Hear and give ear: do not be proud, for the Lord has spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God before He causes darkness, and before your feet stumble. And while you are looking for light, He turns it into the shadow of death and makes it dense darkness. But if you will not hear it, My soul will weep in secret for your pride; My eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock has been taken captive.

Jeremiah 13:15-17

Confusion & Clarity (Part 4)

I hope to finish up today. It would be nice to get to the "happy ending" for you all. Here goes...

Job Chapter 32 - 42

So these three men (Job's friends) ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. Elihu's wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God. Elihu said, "I said, 'Age should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.' But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. Great men are not always wise, nor do the aged always understand justice. Surely not one of you convinced Job, or answered his words. I also will answer my part, I too will declare my opinion. For I am full of words; the spirit within me compels me. I will speak, that I may find relief; I must open my lips and answer. My words come from my upright heart; my lips shall utter pure knowledge. The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. Surely you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard the sound of your words, saying, 'I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me. Yet He finds occasions against me, He counts me as His enemy.' Look, in this you are not righteous. When deep sleep falls upon men, while slumbering on their beds, then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction. In order to turn man from his deed, He keeps back his soul from the Pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.

Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, and with strong pain in many of his bones, so that his life abhors bread, and his soul succulent food. His flesh wastes away from sight, and his bones stick out which once were not seen. Yes, his soul draws near the Pit, and his life to the executioners.

To show man His uprightness, then He is gracious to him, and says, 'Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom'; He shall see His face with joy, for He restores to man His righteousness. "Behold, God, works all these things, twice, in fact, three times with a man, to bring back his soul from the Pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life." Let us choose justice for ourselves; let us know among ourselves what is good. "For Job has said, 'I am righteous, but God has taken away my justice; should I lie concerning my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.' Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to commit iniquity. For He repays man according to his work, and makes man to find a reward according to his way. Surely God will never do wickedly, nor will the Almighty pervert justice. Will you condemn Him who is most just? Is it fitting to say to a king, 'You are worthless!' and to nobles, 'You are wicked'? For they are all the work of His hands. "For His eyes are on the ways of man, and He sees all his steps. He strikes them as wicked men in the open sight of others, because they turned back form Him, and would not consider any of His ways. He hears the cry of the afflicted. Do you say, 'My righteousness is more than God's'? No one says, 'Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night, who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?' Although you say you do not see Him, yet justice is before Him, and YOU MUST WAIT FOR HIM. (back to waiting on the Lord. Sounds easy... but it is SO hard to wait!) He tells them their work and their transgressions- that they have acted defiantly. He also opens their ear to instruction, and commands that they turn from iniquity. If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures. But if they do not obey, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge. Will your riches, or all the mighty forces, keep you from distress?Listen to this, O Job; stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.

The Lord answered Job, and said: "Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me." (Can you just imagine that?! God telling you to "prepare yourself". Yikes!) "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? "Or who shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth and issued from the womb; when I made the clouds it garment, and thick darkness its swaddling hand; when I fixed My limit for it, and set bars and doors; when I said, "This far you may come, but not farther, and here your proud waves must stop!' "Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the ends of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart? Who provides food for the raven, when its young ones cry to God, and wander about for lack of food? ...the ostrich labor is in vain, without concern, because God deprived her of wisdom, and did not endow her with understanding. Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said: "Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it." Then Job answered the Lord and said: "Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth." Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, "Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me: "Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified? Disperse the rage of your wrath; look on everyone who is proud, and humble him, Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low; tread down the wicked in their place. Hide them in the dust together, bind their faces in hidden darkness. Then I will also confess to you that your own right hand can save you. (Never thought of, or heard of God being sarcastic.) No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up, who then is able to stand against Me? Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.

Then Job answered the Lord and said: " I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, 'I will question you, and you shall answer Me.' "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." And so it was, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphas, "My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. (This is where I have to say, "What?!" All that the friends said seemed true. Now God is angry with them for not speaking as Job? My only thought to this, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that Job spoke in utmost honesty to God. It may not have been reverent, but it was genuine.)

My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has." And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

... came to him... and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the Lord had brought upon him. The End.

