God's Heart's Desire and His Deliberate Determination

God's word contains his deliberate reasoned counsel or resolve (boulema) and his heart's willingness (passionate desire) (thelema) toward people which is his good pleasure (eudokia). God is pretty smart and he is also passionately willing.

10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh (energizes) all things after the counsel (boulema) of his own will (thelema):Ephesians 1:10-11

The Greek word "thelema is used 7 times in Ephesians (1:1,5,9,11 ;2:3; 5:17; 6:6). Ephesians is a great book to read to see the love of God at it's apex in the wonderful grace administration period that we live in. E.W Bullinger, in describing the difference or relationship between 'thelema' and 'boulema', said "the natural impulse is stronger than the reasoned resolve'. Ephesians is addressed to God's  engaged church, his people.

I have two kids and four grandchildren.  I love them to the moon and back (and more)!  It is not good if I don't exercise reasoned resolve in relating to them, while at the same time have a passionate heart's desire for their well-being. I don't want to spoil them and yet at the same time I enthusiastically desire for them to have the absolute undeniable best.

The 'best' from God put forth in Ephesians is like no other book!  Things like 'all spiritual blessings', 'understanding being enlightened', 'the exceeding riches of his grace', 'unsearchable riches of Christ', 'strengthened by his spirit', 'to know the love of Christ', 'Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly' are just a few of God's passionate nuggets contained in its pages. The whole book is an unveiling of God's willingness and passionate desire.

God wants us make every effort to commit to our own wholeness by committing to him. We are to respect ourselves and strive for that which is beneficial  and godly for our lives. As we love ourselves we can love others and that is pleasing to God:

13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will (thelema) and to do of his good pleasure (eudokia). Philippians 2:13

When God works in and through each of us to do his good pleasure, he inspires us from within to accomplish the task. His 'thelema' becomes our 'thelema' and that benefits all.

The Goodness of God

There are so many verses that tell us about how much God loves and has provided for us. He is the Father of lights and there is no darkness in him:

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. I John 1:5 

 There are no shadows, darkness, and no variableness with God. He is faithful and stands by his word. God is good always.

In the sixth chapter in II Samuel, there is a record that might seem to contradict the above verses. David wanted to get the Ark of God to the city of David. The Ark in the Old Testament was where God met with his people. Later it was the temple and in the New Testament it is in people's hearts through the gift of holy spirit that people have a relationship with God.

And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. II Samuel 6:3

There is no indication that David went to God to ask about this endeavor. God had given clear instructions in Exodus 25 and Number 4:15 that the Ark was to be carried in a certain way by Levites:

And when Aaron and his sons have made an end of covering the sanctuary, and all the vessels of the sanctuary, as the camp is to set forward; after that, the sons of Kohath shall come to bear it: but they shall not touch any holy thing, lest they die. These things are the burden of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation. Numbers 4:15

The use of the cart was a new man-made plan to get the ark back to where they wanted it . For all intents and purposes, this all seemed like a good idea. When God gives certain specific instructions(as in the verse above), it is for a reason. God knew how the Ark was best taken care of and he knew of the problems that could occur when plans were altered.

Men like to make wonderful plans to accomplish things for God, but that doesn't mean they are the right things to do.The Old Testament doesn't mention the devil very much but he was active and influencing everything he could to block God's people. The believers in the Old Testament were not fully aware of how the devil worked. The adversary wanted to mess with the Ark as it connected man to God.

One of the men tending the cart that was carrying the Ark, reached out and touched it to steady it when the oxen pulling it shook the Ark.   Uzza was killed as he touched the Ark. God has reasons why he didn't want those bearing the Ark to 'touch any holy thing'. In verse seven of this chapter, the word says the anger of the Lord was kindled and that God smote Uzza for his error. This is a Hebrew figure of speech called Idiom of Permission. God didn't like what happened but he had to permit this action because he doesn't control anyone.

Believer's are given free will choice to follow God or not.  Since God is all good, he doesn't cause evil. This is how the devil's actions become exposed.  If we are not cognizant of the operations of the evil around us, God can help us deal with things wisely to protect us if we ask him or look to the word to learn more about keeping evil at bay. Jesus Christ came to reveal the adversary to God's people. It is the gift of holy spirit that turns on the light  spiritually and physically to help avoid darkness.

