💥 Podcast: The death of Saul

 

(This podcast was previously published on, November 20, 2021)

 

I Samuel 28:1  And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel.

5 And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled.

6 And when Saul enquired of the LORD, the LORD answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets.

(Samuel the prophet had already died so Saul could not consult Samuel.)

7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. 

And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.

8 And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.

9 And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?

10 And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.

11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? 

And he said, Bring me up Samuel.

12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.

13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

14 And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.

15 And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? 

And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.

16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?

17 And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:

18 Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst HIS fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day.

19 Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: (Samuel shows Saul that he and his sons will be dead the next day.)  the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.

20 Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel:

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I Samuel 31

1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in mount Gilboa.

2 And the Philistines followed hard upon Saul and upon his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons.

3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him; and he was sore wounded of the archers.

4 Then said Saul unto his armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armourbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.

5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him.

6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together.

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David laments the death of Saul:

II Samuel 1  (David says)

19 The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen!

20 Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.

22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.

23 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel.

25 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, thou wast slain in thine high places.

26 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.

27 How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

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I Chronicles 10

13-14   So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; And enquired not of the LORD: therefore HE (God) slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse

All these things should teach us to "fear the Lord", "fear the Word of God".

When God tells us something, we must "wholly" follow that Word which God speaks.

Whether the Word comes by scripture or by the Holy Spirit or by an angel of the Lord, we must follow that Word fully, doing all parts of that instruction.

This is The fear of the Lord, for we know to follow the whole instruction from God brings blessings, and to leave out part of the instruction curses our own lives!

We see these examples in all these Old Testament scriptures.

Psalm 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do HIS commandments: HIS praise endureth for ever.

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💥 Scriptures shared by members of the body of Christ:

Matthew 12:32  And whoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

 

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Psalm 37:4  Delight thyself also in the Lord; and HE shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

 

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Matthew 6:31-34  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

 

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

 

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and HIS righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

 

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

 

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Psalm 37:1-3  Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 

 

2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 

 

3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

 

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Isaiah 46:4  And even to your old age I am HE; and even to hoar (gray) hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

 

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Philippians 2:5-8  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

 

6 WHO, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

 

7 But made HIMSELF of no reputation, and took upon HIM the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

 

8 And being found in fashion as a man, HE humbled HIMSELF, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

 

 

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💥 Luke 24 (Reading through the Bible)

 

Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.

² And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

(These women who came to anoint Jesus with spices were concerned about who they could get to roll the stone away from the sepulchre which would allow them into the tomb where Jesus body laid so they could anoint him with sweet spices, covering up the decay of death.  But when they arrived the stone had already been rolled away.)

³ And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

⁴ And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
⁵ And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they (the men) said unto them,
Why seek ye the living among the dead?
⁶ HE is not here, but is risen:

remember how He spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee,⁷ Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.

⁸ And they remembered His words,

⁹ And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.

¹⁰ It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.

¹¹ And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.

¹² Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.

¹³ And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. ¹⁴ And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
¹⁵ And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them.
¹⁶ But their eyes were holden that they should not know Him.

¹⁷ And He said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?
¹⁸ And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto Him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?
¹⁹ And He said unto them, What things? And they said unto Him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
²⁰ And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and have crucified Him.

²¹ But we trusted that it had been He which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.
²² Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre;
²³ And when they found not His body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that He was alive.
²⁴ And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but Him they saw not.

²⁵ Then He said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
²⁶ Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?

²⁷ And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself.

²⁸ And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and He made as though He would have gone further. ²⁹ But they constrained Him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And He went in to tarry with them.

³⁰ And it came to pass, as He sat at meat with them, He took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. ³¹ And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him; and He vanished out of their sight.

³² And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?

³³ And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
³⁴ Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
³⁵ And they told what things were done in the way, and how He was known of them in breaking of bread.

(As we break the bread of THE WORD, HE is known to us.)

³⁶ And as they thus spake, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

³⁷ But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.

³⁸ And He said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
³⁹ Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself: handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have.

⁴⁰ And when He had thus spoken, He shewed them His hands and His feet.

⁴¹ And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
⁴² And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
⁴³ And He took it, and did eat before them.

⁴⁴ And He said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning Me.

⁴⁵ Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

⁴⁶ And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
⁴⁷ And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
⁴⁸ And ye are witnesses of these things.

⁴⁹ And, behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

⁵⁰ And He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them.

⁵¹ And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.

⁵² And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:

⁵³ And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

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💥 Podcast: David refuses to avenge himself, though David could have killed Saul

 

(This podcast was previously published on, November 19, 2021)

 

God removed HIS Holy Spirit from Saul and gave HIS Holy Spirit to David and anointed David to be king to replace Saul.  An evil spirit from God came on Saul, and Saul tries to kill David.

