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David on the Run - The Book of 1 Samuel · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: So David and Abishai came to the people by night,
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  Speaker 1: and behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his
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  Speaker 1: spear stuck in the ground at his bolster. But Abner
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  Speaker 1: and the people lay round about him. 1 Samuel 26.7 Lord,
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  Speaker 1: as the new day dawns, and I meditate on today's reading,
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  Speaker 1: I will stay mindful of the fact that not all
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  Speaker 1: opportunities are God opportunities. When a chance arises to exact
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  Speaker 1: revenge or get ahead, give me the restraint and wisdom
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  Speaker 1: of David to withhold from moving forward with my plans. Instead,
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  Speaker 1: strengthen my heart and remind me, Holy Spirit, that when
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  Speaker 1: God desires to open my door to success, nothing and
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  Speaker 1: no one can stop me. I will not give in
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  Speaker 1: to paranoia and fear because it is no longer a
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  Speaker 1: driving force in my life. I will not partner with
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  Speaker 1: others who don't believe in the mission I'm called to accomplish.
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  Speaker 1: I declare that any relationships that are unequally yoked with
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  Speaker 1: my newness and transformation will be removed from my life.
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  Speaker 1: I am on a mission to fulfill your purpose for
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  Speaker 1: my life, and I will not let poor decisions masked
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  Speaker 1: in wisdom derail me from my glorious future. I declare...
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  Speaker 1: that I am no longer on the run. I'm on
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  Speaker 1: the rise. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for praying
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  Speaker 1: with us today. Continue your time with God by listening
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  Speaker 1: to today's Bible story, brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: David on the run. In our last story, we learned
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  Speaker 2: about Samuel's death and David's marriage to Abigail. David's community
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  Speaker 2: of outcasts and vagabonds continued to grow and thrive under
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  Speaker 2: his leadership. Now we learn of Saul's troubled mind resurfacing.
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  Speaker 2: The jealousy that once gripped his heart and actions begins
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  Speaker 2: to creep back into his interactions with David. So David
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  Speaker 2: is forced into hiding once again. What follows is a
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  Speaker 2: story of David's victory over temptation to sin and David's
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  Speaker 2: failure over loyalty to Israel as inspired by the book
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  Speaker 2: of 1 Samuel.
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  Speaker 3: This is Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
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  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. In yesterday's episode, we heard how
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  Speaker 3: God sent Abigail to intercept David who had planned to
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  Speaker 3: kill her husband Nabal for this man's disrespect and disregard
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  Speaker 3: for the will of God. God was protecting David from
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  Speaker 3: spilling blood in a moment of rage, and David, because
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  Speaker 3: he was a man after God's own heart, was sensitive
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  Speaker 3: to the leading of the Lord, choosing to spare Nabal's life. Abigail,
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  Speaker 3: now a widow, was comforted by David, and the two
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  Speaker 3: were married, and this was a union that God blessed.
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  Speaker 3: Today we'll find David on the run once again. Though
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  Speaker 3: Saul had temporarily relented from pursuing David, He is back
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  Speaker 3: at it with jealousy and rage once again. Our reading
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  Speaker 3: today will show us two sides of a very human David.
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  Speaker 3: One who resists temptation and trusts God's timing. And another
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  Speaker 3: who gives in to doubts and ventures into dangerous territory.
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  Speaker 3: So let's listen to God's word today.
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  Speaker 2: Hatred is a poison. Saul, who had a moment of
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  Speaker 2: vulnerability and forgiveness towards David, was once again falling victim
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  Speaker 2: to hatred's grip on his heart. Saul's repentance towards David
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  Speaker 2: was deep, raw, and emotional. However, it did not last long.
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  Speaker 2: Saul once again mustered 3,000 men to march against David.
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  Speaker 2: They camped outside the wilderness where David and his men were.
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  Speaker 2: In the morning, they planned to rise up and ambush David.
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  Speaker 2: Saul was in his tent, eagerly awaiting the chance to
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  Speaker 2: put an end to David forever. As the night grew later,
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  Speaker 2: Saul and the rest of his soldiers fell asleep. Shadows
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  Speaker 2: could be seen gliding across the tent walls near Saul's tent.
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  Speaker 2: Light footsteps could be heard entering his tent. There with
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  Speaker 2: his face hidden by the darkness stood David. He and
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  Speaker 2: his men watched Saul sleep. The tip of David's spear
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  Speaker 2: was pressed into the ground beside Saul's temples. God has
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  Speaker 2: given you your enemy, Abishai whispered to David. David hovered
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  Speaker 2: silently over Saul. Saul had gone back on his word.
