5/18/11
1 Samuel 18-20 --- Psalm 11 --- Psalm 59
Jonathan's Covenant with David
1 Samuel 18:1 When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 2 Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father's house.
3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. 4 Jonathan stripped himself
of the robe that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt. 5 David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him; as a result, Saul set him over the army. And all the people, even the servants of Saul, approved.
6 As they were coming home, when David returned from killing the Philistine, the women came out of all the towns of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. 7 And the women sang to one another as they made merry,
and David his ten thousands."
8 Saul was very angry, for this saying displeased him.
Remember earlier we read that Saul made a monument to himself. This terrible spirit is still creating havoc today.
A friend recently told me, "We are all expendable. If we are soldiers in the army of God we need to understand it is not about us. We are expendable."
Life is not about us, or our ministry, or our church. If we follow Christ we are expendable. I did not say we will perish or that God does not love us, but can we seek to follow Christ and not suffer? Did he not say to pick up our cross and follow him?
He said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands; what more can he have but the kingdom?" 9 So Saul eyed David from that day on.
Saul Tries to Kill David
10 The next day an evil spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand; 11 and Saul threw the spear, for he thought, "I will pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice.
12 Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. 13 So Saul removed him from his presence, and made him a commander of a thousand; and David marched out and came in, leading the army. 14 David had success in all his undertakings; for the Lord was with him. 15 When Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in awe of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David; for it was he who marched out and came in leading them.
David Marries Michal
17 Then Saul said to David, "Here is my elder daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife; only be valiant for me and fight the Lord's battles." For Saul thought, "I will not raise a hand against him; let the Philistines deal with him." 18 David said to Saul, "Who am I and who are my kinsfolk, my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?" 19 But at the time when Saul's daughter Merab should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite as a wife.
20 Now Saul's daughter Michal loved David. Saul was told, and the thing pleased him. 21 Saul thought, "Let me give her to him that she may be a snare for him and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him." Therefore Saul said to David a second time, "You shall now be my son-in-law." 22 Saul commanded his servants, "Speak to David in private and say, 'See, the king is delighted with you, and all his servants love you; now then, become the king's son-in-law.' " 23 So Saul's servants reported these words to David in private. And David said, "Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king's son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man and of no repute?" 24 The servants of Saul told him, "This is what David said." 25 Then Saul said, "Thus shall you say to David, 'The king desires no marriage present except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, that he may be avenged on the king's enemies.' " Now Saul planned to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 26 When his servants told David these words, David was well pleased to be the king's son-in-law. Before the time had expired, 27 David rose and went, along with his men, and killed one hundred of the Philistines; and David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law. Saul gave him his daughter Michal as a wife. 28 But when Saul realized that the Lord was with David, and that Saul's daughter Michal loved him, 29 Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul was David's enemy from that time forward.
30 Then the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle; and as often as they came out, David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his fame became very great.
Jonathan Intercedes for David
1 Samuel 19:1 Saul spoke with his son Jonathan and with all his servants about killing David. But Saul's son Jonathan took great delight in David. 2 Jonathan told David, "My father Saul is trying to kill you; therefore be on guard tomorrow morning; stay in a secret place and hide yourself. 3 I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you; if I learn anything I will tell you." 4 Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul, saying to him, "The king should not sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have been of good service to you; 5 for he took his life in his hand when he attacked the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great victory for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced; why then will you sin against an innocent person by killing David without cause?" 6 Saul heeded the voice of Jonathan; Saul swore, "As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death." 7 So Jonathan called David and related all these things to him. Jonathan then brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.
Michal Helps David Escape from Saul
8 Again there was war, and David went out to fight the Philistines. He launched a heavy attack on them, so that they fled before him. 9 Then an evil spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand, while David was playing music. 10 Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear; but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. David fled and escaped that night.