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.I John 3:8

When you really understand the Idiom of Permission in Hebrew, it clarifies so many records and contradictions disappear. God loves us and doesn't harm us.  When you read through the Old Testament, there are so many examples of this idiom.  It becomes very clear in the New Testament, that God does not want us ignorant about evil:

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices. II Corinthians 2:11

This is how we stay free. " The same sun melts wax and hardens clay."(Origen On First Principles 3.1.11) Our hearts can  be hardened by evil that disguises itself as good when we don't understand or care to understand what is going on  or even acknowledge that the devil exists.  When we know God, our hearts can be softened by the love of God. We have  a choice:

16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. I John 4:16

(I John is a great read in light of the topic of the goodness of God! )

Trusting God and Prayer

In II Samuel 5 we read about two different battles David had with the Philistines after he became king of Israel. David was in the habit of consulting God before he went into battle and in these two instances he received two different sets of instructions. In the first battle, God told David simply to go ahead and that he would win. In preparation for the second battle, God had some different instructions:

23 And when David enquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. 24 And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines. 25 And David did so, as the Lord had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer. II Samuel 5:23-24

David was told not to go. Instead he told them to circle behind the Philistines near some mulberry trees and when David heard a sound in the tops of the trees, it was a signal to decide to move. God would go out in front of them and the Philistines would be defeated. (I Chronicles 14:14)

God could have handled this all himself or he could have said "ditto" from his previous instructions. He could have made the Philistines disappear in a split second. But that is not the way God handles things. Throughout the Old Testament, there are so many records of God giving different instructions to his people on how to handle problems and enemies. This specific chapter shows two specific seemingly identical incidents that happened within a relatively short time period.

Often, as we tackle things in life and see great victories, it is very easy to fall into the trap of complacency. Sometimes when we have a great victory, we think God has deposited more power in our spiritual savings bank so that when the next thing comes along we declare to God "I got this God!"  The other thing that can creep in is to transfer the praise of God onto ourselves. Both scenarios can be big trouble.

Problems involving our thinking other people and various circumstances never stop. The older I get, the more I realize what the power of 'praying without ceasing' is very real. Praying without ceasing doesn't mean living constantly on your knees and reciting prayers over and over. Communication with God is on-going and it is with great joy and peace that we can go to him in every and any situation. We cannot afford to become complacent. Why not trust the creator of the universe with everything that comes across our path. It is not an exercise of weakness, it is an exercise of power!

Recently I had a text come to my phone to which my mind reacted very quickly on how to handle it. I shut down the reaction and put it on hold and gave it to God. The next day I read it again and I knew exactly how I should respond. This is a very small simple thing but very practical. In this day and time when we live in media chaos, twitter and Facebook-type apps, instant messaging, and instant reactions, praying without ceasing has reached a top priority:

16 Rejoice evermore.17 Pray without ceasing.18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. II Thessalonians 5:16-18

The great words of Proverbs 3 stand out in this regard:

3 My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: 2 For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: 4 So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:1-6

Politics and God

The earliest form of the word 'politics'  comes from the Greek word pertaining to the activities of the the city. The Greek word for city is the word 'polis'. In the Bible, a city is mentioned for the first time. It was organized by Cain (Genesis 4:16-17). Cain was one of Adam's sons who murdered Abel, his brother. It was to be a city of protection and self-governance. It is also was a city credited with the origins of polygamy.

When a group of people ban together and set up a governance system, it is subject to the vision of the people that form it.  A great example is recorded in Hebrews 11:

8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Hebrews 11:8-10

God was meant to be the governing force in our lives. A nation that bases its governing principles on God's word would be a very blessed nation indeed! The power, love and sound thinking that any nation that looks to God to govern it, is beyond what the human mind can fathom.

America was founded on principles that allow for freedom of beliefs, so it is not really a pure theocracy.  People have the freedom to worship or not worship whatever they wish as long as natural laws are not violated. Our Constitution is specifically designed to protect our freedoms.