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  Speaker 2: He had repented with tears and embraced him as a son.
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  Speaker 2: Who would hold the murder of Saul against him? The
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  Speaker 2: citizens of Israel would welcome him. The soldiers would follow him.
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  Speaker 2: His wife would still love him. There would be seemingly
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  Speaker 2: nothing to lose and everything to gain from killing Saul.
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  Speaker 2: David stood there, shaking, with his spear beside Saul's head.' No,'
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  Speaker 2: David whispered.' He is God's to strike, not mine. I
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  Speaker 2: should not lay a hand on God's anointed.' So David
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  Speaker 2: put his spear in the jug of water beside Saul's bed,
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  Speaker 2: and David and his men left without waking anybody in camp.
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  Speaker 2: David sat far off at the top of the hill,
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  Speaker 2: overlooking Saul's camp. The sun began to rise and paint
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  Speaker 2: the camp a bright orange. David watched as the men
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  Speaker 2: arose from their tents and began to prepare for battle. Abner,
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  Speaker 2: Saul's general, began to walk among his men. David stood
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  Speaker 2: and took a deep breath. He cupped his hands around
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  Speaker 2: his mouth and shouted down to Abner, saying, Abner! Abner
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  Speaker 2: raised his head to see David standing on the hill
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  Speaker 2: above them. All the men stood at attention and watched
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  Speaker 2: David as he shouted, Abner! Are you truly a worthy man, Abner?
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  Speaker 2: You could not even watch over your king one night.
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  Speaker 2: Look at the spear beside his bed. I could have
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  Speaker 2: killed him last night. You are not fit to protect
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  Speaker 2: the king. Saul woke up to the sound of David's
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  Speaker 2: voice shouting from the hilltops. He emerged from his tent
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  Speaker 2: and looked up. Saul squinted to get a good look
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  Speaker 2: at David shouting. Is that you, my son David? David smiled. Yes,
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  Speaker 2: it is, my lord king, David shouted. Why do you
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  Speaker 2: pursue me still? What have I done to you? If
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  Speaker 2: it is God who has called you to kill me,
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  Speaker 2: then strike me down now. But if it is your
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  Speaker 2: own voice or the voice of other men calling for
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  Speaker 2: you to kill me, then cast them away. You hunt
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  Speaker 2: a single flea like one hunts game in the wilderness.
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  Speaker 2: David's words bellowed for all the men to hear. Saul said,
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  Speaker 2: and the most sincere voice he could muster shouted back
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  Speaker 2: at David, saying, You are blessed, my son. You will
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  Speaker 2: surely do many things and succeed. So Saul departed from
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  Speaker 2: his place and did not pursue David further. David, still
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  Speaker 2: wary of Saul, left back to his men in the wilderness.
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  Speaker 2: David did not trust the words of Saul, and paranoia
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  Speaker 2: began to grip his heart as well. David gathered his
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  Speaker 2: men together to find another place to rest. David knew
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  Speaker 2: that Saul would not pursue David if he left to
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  Speaker 2: the land of the Philistines. So David and his six
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  Speaker 2: hundred men gathered their things and settled in Gath with
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  Speaker 2: King Achish. David hid among enemies, a foolish choice disguised
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  Speaker 2: as wisdom. David found favor with Achish, and the two
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  Speaker 2: of them became friends. Achish gifted David some land in Ziklag.
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  Speaker 2: And there he and his men dwelled for a year
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  Speaker 2: and four months. David and his band of soldiers integrated
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  Speaker 2: well with the Philistine people. Together they made raids on
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  Speaker 2: the Gizites and the Amalekites. David became renowned among the Philistines. However,
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  Speaker 2: David would only raid against Israel's enemies. When Achish would
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  Speaker 2: ask who David raided, he would always answer Judah or
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  Speaker 2: Negev to fool Achish into thinking they no longer had
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  Speaker 2: ties to Israel. Therefore Achish trusted David and believed him
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  Speaker 2: to be a true Philistine at heart.
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  Speaker 3: Today's story begins with Saul once again pursuing David. His
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  Speaker 3: attitude to treat David like a son has now been forgotten,
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  Speaker 3: and he goes back to his old ways, probably because
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  Speaker 3: he really never changed or repented at all. When Saul
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  Speaker 3: repented or said he repented, he offered a tearful confession
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  Speaker 3: to David but he really truly did not turn back
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  Speaker 3: to God. So whatever change seemed to happen was only temporary.