11 Saul sent messengers to David's house to keep watch over him, planning to kill him in the morning. David's wife Michal told him, "If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed." 12 So Michal let David down through the window; he fled away and escaped. 13 Michal took an idol (Why was an idol in their house?) and laid it on the bed; she put a net of goats' hair on its head, and covered it with the clothes. 14 When Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, "He is sick." 15 Then Saul sent the messengers to see David for themselves. He said, "Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him." 16 When the messengers came in, the idol was in the bed, with the covering of goats' hair on its head. 17 Saul said to Michal, "Why have you deceived me like this, and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?" Michal answered Saul, "He said to me, 'Let me go; why should I kill you?' "
David Joins Samuel in Ramah
18 Now David fled and escaped; he came to Samuel at Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. He and Samuel went and settled at Naioth. 19 Saul was told, "David is at Naioth in Ramah." 20 Then Saul sent messengers to take David. When they saw the company of the prophets in a frenzy, with Samuel standing in charge of them, the spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also fell into a prophetic frenzy. 21 When Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they also fell into a frenzy. Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also fell into a frenzy. 22 Then he himself went to Ramah. He came to the great well that is in Secu; he asked, "Where are Samuel and David?" And someone said, "They are at Naioth in Ramah." 23 He went there, toward Naioth in Ramah; and the spirit of God came upon him. As he was going, he fell into a prophetic frenzy, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 24 He too stripped off his clothes, and he too fell into a frenzy before Samuel. He lay naked all that day and all that night. Therefore it is said, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"
The Friendship of David and Jonathan
1 Samuel 20:1 David fled from Naioth in Ramah. He came before Jonathan and said, "What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin against your father that he is trying to take my life?" 2 He said to him, "Far from it! You shall not die. My father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me; and why should my father hide this from me? Never!" 3 But David also swore, "Your father knows well that you like me; and he thinks, 'Do not let Jonathan know this, or he will be grieved.' But truly, as the Lord lives and as you yourself live, there is but a step between me and death." 4 Then Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you say, I will do for you." 5 David said to Jonathan, "Tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at the meal; but let me go, so that I may hide in the field until the third evening. 6 If your father misses me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city; for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.' 7 If he says, 'Good!' it will be well with your servant; but if he is angry, then know that evil has been determined by him. 8 Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a sacred covenant with you. But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself; why should you bring me to your father?" 9 Jonathan said, "Far be it from you! If I knew that it was decided by my father that evil should come upon you, would I not tell you?" 10 Then David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?" 11 Jonathan replied to David, "Come, let us go out into the field." So they both went out into the field.
12 Jonathan said to David, "By the Lord, the God of Israel! When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or on the third day, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you? 13 But if my father intends to do you harm, the Lord do so to Jonathan, and more also, if I do not disclose it to you, and send you away, so that you may go in safety. May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father. 14 If I am still alive, show me the faithful love of the Lord; but if I die, 15 never cut off your faithful love from my house, even if the Lord were to cut off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth." 16 Thus Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, "May the Lord seek out the enemies of David." 17 Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him; for he loved him as he loved his own life.
18 Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon; you will be missed, because your place will be empty. 19 On the day after tomorrow, you shall go a long way down; go to the place where you hid yourself earlier, and remain beside the stone there. 20 I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark. 21 Then I will send the boy, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I say to the boy, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you, collect them,' then you are to come, for, as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger. 22 But if I say to the young man, 'Look, the arrows are beyond you,' then go; for the Lord has sent you away. 23 As for the matter about which you and I have spoken, the Lord is witness between you and me forever."
24 So David hid himself in the field. When the new moon came, the king sat at the feast to eat. 25 The king sat upon his seat, as at other times, upon the seat by the wall. Jonathan stood, while Abner sat by Saul's side; but David's place was empty.
26 Saul did not say anything that day; for he thought, "Something has befallen him; he is not clean, surely he is not clean." 27 But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David's place was empty. And Saul said to his son Jonathan, "Why has the son of Jesse not come to the feast, either yesterday or today?" 28 Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem; 29 he said, 'Let me go; for our family is holding a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your sight, let me get away, and see my brothers.' For this reason he has not come to the king's table."
30 Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan. He said to him, "You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? 31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives upon the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die." 32 Then Jonathan answered his father Saul, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" 33 But Saul threw his spear at him to strike him; so Jonathan knew that it was the decision of his father to put David to death.
34 Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food on the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, and because his father had disgraced him.
