In our desperation we often find ourselves making foolish decisions that put us in precarious situations. David's fear has caused him to flee from Saul to the last place on earth he thinks Saul will think to look for him: in the enemy territory of the Philistines. But soon after arriving in Gath, he is recognized by the soldiers of the king of Gath and finds himself apprehended by them and not just afraid, but "sore afraid ..read more

To this point in our study of 1 Samuel, all of our encounters with David have been positive. We have seen him display valor, courage, and loyalty. He is seemingly an infallible hero. But when David comes to the priest at Nob our impression of his character is one of disappointment. David, it turns out, is as frail a human sinner as the rest of us. And yet, in spite of his depraved lying, David is the recipient of undeserved favor from God ..read more

Only the resurrection of Jesus Christ gives meaning to our suffering ..read more

Chapter 20 closes with the bitter scene of the parting of Jonathan and David. David will remain a fugitive from Saul, yet Jonathan's final words to him are "Go in peace." How can Jonathan wish David peace when he knows full well his father's intentions to kill David if he ever finds him? How can we have peace in circumstances that cause us anxiety and fear ..read more

David is hiding in the field while Jonathan is taking the measure of Saul's attitude toward David. Over the course of a three-day festival, the covenant between Jonathan and David (made in 18:1-4 and reaffirmed in 20:8) will be tested, its cost will be levied, and where loyalties lie will be exposed ..read more

Hebrews 4:4-6 is the most often cited text by those who seek to make a case that believers can fall away from the faith and lose their salvation. But a careful reading of the text makes it clear that the author of Hebrews does not have genuine believers in view at all. An important and essential to key to the interpretation of Hebrews 6:4-9 is to understand it in its "Jewishness." How do we interpret "fall away," "impossible," and "renew them again unto repentance" in the way the first century Hellenistic Jewish readers of the Letter to the Hebrews would have understood those phrases, as well ..read more

What are you afraid of? David's fears are in the context of his immediate present circumstances. Jonathan's fears are in his concern for the future welfare of his family. Regardless of the source of our fears and anxiety, they are a condition of life in a fallen world. This issue isn't THAT we are afraid, but HOW our fears find their resolution in the blessing of the future coming King ..read more

Is it possible for a believer to fall away and be finally lost? Many have used Hebrews 4:4-6 to make the case that it is. But who is being addressed in these verses? What does the context of these verses reveal about what it means to "fall away" and the impossibility of being "renewed again unto repentance ..read more

For generations, believers who have read Hebrews 6:4-6 have debated whether or not it teaches we can lose our salvation. In this message from Hebrews we confront one of the hardest passages in all of Scripture ..read more

Where do you turn when there is no where to turn? This is David's predicament. He is a fugitive now, fleeing and hiding from the plots of Saul to take his life. David finds the resolution of his anxiety in the covenant of the Lord, grounded in the steadfast love of the Lord in spite of his perilous circumstances ..read more