As exhibited by Cain, human nature can dictate relationships to other people. Self-governance can be quickly taken over by self-interest. In the post-garden of Eden era, evil entered the world giving humans an opportunity to look to self-interest rather than to God. With the introduction of evil and fleshy self-centered thinking, evil pushed to exert its influence everywhere it could get a foothold. Its tools were and are gossip (even seemingly harmless gossip), lies and innuendos. God's power is based on love. Evil is based on the opposite of love. Groups became breeding grounds for self-interest as mob thinking gained a foot-hold. It is in the group that lies and gossip flourish. Gossip and lying need at least two people in order to succeed. They are the  negative culprits in communities, friendships, families, religion and, needless to say, politics.

In today's political dynamic, it is easy to detect partisan thinking, but the line between good and evil is often blurry.  It is because people don't know God and they know even less about evil (the devil). The result of this mixture is crystal clear:

6 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. James 3:16

God's power is readily available to every person who knows, believes and loves him. Envy is not a product and neither is strife. God's power generates spiritual and mental order which generates genuine strength. Mental and spiritual order and peace comprise a good measuring stick of the motives and intent of power-users. People who misuse power may appear genuine, but eventually the basis of their power plays its hand just as it did long ago. God's wisdom and knowledge can cut through naiveté and ignorance to keep people who love him in peace.

Turn On The Light

It seems that the country is spinning out of control and with that, many people are feeling futility in attempting to make sense of it all. It is a bunch of noise and chaotic spin. Deception, lies, emotional bribery and just plain evil is at the roots of the miasma.  It is not easy to drown it all out.

Due to the internet and 24/7 cable news, the mob mentality is alive and kicking, running around perverting the culture. Things are said over and over to capture and twist the thinking of those hearing their message. Yes evil exists in this world. We can rise above the muck and the mire that is being spewed out everywhere by holding forth the love of God. God's word needs to be spoken:

2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: Deuteronomy 32:2

How refreshing and cleansing is the gentle rain that falls in a dusty dry season!

4 Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
5 Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.
6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. Psalm 40:1-6

David saw many extended difficult times.  Psalm 40 records how he dealt with a tough world around him.. His trust was in God, not the false madness and arrogant belligerence of the world.  He did not succumb to it. Instead the he sung about the wonderful works of God. They are everywhere. If we made a list it would go on and on and on.

People need to hear the truth about God. Light dispels darkness.  A dark room is not easy to navigate. Even if you light one little match, it helps. If you use a floodlight darkness runs.  There is no greater joy than speaking about God's love and seeing futility flee.  Lets have at it this week!!!

God Is No Respecter of Persons

  For all of us that have at one time  sought validation from God, the New Testament is really good news! God loves every human being that has ever walked the earth. There are no exceptions.  God doesn't care whether you are old, young, black or white, male or female, rich or poor, educated or uneducated. We don't need to seek validation from him. We only need to be humbly available to him and allow him work in our lives.

There can be unity among those who love God when we understand what true unity is. In Ephesians 4:4-7, unity among God's people has some specific aspects that we are encouraged to know and believe:

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 

7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Ephesians 4:4-7

'One body' means one body. The body of Christ is one in God's eyes. I Corinthians 1:1-13 is a great record. Is Christ divided?

'One Spirit' means one spirit:

24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:24

God is a Spirit.  He has provided the gift of holy spirit to all people who recognize Jesus as Lord (title imparted to him by God) and believe in their OWN heart that God raised him from the dead. (Romans 10:9) It is through this wonderful gift that we can have fellowship with God AND his son.(I John 1:3-4) The spirit doesn't take the place of the resurrected Christ, it connects us to him. This is the 'one baptism':

5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost (holy spirit) not many days hence.

The written word integrates with this connection too. Sometimes a verse just pops up in my head out of seemingly nowhere and usually I know it is there for a reason and I know where it came from. As we read more and more of God's word, the efficacy of this results in reinforcing our believing and our peace.