35 In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him was a little boy. 36 He said to the boy, "Run and find the arrows that I shoot." As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. 37 When the boy came to the place where Jonathan's arrow had fallen, Jonathan called after the boy and said, "Is the arrow not beyond you?" 38 Jonathan called after the boy, "Hurry, be quick, do not linger." So Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master. 39 But the boy knew nothing; only Jonathan and David knew the arrangement. 40 Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said to him, "Go and carry them to the city." 41 As soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. He bowed three times, and they kissed each other, and wept with each other; David wept the more. 42 Then Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, since both of us have sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, 'The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants, forever.' Scripture is fascinatingly Epic. Remember this covenant. He got up and left; and Jonathan went into the city.
Psalm 11
To the leader. Of David.
1 In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to me,
"Flee like a bird to the mountains;
2 for look, the wicked bend the bow,
they have fitted their arrow to the string,
to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?"
4 The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord's throne is in heaven.
His eyes behold, his gaze examines humankind.
5 The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked,
and his soul hates the lover of violence.
6 On the wicked he will rain coals of fire and sulfur;
a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the Lord is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
the upright shall behold his face.
Psalm 59
To the leader: Do Not Destroy.
Of David. A Miktam,
when Saul ordered his house to be watched in order to kill him.
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
protect me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from those who work evil;
from the bloodthirsty save me.
3 Even now they lie in wait for my life;
the mighty stir up strife against me.
For no transgression or sin of mine, O Lord,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready.
Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
5 You, Lord God of hosts, are God of Israel.
Awake to punish all the nations;
spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
6 Each evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths,
with sharp words on their lips—
for "Who," they think, "will hear us?"
8 But you laugh at them, O Lord;
you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my strength, I will watch for you;
for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me;
my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget;
make them totter by your power, and bring them down,
O Lord, our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips,
let them be trapped in their pride.
For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath;
consume them until they are no more.
Then it will be known to the ends of the earth
that God rules over Jacob. Selah
14 Each evening they come back,
howling like dogs
and prowling about the city.
15 They roam about for food,
and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your might;
I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning.
For you have been a fortress for me
and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, are my fortress,
the God who shows me steadfast love.
Devotionals, Videos and more ...
by Bill Federer
On May 18, 1920, in a small town in Poland, Karol Wojtyla was born. He became a chemical worker during World War II, risked punishment from the communists by becoming a priest and in 1978, became Pope John Paul II. Speaking seven languages, and traveling more than any other pontiff, he survived an assassination attempt in 1981 by a Turkish national. Greeted by Bill Clinton as he arrived in Denver, Pope John Paul said: "In spite of divisions among Christians, 'all those justified by faith through baptism are incorporated into Christ… brothers and sisters in the Lord.' "
Federer, B. (2003). American minute. St. Louis, MO.: Amerisearch, Inc.
by whoever
God's promises are like the stars;
the darker the night
the brighter they shine.
--- David Nicholas
In nature we see where God has been.
In our fellow man,
we see where He is still at work.
--- Robert Brault, www.robertbrault.com
... from here, there and everywhere
by D.H. Stern
It isn't good to eat too much honey
or to seek honor after honor.
Like a city breached, without walls,
is a person who lacks self-control.
Stern, D. H. (1998). Complete Jewish Bible-OE
: An English version of the Tanakh (OT) and
B'rit Hadashah (NT) (1st ed.). Clarksville, Md.: Jewish
New Testament Publications.
A Daily Devotional by Oswald Chambers
Careful unreasonableness
Behold the fowls of the air … consider the lilies of the field. --- Matthew 6:26, 28.
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars and the moon—all these are, and what a ministration they exert. So often we mar God’s designed influence through us by our self-conscious effort to be consistent and useful. Jesus says that there is only one way to develop spiritually, and that is by concentration on God. ‘Do not bother about being of use to others, believe on Me’—pay attention to the Source, and out of you will flow rivers of living water. We cannot get at the springs of our natural life by common sense, and Jesus is teaching that growth in spiritual life does not depend on our watching it, but on concentration on our Father in heaven. Our heavenly Father knows the circumstances we are in, and if we keep concentrated on Him we will grow spiritually as the lilies.
The people who influence us most are not those who buttonhole us and talk to us, but those who live their lives like the stars in heaven and the lilies in the field, perfectly simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mould us.
If you want to be of use to God, get rightly related to Jesus Christ and He will make you of use unconsciously every minute you live.