Dear friend, where ever you find yourself on this journey we call life, know that the Word of God is true. It is covered in love stories, in heart-wrenching pain, in wisdom for all life's tough circumstances and questions. Make it your best friend. May it become what you live and breath. And in so doing, you will have life in the truest sense. Even when nothing else seems worth living for. All my love, Jaime

Part 3

Zophar says to Job:

My anxious thoughts make me answer, because of the turmoil within me. From the proceeds of business he will get no enjoyment, for he has oppressed and forsaken the poor, because he knows no quietness in his heart, he will not save anything he desires. In his self-sufficiency he will be in distress; every hand of misery will come against him. It shall go ill with him who is left in his tent.

Eliphaz continues against Job:

Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless? Is it because of your fear of Him that He corrects you, and enters into judgment with You? Receive, please, instruction from His mouth, and lay up His words in your heart. If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; yes, the Almighty will by your gold and your precious silver; for then you will have your delight in the Almighty, and lift up your face to God. You will make your prayer to Him, He will hear you.

Job says:

Would He contend with me in His great power? No! But He would take note of me. There the upright could reason with Him, and I would be delivered forever from my Judge. Look, I go forward, but He is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive Him; but He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. My food has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food. But God draws the mighty away with His power; He rises up, but no man is sure of life. He gives them security, and they rely on it' yet His eyes are on their ways. They are exalted for a little while, then they are gone. They are brought low; they are taken out of the way like all others. His eye sees every precious thing. And to man He said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.'" Oh, that I were as in months past, as in the days when God watched over me; when His lamp shone upon my head, and when by His light I walked through darkness; when the friendly counsel of God was over my tent; when the Almighty was yet with me, when my children were around me. When the eye saw, then it approved me; because I delivered the poor who cried out, the fatherless and the one who had no helper. And I caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. I put on righteousness, and it clothed me. Men listened to me and waited, and keep silence for my counsel. After my words they did not speak again, and my speech settled on them as dew. Now my soul is poured out because of my plight; the days of affliction take hold of me. My bones are pierced in me at night, and my gnawing pains take no rest. I cry out to You, but You do not answer me. Have I not wept for him who was in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor? But when I looked for good, evil came to me; and when I waited for light, then came darkness. My heart is in turmoil and cannot rest; days of affliction confront me. I go about mourning, but not in the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.

Selected verses from Job chapters 20 - 31

Confusion & Clarity (Part 2)

When life isn't what you expected. When what you had hoped for, planned for, falls apart. When your dreams shatter into a million pieces. Where do you turn? What do you do? Who do call? You see, sometimes life is full of mis-haps. Sometimes it is the cause of us making a bad choice. Other times we are put in a place of disaster from the bad choices of others. And still, there is the case when we have done everything as best as we could, and garbage still happens. No matter how it comes about, the pain is still the same. Excruciating at times. For those of you who have been there... read on and take comfort. There is a happy ending. Just hold on a little longer. Moment by moment. We'll get through this with His help and His promises.

Continuing the story of Job

Chapter 10 - 19

"My soul loathes my life; I will give free course to my complaint, I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God, 'Do not condemn me; show me why You contend with me. Does it seem good to You that You should oppress, that You should despise the work of Your hands? You have granted me life and favor, and Your care has preserved my spirit. If I sin, then You mark me. If I am wicked, woe to me; even if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head. I am full of disgrace; see my misery! Why then have You brought me out of the womb? Oh, that I had perished and no eye had seen me!

Zophar, a 'friend' says:

Because you would forget your misery, and remember it as waters that have passed away, your life would be brighter than noonday. Though you were dark, you would be like the morning. And you would be secure, because there is hope.

Job replies:

"I am one mocked by his friends. The just and blameless who is ridiculed. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this, in whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind? What you know, I also know. I am not inferior to you. But I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God. But you forgers of lies, you are all worthless physicians. Oh, that you would be silent, and it would be your wisdom! He will surely rebuke you if you secretly show partiality. Hold your peace with me, and let me speak, then let come on me what may! Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him. Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him. He also shall be my salvation, for a hypocrite could not come before Him. Then call, and I will answer; Or let me speak, the You respond to me. Make me know my transgression and my sin. Why do You hide Your face, and regard me as Your enemy?

