TUESDAY August 6, 2019
Murder of the Innocent
And 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.
1 Samuel 22:18-19
As Saul’s men refused to kill the priests, Saul ordered Doeg, an Edomite, to kill the priests. He was a man pleaser and gladly took the opportunity; no doubt he believed he was doing a great service for King Saul. Doeg turned to slay all the blameless priests. He slaughtered those who served God, and then turned his sword to strike all the innocent people who dwelt in the city of Nob. He killed men, women, children, and babies. He was merciless and left no one alive. Even the animals were destroyed.
Saul showed a complete lack of wisdom in his actions. He had made yet another foolish decision. Saul had lost the fear of the Lord. He was incredibly foolish. Did he not understand he had just condemned himself before the Lord? When he gave the order to murder all those innocent people, he had sealed his own fate. The kiss of death was on his life––he was as a dead man before the Lord. You cannot come against God’s people and get away with it.
God is a just Judge. He repays the wicked for their actions: “Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; their foot shall slip in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them” (Deuteronomy 32:35).
When God repays the wicked, no harm comes to those who have been made righteous in Him: Say to those who are fearful-hearted, “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you” (Isaiah 35:4).
O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs—
O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!
~Psalm 94:1~
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