Chambers, O. (1993). My Utmost for His Highest
the Poetry of R.S. Thomas
Perspectives
Primeval
Beasts rearing from green slime— Neolithic
I shall not be here, Christian
They were bearded Mediaeval
I was my lord’s bard, Modern
And the brittle gardens
an illiterate country, unable to read
its own name. Stones moved into position
on the hills’ sides; snakes laid their eggs
in their cold shadow. The earth suffered
the sky’s shrapnel, bled yellow
into the enraged sea. At night heavily
over the heaving forests the moon
sagged. The ancestors of the tigers
brightened their claws. Such sounds
as there were came from the strong
torn by the stronger. The dawn tilted
an unpolished mirror for the runt mind
to look at itself in without recognition.
and the way things are going
now won’t want to be.
Wheels go no faster
than what pulls them. That land
visible over the sea
in clear weather, they say
we will get there some time
soon and take possession
of it. What then? More acres
to cultivate and no markets
for the crops.
The young
are not what they were,
smirking at the auspices
of the entrails. Some think
there will be a revival.
I don’t believe it. This
plucked music has come
to stay. The natural breathing
of the pipes was to
a different god. Imagine
depending on the intestines
of a polecat for accompaniment
to one’s worship! I have
attended at the sacrifice
of the language that is the liturgy
the priests like, and felt
the draught that was God
leaving. I think some day
there will be nothing left
but to go back to the place
I came from and wrap
myself in the memory
of how I was young
once and under the covenant
of that God not given to folly.
like the sea they came
from; rang stone bells
for their stone hearers.
Their cells fitted them
like a coffin.
Out of them their prayers
seeped, delicate
flowers where weeds
grew. Their dry bread
broke like a bone.
Wine in the cup
was a blood-stained mirror
for sinners to look
into with one eye
closed, and see themselves forgiven.
telling again sweetly
what had been done bloodily.
We lived in a valley;
he had no lady.
Fame was our horizon.
In the spring of the year
the wind brought the news
of a woman’s beauty.
Her eyes were still stones
in her smooth-running hair.
Her voice was the birds’ envy.
We made a brave foray;
the engagement was furious.
We came back alone.
Sing me, my lord said,
the things nearer home:
my falcons, my horse.
I did so, he listened.
My harp was of fire;
the notes bounced like sparks
off his spirit’s anvil.
To-morrow, he promised,
we will ride forth again.
of Dinorwig, deep
in the fallen petals of
their slate flowers: such the autumn
of a people! Whose spring
is it sleeps in a glass
bulb, ready to astonish us
with its brilliance? Bring
on the dancing girls
of the future, the swaying
pylons with their metal
hair bickering towards England.
Thomas, R. S. Selected Poems, 1946-68
Sanhedrin 9b
A personal ad in the newspaper reads: "Professional woman, 32, never-married, non-smoker, 5'2", seeking man for romantic candlelight dinners, walks on the beach at sunset, cruises under a full moon, fireworks and violins every time we kiss." It's a dream that many of us have at one time or another, encouraged and sustained by romance novels and movies. In life, however, it is very rare that such dreams become reality. We have to wonder if the idyllic, impossible expectations that we have for love and romance don't somehow contribute to the terrible disappointments, unhappy marriages, and high divorce rates that are so common today.
Imagine another personal ad: "Man seeking woman willing to put up with: my sometimes forgetting to put the toilet seat down; Sundays in front of the TV watching football; occasional burping out loud; leaving wet towels on the bathroom floor; and my being able to walk by a sink full of dirty dishes without washing them." One cannot imagine many people being attracted to that description. The irony is, however, that it is much closer to everyday reality than the first one is.
The anonymous author of our maxim reminds us that true love is not dependent upon the superficial things that popular culture always associates it with. We do not fall in love because of moonlight or violins. We fall in love with a real person, one with imperfections, faults, and weaknesses. If we are blessed with such a love, then we are able, together, to overcome the obstacles and problems that beset every relationship. A man and a woman in love are somehow able to manage even when poverty gives them a little more room than "the edge of a sword"; they are able to survive if they are in the precarious predicament of "lying on the razor-sharp edge of a blade." For two people for whom love has died, the seductive atmosphere of a roaring fireplace or of a tropical island is not enough to rekindle romance. For two people who care deeply for one another, even the edge of a sword is enough space—so long as they are together.
A person is related to himself.
