2 Samuel 19:15: “Then the king returned and came to the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to escort the king across the Jordan.”

June 28th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

After Absalom’s rebellion was defeated, the people of Israel disputed among themselves about bringing King David back. But they reasoned that he had delivered them from the Philistines and Absalom was dead, so there was no other choice of who to accept as king. But still the tribe of Judah, the direct family of David, hesitated and was the last tribe to come around and welcome the king back. Perhaps they had also played a part in Absalom’s rebellion, and so were slow to accept David. Not everyone was excited to see the coming king.

Could this be a picture of another coming King and the mixed attitudes of people around us every day? We know when Jesus returns, not everyone will meet Him the same way. Some will be excited and happy, but many others will be caught off guard. The big question for us all is how will we meet the King? If He came today, would we be ready or does that question have us worried? If it has us worried, we need to do something this very moment: repent and bring back the King in our hearts by serving Him today.

We are all challenged by the life of missionaries who have given their all in the mission field. One life that challenges us is William Borden, of the famous Borden family. In 1912, William Borden, a graduate of Yale University, left one of America’s greatest family fortunes to be a missionary to China. He got as far as Egypt and died of cerebral meningitis. He was only in his 20s. After his death these words were found written in his Bible: “No reserve—No retreat—No regrets.”

“LORD, we want to serve You today with no retreat or regrets, bringing You back as King.”

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1 Samuel 19 KJV

¹ And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David. ² But Jonathan Saul’s son delighted much in David: and Jonathan told David, saying, Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place , and hide thyself: ³ And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art , and I will commune with my father of thee; and what I see, that I will tell thee. ⁴ And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good: ⁵ For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest it , and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause? ⁶ And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain. ⁷ And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan shewed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as in times past. ⁸ And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled from him.  ⁹ And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand. ¹⁰ And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin; but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night. ¹¹ Saul also sent messengers unto David’s house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David’s wife told him, saying, If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain. ¹² So Michal let David down through a window: and he went, and fled, and escaped. ¹³ And Michal took an image, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats’ hair for his bolster, and covered it with a cloth.  ¹⁴ And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, He is sick. ¹⁵ And Saul sent the messengers againto see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him. ¹⁶ And when the messengers were come in, behold, there was an image in the bed, with a pillow of goats’ hair for his bolster. ¹⁷ And Saul said unto Michal, Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee? ¹⁸ So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth. ¹⁹ And it was told Saul, saying, Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah. ²⁰ And Saul sent messengers to take David: and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God was upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. ²¹ And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also. ²² Then went he also to Ramah, and came to a great well that is in Sechu: and he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, they be at Naioth in Ramah. ²³ And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. ²⁴ And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Wherefore they say, Is Saul also among the prophets?