Christ is present, not absent, and he is active, not just sitting around on God' right hand.  'God's right hand' is a figure of speech to give emphasis to what Jesus Christ is doing now. He is active and doing a whole lot of stuff! Why wouldn't he be building the church God gave him to have authority over. God's church is made up of human hearts not bricks, communication is vital! There is 'one Lord' over this group, not 2, 100, 5000, or 25,000. God has placed Jesus Christ in charge; that's what the title, 'One Lord', indicates.

 It is with the heart that people connect to God and his word and really get to know what he means to their life. 'One faith', one hope naturally are wrapped up with this.

22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: Romans 3:22. 

Jesus Christ is a Superstar

For the past nine years I have been  on a trek through the Old Testament. I am taking my time rather than doing the yearly schedule I used to do. Reading the Bible through in a year doesn't work at this point in my life. It is important to get a overview of the Bible and that is where a year-long schedule can help, but taking it slow teaches more about life and living. It has been great  savoring all that God thought important enough for all of us to read and understand.  It has been eye-opening to get to know the various people in biblical history and how God worked with them.


In looking at David in the books of Samuel and Psalms, it is amazing how much we can learn about his life and motivations. We can get to know people like David though God's point of view and because of that we might get to know them better than people who actually are around us.

The Old Testament is amazing. There is so much  grace and love shown to some very human people. Things, for example, like polygamy and idolatry have been puzzling.  Even more puzzling is how commentaries and theologians explain these various issues of the Old Testament.  Many times I would read about a specific event that was difficult to follow or explain so I would try looking them up in my reference books. Many times I would find 2, 3 or 4 different explanations about what was going on. It got a little discouraging trying to figure who was right until God stepped in and reminded me to keep it simple. Then it just rolled out beautifully.

A good thing to remember is that the Bible is descriptive as well as prescriptive.  Sometimes, God describes things that went on without commenting on whether they were right or wrong. I use polygamy as an example because some of the great patriarchs had multiple wives and concubines. The multiple wives of Jacob and Elkanah, David and many more examples are all described.  I know that God designed marriage in the beginning to be monogamous. That is pretty simple. Marriage should be a blessing.

Jacob's family was dysfunctional because of all the wives and their offspring. In the books of Samuel, this issue is front and center as David moved into becoming the king. It was a source of pressure and difficulty in causing factions, political maneuverings and war. God certainly doesn't advocate polygamy, but humans do human things and those human things cause messes. Those messes teach us a lot. It is as simple as that.

I was thinking about this on my walk today and all of a sudden I was humming "Jesus Christ, Superstar!" under my breath. We are so blessed to live in the New Testament era.  Jesus Christ is God's prescription for all our humanness. It is worth singing about! The Old Testament believers looked to his coming, but we have him today. When you stop and think about this and its ramifications, it puts a spring in your step. It is a big change when one thinks about the significance of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The fact that he was raised  from the dead is enormous!  He is alive! The church that he is gathering is different from the Old Testament tabernacle and temple. In addition, Holy spirit was upon certain men and women in the Old Testament. Today holy spirit is available to all who believe.  We need to tear down the bricks and old structure, along with tossing out the passive pews and podiums in our minds in relating to God as well as how we relate to each other. It is interesting to think about what this can look like.

As I walked today, I was thankful that my trek through the Old Testament is even more meaningful through the lens of the  New Testament context. As so often happens when reading, the New Testament enriches and takes God's love and grace to a whole other level.

Anointings of David

In the books of Samuel, three anointings of David are recorded in:

I Samuel 16:12-13 (Samuel anointed David)
II Samuel 2:4 (men of Judah did the anointing)
II Samuel 5:3 (elders of Israel anointed David

When Samuel anointed David, he was a young sheep herder and Saul was the king of the Hebrews. Saul had shown that  he cared more about what the people thought rather than God. The Lord rejected Saul as king. When David was anointed with the horn of oil, the Spirit of the Lord came upon David and he certainly would need the power to do all  that God wanted him to do.

David was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse. Three of his older brothers served in Saul's army. In the famous confrontation of Goliath, none of Saul's men had the courage to take on Goliath.  David did and got the job done, but not without some chiding from his oldest brother. Despite David's age, Saul asked to see him and David convinced him that he would take care of Goliath. Saul tried to give David his armor and sword but David did not  feel he could use them and he handled Goliath with a sling and stone:

44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.46 This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hands. 1 Samuel 17:44-47

The Spirit of God was with David and he knew the outcome of the fight. He was bold and full of courage to defend God's people despite the negative in front of him. He killed Goliath.

