From the Kitchen Table

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 131

And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters. ¹¹ Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?”

1 Samuel 25:10-11

When you’ve been on a long journey, it’s easy to be distracted by the little things.  David had come all this way, faced all those issues, and waited patiently for God to meet all his needs.  All those things develop character in the man or woman of God.  But it’s hard to overlook outright disrespect.  Nabal is just being Nabal; no one expected anything but his nasty response.  David’s about to let a nobody take down a somebody in the will of God for His people.  Don’t just let anybody decide what kind of somebody God wants you to be.  Don’t let the words of the ignorant make you arrogant.

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 130

Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.’”

1 Samuel 25:8

If you want to be taken seriously, don’t send someone else to do your business.  Take care of your business, yourself.  It’s easy to turn down the help.  If it’s important to you, it’s important for you to do the work.  David will end up loading up and going anyway, so why not go the first time?  If it’s important for you, make the person important to you by talking to them yourself.  Just a thought.

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 129

David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep. ⁵ So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name. ⁶ And thus you shall greet him: ​‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have

1 Samuel 25:4-6

It’s easier than you think to slip back into the mindset of the world around us.  God was David’s faithful provider, and yet it made sense to David that Nabal should care and provide for David’s men.  Why shouldn’t those who have share with those who don’t?  That might be God’s character, but that’s not necessarily God’s way.  David let his feelings rule over his faith.  He’s about to kill a man, act violently, and take what he wanted rather than receive what God had for him.   We must be aware of ourselves; it can look easier to play politics than pray, but God wants us to pray.

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 128

Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite.

1 Samuel 25:3

There’s always more to the story than what meets the eye.  Abigail is one of the more in this story, and when David sees her, he’ll want her just like Nabal had done earlier.  Beauty is defined by what’s good.  Abigale was discerning, a huge word that means she had a good heart, a good mind, a good attitude, a good name & a good witness.  She’s able to move mountains because, obviously, people respect and revere her.  Good makes beauty beautiful.  How in the world did she end up with Nabal?  Maybe it’s because good people can see the possibilities and not just the problems.

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 127

Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel; and the man was very rich, and he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats.

1 Samuel 25:2

Life isn’t that complicated if you’re simply observant.  There are times when you can see a storm brewing.  This is what’s happening here with David and Nabal.  A storm is brewing; grief and arrogance were about to meet, and they couldn’t see it.  Nothing is more offensive than injustice in the face of grief.  And nothing offends more than wealth in the face of arrogance.  There will be no prayer, only reaction to each other.  David has a right, Nabal has a point, violence is on the horizon, and only the mentally and emotionally intelligent can see it coming.  We can’t afford to forget about God at any turn in our lives.  We always need His discernment, direction, and dependability.  He will always deliver.

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 126

Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah.   Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran.

1 Samuel 25:1-2

Life has a way of throwing us all sorts of curveballs, and death is one of those balls.  In this situation, Samuel, David’s mentor, prophet, and role model, has died.  He’s the one who first saw God’s call on David’s life.  Now what?  Who was left to vouch for David?  Who was there to interfere with King Saul’s dangerous depression?  We need spiritual mentors and ministers in our lives.  It’s easy to go backwards when you’re not following someone forward.  David and the nation of Israel are grieving Samuel’s death.  This is when you’re calling must be greater than the one who called you.  Grief can be a punch in the gut; lean into it, not away from it.  This is a time to seek God’s discernment & direction, not make our own decisions.  Feel the pain, don’t fret your plans.

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 125

So David gave his oath to Saul. Then Saul returned home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

1 Samuel 24:22

King Saul returned home, but David was still living rent-free in his head.  This is no time to let down your guard.  If a person hasn’t repented, taking responsibility for his or her actions, stay alert.  David and his men went back to the stronghold.  This isn’t about judgment but rather about discernment.  No false guilt here and no false guarantees.  King Saul was sorry he got caught and sorry for what all this might mean for his family, but he didn’t take responsibility for his actions or thoughts.  Until we take responsibility for our thoughts and actions, there we be no real repentance and restoration.  Know what you’re looking for from yourself and others.

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 124

When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the LORD reward you well for the way you treated me today. ²⁰ I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands.

1 Samuel 24:19-20

It’s a sad thing to see where selfishness and rebellion toward God lead a person.  They fear what they really fear, death, and yet act like they can change their destiny.  King Saul knows that his time is ending; he can’t change that without changing himself.  The cost is too great to change, but the final cost will be greater than it is now.  When we lose our ability to humble our hearts before God and repent of all fearful and foolish thoughts and actions, our destiny becomes death.  He sees the end, but he can’t change his direction.  It’s sad. It’s the end he deserves, because it’s the end of his own choices.

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 123

He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. ¹⁸ And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the LORD put me into your hands.

1 Samuel 24:17-18

No amount of good words can change a bad heart.  When the heart is bad, everything else will be brought into question.  We often want to deal with what rather than the why, but the devil is always in the why.  Relieved that he is alive and yet resentful of what David had done, Saul speaks good but sees bad.  There is no relief if you make others your problem.  Relief comes from dealing with the you of your problems.  Only a good soul can truly speak good words.  The answer is to deal with our problems, not the problems we see with others.

The Kitchen Table Devotional

David Day 122

As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.

 1 Samuel 24:16

Paul wrote about godly sorrow that leads to repentance.  For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:10)   This isn’t that.  Don’t be fooled by emotions.  You’ll always find the devil in the why.  Saul isn’t crying because he is sorry for what he had done but because he was sorry he got caught.  Repentance should always deal with the why, not just the what.  Be wise!