I Samuel 23:14  And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.

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I Samuel 24

1 And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.

2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.

3 And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul went in to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave.

4 And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. 

Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily.

(At that time David could have killed Saul but David refused to do so.)

5 And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt.

6 And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.

7 So David stayed his servants with these words, and suffered them not to rise against Saul. But Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his way.

8 David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. 

And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed himself.

9 And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt?

10 Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the LORD'S anointed.

11 Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.

12 The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.

13 As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.

14 After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea.

15 The LORD therefore be judge, and judge between me and thee, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand.

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New Testament church:

Romans 12

18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is MINE; I will repay, saith the Lord.

20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

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I Samuel 23  (God saves David from the harm Saul would do against him.)

24 And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon.

25 Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David: wherefore he came down into a rock, and abode in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.

26 And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them.

27 But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land.

28 Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Selahammahlekoth.

29 And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strong holds at Engedi.

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Even after David showed Saul he would not kill Saul, Saul continued to try to kill David.

I Samuel 26

1 And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon?

2 Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.

3 And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness.

4 David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come in very deed.

5 And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched: and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host: and Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him.

6 Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee.

7 So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him.

8 Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.

9 And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD'S anointed, and be guiltless?

💥  10 David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.

People today fret over men who do evil.  But remember what David said in verse 10, for it is certainly true.

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I Samuel 26

David said concerning Saul:

11 The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD'S anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go.

12 So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.

13 Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of an hill afar off; a great space being between them:

14 And David cried to the people, and to Abner (the captain of Saul's army) the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner? 

Then Abner answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the king?

15 And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord.

16 This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the LORD liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD'S anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster.

17 And Saul knew David's voice, and said, Is this thy voice, my son David? 

And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king.

18 And he (David) said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand?

19 Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the LORD have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the LORD; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, Go, serve other gods.

20 Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.

21 Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.

(But Saul continues to the end of his life to pursue after David with the intent to kill David.)

22 And David answered and said, Behold the king's spear! and let one of the young men come over and fetch it.

23 The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD'S anointed.

24 And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let HIM deliver me out of all tribulation.

25 Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail. 

So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.

I Samuel 27:1  And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.

(So David and his men fled Saul and went to live in the land of the Philistines and remained with them for a time.)

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💥 Scriptures shared by members of the body of Christ:

 

Ephesians 10:22-23  Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

 

23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for HE is faithful that promised;)

 

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Galations 6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

 

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Proverbs 21:1  The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: HE turneth it whithersoever HE will. 

 

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Luke 21:10-11  Then said HE (Jesus) unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
 

11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

 

 

(Comments from Beth Martin, member of the body of Christ:

 

While reading Luke 21, I got to verse 10 and 11 ... Great signs shall there be from heaven .... stood out to me. The thought immediately came to me," These are all of the floods today". Only God controls the weather.

This reminds me of a weather situation that happened here within the past couple of years. There were severe weather warnings in our immediate area. There were tornado and floods warnings. There were also power outages expected. I filled all of my oil lamps, checked the batteries in flashlights, charged electronics, and placed flashlights on our bedside stands. There were warnings of up to 40 mile per hour winds. I removed outside objects that could be moved by wind. (bird feeders, flags, and solar lights). The warnings were going on for a couple of days. Both of our sons reside on top of hills. All of these warnings planted fear in my heart. I prayed asking God to protect property and persons at our home as well as both sons. We all live within a 5 mile area. The storm came at night.

When I awoke the next day, everything at my home was fine. Also both boys home properties and children were unharmed. We all had power. I then saw that the two nearest small towns, reported damage and power outages. I believe that God protected all of us in this situation.)

 

(Comments from Cathy Varner, member of the body of Christ:

Amen, Beth. I’ve seen this happen also, where I’ve prayed for protection, and seen others nearby lose power, etc, but we were ok. Wonderful that you and your family were kept safe)

 

Psalm 148:7-8 Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps: 

8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling HIS word: 

 

  

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💥 Luke 23 (Reading through the Bible)

And the whole multitude of them arose, and led Him unto Pilate.

² And they began to accuse Him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ a King.

³ And Pilate asked Him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews?

And He answered him and said, Thou sayest it.

⁴ Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man.

⁵ And they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.

⁶ When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilaean.

⁷ And as soon as he knew that He belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time.

⁸ And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceeding glad: for he was desirous to see Him of a long season, because he had heard many things of Him; and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by Him.

⁹ Then he questioned with Him in many words; but He answered him nothing.

¹⁰ And the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Him.

¹¹ And Herod with his men of war set Him at nought, and mocked Him, and arrayed Him in a gorgeous robe, and sent Him again to Pilate.