After Saul died, David became King of Judah as recorded in II Samuel 2:4 when the men of the tribe of Judah anointed him as an acceptance of his kingship. The rest of the Israel made Saul's son king over Israel. There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David but eventually through a series of events, the elders of Israel came to David.

5 Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. 2 Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the Lord said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel. 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the Lord: and they anointed David king over Israel. II Samuel 5:1-3

Many things happened before all all of this could come together. A significant amount of time passed. God's overview of men's hearts and conditions surpasses  men's impatience in trying to arrange things for themselves. Saul failed as a king because he didn't wait on God and put his own fears into his kingship.  Confusion resulted. David became king over all of Israel as he carried out God's directions for the best benefit to Israel. Order resulted.

12 And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake. II Samuel 5:12

David's Attitude Toward Saul

Imagine waking up every morning knowing that someone was after you and this same person had once been anointed to serve God and watch out for God's people. David experienced  hard persecution under Saul who was ruler over Israel. David also was aware of God's plan for his own future to lead Israel.  He spoke up and tried proving to Saul that he was loyal a couple of times and Saul would back off temporarily. When his hard-hearted feelings came to the surface again, he forgot about David's loyalty.  David indeed was loyal and had Saul's best interests at heart and held to the conviction he would not harm 'the Lord's anointed' (I Samuel 24:4-10, 26:7-11). Saul was so deceived that he even consulted a fortune teller instead of God. Saul was eventually killed in a battle by the Philistines.

How does one live in peace under the conditions that David was living in?  David escaped Saul's attacks several times.  How could he live peaceably knowing he had to stay on the run? It definitely bothered him. He may have even questioned himself. Many of the psalms reflect his prayers to God for this situation. He knew God would take care of him and he would be free. It was God's peace that kept him.

In Romans 12:18 Paul states:

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

We are exhorted to live peaceably with all men.  Sometimes that is not possible. Notice, Paul says "If it be possible".  If you look around at our culture today, this seems like a huge task given the contentious spirit in our culture.  We need to listen to God and behave wisely in dealing with contentious people. We have to realize that people sometimes will never change and just walk away.  Contention is nothing to mess around with, the more one feeds it, the more it grows.

Contention is different from conflict. People have their own conflicting opinions and we often disagree, but contention involves knocking people down mentally or even physically as it was with Saul.

David knew that dealing with Saul's problems was above his pay grade.  David could not talk to Saul and resolve what was between them. He left that to God. David was a very successful warrior and behaved wisely, but David kept his hands clean when it came to Saul and when Saul was killed David mourned over him. Many people in David's situation probably would have jumped for joy.

God knows all that is going on, we most often don't.  The wisest thing we can do is put it in prayer mode and trust God to work it all out. We are not responsible for another's peace. If God wants us to get involved, then there will be some profitable outcome. He will will be very clear about the open door to the situation. Otherwise, we need to focus on our own pastures.

Living under the New Testament Covenant  with Jesus Christ as Lord means we are all God's sons and daughters. We have direct access to the Father whom we can turn to when we need help. Then how we deal with attacks will speak to the quality of His Word of our lives.

Abigail: 'Help melt' to 'Help meet'

David and his unique band of men were on the run from Saul for a while. It was a precarious lifestyle and required help from others from time to time. David escaped to the wilderness of Paran and learned about a wealthy man named Nabal from Maon who was having his sheep sheared in Carmel. David sent ten men to approach Nabal's sheep herders and insure them that they were friendly and not enemies and actually could help them in return for supplies. Nabal was described as churlish and mean spirited. He lived up to this description in his response. He was very surly to the ten men. When this was reported to David, he told his men to arm themselves for a fight. Some of Nabal's sheep shearers went to Nabal's wife, Abigail, and told her what was going on and enlisted her aid. This says a lot about the quality of her life and the respect they had for her.