Eliphaz, another friend:

For your iniquity teaches your mouth, and you choose the tongue of the crafty. Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; yes, your own lips testify against you. Why does your heat carry you away, and what do your eyes wind at, that you turn your spirit against God, and let such words go out of your mouth? For He stretches out his hand against God, and acts defiantly against the Almighty, running stubbornly against Him with his strong, embossed shield. He will not depart form darkness; Let him not trust in futile things. deceiving himself, for futility will be his reward.

Job:

Miserable comforters are you all! (I want to say that sometimes) If your soul were in my soul's place, I could heap up words against you, and shake my head at you; but I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the comfort of my lips would relieve your grief. Thought I speak, my grief is not relieved; and if I remain silent, how am I eased? But now He has worn me out; God has delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over to the hands of the wicked. I was at ease, but He has shattered me; He also has taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces; He pierces my heart and does not pity. He breaks me with wound upon wound; my face is flushed from weeping, and on my eyelids is the shadow of death; although no violence is in my hands, and my prayer is pure. My friends scorn me; my eyes pour out tears to God. Oh, that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleads for his neighbor!

My spirit is broken, my days are extinguished, the grave is ready for me. Who is he who will shake hands with me? For You have hidden their heart from understanding; my eye has also grown dim because of sorrow.

Bildad says to Job:

How long till you put an end to words? You who tear yourself in anger, shall the earth be forsaken for you?

Job:

How long will you torment my soul? He has set darkness in my paths. He has stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown form my head. He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone; my hope He has uprooted like a tree. My relatives have failed, and my close friends have forgotten me. My breath is offensive to my wife. All my close friends abhor me, and those whom I love have turned against me. Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has struck me! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God. How my heart yearns within me!

Can you relate? Ahh... Job understands pain and grief... so well. There's no comfort like the comfort of someone who has been there.

To be continued.....

Confusion & Clarity (Part 1)

Opposites. I think we all strive for one, not the other. Yet, I think that the two may be inseparable. Without knowing one extreme, how could you know the other?

I have spent the last few days diving into Job (in the Bible). I am so glad I went through it's entirety, yet I will have to go through again for more depth. I wanted to share some incredible things with you. I also am curious as to your thoughts.

I don't know that everyone has lived IN or THROUGH a very difficult circumstance, but I think many have. I was comforted to read, in the Bible no less, the words spoken by Job to God.

By the way, there are 42 chapters. Only the first and last chapters tell of what happened to him, and the end result. All 40 chapters are his conversation with God, and his friends.

"Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, who long for death, but it does not come, and search for it more than hidden treasures; who rejoice exceedingly, and are glad when they can find the grave? Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, and whom God has hedged in? For my sighing comes before I eat, and my groanings pour out like water. For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, for trouble comes."

Ever been there? I can relate. I can take comfort in knowing that Job, highly esteemed by God, has been there. He uttered words that are so full of pain, yet so full of honesty before God.

Words from one of Job's friends: He sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot carry out their plans. But He saves the needy from the sword, from the mouth of the mighty, and from their hand. So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts her mouth. "Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole."

Back to Job speaking: "To him who is afflicted, kindness should be shown by his friends, even though he forsakes the fear of the Almighty. My days are spent without hope. Oh, remember that my life is a breath! Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. When I say, 'My bed will comfort me, My couch will ease my complaint,' then You scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions, so that my soul chooses strangling and death rather than my body. I loathe my life; Let me alone, for my days are but a breath. What is man, that You should exalt him, that You should set Your heart on him, that You should visit him every morning, and test him every moment? How long? Will You not look away from me, and let me alone till I swallow my saliva? Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, so that I am a burden to myself? For now I will lie down in the dust, and You will seek me diligently, but I will no longer be."

Been there?

Another one of Job's friends speak: If you would earnestly seek God and make your supplication to the Almighty, if you were pure and upright, surely now He would awake for you, and prosper your rightful dwelling place. Behold, God will not cast away the blameless, nor will He uphold the evildoers. He will yet fill your mouth with laughing, and your lips with rejoicing.

