1 Samuel – Chapter 27

1 Samuel 27 Daily DEVO And the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months. 1 Samuel 27:7 – Every period of time has a period at the end. Every chapter ends to allow a new one to start. Yet that doesn’t mean that chapter you’re reading now can be skipped. Its essential for the rest of the story to be understood that you stay in this chapter for how ever longs it takes to get through it. For David, his chapter in life was staying over a year in the land of his enemies while being hunted by his own people. This chapter would not go down and his favorite or most successful, but it was still a chapter of his story. You as well might be spending some time in a chapter of your life that isn’t your favorite or most successful. You feel like you are stuck in the middle of enemy territory and all you long for is a way out. Know that just like with David, that time you’re in does end. When and how is only known to God, but every chapter in life closes to open a new one. What you need to do though now is learn all you can from this chapter to prepare you for the next. The lessons being taught in this chapter are the foundations to getting through your next chapter properly. Don’t rush through and discount this current chapter because it’s not the next chapter. God brought you here and kept you here for a reason. Seek out why, seek out what you are called to learn in this chapter, seek His will where you are at. While living within “enemy territory” for a chapter isn’t ideal, what you can learn from that time are the keys to finding victory in the next chapter. I love you, but Jesus loves you more -Mac – Daily DEVO 427

And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines. And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.” 1 Samuel 27:11-12 – What’s happening here? David is living in enemy territory, and to ensure things are good with the enemy leader David has to lie. David is going out and attacking the enemy yet telling the enemy leader he’s attacking people of Israel instead. To cover David’s lie, David has to kill everyone so nothing can get back to the enemy leader as to what he is doing. See here the progression of sin. Lies grows into death. Sure this is a story from scripture, but let’s not think our sin doesn’t progress. Our “simple” sins can have the same destruction as we see play out in this passage. Death, pain, and brokenness, all are not only possible when sin is involved, they should be expected. Please seek to identify where the sin is in your story and do whatever is needed to cut it out now before the hurt increases. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1652

And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish. 1 Samuel 27:9 – This was a low spot for David. Greatly discouraged due to Saul’s never-ending manhunt, David goes to the Philistines to find refuge. While there, he deceptively goes out and murders entire villages and cities of Israel’s enemies. While yes, these were Israel’s enemies, these actions were not given by the Lord, nor do we see anywhere that David sought out the Lord in this time. Like with the husband of Bathsheba later in David’s life, we see David willing to murder to cover up his sin, for he left no one alive in these cities to share of his actions. We too can find ourselves at such a low space in life where we are willing to go to the extreme to cover our sinfulness. We’ll lie, we’ll hurt, and we’ll destroy so that our sin isn’t revealed. What the Lord is calling us to do instead is to bring all our sin to Him and lay it all at His feet. Yes, He’ll see it all, but remember He already knows it all. Have confidence He will forgive for He’s forgiven every one of your sins. Find yourself no longer seeking refuge in the enemy’s home, existing in a cycle of sin and deception to cover your sin. Confess all sin to the Father having the full confidence He will not reject you. If Jesus was willing to go to the cross for your sin, He is willing to take you in when we repent of our sin. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2904