Text / Rav Yosef said: "If the husband brought witnesses that she was adulterous, and her father brought witnesses that his witnesses conspired, the husband's witnesses are slain, and no money is paid. If the husband returns with witnesses that the father's witnesses conspired, the father's witnesses are slain; they pay money to this one and capital punishment to them." Rav Yosef also said: " 'So-and-so sodomized him,' he and another combine to slay him. 'It was consensual,' he is evil, and the Torah says: 'You shall not join […] a malicious witness [Exodus 23:1]." Rava said: "A person is related to himself, and a person cannot incriminate himself."
Context / The tractate Sanhedrin deals with matters of testimony. For capital cases, two corroborating witnesses are needed, based on the verse from Deuteronomy 17:6: "A person shall be put to death only on the testimony of two or more witnesses." But what if the witnesses conspire to give false testimony? Such witnesses are called edim zommemim, "scheming witnesses." The Torah requires the conspiring witnesses to receive the punishment they sought to inflict, in this case, death. "If a man appears against another to testify maliciously and gives false testimony against him, the two parties to the dispute shall appear before the Lord, before the priests or magistrates in authority at the time, and the magistrates shall make a thorough investigation. If the man who testified is a false witness, if he has testified falsely against his fellow, you shall do to him as he schemed to do to his fellow. Thus you will sweep out evil from your midst; others will hear and be afraid, and such evil things will not again be done in your midst. Nor must you show pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot." (Deuteronomy 19:16–21)
A husband brings charges of adultery against his wife, with accompanying witnesses. This case differs from the biblical ordeal of Sotah where the husband has only suspicions, but no witnesses. A second set of witnesses is brought by the wife's father; they charge the husband's witnesses with conspiracy and falsehood. The husband's false witnesses receive the death penalty, the punishment that would have been imposed upon the wife had their (false) testimony been accepted. In this case, the wife does not receive the usual compensation of the money listed in her ketubbah, or marriage agreement. Thus, "no money is paid" to the wife, because this would be a second punishment for the same crime.
However, what happens if a third set of witnesses is brought by the husband? They testify that the wife's father's set of witnesses, the second set, were lying. Thus, we have a first set of witnesses charging adultery, a second set testifying that the first set conspired to lie, and a third set asserting that the second set is itself lying! In such a scenario, the conspiring second set is sentenced to death and pays the wife money for her ketubbah. Each of these is considered a separate punishment, one for a wrong committed against the first set of witnesses (falsely accusing them of lying), one for a wrong against the wife (falsely accusing her of adultery).
Homosexual rape ("So-and-so sodomized him") is also a capital crime and, thus, requires two witnesses. In this instance, the victim-accuser and a second witness together become a set to testify against the accused. This is the meaning of "he (the accuser) and another (an independent witness) combine." The language "So-and-so sodomized him" may simply be the Talmud's polite way of saying "So-and-so sodomized me." The accuser uses the third person to depersonalize a painful charge.
But what if the accused answers: "This was not rape, but a consensual act!"? In this case, we apply Rava's rule against self-incrimination. Since homosexual acts, whether consensual or forced, are themselves prohibited by traditional Jewish law, the accused's answer—"It was not forced but by mutual consent"—is ipso facto invalid. In so testifying, he is admitting to a wrongdoing. Just as one may not testify either for or against a relative in court, one may not testify against himself in a court, for "a person is related to himself, and a person cannot incriminate himself." Later commentators will limit this principle to capital crimes, while in financial matters, one can self-incriminate. Nonetheless, the testimony "It was consensual" is invalid.
The verse from Exodus—"You shall not join […] a malicious witness"—is creatively misquoted by the Gemara. The full verse from Exodus 23 (in translation) is:
You must not carry false rumors; you shall not join hands with the guilty to act as a malicious witness.
The Gemara has left out parts of the verse: "You shall not join [hands with the guilty to act as] a malicious witness" (Exodus 23:1). Rashi, knowing that the Gemara has used the term "and the Torah says" without giving the exact verse, comments succinctly in an apparent apologetic: "As it is written, 'You shall not join hands etc.' "
Katz, M., & Schwartz, G. (1998). Swimming in the Sea of Talmud: Lessons for Everyday LIving
by Diana Wallis
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us. --- Ephesians 1:7–8
I walked alone by the incoming sea. Classic Sermons on the Grace of God (Kregel Classic Sermons Series)
I am grateful for this comment of the ocean tide. I am grateful for its suggestion of energy in the ministry of grace. Grace is too commonly regarded as a pleasing sentiment, a soft disposition, a welcome feeling of favor entertained toward us by our God. [That] interpretation is ineffective. Grace is not the shimmering face of an illumined lake; it is the sunlit majesty of an advancing sea. It is a transcendent and ineffable force, the outgoing energies of the redeeming God washing against the polluted shores of human need.
