Author: cackywalker@yahoo.com

So the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to tell David this story: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich, and one was poor. The rich man owned a great many sheep and cattle. The poor man owned nothing but one little lamb he had bought. He raised that little lamb, and it grew up with his children. It ate from the man’s own plate and drank from his cup. He cuddled it in its arms like a baby daughter. One day a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing an animal from his own flock or herd, he took the poor man’s lamb and killed it and prepared it for his guests.”

David was furious. “As surely as the Lord lives,” he vowed, “any man who would do such a thing deserves to die! He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity.”

Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! The Lord, the God of Israel says” I anointed you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul. I gave you your master’s house and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more. Why, then, have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife. From this time on, you family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own.”

“This is what the Lord says: Because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man before your very eyes, and he will bo to bed with them in public view. You did it secretly, but I will make this happen to you openly in sight of all of Israel.” (vv.1-12, NLT)

One day David said, “Is anyone in Saul’s family still alive-anyone whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul’s servants. “Are you Ziba?” the king asked.

“Yes, sir, I am,” Ziba replied.

The king then asked him, “Is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show kindness to them.”

Ziba replied, “Yes, one of Jonathon’s sons is still alive. He is crippled in both feet.” (vv. 1-3, NLT)

So David sent for him and brought him from Makir’s home. His name was Mephibosheth; he was Jonathon’s son and Saul’s grandson. When he came to David, he bowed low to the ground in deep respect. David said, “Greetings, Mephibosheth.

Mephilbosheth replied, “I am your servant!”

Don’t be afraid!” David said. “I intend to show kindness to you because of my promise to your father, Jonathan. I will give you all the property that once belonged to your grandfather, Saul, and you will eat here with me at the king’s table!” (vv. 5-7, NLT)

Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. From then on, all the members of Ziba’s household where Mephibosheth’s servants. And Mephilbosheth, who was crippled in both feet, lived in Jerusalem and ate regularly at the king’s table. (vv. 12-13, NLT)

But as the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she was King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him.

They brought the Ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the special tent David had prepared for it. And David sacrificed burnt offerings and peach offerings to the Lord. When he had finished his sacrifices, David blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. Then he gave to every Israelite man and woman in the crowd a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, and a cake of raisins. The the people returned to their homes.

When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!”

David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrated before the Lord. Ye, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated by my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished! ” So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life. (vv. 31-23, NLT)

Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and told him, “We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the one who really lead the forces of Israel. And the Lord told you, ‘You will be the shepherd of My people Israel. You will be Israel’s leader.'”

So there at Hebron, King David made a covenant before the Lord with all the elders of Israel. And they anointed him as king of Israel.

David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned over Judah from Hebron for seven years and six months, and from Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years. (vv. 1-5, NLT)

Now the Philistines attacked Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them. Many were slaughtered on the slopes of Mount Gilboa. The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed all three of his sons – Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua. The fighting grew very fierce around Saul, and the Philistine archers caught up with him and wounded him severely.

Saul groaned to his armor bearer, “Take your sword and kill be before these pagan Philistines come to run me through and taunt and torture me.”

But his armor bearer was afraid and would not do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. When his armor bearer realized that Saul was dead, he fell on his own sword and died beside the king. So Saul, his three sons, his armor bearer, and his troops all died together on the same day. (vv. 1-6, NLT)

“Why have you disturbed me by calling me back?” Samuel asked Saul.

“Because I am in deep trouble,” Saul replied. “The Philistines are at war with me, and God has left me and won’t reply by prophets or dreams. So I have called for you to tell me what to do.”

