SATURDAY June 22, 2019
Evil Entrapment
Then Saul said, “Thus you shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any dowry but one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king’s enemies.’ ” But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. So when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to become the king’s son-in-law.
1 Samuel 18:25-26
King Saul’s mind was quickly diminishing. Saul did not want to be David’s father-in-law; he wanted to kill him! He decided not to require a monetary dowry from David for Michal. In biblical times, it was customary for a father-in-law to receive a sum of money as a dowry for the bride. The dowry was considered alimony in advance. In case a husband sought for a divorce, the wife would be provided for, and she would not become a burden to her family.
Instead of a dowry, Saul sent David out to kill a hundred Philistines. David was excited by Saul’s offer; he was a strong warrior and had no problem with taking vengeance on the King’s enemies. King Saul was thinking, He will be killed before he accomplishes the mission I have given him. David had no idea what was in the heart of Saul. David had a loyal heart, but Saul wanted to destroy him. David remained blind to the truth.
Later in the life of David, he planned a similar scheme. David committed adultery with Bathsheba, and she became pregnant. Her husband Uriah was a loyal warrior. David tried to get Uriah to lay with his wife, making the child his––to hide his sin. When David’s plans failed, he gave orders to Joab to put Uriah in the front of the battle and then to withdraw from him so he could be killed by the enemy. In a backslidden state, David, a man after God’s own heart, committed murder (2 Samuel 11).
How does this happen? The truth is that any one of us can fall into sin and commit unthinkable actions. We need to keep our guard up against the flesh, the world and Satan. Never think you are strong enough on your own against these deadly enemies. We need to learn from the examples in the Bible––be careful.
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
~1 Corinthians 10:12 NIV~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!