Grace includes thought and purpose and good will and love. We do it wrong and therefore maim ourselves if we esteem it only as a perfumed sentiment, a favorable inclination, and not as a glorious energy moving toward the race with the fullness and majesty of the ocean tide. Wherever I turn in the Sacred Book I find the mystic energy at work. In every instance it works and energizes as an unspeakable force.
Let me cull a little handful of examples. "Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart.… And God is able to make all grace abound to you" (2 Cor. 9:7–8 NASB). Do you catch the connection? Let each one do, for God will make grace abound. Grace is the dynamic of endeavor! "God our Father by his grace gave us good hope." We have good hope! The lamp is kept burning. The light does not die out. All the rooms are lit up. Grace is the nourisher of optimism. "It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace" (Hebrews 13:9). Grace is the secret energy of a fortified will.
Grace does not flow from a half-reluctant and partially reconciled God, like the scanty and uncertain movements of a brook in time of drought. It comes in oceanic fullness. It comes in "his kindness, tolerance and patience" (Romans 2:4), "in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us."
--- John Henry Jowett
(27). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.Teacher's Commentary
David's stunning victory over Goliath brought its reward. David was taken into the household of Saul. There David had already established a reputation as the sweet singer of Israel, for his musical talents had soothed Saul, who was subject to demonic oppression (1 Samuel 16:14–15, 23). Saul's question to Abner after David killed Goliath, "Whose son is that young man?" doesn't suggest that Saul did not know his young harpist. Saul's question concerned David's family line, as David's answer reveals: "I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem" (1 Samuel 17:58).
But now David was given military command. Already jealous because of the people's praise of David for his victory over Goliath, Saul tried to kill David (1 Samuel 18:10–11).
But as a commander, David had a continuing series of stunning successes (1 Samuel 18:12–16). Finally Saul devised a plot to have David killed by the Philistines. Saul sent David into enemy territory, promising his daughter Michal would become David's wife if he succeeded. David carried out the "impossible" mission, and a disgruntled Saul fulfilled his part of the bargain.
1 Samuel 19 and 20 tell of David's growing friendship with Jonathan, Saul's son. Jonathan knew God intended David to be king. The generous Jonathan gladly accepted God's will, and allied himself with David against his father. Finally the situation deteriorated so much that David was forced to flee for his life.
This was a time of intense strain for David. He knew great swings of emotion, as his situation alternated between times of public adulation, and periods when he lived as a fugitive. Psalm 59 tells us of David's feelings during this period, as he swings from fear to anger to hope. The psalm begins:
Deliver me from my enemies, O my God;
protect me from those who rise up against me.
Deliver me from those evildoers
and save me from bloodthirsty men.
--- Psalm 59:1–2
Soon David's anger was aroused by the injustice of it all.
Arise to help me; look on my plight.
O Lord God Almighty,
the God of Israel, rouse Yourself
to punish all the nations;
show no mercy to wicked traitors.
--- Psalm 59:4–5
It seemed incomprehensible to David that God would let his enemies do such things to him. In fact, David was rather upset at the Lord for permitting it!
However, David found the strength to endure the growing pressure by reminding himself of who the Lord is, and by reaffirming his trust in God.
I will sing of Your strength …
for You are my fortress,
my refuge in times of trouble.
O my Strength,
I will sing praise to You;
You, O God, are my fortress, my loving God.
--- Psalm 59:16–17
David had been anointed king by Samuel. But Saul ruled. David was not ready yet: he had to undergo further testing. Like his descendant, Jesus, David had to learn "obedience from what He suffered" (Hebrews 5:8).
God uses stress in this way in all our lives. He does not rebuke our feelings of frustration or fear, or even anger. But God wants us to learn to bring our feelings and needs to Him, and to let the times of testing do their character-building work.
(323). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.