The Well
The Well |
|
Connecting Hope to the Hurting | |
Tuesday
May 13, 2008
Whatever Saul asked David to do, David did it successfully. So Saul made him
a commander in his army, an appointment that was applauded by the fighting men
and officers alike. But something happened when the victorious Israelite
army was returning home after David had killed Goliath. Women came out from all
the towns along the way to celebrate and to cheer for King Saul, and they sang
and danced for joy with tambourines and cymbals.
This was their song:
"Saul
has killed his thousands,
and David his ten thousands!"
This made Saul very angry. "What's this?" he said. "They credit David with
ten thousands and me with only thousands. Next they'll be making him their
king!" So from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.
The very
next day, in fact, a tormenting spirit from God overwhelmed Saul, and he began
to rave like a madman. David began to play the harp, as he did whenever this
happened. But Saul, who had a spear in his hand, suddenly hurled it at
David, intending to pin him to the wall. But David jumped aside and escaped.
This happened another time, too, for Saul was afraid of him, and he was
jealous because the LORD had left him and was now with
David. Finally, Saul banned him from his presence and appointed him
commander over only a thousand men, but David faithfully led his troops into
battle.
David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the LORD was with him. When Saul recognized this, he became even
more afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David because he was so
successful at leading his troops into battle.
1 Samuel 18:5-16
Jealousy eats at the very core of our Spirit. Although jealousy can be attributed to our flesh, there are times when it is a tormenting spirit that plagues us, and that comes straight from the enemy. Although this spirit is recorded as having come from God in this case, many theologians believe that the people in those days attributed everything to God, both good and bad. Based on what we know about God through the New Testament and through the life of Jesus we can clearly see that this spirit came from the enemy. Anytime we give Satan a foothold to enter into our presence, he storms in with many tormenting spirits. Jealousy is one of his favorites.
Several years ago I asked the Lord to show me how footholds happen and He gave me the illustration of someone sticking their foot in the door, which prevents us from closing it. Like a thief, once their foot is in the door, they have an opening to come in and get a stronghold on us. This happens more than we realize.
True leaders are happy when the people under them receive acclaim. After all, isn't that what leaders actually want, for their students and/or parishioners to mature and rise above them? In this instance, however, Saul knew in his mind that God had removed His Spirit from Saul and the anointing was now on David. Saul had lost it by being willfully disobedient. Since he did not repent after his mistake, Satan got a mighty stronghold in Saul's life.
When God shows us our character flaws or sin, we need to confess, repent, grieve, and release it to God. When He forgives us we need to forgive ourselves and go on with our lives. Our Father truly desires restoration!
Father, like Saul we sometimes give Satan a foothold in our lives through jealousy. Please help us as we work through the process of restoration. Without Your loving kindness we would never make it. Help us stop the footholds before they become strongholds.