Sounds good..... but is it true? By the end of Job, I question the "wisdom" of his friends.

Job speaks: God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered? He does great things past finding out, Yes, wonders without number. If He goes by me, I do not see Him; if He moves past, I do not perceive Him; if He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, 'What are You doing?' If I called and He answered me, I would not believe that He was listening to my voice. For He crushes me with a tempest, and multiplies my wounds without cause. He will not allow me to catch my breath, but fills me with bitterness. I despise my life. If I say, 'I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face and wear a smile,' I am afraid of all my sufferings; I know that You will not hold me innocent. If I am condemned, why then do I labor in vain?

This takes us through chapter 1 - 9. These are not complete chapters, but what I highlighted in my Bible, because it was for me. I hope it can be for you too. To be continued.....

Memorial Day Weekend

Zeke and Mya literally spent hours coloring. They would wake up and color. Eat, then color. Play, then color. Loved it! Emily doesn't want to waste time sitting. Unless.....

trains are involved. She has a fascination with trains. She spent a lot of time watching them go round and round, helping them when they got stuck on the track. I think we may need to invest in some for ourselves. Who would have thought?!It has taken a very long time for Mya to let me do a ponytail on her. Finally! No hair in the face! Emily just loves to have her picture taken. Can you tell? Poor thing is close to allergic to the sun. Sunscreen isn't enough. She has to live in a hat when outside. Thankfully, she doesn't mind. So long as she can wear it HER way.... sideways.

Mya and Zeke. Zeka and Mya. That's how it is. Here she is trying to teach him how to balance.Zeke is a GREAT driver. Emily loved going along for a ride. She wanted to try driving too. She'll need some work. Lots of work. For some reason, when she was driving, the trees just pulled her in.

I love this picture! She's trying to win daddy on the race-car game.
These crack me up. My girls seem to think that if you put your hands up above your head, you'll fly like a super hero. Every time.... Emily......

Up, up, and away!

Joe, Sarah and Zeke. Thank you again for the wonderful weekend. It's been but 2 weeks and the girls are asking to go back. Amazing, considering the 14 hour car ride. (yes... round trip)

Where does my hope come from?

My soul still remembers. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul; "Therefore I hope in Him!" The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Let him sit alone and keep silent, because God has laid it on him; there may yet be hope. Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, when the Lord has not commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that woe and well-being proceed? Why should a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord; Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven. I called on Your name, O Lord, from the lowest pit. You have heard my voice; "Do not hide Your ear from my sighing, form my cry for help." You drew near on the day I called on You, and said, "Do not fear!" You have redeemed my life.

selected verses from Lamentations 3

Truth Matters

The Lord is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works. The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. The Lord preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh shall bless His holy name. Forever and ever.

Psalm 145:17 - 21

One Brave Woman

Taken from 1 Samuel chapter 25

Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich. The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. When David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep, David sent ten young men; and David said to the young men, " Go up to Carmel, go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. "And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity: 'Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have! Let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David. '" So when David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words, and waited. Then Nabal answered David's servants, and said, "Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. "Shall I then take MY bread and MY water and MY meat that I have killed for MY shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?" (This guy is really full of himself.) So David's young men turned on their heels and went back. Then David said to his men, "Every man gird on his sword." So every man girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went with David, and two hundred stayed with the supplies. Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying. "Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master; and he reviled them. "But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields. They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep. "Now therefore know and consider what you will do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that one cannot speak to him." Then Abigail made haste... But she did not tell her husband Nabal. She went down under cover of the hill. Now David had said, "Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has. He has repaid me evil for good. "May God do so, and more also, to the enemies of David, if I leave one male of all who belong to him by morning light." Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground. She fell at his feet and said: "On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be! And please let your maidservant speak on your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant. "Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: folly is with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent. "Now therefore, my lord, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, since the Lord has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal. "Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For the Lord will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the Lord, and evil is not found in you throughout your days. ..."that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, "Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person." Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was, holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal was very drunk; therefore she told him nothing until morning light. So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. Then it happened, after about 10 days, that the Lord struck Nabal, and he died. When David heard, he said, "Blessed be the Lord, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept His servant form evil! For the Lord has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head." And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as his wife. Then she arose, bower her face to the earth, and said, "Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servant's of my lord." So Abigail became his wife. David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives. But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish. (This will matter later)

