I'm Following Jesus – Page 1492 – Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34

Date: Friday, April 17, 2020
Chapters: I Samuel 25, Psalms 140-141
Message: God’s Intercession

Hello My Friend,

The second we get saved we get this idea life being easier, no more pain, sorrow, temptation, or sin to fight with. And just like life itself, living the Christian life is no where close to what we imagined it to be. In many ways it is amazing, all you have to do is look around me to see that God has definitely blessed and made my life very prosperous. Yet in some ways it is very challenging, especially when those pains, sorrows, and temptations never seem to go away. I guess it is the fear in me that keeps me faithful to God, I remember my life before Christ and certainly do not want to ever go back there again, but I also know that all it takes is one rash decision for me to go down a spiral and lose everything God has given me. So, what do we do? How do we keep ourselves from making rash decisions? Or what do we do if we have? Well, there is only one answer, God. Believe it or not we are not always going to make the right decisions, but God already knew that, He knows our heart before we do. “Romans 8:27-28 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. [28] And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

I am having a hard time accepting that everything I am going through works together for good, that God purposed things in my life. Oh, I know it is true, that He does work everything together for good, and definitely know in my heart that He makes intercession for me, and keeps me from so many dangerous situations even in rash decisions. Now, as we continue with David, we learned that Samuel died, in his travels after the funeral he came to Paran, he knew it well because he helped a man name Nabal that lived there. When David heard that Nabal was out shearing sheep in the area he sent ten of his men to Nabal in hopes that he would send them some food and water, but Nabal refused and acted like he did not even know him.

“I Samuel 25:1-5,10-11 And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran. [2] And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. [3] Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb. [4] And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep. [5] And David sent out ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name: [10] And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master. [11] Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?”

“but the man was churlish and evil in his doings;” I had an ex that could get me to do anything he wanted, and he was ten thousand miles away from me. All he had to do was message me with his sweet talking and I was helping him get out of trouble. And when you are in need of their help, they do not even know you. This did not go over too well with David, perhaps it was in his grieving, but he became considerably angry, so angry that he was about to storm over there and start a battle with him. When Nabal’s wife heard about it she came running with food, and to plead with David to forgive Nabal.

“I Samuel 25:18-19,23,25-26,28 Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses. [19] And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal. [23] And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground, [25] Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. [26] Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. [28] I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.”

“seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood,” God definitely interceded by sending Abigail to David. By her stopping him she gave him time to cool down and not make such a rash decision. We cannot let the fools of this world distort our reasoning. David wrote this Psalm as reminder that he can go to God, with every request, even the wicked. “Psalms 140:6-13 I said unto the LORD, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD. [7] O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. [8] Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked: further not his wicked device; lest they exalt themselves. Selah. [9] As for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them. [10] Let burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up again. [11] Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him. [12] I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor. [13] Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.”

“that they rise not up again.” A lot of people frown upon the way David asked God to deal with his enemies, in fact, they omit these prayers and tell you not to pray this way. Let me tell you, God does not change, since He does not want us to come at them with the same evil that they do to us, we are to ask Him to deal with them as He sees fit. Remember, we are to overcome evil with good, and this prayer is not so different from what God’s Word says in the New Testament either. “Romans 12:19-21 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. [20] Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. [21] Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”

God, in fact, does repay evil with good, in this case, it was Abigail’s good that repaid Nabal’s evil. David responded to Abigail, actually thanking her for giving him a chance to calm down before he resorted to shedding blood in his anger. And when Abigail told Nabal what she had done, he had a heart attack.

“I Samuel 25:32-33,35-39 And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: [33] And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. [35] So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person. [36] And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light. [37] But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. [38] And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died. [39] And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife.”

“and have accepted thy person.” Abigail’s intercession stopped David from making one rash decision that would have caused problems for him. Since he was known for being a man of integrity this would have made things worse for him. We ought to never become offended or become defensive by those who come to us with their concerns. There is a difference between judging someone and addressing them with concern, and if we are honest with ourselves, we all have been guilty of making judgment without fully knowing the situation, [John 7:24].

“that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach” David thanked God for dealing with Nabal, in fact, God did actually handle him just as David prayed that prayer. And this Psalm was probably to account for God using Abigail to intercede in this whole situation. “Psalms 141:1-5,8-10 A Psalm of David. LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. [2] Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. [3] Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. [4] Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties. [5] Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities. [8] But mine eyes are unto thee, O GOD the Lord: in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute. [9] Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity. [10] Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape.”

“Let the righteous smite me;” God always intercedes in our lives, especially His faithful, sometimes interceding means that He puts us right into the fire, and sometimes it means that He uses people to correct us. I am dealing with some things right now, and I am having a hard time figuring out if I made a rash decision, which actually weighed heavily on my heart for days, or if God is using this situation to intercede and me show the person how to love God as He says. The more I think about it the more I realize that it was not a rash decision, rather an opportunity to let God take the reins in all this. After all, He does work all things together for good to them who love Him. “Jeremiah 17:7-10 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. [8] For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit. [9] The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? [10] I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.”

Today’s Prayer: God, Thank You for my salvation through grace by my faith and acceptance of Your Son alone as my Saviour. I do not have to do anything to merit salvation or keep it, I just had to believe in Christ’s sinless death, burial, and resurrection, and accept that He is the payment for my sin debt. Lord, I know I have made some rash decisions, but You never fail to stop me from acting on them. LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.

God Bless You, I am praying for you,

Christina

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