leader of God's Chosen people, so this was a reasonable request.  We may not expect everyone to listen to God when there is a dispute between them and us, but we certainly can expect those who profess to be Christians to do so.  Verse thirteen adds, As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.  David then referred to the proverb of the ancients to support the fact that he wasn't trying to kill Saul.  David said that even though wickedkness came from the hand of the wicked that David himself was not one of the wicked.  Verse fourteen continues, After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea.  David then asked Saul who he was attempting to kill, and compared himself to a dead dog or a flea.  David was saying he offered no more of a threat to Saul than a dead dog or a flea.  He should have been inconsequential to Saul.   We as followers of Christ should be of no threat to forcibly take over power from those in power today than a flea, unless God has directed us to do so.  If He has, then we have no reason to continue to try and bargain with them. Verse fifteen concludes,The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand.  David then told Saul once more to allow God to decide the truth of the matter.  This is really all that we can do today as Christians.  Of course, if such a situation arises,we need to make sure that we are following God's will.  Verse sixteen says, And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these words unto Saul, that Saul said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.  After David ended his appeal to Saul, Saul asked if it was really David his son. Saul then lifted up his voice and wept.  I believe that Saul at times actually was sane and willing to listen to reason, and sometimes today even those who would destroy us as Christians have moments when they see us as no threat physically.  Of course, I also believe that spiritually we should always be a threat to their beliefs.  Verse seventeen adds, And he said to David, Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.  Saul then stated the heart of the matter, and that was that David was more righteous than he was.  Saul continued by saying whereas David had wanted only good for Saul, he had wanted only evil for David.  We need to be able to stand innocent if accused of attempting to harm those in power today, even if they want only to destroy us.  As long as we stand with God, everything will ultimately be okay.  Verse eighteen continues, And thou hast shewed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me: forasmuch as when the LORD had delivered me into thine hand, thou killedst me not.  Saul acknowledged that David had proven that day that he was not attempting to kill Saul, based on the fact that God had delivered Saul into his hand and David hadn't killed him.  Saul at least acknowledged that God was behind David having the opportunity to kill him.  We may not always be able to get people today to acknowledge that God is behind our actions, but we should never assume that if He places us in a position to destroy someone who is out to destroy us that we should do so.  Verse nineteen states, For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore the LORD reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.  Saul said that it made no sense for a man to let his enemy go if he had an opportunity to kill him, as David had with Saul.  Saul then asked for God to reward David for his good deed that day.  Of course, if Saul was really following God's will, none of this would have happened.  People are still paying lip service to God today without really having a personal relationship with Him.  Verse twenty adds, And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.  Saul then acknowledged that he knew that David would one day be king, which means that Jonathan his son would not.  Even if people today recognize that one day we as Christians will be with God forever and that they haven't accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord they won't, we cannot expect them to always be truthful in their acknowledging this, as we will see later on that Saul wasn't.  Verse twenty-one continues, Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father’s house.  Saul then asked David to swear that he would not destroy his descendants, as Saul himself might have done to David's.  We should never be guilty of wanting destroy anyone, much less their descendants.  As Christiaans, we should not be out to destroy non- Christians, but should be reaching out to them with God's love and mercy by sharing the gospel with them.  Verse twenty-two concludes, And David sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold.  After David swore to Saul that he wouldn't harm his descendants when he came into power, Saul went home, but David and his men stayed in the hold.  Just because someone may acknowledge that we as followers of Christ are in the right doesn't mean that we are to let our guard down. 