¹² And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together: for before they were at enmity between themselves.

(Those who consort together in evil have something in common.)

¹³ And Pilate, when he had called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people,
¹⁴ Said unto them, Ye have brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I, having examined Him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those things whereof ye accuse Him:
¹⁵ No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and, lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto Him.
¹⁶ I will therefore chastise Him, and release Him.
¹⁷ (For of necessity he must release one unto them at the feast.)

¹⁸ And they cried out all at once, saying, Away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas:
¹⁹ (Who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison.)

²⁰ Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again to them.

²¹ But they cried, saying, Crucify Him, crucify Him.

²² And he said unto them the third time, Why, what evil hath He done? I have found no cause of death in Him: I will therefore chastise Him, and let Him go.

²³ And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that HE might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed.

²⁴ And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required.

²⁵ And he released unto them him that for sedition and murder was cast into prison, whom they had desired; but he delivered Jesus to their will.

²⁶ And as they led Him away, they laid hold upon one Simon, a Cyrenian, coming out of the country, and on him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus.

²⁷ And there followed Him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented Him.

²⁸ But Jesus turning unto them said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.²⁹ For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck. ³⁰ Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us.
³¹ For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?

³² And there were also two other, malefactors, led with Him to be put to death.

³³ And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

³⁴ Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

And they parted His raiment, and cast lots.

³⁵ And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided Him, saying, He saved others; let Him save Himself, if He be Christ, the chosen of God.

³⁶ And the soldiers also mocked Him, coming to Him, and offering Him vinegar,³⁷ And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save Thyself.

³⁸ And a superscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, This Is The King Of The Jews.

³⁹ And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on Him, saying, If Thou be Christ, save Thyself and us.

⁴⁰ But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

⁴² And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.

⁴³ And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise.

⁴⁴ And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
⁴⁵ And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.

⁴⁶ And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said, Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit: and having said thus, He gave up the ghost.

⁴⁷ Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.

⁴⁸ And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned.

⁴⁹ And all His acquaintance, and the women that followed Him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things.

⁵⁰ And, behold, there was a man named Joseph, a counsellor; and he was a good man, and a just:
⁵¹ (The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;) he was of Arimathaea, a city of the Jews: who also himself waited for the kingdom of God. ⁵² This man went unto Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. ⁵³ And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.

⁵⁴ And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.

⁵⁵ And the women also, which came with Him from Galilee, followed after, and beheld the sepulchre, and how His body was laid.

⁵⁶ And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

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💥 Podcast: David inquires of the Lord

 

(This podcast was previously published on, November 17, 2021)

 

I Samuel 23 

1 Then they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshingfloors.

2 Therefore David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go and smite these Philistines? 

And the LORD said unto David, Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.

3 And David's men said unto him, Behold, we be afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?

4 Then David enquired of the LORD yet again.

And the LORD answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

5 So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. 

So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

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It is not weak faith to confirm your way a second time when needed with God.

It would be evil to try to persuade God to change your instruction if you desired to do the opposite for personal gain as did Balaam.

Numbers 22

1 And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.

2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.

3 And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.

4 And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.

5 He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:

6 Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.

(When Balaam saw the great rewards in the hands of the men sent from Moab, Balaam desired those rewards and he desired that which the king of Moab could give him.)

8 And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.

9 And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?

10 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying,

11 Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.

12 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.

(At first, upon hearing God, Balaam refused to go with the men of Moab.  But Balaam greatly desired that which these men could give him.  So when other men from Moab came to persuade Balaam, his lust was very great and he returned to God a second time to request of God that he be allowed to go with these men ... and God turned Balaam over to his own lust.)

Psalm 78:7-8 That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep HIS commandments:  And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.

17-18  And they sinned yet more against HIM by provoking the most High in the wilderness. And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust.

26-31  HE (God) caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by HIS power HE brought in the south wind. HE rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea:

And HE let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations. So they did eat, and were well filled: for HE gave them their own desire; They were not estranged from their lust. But while their meat was yet in their mouths, The wrath of God came upon them, and slew the fattest of them, and smote down the chosen men of Israel.

Romans 1:28  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrighteousness.

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When the king of Sodom tried to reward Abram, Abram refused the reward that the king of Sodom would give him.  

Genesis 14:22-23 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:

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💥 Scriptures shared by members of the body of Christ:

 

Isaiah 55:12  For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

 

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1 Timothy 2:5-6  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

 

6 Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

 

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Revelation 22:14-15  Blessed are they that do HIS commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. 

 

15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

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Proverbs 6:1-5  My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,

 

2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

 

3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend.

 

4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.

 

5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, and as a bird from the hand of the fowler. 

 

 

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