Abigail is described as beautiful and full of understanding. Without her husband knowing it, she took the initiative to gather a large amount of supplies and food and made her way to David to ease the tension.  David listened to her wise admonitions and left. In this patriarchal culture, she must have been a bold, courageous woman. David obviously was impressed with her. When she returned home, her husband was drunk, so she wisely waited to talk to him when he was sober. When he heard what she had done, he 'became as stone' and died 10 days later. David upon hearing of Nabal's death sent for her to become his wife.

This woman recognized the future of David as king and saw it as a point of reasoning with him. There were some interesting things she said to him:

28 I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the Lord, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days. 29 Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling. 30 And it shall come to pass, when the Lord shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel; 31 That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the Lord shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid. I Samuel 25:28-31

When people traveled in this culture, they wrapped their valuables in a bundle to be kept in a safe place where they could diligently watch over them. Abigail was implying that God would keep him near and diligently watch over him. As for David's enemies, they would be like a stone which is put in a sling at its center and hurled out and away.

A person becomes as a stone out of hardness of heart. It involves  a way of thinking in reaction to life. There's an old saying I think of when I see hardness of heart:'The same sun that melts butter, hardens clay'. We are all susceptible to varying amounts of this type of attitude, but being reminded of 'being bound in the bundle of life with God' changes our perspective.

Samuel, the prophet of Israel, had recently died just prior to this whole incident. Saul was still king but was not walking with God.  David must have been so comforted to be reminded of what God saw in his future. Throughout this time in his life, he had faced pressures, constant threats and tough situations. Life is not always easy. It melted his heart when Abigail spoke. The Word can work that way for all of us; only sometimes it just takes a few gentle warm words, other times it may take a blow torch.

Abigail acting quickly (made haste in verses 18, 23 and 34) and confidently with grace, averted something that could have been deleterious for David.  What she said to David is the second longest (Deborah has the longest) record of any woman in the Old Testament.  As a woman, she is an  example with great strength, wisdom and an encouraging heart. Her words made a great impact on David and history for that matter. Like Sarah, Deborah, Ruth and Hannah, Esther and other great women, she is an example of how a woman of God can walk with great power to influence and help melt (reminds of the words 'helpmeet" in Genesis 2) critical situations that might have had different outcomes.

Amelioration and Pejoration of Words

Linguistics was one of the most fascinating classes I took in graduate school. A part of linguistics that is particularly interesting to me is the origins of words and their changes through time. For example, the word 'villain' originally described a rural farmer, today it indicates a wicked person. There are many words like it that have "evolved" through time.

The word 'minister' originally meant servant or subordinate. Inherent in the word 'minister' is the word 'minus' or 'minor'.  In both religious and political worlds, it was transformed through the ages into a rank or position of superiority (Father So-and-so and Prime minister). That is a big change.

Some words changed in elevation (amelioration), just as others were changed to be degraded (pejoration). An example of pejoration is the word 'judge'. It is a good thing to be able to decide between good and evil. Adding 'ment' to 'judge' still connotes something good. 'Ment' involves action on when used in combination with another word, thus the act of 'judging'. The related word 'judicious', is a good word also, meaning astute, careful, accurate, involving thoughtfulness. If we add an 'al' onto 'judgement' we get a word that has negative connotations in our culture today. Adding 'al' to a word such as 'judgement' links the action with the original word. So now we have the word 'judgemental' which through the years has been subject to pejoration and is taking 'judge' and 'judgment' down with it. Similarly 'discrimination' has evolved in such manner.

Both these words involve thought, but what must be remembered is the thinking behind the thought. Words can be used for both good and evil. Deborah was both a judge and judgmental and was highly respected. Her judgment was pure love as it came from God. Samuel was a judge and he listened to God. Samuel took a lot of heat for that. Saul exercised hurtful judgmental tendencies in his assessment of David. Good judgment involves love and bad judgment harms. Good judgment does not always garner respect and can be quite difficult, ask any parent, teacher or counselor.

Words are important vehicles to understanding. Words evolve because of culture, society, social mores and human influences. God's words never change. We have to keep this in mind as we assess situations so that we don't pin labels indiscriminately on others.