1 Samuel 24:1

1 Samuel 24:1 says, And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.  After returning from fighting the Philistines, Saul was told where David now was.  It seems that many of the people of Israel were still loyal to Saul, even though David had done more overall to protect them from the Philistines.  There are people today, even some Christians, who are loyal to political leaders no matter what, but we a Christians need to seek God's guidance as we place our loyalty in political leaders.  Verse two adds, Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.  Saul took three thousand chosen men, that we would think were his best fighters, to go and hunt David.  This was an overwhelming force to go against David and his small force.  As followers of Christ, we are always going to be outnumbered in the world today, but God has already given us the everlasting victory through our faith in Jesus Christ.  Verse three continues, And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.  When Saul got there, he went into a cave.  This was a very large cave, and David and his men were hidden inside it.  Saul was alone,and David had an ideal opportunity to kill him, but this still wasn't David’s intention.  Verse four states, And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe privily.  David’s men told him that God had delivered Saul into his hand as He had promised.  David could have listened to them and killed Saul and justified it as being God's will, but instead he cut off a piece of Saul's robe.  Not every opportunity that we have to destroy our enemies today is given to us by God, and we need to be careful about assuming that they are.  Verse five adds, And it came to pass afterward, that David’s heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul’s skirt.  Afterwards, David was remorseful about what he had done,even though it should have shown Saul that David wasn't trying to kill him.  If we as followers of Christ take actions today that we later realize were not what God would have us do, then we should be remorseful when we realize it. Six continues, And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.  David said the LORD forbid him from harming Saul, who was God's anointed as king.  Even though Saul had proven himself to be in defiance of God and David had already been anointed to replace him, David still was not going to take matters into his own hands, even tough the opportunity to kill Saul was there.  We need to be careful that in our fight against evil today that we don't confuse opportunity with God's will.  I also believe that if God has placed a preacher in a church that we should support him instead of attempting to undermine him if we don't like him.

1 Samuel 23:19

1 Samuel 23:19 says, Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon?  The Ziphites came to Saul when David aas hiding out in their woods.  They asked Saul if he knew that.  These were some of David’s kinsmen, and he certainly had done them no harm, but they were more interested in ingratiating themselves to Saul then in helping Davd.  We should not be surprised if people that we think are friends, or maybe are even family, would betray us if they thought it would help them.  Verse twenty adds,  Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand.  They invited Saul to come down and said they would deliver David into his hand.  These were some of God's people, but they weren't asking God for guidance.  As Christians we must always seek God's will first, even in matters relating to the government.   Verse twenty-one states, And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the LORD; for ye have compassion on me.  Saul was still going through the motions of being a man of God who was doing God's bidding.  He pronounced God's blessing on them, even while he was no longer blessed by God, but was rejected instead.  People still attempt to control God's blessings while they refuse to obey His directions.  Verse twenty-two adds, Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me that he dealeth very subtilly.  Saul basically told them to go and find out for sure where David was, because he said he had been told that David dealt very subtilly.   Of course, the real reason Saul was having difficulty finding and killing David was because God was protecting him.  God is still protecting us as followers of Christ today.  Verse twenty-three continues, See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, and I will go with you: and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah.  Saul told them to go and find all of David's hiding places and then return and tell him.  Saul said he would then go and search David out from all the thousands of people in Judah.  He was confident that he could get around God's protection of David.  People may think that they can get around God's protection of Christians today, but we are forever secure by our faith and His power.  Verse twenty-four states, And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon.  The men of Ziph returned ahead of Saul, but David had moved on to the plain south of Jeshimon.  I believe God was leading David in his moves, just as He should be leading us no matter what we are doing.  Verse twenty-five adds, Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.  David had moved because he heard Saul was coming after him, and Saul pursued him.  Verse twenty-six continues, And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them.  David hurried to get away from Saul, but Saul and his men basically surrounded David and his men.  I still am not sure if David was afraid of Saul, or if he was afraid of having to kill him.  If David was still putting his faith God, he had no reason to fear Saul, and if we put our faith in God, we have no reason to fear anyone. Verse twenty-seven concludes, But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land.  By attacking Israel, the Philistines also saved David, since when Saul heard that the Philistines were attacking, he left to fight them.  Verse twenty-eight says, Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Selahammahlekoth.  At least Saul was still putting defending Israel against the Philistines ahead of his desire to kill David.  Sometimes,  non Christians fighting amongst themselves can be beneficial to Christians, even if this is not their intention.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at Engedi.  David used this opportunity to leave where he was and to go to the strongholds at Engedi.  God had saved David again, though he may  or may not have acknowledged it.  God may save us from destruction many times as His followers today without our even realizing it.