Meet the Enemy in Secret

"The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine." - 1 Samuel 17:37

David was anointed king at Bethlehem, but immediately he returned to his ordinary sphere of life to prove the Lord there. He went back to his flock, not to some special royal training-school. It was 'with the sheep' that Saul's messengers found him; and when his turn came to confront Goliath, the weapons he used against him were those tested there. Of Saul's helmet and sword and mail he said, 'I have not proved them,' and he put them off him again. Instead he chose his shepherd's sling and the stones from the brook, 'that all this assembly may know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear.'

There is no virtue in office alone. Mere status carries with it no spiritual power. You need to meet the enemy in secret before you can meet him in public. You need to be in tune with the Spirit of God at home before you can reign abroad. But this is a training-school open to every one of us.

A Table In The Wilderness (Watchman Nee 主僕倪柝聲弟兄)

Read the Scriptures: 1 Samuel 17

Seek The Favor of God

"Therefore said I, Now will the Philistines come down upon me to Gilgal, and I have not entreated the favor of Jehovah: I forced myself, therefore, and offered the burnt-offering." - 1 Samuel 13:12

We know Saul was rejected by God because he was too zealous, too eager to offer sacrifice, too hasty in prayer. How manifold were his reasons for action; nevertheless, God in the meantime had sought for Himself a man after His own heart and had appointed him (David) to be prince over His people. The man the Lord desires is not one who is so hasty that he cannot wait. If the choice were left to us, we would undoubtedly incline towards people like Saul; for was he not an unusual man? He stood head and shoulders above all the people. Yet God does not seek for an unusual man, but a man after His own heart. May the aim of our service to the Lord not be so much a desiring to do great things so that we as well as others may be pleased, but may it be a touching of the heart of God in order that He may be delighted. Only people such as this will God use. He is looking for such people.

The Lord My Portion (Watchman Nee 主僕倪柝聲弟兄)

Read the Scriptures: 1 Samuel 13

A True King

"One that ruleth over men righteously, that ruleth in the fear of God…" - 2 Samuel 23:3

David is so often called in Scripture 'King David' because he was a true king in spirit as well as in title. He was a king at heart. When a giant threatened Israel, Saul trembled, and so did all the people. Only David was unafraid. There is no fear in the heart of a king.

Ah, but David feared God. Saul became envious and persecuted him, driving him into exile. Then, on at least two occassions, David found Saul at his mercy and had the opportunity of killing him. However, without a command from God he would not lift a finger against his oppressor. Whoever cannot control his own spirit is no king. A true king is a king under all circumstances; he reigns everywhere.

The Joyful Heart (by Watchman Nee 主僕倪柝聲弟兄)

Read the Scriptures: 2 Samuel 23:1-7; 1 Samuel 24

Christ's Loyal Band

"David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave of Adullam, … and there were with him about four hundred men. " - 1 Samuel 22:1

The cave represented the answer to a spiritual need. Saul had the office of king and a great following. His was all the machinery of government, and God in sovereignty recognized him, but you will not find God with Saul. It is David who is under the Spirit's anointing, and he must go with God into the wilderness. So the cave became his headquarters. To it there found their way a band of those who were weary of existing conditions, and he became their captain. They came to Adullam in desperation, because their need was met nowhere else.

David is a type of the Lord Jesus in His present rejection. Even today, multitudes are on their way to His retreat. They crave for the reality to be found where the Spirit rules. They come to Him and He owns them as His loyal band. It is a lonely way. It is always lonely to stand against the man-made system. But that nucleus, gathered to the Lord Jesus in this day of His rejection, will be very dear to Him when He comes to the throne.

A Table In the Wilderness (by Watchman Nee 主僕倪柝聲弟兄)

Read the Scriptures: 1 Samuel 22

Key to Answered Prayer

"David sought the face of the Lord. " - 2 Samuel 21:1

There are times when we put forth tremendous effort in prayers without getting any answer from God, yet how seldom do we seek to discover why! For how can we expect God to answer prayers that are out of harmony with His mind? In all our praying we must first find the key. It was this David sought to do at the time of prolonged famine this chapter describes. He did not simply cry to God: 'This famine has lasted three years. Have mercy on us now and grant us a rich harvest this year.' No, He sought the face of the Lord. Had God something to say about it? To his direct question God gave a direct reply, and with it the key to answered prayer. Saul, it appears, by slaying some of the Gibeonites, had violated God's understanding with Israel to spare them. True, he had done it out of zeal for God; but he had sinned. God will not permit the breaking of a solemn vow. So there was something to be set right. 'And after that,' we read in verse 14, 'God was intreated for the land.' David had found the key.

A Table In the Wilderness (by Watchman Nee 主僕倪柝聲弟兄)

Read the Scriptures: 2 Samuel 21