But Samuel replied, “Why ask me, since the Lord has left you and has become your enemy? The Lord has done just as He said He would. He has torn the kingdom from you and given it to your rival, David. The Lord has done this to you today because you refused to carry out His fierce anger against the Amalekites. What’s more, the Lord will hand you and the army of Israel over to the Philistines tomorrow, and you and your sons will be here with me. The Lord will bring down the entire army of Israel in defeat.” (vv. 15-19, NLT)

The Philistines set up their cam at Shunem, and Saul gathered all the army of Israel and camped at Gilboa. When Saul saw that the vast Philistine army, he became frantic with fear. He asked the Lord what he should do, but the Lord refused to answer him, either by dreams or sacred lots, or by the prophets. Saul then said to his advisors, ” Find a woman who is a medium, so I can go to her and ask her what to do.”

His advisors replied, “There is a medium at Endor.”

So Saul disguised himself by wearing ordinary clothing instead of his royal robes. THen he went to the woman’s home at night, accompanied by two of his men.

“I have to talk to a man who has die,” he said. “Will you call up his spirit for me?”

“Are you trying to get me killed?” the woman demanded. “You know that Saul has outlawed all the mediums and all who consult the spirits of the dead. Why are you setting a trap for me?””

But Saul took and oath in the name of the Lord and promised, “As surely as the Lord lives, nothing bad will happen to you for doing this.”

Finally the woman said, “Well, whose spirit do you want me to call up?”

“Call up Samuel,” Saul replied.

When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed, “You’ve deceived me! You are Saul!”

“Don’t be afraid!” the king told her, “What do you see?”

I see a god coming up our of the earth,” she said.

“What does he look like?” Saul asked.

“He is an old man wrapped in a robe,” she replied. Saul realized it was Samuel, and he fell to the ground before him. (vv. 4-14, NLT)

When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed low before him. She fell at his feet and said, “I accept all the blame in this matter, my lord. Please lister to what I have to say.I know Nabal is a wicked and ill-tempered man; please do’t pay any attention to him. He is a fool, just as his name suggests. But I never even saw the young men you sent.”

“Now, my lord, surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, sine the Lord has kept you from murdering and taking vengeance into your own hands, let all your enemies and those who try to harm you as be as cursed as Nabel is. And here is a present that I, your servant, have brought to you and your young men. Please forgive me if I have offended you in any way. The Lord will surely reward you with a lasting dynasty, for your are fighting the Lord’s battles. And you have not done wrong throughout your entire life.” (vv. 23-29, NLT)

After Saul returned from fighting the Philistines, he was told that David had gone into the wilderness of En-gedi. So Saul chose 3,000 elite troops from all Israel and went to search for David and his men near the rocks of the wild goats.

At the place where the road passes some sheepfolds, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. But as it happened, David and his men were hiding further back in that very cave!

“Now is your opportunity!” David’s men whispered to him. “Today the Lord is telling you, ‘I will certainly put your enemy into your power do as you wish.'” So david crept forward and cut off a pice of the hem of Saul’s robe. (vv. 1-4, NLT)

After Saul had left the cave and gone his way, David came out and shouted after him,”My lord the king!” And when Saul looked around, David bowed low before him.

Then he shouted to Saul, “Why do you listen to people who say I am trying to harm you.? This ver day you can see with your own eyes it isn’t true. For the Lord placed you at my mercy back there in the cave. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said,’I will never harm the king-he is the Lord’s anointed one.’ Look, my father, at what I have in my hand. It is a piece of the hem of your robe! I cut it off, but I didn’t kill you. This proves that I am not trying to harm you and that I have not sinned against you, even though you have been hunting for me to kill me.” (vv. 7b-11, NLT)

And he [Saul] said to David, “You are a better man than I am, for you have repaid me good for evil. Yes, you have been amazingly kind to me today, for when the Lord put me in a place where you could have killed me you didn’t. Who else would let his enemy get away when he had him in his power? May the Lord reward you well for the kindness you have shown me today. And now I realize that you are surely going to be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will flourish under your rule. Now swear to me by the Lord that when that happens, you will not kill my family and destroy the line of my descendants.!”

So David promised this to Saul with an oath. Then Saul went home, but David and his ment went back to their stronghold. (vv. 17-22, NLT)