My thoughts on this. I was intrigued at the way Abigail made up for her husbands folly. That took guts! And not to mention that, but she asked for forgiveness of HER trespass! Then I reflect on my life, and wonder... would I have done that? Do I DO that? And then to have the heart to become a servant of all the other servants. How beautiful! I sure hope you're enjoying the story as much as I have. More to come!

David: The amazing life story (Part 3)

Complete chapter of 1 Samuel 24 - talk about Mercy!

Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, "Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi." Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) Then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the Lord said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.'" And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe. Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. (seriously?) And he said to his men, "The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord." So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way. David also arose afterward, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, saying, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed down. And David said to Saul: "Why do you listen to the words of men who say, 'Indeed David seeks your harm'? "Look, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord's anointed.' "Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. "Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. "As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.' But my hand shall not be against you. "After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? "Therefore let the Lord be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand." So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. Then he said to David: "You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. "And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. "For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done tome this day. "And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. "Therefore swear now to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father's house." So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

David: The amazing life story (Part 2)

Excerpts taken from 1 Samuel chapters 18 - 22 (Please keep in mind this is not the entire story)

So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants. Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. So the women sang as they danced, and said: "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him. So Saul eyed David from that day forward. And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Saul's hand. And Saul cast the spear, for he said, "I will pin David to the wall!" But David escaped his presence twice. Now Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, but had departed from Saul. David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him. Thus Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David... so Saul became David's enemy continually.

Now Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David; but Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted greatly in David. Thus Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father, and said to him, "Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works have been very good toward you. For he took is life into his own hands and killed the Philistine, and the Lord brought about a great deliverance for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?" Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul's presence. So David fled and escaped that night.

David escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him. Then David went from there to Mizpah of Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me." Now the prophet of Gad said to David, "Do not stay... depart, and go to the land of Judah." So David departed and went. Then Saul said, "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day?" So Ahimelich answered the king and said, "And who among all your servants is as faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, who goes at your bidding, and is honorable in your house?" Then the king said to the guards who stood about him, "Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me." But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to strike the priests of the Lord. Then the king said to Doeg, "You turn and kill the priests!" So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod. Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep- with the edge of the sword. So David said to Abiathar, "I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused the death of all the persons of your father's house. Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe."

David: The amazing life story (Part 1)

Excerpts taken from 1 Samuel chapters 16 & 17

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.

But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, ad a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him. Then one of the servants answered and said, "Loo, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him."

Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

Then David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine."

"Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God." Moreover David said, "The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you!"

So the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into our hands."

Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.

Friends and Family...

I know that time is hard to find. If I could, I would like to ask you to share 30 minutes with me. The following is from Focus on the Family and is a 2 part discussion. The link I have is the second part.

I know that if you can just give 30 minutes, it will MORE than make up for your time in what it will bring to your heart. Be changed.... with me.

I can't get the direct link to work properly, but here's the link to Focus, then listen to June 3 brodcast.

"Finding Rest for Your Hurried Home" (Part 2 of 2) by Tim and Darcy Kimmel

http://www.focusonthefamily.com/radio.aspx

No Messing Around

Again David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called by the Name, the Lord of Hosts, who dwells between the cherubim. So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark.

Then David and all the house of Israel played music before the Lord on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals. And when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the ark of God. And David became angry because of the Lord's outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place Perez Uzzah to this day. David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, "How can the ark of the Lord come to me?" So David would not move the ark of the Lord with him into the City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.

Now it was told King David, saying, "The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness.

And so it was, when those bearing the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep. Then David danced before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. Now as the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.

So they brought the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, both the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed, everyone to his house.

Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, "How glorious was the king of Israel today,uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the base fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!" (can't you just hear the sarcasm and scorning?) So David said to Michal, "It was before the Lord, who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the Lord. "And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor." Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

2 Samuel 6