Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / February 1 - 1 Samuel 23

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February 1 - 1 Samuel 23 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's shown here. It is Thursday, it is the 1st of
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  February. A pinch and a punch for the
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  first day of the month and all that.
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  I hope that January has treated you well and that February is
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  full of promise. Boy, my February is going to be
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  quite an ending. Friends, this is a big month for
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  Sean. This is the month where on the
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  24th, I am going to be ordained as an Anglican minister, which
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  is just the most mind blowing thing that I could possibly
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  imagine. This is something that I never
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  thought would be part of my story, but year and a half ago
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  God told me otherwise. And it has been a long road to
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  get to this month. And then literally two days
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  later I head off for a month of army basic training when I will
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  be converted from regular civilian Sean into Officer Sean
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  who actually has a clue how to salute, when to salute, how to
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  lead mend in army type situations etcetera.
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  So that will be actually a whole month that I'm going to be a
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  Wayne Canberra, which is enormous.
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  So the month of February is really a preparation month for
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  me and going to be quite a different ending.
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  But all the way through that I'm sure your month is going to be,
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  you know, potentially full of changes as well and big things
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  and small things. And I'm sure hopefully for the
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  sake of our energy levels, some regular days where we could just
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  go about the things that we would usually do with love and
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  kindness. So that is the situation for
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  this month, but that is still a little way away right now.
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  Right now we get to put all of that down and come back to God's
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  word, which is the purpose of us tapping on play.
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  We are going to continue in this story of David and Saul in this
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  terrible mellet as they continue to to dodge each other and a
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  terrible hatred that Saul is harbouring against his young
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  competition. So join me friends, as we read
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  together today. First Samuel, Chapter 23.
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  One day news came to David that the Philistines were at Kayla,
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  stealing grain from the threshing floors.
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  David asked the Lord, Should I go and attack them?
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  Yes, go and save Kayla, the Lord told him.
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  For David's men said. We're afraid, even here in
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  Judah. We certainly don't want to go to
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  Kayla and fight the whole Philistine army, Sir David asked
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  the Lord again and again. The Lord replied.
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  Go to Kayla, for I will help you conquer the Philistines.
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  So David and his men went to Kayla.
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  They slaughtered the Philistines and took all their livestock and
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  rescued the people of Kayla. Now when Abiathar, son of
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  Ahimelech, fled to David at Kayla, he brought the Ephod with
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  him. Soul soon learned that David was
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  at Kayla's good. He exclaimed.
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  We've got him now. God has handed him over to me,
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  for he has trapped himself in a walled town.
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  So Saul mobilised his entire army to March to Kayla and
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  besieged David and his men. But David learned of Saul's plan
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  and told Abiathar the priest, to bring the Ephod and ask the Lord
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  what he should do. Then David prayed.
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  Oh Lord God of Israel, I've heard that Saul is planning to
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  come and destroy Kayla because I am here for the leaders of
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  Kayla. Betray me to him, and we'll so
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  actually come as I've heard. Oh Lord God of Israel, please
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  tell me. And the Lord said he will come
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  again? David asked.
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  Will the leaders of Kayla betray me and my mentor Saul?
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  And the Lord replied, Yes, they will betray you.
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  So David and his men, about 600 of them, left Kayla and began
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  roaming the countryside. Word soon reached Saul that
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  David had escaped, so he didn't go to Kayla after all.
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  David now stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness
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  and in the Hill Country of Ziff. Soul hunted him day after day.
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  But God didn't let Saul find him.
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  One day near Horesh, David received the news that Saul was
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  on his way to Ziff to search for him and kill him.
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  Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in
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  his faith in God. Don't be afraid, Jonathan
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  reassured him. My father will never find you.
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  You are going to be the king of Israel, and I will be next to
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  you, as my father Saul is well aware.
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  So the two of them renewed their solemn packed before the Lord.
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  Then Jonathan returned home while David stayed at Horace.
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  But now the men of Zif went to Saul in Gibeah and betrayed
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  David to him. We know where David is hiding.
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  He is in the strongholds of Horesh, in the hill of her
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  Aquila, which is in the southernmost part of Jessiman.
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  Come now, whenever you're ready. OK, King.
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  And we will catch him and hand him over to you.
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  The Lord bless you. Saul said that last.
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  Someone is concerned about me. Go and check again to be sure of
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  where he is staying and who has seen him there, for I know that
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  he is very crafty. Discover his hiding places and
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  come back when you are sure. Then I'll go with you.
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  And if he is in the area at all, I'll track him down, even if I
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  have to search every hiding place in Judah.
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  So the men of Ziff returned home ahead of Saul.
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  Meanwhile, David and his men had moved into the wilderness of
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  Mayon, in the Arabah Valley South of Jessiman.
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  When David heard that Saul and his men were searching for him,
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  he went even farther into the wilderness, to the Great Rock,
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  and he remained there in the wilderness of Mayon, but Saul
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  kept after him in the wilderness.
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  Saul and David were now on opposite sides of a mountain,
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  just as Saul and his men began to close in.
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  On David and his men, an urgent message reached Saul that the
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  Philistines were raiding Israel again says Saul quit chasing
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  David and returned to fight the Philistines.
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  Ever since that time, the place where David was camped has been
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  called the Rock of Escape. David then went to live in the
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  strongholds of Engedi, Lord.
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  As we read about the descent of Saul, we see what that intense
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  self interest does to him. Lord, it is the human way for us
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  to preference and prioritise our own well being and our own
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  agenda. But that is not your way.
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  You call us to something so much bigger and more wonderful than
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  we could possibly ever imagine or pursue on our own.
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  Your agenda stretches so much further than we could ever
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  possibly see. And you are good, and you are
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  just and you are fair. Lord, inspire us that we would
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  put ourselves and our own agenda aside, That we would follow you.
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  Lord Jesus, prompt us, Holy Spirit, guide us and show us
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  where you would have us be, And act and love and forgive and
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  show another way. You are truly a magnificent and
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  good God, and we worship you with our whole lives.
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  And we pray all of this in the name of Jesus.
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  Amen.