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  Speaker 3: And here we find Saul listening to his own fears
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  Speaker 3: and paranoia and to those around him rather than listening
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  Speaker 3: to God and obeying God. So Saul gathers 3,000 men
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  Speaker 3: to go into the desert to find David. But as
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  Speaker 3: night fell and Saul and his camp lay fast asleep,
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  Speaker 3: David went into the camp and approached a vulnerable king.
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  Speaker 3: He was right there to be dealt with, and David's nephew, Abishai,
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  Speaker 3: was convinced that this was a clear sign that God
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  Speaker 3: had given Saul over to David. It was now time,
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  Speaker 3: he said, to kill him and end this threat once
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  Speaker 3: and for all. From a human perspective, it seems that
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  Speaker 3: David would have been more than justified. Saul had gone
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  Speaker 3: back on his word many times, and there was clear
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  Speaker 3: intention to harm David. But David wasn't looking at this
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  Speaker 3: from a human perspective. He had determined in his own
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  Speaker 3: heart that he would not kill Saul. So when Abishai
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  Speaker 3: asked David to allow him to strike Saul with his
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  Speaker 3: spear and kill him with a single blow, David refused.
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  Speaker 3: In 1 Samuel 26, verse 9, we read his response.
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  Speaker 3: But David said to Abishai, Do not destroy him. For
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  Speaker 3: who can put out his hand against the Lord's anointed
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  Speaker 3: and be guiltless? David had strong convictions about this. He
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  Speaker 3: would trust God to deal with Saul in his own time.
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  Speaker 3: Incredible faith, isn't it? He could have taken the easy
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  Speaker 3: way out. He could have taken Saul's life. He could
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  Speaker 3: have done what he wanted to do. But rather, he
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  Speaker 3: depended upon God to rescue him rather than take personal revenge.
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  Speaker 3: David took Saul's jar of water and his spear and left.
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  Speaker 3: The next morning, he made his presence known to Abner,
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  Speaker 3: the man who should have been protecting the king. He
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  Speaker 3: calls him out for failing to protect Israel's king and
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  Speaker 3: shows him that the spear and water are missing, proving
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  Speaker 3: that he had been that close to Saul and could
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  Speaker 3: have taken him out. Saul heard David and recognized his voice.
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  Speaker 3: He called out to him, treating him as a son. Clearly,
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  Speaker 3: a strange choice for a man who wanted to shed
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  Speaker 3: David's blood. And yet David maintains his calm and composure
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  Speaker 3: and asks why Saul is still out to kill him.
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  Speaker 3: Saul seems convicted again. He admits his sin and tells
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  Speaker 3: David he'll not seek to kill him anymore. David tells
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  Speaker 3: Saul that his decision to spare his life was based
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  Speaker 3: on how much he valued Saul's life and how much
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  Speaker 3: he valued God's purposes. Saul blesses David and sends him
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  Speaker 3: on his way. But the incident shook David. And then
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  Speaker 3: we see his faith begin to waver. David goes again
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  Speaker 3: into Philistine territory where he's sure Saul won't go. David
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  Speaker 3: creates an alliance with the king of Gath and is
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  Speaker 3: given some land to settle. But David engages in deception,
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  Speaker 3: attacking enemy camps and leaving no survivors, but always telling
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  Speaker 3: the king of Gath that he is killing Israelites, his
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  Speaker 3: own people. David should have trusted God, but he chose
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  Speaker 3: his own way. And it's a reminder that even those
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  Speaker 3: who are closest to God, chosen by him, and are
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  Speaker 3: not immune to fear, failure, and faithlessness. Rather than criticize
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  Speaker 3: David for this, we must remember that we too so
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  Speaker 3: often fall short. We have doubts and act alone without
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  Speaker 3: the presence of God. And it reminds us that we
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  Speaker 3: need always to trust God's will in every circumstance of
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  Speaker 3: our lives and allow faith to drive out fear. The
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  Speaker 3: next time we'll discover that There is a price to
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  Speaker 3: pay for David's deception and that lies always catch up
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  Speaker 3: to us. Lord, today we pray that we will trust
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  Speaker 3: in you and overcome our doubts and our fears by faith. Lord,
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  Speaker 3: help us never to get ahead of you or to
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  Speaker 3: disobey you, but to always trust you with our very lives.
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  Speaker 3: Help us to trust you and your perfect timing for
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  Speaker 3: every day. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for listening
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  Speaker 3: to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham
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  Speaker 3: from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com app and make prayer
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  Speaker 3: and by sharing this podcast, we can get the Word
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  Speaker 3: of God to the world. And if you want more
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  Speaker 3: resources on how to tap into God's power for Christian living,
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  Speaker 3: be sure to visit jackgraham.org. God bless you.
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  Speaker 1: This episode is sponsored by MediShare, an innovative health care
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