"John 18:1-24
Strengthen one another
This was a period of intense conflict for David.
Jealousy, as we see here with Saul, never seems to ease off once it gets a grip of a person. It gets worse and worse and drives Saul to more and more cold-blooded evil acts. He thinks nothing of destroying a town full of priests (22:19).
David had to resort to every ruse in order to avoid the attacks. He ate the holy Bread of the Presence (21:1–9, MSG); he pretended to go crazy (v.13) and gathered a motley crew of ‘losers and vagrants and misfits of all sorts’ (22:1, MSG). Yet we see in this passage the qualities of David that emerged even when he was under attack.
Loyalty
David had a reputation for loyalty (v.14) and was highly respected. David and Jonathan were utterly loyal to each other. ‘Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him to find strength in God’ (23:16).
Considering that he could have seen himself as heir to the throne, Jonathan’s attitude to David was extraordinary: ‘You shall be king over Israel, and I will be second to you’ (v.17). They were utterly committed to each other: ‘The two of them made a covenant before the Lord’ (v.18).
There is nothing that helps us more in times when we are under attack than the loyalty of our friends and family. When they are under attack you can help them by your loyalty and support to find strength in God.
Prayer
What is your first port of call when conflict comes in your life? As Joyce Meyer puts it, when trouble comes do you ‘run to the phone’ or do you ‘run to the throne’? David had learnt at this stage of his life the vital importance of enquiring of the Lord before making decisions. When he was under attack again and again ‘David went in prayer to God’ (vv.2,4, MSG). In this way, attacks can actually draw us closer to God.
One of the tragedies of this story is that instead of fighting the real enemy (v.27), God’s people were fighting one another. This gave the Philistines the opportunity to attack. Still today the church is in danger of doing this.
God can take something Satan means for evil and division and turn it into something good. God used the attack by the Philistines to rescue David. ‘Then Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines’ (v.28). It would be wonderful if the church would break off its infighting and go to face the real enemies that threaten to destroy our world such as injustice, human trafficking, disease and poverty.
Father, help us to be loyal to one another, to stop the in-fighting in the church and to unite to face the real attacks from outside."
1. Thank You, Lord, for giving David as a great example in showing loyalty.
2. Thank You for an awesome night out with old and new friends.
3. Thank You for our ears and for music. :)
